On Tuesday, Warner Bros. Pictures presented its lineup for 2026 at CinemaCon, held at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The presentation lasted almost two and a half hours and wasn’t available to watch online.
Stars like Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Sandra Bullock, Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, and Jason Momoa attended the event in person. Comedian Patton Oswalt hosted, introducing the studio’s co-chairs and CEOs, Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca, and praised them for making movies so captivating. He also stated that the studio is currently unmatched in the industry.
Abdy remembers that when she and De Luca started at the studio in 2022, it was releasing six movies each year. By 2025, that number had jumped to 11, with films like Sinners, A Minecraft Movie, and Weapons helping the studio earn over $4.4 billion worldwide. That year was also a huge success at the Academy Awards, with One Battle After Another winning Best Picture and Best Director, and Michael B. Jordan taking home the award for Best Actor.
Warner Bros. plans to release 14 original films in 2026. Studio head Michael Abdy believes this demonstrates the benefits of focusing on unique stories. Co-chair Alan De Luca emphasized that truly original content is less of a gamble than simply copying what’s already been done. The studio is also paying close attention to the moviegoing habits of Generation Alpha, recognizing that this young audience—and platforms like Letterboxd where they share opinions—is becoming increasingly important.
Warner Bros. Clockwork and Ti Amo!
Warner Bros. has created a new film label called Clockwork, focused on making completely original movies – not based on existing stories or brands. The label’s logo is orange and has a style reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick’s films. The first movie from Clockwork will be Ti Amo!, a new film by director Sean Baker, who recently won acclaim for Anora. It’s scheduled for release in 2027.
Okay, so Abdy and De Luca – the guys behind the movie – actually pretended to apologize to theater owners for that… uh, interesting Chicken Jockey scene in A Minecraft Movie. It was all a joke, though, because the movie made almost a billion dollars – $960.3 million worldwide, to be exact! They were basically saying, ‘What apology? We just made a ton of money!’ as a fun little jab.
Tom Cruise and Alejandro G. Iñárritu Present Digger
Tom Cruise and director Alejandro G. Iñárritu kicked off the event, receiving a standing ovation from the audience. Iñárritu explained that the concept for their film, Digger, originated nine years ago, and he and Cruise started talking about it two years after that. The movie was filmed using VistaVision, a large-format technique also employed by Paul Thomas Anderson for his film, One Battle After Another.
Iñárritu acknowledged the actor is known for being daring, pointing to his history of performing incredible stunts. However, he explained that taking on this particular character requires a different kind of courage. He believes this role is potentially the most difficult of the actor’s career, describing the entire process as a very delicate and risky undertaking.
Tom Cruise described the film as the best possible achievement in every aspect – writing, production, and acting. He explained that making this kind of movie was his original motivation for becoming a filmmaker, and it took him four decades to finally play the character of Digger Rockwell. He also enthusiastically called the movie ‘wild’ and ‘funny,’ expressing his excitement for audiences to see it.
In the video, Tom Cruise is seen wearing makeup to look much older, including a fake belly, and speaking with a Southern accent. He plays Digger Rockwell, a wealthy, private man who’s been told his cat only has a short time to live. While the song “Burning Down the House” by Talking Heads plays, Digger walks around his house in his pajamas, telling stories about a shovel that belonged to his grandfather and was given to him in 1917.
Someone at the drilling site informed him that environmental issues were causing water to surface, potentially weakening the structure. Despite this, Digger refused to halt operations, angrily stating he was funding everything and threatening severe consequences if anyone raised further concerns.
John Goodman portrays an older U.S. President dealing with the consequences of a crisis: millions of people have been displaced, and dangerous nuclear waste has been left behind. His character declares, “The person who got us into this situation – ‘Digger’ – is the one who will fix it.”
In the upcoming film Digger, Riz Ahmed’s character tells Rockwell’s character, “You knew before all of us.” Rockwell responds with, “Panic wakes people up.” The movie features scenes of both characters on a plane dropping bombs onto ice, and ends with a surprising image of Rockwell giving his cat a bath. Marketed as “a comedy of catastrophic proportions,” Digger is scheduled for release on October 2, 2026.
Denis Villeneuve Screens Seven Minutes of Dune: Part Three
People dressed as characters from the desert planet Arrakis, known as Fremen, walked across the floor of the Colosseum while scenes from the movie played on a large screen behind them. As director Denis Villeneuve came onto the stage, two performers were lifted into the air by wires. He joked, “I always travel with my team with me.”
