9 Upcoming Fantasy Movies You Cannot Miss
Fantasy movie fans, rejoice: There is plenty to look forward to over the course of the next few years. From long-awaited video game adaptations like The Legend of Zelda to future animated classics like Wildwood, plenty of upcoming fantasy movies are worthy of the utmost anticipation and the excitement of fans of the genre.
Whether it’s an indie gem like The Green Knight or a blockbuster like the two Wicked films, the 2020s have been filled to the brim with exceptional fantasy movies that are bound to go down in history as some of the genre’s modern best. That high level of fantasy quality that has characterized the last six years will very likely continue all the way into 2029—and hopefully beyond.
9
‘Coco 2’ (2029)
Coco is far and away one of Pixar’s most perfectly-written movies, a beautiful family fantasy adventure built on a foundation of wonderfully-researched and refreshingly authentic elements from Mexican culture and folklore. The animation was gorgeous, the Oscar-winning music was wonderful, and the voice cast was immensely talented. It was a perfectly self-contained story with an entirely satisfying conclusion, but Pixar is no stranger to making exceptional sequels many years after their predecessor’s release.
Not much else about it is known at the time (outside of its being directed by the first film’s Adrian Molina and Lee Unkrich).
Coco 2 is scheduled to be Pixar’s 35th animated feature film and to be released at the end of 2029, and though not much else about it is known at the time (outside of its being directed by the first film’s Adrian Molina and Lee Unkrich), it’s nothing if not worthy of excitement. Pixar has been going through some ups and downs throughout the 2020s, and if Coco 2 manages to be one of its ups, it’ll undoubtedly satisfy the original movie’s biggest fans.
8
‘Elden Ring’ (2028)
Image via Bandai Namco Entertainment
Winner of several 2022-23 Game of the Year awards and widely regarded as one of the greatest video games in history, Elden Ring isn’t even a decade old, yet it can already be counted among the medium’s most notorious achievements. It’s perhaps the most universally acclaimed of all FromSoftware works, and it will likely prove to be massively influential in the years to come. Indeed, it’s one of the best video games of the last five years, and the upcoming A24 epic dark fantasy film based on it has the potential to have the same sort of impact.
Written and directed by Alex Garland, a screenwriter who’s proven himself as an exceptional director since his debut in the mid-2010s, the movie will be co-produced by one of the game’s writers, A Song of Ice and Fire author George R. R. Martin. Add to that a star-studded cast and a budget of over $100 million dollars that will make this far and away A24’s most expensive film to date, and you get a guaranteed future dark fantasy classic.
7
‘The Legend of Zelda’ (2027)
Nintendo has a long (and understandable) history of distrusting Hollywood with making adaptations of their hyper-iconic games, but after the success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie in 2023 and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie this year, the next step was clear: Make an adaptation of the company’s second most iconic and incredibly groundbreaking video game franchise, The Legend of Zelda.
Anyone even the slightest bit familiar with the franchise’s long history, from the timeless charm of the original game to Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom (two of the best open-world game masterpieces ever), will know that there’s infinite material to pull from for this to be a masterpiece. Countless beloved characters, a wonderfully expansive and engaging world, and many fascinating storylines are all right there, at the fingertips of director Wes Ball. The film has the potential to be a fantasy classic just as universally beloved as its source material.
6
‘The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum’ (2027)
For the longest time, it was believed to be impossible to make a film adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien‘s Legendarium truly fully worthy of the source material’s tremendous legacy. That was until Peter Jackson came along and made in his Lord of the Rings series the best fantasy trilogy in the history of movies. The Hobbit trilogy may not have been nearly as great, but nonetheless, Jackson’s Middle-earth saga is legendary beyond description.
The saga’s Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens will be producing The Hunt for Gollum, directed by Andy Serkis himself. Adding Aragorn to the list of Lord of the Rings characters who’ve been recast, since Strider will be played by Jamie Dornan here, the film has the task of proving that the many planned cinematic expansions of Middle-earth have the capacity to be truly legendary. With the immensely talented team working on the film, it’s a task that it will more than likely be able to achieve.
5
‘Shrek 5’ (2027)
Shrek, winner of the first-ever Best Animated Feature Academy Award, was the film that really put DreamWorks Animation on the map as a genuine competitor to the likes of Disney and Pixar, and the beloved franchise that it spawned did nothing but further enshrine the studio as animation icons. Next year, 17 years after Shrek Forever After, Shrek 5 will bring fans back to the kingdom of Far Far Away.
Following up a franchise that contains some of the greatest animated movies of the 21st century is no easy task. If the film’s delay by nearly an entire year is proof of anything, though, it’s (hopefully) a sign that DreamWorks and Illumination actually care enough to make this a satisfying experience for all fans of the series.
4
‘Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender’ (2026)
Avatar: The Last Airbender is the highest-rated animated TV show of all time on IMDb for a reason. This is far more than just a cartoon for kids: It’s one of the greatest and most magical stories ever told through the unique medium of animation, and as such, this year’s Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender has fans around the world incredibly excited.
The film was announced in 2021 alongside Avatar Studios, a new division of Nickelodeon dedicated to creating projects set in the Avatar universe. Originally scheduled to release in theaters (a plan that fans are begging Paramount to pivot back to), the film was recently tragically released online, but that has done nothing to diminish fans’ excitement for it. Avatar means an awful lot to an awful lot of people, and Avatar Aang will very likely meet their very high expectations.
3
‘Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew’ (2027)
The Magician’s Nephew was the sixth novel C. S. Lewis published in his Chronicles of Narnia series, and the first of the bunch chronologically. Early next year, Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew will become Netflix’s first film ever to receive a wide theatrical release. It’s far and away one of the most anticipated upcoming fantasy movies.
Fresh off of the success of Barbie, it’ll be Greta Gerwig writing and directing this adaptation of Lewis’ work, which already looks like a refreshingly creative and surprise-filled approach to the material. With an exceptional cast and an immensely talented crew, it could very well become the best-ever adaptation of the Narnia world.
2
‘Wildwood’ (2026)
Independent American studio Laika is the face of modern stop-motion animation. This year, a whopping seven years after their latest project, the hugely underappreciated Missing Link, the studio will finally be returning to the big screen with one of the most anticipated upcoming animated movies: Wildwood, based on Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis‘ 2011 novel.
Development of the film began mere weeks after the book’s release, but production didn’t begin until Travis Knight was announced as director in late 2021. As such, this is a future stop-motion masterpiece that fans have been eagerly awaiting for over a decade, and it’ll be a cherished treat once it finally sees the light of day. Fantasy is often at its best when animated, and this will likely be no exception.
1
‘The Odyssey’ (2026)
Any time a Christopher Nolan movie is set to release, there is no upcoming blockbuster more widely anticipated than that. This year, Nolan’s The Odyssey is no exception. Adapting Homer‘s ancient Greek epic for the big screen is one of the most ambitious endeavors that any filmmaker could possibly set their mind to, but if there’s any blockbuster auteur who has more than earned audiences’ vote of confidence, it’s most definitely Nolan.
There will very likely not be any cinematic spectacle quite of The Odyssey‘s stature this year, and if Nolan plays his cards right, this has the potential to become one of the most beloved and acclaimed fantasy epics of the 2020s as a whole. Casting controversies aside, what fans have already gotten to see from Nolan’s Odyssey has done nothing but bring excitement through the stratosphere. No matter how masterful the film actually does end up being, it will nonetheless be the fantasy spectacle of 2026.
