We’re in the midst of awards season for 2025’s big films– but 2026 is shaping up to be another huge year for cinema. With long-awaited sequels, new films from Steven Spielberg and Christopher Nolan, and some star-studded dramas, there’s plenty on the way. We’ve picked ten films that we think everyone will be talking about, as well as the stars to keep an eye on in 2026.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

Star to watch: (Jack O’Connell)– Is his role the year’s most outrageous villain?

Release date: Out now

Five people stand in a forest circle lit by candles at night. The central figure wears gold chains and raises both hands, whilst the others, dressed in distinctive outfits, evoke the mystery of Upcoming Films 2026 amid tall, textured tree trunks.

The follow-up to the recent 28 Years Later (and the second in a planned trilogy), The Bone Temple returns us to post-apocalyptic Britain, decades on from societal collapse caused by a virus. Continuing from 28 Years Later’s madcap ending, it follows the young Spike (Alfie Williams) as he’s inducted into a gang of killers led by the violently psychopathic Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell). Meanwhile, the eccentric Dr Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) stumbles across a discovery that could change humanity and the entire world forever.

Wuthering Heights

Star to watch: Jacob Elordi– can he do justice to one of literature’s most discussed characters?

Release date: 13th February

A man in a black suit and a woman in a striking red and white gown walk side by side in an ornate corridor with gold mirrors, while another woman stands in the background—capturing the elegance of the Stars to Watch 2026.

One of the year’s most anticipated-and likely divisive- films, Wuthering Heights is the latest in a long line of adaptations of Emily Brontë’s classic novel. However, this take certainly looks like it’ll be quite different from the rest, given it’s directed by Saltburn’s Emerald Fennell and stars Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi. The basic story outline remains the same: the wealthy Catherine Earnshaw (Robbie) falls in love with the tall, brooding Heathcliff, causing trouble. Much has been made of the trailer and the fact that it seems to be cranking up the steaminess, as well as how much it’ll change from the book- and it’s hard to see this one not making a splash.

The Devil Wears Prada 2

Star to watch: Anne Hathaway– what exactly is her role in the story, and whose side will Andy take?

Release date: 1st May

Two women wearing dark sunglasses and elegant black outfits stand side by side against a marble background, exuding confidence and style—like true film stars 2026. One has short white hair, the other long brown hair, both embodying cinematic allure.

Twenty years after the hit original film hilariously skewered the fashion and print industry, The Devil Wears Prada 2 arrives to reintroduce us to Miranda Priestly, Andy Sachs and Emily Charlton. After back-and-forth reports on who would return, it was finally confirmed that Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, and Emily Blunt would all reprise their roles in the sequel, in a world where print media is declining. Miranda (Streep) is struggling to save Runway magazine from declining, with Emily having now become a rival exec in the luxury world. Miranda also seems to be stepping back from business, while Andy’s role is largely under wraps, but he will once again rub shoulders with her former co-workers.

The Drama

Star to watch: Zendaya– with Euphoria returning to TV, she’s got a packed 2026: might she be winning awards this time this year?

Release date: 3rd April

fIt’s one of those films that sells you on the lead pairing alone: Robert Pattinson and Zendaya share the screen together in The Drama, an upcoming romantic dramaedy from A24. Zendaya plays a bookstore clerk from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who is engaged to Pattinson’s character, Charlie Thompson, a theatre director from London. The happy couple are set to wed in just a few days, when a sudden revelation turns everything upside down. It remains to be seen what happens next- but the movie’s advertising campaign has teased a complex relationship between the two. Adding to the intrigue is the film’s marketing campaign, with a fictional engagement announcement being reported in The Boston Globe and posted on social media.

Disclosure Day

Star to watch: Josh O’Connor– having won praise for his role in Wake Up Dead Man, will he and Spielberg be a magic pairing?

Release date: 12th June

A man in a dark jacket stands at a worn table in a shabby, dimly lit room with peeling wallpaper and old furniture, packing items into a black bag—like a scene straight from the biggest films 2026 is set to deliver.

Master director Steven Spielberg is returning to a genre he helped redefine more than once in this alien sci-fi thriller. A big new blockbuster from the Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones director is enough to grab anyone’s attention, but the cast is also very promising: [profile-link]Emily Blunt[/profile-link], Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Colman Domingo, Eve Hewson and Wyatt Russell all star. The plot involves mankind having to confront extraterrestrial contact, with O’Connor playing a whistleblower who is determined to get the truth out, and Blunt playing a weatherwoman who is apparently being controlled by aliens. Shadowy forces are trying to stop the public from being informed- but what exactly do the alien beings want?

The Odyssey

Star to watch: Tom Holland– he’s swapping web shooters for swords and sandals: are we in for a new Tom Holland era?

