Familiar fare - the most anticipated movies and TV series of 2026

Movies

1. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (Release date: 16 January)

The fourth film in the post-apocalyptic horror franchise follows closely on the third, 28 Years Later, which was released in June to critical acclaim and commercial success. The series started with 28 Days Later (2002), followed by 28 Weeks Later (2007), and is set in a UK infected by the rage virus, which turns people into superfast, aggressive zombies.

Unlike the first two films, 28 Years Later and The Bone Temple were shot back to back and the story continues directly from one to the other, so it’s best to watch 28 Years Later first. Director Nia DaCosta (Candyman, The Marvels) takes over from Danny Boyle, but the script for both films was written by acclaimed sci-fi writer Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Annihilation).

Ralph Fiennes returns as Dr Ian Kelson, a former GP who created the Bone Temple of the title as a memorial built from the remains of those killed by the rage virus. After encountering an “alpha”, a zombie that’s more intelligent and stronger than the rest, Kelson makes a scientific breakthrough that could have far-reaching consequences.

Meanwhile, Spike (Alfie Williams), the 12-year-old boy who saved Kelson’s life in the previous film, encounters a bizarre cult inspired by Jimmy Savile, a popular British television personality who was exposed after his death in 2011 as a prolific sexual abuser. Expect plenty of nerve-jangling moments as well as food for thought.

2. Wuthering Heights (Release date: 11 February)

Saltburn director Emerald Fennell’s new adaptation of Emily Brontë’s beloved classic novel is already drawing controversy. Adapted dozens of times for the big screen over the years, Wuthering Heights is an iconic Gothic romance set in the 19th century on the bleak Yorkshire moors, about the tumultuous relationship between Catherine (Barbie star Margot Robbie), daughter of a wealthy landowner, and Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi, from Frankenstein), a mysterious orphan brought by her father to live with them.

Since the release of the trailer, complaints have ranged from Robbie being too old to play teenage Catherine and the whitewashing of Heathcliff (who is described as a “dark-skinned gipsy” in the book) to the modern pop soundtrack by Charli XCX and overtly erotic, stylised scenes that don’t come from the source material.

But with the title being in quote marks and the font reminiscent of the mass-market bodice-ripper paperbacks of the 1980s, the trailer seems to signal that this will not be a purist’s adaptation, but rather an impressionistic version influenced as much by the original novel as all the pop culture refe­rences that have built up around it.

If you’ve seen Saltburn (2023) or her first film, Promising Young Woman (2020), you’ll know that Fennell likes to shock and take big, provocative swings that often veer into bad taste, and her version of Wuthering Heights should be no different. Whether you end up loving or hating it, this will be one of the most talked-about films of 2026.

3. The Devil Wears Prada 2 (Release date: May)

Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt return in this sequel to the 2006 hit movie that turned Hathaway into an A-list star and gave Blunt her breakthrough international role. The first film was based on the book of the same name by Lauren Weisberger, and the sequel follows her second book, Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns.

Ten years is a long time in the fashion and media industry, and with magazines in decline, tyrannical editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly (Streep) is not the force she once was. Although Miranda’s bullied assistant Andy (Hathaway) quit her job at the end of the first film, the trailer seems to suggest that the two are teaming up again, but now on a more equal footing.

The tables have also turned for Blunt’s character, Emily – another of Miranda’s assistants who had a fierce rivalry with Andy and tried her best to fulfil her boss’s every whim. She’s now a high-powered executive at a luxury group, and Miranda is forced to court her favour.

With Stanley Tucci also set to return as Miranda’s former right-hand man and art director, Nigel Kipling, and Kenneth Branagh joining the cast as Miranda’s new husband, this sequel promises to be a worthy follow-up.

4. Supergirl (Release date: June)

After the successful launch of DC Studios with 2025’s reboot of Superman, the Man of Steel’s cousin now gets her own film. But this Kara Zor-El is very different from the one previously depicted on screen.

