Films to add to your watch list in 2026

2025 was another stellar year for film, offering a mix of returning franchise hits and exciting new writing.

Highlights included Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another and Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, both already generating Oscar buzz.

The year also saw a wave of standout independent films, including Lynne Ramsay’s Die My Love and Eva Victor’s debut feature Sorry, Baby.

With awards season looming, we now look forward to another exciting year of cinema. From Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey to Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights, here’s a round-up of some of the most anticipated films of 2026.

SONG SUNG BLUE

Neil Diamond fans are in for a special treat this new year with the release of a musical drama featuring the legendary singer’s music.

Based on a true story, Song Sung Blue follows two down-on-their-luck musicians, Mike and Claire Sardina, played by Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, who come together to form a joyous Neil Diamond tribute band.

Featuring hits such as Sweet Caroline and I’m A Believer, the film celebrates the idea that it’s never too late to find love and follow your dreams.

Song Sung Blue is now showing. 

HAMNET

Based on Maggie O’Farrell’s multi-award-winning novel, Hamnet, the film adaptation is set to be one of this year’s most highly anticipated releases.

Directed by Oscar-winner Chloe Zhao, the film explores Shakespeare’s marriage to his wife, named Agnes in the story, and the turmoil that follows the death of their young son, Hamnet, which inspired Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. The cast includes Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare and Jessie Buckley as Agnes, with Emily Watson and Joe Alwyn in supporting roles.

Hamnet is in cinemas now. 

28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE

Following on from this summer’s release of Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later comes Nia DaCosta’s sequel, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.

Set in the same world as the 2002 apocalyptic horror 28 Days Later, which saw Cillian Murphy play a bicycle courier who awakens from a coma to discover that a highly contagious, aggression-inducing virus has caused society to collapse, this fourth instalment continues the saga of the Rage Virus.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple picks up the action after the events of 28 Years Later, focusing on the human survivors in the north east of England.

The cast includes Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell, Alfie Williams, and Erin Kellyman.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple will be in cinemas on January 16.

WUTHERING HEIGHTS

Fans of Saltburn and Emily Bronte will be pleased to know that Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights is set for release in February.

A bold and original imagining of one of the greatest love stories of all time, Wuthering Heights stars Margot Robbie as Cathy and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff, whose forbidden passion for one another turns from romantic to intoxicating in an epic tale of lust, love and madness.

The film, which features music by Charli XCX, also stars Hong Chau, Shazad Latif, Alison Oliver and Owen Cooper.

Wuthering Heights will be released in cinemas on February 13.

THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE

Amanda Seyfried is known for her versatility, from starring in Mamma Mia! to portraying health tech fraudster Elizabeth Holmes in The Dropout.

She now stars as Ann Lee, the founding religious leader of the Shaker Movement, proclaimed as the female embodiment of Christ.

The Testament Of Ann Lee depicts her establishment of a utopian society, where the Shakers worship through song and dance.

The Testament of Ann Lee releases in cinemas on February 20.

PEAKY BLINDERS: THE IMMORTAL MAN

The forthcoming Peaky Blinders film will see Oscar winner Cillian Murphy reprise his iconic role as gang leader Tommy Shelby.

Set in Birmingham in 1940, amid the chaos of World War II, Shelby is drawn back from a self-imposed exile to face his most destructive reckoning yet.

With the future of both his family and his country at stake, Tommy must confront his own demons and decide whether to face his legacy – or burn it to the ground.

Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man also stars Oscar nominee Barry Keoghan, Adolescence actor Stephen Graham and Dune’s Rebecca Ferguson.

Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man will be released in cinemas on March 6 and on Netflix on March 20.

THE ODYSSEY

Fans of Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan are waiting with bated breath for the Oscar-winning filmmaker’s next film, The Odyssey.

An adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic, the film stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, the Greek king of Ithaca and chronicles his long and perilous journey home after the Trojan War as he attempts to reunite with his wife, Penelope, played by Anne Hathaway.

The ensemble cast also includes Tom Holland, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, and Jon Bernthal.

The Odyssey is scheduled to be released on July 17.

THE HUNGER GAMES: SUNRISE ON THE REAPING

The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping is a prequel film based on the latest novel by Suzanne Collins and follows the events of the 50th Hunger Games.

Set 24 years before Katniss Everdeen, portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence in the original films, volunteers as tribute for District 12, the story focuses on a young Haymitch Abernathy, who would later become her mentor.

The film centres on Haymitch’s experience in the Games at the age of 16, with Joseph Zada taking on the role previously played by Woody Harrelson in the original film series.

The film also stars Jesse Plemons, Ralph Fiennes, Glenn Close, Kieran Culkin, Elle Fanning, Mckenna Grace, Maya Hawke, Whitney Peak, and Kelvin Harrison Jr.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping is set to be released in cinemas on November 20.

DUNE: PART THREE

Dune: Part Three is the final film in Denis Villeneuve’s epic adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune saga.

The American space opera will see Timothee Chalamet reprise his role as Paul Atreides, with Zendaya returning as Chani.

Set several years after the events of Dune: Part Two, the story follows Atreides as Emperor, facing both internal and external threats to his rule. The film also brings back Florence Pugh, Jason Momoa, Rebecca Ferguson, and Anya Taylor-Joy.

Dune: Part Three is scheduled for release in cinemas on December 18.