Following part one of our 2026 movie preview, we’re counting down our 50 most-anticipated films of the year.
50. Sheep in the Box and Look Back (Hirokazu Kore-eda)
With eight features alone between 2013-2023 (at least five of them bona fide greats, and that’s not taking into account the ten-plus films before then), the Japanese Palme d’Or winner has made as much a name for his spellbinding family dramas and winding mysteries as he has for head-down discipline. With two features on the horizon in 2026, the director is back after a long three-year break that most filmmakers would consider short (unless your name is Kiyoshi Kurosawa). Adapting Tatsuki Fujimoto’s celebrated work, Look Back follows the connection between two manga artists with opposite personalities, while the near-future Sheep in the Box follows a couple who take a state-of-the-art humanoid into their home as their son. – Luke H.
49. Cry to Heaven (Tom Ford)
Tom Ford has said he wants to focus on filmmaking for the rest of his career, and the Anne Rice adaptation Cry to Heaven––his first effort since Nocturnal Animals pissed everybody off in 2016––is hopefully the hard-launch of a new era for Soderbergh-level productivity. Set in 18th-century Italy, this tale of two very different opera singers, who we assume are to be played by Ford’s prior collaborators Nicholas Hoult and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, has one of the year’s most tantalizingly stacked casts, rounded out by the acting debut of Adele. Filming isn’t due to start until January, but the Italian setting nevertheless has us assuming Ford will be working towards a Venice premiere. – Alistair R.
48. Untitled Jesse Eisenberg film
For his next feature, Jesse Eisenberg is mounting a musical comedy in the world of local theater. With Julianne Moore, Paul Giamatti, and Halle Bailey in tow, the untitled film is about a shy woman who becomes enthralled by an enigmatic director after getting cast in a local production. It’s an audacious follow-up from Eisenberg, who looked at shared grief with A Real Pain but has been in his fair share of comedies; this could be more tailored to those sensibilities. – Michael F.
47. October (Jeremy Saulnier)
After the tumultuous production of his 2024 Rebel Ridge, which ultimately led to a pretty damn good crime thriller and a fortuitous recasting of its lead from John Boyega to Aaron Pierre, writer-director Jeremy Saulnier is wasting no time getting back in the saddle with October. Saulnier remains one of our most exciting, visceral filmmakers, and October promises to find the filmmaker right in his wheelhouse, with his latest described as a horror-action-thriller set at Halloween. With Rebel Ridge sadly relegated to a Netflix streaming release, it’s great seeing Saulnier teamed back up with Green Room distributors A24 and bringing with him a cast: that film’s Imogen Poots, Hold the Dark’s James Badge Dale, emerging talents Chase Sui Wonders and Sophie Wilde, and—in his first leading role—the always impressive Cory Michael Smith. – Mitchell B.
46. Primetime (Lance Oppenheim)
Lance Oppenheim ventures into the world of narrative cinema with Primetime, inspired by Chris Hansen, Dateline, and To Catch a Predator. His first non-documentary stars Robert Pattinson as the central investigative journalist, and the larger cast looks inspired—Phoebe Bridgers, Skyler Gisondo, and Merritt Weaver are among its supporting players. Oppenheim’s docs often explore subsets of communities, the odd ways and places that people interact. We imagine Primetime will be more of the same in thrilling fashion. – Michael F.
45. Saturn Return (Greg Kwedar)
Trains Dreams co-writer Greg Kwedar has his turn to direct his newest, Saturn Return, for Netflix. Starring Charles Melton, Rachel Brosnahan, and Will Poulter, the romantic drama spans 10 years between college young love and subsequent adulthood, including the complexities of that transition. If it’s anything like Sing Sing, Kwedar’s last film, Saturn Return should prove emotional and resonant, focused on the simple, day-to-day beauties of being alive. – Michael F.
44. Burning Rainbow Farm (Justin Kurzel)
Justin Kurzel has been making compelling cinema out of true crime stories since before it was all the rage, and after hitting a career peak with the Jude Law-led The Order, he’s right back at it with Burning Rainbow Farm, which tells of a couple running a pot-friendly community in rural Michigan before they come into conflict with the law and their young son is taken from them, leading to a dramatic siege. Fresh off his first Oscar nomination for The Apprentice (and after giving an even better performance in A Different Man), Sebastian Stan is one half of the leading pair, with Leo Woodall (The White Lotus, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy) alongside him. “Burning Rainbow is a love story about two outliers who raise their middle finger to hate and declare ‘This is who we are, and we dare you to take it from us,” the director told Deadline. – Mitchell B.
