{"id":6606,"date":"2026-04-02T12:48:53","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T12:48:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/4guysmagazine.com\/?p=6606"},"modified":"2026-04-02T12:48:58","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T12:48:58","slug":"spring-film-preview-2026-blockbusters-indies-and-queer-cinema","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/4guysmagazine.com\/?p=6606","title":{"rendered":"Spring Film Preview 2026: Blockbusters, Indies, and Queer Cinema"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">From Nolan and Spielberg to bold indies and queer standouts, the season\u2019s film lineup is packed with must-see releases.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The bounty of films this season bears some strange fruit that audiences might love to sample, along with shiny new apples like films from heavy hitters Christopher Nolan, Steven Spielberg, and Steven Soderbergh, the latter two spinning original stories, respectively, in the sci-fi thriller <em>Disclosure<\/em> and the laid-back, art-world caper <em>The Christophers<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A bumper crop of high-profile original stories, from Zendaya and Robert Pattinson vehicle <em>The Drama<\/em>, to Jane Schoenbrun\u2019s phantasmagoric horror film <em>Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma<\/em>, bodes well for the business, and should help balance the usual abundance of sequels, superheroes, game adaptations, and reboots. Dig in!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>MARCH<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist<\/strong> \u2014 Whether you\u2019re embracing AI technology with open arms and boundless curiosity, or maintaining a cautious, keep-your-friends-close-and-your-enemies-closer approach, the more you know about what\u2019s coming, the better, and this documentary from directors Daniel Roher and Charlie Tyrell should add to your knowledge about \u201cthe most powerful technology humanity has ever created.\u201d (3\/27)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>APRIL<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Drama<\/strong> \u2014 Mrs. Tom Holland, or the artist still known as Zendaya, stars as a bride-to-be marching through capital-D Drama and major plot twists to make it to her wedding day with groom Robert Pattinson in this first big-screen pairing of the Millennial superstars, but not their last turn as castmates, as they\u2019ll both also appear this year in <em>Dune: Part 3<\/em> and in Christopher Nolan\u2019s <em>The Odyssey<\/em>, which, incidentally, also features Tom Holland. (4\/3)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Super Mario Galaxy Movie<\/strong> \u2014 Chris Pratt and Jack Black are back voicing Mario the plumber and his nemesis Bowser, with Charlie Day as bro Luigi and Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, in a sequel to the 2023 animated hit <em>The Super Mario Bros. Movie<\/em>. The film introduces lovable sidekick Yoshi (Donald Glover) and not-so-lovable villain spawn Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie). Game on, we guess. (4\/1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\" id=\"attachment_253361\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.metroweekly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/FILM-The-Stranger_Still-1_300dpi.jpg?resize=960%2C540&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"The Stranger\" class=\"wp-image-253361\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Stranger<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Stranger<\/strong> \u2014 The hardest-working maverick filmmaker in French cinema, Fran\u00e7ois Ozon (<em>Summer of \u201985<\/em>) delivers his sixth new feature in six years, a queer-themed adaptation, shot in lustrous black-and-white, of Albert Camus\u2019 novella about a French settler in 1930s Algiers whose fateful encounter with an Arab man on a beach shakes up his settled life. (4\/10)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Exit 8<\/strong> \u2014 Buzz is building for this Japanese psychological horror film, based on the video game, tracking a young man (Kazunari Ninomiya) who, for the life of him, can\u2019t find his way out of an endlessly looping subway station corridor. Empathetic D.C. Metro riders might re-dub this one Exit Gallery Place. (4\/10)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Faces of Death<\/strong> \u2014 Somebody thought that now, of all times in U.S. history, would be a great moment to revive the notorious almost-snuff film series, although \u201crevive\u201d is probably not the best term. Dredge up? Exhume? (4\/10)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Hamlet<\/strong> \u2014 Do audiences want to see Riz Ahmed as Shakespeare\u2019s doomed prince? That is the question, and