10 Highly Anticipated Remakes, Reboots, and Adaptations Coming in 2026

After the auteur-driven resurgence of the movie industry in 2025, 2026 looks all set to be a pretty great year for cinema. On the calendar are movies ranging from intriguing indies to blockbuster franchise titles to exciting genre films, created by the likes of Emerald Fennell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Christopher Nolan, and more. And, as with every year, 2026 will deliver a number of highly anticipated films that reboot and remake existing franchises, as well as introduce new ones through fascinating adaptations. So, to prepare you for the year ahead, here’s a handy guide to some of the most noteworthy reboots, remakes, and adaptations coming to theaters and streaming in 2026.

10

‘Wuthering Heights’

Release Date: February 13, 2026

Academy Award-winning director Emerald Fennell puts a new spin on Emily Brontë‘s 1847 Gothic romance novel with the upcoming Wuthering Heights. Adapting the original novel to the big screen, the Gothic romance drama retells the tumultuous and tragic romance between Catherine Earnshaw and adopted orphan Heathcliff at the titular estate in the Yorkshire moors, detailing their passionate love and the destructive obsession that follows, which would haunt them and their families for years to come. Margot Robbie stars as Catherine and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff, with Hong Chau, Shazad Latif, Alison Oliver, Martin Clunes, and Ewan Mitchell in supporting roles.

Emily Brontë’s only novel has been adapted to the screen multiple times, with the most famous being William Wyler’s 1939 film starring Laurence Olivier, and the latest being Andrea Arnold’s 2011 film starring Kaya Scodelario. The latest adaptation of Wuthering Heights takes a more visceral, unconventional approach to the 19th-century classic, with a bold, modern intensity, and contemporary music featuring original songs by Charli XCX. Set for a 2026 Valentine’s Day release, Wuthering Heights is rife with romance, drama, passion, and luxurious settings that are sure to sweep genre fans off their feet.

9

‘The Bride!’

Release Date: March 6, 2026

A monster film written, directed, and co-produced by Maggie Gyllenhaal in her sophomore directorial project, The Bride! is inspired by the 1935 film Bride of Frankenstein by James Whale, which itself is an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. The story, set in 1930s Chicago, sees Frankenstein’s monster attempt to create a companion for himself with the help of the revolutionary medical genius Dr. Euphronius, who brings a murdered young woman to life. Reborn as Frankenstein’s bride, she not only becomes his romantic partner but sparks police scrutiny and becomes a catalyst for radical social change like no one imagined.

The Bride! stars Golden Globe-winner Jessie Buckley as the titular character, with Christian Bale as Frankenstein’s monster and Annette Bening as Dr. Euphronius, along with Peter Sarsgaard, Jake Gyllenhaal, Penélope Cruz, and John Magaro in supporting roles. Gyllenhaal’s reimagination of the Hollywood classic and Shelley’s 19th-century literary masterpiece through a feminist, modernist lens, The Bride! puts a fresh perspective on the story of Frankenstein’s monster as we know it.

8

‘Project Hail Mary’

Release Date: March 20, 2026

A sci-fi adventure directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, written by Drew Goddard, and starring Ryan Gosling, Project Hail Mary follows astronaut Dr. Ryland Grace (Gosling), who wakes up alone on a space station with no recollection of his identity or reason for being there. Trying to piece together fragments of his memory, Ryland learns that he must stop a mysterious cosmic event causing the sun to die, which would result in a new ice age. Sandra Hüller, Lionel Boyce, Ken Leung, Milana Vayntrub, Liz Kingsman, and Orion Lee appear in key supporting roles.

Adapted from the bestselling novel of the same name by Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary is one of the most highly anticipated sci-fi features releasing in 2026. The film also marks Weir’s second novel to be adapted into a feature film following 2015’s The Martian. While Project Hail Mary has some clear similarities with The Martian, as well as Interstellar, the upcoming movie takes a fresh approach to a high-stakes deep space mission to save humanity, while simultaneously exploring a heartwarming alien friendship.

