Honorable Mention:
Because 2026 is an absolute traffic jam and not everything can make the main cut, here are more titles worth flagging if you’re scanning the calendar and thinking, “Wait, that’s coming too?” The horror lane stays stacked with “SOULM8TE” (January 9, Universal Pictures) from director Kate Dolan and starring Lily Sullivan, plus “Evil Dead Burn” (July 24, Warner Bros.) with Sébastien Vaniček steering the franchise into another nasty corner. Comedy sequels and brand-name revivals are also everywhere, from “Super Troopers 3: Winter Soldiers” (August 14, Searchlight Pictures) directed by Jay Chandrasekhar, to “Scary Movie 6” (June 12, Paramount) with Michael Tiddes and returning stars Anna Faris and Regina Hall, and “Focker In-Law” (November 25, Universal) directed by John Hamburg, with Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, and Ariana Grande joining the family chaos.
The studio playbook is split between nostalgia bets and new franchise fuel. “The Cat in the Hat” (November 6, Warner Bros.) is being directed by Erica Rivinoja and Alessandro Carloni and features the voice of Bill Hader. Meanwhile, “The Angry Birds Movie 3” (December 23, Paramount) is arriving under the direction of John Rice. On the action side, there’s “Mutiny” (August 21, Lionsgate) from Jean-François Richet starring Jason Statham, and “Violent Night 2” (December 4, Universal Pictures) with Tommy Wirkola (his second 2026 movie) and David Harbour back for more Santa mayhem. Animation fans also get “Forgotten Island” (September 25, Universal) directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, while the “Avatar” universe expands with “The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender” (October 9; Paramount) directed by Lauren Montgomery.
And if you’re looking for the mid-budget and indie/programmer side of the calendar, it’s surprisingly robust. “The Dutchman” (January 2, Washington Square Films) is directed by Andre Gaines and stars André Holland and Kate Mara, and “OBEX” (January 9, Oscilloscope) comes from Albert Birney. “H Is for Hawk” (January 30, Roadside Attractions) is directed by Philippa Lowthorpe and stars Claire Foy and Brendan Gleeson, while Michel Franco’s “Dreams” (February 27, Greenwich Entertainment ) stars Jessica Chastain. Spring is busy too, with “Slanted” (March 13, Bleecker Street) from Amy Wang starring Shirley Chen and Mckenna Grace, “Cold Storage” (April 3, Amazon MGM Studios) directed by Jonny Campbell and starring Joe Keery and Liam Neeson, “The Third Parent” (April 3, Bleecker Street) starring Rob Lowe, Roselyn Sánchez, and Crispin Glover, “Omaha” (April 24, Greenwich Entertainment) from Cole Webley starring John Magaro, “Animal Farm” (May 1, Angel Studios) directed by Andy Serkis with voices including Seth Rogen and Glenn Close, “Hokum” (May 8, Neon) directed by Damian McCarthy starring Adam Scott, and “Obsession” (May 15, Focus Features) from Curry Barker. The summer also brings the animated film “Animal Friends” (June 5, Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary Pictures), directed by Peter Atencio and starring Ryan Reynolds and Jason Momoa. BenDavid Grabinski’s “Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice” buddy action comedy starring Vince Vaughn, James Marsden, Eiza González and more (TBD, Searchlight Pictures).
Also dated on the calendar and worth keeping an eye on: the “Untitled Insidious sequel” (August 21, 2026; Screen Gems/Stage 6 Films/Blumhouse Productions) is set to be directed by Jacob Chase starring Lin Shaye; the embattled “Coyote vs. Acme” (August 28, 2026; Ketchup Entertainment/Warner Bros. Pictures) is directed by Dave Green and stars Will Forte and John Cena; “Practical Magic 2” (September 25, 2026; Warner Bros. Pictures) is directed by Oscar-winner Susanne Bier with Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman returning; “You, Me & Tuscany” (April 10, 2026; Universal Pictures) is directed by Mark Waters and stars Vera Farmiga and Taika Waititi; and “Shelter” (January 30, 2026; Black Bear Pictures) is directed by Ric Roman Waugh starring Jason Statham and Bill Nighy, with Waugh also returning for “Greenland 2: Migration” (January 9, 2026; Lionsgate) with Gerard Butler andMorena Baccarin. Finally, there’s “Hexed” (November 25, 2026; Walt Disney Animation Studios/Walt Disney Pictures) sitting on the date grid with specifics still TBD, and “Charlie Harper” (September 25; Row K Entertainment), which premiered at TIFF last year and stars “CODA” breakout Emilia Jones and Nick Robinson (“The Kings of Summer”)
Most Likely Arriving In 2027:
While we wish these films were arriving in 2026, wishful thinking won’t make it so. Here’s a quick list of titles that, if you’re asking, “Where’s {Insert X Film Title Here?}.” The reality is likely to arrive no earlier than 2027. Almost all of these pictures have not been shot, and some of them don’t even have funding yet.
