Your Guide to 2026’s Most Anticipated Films

As we inch closer and closer to the year 2026, there’s a line-up of truly fascinating films already generating serious hype. From literary adaptations to long-awaited sequels and big-budget fantasy epics, next year promises a cinematic buffet from some of the biggest actors, directors, and producers in the industry. Here are the titles everyone will be talking about.

It’s finally happening; Emerald Fennell is taking on Wuthering Heights, and if her previous work is anything to go by, we’re in for an eerie, beautiful, emotionally chaotic ride. Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi step into the roles of Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, giving us a modern yet faithful take on one of literature’s most tumultuous love stories.

Set against the windswept Yorkshire moors, the film dives into the obsession, revenge, class warfare, and generational trauma that define Brontë’s classic. Fennell’s signature “beautiful unease” is reportedly all over this project, promising a version that’s as psychologically intense as it is visually atmospheric.

With Hong Chau, Alison Oliver, Shazad Latif, and rising newcomers rounding out the cast, expect Wuthering Heights to dominate Valentine’s season, though it’s definitely not a soft-and-sweet romance.

Zendaya and Robert Pattinson in an A24 romantic comedy? Yes, please.

Directed and written by Kristoffer Borgli (Dream Scenario), The Drama follows Emma Harwood and Charlie Thompson, a newly engaged couple whose love life may not be as picture-perfect as their awkward engagement photos suggest. Although the exact plot is under wraps (in true A24 fashion), whispers say the romance takes a very unexpected turn.

With Alana Haim, Mamoudou Athie, and Hailey Gates also starring, plus Ari Aster producing, this is shaping up to be one of 2026’s buzziest releases. 

A pop star biographical drama, but make it A24, make it moody, and sprinkle in original music by Jack Antonoff and Charli XCX. Mother Mary follows Mary (Anne Hathaway), a global pop icon who abruptly ends her tour after an emotional unravelling. Seeking refuge, she reconnects with Sam (Michaela Coel), the fashion designer who once invented her image.

The casting alone includes Hathaway, Coel, FKA Twigs, Hunter Schafer, and Kaia Gerber, which guarantees that this will be a cultural moment. Hathaway has already described the role as requiring complete surrender, which is exactly the kind of intensity David Lowery thrives on.

If you loved The Green Knight or A Ghost Story, prepare your heart. This won’t be your typical music drama.

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The saga continues. Denis Villeneuve is closing out his Dune trilogy with Dune: Part Three, based on Frank Herbert’s Dune Messiah. Set twelve years after the events of Part Two, the film jumps into a darker, more complex chapter of Paul Atreides’ reign as Emperor, along with the consequences of the galaxy-wide religious fervour he unintentionally ignited.

The cast is expanding (yes, Robert Pattinson is joining the Dune universe), and while the plot is under wraps, fans can expect political intrigue, existential crises, and the kind of jaw-dropping visuals Villeneuve is known for.

Prepare for chaos, prophecy, and lots of sand.

Miranda Priestly is back, and she’s still not impressed. Nearly 20 years after the original film changed the trajectory of workwear, fashion cinema, and quotable pop culture moments, The Devil Wears Prada 2 reunites Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway. We saw Miranda strutting in red heels, Andy stopping the elevator doors in the trailer with that iconic “Took you long enough” that broke the internet.

This time around, Miranda is fighting to keep Runway Magazine alive in a world dominated by influencers, fast fashion, and digital metrics. Emily Charlton, now a power player at Christian Dior, is reportedly plotting a takeover.

The cast additions are massive: Lucy Liu, Simone Ashley, BJ Novak, Justin Theroux, Pauline Chalamet, plus cameos from Donatella Versace and Lady Gaga. Fashion girls? This one’s for you.

Disney is bringing Moana to live action, with Catherine Laga’aia stepping into the title role and Dwayne Johnson returning as Maui. Directed by Thomas Kail (Hamilton), the film revisits Moana’s first great adventure: restoring the heart of Te Fiti and facing off against the coconut-armoured Kakamora.

Given the original film’s billion-dollar success and the sequel’s even bigger performance, expectations are sky-high. The teaser confirms the film will stick closely to the beloved storyline, but with richer world-building and, of course, a more immersive ocean.

Expect this to be one of the year’s biggest family blockbusters.

Water. Earth. Fire. Air. They’re back, and so is the Avatar.

Set years after the 2005 animated classic, this new animated film revisits Aang, now older and exploring the world after bringing balance. It’s being developed alongside a two-season Paramount+ series that bridges the films, ensuring Avatar fans will be fed for years.

Produced by the team behind Mutant Mayhem, this instalment promises updated animation, deeper lore, and a grown-up emotional arc for Aang and the gang. For long-time fans, this is a dream come true.

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Wes Anderson diving into gothic horror? Now that’s cinema.

The Bride, loosely inspired by Bride of Frankenstein and Thomas Pynchon’s Vineland, stars Jessie Buckley as the Bride and Christian Bale in a major leading role. Set in 1930s Chicago, it follows Frankenstein’s monster as he seeks a companion, but with Anderson at the helm, the world will be odd, colourful, melancholic, and strangely beautiful.

The cast is stacked: Sean Penn, Regina Hall, Alana Haim, Teyana Taylor, Benicio del Toro, and more. Given Anderson’s highest-ever budget, expect something grander and darker than anything he’s done before.

Robert Eggers returns to mediaeval horror with Werewulf, set in 13th-century England. Co-written with Icelandic poet Sjón, the film reportedly uses era-accurate dialogue and plunges deep into folklore, brutality, and identity.

Originally rumoured to be shot in black-and-white, it will instead embrace colour, though it will likely remain moody, earthy, and unsettling. If The Witch and The Northman are anything to go by, Werewulf will be a Christmas release for the brave.

After becoming Searchlight’s biggest trailer launch ever, the sequel to the 2019 cult horror-comedy is shaping up to be a must-watch.

Samara Weaving returns as Grace, traumatised, bloodied, and very much over the Le Domas family’s murderous traditions. This time, she must survive yet another deadly night, now with her estranged sister Faith (Kathryn Newton) by her side.

Four rival families are hunting her for the High Seat of the Council. If she survives until dawn, she wins again. If not… well.

With a cast including Elijah Wood, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and David Cronenberg, expect chaotic humour, gory twists (nothing graphic here!), and more of the franchise’s wicked social satire.

2026 is already looking like an absolutely stacked year for film lovers. If you’re into literary adaptations, sci-fi epics, horror reimaginings, animated nostalgia, or fashion-fuelled drama, there’s something lined up for every kind of viewer. If this is the future of cinema, we’re in very good hands.