Materialists, the highly-anticipated second film written and directed by Playwriting alum Celine Song ’14, will enjoy its theatrical release on June 13, 2025. The love triangle romantic dramedy follows Song’s debut film, Past Lives, which was nominated for best screenplay and best feature film at the 96th Academy Awards. Song, who is Korean-Canadian, was the first Asian woman to be nominated for Best Screenplay.
Materialists stars Dakota Johnson as Lucy, a New York City matchmaker, whose work gets complicated as two suitors, played by Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans, battle for her love. While a love triangle also motivated the plot of Past Lives, Materialists puts a rom-com spin on the trope. Though the plot has been kept under wraps, the trailer presents Pascal as the wealthier, seemingly stable option to Evans, a passionate but broke actor-waiter who has history with Lucy.
Entertainment Weekly reported that the film is inspired by Song’s experiences as a matchmaker supporting herself during her early years as a playwright. Though clients would present her with a checklist of quantifiable traits they were looking for, their best match wasn’t always what looked good on paper. “I was interested in that gap between the way we talk about the partners that one wants and what it's like to actually meet somebody that is a partner for life," Song told Entertainment Weekly.
While A24 will handle the domestic release of Materialists, Deadline reported that Sony Pictures acquired international distribution rights to the film in an eight-figure deal.
Celine Song is a playwright, screenwriter and director. Before her debut film, Past Lives, was received with universal acclaim, Song was a playwright best known for Endlings, which ran at American Repertory Theater and New York Theatre Workshop. Song has also written television and is credited on the first season of the Amazon series Wheel of Time.
Watch a trailer for the film below.