7

‘Devil Wears Prada 2’

Release Date: May 1, 2026

Twenty years after the original, director David Frankel returns with the much-awaited sequel to 2006’s The Devil Wears Prada, based on the novel Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns by Lauren Weisberger. The Devil Wears Prada 2 follows Runway magazine editor Miranda Priestly, now nearing retirement, as she fights to keep her magazine relevant amid a declining print media industry, while her former assistant-turned rival and high-profile ad executive, Emily Charlton, and former “protégée” Andrea “Andy” Sachs return to the world of high fashion, navigating old tensions and new ventures. Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Tracie Thomas, Stanley Tucci, and Tibor Feldman reprise their roles from the first film, with Justin Theroux, Lucy Liu, B.J. Novak, and Sydney Sweeney as new cast members.

While Weisberger’s follow-up novel to her 2003 bestseller The Devil Wears Prada is set only a decade after the events of the first book, the sequel film takes another 10-year leap, which raises a lot of questions for fans of the classic 2000s film. As a result, The Devil Wears Prada 2 is expected to explore a more current world of high fashion, addressing its changing landscape in the digital age, influencer culture, fast fashion, and the evolving power dynamics in media. On its release, the 2006 film was widely acclaimed for its narrative and terrific cast performances, becoming one of the most memorable films of the 2000s and leaving a huge social and cultural impact, setting similar expectations for the upcoming sequel.

6

‘Masters of the Universe’

Release Date: June 5, 2026

Directed by Travis Knight of Kubo and the Two Strings fame, Masters of the Universe is a sword and sorcery film based on the multimedia franchise and its characters, and follows a 10-year-old Prince Adam Glenn of Eternia, who is abandoned on Earth and separated from his ancestral Power Sword of Grayskull. Decades later, an adult Adam fulfills his destiny as He-Man, the titular hero, while battling to save his home planet of Eternia against the evil forces of his arch-nemesis, Skeletor. Nicholas Galitzine stars as He-Man and Jared Leto as Skeletor, leading an all-star ensemble that features Camila Mendes, Alison Brie, Idris Elba, Morena Baccarin, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, James Purefoy, Charlotte Riley, Sasheer Zamata, and Kristen Wiig.

Originally introduced by Mattel as action figures in 1982, Masters of the Universe has a legacy of four decades and counting, spawning a long line of toys, six animated series, comic books, games, and three feature films. An Amazon MGM production, the upcoming Masters of the Universe marks the second live-action film adaptation of He-Man since the 1987 film of the same name starring Dolph Lundgren.

5

‘Moana’

Release Date: July 10, 2026

Disney’s latest animated hit to be remade into a live-action film, Moana marks the third installment of the franchise and is directed by Tony Award-winning director Thomas Kail of Hamilton fame in his narrative feature directorial debut. The musical adventure film follows the titular protagonist, who answers her call from the ocean and leaves her island home of Motunui for the first time, venturing past the barrier reef. Accompanied by the demigod Maui, Moana embarks on an epic seafaring adventure to restore the prosperity of her people.

The film stars Catherine Laga’aia as Moana in her film debut, with Dwayne Johnson reprising his role of Maui, which he voiced in both 2016’s Moana and 2024’s Moana 2. John Tui, Frankie Adams, and Rena Owen are also cast as Moana’s father, mother, and grandmother, respectively. Lin-Manuel Miranda, who composed music for the original film, is returning for the latest Disney live-action adaptation as well. With a fresh young talent and immersive world, the upcoming Moana is something worth looking forward to for all Disney fans.

4

‘The Odyssey’

Release Date: July 17, 2026

Following the historic success of Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan returns with The Odyssey, which he wrote and directed, based on Homer’s ancient Greek epic saga of the same name. The action fantasy film follows Odysseus, the legendary king of Ithaca, as he sets out on a decade-long, perilous journey home from Troy after the 10-year Trojan War, hoping to reunite with his wife, Penelope, but stumbling into deadly encounters and mythical beings along the way. Matt Damon stars as Odysseus with Anne Hathaway as Penelope, leading a star-studded cast that includes Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, and Mia Goth.

