The 50 Most Anticipated Movies of 2026

As 2025 wraps up, we can easily say it was a truly incredible year for movies. 2025 was a year that gave us new films from filmmakers like Paul Thomas Anderson, Chloé Zhao, Jafar Panahi, Ryan Coogler, Wes Anderson, Celine Song, Yorgos Lanthimos, Joachim Trier, and many, many more. From great superhero blockbusters to award-worthy dramas, 2025 is going to be a year that’s hard to beat.

That being said, it looks like 2026 is more than ready to rise to the challenge. While we clearly don’t know all the films that will be coming over the next 12 months, and there are certainly going to be surprises to come, 2026 is already shaping up to be incredible. We’re talking about a year that is going to bring us Avengers: Doomsday, Supergirl, and the return of Spider-Man. This is a year that is bringing us sequels to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and The Social Network — two films we didn’t even know needed sequels. Tom Cruise is making a comedy. Steven Spielberg is returning to sci-fi. Hell, even the Fockers are back. The next year already has so much to look forward to.

With 2026 right around the corner, here are 50 of the films we’re most excited to see in the coming year.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

January 16

28 Years Later was a stunning return to the world of 28 Days Later, centering on an island that survived the Rage Virus that ravaged the UK. While Danny Boyle returned to helm that tale and its sequel, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple was shot back-to-back, this time the story will continue with the talented Nia DaCosta at the helm. This outing will continue to follow two of the most interesting elements of that film, including the mysterious Bone Temple creator Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) and the mysterious Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) and his Jimmy Savile-inspired cult.

Fiennes gave an incredible performance in 28 Years Later, in a character that’s moving, mysterious, and kind yet intimidating, and the film’s finale promises to let loose a host of new chaos in the Rage Virus-ravaged terrain. DaCosta did incredible things stepping into a lore-heavy world with Candyman, and there’s good reason to expect that she’s found new elements in a franchise that’s already hitting creative highs. — Jeff Ewing

The Adventures of Cliff Booth

2026

David Fincher directing a Quentin Tarantino-scripted Once Upon a Time in Hollywood… sequel that puts the focus entirely on Brad Pitt’s fearless stuntman feels like something that would only exist in an intense fever dream. But somehow it’s real! And we’ll all get to see it next year when The Adventures of Cliff Booth drops on Netflix (and hopefully in as many theaters as possible, too). Leonardo DiCaprio is reportedly sitting this one out – which maybe makes the film more a spinoff than a true sequel – but Pitt will be backed up by a returning Timothy Olyphant, along with new cast members Scott Caan, Elizabeth Debicki, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. This will be the first film QT has written that he didn’t direct since 1996’s From Dusk Till Dawn, but no matter: A Tarantino/Fincher team-up is going to be the film event of the year for every Gen X cinephile on the planet. – Robert Brian Taylor

Artificial

2026

While Luca Guadagnino had been on a roll with films as varied as Bones and All, Challengers, and Queer in recent years, his 2025 film, After the Hunt, showed that maybe the director should stay away from bigger issues and difficult topics. Despite some trepidation, however, his newest film, Artificial, is a comedic look at the beginnings of OpenAI, in which CEO Sam Altman (played by Andrew Garfield) was fired and then rehired in just a few days. While we haven’t seen anything beyond some behind-the-scenes photos from the film, it does sort of sound like this could be The Social Network, but for AI.

It’s also hard not to get excited about Artificial when looking at the cast and crew working on it. Artificial is written by one of the greatest comedy writers working today, Simon Rich, who has written for everyone from The Simpsons to Pixar and Saturday Night Live. The cast is also very exciting, including Monica Barbaro, Anora’s Yura Borisov, Cooper Hoffman, Jason Schwartzman, Billie Lourd, Zosia Mamet, Chris O’Dowd, Mark Rylance, and, in a brilliant bit of casting, Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk. After the Hunt might’ve been a small bump in Guadagnino’s filmography, and it sounds like Artificial will get him right back on track. — Ross Bonaime

Avengers: Doomsday

December 18

One of Marvel’s most shocking, risky, and unexpected moves came in 2024, when it was announced in a very grand fashion that Robert Downey Jr. would be returning to the MCU not as Iron Man, but as iconic Fantastic Four villain Doctor Doom. It was admittedly a bit of a headscratcher, but, if pulled off, could turn out to be one of the best casting decisions and storytelling feats in MCU history.

As the title suggests, Avengers: Doomsday will feature Downey Jr.’s take on the villain front and center. The Fantastic Four itself was recently rebooted on the silver screen, with Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn taking on the main roles. The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ end-credits scene featured Franklin Richards reaching for a cloaked Doctor Doom, epically teasing Doomsday. If that didn’t get you excited, then surely the never-ending chair reveal did! Okay, but seriously, even though Avengers: Doomsday‘s plot might be largely under wraps, the cast is enough to get us excited for what’s to come. A number of X-Men actors are reprising their roles, including Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, James Marsden, and Rebecca Romijn, along with the New Avengers, all in an effort to take down Doom. — Emily Bernard

The Bride!

March 6

Between the success of Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein and yet another Dracula movie coming up in 2026, monster lovers are basically living their best (and slightly cursed) lives. But honestly? It kind of tracks because when the world is stressful, nothing says comfort like glamorous nightmares we can relate to! One filmmaker clearly reading the room is actor, director, and screenwriter Maggie Gyllenhaal, who’s putting her own twist on The Bride of Frankenstein with the hotly anticipated The Bride! starring Jessie Buckley (fresh off Hamnet) in the titular role.

Set in rip-roaring 1930s Chicago, Frankenstein’s creature — played by an unrecognizable Christian Bale — asks to be given a companion. As timing would have it, the patriarchy quite literally strikes, and a woman is murdered. Enter the mysterious Dr. Euphronius, played by Annette Bening, who helps bring her back as “the Bride.” But what follows is a full-blown citywide mess as the two fall in love with cops closing in on them and social change spreading like wildfire. Blending a Bonnie and Clyde kind of twist with reported dance numbers and lots of vibrant, period-piece costumes, the Warner Bros. feature also brings out a stacked cast, including Penélope Cruz, Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, and Jake Gyllenhaal, to join in on the fun. Already one of 2026’s most talked-about releases, The Bride! promises to be moody, strange, ambitious, and a lot of fun. — Tania Hussain

Clayface

September 11

James Gunn and Peter Safran have big, bold plans for the DC universe. The current DC Studios heads made a super splash this year with their take on Superman, rebooting the franchise and casting David Corenswet as the Man of Steel, with a sequel, Man of Tomorrow, slated for a 2027 release. Next up, they have Milly Alcock starring in the titular role of Supergirl, set to hit theaters on June 26. But perhaps the most exciting project of them all? A movie about the shape-shifting villain, Clayface.

