With each passing year, our own reality feels like it gets closer and closer to a sci-fi world, whether that be because of technological advancements or the fact that more and more decisions are being made by artificial intelligence. Previously, audiences would try to escape from the real world by immersing themselves in flights of fancy, and while fictional worlds seem to mirror our reality a lot more closely with each passing day, 2026 still looks like it will bring some worthy excursions into unknown lands.
What makes the slate of 2026 sci-fi so compelling is the wide variety of stories being told, whether they are new chapters in fan-favorite franchises or entirely original experiences, landing on screens both big and small. Of the many sci-fi titles coming in 2026, below you’ll find the projects that we’re most looking forward to.
15
‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die’ – Feb. 13
Few filmmakers conjure as much excitement in audiences as Gore Verbinski, as he delivers entirely unexpected experiences with each outing. From the outright unsettling The Ring to the bombastic and swashbuckling Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl to the deranged A Cure for Wellness, the filmmaker has a history of surprising audiences.
With Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, which premiered earlier this year at Fantastic Fest, Verbinski has enlisted the talents of Sam Rockwell as a man from the future who is sent back in time to recruit assistance in hopes of battling AI. The premise might sound somewhat similar to The Terminator, but as indicated by the unconventional title, the new sci-fi isn’t going to be anything anyone is expecting.
14
‘Redux Redux’ – Feb. 20
Another movie that premiered earlier this year, Redux Redux might not have the benefit of coming from a renowned filmmaker nor does it star established talent, but sitting at 97% positive reviews on aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, this is one sci-fi experience that lets the movie’s merits speak for themselves.
From filmmakers Kevin and Matthew McManus, the movie follows a mother (Michaela McManus) who, in hopes of getting revenge for her daughter’s murder, travels to parallel universes to kill the perpetrator over and over again. She herself starts becoming obsessed with this quest for revenge, with her addiction to revenge calling into question who is more ruthless.
13
‘Paradise’ Season 2 – Feb. 23
Largely what made Season 1 of Paradise such a success was how oblivious audiences were to the fact that it would be a sci-fi show, as promotional materials largely leaned into the series being more of a murder mystery. When the series premiere revealed that this murder mystery was unfolding in an underground bunker in the wake of an apocalyptic event, the series fully cemented itself in the realm of genre-bending sci-fi.
The Season 1 finale saw Xavier (Sterling K. Brown) venturing out of the bunker in hopes of finding his wife, who he didn’t realize was alive, so even though the upcoming adventure won’t descend into entirely otherworldly realms (creator Dan Fogelman confirmed there will not be zombies), fans will be intrigued to see a new take on a global apocalypse.
12
‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ Season 2 – Feb. 27
Many kaiju fans were under the impression that, by the nature of giant monsters battling one another, these types of stories belonged solely on the big screen. However, Season 1 of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters proved that human characters could be just as compelling as beloved beasts, thanks in large part to the production budget of the Apple TV series allowing for impressive visual effects.
Few details about the plot of Season 2 have been confirmed, other than we know we’ll continue to explore the Monarch organization as it aims to uncover as much as they can about kaiju, while also featuring appearances from fresh and familiar monsters alike. With another spin-off on the way, focusing on Wyatt Russell‘s Lee Shaw, the Monsterverse is establishing itself as a franchise to be reckoned with.
11
‘Project Hail Mary’ – March 20
It’s hard to isolate exactly which factor of Project Hail Mary makes it so exciting. Sci-fi fans have already appreciated seeing star Ryan Gosling venture into the unknown with Blade Runner 2049, with this being the first movie directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller since 2014’s 22 Jump Street (despite directing most of Solo: A Star Wars Story before leaving the project over creative differences).
The title “Project Hail Mary” might not immediately resonate with audiences, but with the original book coming from Andy Weir and being adapted by Drew Goddard, who previously collaborated on bringing Weir’s The Martian to life, there’s a strong pedigree behind this new adaptation. Even if the names involved in the movie aren’t already setting our standards high, the concept of a science teacher sent to the far reaches of space in hopes of finding a way to save humanity is an adventure that sounds like it needs to be seen to be believed.