43. Whitney Springs (Trey Parker)
It should come as no surprise that wunderkind Kendrick Lamar’s film debut would be something no one else could think up. Still, it’s baffling that he’s bringing the project to life through the South Park team. Directed by Trey Parker, produced by Parker, Matt Stone, Lamar, and Lamar’s producing partner Dave Free, and written by 24-year South Park writing veteran Vernon Chatman (who also wrote the original Jackass movie), it’s a dark comedy about a Black man who works as a slave reenactor and discovers his white girlfriend’s ancestors owned his. Better yet: Whitney Springs will be the first live-action film Parker has directed since 1997’s Orgazmo. – Luke H.
42. Bucking Fastard (Werner Herzog)
Arguably the strangest plotline we’ll encounter in 2026, Bucking Fastard follows the true story of twins (played by sisters Kate and Rooney Mara) who are identical in how they speak, dream, love, and live as they “start digging through an entire mountain range.” This epic nature recalls some of Herzog’s finest narrative work in Fitzcarraldo. If worth its weight in plot, it could mean Herzog’s strong return to fiction, a sector he once thrived in but has yet to make a worthwhile contribution to in over 15 years, despite many attempts and an otherwise flowering career as a documentarian. – Luke H.
41. Gentle Monster (Marie Kreutzer)
The rollout for Marie Kreutzer’s stylish, offbeat Empress Sissi biopic Corsage, starring and produced by Vicky Krieps, was proceeding ideally until it was marred by a pedophilia scandal involving another of its lead actors. The Austrian director’s follow-up seems to directly meditate on this, following a renowned pianist (Léa Seydoux) who, on relocating with her family to the countryside, makes a shocking discovery that forces her to reassess “the complexities of love, trust, and deception.” – David K.
40. Thomas Le Fort (Angela Schanelec)
The essential mystery of Angela Schanelec’s films tends to be mimicked in their dearth of pre-release details. That Thomas Le Fort concerns a married couple reacting to the wife’s infidelity was known soon after her the premiere of her last feature, Music; since then it’s been a long, meaningful silence, redolent of her films, apart from confirmation it shot this year with some regular collaborators. After Music (rewardingly) bamboozled many, expect this to follow a more comprehensible narrative path. – David K.
39. The Last Mrs. Parrish (Robert Zemeckis)
If you make Back to the Future, Forrest Gump, and Cast Away—with several almost-as-big hits scattered across the decades—you can return zero dollars on one of the most unashamedly experimental films ever to grace American multiplexes and still direct a Netflix movie with Jennifer Lopez. The Last Mrs. Parrish seemingly returns Robert Zemeckis to the domestic-thriller territory of What Lies Beneath—not my single favorite film by this great director, but likely to generate something that moves between commercial thrills and some insane camera moves. – Nick N.
38. Red Rocks (Bruno Dumont)
After the under-appreciated sci-fi saga The Empire, Bruno Dumont is back with yet another stylistic and thematic detour, though he always seems to remain inimitably himself. This time out, he tackles the oddly euphoric subject of French Riviera cliff-jumping, as two bands of pre-teens––one from the area, the other Paris holidaymakers––engage in competitive diving over the rocks. I’m imagining something like a Lynchian Florida Project. But please, kids, look after yourselves! – David K.
37. Tower Stories (Peter Greenaway)
After Mike Leigh’s deserved late-career love last year, Peter Greenaway––his compatriot in country, and quite personally intimidating all his own––is also due for a comeback, here with something less ornate and more down-to-earth than his usual work. Dustin Hoffman––who’s starting to get major roles for the first time in, well, some time––plays a writer contemplating death and making one last trip to his ancestral home of Lucca, Italy. – David K.
36. Parallel Tales (Asghar Farhadi)
While Asghar Farhadi’s first international ventures (the French-set The Past and Spanish-language Everybody Knows) didn’t quite live up to his finest works, he’s giving it another go. Following 2021’s Cannes Grand Prix winner A Hero, the Iranian director’s latest finds him returning to France with the all-star cast of Isabelle Huppert, Virginie Efira, Vincent Cassel, Pierre Niney, Adam Bessa, and Catherine Deneuve. While plot details haven’t been officially confirmed, it’s rumored to involve stories surrounding the 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris. We imagine a Cannes premiere is already set. – Jordan R.
