After ‘Michael,’ ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2,’ what films are coming in 2026?

LOS ANGELES – It can’t be that’s all. After “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” “Michael,” and “Project Hail Mary,” what are some of the noteworthy films coming your way this year?

The first half of 2026 whizzed by. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s “Project Hail Mary,” an interstellar buddy movie buoyed by Ryan Gosling’s rapport with an animated rock, came out in March and instantly became a very early awards contender.

“Michael,” directed by Antoine Fuqua, comes alive only in the musical sequences, thanks to the charisma, singing and dancing talent of Jaafar Jackson, Michael’s nephew. Colman Domingo and Nia Long, as the Gloved One’s parents, also kept us interested.

‘Michael’ | Photo from Lionsgate

This image released by Lionsgate shows Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson in a scene from “Michael.” (Glen Wilson/Lionsgate via AP)

Someday, we will get a biopic that truly reveals the man behind the mirror, as his song goes. And all in one film, not in installments like “Michael” which stated, “His Story Continues,” in the end credits. And may the Jackson siblings who declined to be in “Michael” – Janet, Randy and Rebbie – be in this hoped-for definitive MJ biopic.

David Frankel’s “The Devil Wears Prada 2” proves yet again that sequels rarely manage to top the original. But the strength of this second installment, written again by Aline Brosh McKenna, is how it captures the zeitgeist – how print journalism is now being usurped by tech and media billionaires more interested in algorithms and influence instead of content.

‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ | Photo from 20th Century Studios

Meryl Streep (left) and Anne Hathaway in a scene from ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2.’ (Macall Polay/20th Century Studios via AP)

Anne Hathaway proves her mettle again as an actress – it’s no mean feat to act alongside the supremely gifted Meryl Streep, who toned down her Miranda Priestly’s meanness. After all, we mellow, even if for a bit, with age.

Coming straight from the airport, Olivia Wilde recently introduced and screened to us her new film, which she directs and stars in, “The Invite.” Wilde, speaking at the SoHo House West Hollywood’s screening room, said she hopes we’d have fun watching the comedy drama, only her third directing feature, also starring Penelope Cruz, Seth Rogen and Edward Norton.

‘The Invite’

‘The Invite’ | Photo from A24

The “Don’t Worry Darling” and “Booksmart” filmmaker added that she was inspired by Mike Nichols’ films, noted for their witty observations of human relationships. And laugh we did and enjoyed Olivia’s four-character film, which takes place over dinner among two neighbor couples.

A major revelation spices this dialogue-driven commentary on 2020s relationships, which is out in June. The four leads are top-rate. Rashida Jones and Will McCormack  wrote this remake of the Spanish film, Cesc Gay’s “The People Upstairs” (originally “Sentimental”), which began as a stage play (also by Gay), “Los Vecinos de Arriba.” Interestingly, Ha Jung-woo also made a South Korean film version.

The rest of the interesting theatrical films coming out this year are below. This list is by no means complete.

May

The Cannes Film Festival, happening this year from May 12 to 23, is always a good source of films, which eventually get released in theaters worldwide, especially towards the end of the year when most awards contenders are trotted out. Among the notable competition entries are Asghar Farhadi’s “Parallel Tales,” Pedro Almodóvar’s “Bitter Christmas,” Hirokazu Koreeda’s “Sheep in the Box,” and James Gray’s “Paper Tiger.”

Already playing in your local cineplex is “Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft – The Tour Live in 3D,” directed by James Cameron, no less, and Billie herself. The 3D concert film captures the singer-songwriter’s Manchester shows last year.

“Star Wars” fans can’t wait for May 22 when Jon Favreau’s “The Mandalorian and Grogu” hits the theaters. Produced by Lucasfilm, the latest installment of the space sci-fi franchise stars Pedro Pascal as The Mandalorian, Martin Scorsese (voice of Ardennian Fry Cook), Sigourney Weaver, and Jeremy Allen White (voice of Rotta the Hutt).

‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ | Photo from Disney

June

Just based on its intriguing trailer, Steven Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day” looks like another must-see film from the master filmmaker. Spielberg, at 79 years old, returns to UFO storytelling, following his classics, “E.T.” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” but his 35th directing feature is reportedly a serious contemplation of the extraterrestrial enigma.

‘Disclosure Day’ | Photo from Disney

The sci-fi drama, starring Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Eve Hewson, and Colman Domingo, kicks off the summer 2026 moviegoing season in a big way.

Other June releases include “Masters of the Universe” (Nicholas Galitzine), “Power Ballad” (Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas), “Toy Story 5” (more in a coming column), “The Death of Robin Hood” (Hugh Jackman and Jodie Comer), and “Supergirl” (Milly Alcock in the title role).

July

Summer movie season goes into a higher gear with the rollout of the action epic “The Odyssey,” written and directed by Christopher Nolan. In his first film since 2023’s “Oppenheimer,” which swept Oscar and Golden Globe Awards, including Best Picture, Nolan tackles Homer’s ancient Greek epic.

‘The Odyssey’ | Photo from Universal Pictures

The preview alone shows that “The Odyssey” is the kind of film that draws moviegoers back to their cineplexes, especially those with IMAX screens. Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, and Charlize Theron lead the cast.

July also brings “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” Destin Daniel Cretton’s take on the beloved web-slinging hero created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Tom Holland is back as Spidey, and so are Zendaya, Filipino American Jacob Batalon, Mark Ruffalo, John Bernthal, and Michael Mando.

‘Spider Man Brand New Day’ | Photo from Sony

Also showing in July – “Minions & Monsters,” “Young Washington” (William Franklyn-Miller in the title role), and “Moana” (live-action adaptation of the 2016 animated film).

August

Speaking of bringing people back to the theaters, David Gleeson’s “Once Upon a Time in a Cinema” is set in the 1980s when folks still regularly trooped to the movie houses but the specter of a new technology, the Video Home System (VHS), was already looming.

Told in real time inside a theater playing Richard Gere’s “Breathless,” the Irish comedy was shot in a cinema that has been shuttered for many years but was reopened for the filming.

With “The Dog Stars,” Ridley Scott adds to the post-apocalypse drama roster with his adaptation of Peter Heller’s novel, featuring Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin, and Benedict Wong.

Michael Russell Gunn, in his feature directing debut, “The Brink of War,” narrates how President Ronald Reagan raced against time to forge nuclear agreements with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in one of the tense moments of the Cold War.

It should be interesting to see the actors interpret their real life figures – Jeff Daniels (Reagan), Jared Harris (Gorbachev), J.K. Simmons (George Shultz, who was interviewed by Gunn as part of his research for the film), and Hope Davis (Nancy Reagan).

Other August releases include “Insidious: Out of the Further,” “Coyote vs. Acme,” a live-action/animation hybrid comedy featuring that wily Wile E. Coyote interacting with John Cena, Lana Condor, and Will Forte, “Cliffhanger” (Lily James and Pierce Brosnan), and “Finding Emily,” a rom-com.

September

September can’t come soon enough. DreamWorks Animation positioned “Forgotten Island,” written and directed by Joel Crawford and Fil-Am Januel Mercado in his feature directing debut, for release in fall when the awards season heats up.

‘Forgotten Island’ | Photo from DreamWorks Animation

It looks like DreamWorks’ belief in the film set in the Philippines, with a voice cast led by H.E.R. and Liza Soberano, is justified. When the film that draws from Filipino culture and folklore was shown as a work-in-progress in CinemaCon in Las Vegas last April, the attendees raved.

H.E.R. and Liza Soberano | Photo by Sthanlee B. Mirador

The reaction of TheWrap’s Drew Taylor reflected the unanimous high praise at CinemaCon for the animated movie, also tapping Lea Salonga, Dolly De Leon, “The Pitt” actresses Amielynn Abellera and Kristin Villanueva, Dave Franco, Jenny Slate, and Manny Jacinto.

