For all the embarrassment of riches on TV, cinema remains a really big deal for any genre fan. Our guide to the best upcoming sci-fi movies in 2026 features a blockbuster mix of popular franchises, intriguing one-offs, and one of the greatest directors of all time heading back to alien visitation territory.
After seven years away, "Star Wars" returns to the big screen with "The Mandalorian and Grogu", while "Supergirl" takes James Gunn's new-look DC Universe into outer space. Denis Villeneuve makes a third trip to Arrakis in "Dune: Part Three", and — in what's likely to be the biggest release of the year — Robert Downey Jr reunites with the Marvel Cinematic Universe for "Avengers: Doomsday".
Release date: March 20, 2026 |Cast: Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, Milana Vayntrub, Ken Leung
Screenwriter Drew Goddard worked wonders with his Oscar-nominated adaptation of Andy Weir's "The Martian", and a decade later he's back to bring the author's most recent novel to the screen. In "Project Hail Mary", our sun is one of many stars afflicted by a mysterious plague, prompting humanity to launch a mission to fix the problem before it kills all life on Earth.
Ryan Gosling plays the teacher turned reluctant astronaut who has the fate of an entire planet on his shoulders. Luckily, he's not alone in the cosmos as an alien engineer, nicknamed Rocky, has arrived at Tau Ceti with a similar agenda. If they can work out how to communicate, this could be the start of a beautiful friendship…
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie | Official Trailer - YouTube
Release date: April 3, 2026 | Cast: Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key
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It may not have been a big hit with the critics but the first "The Super Mario Bros Movie" was a massive power-up compared to the risible Bob Hoskins version from the '90s. Indeed, its mega box office take — second only to "Barbie" in 2023 — proved that Hollywood is, at long last, getting a feel for turning videogame icons into movie stars.
This inevitable sequel riffs on the titular Wii game, blasting Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad into outer space to face off against Bowser Jr. Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, and Keegan-Michael Key respawn in their roles from the first movie. Benny Safdie (director of UFC biopic "The Smashing Machine") comes on board as Bowser's malevolent offspring, while Captain Marvel herself, Brie Larson, becomes Nintendo royalty as alien princess Rosalina.
Release date: May 8, 2026 | Cast: Karl Urban, Adeline Rudolph, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson
It's a case of mid-'90s déjà-vu as two giants of the beat-'em-up videogame world renew hostilities on the big screen. "Street Fighter" lands in October, but first to the punch is "Mortal Kombat II", the more sci-fi of the duo and a sequel to the 2021 reboot.
That movie was more successful than expected, and this follow-up adds "The Boys" star Karl Urban to the fight card for round two. He stars as '90s action movie star Johnny Cage, a reluctant conscript in a "war for the fate of your world", forced to use his martial arts skills to protect Earthrealm (that's us) from the evil alien forces of Shao Kahn.
Sonya Blade Kano, Jax, and Scorpion all return to the arena, while fans of the game will recognise big-screen newcomers like Kitana (Adeline Rudolph) and Jade (Tati Gabrielle).
The Mandalorian and Grogu
The Mandalorian and Grogu | Official Trailer | In Theaters May 22, 2026 - YouTube
Release date: May 22, 2026 | Cast: Pedro Pascal, Sigourney Weaver, Jeremy Allen White
It's telling that the movie chosen to bring "Star Wars" back to theaters for the first time since 2019's "The Rise of Skywalker" is a follow-up to a TV series. While "Episode IX" was a major disappointment, "The Mandalorian" has been a crowd-pleasing jewel in the Disney+ crown, the one show that — for its first couple of seasons, at least — everybody loved.
The titular duo's promotion to the big screen sees them ditching the bounty hunting to help the New Republic hunt down rogue Imperials. "The Fantastic Four: First Steps"' Pedro Pascal is back as Din Djarin, joined by Sigourney Weaver as a New Republic colonel, and "The Bear"'s Jeremy Allen White voicing Jabba the Hutt's nephew, Rotta.
Release date: June 5, 2026 | Cast: Nicholas Galitzine, Jared Leto, Camila Mendes, Alison Brie, Idris Elba
Aside from Frank Langella's scenery-devouring performance as bony big bad Skeletor, the first live-action "Masters of the Universe" movie lacked the requisite power of Grayskull. The lucrative toy line was already in decline by the time the film landed in 1987, while the Earth-set, Dolph Lundgren-fronted adaptation bore little relation to the popular cartoon series.
Expect a rather more faithful adaptation second time out, as toy giant Mattel looks to He-Man and co to follow in Barbie's box-office conquering footsteps. Director Travis Knight has prior experience of transferring action figures to the big screen with "Transformers" spin-off "Bumblebee", and he's assembled a big-name cast for the trip to Eternia, including Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, Idris Elba as Man-at-Arms, and Jared Leto as Skeletor. Meanwhile, British actor Nicholas Galitzine wields the Sword of Power as He-Man.
Release date: June 26, 2026 | Cast: Milly Alcock, Matthias Schoenaerts, Eve Ridley, David Krumholtz, Emily Beecham
Both hail from Krypton and have a penchant for capes, but that's where the "Superman" / "Supergirl" similarities end. While Clark Kent took the easy route to Earth, the cynical, hard-drinking Kara Zor-El went the long way round, growing up among her fellow Kryptonian survivors in Argo City.
