10 Big Movies to Expect at Cannes or Venice Film Festivals in 2026

Three years after presenting “The Killer” in competitors at Venice, Fincher might return to the Lido with “The Adventures of Cliff Sales space,” his anticipated sequel to Quentin Tarantino‘s Sixties-set “As soon as Upon a Time in Hollywood.” The spinoff brings again Brad Pitt, reprising his function as Cliff Sales space the effortlessly cool, often hilarious and fearless stuntman — a efficiency that received him an Oscar for greatest supporting actor in 2020. The film, which reteams Pitt with Fincher after “Battle Membership” and “Seven” and shot on location in L.A., follows Sales space as he begins a brand new profession as a Hollywood studio fixer. It’s the third film that Fincher has performed for Netflix after “Mank” and “The Killer.” However because it’s a Netflix film, it’s protected to imagine it received’t play at Cannes (the place Netflix pics aren’t allowed in competitors).

Refn is anticipated to indicate up in both Cannes or Venice with “Her Personal Hell,” his mysterious subsequent movie which marks his characteristic movie comeback a decade after delivering divisive physique horror “The Neon Demon.” Whereas the plot is below wraps, Refn teased the venture in an interview with Selection at Venice 2024, saying it should boast “a lot of glitter, intercourse, and violence.” The subversive Danish director, greatest recognized for “Drive,” “Pusher,” “Bronson” and “Solely God Forgives,” has assembled an alluring solid of up-and-comers together with Charles Melton, Sophie Thatcher, Kristine Froseth and Havana Rose Liu. Neon purchased worldwide rights to the movie and will probably be releasing it in U.S. theaters. We’re curious to see if Refn nonetheless has it, after a 10-year big-screen absence throughout which he directed a pair collection, Netflix’s “Copenhagen Cowboy” and Amazon’s “Too Previous to Die Younger.”

An elevated psychological thriller, “Bunker” is Zeller’s third movie after “The Son,” which competed at Venice and earned Hugh Jackman a greatest actor nomination on the Golden Globes, and “The Father,” which received greatest actor for Anthony Hopkins and greatest tailored screenplay on the Oscars. The film’s star-studded ensemble is led by Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem alongside Stephen Graham, Patrick Schwarzenegger and Paul Dano. “Bunker” sees Cruz and Bardem play a married couple whose relationship and household implode after a robust tech mogul steps into their lives with a mysterious development venture. Because it’s at the moment capturing and can possible be accomplished within the spring, “Bunker” might technically premiere on the Lido, like “The Son” did.

Iñárritu’s first English-language characteristic since his Oscar-winning “The Revenant,” “Digger” is a darkly comedian drama billed as “a comedy of catastrophic proportions.” The movie stars and is produced by Tom Cruise, who performs Digger Rockwell, “probably the most highly effective man on the earth,” as he races to show he’s humanity’s savior earlier than the catastrophe he’s unleashed destroys every little thing. The Warner Bros. and Legendary title — whose solid is accomplished by Sandra Hüller, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons, Sophie Wilde, Riz Ahmed and Emma D’Arcy — has set an Oct. 2 launch date, positioning it for a possible fall pageant debut. Venice is a pure risk, having hosted Iñárritu premieres together with his newest movie “Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths,” in addition to “Birdman” and “21 Grams;” although Cannes additionally looms as a risk given the director’s long-standing relationship with the pageant relationship again to “Amores Perros.” Cruise additionally has a mushy spot for Cannes, having just lately premiered “High Gun: Maverick” and “Mission: Unimaginable. The Closing Reckoning” there.

Might Spielberg’s subsequent movie, “Disclosure Day,” bow on the Croisette? It’s absolutely on Fremaux’s radar since Common Photos has set a June 12 launch date. The science-fiction film stars Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, Colman Domingo, Wyatt Russell and Henry Lloyd-Hughes. Spielberg developed the UFO story with screenwriter David Koepp, with whom he beforehand labored on “Jurassic Park,” “Jurassic Park: The Misplaced World,” “Warfare of the Worlds” and “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Cranium.” If the film launched at Cannes, it might most probably play out of competitors the place Spielberg introduced “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Cranium” in 2008, “The Colour Purple” in 1986″ and “E.T.: The Additional-Terrestrial,” which performed because the closing evening movie in 1982. Cannes can also be near Spielberg’s coronary heart as a result of his first movie, “Sugarland Categorical,” received greatest screenplay on the fest in 1974. He was additionally president of the jury in 2013.