The next Dune movie, Dune: Part Three, is set 17 years after the events of Part Two. Director Denis Villeneuve says he’s aiming for a completely fresh experience with each film, and doesn’t want to repeat himself. He describes the first two movies as essentially one large story split into two parts, while the third will be a faster-paced, more thrilling, and emotionally driven film. A central focus will be the troubled relationship between Paul Atreides and Chani.
Okay, so Timothée Chalamet was talking about what happens to Paul Atreides after all that time jump in Dune: Part Two. He was on stage with Zendaya and Jason Momoa, and he said Paul basically becomes everything he feared most – like, he’s losing himself trying to hold onto the good parts of who he is. He even called Paul this super powerful, dark emperor of the whole universe, which is pretty intense!
Zendaya described her character, Chani, as having gone through a lot. She explained that life on Dune has been hard on everyone, and that Chani’s strong sense of right and wrong and her dedication to her people have led to a difficult period, stripping away her youthful optimism. We meet her at a point where she’s lost that hopeful perspective.
Villeneuve showed the first seven minutes of the film. The scene begins with a spacecraft carrying Javier Bardem as Fremen leader Stilgar and his troops, who are preparing for a potentially final landing. As they touch down on a wet alien planet, they’re stunned to see rain, with one character exclaiming, “Water from the sky! It’s a miracle!”
Huge cannons erupt from the desert floor. Stilgar commands his troops through intense gunfire, using shipping containers and the shadow of a tower for cover while requesting an air strike. Tragically, one soldier is caught in the crossfire and killed.
IGN compared a particular scene to the iconic beach landing from Saving Private Ryan, but set on another planet. IndieWire described it as incredibly grand, and The Playlist praised its visuals, even suggesting Disney reschedule the release of Avengers: Doomsday to avoid clashing with the film’s December 18th date – and to do so discreetly.
DC Universe: Man of Tomorrow, Supergirl, and Clayface
According to DC Studios head Peter Safran, James Gunn is starting production next week on Man of Tomorrow, the new Superman movie. The film will star David Corenswet as Superman and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, who will team up to fight the villain Brainiac. Gunn, Corenswet, and Hoult have described the movie as featuring a fresh villain and an unexpected partnership.
Milly Alcock made her entrance to Blondie’s “Call Me” as streamers shot out from the sides of the stage. She shared, “For many young girls, I’m going to be their first Supergirl,” and described the experience as “strange and amazing every single day.”
Director Craig Gillespie was surprised by how much of the movie takes place on other planets – the story travels to six different worlds. For her role, Alcock had to learn five languages, and because Krypto the Superdog is completely computer-generated, she did a lot of acting without a real dog on set. Alcock wore a special t-shirt with the iconic Superman logo shape, but featuring a unique design: two overlapping ‘C’s.
Jason Momoa made a grand entrance riding the futuristic motorcycle his character Lobo uses in the movies, dressed in full costume. He shared that he’s been wanting to play Lobo since he was a child. When asked if Lobo could win in a fight against Aquaman, Momoa joked that they would likely just end up sharing drinks instead of battling. He then enthusiastically suggested a team-up movie featuring both Lobo and Aquaman to Safran.
The Supergirl scene starts with Kara shielding her eyes from dust as she gets on a spaceship. The vehicle is crowded with aliens, including one who is sick and another smoking a waterpipe. Kara politely asks the smoker to stop. She then notices a man threatening Eve Ridley’s character, Ruthye, and steps in, speaking to him in an alien language.
Suddenly, attackers swarmed the ship, moving from person to person. They took a small orb from Kara and demanded Ruthye hand over her sword. Kara advised Ruthye not to risk a fight, then quickly grabbed a teleportation device from one of the attackers. Using it, she moved around the ship until she reached the cockpit. She asked the pilot how far they were from the nearest yellow sun, put on a spacesuit, and was unexpectedly pushed out into space without a helmet as the ship took off.
As the sun rises, Supergirl, Kara, gets her powers back and returns to her ship. She skillfully deflects a laser blast with her heat vision. The film then flashes back to key moments: Kara and Krypto’s escape from Krypton, a first meeting with Superman (who Kara playfully calls a “nerd”), and Kara’s declaration before a battle with Lobo that she’s about to take a big risk. The movie ends with a powerful shot of her heat vision taking down a line of enemies. Supergirl is scheduled for release on June 26, 2026.
Okay, so I just saw the first look at Clayface in the new Batman series, and it’s seriously creepy! Safran called it a really intense horror-thriller, and the footage they showed definitely backed that up. They introduced the actor, Tom Rhys Harries, who’s playing the guy before he becomes Clayface – he’s all bandaged up in a hospital bed. There were these quick flashes of what looked like weird experiments and injections. The whole thing is being hyped with the tagline, “Look Fear in the Face,” and honestly? It’s working. I’m already a little freaked out!
