Blockbuster cinema returns full-throttle in 2026, but as always, it’s the smaller, more auteur-driven projects that catch our eye and keep us optimistic about the filmgoing prospects in the new year. As we set our sights on the films and filmmakers set to light up our screens across the next 12 months.
From the culmination of Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” saga, to the surefire prospect of at least one, if not two, new Hong Sang-soo films, and everything in between, our scope spans the entire globe, with the lingering understanding that so many of our most talked-about films by year’s end will, in all likelihood, come right out of nowhere and blindside us with zero anticipation whatsoever. In any event, speculation is always a fun task when looking to the films of the future, so here are our 50 most anticipated films of 2026 (in no particular order):
1. Digger | Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Cast: Tom Cruise, Sandra Hüller, Jesse Plemons, Michael Stuhlbarg
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Before a disaster that he himself has unleashed upon the world destroys everything as we know it, the world’s most powerful man sets off to prove that he’s the saviour of all humanity.
Release Date: October 2, 2026 (United States)
2. Dune: Part Three | Director: Denis Villeneuve
Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Anya Taylor-Joy, Florence Pugh
Genre: Science Fiction, Action, Drama
The “Dune” trilogy concludes with Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of “Dune: Messiah,” chronicling Paul Atreides’s struggle to keep the world from the most destructive outcome that he foresees, all while conquering the known galaxy as emperor of the universe and saviour of the Fremen.
Release Date: December 18, 2026 (United States)
3. Sheep In the Box | Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda
Cast: Haruka Ayase, Daigo Yamamoto
Genre: Science Fiction, Drama
Somewhere in the near future, a young couple adopts a cutting-edge cybernetic humanoid as their own son.
4. Possible Love | Director: Lee Chang-dong
Cast: Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Zo In-sung
Genre: Drama
The lives of two opposing couples come to be interwoven as their existences collide and, as a result, cracks begin to show in the facade of a perfect relationship.
5. Bucking Fastard | Director: Werner Herzog
Cast: Rooney Mara, Kate Mara, Domhnall Gleeson, Orlando Bloom
Genre: Drama
Werner Herzog tackles a longtime passion project as he adapts the true story of inseparable twins who do everything—even speak—in unison, as they come to be the focus of a tabloid scandal after becoming deeply, sexually infatuated with their neighbour.
6. The Odyssey | Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Benny Safdie, Tom Holland
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Adventure
In the aftermath of the Trojan War, Odysseus takes the perilous, decade-long journey back to his kingdom of Ithaca, facing along the way the fury of the gods and the mythical beasts that populated Homer’s legendary epic poem.
Release Date: July 17, 2026 (United States)
7. Untitled Mike Leigh Film
Cast: Unknown
Genre: Drama
As is typical with a new Mike Leigh film, little in the way of details come to be known until much closer to release; all we know so far is that it’s a new Mike Leigh film and it’s confirmed for 2026, and that’s reason enough to be ecstatic.
8. Coyote vs Acme | Director: Dave Green
Cast: Will Forte, John Cena, Lana Condor, Eric Bauza
Genre: Comedy
Having put up with the failure of Acme gadgets one too many times, Wile E. Coyote has finally had enough and hires a billboard lawyer to take the giant corporation to court.
Release Date: August 28, 2026 (United States)
9. I Love Boosters | Director: Boots Riley
Cast: Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, LaKeith Stanfield
Genre: Comedy, Science Fiction
A collective of career shoplifters calling themselves The Velvet Gang set their sights on a cutthroat fashion connoisseur as their latest target.
10. Minotaur | Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev
Cast: Unknown
Genre: Drama
As the director of a Russian company prepares to fire his employees, the shocking discovery in his personal life that his wife has been having an affair derails his priorities and puts his whole life into question.
11. Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die | Director: Gore Verbinski
Cast: Sam Rockwell, Haley Lu Richardson, Michael Peña, Zazie Beets
Genre: Science Fiction, Action, Adventure
Travelling back in time from the future to prevent the permanent takeover of a rogue artificial intelligence, a one man arrives at a Los Angeles diner to recruit just the right group of misfit patrons to help him secure humanity’s fate.