Billed as a “mythic action epic,” the historical film was reportedly filmed worldwide on a budget of $250 million, which would make The Odyssey the most expensive film of Nolan’s career. Combining fantastical elements of Homer’s Odyssey with Nolan’s creative genius, The Odyssey is expected to be a genre-defying blend of horror, thriller, romance, and mystery, making it a highly anticipated film of 2026 of epic proportions. The Odyssey’s massive ensemble cast also features Elliot Page, Bill Irwin, Jovan Adepo, Corey Hawkins, Jon Bernthal, John Leguizamo, and Logan Marshall-Green in supporting roles.

3

‘Clayface’

Release Date: September 11, 2026

Based on the eponymous DC Comics character and the third film in the new DCU franchise, Clayface is a body horror film directed by James Watkins and written by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini. The story follows Matt Hagen, an up-and-coming actor whose face gets disfigured by a gangster, forcing him to resort to seeking help from a fringe scientist, Dr. Caitlin Bates, who transforms his body into clay, resulting in dangerous consequences. Tom Rhys Harries stars as Matt Hagen and Naomi Ackie as Dr. Bates, with Max Minghella and Eddie Marsan in supporting roles.

First introduced in 1940 by DC Comics, Clayface is one of Batman’s greatest adversaries, an alias used by various characters, all of whom possess clay-like, malleable bodies and shapeshifting abilities. The character has since appeared in several comics and non-comic media, including the animated series Harley Quinn and live-action series Gotham, but the 2026 film is the first time he gets his own, standalone story. In the upcoming film, however, Clayface is expected to be depicted as a more complex character, playing the parts of both a protagonist and an antagonist in a twisted, horror-thriller narrative exploring identity and existentialism.

2

‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’

Release Date: November 20, 2026

A dystopian action film directed by Francis Lawrence, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping takes place 24 years before the first film in The Hunger Games franchise, and centers on a young Haymitch Abernathy, who is selected to compete in the 50th Hunger Games, aka the Second Quarter Quell, which occurs every 25 years. The film chronicles his journey to victory as he navigates the aftermath of his family’s murder by President Snow. Joseph Zada plays Haymitch, with Jesse Plemons, Ralph Fiennes, Kieran Culkin, Elle Fanning, McKenna Grace, Maya Hawke, Whitney Peak, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Glenn Close in prominent roles.

Based on Suzanne Collins‘s 2025 novel, the upcoming Hunger Games film serves both as a prequel to 2012’s The Hunger Games and a sequel to 2023’s The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. As such, the film will also see Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson reprising their iconic roles as Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. It is also the sixth film in The Hunger Games film series, expanding the franchise in a new direction.

1

‘Dune: Part Three’

Release Date: December 25, 2026

Following the massive success of Dune: Part Two, Denis Villeneuve returns with another chapter of Dune, which he co-wrote with Jon Spaihts, adapting Frank Herbert’s 1969 novel Dune Messiah. Dune: Part Three follows Paul Atreides as the Padishah Emperor and explores the impact of his leadership on his people. Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Anya Taylor-Joy, Josh Brolin, and Rebecca Ferguson reprise their roles from the previous film, Dune: Part Two, with Jason Momoa returning from Dune: Part One, and Nakoa-Wolf Momoa, Ida Brooke, and Robert Pattinson joining as new cast members.

A sequel to 2024’s Dune: Part Two and one of the most anticipated sci-fi films of 2026, Dune: Part Three marks the third and final installment in Villeneuve’s Dune film trilogy. Herbert’s original novel, Dune Messiah, is set 12 years after the events of the second book, so it is expected that the upcoming film will also have a time jump. While the finer plot details are still undisclosed, based on the book, Dune: Part Three is likely to cover Paul’s trials and tribulations as Emperor, with a conspiracy brewing to overthrow him as he grapples with his prophecy, his tragic marriage, and more.