He breaks a mirror, then washes his face in the bathtub, and his features blur and vanish as if he were made of clay. The episode is directed by James Watkins, who has also directed several episodes of Black Mirror. Clayface will premiere on October 23, 2026.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum
A short video showed Gollum speaking in a cave, insisting his story remain a secret. Andy Serkis, the director and actor who plays Gollum, echoed this sentiment while speaking as the character, calling it “a tale that must never be told.”
Jamie Dornan is taking on the role of Strider, also known as Aragorn, previously played by Viggo Mortensen. Here’s the complete list of confirmed actors for the project.
Confirmed Cast — The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum
| Andy Serkis | Gollum / Sméagol |
| Jamie Dornan | Strider / Aragorn |
| Ian McKellen | Gandalf |
| Kate Winslet | Marigol |
| Elijah Wood | Frodo Baggins |
| Leo Woodall | Halvard |
| Lee Pace | Thranduil |
The film is scheduled for Dec. 17, 2027.
Mortal Kombat II
The video begins with what seems to be the end of Shao Khan’s rule. Liu Kang challenges Baraka to a duel, but Baraka refuses. Johnny Cage, played by Karl Urban, then loudly insults them both, which annoys Baraka enough for him to accept a fight with Cage instead.
During a fight, Cage jokes that his stunt doubles are doing all the work while playfully asking Baraka to be careful with his face. He runs into a hut full of children who look like Baraka, but is quickly discovered and thrown into a pit. There, he finds his sunglasses, puts them on, and continues fighting, eventually landing a punch to Baraka’s groin. Jax shouts his approval from the side, exclaiming, “Goddamn!” The movie Mortal Kombat II is scheduled for release on May 8, 2026.
Evil Dead Burn
The short film Evil Dead Burn, directed by Sébastien Vaniček, begins with a woman standing at a dishwasher. Another person enters and asks, “Alice… are you okay?” A knock on the door is heard, and a figure slowly appears. We only see her hands at first, and then a disturbing sight: a seat back sticking out of her skull.
The scene shifts to a funeral, where a man recalls his grandfather’s belief that reading from the Book of the Dead could bring people back from the dead. An ominous chant from Evil Dead is heard. The violence quickly escalates with a door slamming on fingers, followed by a power saw, a massive wolf attacking someone, and shockingly, a girl consuming melted candle wax.
In a shocking scene, Alice violently pulls a man’s head back, causing him to fall into an open dishwasher filled with sharp utensils. The Playlist described the video as “completely frightening.” The film Evil Dead Burn is scheduled for release on July 24, 2026.
Practical Magic 2, The Great Beyond, and The End of Oak Street
Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman reunited to discuss a potential sequel to their 1998 movie, Practical Magic. Bullock playfully asked Kidman, “Why are we even here?” Kidman responded by quoting a famous line from their film: “We come to this place for magic.” The audience then broke into applause, which Kidman admitted she hadn’t expected.
Nicole Kidman’s character, Gilly, doesn’t have children but owns a cat, while Sandra Bullock’s character, Sally, now has two adult children. According to Kidman, the movie continues the story from the memorable house in the first film, but also explores how their past impacts the present. A preview showed the Owens family meeting a new character played by Lee Pace, with Gilly ominously warning him, “Everyone we love dies.” Bullock shared that they wanted a strong public desire for the sequel, saying, “We needed the entire country to want it as much as we did.” Practical Magic 2 is scheduled for release in September 2026.
J.J. Abrams’ new film, The Great Beyond, marks his return to directing after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) and is his first original movie since Super 8 (2011). The film features Glen Powell, Jenna Ortega, Emma Mackey, and Samuel L. Jackson in a story about an impending close encounter. The trailer begins with a quote from H.G. Wells, then introduces Ortega’s character stating, “People like us — I think we’re looking for something.”
J.J. Abrams explained that while he’s grateful for the opportunity to work on massive franchises, he felt it was time to focus on creating original stories again. He noted that his new film, The Great Beyond, took a while to develop because he wanted to build a detailed and expansive world. The Great Beyond is scheduled to be released on November 13, 2026.
I got a sneak peek at some footage from David Robert Mitchell’s new sci-fi thriller, The End of Oak Street! It’s coming out August 14, 2026, and it’s being produced by Bad Robot – I’m already so excited because I loved It Follows!