Based on the 2022 comic-book mini-­series Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, this Kara is not the earnest, clean-cut young woman shown in 1984’s Supergirl or the recent TV series. Instead, she’s far different from her wholesome cousin: cynical, hard-partying and disillusioned, traumatised by seeing her home planet destroyed.

Kara (Milly Alcock from House of the Dragon) takes back her dog, Krypto, and travels to another planet to celebrate her 23rd birthday and get drunk, which she can’t do on Earth because the yellow sun causes her body to process alcohol too quickly.

There she bumps into a young girl, Ruthye Marye Knoll (Eve Ridley from 3 Body Problem), who asks Kara to help her avenge the death of her father.

DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran seem to know what they’re doing, so this should be fun.

5. The Odyssey (Release date: July)

This ancient Greek poem by Homer is the original adventure epic filled with thrilling action, memorable characters, intrigue, true love, mystery and a hero worth rooting for – and so ripe for a big-budget Hollywood adaptation. But apart from a pretty solid 1997 TV mini-series, The Odyssey has never been turned into a successful screen version.

When it was announced that Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer, 2023) – known for his meticulous, intimate approach to epic, blockbuster filmmaking – had decided to make The Odyssey, it sounded like a perfect match of director with material.

Ten years after the end of the Trojan War, Odysseus (Matt Damon), king of Ithaca, is still trying to get home, undergoing many trials and tribulations. Meanwhile, his wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), must fend off more than 100 arrogant suitors who believe Odysseus is dead and are trying to marry her.

Nolan has gathered a cast of big names – including Robert Pattinson as suitor Antinous, Charlize Theron, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jon Bernthal and Mia Goth – for what is shaping up to be one of the year’s biggest films.

6. Avengers: Doomsday (Release date: December)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has lost some of its lustre over the past few years thanks to an oversaturation of average films and convoluted storylines. With Avengers: Doomsday, the studio seemingly hopes to recapture its glory by bringing back its most successful actors, characters and storylines.

Robert Downey Jr’s career was revitalised by his portrayal of Tony Stark, aka super­hero Iron Man, but he was also at the centre of the series and played a large role in making it such a massive success.

This is why Stark’s heroic death saving the universe at the end of Avengers: Endgame (2019) had such an impact, and his loss is partly why the franchise has struggled to maintain its popularity and influence.

So the news that Downey is set to return should have surprised no one. But thanks to the Multiverse, which has introduced multiple versions of the same character from parallel realities, Iron Man doesn’t have to return from the dead, undoing all the emotional impact of Endgame. Instead, Downey will play Dr Victor Von Doom, evil genius and arch-nemesis of the Fantastic Four.

This means that the four heroes introduced in he Fantastic Four: First Steps will probably feature in this one, joining the Avengers, who were rebooted in 2025’s Thunderbolts, as well as the X-Men, who can now join other Marvel Comics characters in the MCU after 20th Dsney bought Century Fox.

How this massive cast will be juggled into a coherent storyline is anyone’s guess, but the movie seems to be in capable hands thanks to the return of director brothers Anthony and Joe Russo, who made the previous two Avengers films such huge, entertaining hits.

Series

1. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (Release date: January)

Despite Game of Thrones’ divisive ending six years ago, the epic fantasy series remains one of the most popular of all time – it is one of the last TV shows to have a wide-ranging pop culture impact, and drew even non-­genre fans to fantasy with its intricate plots and shocking twists.

Perhaps wary of following that controversial ending, but still eager to explore more stories set in author George RR Martin’s quasi-medieval world of Westeros, TV network HBO has turned to creating prequel series. The first was House of the Dragon, which is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones.

With season 3 being released in 2025, House of the Dragon has been such a big hit that the network is now introducing another prequel show, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

House of the Dragon follows the hard-to-like incestuous royal Targaryen family, but this new show should have broader appeal as it’s centred on an endearing oddball duo whose adventures take place on ground level among ordinary people instead of in imperial palaces among backstabbing courtiers.