Moreover “Digger,” Warner Bros. and Legendary Leisure have one other sizzling film that might land a giant pageant premiere: Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Half Three,” whose solid is stacked sufficient to attract dozens of headlines and carry a complete pageant. Primarily based on Frank Herbert’s second “Dune” novel, “Dune: Half Three” sees Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya reprising their roles alongside Robert Pattinson, Florence Pugh, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin, Rebecca Ferguson and Anya Taylor-Pleasure. Barbera, who hosted the world premiere for “Dune” out of competitors at Venice in 2021, informed Selection at Marrakech that he’s already talked to Villeneuve about coming again to the Lido with the third opus. “He simply completed capturing the movie,” Barbera stated, including that “Will probably be launched within the fall of subsequent 12 months. So it might be a risk.” In reality, Warner Bros. has set the discharge date for the winter, moderately than the autumn, on Dec. 18. The final installment, “Dune: Half Two” skipped festivals and bowed in London.

One among our surest bets is the return of Östlund to Cannes’ competitors along with his subsequent satirical black comedy, “The Leisure System Is Down,” starring an ensemble solid together with Kirsten Dunst, Keanu Reeves and Daniel Brühl. The Swedish provocateur spent 4 years making this new movie — his most bold but — after successful two Palme d’Ors again to again with “The Sq.” in 2017 and “Triangle of Disappointment” in 2022. Acquired early on by A24 in an eight-figure deal, the big-budget venture unfolds on a long-haul flight between England and Australia the place the leisure system fails, sparking chaos and rage amongst bored passengers. Östlund shot it in an actual Boeing 747 which was acquired for the movie. Chatting with Selection concerning the venture a few years in the past, Östlund stated will probably be “a research of how human beings work together on this little laboratory that may be a aircraft” and “how trendy human beings are wrecked below these circumstances.” Östlund additionally appeared assured that it “will trigger the most important walkout” within the historical past of Cannes Movie Competition.

Paweł Pawlikowski, the Oscar-winning Polish director of “Ida,” is now in publish on “1949,” a interval drama starring Sandra Hüller (“Zone of Curiosity,” “Anatomy of a Fall”) which marks his first movie since his Oscar-nominated 2018 hit “Chilly Warfare.” The movie is ready on the peak of the Chilly Warfare and revolves on the connection between German author Thomas Mann and his daughter Erika, an actress, journalist and rally driver, as they embark on a street journey in a black Buick cruiser throughout a Germany in ruins — from U.S. dominated Frankfurt to Soviet managed Weimar. It’s produced by Mubi and Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani’s Our Movies. Exploring as soon as once more themes of identification and household bonds in post-WW2 Europe, “1949” might open at Cannes the place Pawlikowski received greatest director with “Chilly Warfare” in 2018 and earned three Oscar nominations the next 12 months.

James Grey’s “Paper Tiger,” a gritty crime story starring Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson and Miles Teller, doesn’t but have a launch date however is anticipated in the course of the first half of 2026 which signifies that it might world premiere at Cannes. It could be a homecoming of types for Grey, who’s beloved in France and regarded a Croisette common having already introduced 5 movies there, together with “Armageddon Time,” “The Immigrant,” “Two Lovers,” “We Personal the Evening” and “The Yards.” He additionally sat on Cannes’ jury in 2009, the 12 months it was presided over by Isabelle Huppert. But, the combo reception of “Armageddon Time” at Cannes in 2022 might mood expectations. “Paper Tiger” was independently produced and doesn’t have U.S. distribution but.

Iranian auteur Asghar Farhadi appears to be like like a pure match for Cannes 2026 along with his newest movie,” Parallel Tales.” Slated for a spring launch, the movie shot in Paris with a blinding French ensemble led by two of the nation’s most iconic actresses, Isabelle Huppert and Catherine Deneuve, alongside Virginie Efira and Vincent Cassel. Cannes has constantly championed Farhadi’s dramas over time. His earlier French-language movie, “The Previous,” marked his first movie in competitors at Cannes in 2013 and received greatest actress for Berenice Bejo. He has introduced three different motion pictures in competitors: “The Salesman” which received greatest screenplay and greatest actor for Shahab Hosseini in 2016, the Spanish-language movie “All people Is aware of” which opened the pageant in 2018, and “A Hero,” which received the Grand Prize in 2021. He served on the jury (presided over by Vincent Lindon) the next 12 months.