Release Date: February 13, 2026 (United States)
12. Remain | Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Phoebe Dynevor, Ashley Walters, Julie Hagerty
Genre: Romance, Thriller
Reckoning with the loss of his family as he arrives in Cape Cod to design a summer home for a client, architect Tate Donovan meets a mysterious young woman named Wren who pushes against his perception of life.
13. Wake of Umbra | Director: Carlos Reygadas
Cast: Unknown
Genre: Drama
Set amid the awe-inspiring grandiosity of a rocky Mexican beach, two couples, all young painters, begin to bend the rules of morality set upon them as a strange figure observes and judges their increasing audacity.
14. Wildwood | Director: Travis Knight
Cast: Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Angela Bassett, Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
In an enchanted forest beyond the outskirts of Portland, Prue McKeel sets off to rescue her abducted brother amidst the perils of talking animals and mysterious figures with great power and sinister intentions for using it.
15. All of a Sudden | Director: Ryūsuke Hamaguchi
Cast: Virginie Efira, Tao Okamoto, Marie Bunel, Jean-Charles Clichet
Genre: Drama
Hamaguchi’s latest takes his intricate interest in the spoken and unspoken bonds between women to a new locale as he follows the dynamic between a French nurse and a Japanese theatre director in Paris.
16. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple | Director: Nia DaCosta
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Alfie Williams, Jack O’Connell
Genre: Science Fiction, Drama, Horror
Just as Dr. Kelson makes a shocking new discovery that could change the face of the world as we know it, Spike’s run-in with Jimmy Crystal and his band of eccentric zombie fighters proves to be an inescapable horror of its own.
Release Date: January 16, 2026 (United States)
17. At the Middle of Life | Director: Hong Sang-soo
Cast: Unknown
Genre: Drama
With at least one confirmed Hong Sang-soo film to be released this year, there are precious few details otherwise pertaining to “At the Middle of Life.” That said, we can expect Hong to continue his current train of contained introspection and self-flagellation in the pursuit of his own inner truth.
18. On Land and Sea | Director: Hlynur Pálmason
Cast: Unknown
Genre: Drama
At the turn of the 19th century, a family quite literally uproots their lives as they shift their home into a raft and set sail in search of a new place to live.
19. Fjord | Director: Cristian Mungiu
Cast: Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve, Alin Panc, Giulia Nahmany
Genre: Drama
An immigrant Romanian family living in Norway comes to be at the centre of an investigation that puts them at the mercy of a ruthless local justice system.
20. Mother Mary | Director: David Lowery
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Michaela Coel, Hunter Schafer, FKA twigs
Genre: Thriller, Music
In preparation for her long-awaited comeback performance, music sensation Mother Mary enlists her former costume designer and once-best friend to curate a new look, and potentially dig up some old drama in the process.
21. The Entertainment System is Down | Director: Ruben Östlund
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Kirsten Dunst, Daniel Brühl, Nicholas Braun
Genre: Comedy, Drama
When the entertainment system on a long-haul flight crashes and fails, a group of upper-class global passengers is left to face the ultimate horror: their own boredom.
22. Artificial | Director: Luca Guadagnino
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Yura Borisov, Ike Barinholtz, Jason Schwartzman
Genre: Drama, Comedy
In the cutthroat world of AI development (boo!), the offices of OpenAI see tumultuous periods of leadership that find their CEO, Sam Altman, fired and rehired, all within a matter of a few days.
23. The Dog Stars | Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin, Guy Pearce
Genre: Science Fiction, Adventure
In the aftermath of a pandemic that virtually decimates the human population, one reclusive man seeks out the hope of finding more survivors by way of a mysterious radio transmission.
24. Parallel Tales | Director: Asghar Farhadi
Cast: Isabelle Huppert, Vincent Cassel, Virginie Efira, Pierre Niney
Genre: Drama
Set during the November 2015 Paris attacks, Farhadi weaves several intricate narratives together amid the chaos that shook France.
