Black Bear, the emerging independent studio, recently launched a new U.S. theatrical distribution arm and has now revealed several major projects that will debut this year. Black Bear already plans to start 2026 off in the best way possible by launching Jason Statham’s latest action thriller Shelter later this month, with the studio having now also given a theatrical release date to an upcoming thriller from Statham’s pal, director Guy Ritchie.
Featuring an all-star cast that includes Benedict Cumberbatch, Rosamund Pike, Cosmo Jarvis, James Norton, Paddy Considine, and Anthony Hopkins, the first plot details for the thriller, titled Wife & Dog, have also now been revealed. Reportedly centering on “the relentless greed of the Fairbank family and their associates sparking betrayal and murder in a succession battle,” Wife & Dog is now due to land in theaters on October 23, 2026.
Based on these details, Wife & Dog promises to be a combination of what the filmmaker does best (black comedy thrills), as well as a slight change of pace thanks to its dealings with an aristocratic family with murder on their minds. With Ritchie behind the camera and the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch, Rosamund Pike, and Anthony Hopkins in front of it, Wife & Dog is certainly one to add to the 2026 must-see calendar.
Guy Ritchie Has Several Exciting Projects in the Pipeline, Including a Jason Stratham Reunion
Black Bear’s new U.S. distribution arm aims to release up to 12 theatrical titles a year, with the studio having now also set a release date of May 22 for director Daniel Roher’s Tuner, which stars Dustin Hoffman, Havana Rose Liu and Leo Woodall and follows a piano tuner-turned-safe cracker, and the critically acclaimed Matthew McConaughey-led crime thriller, The Rivals of Amziah King.
As for Guy Ritchie, Wife & Dog is just one of several exciting projects currently in the director’s pipeline. The filmmaker is now all set to reunite with action movie icon and frequent collaborator Jason Statham for the long-awaited crime thriller, Viva La Madness. A sort-of-sequel to the Daniel Craig-led crime caper Layer Cake, Viva La Madness has been in development for years and finds The Stath starring as the same anonymous hero portrayed by Craig, who is pulled back into the drug game before he can enjoy a sunny retirement.
While details remain scarce, it has been reported that Ritchie and Statham will also reunite with Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels star Vinnie Jones for a project that sources say “feels so brilliantly British. It’s going to be loud, fast and unapologetically patriotic. Jason and Vinnie are so brilliant together on screen and everyone working on the film was thrilled to hear that Vinnie had signed up.”
Not done with the reunions, Ritchie will also once again work with The Covenant star Jack Gyllenhaal and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare duo Henry Cavill and Eiza González for In the Grey, which finds two extraction specialists having to designate a route of escape for a senior female negotiator when the trio work together to get hold of millions of dollars in stolen money.
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