our answer is \u201cYes\u201d to this gritty, modern adaptation, directed by Aneil Karia (an Oscar-winner for live-action short <em>The Long Goodbye<\/em>), written by Michael Lesslie (<em>The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songs &amp; Snakes<\/em>), co-starring Joe Alwyn as Laertes, <em>Saint Maud<\/em>\u2018s Morfydd Clark as Ophelia, and set among the nouveau riche elite of London\u2019s South Asian community. (4\/10)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\" id=\"attachment_253362\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.metroweekly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/FILM-The-Christophers.jpg?resize=960%2C637&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"The Christophers\" class=\"wp-image-253362\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Christophers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Christophers<\/strong> \u2014 A saucy, cerebral caper from Steven Soderbergh and screenwriter Ed Solomon (who also wrote Soderbergh\u2019s underrated <em>No Sudden Move<\/em>), starring Sir Ian McKellen as an elderly but feisty famous artist whose greedy children, played by <em>Baby Reindeer<\/em>\u2018s Jessica Gunning and James Corden, secretly hire art restorer Michaela Coel (<em>I May Destroy You<\/em>) to fraudulently complete a series of their dad\u2019s unfinished paintings to sell off after he dies. (4\/17)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mother Mary<\/strong> \u2014 Anne Hathaway, in character as pop diva Mother Mary, has already released the throbbing electro single, \u201cBurial,\u201d signaling the Oscar-winner\u2019s commitment to her role in this psychological thriller from <em>The Green Knight<\/em> writer-director David Lowery, co-starring Michaela Coel as Mary\u2019s former lover-turned-frenemy, and featuring original music by Charli XCX, Jack Antonoff, and FKA Twigs. (4\/17)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\" id=\"attachment_253356\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.metroweekly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/FILM-Michael-1.jpg?resize=960%2C640&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Michael\" class=\"wp-image-253356\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Michael<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Michael<\/strong> \u2014 Speaking of pop stars, Mother Mary could only dream of stardom like that of Michael Jackson, portrayed in this hotly anticipated biopic by the King of Pop\u2019s nephew Jaafar (son of brother Jermaine), with Nia Long as Jackson family matriarch Katherine and best-dressed man alive Colman Domingo taking on the difficult role of abusive patriarch Joe. Director Antoine Fuqua and screenwriter John Logan cover MJ\u2019s youth to his early solo career here, with a second film to cover the singer\u2019s controversy-consumed later life seemingly assured but yet to be confirmed by studio Lionsgate. (4\/24)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>MAY<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Devil Wears Prada 2<\/strong> \u2014 Re-assembling the creative team (director David Frankel and screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna) and main cast of the culture-shifting 2006 comedy <em>The Devil Wears Prada<\/em> surely didn\u2019t come cheap, so let\u2019s hope this sequel puts that budget to good use, along with the time and talents of Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci in this 20-years-later look at what those fab fashionistas are up to in the age of TikTok. (5\/1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour Live in 3D<\/strong> \u2014 Billie, in concert, live and in 3D. (5\/8)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Blue Film <\/strong>\u2014 Filmmaker Elliot Tuttle\u2019s sensual, festival-favorite drama about a fetish camboy (Kieron Moore) who agrees to spend a night IRL with an anonymous client (Reed Birney) promises to titillate as well as probe the needs and desires that bring these two together. (5\/8)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\" id=\"attachment_253363\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.metroweekly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/FILM-The-Sheep-Detectives.jpg?resize=960%2C479&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"The Sheep Dectectives\" class=\"wp-image-253363\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Sheep Detectives<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Sheep Detectives<\/strong> \u2014 A flock of sheep (Bryan Cranston, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Regina Hall, and Patrick Stewart) find their beloved shepherd (Hugh Jackman) murdered and get down to solving the case, in what looks to be an utterly delightful live-action, <em>Babe<\/em>-style mystery from <em>Minions: The Rise of