25. Look Back | Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda
Cast: Unknown
Genre: Drama
Kore-eda’s second(!) project of 2026 sees him eyeing the same story that inspired the 2024 animated film of the same name, which sees a pair of introverted young girls who bond over a shared passion for creating manga.
26. Disclosure Day | Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Josh O’Connor, Emily Blunt, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson
Genre: Science Fiction, Drama
Steven Spielberg returns to the realm of his early days as an alien presence in the modern world completely shifts the way everyone thinks, and forces them to reckon with the true meaning of their fears of company in the vast universe.
Release Date: June 12, 2026 (United States)
27. If Love Should Die | Director: Mia Hansen-Løve
Cast: Unknown
Genre: Drama, Biopic
A film that explores the life of English philosopher and writer Mary Wollstonecraft.
28. Butterfly Jam | Director: Kantemir Balagov
Cast: Barry Keoghan, Riley Keough, Harry Melling, Will Fitz
Genre: Drama
Within New Jersey’s Circassian community, a young man balances working in his father’s restaurant with ambitions of becoming a professional wrestler, all while he comes to be embroiled in violent circumstances beyond his control.
29. Flowervale Street | Director: David Robert Mitchell
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, P. J. Byrne, Christian Convery
Genre: Thriller Science Fiction
Speculated to be a time-travel film with dinosaurs in the mix, the film officially follows a family in the 1980s who discover strange goings on in their neighbourhood.
30. Full Phil | Director: Quentin Dupieux
Cast: Woody Harrelson, Kristen Stewart, Charlotte Le Bon, Tim Heidecker
Genre: Comedy
A rich industrialist’s attempts to reconcile with his estranged daughter are derailed at every turn during a supposedly luxurious hotel stay in Paris.
31. The Drama | Director: Kristoffer Borgli
Cast: Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Alana Haim, Mamoudou Athie
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
As a happy young couple makes preparations for their wedding, an unexpected twist will send their plans into mayhem and force them to reassess their union.
Release Date: April 3, 2026 (United States)
32. Ink | Director: Danny Boyle
Cast: Jack O’Connell, Guy Pearce, Claire Foy
Genre: Drama, Biopic
A chronicle of the rise of news magnate Rupert Murdoch and News Corp, told through the eyes of the upstarts who envisioned a new variety of news that would shake the world.
33. Paper Tiger | Director: James Gray
Cast: Adam Driver, Miles Teller, Scarlett Johansson, Joel Marsh Garland
Genre: Drama, Crime
As two brothers pursue the American Dream, a Russian mafia scheme threatens to unravel the fabric of their entire family, with betrayal positioned as one of the only options for survival.
34. The Basics of Philosophy | Director: Paul Schrader
Cast: Jack Huston, Sofia Boutella, Bill Pullman, Dana Delany
Genre: Drama
A philosophy professor is left to grapple with the repercussions of a decision echoing from his past, when the victim returns to stir up his long-dormant sense of guilt.
35. Mimesis | Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Cast: Lyne Ben Brika, Selim Chebbi, Riadh Aloui Nahdi, Rim Riahi
Genre: Drama, Romance
Hoping to make a film about the saint Sidi Sardi to whom the mausoleum of her birth was dedicated, a young woman whose home is threatened by a hostile imam winds up at the core of an investigation weaving its way across 20th century Tunisia.
36. Project Hail Mary | Director: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, Ken Leung, Milana Vayntrub
Genre: Science Fiction, Adventure
Woefully unprepared for the world-saving task placed upon him, science teacher Ryland Grace is jettisoned into space with the task of discovering what exactly is killing our sun and sending planet Earth on the fast-track to obliteration.
Release Date: March 20, 2026 (United States)
37. Werwulf | Director: Robert Eggers
Cast: Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Willem Dafoe, Ralph Ineson
Genre: Horror
A werewolf feature set in 13th century England, returning Robert Eggers to the tactile grit of a historical period rife with violence and bloodlust.