35. Werwulf (Robert Eggers; Dec. 25)
A reteaming with almost the entire principal cast of Nosferatu (sorry, Nicholas Hoult), Robert Eggers’ newest will look to recapture that film’s financial and critical success. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Lily-Rose Depp, and Willem Dafoe lead a 13th-century story concerning (you guessed it) a werewolf, co-penned by Northman writer Sjón. While little is known about Werwulf at this stage, expect all the traditional hallmarks of an Eggers picture: historical fidelity, supernaturalism, and a bonkers final act. Eggers has been steadily building a brand of “elevated” horror that he hasn’t yet shown an interest in moving away from, unlike some contemporaries. With Focus releasing, expect an awards push à la Nosferatu. – Christian G.
34. Wake of Umbra (Carlos Reygadas)
There’s always much anticipation for when Reygadas, one of Mexico’s premier auteurs, will release his next film––it’s a rare occurrence. Over 25 years Reygadas has directed, on average, only one feature every five. His next, Estela de sombra (Wake of Umbra), is expected to premiere in 2026, seven years since his last. Here’s the synopsis: “Surrounded by the grandiose rocks of a Mexican beach, two couples of young painters bend the moral rules set upon them, while an obscure strange figure observes. Their audacity will be judged and punished, sealing their destinies forever.” – Soham G.
33. Butterfly Jam (Kantemir Balagov)
Seven years ago, sophomore effort Beanpole appeared to signal Kantermir Balagov’s immediate ascent into the arthouse top tier; extensive time working on HBO’s The Last of Us pilot––which he ended up leaving due to creative differences with showrunner Craig Mazin––and his exile from Russia to California after speaking out against the invasion of Ukraine has made the wait for his third effort much longer than expected. Expected to premiere at Cannes, his English-language debut focuses on a New Jersey circus troupe (presumably played by stars Riley Keough, Barry Keoghan, Harry Melling, and Monica Bellucci). From his prior work, it’s safe to expect something more distressing than a whimsical, vague logline implies. – Alistair R.
32. The Man I Love (Ira Sachs)
With several films behind him now, Ira Sachs has slowly crept into cinephiles’ broader affections, especially as his overall career project––artistic queer life, then and now––becomes clearer. The Man I Love seems his most ambitious movie yet, with lead Rami Malek likely securing robust financing. Malek plays a downtown New York artist in an “’80s musical fantasia”––although there’s no specification it’s an orthodox musical––as the AIDS crisis looms. Rebecca Hall and Ebon Moss-Bachrach are among the high-end supporting cast. – David K.
31. The Unknown (Arthur Harari)
Léa Seydoux’s other high-profile arthouse role of the year unites her with Arthur Harari, best known for co-writing Anatomy of a Fall with his partner Justine Triett––he’s a French industry darling on his own for the acclaimed Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle, which garnered comparisons to Sam Fuller. Based on the plot––inspired by a comic co-written with the director’s brother Lucas Harari––the exact tone and visual style is hard to envisage, though it should be far divorced from something like The Beast. Niels Schneider plays a photographer who spots an enchanting woman (Seydoux) at a party, only to wake up the very next morning in her body, seeing the world through her eyes. NEON already has U.S. rights, and it will surely be submitted to Cannes. – David K.
30. Moonglow (Isabel Sandoval)
In the seven years since her breakout Lingua Franca we’ve anticipated Isabel Sandoval’s next feature, which will now finally premiere at International Film Festival Rotterdam. Her romantic, ’60s- and Manila-set noir Moonglow, which the director has described “in the vein of In a Lonely Place and Casablanca,” combines the gritty world of Philippine crime and politics with lush romanticism, following a jaded female detective who’s masterminded a successful heist and is tasked with finding the culprit. – Jordan R.
29. Dune: Part Three (Denis Villeneuve; Dec. 18)
Few films in 2026 will corral the masses like Denis Villeneuve’s final chapter of Dune. If anything like its source, Dune Messiah, and assuming it follows suit with the predecessors’ opening narrations, uninformed fans are in for a shock. For one: over a decade should have passed since the end of Dune: Part Two. But certain elements of Villeneuve’s saga have already veered from Herbert’s original vision, leaving a huge question mark as to where his take on Messiah will begin, where it will lead, and how deep (or shallow) into the following literary franchise it will dip in or pull from. One thing’s for sure: that Dune-forced buzz on Timmy mid-Marty Supreme campaigning won’t mean happy times for Paul Atreides, especially if it falls relatively in line with Messiah’s narrative. With Robert Pattinson and Anya Taylor-Joy (for real this time) joining the cast and all the possible jihadistic horror of Messiah in tow, it’s poised to be one of the most devastating blockbusters in recent memory. – Luke H.