Villain origin stories are always wildly intriguing, but what makes this especially promising is the fact that Clayface has been teased as a “complete horror film” by Gunn himself. The DC character, which first appeared in Detective Comics #40 in June 1940, has been both a friend and foe of Batman. Though several characters have gone by the moniker “Clayface,” the initial version is that of a B-list actor who goes on a murder spree once he finds out he won’t be in the remake of a horror movie he starred in. Matt Reeves, known for Robert Pattinson‘s The Batman, is producing the project, with Speak No Evil director James Watkins directing. Stepping into the main role is relative newcomer Tom Rhys Harries, with Mike Flanagan having written an early draft of the script, followed by Hossein Amini. — Emily Bernard

Coyote vs. Acme

August 28

I’ll be honest, it doesn’t take much to get me excited about anything Will Forte is contributing to. The fact that it’s a cancelled, uncancelled movie featuring the Looney Tunes’ most shit-on character (a character who, by design, is meant to fail), with peak John Cena at his most ridiculous height in his career as a comedic actor, and they’re all thrust into the real world a la Space Jam… Well, I don’t think there’s a better way to sell me on a movie. This is the Space Jam sequel we deserve, but it’s taking an approach way more appropriate for the Looney Tunes as a brand and franchise. Honestly, it’s amazing that this movie didn’t already exist, or that it’s had such a strange journey to finally get into the hands of the public. But here we are. We might not deserve this movie, but everyone should be thankful that Coyote vs Acme is finally seeing the light of day. — Joe Schmidt

The Death of Robin Hood

The legend of Robin Hood has been told and retold in many forms over the last seven centuries. The hero who stole from the rich to give to the poor has appeared as a wily animated fox, a man in green tights, and even as a woman. But seldom has the folk hero been portrayed in his twilight years — which is one of the reasons why The Death of Robin Hood is one of the most exciting films eyeing a 2026 release.

Written and directed by Michael Sarnoski, the new adaptation is positioned as a thriller that sees a gravely injured Robin Hood (Hugh Jackman) grapple with his former life of crime and murder, while in the hands of a mysterious woman (Jodie Comer) who offers him a chance at salvation. While details remain vague about how Sarnoski is approaching the mythos of Robin Hood, Jackman recently revealed that Bill Skarsgård is playing a version of Little John who has a very different view on what life was like among Robin Hood’s “little army of child soldiers.” In addition to Jackman, Comer, and Skarsgård, The Death of Robin Hood’s cast list also includes Murray Bartlett and Noah Jupe, though their roles remain unknown at this stage. It seems as though The Death of Robin Hood is aiming to take a more critical, deconstructionist view on the legend, which could make the film a standout next year. — Maggie Lovitt

The Devil Wears Prada 2

May 1

Few 2000s movies have aged better or become bigger cultural events than David Frankel’s The Devil Wears Prada. The film about a driven journalist who becomes the assistant to a powerful fashion editor was successful upon release, but it has truly become a cultural touchstone in the last decade or so. It could be nostalgia, or maybe a newfound appreciation for both the hardships and the allure of Andy Sachs’ (Anne Hathaway) demanding job as assistant to the mighty Miranda Priestley (Meryl Streep). It could also be that the movie is simply a great piece of cinema. Whatever the reason, the news of a sequel set to release in May 2026 sent the internet into a frenzy.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 will feature the return of Streep and Hathaway alongside Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci, arguably the secret weapons behind the original’s success. Details about the plot are still scarce, but we can get a good idea based on the sequel to the book that inspired the original movie. Still, beyond the plot details, what’s exciting is seeing this brilliant cast together again. The return of the icy Miranda is also a triumph to all of us who grew up with the movie, simultaneously wishing we could be like her while being utterly terrified of her. If the love for the original in every corner of the internet tells us anything, it’s that Prada 2 is bound to be a major box office success. After all, there’s no better way to start the summer season than to hear those iconic two words: “That’s all.” — David Caballero

Digger

October 2

Over the last decade or so, Tom Cruise has really become a big franchise guy, with the Mission: Impossible series, Top Gun: Maverick, the Jack Reacher movies, and yes, even The Mummy. In the last decade, the only non-IP movie he’s made was 2017’s American Made. And while Tom Cruise’s action films have certainly been great, it’s hard not to miss the time when Cruise would do weird projects, take on darker roles, or just try new things. Where is the Tom Cruise who would play Stacee Jaxx or Les Grossman? Where’s the Cruise who gave us great performances in films like Magnolia, Collateral, and Eyes Wide Shut? Well, it looks like this Cruise might be back with Diggers.

Little is known of Digger yet, other than that the poster calls it a “comedy of catastrophic proportions,” which features Cruise playing the most powerful man in the world trying to stop a disaster he’s started that could destroy everything. The first teaser also didn’t give us much to go on, either, literally just showing Cruise in shadow, dancing with a shovel to Gorillaz’s “O Green World.” Maybe most curious about Digger is that it comes from two-time Best Director winner Alejandro González Iñárritu, who isn’t exactly known for being hilarious. Even his biggest attempt at comedy, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), isn’t a laugh riot, and neither are his other films like The Revenant or BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths. But in addition to Cruise, Digger also features an expectedly great cast that includes Sandra Hüller, John Goodman, Jesse Plemons, Sophie Wilde, Riz Ahmed, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Emma D’Arcy. Digger is definitely one of the most intriguing projects coming out in 2026, and at the very least, it’ll be great to see Cruise get weird again. — Ross Bonaime

Disclosure Day

June 12

Anytime there’s a new movie from Steven Spielberg, you’re obviously going to have my attention. While many of Spielberg’s films in the past decade have either been period pieces or adaptations (or in some cases, both), Disclosure Day returns the legendary filmmaker to the summer blockbuster. And once again, it involves aliens.

The film reunites Spielberg with his frequent collaborator and close friend David Koepp, and despite us already having a trailer, we still don’t really know what it’s really about. It seems that Josh O’Connor, Emily Blunt, Colin Firth, and Colman Domingo are at the center of a mass conspiracy that will finally make disclosure of the existence of extraterrestrial life public. Spielberg has always been his bag making movies about aliens, from all-time classics like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Close Encounters of the Third Kind to his underrated War of the Worlds adaptation. It’s extremely difficult not to be excited about this film, especially since his previous two movies, The Fabelmans and West Side Story, were the best of his later career. Plus, John Williams has come out of retirement to do the score, and that can only be a good thing. — Nate Richard

The Drama

April 3

A24 has championed some of the most intriguing romance films in recent years, proving that there is more to unpack about relationships than many romps fail to explore. From Materialists driving audiences to have further reflections about our modern dating culture, to Eternity balancing both a love triangle and afterlife themes, it’s exciting to see pairs that are not only falling for each other but coming to terms with what true love really is.

