Here’s what to look for in this upcoming year for film and why 2026 could be Hollywood’s biggest comeback year yet, for me at least.
New IMAX technology and stacked cast lists lie in store for 2026, fostering hope and excitement after a quite disappointing year of film. With two films releasing on the same day, the Marvel Universe and Dune trilogy collide to make “Dunesday,” creating another “Barbenheimer” moment. Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya are on a generational run for movies, and directors are finally being unhinged again: we are so back.
1. “The Odyssey” July 17, 2026
Christopher Nolan announced with Universal Pictures back in December 2024 that he would be adapting the literary classic “The Odyssey” and described it as “a mythic action epic shot across the world with brand new IMAX film technology” in a post on X. To embrace Homer’s epic properly, Nolan is working with life partner and colleague Emma Thomas, who won Best Picture for “Oppenheimer” with him at last year’s Oscars.
To bring Homer’s saga to the screen and do it justice, Nolan is the only person for the job.
The cast is epic: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Matt Damon, Robert Pattinson, Anne Hathaway and more. We have minimal photos from the set, given Nolan’s private nature of filmmaking, but we’ve seen a lot of seaside photos. Nolan reported that he would be shooting part of the film in Favignana, Sicily’s Goat Island, which, as legend has it, is where Homer himself actually envisioned Odysseus landing.
I’m willing to bet that the CGI for this film will be minimal, and instead, the dynamic audio design will blow audiences out of their seats and immerse them in the ancient tale. Though still in production, this film is at the top of my list for the year. Since “Oppenheimer” in 2024, I’ve been demanding bigger projects from Nolan and “The Odyssey” is here to deliver.
With a projected $250 million spent, the runtime is currently unknown, but I speculate that it won’t be longer than 3 hours because of the IMAX projection limits and the average lengths of Nolan’s previous films.
No matter how long it is, I don’t think fans will struggle to sit down for this epic.
2. “Dune: Part Three” Dec. 18, 2026
The first Dune movies have done incredibly well; in fact, “Dune: Part One” took home six Academy Awards, including Best Original Score and Best Cinematography. “Dune: Part Two” earned six nominations and two wins, Best Sound (again) and Best Visual Effects. However, there was strong controversy around the Oscar-winning score.
The Academy actually disqualified Dune: Part Two’s score because it contained more than 20% of the same theme music and score from the previous film. It will be interesting to see if composer Hans Zimmer decides to continue using these themes or perhaps write a new score for Part Three.
Director Denis Villeneuve has confirmed that this film is the third and final to the “Dune” film trilogy and will provide a wrap-up to the story of Arrakis. Timothee Chalamet shared a sneak peek of the film on his Instagram story recently, and though there’s no official plot synopsis yet, it’s clear there’s something to be excited about.
With new characters teased in part two and new actors added to the cast listing, I anticipate the film jumping ahead in time and following the book’s twists and turns of Emperor Paul Atreides as the various groups are out to dethrone him.
Timothée Chalamet continues to amaze me, and although I will sob the second his bald head comes on screen, I will continue to fight for his Oscar run. If a Best Actor award is in the cards for him, it’s here with “Dune.”
3. “Avengers: Doomsday” Dec. 18, 2026
Also being released in theaters on Dec. 18, Avengers: Doomsday has almost every single Marvel Universe superhero, who’s still alive, on the cast list. After breaking the internet and the Marvel fandom at Comic Con last year, Robert Downey Jr. revealed himself to be underneath that Dr. Doom mask, despite having just ended his Marvel role and contract as Iron Man.
Fans were stunned, and I was stupefied. How could this be possible? Why would RDJ do this? How much do they have to be paying him? This was the most insane stunt Marvel has pulled since “Avengers: Endgame” in 2019. Fans have never been more divided and excited at the same time since Endgame’s theatrical release.
In a shocking reveal, Marvel Studios released a video to their social media, panning from stage chair to stage chair, iconic actor after iconic actor, with the tagline “It all leads to Doom.”
As a life-long Marvel follower, I feel confident enough to make predictions that we are going to lose some of the most beloved characters in Doomsday. To be brutal, I think this could be Hawkeye’s last appearance as well as Rhodey’s, Thor’s and maybe Ant-Man’s.
These actors have been with Marvel since the beginning, and I think it’ll be their time to cash their final checks and follow into the retirement of the original six.
4. “Wuthering Heights” Feb. 13, 2026
Immediately following the trailer drop, set to icon Charli xcx’s song “Everything is Romantic,” audiences were shocked and quick to critique Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights.” The last film we saw from Fennell was “Saltburn,” and we all remember the hype and obsession with that black comedy thriller in 2023. Some people found the vulgar nature of the film disturbing, but it’s undeniable that it consumed them. Jacob Elordi became the obsession of the summer seemingly overnight, which is interesting because everyone hated his first film, “The Kissing Booth.”
“Saltburn” really opened the doors for Elordi, and it gained the audience’s trust in his seriousness as an actor. I look forward to seeing how he embodies his role as Heathcliff in this upcoming adaptation.
I anticipate this film to be stylistically similar and, going off the trailer, erotically similar as well. Some film journalists have already expressed their disappointment with this film and believe that the directors have misrepresented Brontë’s literature through inaccurate character ages and physical appearances.
I am extremely anxious to see what Elordi and Margo Robbie’s chemistry will look like on screen. The two worked together on “Saltburn,” but Robbie was behind the screen for that one.
To me, the two have inverse acting styles, but in an interview with WSJ. Style, Elordi praised Robbie for her dedication and open heart during the shooting process. The way he talked about her in the interview makes me have some faith in them.
There’s more to check out, too, beyond just my picks.
This year holds so much potential for the film industry and I can’t wait to see where it takes us. I think we are entering an area of real creative liberty and actors pushing outside their comfort zones. There are new biopics and Marvel is back to big casts; it’s going to be a great year for film.