28. What Can’t Be Mentioned (Dan Sallitt)
Dan Sallitt doesn’t direct often––his last feature was 2019’s Fourteen. With a title just as achingly unresolvable as the singular 2012 drama The Unspeakable Act, his next feature is a sequel, catching up with the siblings who, in that film, grappled with a one-sided incestuous infatuation. Jackie (Tallie Medel) and Matthew (Sky Hirschkron) are now in relationships of their own and live apart. But when Jackie comes to visit Matthew and his pregnant wife, appearances begin unraveling, and Jackie forces her brother into confronting the truth. Kyle McCormack and Kit Zauhar star as the siblings’ partners. – Blake S.
27. Zero K (Michael Almereyda)
It’s taken years for Michael Almereyda to secure financing on an adaptation of Don DeLillo’s late-career triumph—absurd circumstances facing one of America’s most original filmmakers adapting one of the country’s, say, five greatest living authors. I had the privilege to read the script years ago; assuming much hasn’t changed since, expect an honoring of its source’s heady sci-fi concepts with ambitious overhauls. – Nick N.
26. The History of Concrete (John Wilson)
It was only a matter of time until deadpan comedic documentarian John Wilson made the jump from shorts to features, especially after three hit seasons of his bone-dry How to with John Wilson. In typical style, The History of Concrete takes an insanely mundane topic (concrete), mixes it with a hyper-personal meta-narrative about pitching a feature documentary (like the one we’ll be watching), and bases its entire approach off something so out of left field you couldn’t guess it if you tried, in this case: the lessons he learns from a Hallmark movie screenwriting workshop. The premise alone is proof of Wilson’s unparalleled imagination for strange intersections, and if it’s anything like his past work, the bizarre nature of it all will somehow manage to coalesce into one of 2026’s more relatably human films. – Luke H.
25. Jack of Spades (Joel Coen)
In the seven years since Ethan and Joel embarked on their solo careers, it’s become overwhelmingly clear which one was the director. While they’re best as a team, there was a reason why Joel was the only one credited in the early days: he’s far and away the arthouse auteurist mind that frames, shapes, and conceives of the work, while Ethan provides the erratic style and sense of humor. Like I said: better together, inextricable as a team. It’s obviously not as easy as splitting them down the middle. But apart, a film from Joel is a gift whereas a film from Ethan, fiction or nonfiction, is tough to sit through at best. Frances McDormand will co-lead the mystery, working with her husband again, alongside Damian Lewis, Lesley Manville, and Josh O’Connor. – Luke H.
24. La libertad doble (Lisandro Alonso)
A few years ago, this outlet broke the news that Lisandro Alonso was to return to the subject matter of his first feature in his potential final film, bookending a remarkable 25-year career. Misael from La Libertad still lives in isolation, and Alonso notes that Argentina as a whole hasn’t changed much in the past two decades plus either. La libertad doble sees Misael forced out of isolation to care for an ailing relative, and in typical Alonso fashion, it’s unclear exactly how constructed this conceit is. If this is indeed Alonso’s final film, we will eagerly track whatever art medium he moves into next. – Caleb H.
23. The Odyssey (Christopher Nolan; July 17)
Sure, we can quibble with aspects of Nolan as a filmmaker, but after the success of Oppenheimer, the fact that he was given carte blanche and chose to make an adaptation of Homer’s epic poem is, on the face of it, pretty insane. Starring a chiseled and grizzled Matt Damon as Odysseus, this film is going to be the event of the summer. Get ready for explainers about the differences between IMAX, 70mm, and every other format possible. Be ready to watch it in a theater full of anyone even remotely interested in movies. Start practicing your best Leo-pointing meme whenever a famous actor shows up, because literally everyone is in this movie. There’s no safer bet in Hollywood than Nolan, who marches to his own idiosyncratic, lucrative drum. – Christian G.