The Drama seems to join the conversation, featuring two actors who are leading some of the most anticipated movies of 2026, Zendaya and Robert Pattinson. Based on its euphoric trailer, this dark comedy follows an engaged couple whose wedding bliss is falling through the cracks. Their relationship is put to the test a week before they utter their vows, likely leading them to reconsider what makes them perfect for each other after all. Directed by Kristoffer Borgli, who directed the absurdist Sick of Myself and Dream Scenario, The Drama has been mostly kept under wraps, and that’s a good thing. There’s something special about walking into a film unaware of what to expect and being fully immersed in what a story has to offer, and I have faith this one will be the next A24 romance that people can’t stop talking about — Isabella Soares

Dune: Part Three

December 18

In 2026, Denis Villeneuve‘s breathtaking Dune saga will finally come to a close with Dune: Part Three. Even though Dune: Part Two brought the central story of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) as told in Frank Herbert‘s original novel to a close, the third and reportedly final installment will adapt the events of Dune: Messiah, and perhaps even the novels beyond that. While there is some apprehension among fans, especially considering how wacky and out there the later books can get (you’ll see if the God Emperor shows up), but if the last two films in this saga are any indication, we’re in good hands with Denis Villeneuve.

2021’s Dune gave fans what they have been waiting years for — a proper bold, faithful, and visually stunning adaptation of one of the most influential sci-fi stories ever conceived. And Dune: Part II was even better, with seeing the worm-covered sands of Arrakis and Paul’s epic-yet-tragic ascendance to royalty being a dream come true, making for some of the best sci-fi sagas of recent years. If Villeneuve can do the impossible and really stick with the landing with the final chapter, we may be looking at the best three science fiction movies since the original Star Wars trilogy. — Aidan Kelley

Evil Dead Burn

July 24

The Evil Dead franchise is a unique one, as it’s a horror series that really hasn’t had a single bad movie. The original The Evil Dead changed the game for horror as we know it, Evil Dead II is a masterful blend of horror and comedy, Army of Darkness is the most entertaining dark fantasy action flick you’ll ever watch, Fede Álvarez‘s Evil Dead perfectly understands what made the original movies work, and Evil Dead Rise successfully brought the Deadites to a place beyond a cabin in the woods. With that impressive track record in mind, it’s hard not to be excited about the next chapter in the Necronomicon, Evil Dead Burn.

Despite only being about half a year away, we really don’t know that much about Evil Dead Burn, and that’s part of the appeal. It’s nice when a horror story is shrouded in so much secrecy to the point where not just its plot is a surprise, but also its scares. While it’s true we probably won’t see Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) slaughtering the undead with his chainsaw hand, we can still hopefully expect some brutal Deadite slaying in one of the best and most important horror sagas ever. — Aidan Kelley

Flowervale Street

August 14

One of the most mysterious films set to release in 2026, is David Robert Mitchell’s new sci-fi film Flowervale Street. Due to release on August 14, 2026, very little is known about the actual plot of the film, beyond the fact that it “follows a family who starts to notice unusual happenings in their neighborhood.” The film stars Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor, alongside Maisy Stella, Christian Convery, Jordan Alexa Davis, P. J. Byrne, and Chris Coy.

The film was originally set to premiere in May 2025, before being delayed until 2026 — and no further details about the film’s plot have emerged in the intervening time, beyond the fact that it is a “thrill-ride” that was shot in IMAX. While McGregor told Collider in 2024 that the film has nothing to do with dinosaurs, there have been persistent rumors that the film will, in fact, involve a Jurassic-level threat. The mystery of what Flowervale Street is about has only proven to amp up the anticipation for a fresh, new take on the sci-fi genre. — Maggie Lovitt

Focker-in-Law

November 25

I firmly believe that Meet the Parents is one of the funniest movies of all time. From the disastrous dinner (“I have nipples, Greg. Could you milk me?”) to the even more disastrous flight (“You can’t say bomb on an airplane!”), the film offers quotable cringe comedy at its finest. The plot follows Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) as he goes with his girlfriend Pam (Teri Polo) to visit her kind mother Dina (Blythe Danner) and intense, retired CIA agent and Vietnam War vet father Jack (Robert De Niro). Increasingly disastrous events ensue on the trip, including impromptu lie detector tests and the appearance of Pam’s wealthy ex-fiancé, Kevin (Owen Wilson).

Though the subsequent sequels, Meet the Fockers and Little Fockers, dipped drastically in quality, they still have their moments, particularly with the addition of Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand as Greg’s parents. Now, more than 15 years since the last installment, the Fockers are back with Focker-in-Law. In addition to the main cast returning, Skyler Gisondo and Ariana Grande are joining as Pam and Greg’s son, Henry, and Henry’s strong-willed triathlete fiancée, Olivia, who, of course, butts heads with the family. Grande has proven herself a highly gifted comedic actress throughout the Wicked movies, and I, for one, can’t wait to see what she brings to this wacky world. I have a good feeling she’ll fit right in. — Taylor Gates

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die

February 13

No matter the quality of the project, if Sam Rockwell is in it, you know you’re guaranteed at least one excellent performance. The Oscar winner, who recently had a scene-stealing role in The White Lotus, leads the charmingly titled Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, an epic, weird-as-hell sci-fi action comedy from Gore Verbinski. The trailer wears its bizarreness proudly on its sleeve, as it follows Rockwell’s disheveled mystery man, who claims to be from the future, and has appeared to tell everyone that, well, the future kind of blows. However, he also claims he can help fix it. In addition to Rockwell, who’s clearly having fun with this silly, unpredictable role, the film also stars Haley Lu Richardson, Zazie Beetz, Juno Temple, and Michael Peña. — Emily Bernard

Hoppers

March 6

While Pixar has proved over the decades that it can make some of the best animated films in the business, it’s rare that the studio fully goes all-in, embracing silly, ridiculous fun. Sure, Pixar films are almost always fun, but it’s not often that we get a film from them that looks as over-the-top goofy and playful as their latest, Hoppers. In a concept that the trailer proclaims is not like Avatar, scientists have found a way for humans to put their consciousness into robotic animals that will let them speak to other animals. As we’ve seen in the first trailers so far, Mabel (Piper Curda) jumps into the body of a robo-beaver, and she questions nature’s ways, as well as maybe inadvertently starts a war between the animals and humans.