38. A Long Winter | Director: Andrew Haigh
Cast: Fred Hechinger, Caitríona Balfe, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Kit Connor
Genre: Drama
An alcoholic mother ventures for a long walk with her dog after a quarrel at home with her husband; a sudden snowstorm leads to a frantic search that rocks the community.
39. October | Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Cast: Cory Michael Smith, Chase Sui Wonders, Sophie Wilde, Stanley Simons
Genre: Thriller, Action
In a similar vein to “Rebel Ridge” meeting “Halloween,” Saulnier ventures into the autumn holiday season for a fugitive thriller set during the spookiest time of the year.
40. Hope | Director: Na Hong-jin
Cast: Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander
Genre: Action, Science Fiction
On the fringes of a remote harbour town, a strange discovery leaves residents fighting for their lives against a force none of them have ever experienced.
41. Send Help | Director: Sam Raimi
Cast: Rachel McAdams, Dylan O’Brien, Bruce Campbell, Dennis Haysbert
Genre: Thriller, Horror
Stranded on a deserted island after a violent plane crash, the dynamic between a downtrodden employee with survival skills and her dickish boss with no means of caring for himself takes a drastic and bloody turn.
Release Date: January 30, 2026 (United States)
42. Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma | Director: Jane Schoenbrun
Cast: Hannah Einbinder, Gillian Anderson, Patrick Fischler, Hunter Dillon
Genre: Horror
Intent on casting the “final girl” from the original film in her latest installment of a longstanding slasher series, a queer filmmaker descends along with her subject into a visceral, psychosexual odyssey.
43. Out of This World | Director: Albert Serra
Cast: Riley Keough, F. Murray Abraham, Liza Yankovskaya
Genre: Drama
In an attempt to solve an economic dispute amid the backdrop of the Ukrainian war, an American delegation travels to Russia to sort matters out for themselves.
44. Burning Rainbow Farm | Director: Justin Kurzel
Cast: Sebastian Stan, Leo Woodall
Genre: Drama, Crime, Thriller
A couple in rural Michigan finds their lives upended when their son is taken from them after a spat with local authorities; their utopian pot haven thus becomes the setting of a seismic standoff with the law.
45. Tony | Director: Matt Johnson
Cast: Dominic Sessa, Antonia Banderas, Emilia Jones, Leo Woodall
Genre: Drama, Biopic, Comedy
Set amid a life-changing summer in 1970s Provincetown, Matt Johnson imagines the life of a young Anthony Bourdain prior to his time as a world-famous chef and traveller.
46. Bitter Christmas | Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Cast: Bárbara Lennie, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Victoria Luengo
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Immersed in her work as a means of coping with the death of her mother, Elsa is forced to take a break after suffering a panic attack, and travels to Lanzarote to recuperate while her partner Bonifacio stays behind in Madrid.
Release Date: March 20, 2026 (Spain)
47. Wild Horse Nine | Director: Martin McDonagh
Cast: Sam Rockwell, John Malkovich, Steve Buscemi, Parker Posey
Genre: Drama, Crime, Thriller
A pair of CIA operatives in 1973 Santiago, Chile find themselves challenged in their abilities to trust one another during a detour to Easter Island.
48. Ray Gunn | Director: Brad Bird
Cast: Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, John Ratzenberger, Jamie Costa
Genre: Science Fiction
The fidelity of a famed popstar becomes the subject of investigation for the last human private eye in a world cohabited by both humans and aliens.
49. Her Private Hell | Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Cast: Sophie Thatcher, Charles Melton, Havana Rose Liu, Dougray Scott
Genre: Thriller
A secretive, hypnotically unhinged thriller from Nicolas Winding Refn that promises to shape itself around “glitter, sex and violence.”
50. Jack of Spades | Director: Joel Coen
Cast: Josh O’Connor, Frances McDormand, Lesley Manville, Damian Lewis
Genre: Drama, Mystery
A gothic mystery film steeped in the remote fog of 1880s Scotland, in Joel Coen’s long-awaited follow-up to “The Tragedy of Macbeth.”