Release date: 17th July

A bearded man in ancient warrior armour stands before ships and soldiers, looking serious. The text reads EMPIRE THE 2026 PREVIEW. Get a glimpse of the epic atmosphere and the Biggest Films 2026 has to offer.

Christopher Nolan’s last outing was the Oscar-winning Oppenheimer, and while we’re probably not getting a return of the Barbenheimer craze, his next work is plenty enough to get excited about. Homer’s The Odyssey is one of the most important literary works in history, and the epic story is being put on the big screen with Matt Damon in the lead role of the Greek king Odysseus. The king is travelling home from the Trojan War and encounters mythical beings and obstacles along the way. Tom Holland plays his son Telemachus, and Anne Hathaway is his wife Penelope, with the huge cast also including Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, Mia Goth and Zendaya, who plays the goddess Athena.

The Social Reckoning

Star to watch: Jeremy Stong– the Oscar-nominated actor is known for being method- how will he transform into the Facebook founder?

Release date: 9th October

A man with short dark hair, wearing a white shirt and a dark quilted jacket, looks serious as he walks indoors. Two blurred people stand in the background—one with arms crossed and smiling, hinting at the Stars to Watch 2026.

A sequel of sorts/companion piece to 2010’s The Social Network, The Social Reckoning centres around the controversy and leaks around Facebook and Meta- specifically whistleblower Frances Haugen’s revelations. Directed and written by Aaron Sorkin (who wrote The Social Network), this film sees Succession star Jeremy Strong step into the role Mark Zuckerberg, following Jesse Eisenberg, while Oscar winner Mikey Madison plays Haugen, an engineer who leaked to reporter Jeff Horwitz (Jeremy Allen White) the secret inner workings of Facebook and its effects on society. If The Social Network was a stylish yet critical look at how social media became the biggest thing in tech since the internet, The Social Reckoning is set to shine a damning spotlight on how it’s changed and influenced every aspect of our lives.

Project Hail Mary

Star to watch: Ryan Gosling– he’s played an astronaut before, but will Project Hail Mary rocket to success?

Release date: 20th March

A man with glasses and messy hair, rumoured among the stars to watch 2026, wears a harness and casual clothes as he sits inside a high-tech spacecraft filled with control panels and illuminated buttons, gripping an overhead handle.

Ryan Gosling leads this sci-fi adventure based on the popular best-selling novel of the same name. Ryland Grace (Gosling) awakens to find himself in space, on a ship, with no memory of how he got there. He also has no idea what mission sent him there or whether he has any way to escape. He begins to realise he is the only person from his crew still alive, the group sent on a mission in a distant solar system to preserve humanity after a catastrophic event on Earth. However, it’s possible that Ryland may not be alone on the craft after all. Anatomy of a Fall star Sandra Hüller, Industry’s Ken Leung and The Bear’s Lionel Boyce also star.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping

Star to watch: (Joseph Zada)– there’s plenty of famous faces in the cast, but can Zada follow in Woody Harrelson’s footsteps as the multi-layered Haymitch?

Release date: 20th November

A young woman and man sit close together outdoors, looking at each other. The man holds a small object. Three geese and trees enhance the serene setting, like a scene from the biggest films 2026 or featuring stars to watch 2026.

Another blockbuster with a starry cast, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is the sequel to The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and is set a few decades before the events of the first Hunger Games movie. Young Haymitch Abernathy (Joseph Zada) becomes a competitor in the 50th edition of Hunger Games. Every 25 years, the games are held as a Quarter Quell, meaning that the rules are twisted- and this time, twice the number of tributes must fight to the death from each district. The film also stars McKenna Grace, Glenn Close, Jesse Plemons, Ralph Fiennes, Kieran Culkin, Elle Fanning and Maya Hawke.

Dune Part 3

Star to watch: Florence Pugh and Anya Taylor-Joy– both appeared briefly in Dune: Part Two, but how will their characters be expanded on in Part Three?

Release date: 18th December

A young woman with short blonde hair wears a delicate, gold mesh headpiece and a white lace top, looking intently ahead—her striking presence hints at one of the stars to watch 2026. The background is softly blurred with neutral tones.

Space epic Dune: Part Three will also be released in 2026, as Timothee Chalamet once again plays Paul Atreides, now emperor and ruling over a discordant galaxy. Not a huge amount of plot has been directly revealed by the studio or director Denis Villeneuve, but the film is set to adapt the novel Dune Messiah, which is set 12 years into Paul’s rule as emperor and overseeing a massive religious war in his name as the messiah. Zendaya will also be back as Chani, with the cast also including Florence Pugh, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jason Mamoa, Josh Brolin, Robert Pattinson and Rebecca Ferguson.

Culture, Films & TV

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