The 2027 Slate
Jack Black debuted a new song about upcoming movies, playing it over a highlight reel. He announced that a sequel to A Minecraft Movie is in the works, and Kirsten Dunst will be part of the cast. M. Night Shyamalan shared that his new film, Remain, will be his first traditional ghost story since The Sixth Sense. Margot Robbie also revealed she’ll be playing Danny Ocean’s mother in a prequel to Ocean’s Eleven, set in 1962.
Melissa McCarthy played Margie Claus, a character determined to save Christmas. Keanu Reeves made an appearance from the set of his shark movie, Shiver, directed by Tim Miller and filmed in the Dominican Republic. Sam Raimi described his upcoming film, Evil Dead Wrath, as incredibly scary, sharing footage that included graphic scenes like someone cutting off an arm and another person vomiting blue liquid. Meanwhile, Nancy Meyers, filming her new romantic comedy, described it as a heartfelt tribute to the art of filmmaking.
Warner Bros. has officially titled its upcoming film about the Targaryen dynasty Game of Thrones: Aegon’s Conquest. The movie will tell the story of Aegon Targaryen I’s quest to create the Iron Throne, set around 300 years before the events of the HBO series. While a release date hasn’t been announced, Warner Bros. executives confirmed plans for 18 movie releases in 2027, with a full list available below.
Warner Bros. Pictures — Full 2027 & Beyond Slate
- Animal Friends
- Remain
- Panic Carefully
- Godzilla x Kong: Supernova
- Untitled F.A.S.T. Film
- Bad Fairies
- Man of Tomorrow
- A Minecraft Sequel
- Shiver
- The Conjuring: First Communion
- The Batman: Part II
- Margie Claus
- Gremlins
- The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum
- Ocean’s Prequel
- A Nancy Meyers Film
- Ti Amo!
- Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
- Dynamic Duo
- Hello Kitty
- The Lunar Chronicles
- Final Destination 7
- The Revenge of La Llorona
- Evil Dead Wrath
- A Baz Luhrmann Film
- Gladys
- The Flood
- Game of Thrones: Aegon’s Conquest
The Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Skydance Merger
Everyone at the convention was definitely talking about the possible merger between Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Skydance, especially after David Ellison managed to keep control of Skydance when Netflix tried to challenge him. It was weird though – neither the heads of Warner Bros. nor Paramount addressed it during the presentations, and we didn’t even see Warner Bros. Discovery’s CEO, David Zaslav, show up at all. It felt like a big elephant in the room!
I was really surprised to see how many people in the industry are against this deal! Over 1,000 actors, directors, and other folks – even big names like Don Cheadle, J.J. Abrams, and Villeneuve – signed a letter saying so, which I read about on BlocktheMerger.com. And it wasn’t just online, I even saw people at the convention wearing pins with the hashtag #blockthemerger, showing their support.
Before Warner Bros.’ presentation, Cinema United, the group behind the CinemaCon convention, held a breakfast meeting. When asked about a recent open letter concerning industry consolidation, their president and CEO, Michael O’Leary, stated they respect everyone’s right to speak out. While Cinema United won’t be signing the letter, they oppose any merger that would significantly decrease the number of established movie studios. O’Leary also emphasized that government approval of such a merger isn’t guaranteed.
O’Leary stated his concerns on Tuesday, explaining that merging companies often leads to fewer movies being made for cinemas. He believes this deal would negatively impact movie theaters, audiences, and the film industry as a whole.
As a moviegoer, I was really interested to hear what Greg Marcus, the head of Marcus Theaters, had to say. He recently told the Associated Press that the big studios have gotten a lot of power, and they’re using it to drive up ticket prices. He explained that theaters like his aren’t actually making more money, even though we, the people going to the movies, are paying so much more – way more than you’d expect with just inflation. It’s frustrating to hear that the price increases aren’t benefiting the theaters themselves!
Director James Cameron has voiced his support for the deal. He recently told the Associated Press that while he used to be against the idea of Netflix owning Warner Bros., he doesn’t feel the same way now. Cameron and Larry Ellison have a strong working relationship, having collaborated on the film Terminator: Dark Fate.
James Cameron shared that he’s good friends with David Ellison and believes Ellison has a true passion for filmmaking. Cameron described Ellison as a gifted storyteller with the instincts of a classic, creative producer who loves creating large-scale entertainment. He feels Ellison is well-suited to lead a major studio – and now potentially two, with the merging of Paramount and Warner Bros. – which Cameron welcomes. Ellison plans to increase the number of theatrical releases from the combined studios to approximately 30 films per year.
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2026-04-29 11:31