There’s “Growth” with filmmaker Armando Iannucci attached for another dark contemporary comedy reportedly with Riz Ahmed, but very little locked beyond the premise-level idea; French enfante terrible Leos Carax with eunite with Adam Driver and Léa Seydoux at some point, but details are scarce; “The Riders” will eventually be directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Edward Berger (“Conclave”) with Brad Pitt attached, adapting Tim Winton’s novel about a man and his daughter searching across Europe after his wife vanishes; While Paul Schrader’s has sworn his next psychological-noir title “Non Compos Mentis” would shoot this year, nothing has materialized and no cast has been revealed, but at least one title is already on this list; Written and directed by S. Craig Zahler (“Bone Tomahawk”), “The Bookie & The Bruiser” with Theo James and Vince Vaughn in a Midwestern crime thriler about a gambler and an aging enforcer, but has yet to start production with no shoot date set yet; “Flesh of the Gods” directed by Panos Cosmatos with Oscar Isaac, Kristen Stewart and Elizabeth Olsen, pitched as a neon-L.A. descent into obsession and transformation is somehow still looking for funding.
Cameron Crowe says his Untitled Joni Mitchell biopic, which he will write and direct is happening, but nothing yet is confirmed including the rumored cast of Anya Taylor-Joy and Meryl Streep; “The Heidi Fleiss Story” from Leah Rachel starring Aubrey Plaza with Alana Haim and Dolly de Leon, sounds fantastic, but hasn’t shot yet; “The Thing That Hurts” written and directed by Arnaud Desplechin with Léa Seydoux, Jason Schwartzman, John Turturro, and Golshifteh Farahani in a Paris-set ensemble around patients after the death of an American psychotherapist and sounds amazing, but still hasn’t entered production nearly two years after it was announced; “Somewhere Out There” with Alexander Payne and Renate Reinsve is looking more like a 2027 film landing based on current pace; Academy Award-winning director Damien Chazelle’s Untitled Prison Film with Cillian Murphy, and Daniel Craig is still somewhere in pre-production.
“1949” directed by Paweł Pawlikowski and already positioned as a planned 2027 premiere, stars Hanns Zischler and Sandra Hüller; “Monsanto” iss a Netflix legal-thriller package with Anthony Mackie and Laura Dern, that still sounds unready, with Glen Powell potentially fluid due to his in-demand nature; “X Crucior” directed by John Woo, written and composed by the art pop band Sparks, with no official cast yet and a timeline that could easily push into 2027 or even later. And if you’re asking about Jordan Peele’s next mystery tentpole movie, initially scheduled for October 2026, well, you’ll recall it fell off the schedule, became undated, and the writer/director seems to be a little stuck in the kitchen on that one’s script.
Lastly, in case you’re wondering, Michael Mann’s “Heat 2” won’t shoot until August 2026, meaning a 2027 release. In related Mann news, Joseph Kosinski’s (“Top Gun: Maverick”) “Miami Vice” remake starring Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler is already set for an August 6, 2027, release. Happy moviegoing!
Lastly, my annual shout-out to former Playlist writer turned professional screenwriter Oliver Lyttelton, for helping me compile the list. Cheers, mate!
OK, that’s really it, and I’m about to collapse. Thank you again for your patronage of our site. Do us a favor for 2026. Let’s start a dialogue in the comments section and share our stuff so we can survive, cool? Rest In Peace, Rob Reiner and here’s to peace, love and a better 2026, onwards and upwards.