22. at the middle of life (Hong Sangsoo)
Only the mildest confirmation a film’s even en route? Whatever. The man with the greatest prolificacy-to-success ratio is returning hot off one of his best films in a decade and another latter-day delight. But this is just the one Hong we’ve heard about; I’d hardly be surprised seeing two by year’s end. A hat-trick, even? Don’t count him out. – Nick N.
21. Untitled Frank Ocean Film
Where is Frank Ocean? What’s he been doing? It is, unfortunately, the perpetual question hovering around one of the 21st century’s greatest, most reclusive artists, and one left hanging in the balance since the release of Blonde nearly ten years ago, interrupted only by the slew of singles that followed and precipitated new music that never came (“this shit sound like it’s comin’ soon, comin’ soon, bro”). This could very well be a Malick situation—a film that gestates for years and years in post-production—but from what little indication we have, 2026 might finally see the return of Ocean and answer the torturous, lingering question: he’s been making his first movie. Written and directed by Ocean, with all else kept under wraps––outside of David Jonsson, Taylor Russell, and Paul Lacovara’s casting––we have no idea what to expect outside of something incredibly well-considered and possibly perfected, as Ocean is known to deliver in his art. If his film taste (see: Boys Don’t Cry magazine) is any indication of his final product, we’re in for an immediate great. But who knows? Cinema is a new monster for Ocean. – Luke H.
20. I Want Your Sex (Gregg Araki)
Gregg Araki is back, and he’s on a mission. Bemoaning the well-documented fact that Gen Z simply aren’t’ “doing it,” Araki has prepared the perfect potion, revitalizing that most uncontroversial of genres: the age-gap erotic thriller. He’s assembled an eclectic cast: Olivia Wilde, Cooper Hoffman, Margaret Cho, Johnny Knoxville, and––surely ensuring box office success––Charli XCX. Much anticipated throughout 2025, Araki’s latest provocation finally premieres at Sundance next month. Let the love feast recommence. – Blake S.
19. Flowervale Street (David Robert Mitchell; Aug. 14)
Until writing this blurb, I didn’t realize David Robert Mitchell’s long-awaited Under the Silver Lake follow-up was produced by J.J. Abrams, but the mystery-box nature of the premise––a vague line about a family led by Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor noticing “mysterious events in 1980s suburbia”––sounds like Mitchell has been drawn to the same wave of Spielbergian nostalgia. A family-friendly throwback blockbuster is the biggest left turn we could expect from a director yet to explore the same genre twice, and that’s enough to make it one of 2026’s most tantalizing studio projects. (And if you care about spoilers, skip this line, but: the twist here is rumored to involve dinosaurs.) – Alistair R.
18. System of Colors (Stephen Cone)
After not making a feature film in nearly a decade, Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party and Princess Cyd director Stephen Cone finally wrapped a new film last month. While virtually nothing is known about the project (aside from perhaps Cooper Raiff being among the cast, judging from set photos), we imagine System of Colors will be another beautifully understated drama of great empathy if it’s anything like Cone’s past work. – Jordan R.
17. American Nails (Abel Ferrara)
Padre Pio was an admirable, oft-fascinating miss; otherwise Abel Ferrara’s in one of the most verdant periods of his incredible career, the Tommaso / Siberia / Zeros and Ones three-peat matching any working director’s late era. American Nails seems to fuse his ongoing interests in both ground-level texture and high-concept material, bringing together Ferrara lifers Willem Dafoe and Asia Argento (thus marking a New Rose Hotel reunion) for a film that retells Euripides’ Hippolytus “in a tale set in the gangster world of primal violence, power and revenge [that] pits Argento against the male-dominated remnants of power and entitlement, in the shadow of the Roman Empire in contemporary Italy.” However that combination of material and milieus goes, I can barely imagine a scenario in which it’s boring. – Nick N.
16. The Adventures of Cliff Booth (David Fincher; Summer TBD)
Ten or fifteen years ago, the anticipation for this would have generated its own energy field. But cinephilia is a mercilessly fickle mindset: some are down on David Fincher’s Netflix era (Mank will do that, The Killer can only do so much) and many are down on Quentin Tarantino for fussing over his legacy while—stop me if you’ve heard this one before—sharing provocative, strongly worded opinions. (Embracing Zionism: another discussion for another day.) But look upon this combination: 1) one of modern American cinema’s premier directors working with 2) its single greatest screenwriter while reteaming with 3) his finest leading man on that actor’s 4) most natural-feeling character. Now tell me you aren’t ignoring the entire history of cinema on your hard drive to immediately open your parents’ Netflix account—or preferably catching The Adventures of Cliff Booth during its inevitably too-limited theatrical run—the moment it lands. – Nick N.