10
‘Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu’ – May 22
Releasing a movie with “Star Wars” in the name previously felt like it was an excuse to print money and excite fans. However, between 2018’s Solo and 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, it’s possible that Disney and Lucasfilm grew too far, too fast, with Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu marking the first movie in the franchise since Rise of Skywalker.
When Jon Favreau unleashed The Mandalorian in 2019, the first live-action TV show in the franchise, he blew audiences away, though by Season 3 of the series and after spin-offs like Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett, the small-screen slate of programs started to replicate the dwindling fan interest of big-screen outings. There’s undeniably excitement in a Star Wars movie, especially one starring Pedro Pascal as the titular hero, though this could be a make-or-break moment for the franchise that either revives interest in the galaxy far, far away or fails to impress in a significant way.
9
‘I Love Boosters’ – May 22
You might not immediately recognize I Love Boosters or know what it might be about, but you’re definitely familiar with its cast. The new sci-fi stars Keke Palmer, Demi Moore, Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, LaKeith Stanfield, Eiza Gonzalez, Poppy Liu, and Will Poulter, and comes from director Boots Riley.
Not a lot is actually known about the movie, as it has officially been described as following “a crew of professional shoplifters taking aim at a cutthroat fashion maven,” which doesn’t inherently sound too heavy on the sci as much as the fi. Though, with Riley’s previous projects being Sorry to Bother You and I’m a Virgo, he has a track record of delivering ambitious, indescribable projects that are thought-provoking, which we can only assume he will once again deliver. I Love Boosters is set to be the opening night film of the South by Southwest Film Festival, which is another vote of confidence in the project.
8
‘Disclosure Day’ – June 12
In recent years, Steven Spielberg has been focusing a lot of his energy on more human-focused stories, whether they be West Side Story or The Fabelmans. With Disclosure Day, however, the seminal storyteller will be returning to the realm of sci-fi for an experience that we still know quite little about.
For months, the project was referred to as an “Untitled Steven Spielberg UFO Movie,” with the title only being revealed earlier this month alongside a cryptic teaser. All we really know is the director is returning to worlds he explored with Close Encounters of the Third Kind and War of the Worlds, though just how intense this experience will be is yet to be confirmed.
7
‘Flowervale Street’ – Aug. 14
Jackson Pictures
David Robert Mitchell changed the horror world in 2014 with It Follows, a movie that many consider to be one of the more effective genre efforts of that decade. His follow-up, 2018’s Under the Silver Lake, didn’t quite have the same impact on audiences, though its unconventional and noirish mystery did win over plenty of audiences.
Flowervale Street is Mitchell’s first movie in eight years, and it’s a project that has J.J. Abrams on board as a producer. Given Abrams’ reputation in genre storytelling, whatever we’ll get with the new movie will be exciting, especially given that all we know is it takes place in the ’80s and has something to do with dinosaurs. The cast also helps build excitement, as it stars Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, Maisy Stella, and Christian Convery.
6
‘The Dog Stars’ – Aug. 28
Ridley Scott‘s career has mirrored Spielberg’s in a lot of ways, which includes having previously delivered sci-fi masterpieces yet having spent recent years telling more human-forward stories. In the case of Scott, that means movies like The Last Duel, House of Gucci, Napoleon, and Gladiator II, but when you have movies like Alien, Blade Runner, and the aforementioned The Martian on your resume, even bombastic spectacles still feel grounded by comparison.
And, much like Spielberg, Scott is returning to sci-fi in 2026 with The Dog Stars, an adaptation of the novel by Peter Heller, which focuses on survivors of a major flu that wipes out a significant portion of humanity. The new movie stars Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, Guy Pearce, and Benedict Wong.
Source link
Add Comment