Pixar’s original concepts might be a bit more hit-or-miss than in the past, but Hoppers looks like it has the stuff to make it as one of the company’s biggest original successes. Hoppers is directed by Daniel Chong, the creator of the adorable series, We Bare Bears, with a story by him, and a screenplay by Luca co-writer Jesse Andrews. But also, Hoppers has an incredible voice cast that includes Dave Franco, Bobby Moynihan, Kathy Najimy, Ego Nwodim, Melissa Villaseñor, Vanessa Bayer, Sam Richardson, Jon Hamm, and friggin Meryl Streep as Insect Queen. I mean, c’mon, Streep as a butterfly queen? What more could you ask for? — Ross Bonaime

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping

November 20

Though technically the sixth film in The Hunger Games series, Sunrise on the Reaping sits at number two chronologically, taking place 40 years after Lucy Gray Baird’s (Rachel Zegler) story in The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes and 24 years before Katniss Everdeen’s (Jennifer Lawrence) story begins in the main trilogy. This movie will follow Haymitch’s games (Joseph Zada, playing a younger version of the role Woody Harrelson originated) in the Second Quarter Quell, which sees double the tributes in the arena. Fans have been anticipating Haymitch’s story for over a decade, and if the breathtakingly heartbreaking novel by Suzanne Collins is any indication, it’s not going to disappoint.

The teaser trailer has already drummed up massive excitement, accruing nearly five million views in the month it’s been posted. The visuals are stunning — par for the course with director Francis Lawrence, who has helmed every film in the series minus the first — and you’d be hard-pressed to find a movie with more perfect casting, from Elle Fanning playing a younger version of Elizabeth Banks’ prim and proper Effie Trinket to Kieran Culkin taking over for Stanley Tucci as eccentric host Caesar Flickerman, Jesse Plemons stepping in for the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman as the mysterious Plutarch Heavensbee to Ralph Fiennes joining Donald Sutherland and Tom Blyth in depicting the terrifying President Snow. And that’s not even mentioning the new characters played by Mckenna Grace, Glenn Close, and Billy Porter, or returning faces in the form of Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson. This promises to be a movie event like no other — one I’m already stocking up on tissues for. — Taylor Gates

I Love Boosters

May 22

After his award-winning debut feature, Sorry to Bother You, and critically acclaimed series, I’m a Virgo, Boots Riley is back with his sophomore film, I Love Boosters. Described as a science fiction comedy, the movie will follow a group of shoplifters as they target a cutthroat fashion maven. Considering Riley is one of the boldest, most creative visionaries working today, I Love Boosters is sure to be stylishly surreal, unapologetically absurdist, and thought-provokingly complex.

If that isn’t enough to excite you, wait until you hear the cast he’s assembled: Demi Moore, fresh off her Oscar-nominated turn in The Substance, Naomi Ackie, who gave one of the greatest performances of 2025 in Sorry, Baby, IT: Welcome To Derry star Taylour Paige, national treasure Keke Palmer, yet another Academy Award nominee in the form of LaKeith Stanfield — and that’s just scratching the surface. Safe to say, the group of talent Riley has gathered is absolutely stacked. The film is set to open the 40th annual South by Southwest Film Festival this March and hit theaters in May. — Taylor Gates

Jack of Spades

2026

Look, we all miss the Coen brothers. It’s hard not to, considering the brothers haven’t made a film together in nearly a decade with 2018’s The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. While Ethan Coen has been working on his “lesbian B-movie trilogy” with his wife and writing partner, Tricia Cooke, with films like Drive-Away Dolls and Honey Don’t, Joel Coen has been more reserved in his output, only writing and directing 2021’s The Tragedy of Macbeth since the pair have split for the time being. But man, what a Shakespeare adaptation that was.

It’s looking like Joel Coen will be back with another film in 2026 with Jack of Spades, and while we don’t know much about the film, other than it’s a Gothic mystery film, it’s hard not to get excited about another Joel Coen solo project. With Jack of Spades, Coen is working with the hardest-working actor of 2025, Josh O’Connor, as well as Frances McDormand, Lesley Manville, and Damian Lewis, and with Carter Burwell crafting the score. For those missing the Coen brothers, Jack of Spades sounds like it might scratch that itch. — Ross Bonaime

Jumanji 4

December 11

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 7 years since Jumanji: The Next Level came to theaters, a massive hit that ended up making $801 million worldwide. While The Next Level hinted at a sequel where the world of the game Jumanji comes to the real world, it’s been a long wait to see what this would look like. We don’t know much about this newest Jumanji, other than that we still have to wait almost a year for it to come to theaters, and that director Jake Kasdan has said he plans on bringing back the core cast of the first two films. That means we should expect to see a packed cast that includes Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, Awkwafina, Danny DeVito, and Alex Wolff. The 1995 Jumanji showed just how wild it would be if the creatures of Jumanji were to come into the real world, and it looks like this latest installment will conclude this trilogy by looking back at what that film did over 30 years earlier. — Ross Bonaime

Klara and the Sun

2026

Remember how, for a while there, Taika Waititi was everywhere? In addition to directing Jojo Rabbit, Thor: Ragnarok, and Thor: Love and Thunder, and his latest film, 2023’s Next Goal Wins, he was signed on to so many other projects. Not to mention, he was also appearing in tons of films outside his own, including The Suicide Squad, Free Guy, and Lightyear. But after being relatively quiet the last few years, it looks like Waititi will return in 2026 with an adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel, Klara and the Sun.

Klara and the Sun centers around a mother (Amy Adams), who buys an artificial friend named Klara (Jenna Ortega) for her teen daughter Josie (Mia Tharia). As Klara tries to save Josie from succumbing to an illness, she learns about human love. Klara and the Sun sounds decidedly different from Waititi’s past projects, and it’ll be interesting to see him handle a more grounded sci-fi story from a writer like Ishiguro, who previously brought us Never Let Me Go. — Ross Bonaime

The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender

October 9

For lovers of the Avatar series (no, not the one with blue people and sentient whales), follow-ups to the iconic animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender have been a mixed bag. There’s the cursed 2010 live-action adaptation by M. Night Shyamalan that couldn’t even pronounce one of its main characters’ names right, to the more adult The Legend of Korra, and, of course, the live-action 2024 remake TV series from Netflix. The latter two projects have seen varying degrees of success, though they remain rather polarizing. 2026 will see yet another continuation of the story with The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender.

An animated film sequel, The Legend of Aang will follow Aang in his adventures after the events of The Last Airbender and the defeat of Firelord Ozai. The film will bring back the original series creators, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, and will follow Aang (Eric Nam), Katara (Jessica Matten), Sokka (Román Zaragoza), Toph (Dionne Quan), and Zuko (Steven Yeun) in their later years, before the events of Korra. While there are a plethora of comics and books that detail these stories already, it will still be exciting to see what is incorporated into the movie and whether that will lead to more animated movies in the future. — Therese Lacson

The Mandalorian and Grogu

May 22

I’m a simple man. I see Star Wars, I get excited, but I was surprised to see not that many people seem too interested in The Mandalorian and Grogu… okay I’m not that surprised. This is Star Wars so the internet is required to hate it, but still. This is the first Star Wars movie we’ve gotten in over 5 years, but admittedly the last few adventures with Mando (Pedro Pascal) and his little green friend weren’t the most stellar. Both The Book of Boba Fett (which is basically The Mandalorian Season 2.5) and The Mandalorian Season 3 retconned far too much of the interesting ideas from past seasons and overall felt like a lot of fetch quests and side missions instead of a more coherent story.

