2026 is loaded with visual effects tentpoles across genres. Here’s a rundown of the trailers worth watching this year, with a focus on what’s happening on the effects side rather than just the plot.
Sci-Fi
Project Hail Mary — March 20, 2026
Based on Andy Weir’s novel, this one stars Ryan Gosling as a lone astronaut on a mission to save Earth. It’s shaping up to be the biggest space movie of the year, and the trailer leans hard into practical-feeling zero-gravity and spacecraft work.
Masters of the Universe — June 5, 2026
Reported at a $170 million budget, mostly driven by VFX demands. Expect large-scale space battles and He-Man’s sword-powered transformation sequences. Jared Leto, Nicholas Galitzine, and Idris Elba star.
Horror
Godzilla Minus Zero
Set two years after the first film, in 1949. Writer-director Takashi Yamazaki — who also handles VFX himself — is back, and the first teaser shows the kaiju stomping past an American landmark. Worth watching for anyone interested in how a small VFX team tackles a giant-monster movie.
Backrooms
Notable mainly because it’s directed by Kane Parsons, a 20-year-old VFX artist making his feature debut off the back of his own viral Backrooms YouTube videos. Backed by A24, James Wan’s Atomic Monster, 21 Laps, and Chernin Entertainment.
Fantasy & Adventure
The Odyssey — July 17, 2026
Christopher Nolan’s first fantasy film, adapting Homer’s epic. Matt Damon leads an ensemble that includes Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Charlize Theron, facing a vengeful sea god, sea monsters, and a cyclops along the way.
Ramayana – Part 1 — November 7, 2026
An Indian mythological epic with VFX by DNEG and a score from Hans Zimmer and A.R. Rahman. One of the more ambitious non-Hollywood VFX productions this year, including a flying-elephant battle sequence.
Wildwood — October 23, 2026 (UK)
LAIKA’s next stop-motion feature. A good counterpoint to the digital-VFX-heavy releases above — worth a post on its own about how stop-motion and digital effects blend on a LAIKA production.
Also Worth Watching for Scale
Avengers: Doomsday — December 18, 2026
Not a VFX story yet on its own, but the marketing rollout is notable: Disney tied early footage releases to Avatar: Fire and Ash screenings, using one blockbuster’s VFX spectacle to sell tickets to the next.
More breakdowns to come as trailers drop through the rest of the year.
Leave a Reply