Based on Tales of Dunk and Egg, a series of novellas by Martin, and set 90 years before Game of Thrones, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms focuses on Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey), a low-born knight who hopes to prove himself worthy of the title.

On his way to a tourney, Dunk encounters a mysterious, highly educated boy (Dexter Sol Ansell), known as Egg because of his shaved head. Together the pair travel across Westeros trying to right numerous wrongs.

There has been no official release date for South Africa, but since Showmax has screened most of HBO’s programmes, it will hopefully also pick up this show.

2. The Pitt season 2 (Release date: January)

The surprise hit of 2025, The Pitt, brought ER’s Noah Wyle back to medical dramas and TV stardom, playing Dr Michael “Robby” Robinavitch, an attending physician at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center’s ER, nicknamed The Pitt.

What sets the show apart from other medical dramas is that the first season took place across a single gruelling 15-hour shift, with each hour-long episode portraying an hour in the shift in real time, similar to the structure of action series 24.

The Pitt was praised by doctors and nurses for its accuracy and realistic portrayal of healthcare workers, with Robby still dealing with the trauma he experienced during the Covid pandemic.

It also received critical acclaim, garnering five Emmy wins, including best drama and best actor for Wyle.

Season 2 picks up 10 months after the events of season 1, and takes place over the Fourth of July weekend, which will probably lead to a variety of patients needing ER attention. The show will probably be available on Showmax in South Africa.

3. The Boys season 5 (Release date: 8 April)

Amazon Prime Video’s ultraviolent but scalpel-­sharp satire of superheroes is coming to an end. Based on the nihilistic DC Comics of the same name, the TV series has been given heart and humanity to temper its hard edge by showrunner Eric Kripke (Supernatural), who succeeds in making you care about the titular group of vigilantes.

The Boys is set in a world where super­heroes are real, thanks to Compound V, a chemical substance controlled by evil mega-corporation Vought. The Seven (a spoof of DC Comics characters such as Superman and Wonder Woman) are a team of legendary superheroes managed by Vought and adored by the public.

But behind the scenes they are selfish and depraved, and Vought frequently has to cover up the thousands of deaths they have caused as collateral damage of their supposed heroic acts.

Intent on exposing Vought and The Seven are The Boys, a black-ops team sponsored by the CIA and led by Billy Butcher (Karl Urban), who is not above using any means necessary to bring down his nemesis, Homelander. A psychotic version of Superman brilliantly played by Antony Starr, Homelander grows increasingly deranged and unstoppable as all checks on his megalomania are slowly eroded.

The final season promises an epic showdown between Butcher and Homelander as the fate of the world hangs in the balance.

4. Euphoria season 3 (Release date: April)

It’s been four years since the release of season 2 of this controversial teen drama that made the names of Jacob Elordi and Sydney Sweeney, and transformed Zendaya from a child star into a leading actress who scored two Emmys.

With these actors now in high demand, and the 2023 writer’s strike and death of cast member Angus Cloud delaying production, fans are hoping the wait for season 3 has been worth it.

The first two seasons followed Rue (Zendaya), a recovering teen drug addict who struggles to adapt to high school after her release from rehab. She becomes involved with Jules (Hunter Schafer), a transgender girl new in town. Other characters include Nate (Elordi), a jock whose abusive tendencies hide a deep-seated sexual insecurity, and Cassie (Sweeney), who is judged for her many sexual relationships.

Season 3 jumps five years into the future, leaving high school behind. Rue is now in Mexico, trying to pay off her debt to a drug dealer, while Jules is at art school hoping to build a career as a painter, and Nate and Cassie are engaged.

How these characters will reconnect will probably unfold throughout the season, but expect it to be as raw and stylish as ever. As the two first seasons are available on Showmax, keep an eye on the streamer for season 3 popping up there too. DM

This story first appeared in our weekly DM168 newspaper, available countrywide for R35.