The new film (directed by "Cruella"'s Craig Gillespie) is based on Tom King and Bilquis Evely's 2021-2022 comic-book series "Woman of Tomorrow", and — according to the official synopsis — sees Supergirl embarking "on an epic, interstellar journey of vengeance and justice." See? Very un-Superman.
Expect a whistlestop tour of DC's version of outer space, as Kara (played by "House of the Dragon"'s Milly Alcock) wisecracks her way across various alien planets with crowd-pleasing pooch Krypto. Former Aquaman Jason Momoa gets a new DC role as alien bounty hunter Lobo.
Release date: June 12, 2026 | Cast: Emily Blunt, Josh O'Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, Colman Domingo
"Close Encounters of the Third Kind", "ET", "War of the Worlds"… Whether they're friendly or hostile, Steven Spielberg knows a thing or two about alien visitations. But with "Disclosure Day" (the title's only just been revealed), he's been taking a leaf out of "Super 8" collaborator JJ Abrams' book, and playing his cards extremely close to his chest.
A bit of mystery from one of Hollywood's greatest entertainers is something to be cherished, of course, and the first trailer teases without giving much away. The gist, however, seems to be that extra-terrestrials make contact with a selected few, before promising to go public to the entire world — good luck dealing with the ramifications of that one, human race!
Spielberg's bringing a quality cast along for the ride, with Emily Blunt taking the lead as a Kansas City weather presenter who starts talking alien live on air. She's joined by Josh O'Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, Colman Domingo, and Wyatt Russell. Regular Spielberg wordsmith David Koepp ("Jurassic Park", "War of the Worlds", "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull") is on screenplay duties, working from the director's own story.
Toy Story 5
Toy Story 5 | Teaser Trailer | In Theaters June 19 - YouTube
Release date: June 19, 2026 | Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Greta Lee, John Ratzenberger
No, the toys aren't blasting off to outer space, but this fifth instalment does feature around 50 confused Buzz Lightyears — all of them on a similar voyage of "you are a child's plaything" self-discovery as Pixar's original (not-)flying toy. Meanwhile, pull-string cowboy Woody is back in the fold after joining Bo Peep on a mission to rehome lost toys, as the playroom dynamic gets shaken up by the arrival of a frog-faced tablet named Lily Pad (voiced by "Tron: Ares"' Greta Lee).
If you're wondering if we need another "Toy Story", it's worth remembering that many said the same thing before the third and fourth movies, and they turned out pretty well. Also, Andrew Stanton (a man who knows a thing or two about the franchise, having co-written every movie so far) is on board as director.
Avengers: Doomsday
Avengers: Doomsday | Only in Theaters December 18, 2026 - YouTube
Release date: December 18, 2026 | Cast: Robert Downey Jr, almost every MCU actor you can think of, and a few surprises
It's well over six years since the brilliant "Avengers: Endgame" wrapped up Marvel's Infinity Saga in style. Multiverses and numerous Disney+ TV shows have made the MCU rather more unwieldy in the interim, but hopes are high that this fifth outing for Earth's Mightiest Heroes can restore the record-breaking franchise to past glories.
Directors Anthony and Joe Russo know a thing or two about epic superhero team-ups — they previously called the shots on "Captain America: Civil War" and the last two "Avengers" films — but even they might have their work cut out wrangling "Doomsday"'s epic cast. As well as MCU regulars like Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Paul Rudd, and Anthony Mackie, the roster features X-Men veterans Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Kelsey Grammer, and James Marsden.
And then there's the return of Robert Downey Jr, who swaps Iron Man's armor for another metal mask in his new role as Latverian troublemaker Dr Doom.
Release date: December 18, 2026 | Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Rebecca Ferguson, Robert Pattinson
For a book series that was once considered unfilmable, Frank Herbert's "Dune" is proving to be remarkably adaptable. After turning the first novel into two films, director Denis Villeneuve is wrapping up his desert trilogy with a film inspired by Herbert's follow-up, "Dune Messiah".
This time out, Fremen chosen one Paul Atreides is juggling his new role as emperor of the known universe with the ongoing battle to maintain control of Arrakis and its valuable spice. Paul's decision to marry Princess Irulan at the end of "Part Two" is sure to have some major ramifications, particularly as a significant time jump looks likely — the book's set 12 years after its predecessor.
Most of the original cast return, along with "The Batman" star Robert Pattinson (reportedly playing the villainous Scytale). "Dune: Part Three" might, however, blink first and shift its release date to avoid a Barbenheimer-style clash with that big Marvel team-up — though we will admit that "Avengers: Dunesday" has a rather nice ring to it…
Richard's love affair with outer space started when he saw the original "Star Wars" on TV aged four, and he spent much of the ’90s watching "Star Trek”, "Babylon 5” and “The X-Files" with his mum. After studying physics at university, he became a journalist, swapped science fact for science fiction, and hit the jackpot when he joined the team at SFX, the UK's biggest sci-fi and fantasy magazine. He liked it so much he stayed there for 12 years, four of them as editor.
He's since gone freelance and passes his time writing about "Star Wars", "Star Trek" and superheroes for the likes of SFX, Total Film, TechRadar and GamesRadar+. He has met five Doctors, two Starfleet captains and one Luke Skywalker, and once sat in the cockpit of "Red Dwarf"'s Starbug.
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