Bridgerton and The Handmaid’s Tale fans should check out the upcoming family thriller Anniversary to see their favorite stars venturing into a fresh drama. This new movie stars Bridgerton‘s Phoebe Dynevor, The Handmaid’s Tale‘s Madeline Brewer and Mckenna Grace, and Diane Lane (of The Outsiders fame, but having voiced Riley’s mom in Inside Out in recent years).
Anniversary follows happy young couple Liz (Dynevor) and Josh (Dylan O’Brien) when he brings her to meet his family at his parents’ anniversary party. However, the mother, Ellen (Lane), knows Liz as a former student, and both her presence and the movement known as “The Change” sweeping the country begin to disrupt the family.
The upcoming thriller is directed and co-written by Jan Komasa, and also stars Kyle Chandler, Zoey Deutch, and Daryl McCormack. It is slated for an ambitious theatrical release on Oct. 29, 2025. Check out the trailer for Anniversary below:
What This Means For Anniversary & Its Cast
The fact that Anniversary is hitting theaters right around the time that all the awards season hopefuls will come out, many of which have already had successful festival debuts, means it has an uphill battle ahead. Though the trailer paints a compelling picture of a narrative that explores how personal grudges and politics sow division among a family, Anniversary will probably see more success on streaming.
On the other hand, this could be a great opportunity for the lead cast. Lane has appeared in Feud and the DCEU in the last several years, and is the perfect star to lead a conventionally structured but thematically potent drama like this. Dynevor is slowly building her repertoire after Bridgerton, while Brewer has just wrapped up The Handmaid’s Tale.
Meanwhile, there is no stopping Mckenna Grace. While the Young Sheldon star also has Regretting You, based on Colleen Hoover’s novel, coming out this fall, she will be back on the blockbuster scene next year, starring in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. While Anniversary‘s reception may be underwhelming, it could be worth it to see what the cast does with the material.
Our Take On Anniversary’s Trailer
Interestingly, Amazon Prime Video is debuting the TV series The Girlfriend next month, starring Olivia Cooke, Paul Mescal, and Robin Wright. This show will also tell a story that revolves around the conflict that ensues when a young man brings home a girlfriend that his family finds suspicious, particularly focusing on the dynamic between the young woman and the mother.
It is telling that there may be a trend growing in media that is inherently about mistrust. However, The Girlfriend is potentially set up better to succeed with a streaming release and arguably more popular stars. The first trailer for Anniversary markets a complex narrative, but not always in the clearest ways, which is how it could fall short of its goals.