15. Ancient History (Annie Baker)
Playwright-turned-filmmaker Annie Baker returns with A24 on her second feature, Ancient History. Starring Sophia Lillis and Daniel Zolghadri, the film doesn’t have many plot details out yet, but Janet Planet proved a quiet, funny, heart-forward drama on childhood and parenthood. It was a fantastic debut, and her sophomore feature will be one to watch. – Michael F.
14. Remain (M. Night Shyamalan; Oct. 23)
Trap was too much fun to dispel—perhaps M. Night Shyamalan’s finest effort since The Village. His next, starring Jake Gyllenhaal as an architect mourning his sister, is described as a “supernatural romantic thriller,” which is like asking Michael Jordan to make a free throw, layup, and slam dunk. (I’m running out of basketball metaphors to encapsulate Train Dreams DP Adolpho Veloso shooting on VistaVision; let’s just establish that I’m excited.) Though the collaboration with über-hack Nicholas Sparks gives one pause, Shyamalan is simply unparalleled at turning material from eye-rolling to eye-welling. Also: Julie Hagerty is in this? – Nick N.
13. A Long Winter (Andrew Haigh)
Director Andrew Haigh returns with A Long Winter, working with MUBI on this adaptation of a short story by Colm Tóibín. The simple logline: “Set high in the mountains, fall comes to an end and a family prepares for the long winter ahead.” Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Caitríona Balfe, and Fred Hechinger star. Haigh makes intimate, gorgeous films, and A Long Winter‘s setting lends itself well to his visual palette. It should be a treat to look at, for starters. – Michael F.
12. Diary of a Chambermaid (Radu Jude)
Romanian virtuoso Radu Jude is nothing if not meta. And with his recent taste for reimagining the classics (here’s to you, equal-parts AI-made and AI-ridiculing Dracula) it’s no surprise that he’s taking on literary classic Diary of a Chambermaid, which, over the years, has yielded a trio of cinematic takes, from Renoir to Buñuel to a French essentialist in Benoît Jacquot. Of course, Jude’s remake is nothing short of an original film, with the lead playing the role of the original story’s chambermaid while two-timing in a theatre company where she’s a part of a stage production of Octave Mirbeau’s inciting 1900 novel. Expect nothing. Be open to everything. With Jude, you never know what’s coming—that’s the beauty of it. – Luke H.
11. The Dreamed Adventure (Valeska Grisebach)
Valeska Grisebach looks to continue her already stellar body of work with this long-awaited drama, returning to a similar locale as her last film, Western, and continuing an unusual rate of one feature per decade. The logline sounds tense and pressurized: in a border region at the interstice of Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, a woman agrees to help an old friend with whom she has a fleeting, albeit intimate connection. Her choice will lead her to an “adventure” in dangerous territory, forcing a reckoning with her own desires and past. A Cannes debut seems likelier than Berlinale early next year. – David K.
10. Bitter Christmas (Pedro Almodóvar)
Returning to his homeland after a more-divisive-than-expected English-language detour, Pedro Almodóvar’s latest sounds close to his comfort zone, with Bárbara Lennie––who only previously worked with Almodóvar as a supporting player in The Skin I Live In––starring as an advertising executive on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The director has described Bitter Christmas as a “tragic comedy about gender.” But then, aren’t they all? With Lennie’s protagonist dealing with the fallout from her mother’s death, expect another resonant tale about womanhood in contemporary Spain that’ll transcend borders. – Alistair R.
9. Fjord (Cristian Mungiu)
The brilliant Romanian mind behind 21st-century essentials like 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days and, most recently, R.M.N. continues taking social systems head-on in his starriest film to date, courtesy of Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan, who are re-teaming just two short years after A Different Man. Centered on Romanian immigrants who are investigated and scrutinized by the Norwegian judicial system, all involved have thus far obscured any what, why, or how of a plot. But if Mungiu is true to his past convictions, and R.M.N. is any indication of where his head is at, there’s no way the movie will take a glowing angle on the local judiciary, much less depict a fair or even hand dealt to the Romanian couple at its core. Prepare for heavy drama, heartbreak, and a contender for film of the year. For more, read our recent chat with the director. – Luke H.