Taylor wrote, “‘Forgotten Island’ is dazzling, in ways both expected and surprising. And while it breaks a significant amount of new ground, both technically and on a narrative level, it also feels like classic DreamWorks Animation – this is a film about the elemental power of remembrance…

“‘Forgotten Island’ incorporates elements of anime and manga, along with 1990’s street art and the cluttered, everything-has-a-place style that echoes both maximalism of the period and the frantic, colorful world of both the actual Philippines and its mythological counterpart. It’s stunning…”

Among the September releases are Paul Greengrass’ “The Uprising” (Andrew Garfield and Jamie Bell), “Practical Magic 2” (Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock return), and Elegance Bratton’s “By Any Means,” a 1960s-set crime thriller with Mark Wahlberg and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.

October

Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s “Digger,” a dark comedy topbilled by Tom Cruise and “The Social Reckoning,” Aaron Sorkin’s companion to his acclaimed Facebook drama, “The Social Network,” lead the October releases as the awards season continues to unfold.

Also coming out are “Sense and Sensibility,” Georgia Oakley’s take on Jane Austen’s first published novel, “Whalefall” (the premise should grab you – a scuba diver is swallowed by a sperm whale and has only an hour to exit before his oxygen runs out), Taika Waititi’s “Klara and the Sun” (about a robot girl saving a heartbroken family), Guy Ritchie’s thriller “Wife and Dog,” and “Wildwood,” from those animation geniuses at Laika in Oregon.

Added to October’s crowded slate are the psychological thriller “Verity” (Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett) and “Clayface,” DC Studios’ monster horror flick.

November

The King of the Monsters rises again in Takashi Yamazaki’s “Godzilla Minus Zero,” which involves a kamikaze pilot suffering from survivor’s guilt and a monster he failed to kill.

The November fare includes Johnny Depp as Scrooge in Ti West’s “Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol,” J.J. Abrams’ sci-fi fantasy “The Great Beyond” (Glen Powell, Jenna Ortega, and Samuel L. Jackson), “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping,” an adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ prequel novel, and “Drummer Boy,” about two brothers on opposite sides of the American Revolutionary War.

Expected on Thanksgiving week is the return of those Fockers in John Hamburg’s “Focker-in-Law,” starring Ariana Grande in her first film since the “Wicked” movies. It will be fun to watch Ariana as the strong-willed fiancée (she’s an FBI hostage negotiator) of Henry Focker, the son of Greg Focker (Ben Stiller now plays the overprotective dad). Of course, Robert De Niro is still around to add to the hilarious family dynamics and conduct the lie detector test on Ariana’s character.

December

Two big films dominating the holiday filmgoing season will duke it out on the same release date, December 18.

Last March, director Denis Villeneuve showed us exciting footage of his eagerly awaited “Dune: Part Three” at the AMC IMAX theater in Century City. The clip only served to whet our appetite for the completed film, which sees the return of Timothee Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Anya Taylor-Joy, Rebecca Ferguson, and Javier Bardem, among others, and new actors, including Robert Pattinson as Scytale, a villain.

‘Dune Part Three’ | Photo from Warner Bros.

Anthony and Joe Russo’s “Avengers: Doomsday” boasts of an epic all-star ensemble, described as a “superhero soup,” from Thor, Captain America, Shang-Chi, Loki, Magneto, Black Panther to Mister Fantastic.

These two crowd-pleasing franchise installments should end the 2026 moviegoing experience with a bang.

Ruben V. Nepales is an LA-based journalist whose honors include nine first prizes from the National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards and the Los Angeles Press Club’s Southern California Journalism Awards. He authored “Through a Writer’s Lens,” which won first prize in nonfiction at the 2020-2021 National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards. In 2004, he became the first Filipino voter of the Golden Globe Awards, He is a member of the Golden Globe Foundation, one of Hollywood’s biggest philanthropic organizations.

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