Perhaps that’s exactly why Mando and Grogu are better suited for a two-hour feature film, and The Mandalorian and Grogu has a lot going for it so far. It almost looks like a toy box for fans, with so many cool elements like an arena battle with the monsters from A New Hope‘s holochess scene, a fight sequence from the perspective of a mouse droid, freaking Sigourney Weaver in a Star Wars movie?!?! How could you not get excited about that?! Not to mention, Rogue One and Solo were also standalone Star Wars adventures, and they’re among the better Star Wars projects released by Disney. If we want more movies in a Galaxy Far, Far Away to be up to the quality they want, we gotta start with a pathway to a bit more hope, and so far, The Mandalorian and Grogu looks like the way. — Aidan Kelley

Masters of the Universe

June 5

Next summer, one of the biggest multi-media franchises is set to release its first live-action movie in over 40 years. Masters of the Universe is poised to become a launch pad for a new era of stories set within the world of Eternia, and it also has the potential to become one of the biggest summer blockbusters.

Written by Christopher John Butler, Aaron and Adam Nee, and Dave Callaham, and directed by Laika co-founder Travis Knight, Masters of the Universe is led by rising star Nicholas Galitzine as the iconic He-Man. While very little is known about the film at this point, it will draw directly from the source material, focusing on Adam’s reunion with the Power Sword of Grayskull and his fight to save his homeworld, Eternia, from the evil forces of Skeletor (Jared Leto). The film boasts an impressive cast list, with Camila Mendes as Teela, Idris Elba has Duncan, Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, Morena Baccarin as the Sorceress, Charlotte Riley as Queen Marlena, James Purefoy as King Randor, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson as Fisto, and Kristen Wiig as Roboto, to name but a few of the iconic characters being brought to life. — Maggie Lovitt

Michael

April 24

Let’s be honest, Michael, the musical biopic about Michael Jackson, could go one of two ways. Like most musical biopics, this could either be a standard, by-the-numbers film that is pretty much hitting all the points Walk Hard warned us about. Or it could be one of the more inventive ones, like A Complete Unknown or Love & Mercy, that can elevate the genre into something better. It’s probably too early to guess which way this will go, but centered around a name as big as Michael Jackson, this is bound to be one of the more popular biopics in recent memory.

Michael is directed by Antoine Fuqua, the man behind the recent Equalizer trilogy, and written by John Logan, who previously wrote Skyfall, Hugo, and The Aviator. Also intriguing is that Jaafar Jackson, the nephew of Michael Jackson, will be playing Michael, in a film that follows the pop star from the Jackson 5 to becoming a massive icon in the 1980s. Colman Domingo and Nia Long play Michael’s parents, while Miles Teller plays Jackson’s lawyer and manager. It’ll be interesting to see how deep Michael delves into the life of Jackson, especially considering members of the family are involved with this film, but regardless, this could be one of the big surprise hits of 2026. — Ross Bonaime

Moana

July 10

Disney is no stranger to making live-action remakes of their animated classics, and it’s been a lucrative business for them. In 2025, for example, their live-action take on Lilo & Stitch became the second highest-grossing film of 2025, and still, less than $200,000 behind #1, A Minecraft Movie. Their adaptations have been fairly hit-or-miss over the years, but with their latest, Moana, we get the smallest gap between the animated original and the live-action version, as not even a decade will have passed next year when Moana hits the screens.

Moana also falls into that category of animated remakes that are still going to need a lot of special effects to bring this story to life, so it will be interesting to see how much of this remake is actually “live-action” anyway. But there’s definitely some potential to this reinvisioning, as it will be directed by Thomas Kail, who filmed the pro-shot of Hamilton and directed several episodes of the series Fosse/Verdon. Moana will be played by newcomer Catherine Laga’aia, and while some might cringe at the idea of a live-action version of this story, you gotta admit, you are at least a little curious to see what a real-life Maui is like, as Dwayne Johnson will reprise his role. — Ross Bonaime

Mortal Kombat II

May 8

Fans of fighting games from the ‘90s have a lot to be excited about in 2026. After 2021’s Mortal Kombat took a more grounded look at this famous video game series, Mortal Kombat II finally takes us to the fighting tournament that was set up in the first installment. In addition to the returning cast from the first film, Mortal Kombat II also brings Johnny Cage into the mix, played by Karl Urban, and Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford) is joining the fray as well. From its cast of characters that includes Jax, Quan Chi, Sindel, Kung Lao, and Baraka, this looks like it’ll be covering characters from the first four games — and maybe more, as we finally get to see Earthrealm’s champions fight to the death in this tournament. It’s time to test your might once again. — Ross Bonaime

Mother Mary

April 2026

2026 is set to be a whirlwind time for Anne Hathaway, appearing in everything from Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey to the highly anticipated sequel to The Devil Wears Prada, the Colleen Hoover adaptation Verity to Flowervale Street alongside Ewan McGregor. Yet even among a busy year, Mother Mary — which combines elements of psychological drama, thriller, horror, epic, and music — is set to stand out as one of her very best. The movie will see her take on the role of a pop star who has a psychosexual affair with a fashion designer named Sam (Emmy winner Michaela Coel) after her need for a dress brings them back together after a decade apart.

A24 released the sexy, moody trailer at the beginning of the month, and it’s already racked up over two million views. The all-star cast also features Euphoria breakout Hunter Schafer, Fleabag’s Sian Clifford, and FKA Twigs, who will also contribute a song, with Grammy winners Jack Antonoff and Charli XCX providing additional original music for the film. From the trailer alone, the cinematography is going to be absolutely stunning, highlighting the extravagant costumes by Bina Daigeler, who’s responsible for everything from Tár to the upcoming The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. — Taylor Gates

Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew

November 25

It’s been 15 years since The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and we are finally getting to return to Narnia! Netflix’s rebooted series won’t kick off with the Pevensie kids we’ve come to know and love, instead it will start with the sixth book in C.S. Lewis‘ iconic series: The Magician’s Nephew. Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew is, chronologically, the first story that takes places in the Narnia world and acts as a prequel. Helming the project is Barbie‘s Greta Gerwig, with Emma Mackey playing Jadis, the White Witch, a role previously portrayed by Tilda Swinton.