8. Disclosure Day (Steven Spielberg; June 12)
So: what was it? A stealth Close Encounters legacy sequel? (That’s a rumor I came across, one both fun and less-than-likely to pan out.) The sci-fi horror that made War of the Worlds so galvanizing? (When nobody stages terror quite the same way, I’m all ears.) Maybe he’s finally blowing the lid off UFO classifieds someone in the deep state probably fed him decades prior. (On which front: I want to believe.) Somehow the trailer points to all possibilities while confirming zilch. Either way: Spielberg hasn’t filmed the contemporary world since that 2005 blockbuster, and little he’s made in 20 years quite fulfills his pedigree. If The Fabelmans implied creative rejuvenation, now might be exactly the time to return to the kind of film for which he’s, hopefully, still one of one. – Nick N.
7. Paper Tiger (James Gray)
Following Armageddon Time, James Gray is returning with what is said to be a tense, gritty story about two brothers pursuing the American dream––a subject the great director has explored at least a few times before, always with distinct clarity and understated emotion. With a cast featuring Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, and Miles Teller—plus a reunion with his Two Lovers and We Own the Night cinematographer Joaquín Baca-Asay—we wouldn’t be surprised to see the director return to Cannes. – Jordan R.
6. Untitled Mike Leigh Film
As always with Mike Leigh, we won’t have a cast list or the vaguest of loglines until it’s about to see the light of day––but after his triumphant return to contemporary realism with Hard Truths, it’s a relief to hear that he’s not only managed to secure funding after his years-long struggle, but that it arrives just two years after his last, according to a recent Bleecker Street press release. Both Cannes and Venice rejected Hard Truths from a competition premiere, only for it to be heralded as one of his finest films upon its debut; I expect the selection committees of both festivals will be bending over backwards to make up for that error in judgement. – Alistair R.
5. Out of This World (Albert Serra)
Hot off his stunning and visceral documentary exercise Afternoons of Solitude, the director returns to narrative with Out of this World, a topical drama about an American delegation negotiating economic sanctions during the war in Ukraine. The hypnotic and melancholic portrayal of international politics in Pacifiction gives hope that this could be another elusive political thriller. Led by Riley Keough, who stars alongside F. Murray Abraham, Evgenyia Gromova, and Liza Yankovskaia, Serra has shot over 800 hours of footage for the film, which will likely get a major festival bow this forthcoming year. – Soham G.
4. Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma (Jane Schoenbrun)
The “Screen Trilogy” that began with We’re All Going To The World’s Fair and I Saw the TV Glow concludes in 2026 with Jane Schoenbrun’s debut novel, Public Access Afterworld. Their next feature, meanwhile, offers something completely different while continuing the emerging auteur’s thread of nostalgia and the familiar gone wrong. The expectedly self-reflexive feature pulls in close on the behind-the-scenes of a legacy horror sequel and psychosexual fascination of its director (Hannah Einbinder) with the original film’s final girl (Gillian Anderson). MUBI and Plan B co-produce, so expect this to show up at one of the major festivals. – Blake S.
3. Possible Love (Lee Chang-dong)
Unlike his Korean filmmaking brethren Park Chan-wook and Hong Sang-soo, Lee Chang-dong is not someone you’d call “prolific.” Having only directed three features in the last 20 years, each Lee announcement comes with great anticipation. His last feature Burning was easily his most celebrated outside of Korea and marked a breakthrough of sorts among American cinema goers. He returns with Possible Love, a Netflix project, which sees him reunite with his Secret Sunshine star Jeon Do-yeon and Peppermint Candy actor Sul Kyung-gu. Not much is known about the film other than its principal cast and that it revolves around four individuals who cross paths and are forced to confront their beliefs on love and commitment. – Soham G.
2. The Way of the Wind (Terrence Malick)
Candidly: we may never see Terrence Malick’s Jesus opus. In typical Malickian fashion, the 2019-shot feature has reportedly over 3,000 hours of footage to sort through and the edit has been dragging on for more than six years. Having spoken with post-production artists working on the film in Austin, I can report that they think it’s not close to being done, despite how little of the full perspective they have on the project. I’ve also talked to other Malick insiders who claim they’ve seen full, nearly finished sequences that comprise large portions of the film (one even saying they saw “a full, final cut”). That’s also something anyone would love to claim and know could never be verified, which makes all reports thus far questionable. All this disparate information really tells us is that no one has a firm grip on the timeline of the picture or what might be Malick’s master plan. But with performances from Mark Rylance as various Satans, Matthias Schoenaerts as a voiceover-providing Peter, and Son of Saul / Marty Supreme-star Géza Röhrig as Jesus, we’re in for a treat if we ever get it. – Luke H.
