{"id":397875,"date":"2026-01-07T16:37:06","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T16:37:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/397875\/"},"modified":"2026-01-07T16:37:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T16:37:06","slug":"the-year-ahead-in-movies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/397875\/","title":{"rendered":"The Year Ahead in Movies"},"content":{"rendered":"

Germain Lussier is a senior reporter covering entertainment for the io9 section of Gizmodo. He lives in Los Angeles, specializes in film coverage, and is also our lead film critic. You can follow his coverage here<\/a>\u00a0and email story ideas and tips to\u00a0[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The top story <\/p>\n

Year after year, it\u2019s the same argument. If Hollywood just continues to release sequels and remakes of popular franchises, how will it ever get around to making new franchises? In 2026, there is, obviously, plenty of that happening as usual, but, for the first time in a long time, there is a noticeable uptick in originality from big-name filmmakers.<\/p>\n

So yes, while we\u2019re getting new DC, Marvel, Star Wars, and more this year, there are also several big swing ideas scattered throughout the release schedule that scream \u201cpotential franchise.\u201d J.J. Abrams has a still untitled fantasy starring Glen Powell. Brad Bird has Ray Gunn, a sci-fi animated film about a detective. David Robert Mitchell has a dinosaur movie starring Ewan McGregor and Anne Hathaway called Flowervale Street. The list goes on and on. Sam Raimi, Gore Verbinski, Andrew Stanton, and Adam Wingard\u2014heck, even Steven Spielberg and M. Night Shyamalan\u2014all of them are making movies based on new, original ideas (in one way or another). Maybe they won\u2019t all hit, maybe they won\u2019t all be great, but it\u2019s nice to see talented filmmakers making movies that could, potentially, become new franchises.<\/p>\n

What we\u2019re waiting for <\/p>\n

2026 is chock-full of films based on franchises that have either been away for a long time or have seemingly lost a bit of their excitement. So, with those films and more, we\u2019re hoping this year is a return to form.<\/p>\n

Like what exactly? Well, the obvious ones are Star Wars, with The Mandalorian & Grogu, and Marvel, with Avengers: Doomsday. Each of those franchises was previously thought to be bulletproof, but recent years have proven otherwise. (Though Marvel does have the ace up its sleeve of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which we\u2019re sure will be great.) Beyond that, there\u2019s also a return to Narnia, thanks to director Greta Gerwig, which we expect to make us forget how fast that franchise fell the last time. A new Masters of the Universe movie from Travis Knight could be something special. Street Fighter falls into the same category. Zach Cregger tackling Resident Evil feels like a worthy reboot. Basically, 2026 could be the year many franchises either die or bounce back in a big way.<\/p>\n

Unconventional wisdom <\/p>\n

Last year in this space<\/a>, my \u201cunconventional wisdom\u201d was that some of the genre films of 2025 were going to surprise everybody and become real award contenders. Which, thanks to films like Sinners and Frankenstein, actually happened. This year, though, my unconventional wisdom is nowhere near as widespread or grandiose. Instead, I\u2019m going to say that by the end of the year, some people will be touting a small horror film by a new director as one of the year\u2019s best. Curry Barker\u2019s horror film, Obsession, is out May 15 and is a truly terrifying, gut-wrenching, and surprising film that is going to make a lot of people happy. I know because I\u2019m lucky enough to have seen it already.<\/a><\/p>\n

People to follow <\/p>\n

James Gunn<\/a> \u2013 I think Gunn just has to remain a permanent member of this list each year. That\u2019s because, each year, he\u2019s by far the biggest, most influential filmmaker\/executive to actively use social media. You have to keep an eye on everything he says. In 2026, his company has the films Supergirl and Clayface on the way, while Gunn himself will be filming his Superman follow-up, Man of Tomorrow, for the following year.<\/p>\n

Rian Johnson<\/a> \u2013 Johnson made one of the best films of 2025 with Wake Up Dead Man, and, in 2026, we\u2019re hoping he announces his next film, which will reportedly have sci-fi elements. He will also be the place to get news on the show Poker Face, and, who knows? Maybe there\u2019s some Star Wars fun<\/a> to be had as well.<\/p>\n

Zendaya<\/a> \u2013 With Spider-Man: Brand New Day, The Odyssey, and Dune: Part Three, the talented actress is in three mega blockbusters this year. Few others can say that. Plus, she\u2019s going to marry Spider-Man at some point, too.<\/p>\n

Pedro Pascal<\/a> \u2013 Mr. Fantastic himself is set to have yet another fantastic 2026, starring in two of the year\u2019s most highly anticipated films: The Mandalorian & Grogu as well as Avengers: Doomsday.<\/p>\n

Companies to watch <\/p>\n

Netflix<\/a> \u2013 In 2025, I put Netflix on this list because of all the potentially fantastic original projects it was releasing, and rightfully so. This year, I\u2019m doing it again because, well, it\u2019s poised to become arguably the biggest entertainment company in the world with its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Plus, it also has a lot of awesome new movies coming out again in 2026.<\/p>\n

Paramount<\/a> \u2013 The company that lost Warner Bros. to Netflix is going to be one to watch this year, not just for the movies it\u2019s releasing, but for the movies it decides to make in the future. As we all know, its new owner, David Ellison, seems to have the approval of the President of the United States on his mind, and we don\u2019t expect that to be a good thing.<\/p>\n

AMC Theaters<\/a> \u2013 The largest theater chain in the U.S. can often be a trendsetter (or trend maker), so it\u2019s always worth keeping an eye on what they are doing to gauge what\u2019s happening at movie theaters all across the globe. Speaking of\u2026<\/p>\n

A long-shot bet <\/p>\n

It\u2019s no long shot to say 2026 is going to be a big one at the box office. There are simply too many name-brand, exciting movies coming out for anything else to. However, what I think might be a long shot is that 2026 is the year the repertoire screening really makes its comeback. Think about it. In 2025, reissues of anniversary films like Jaws and Back to the Future did very well in theaters. In the past, Coraline has done record numbers. This year, we know Marvel is bringing back Avengers: Endgame, and next year, Star Wars returns for its 50th anniversary. Putting old movies people love into theaters is such a no-brainer that I think, in 2026, we will see that become an even bigger, more common thing at multiplexes all over the world.<\/p>\n

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel<\/a>, Star Wars<\/a>, and Star Trek<\/a> releases, what\u2019s next for the DC Universe on film and TV<\/a>, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who<\/a>.<\/p>\n