In Lewis’ book, The Magician’s Nephew acts as a backstory both for the White Witch and the magical world of Narnia. We not only learn where Jadis’s origins and where she’s really from, but also the story of the lamp post that Lucy Pevensie first comes across in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, as well as how the wardrobe acts as a door between worlds. Also starring Carey Mulligan, Denise Gough, and Daniel Craig, Gerwig’s The Magician’s Nephew promises to be a whimsical and exciting return to the world created by Lewis and the first official adaptation of the prequel novel. — Therese Lacson

October

2026

A new Jeremy Saulnier film is always something to get excited about, as the director behind Blue Ruin, Green Room, and Hold the Dark makes some of the most grounded, brutal, and compelling action films today. This was especially true with his latest film, 2024’s Rebel Ridge, which was a tense, captivating thriller that always kept viewers on the edge of their seats. Now, Saulnier returns with October, and very little is known about it, other than that it’s a fugitive thriller that takes place during Halloween. However, the cast for October is pretty tremendous, featuring Saturday Night’s Cory Michael Smith, The Studio’s Chase Sui Wonders, Talk to Me’s Sophie Wilde, Young Mazino, Stephen Root, James Badge Dale, Matty Matheson, and Green Room’s Imogen Poots. No matter what October is about, with Saulnier behind the wheel, this is one that you can’t miss. — Ross Bonaime

The Odyssey

July 17

Epic poems are not only foundational world literature, but they’re also gorgeous examples of maximalist worldbuilding. Beowulf conquering Grendel. Gilgamesh and Enkidu slaying the Cedar Forest guardian Humbaba. Odysseus navigating between Scylla and Charybdis. The latter comes from The Odyssey, the story of warrior Odysseus trying to return home to his wife Penelope after the Trojan War, a movie I never thought would get a large-scale epic treatment. It’s a foundational work in Western literature, and no one is better to translate it to the big screen than Christopher Nolan.

The Odyssey stars Matt Damon as famed King Odysseus, known for his strategic brilliance, and Damon is a great choice for the role. It’s a stacked cast overall: Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Jon Bernthal… some of the most charismatic and layered performers working today. All that said, The Odyssey should be at the top of everyone’s lists because it’s going to be a technical marvel on a scale that befits a story so epic. Nolan is such a technically precise filmmaker, and this will be his first film shot entirely on IMAX’s 70mm cameras. The cyclops Polyphemus will be a cut above, with Nolan building a 6x6m mechanical anthropomorphic puppet built inside Nestor’s Cave in Messenia, Greece. No one but Nolan could or would build a practical, massive cyclops puppet inside an ancient Greek cave for The Odyssey, and shoot it in gorgeous IMAX 70mm. It’s the perfect marriage of filmmaker and subject matter, delivering one of literature’s grandest stories on a scale no one else could even get greenlit. — Jeff Ewing

Practical Magic 2

September 18

Am I a massive fan of the original 1998 film Practical Magic? Yes. Am I scared of what a sequel set 28 years after the movie might entail? Yes. But that’s not going to stop me from being the first in line to watch Practical Magic 2. Directed by Susanne Bier, Practical Magic 2 isn’t coming from the mind of an executive eager to cash in on this beloved Halloween movie (well, not completely, at least), but it is based on the sequel novel to the original Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman titled The Book of Magic. Which is what makes me tentatively excited for the story that’s to come.

The film brings back Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Stockard Channing, and Dianne Wiest as the Owens women while also introducing a brand new host of characters with Joey King, Xolo Maridueña, Maisie Williams, Lee Pace, and Solly McLeod joining the cast. In the sequel novel, the story takes the Owens far beyond their Massachusetts town as they learn about the origin of their family’s magic in Europe and race to save a young man’s life. — Therese Lacson

Project Hail Mary

March 20

After watching years of projects from Christopher Miller and Phil Lord, Project Hail Mary finally feels like the culmination of their talents that we were robbed of when Lucasfilm fired the duo from Solo: A Star Wars Story. That movie ultimately still had their DNA embedded into what was a harmless, fun sci-fi romp, but it wasn’t theirs. And the many projects they’ve been involved with before and after this setback show their creativity and humor deserve a stage to be showcased.

I’ve heard many things about the book, because, of course, it’s something that appeals to mainstream audiences and fans of sci-fi alike. And because of how good the book sounds, it just makes me even more excited to see Lord & Miller’s take on an original story for a big audience. The fact that this movie even exists in 2026 is insane. The fact that it’s being given the budget, marketing, and distribution for something that isn’t superheroes or an established sequel IP is extraordinary. For that reason alone, I am paying attention. — Joe Schmidt

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come

April 10

Ready or Not was one of the surprising horror hits when it first released and cemented Samara Weaving as a true icon among the pantheon of Final Girls. Radio Silence knew they had a winning formula and doubled down with a cast that somehow can surpass the original. The directing duo has already firmly established their abilities in the genre with the first film, and then they revitalized the Scream franchise before crafting the wholly satisfying Abigail. Now they get to make their own sequel, picking up right where they left off. I refuse to believe that they’re phoning it in, because the first Ready or Not was one of the most interesting “eat-the-rich” movies in an era rife with similar attempts. Let’s see how they push it forward with a follow-up that promises more of the same. It’s a tall task, but this team of filmmakers has proven they’re up for the task — Joe Schmidt

Remain

October 23

Sorry to Avengers: Doomsday, but one of the wildest team-ups to happen in film this year has to be M. Night Shyamalan directing a story he conceived with Nicholas Sparks in Remain. While Sparks ended up writing the novel of this story, Shyamalan is naturally handling the film version, and it’s going to be wild to see what their unique styles are like when they’re brought together. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Tate Donovan (no, not the actor from Hercules, The O.C., and SpaceCamp), an architect who comes to Cape Cod to design a client’s home. Tate is still struggling with losing his family, but he meets a woman named Wren (Phoebe Dynevor) who changes how he sees the world. The concept alone definitely sounds like an intriguing mixture of Sparks and Shyamalan, but also sounds like a story that could be more character-based than focused on the mystery at the center, like many of Shyamalan’s films can often become. Shyamalan / Sparks could be one of the strangest, but most fitting combos of 2026. — Ross Bonaime

Resident Evil

September 18

Recently, while doing press for his acclaimed horror film Weapons, Zach Cregger admitted that he had never seen any Resident Evil movie prior. He’s just a massive fan of the games. And while in a lot of cases, this proclamation could be seen as a red flag, it’s the best indicator that Cregger is finally going to give fans what they want out of Resident Evil on the big screen. Barbarian and the aforementioned Weapons are two of the greatest horror movies of the 21st century, and while it initially was disappointing to see him go the IP route, every comment he has made teasing his new film has made it more enticing. Especially since he has cited Evil Dead II has an influence.