1. All of a Sudden (Ryusuke Hamaguchi)
Really, what else? Malick is #1 in our hearts but #2 on this list after years (and years) of not arriving, and nary another filmmaker is operating with Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s historic balance of form and prominence. (Drive My Car being a Best Picture and Best Director nominee still seems an aberration, despite it—the best film to earn either title this century—not being even quite so good as Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy. And where Evil Does Not Exist mildly disappointed me, Gift did not.) Though the history of directors switching countries and languages is hardly the rosiest—when there are a million complications for making films, neither adjustment does one further favors—if anyone of Hamaguchi’s caliber spent years workshopping material without (and call me a mark for appreciating it!) failing to acknowledge the long lineage of French cinema into which he’s entered, well, good start. Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto as leads puts a finer point on things. Perhaps another perfect Eiko Ishibashi score will take it one further. Whatever the case: everything else falls one place down so long as there is All of a Sudden. – Nick N.
Honorable Mentions
Even with 100 features we’re looking forward to, there’s more we’re curious about. Nia DaCosta’s 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride! will hopefully provide a jolt to early-year studio releases. A24 has quite a large slate in 2026, also including John Patton Ford’s How to Make a Killing, Kane Parsons’ The Backrooms, Adam Wingard’s Onslaught, and Michael Sarnoski’s The Death of Robin Hood. Among Sundance premieres, we’re curious about Andrew Stanton’s In the Blink of an Eye (even though the direct-to-Hulu release in late February gives pause), Macon Blair’s The Shitheads, and Cathy Yan’s The Gallerist, alongside hopefully many more discoveries.
There are also several likely awards-season hopefuls, including Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine, Paul Greengrass’ The Uprising, Anthony Maras’ Pressure, and Florian Zeller’s Bunker. Kenneth Branagh will also return with The Last Disturbance of Madeline Hynde, and Sanctuary director Zachary Wigon is back with Victorian Psycho. We also imagine Lukas Dhont’s Coward and Anton Corbijn’s Switzerland will pop up on the festival circuit. We’re also pondering which festival will accept Paul Schrader’s near-completed The Basics of Philosophy.
Paweł Pawlikowski’s 1949 has already been in production since August, but those involved say a 2027 release is planned, as is the case for Lena Dunham’s Good Sex, which wrapped back in August––though we wouldn’t be surprised to see either of these sneak into 2026.
Not Likely for 2026
In terms of unknown bets, there’s a handful of films that may arrive, but considering the lack of recent updates, we’re not holding our breath. These include Don Hertzfeldt and Ari Aster’s feature collaboration (though Hertzfeldt does have a new short premiering at Sundance), Eliza Hittman’s MOTHERLOVE, Kirsten Johnston’s Sontag, Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Minotaur, Michel Gondry’s Les Petites Peurs, Wim Wenders’ The Secret of Places, Armando Iannucci’s Growth, Nathan Fielder’s Checkmate, Cameron Crowe’s Joni Mitchell biopic, Paul Verhoeven’s Young Sinner, Arnaud Desplechin’s The Thing That Hurts, Corneliu Porumboiu’s The Costume, Panos Cosmatos’ Flesh of the Gods, and Makoto Shinkai’s next anime.
There’s also a handful of films expected to begin production in the coming months, so we’d wager won’t be ready by the end of the year, including the next films from Jia Zhangke, Mike Mills, Sofia Coppola, and Damien Chazelle, along with Bertrand Bonello’s Santo Subito!, Mia Hansen-Løve’s If Love Should Die, Sean Durkin’s Deep Cuts, S. Craig Zahler’s The Bookie and the Bruiser, Ang Lee’s Old Gold Mountain, Alexander Payne’s Somewhere Out There, Radu Jude’s Frankenstein in Romania, and certainly Martin Scorsese’s What Happens at Night. Speaking of New Hollywood greats: Francis Ford Coppola has stated he hopes to get Glimpses of the Moon off the ground, but we’ll believe it when we see it.
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