We don’t know much about the plot for his take on Resident Evil, but we do know he has reunited with Austin Abrams, who was a major scene stealer as the drugged-out James in Weapons. The rest of the ensemble is just as exciting, with the likes of the always reliable Paul Walter Hauser, Severance’s Zach Cherry, and True Detective: Night Country’s Kali Reis. Cregger has set a high bar for himself, and the Resident Evil franchise’s history on the big screen is shaky. But how can we doubt the man who gave us both Aunt Gladys and a gallon of PCP. – Nate Richard

Scary Movie 6

June 12

If you were around in the 2000s, chances are you watched one or more of the Scary Movie movies. The saga began as a parody of Wes Craven’s Scream and the slasher genre overall before becoming a seemingly ever-expanding mockery of every horror subgenre under the sun. The plots were always paper-thin, near-carbon copies of the lambasted movies, with every little detail exaggerated to absurdity. However, what made them soar was the shameless, politically incorrect stupidity on display and the performances of a game cast led by comedy queens Anna Faris and Regina Hall.

Once Faris and Hall left, the franchise went downhill, so imagine our surprise when, in the middle of 2025, a sixth movie was announced with both actresses returning, plus Marlon and Shawn Wayans, who spearheaded the first two entries. Considering how massive horror has become in the last decade or so, Scary Movie 6 should have no problem at all finding material to mock. Beyond that, and beyond the sheer glee of watching Faris and Hall light up the big screen again, Scary Movie 6 will be a true test to see where we are today as a society. Will the same uncompromising, politically incorrect humor that made the original movies so iconic be as effective as it was at the turn of the century? Will the movie even want to go there? Whatever the answer to those questions is, one thing is for sure: comedy fans are counting the days until we see Cindy and Brenda again. — David Caballero

Scream 7

February 27

Scream 7 hasn’t had an easy path to the screen. First, Melissa Barrera was dismissed from the franchise by the powers-that-be, and then original director Christopher Landon decided to leave the project. So this is a movie that’s going to need to prove itself. And what better way to do that than by going full legacy sequel? The headline here is the return of both Neve Campbell’s Sidney (the Hall of Fame final girl who sat Scream VI out) and original Scream screenwriter Kevin Williamson, who not only co-wrote the Scream 7 script but is making his franchise debut in the director’s chair. And if that’s not enough to get you excited, this new sequel will also somehow feature the return of several dearly departed characters including David Arquette’s Dewey and two ex-Ghostfaces, Stu (Matthew Lillard) and Roman (Scott Foley). Will they be de-aged to appear in flashbacks? Will they be A.I. creations concocted by a new Ghostface? Will other unannounced dead legacy characters be joining them? Who can say! But there’s no doubt Williamson will have plenty of surprises up his sleeve as Ghostface once again starts making some threatening phone calls. – Robert Brian Taylor

Send Help

January 30

Four years after returning to the world of Marvel with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, director Sam Raimi is back to what he does best – splashing around in lower-budget genre waters, as he offers up chills, thrills, and corny jokes to an audience that’s been by his side since The Evil Dead released in 1981. Send Help, his first non-IP movie since 2009’s Drag Me to Hell, tells the story of two office co-workers, played by Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien, who are the sole survivors of a plane crash that strands them on a deserted island. Back at the office, O’Brien’s Bradley lorded over McAdams’ put-upon Linda. But, on the island, Linda uses her survival skills to gain the upper hand… to a degree that borders on getting revenge. So, what we’ve got here is Tom Hanks’ Cast Away as filtered through Stephen King’s Misery. Which sounds like just the kind of mash-up Raimi is perfect for! – Robert Brian Taylor

The Social Reckoning

October 9

The Social Network is easily one of the best films of the 2010s, but a lot has happened with the social media site in the 15 years since the film came out. After winning the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Social Network, Aaron Sorkin will both write and direct the film’s follow-up with The Social Reckoning.

The Social Reckoning follows Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison), a Facebook engineer, who works with Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz (Jeremy Allen White), to reveal some of Facebook’s hidden secrets. At the very least, Sorkin is approaching Facebook from a different angle this time, with Jeremy Strong taking on Mark Zuckerberg in this film. The Social Reckoning will also feature Bill Burr, Sinners’ Wunmi Mosaku, Billy Magnussen, and Betty Gilpin. Hey, they said a film about Facebook wouldn’t work, and Sorkin proved them wrong before, so The Social Reckoning could be a major surprise in late 2026. — Ross Bonaime

Spider-Man: Brand New Day

July 31

Tom Holland‘s tenure as Spider-Man in the MCU has been quite successful, with him bringing a boyish charm and energy to the iconic webslinger that other portrayals of the Marvel character haven’t had. That upbeat spin has been balanced with heavy, emotional turns in his franchise, including the death of Marisa Tomei‘s beloved and fun Aunt May at the hands of Willem Dafoe‘s Green Goblin in Spider-Man: No Way Home, as well as the masterful returns of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield‘s versions of the character. But it was the very end of the 2021 film that unleashed perhaps the biggest plot twist yet: Peter Parker was wiped from everyone’s memory, thanks to a spell by Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch).

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is poised to take the web-slinger’s story in an entirely new direction, presumably from scratch (in a way, at least). MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon) don’t have any recollection of Peter, let alone their rich history with him, and Peter plans to go back to a life of being your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Surely, it won’t be that simple for too long, as many big Marvel characters are set to appear, including Jon Bernthal as The Punisher, Mark Ruffalo‘s The Hulk, and Michael Mando‘s Scorpion. If that wasn’t enough of a draw, Stranger Things‘ Sadie Sink, Severance‘s Tramell Tillman, and The Bear‘s Liza Colón-Zayas are also in the movie in mystery roles. — Emily Bernard

Street Fighter

October 16

The first teaser for Kitao Sakurai’s Street Fighter film isn’t even a minute long, yet it still somehow manages to be the best Street Fighter movie we’ve seen so far. Sakurai, who previously directed the hilarious hidden camera movie Bad Trip, embraces the absurdity of this franchise wholeheartedly. Set in 1993, Street Fighter will naturally get into the World Warrior Tournament, in which Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken Masters (Noah Centineo) are thrown into thanks to Chun-Li (Callina Liang).

The first teaser was an absolutely absurd flurry of wild characters, ridiculous moments, and crazy hair choices. Cody Rhodes as Guile? Brilliant. David Dastmalchian as M. Bison? Inspired. 50 Cent as Balrog? Sure, why the hell not? The film will also feature Roman Reigns, Eric André, Jason Momoa, Orville Peck, Eric André, and Kyle Mooney, and a wild lineup of characters from the game’s history. Street Fighter could very well be the most bonkers film you’ll see next year. — Ross Bonaime

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

April 3

When The Super Mario Bros. Movie opened in April 2023, few expected it to become such a massive hit. Sure, Mario is perhaps the most beloved video game character in history, but previous attempts to translate his magic to the big screen had been less successful than the average Bowser kidnapping. Still, when the movie made $1.3 billion at the box office and received an enthusiastic response from audiences, a sequel was all but inevitable.

Three years later, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie will blast into cinemas, bringing back the cast of the original plus Bennie Safdie as Bowser Jr. and Brie Larson as the fan-favorite Rosalina. For anyone with even the most basic knowledge of the Mario franchise, the arrival of Jr. and especially Rosalina hints at an exciting future for the saga, taking it beyond the Mushroom Kingdom and into new and dazzling worlds. For everyone else, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is another adventure that promises more of the charm, humor, and irreverence of the 2023 movie, and that’s more than enough. Surely, the movie has a few aces up its sleeve, including Easter eggs and perhaps one secret casting or two. At the very least, we can expect a galaxy-sized adventure that ups the ante in every way, which is enough to have our koopa hearts beating a little faster. — David Caballero

Supergirl

June 26

I really can’t understate how excited I am to see Milly Alcock again as Kara Zor-el. Supergirl is at the top of my list for 2026 when it comes to most-anticipated movies and after the resounding success of Superman, it seems like we’re gearing up for another hit. Directed by Craig Gillespie, the film will follow Kara as she celebrates her 23rd birthday and travels across the galaxy with her trusty and chaotic dog, Krypto. Adapted from Tom King and Bilquis Evely‘s comic Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, the film already looks like a rollicking, cosmic ride.

Though the film is a shift from Superman, producer James Gunn‘s fingerprints are all over this film. Judging by the recent trailer, the movie is full of action, colorful characters, and that touch of sincerity that will surely tug our heartstrings. Those who have read Woman of Tomorrow know that the story won’t just be a non-stop party for Kara, but also a complicated revenge story that moves far beyond just the typical space adventure. The film also stars Matthias Schoenaerts as the villainous Krem of the Yellow Hills, David Krumholtz as Kara’s father, Emily Beecham as Kara’s mother, Eve Ridley as a young girl named Ruthye Marye Knoll, and Jason Momoa as Lobo (a role Momoa has been waiting to play for years, good for him). — Therese Lacson

Toy Story 5

June 19

If Toy Story 3 was the perfect conclusion to Andy’s story, and Toy Story 4 was a wonderful goodbye for Woody, the biggest question that comes with Toy Story 5 is how this story is even continuing. In the first looks at the Pixar sequel, Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz (Tim Allen) are back at Bonnie’s, where their latest threat comes in the form of a Lilypad tablet (voiced by Greta Lee). That’s right, the toys finally have to come face-to-face with technology.

All the favorites are back in Toy Story 5, like Jessie (Joan Cusack), Forky (Tony Hale), Rex (Wallace Shawn), Hamm (John Ratzenberger), Slinky Dog (Blake Clark), and many more, and this latest installment also adds Conan O’Brien, Craig Robinson, and Anna Faris. Also exciting is that Finding Nemo and WALL-E director Andrew Stanton will helm the film, taking on this franchise for the first time. But after two incredible conclusions to this series, the biggest question Toy Story 5 has to answer is how this world continues after they’ve already said two perfect goodbyes. — Ross Bonaime

Verity

October 2

I read Verity about two years ago, and it was a complete page turner. Unlike previous Colleen Hoover novels, which tended to explore relationships rooted in grief and trauma, this one is a mind-bending thriller about a struggling writer who gets the opportunity of a lifetime to help an established author carry on with one of her bestselling book series. Dakota Johnson will play Lowen, the writer who lucks out on the chance to collaborate with Verity (Anne Hathaway), but there is a catch. With the author being paralyzed after a car accident, Lowen must pretend that she is working alongside her when in reality she is writing everything by herself, gathering inspiration from Verity’s notes and manuscripts.

She is also invited to stay in Verity’s home while crafting the books, and be immersed in the author’s reality. That leads Lowen to interact with Verity’s only surviving child and forge an improbable connection with her husband, Jeremy (Josh Hartnett). When the protagonist uncovers a manuscript filled with concerning revelations about Verity and Jeremy’s life, her job to carry on with the author’s legacy suddenly feels murky. Gone Girl fans should add this one to their watchlist, because you are in for a ride. — Isabella Soares

Werwulf

December 25

Robert Eggers is at his best when he’s bringing otherworldly situations and characters to bear in period-accurate historical narratives, and few directors working today can match his ability to create immersive, foreboding scares. Between the claustrophobic devilry of The Witch, the folkloric Viking saga of The Northman, or the commanding vampiric presence of Nosferatu, his ability to immerse us in the horrors of yore is exceptional. His upcoming period horror film Werwulf is set to be a terrifying spectacle rich with mesmerizing detail.

The Aaron Taylor-Johnson-starring outing will see the reunification of many of Eggers’ Nosferatu players, including Lily-Rose Depp, Willem Dafoe, and Ralph Ineson, and the story will be set in 13th-century England using period-accurate Middle English. Given Eggers’ penchant for period-accurate horror that envelops the viewer and the boldness of every announced cast member when it comes to otherworldly performances, there’s no doubt that he’ll make full use of the chaotic terrors of a community beset by stalking werewolves. We can also expect an all-time great creature design, given how much thought was put into Nosferatu’s visage. He’s even called it the “darkest thing I’ve ever written,” which is saying something. It’s going to be as engrossing as it is terrifying. — Jeff Ewing

Wuthering Heights

February 13

Emerald Fennell has a habit of making films that spark discourse. Promising Young Woman spurred on positive conversations about feminism and the film’s subversive conclusion, before audiences doubled back and condemned Fennell’s approach to the rape-revenge genre. It won the coveted Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars in 2021. Her follow-up, Saltburn, was an outlandishly fun, sexier riff on Brideshead Revisited, which courted controversy for its attempts at class commentary. While Fennell’s writing and narrative approach seem to draw ire, she is undoubtedly a visionary when it comes to her direction, which is one of the reasons why her upcoming “adaptation” of Emily Brönte’s Wuthering Heights is so compelling.

The trailers for Wuthering Heights are filled to the brim with striking anachronistic visuals and homages to classics like Gone with the Wind, which has led many to believe that Fennell may not actually be conventionally adapting Wuthering Heights. Couple that with the fact that Margot Robbie’s Cathy and Jacob Elordi’s Heathcliff bear no resemblance to their literary counterparts, and it seems that Fennell’s erotic psychological drama may take everyone by surprise. Wuthering Heights may not be for book purists, but it is still one of the most anticipated titles to come out in 2026. — Maggie Lovitt