Gru<\/em> director Kyle Balda. (5\/8)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Is God Is<\/strong> \u2014 Based on Aleasha Harris\u2019 Obie Award-winning play, an eccentric, revenge-fueled thriller about two sisters (Kara Young and Mallori Johnson), scarred emotionally and physically, on a mission to track down their Monster of a dad (Sterling K. Brown) at the behest of their dying mom. (5\/15)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>I Love Boosters<\/strong> \u2014 Boots Riley follows up his fantastic debut feature <em>Sorry to Bother You<\/em> with another star-studded satire, about a Bay Area crew of shoplifters led by Keke Palmer who go to war with cutthroat fashionista Demi Moore. We can\u2019t wait to see who comes out on top. (5\/22)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Backrooms<\/strong> \u2014 Creator of the <em>Backrooms<\/em> web series Kane Parsons assembled an intriguing cast (Renate Reinsve, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mark Duplass, Avan Jogia) for this supernatural sci-fi adaptation, directed by Parsons and written by Will Soodik, about a therapist whose patient goes missing through an inter-dimensional portal inside a nondescript basement room. (5\/29)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>JUNE<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Animal Friends<\/strong> \u2014 Live-action CGI-animal antics featuring the voices of Ryan Reynolds and Jason Momoa as Pony and Bear, fugitive animals on a cross-country, odd-couple adventure to find their former ranch home, and probably make a lot of jokes about what bears do in the woods. (6\/5)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Masters of the Universe<\/strong> \u2014 The first attempt at a live-action version of the He-Man vs. Skeletor animated series gave us the 1987 dud starring Dolph Lundgren and Courteney Cox, which transported the sword-wielding hero to suburban California for no good reason. This latest effort, from director Travis Knight and featuring <em>Red, White, &amp; Royal Blue<\/em> hunk Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man and Jared Leto as bony villain Skeletor, looks no less cheesy, but it could hardly be worse. (6\/5)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\" id=\"attachment_253358\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.metroweekly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/FILM-Scary-Movie-4.jpg?resize=960%2C637&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Scary Movie\" class=\"wp-image-253358\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Scary Movie<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Scary Movie<\/strong> \u2014 Fans online are fired up about the reboot of the horror movie-mocking franchise, but we seem to remember that this series was always spotty, at best. So consider our enthusiasm curbed for this installment, written by Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Craig Wayans, and Rick Alvarez, though we\u2019re definitely glad to see Anna Faris and Regina Hall back as pals Cindy and Brenda, facing off against a whole new slew of spoofed <em>Sinners<\/em> vamps, Megan clones, and <em>Weapons<\/em> kids. (6\/5)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Disclosure Day<\/strong> \u2014 Steven Spielberg is keeping details under wraps for this sci-fi opus, written by frequent collaborator David Koepp (<em>War of the Worlds<\/em>), and starring Emily Blunt, Josh O\u2019Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, and Colman Domingo in a story that might be about humans confronting irrefutable proof that we are not alone in the universe. The movie has a prime summer weekend all to itself, so expect one of Spielberg\u2019s biggest box office openings ever. (6\/12)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Death of Robin Hood<\/strong> \u2014 Michael Sarnoski (<em>Pig<\/em>, <em>A Quiet Place: Day One<\/em>) brings us a dark reimagining of the Robin Hood legend, with Hugh Jackman as the aged and injured archer whose past life of crime and murder comes back to bite him in the ass, probably not literally, but definitely painfully. Bill Skarsg\u00e5rd is along for the ride as comrade Little John, with Jodie Comer portraying a mysterious woman who might be able to save the ailing antihero. (6\/19)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Toy Story 5<\/strong> \u2014 Pixar gives <em>Finding Nemo<\/em> and <em>Wall-E<\/em> filmmaker Andrew Stanton his first crack at writing and directing a <em>Toy Story<\/em> feature, with all the playthings you know and love, including cowgirl Jessie (Joan Cusack), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), and, yes, Woody (Tom Hanks), having to compete for attention with a new wave of computerized and Bluetooth-enabled devices, like Lilypad, a computer tablet voiced by Greta Lee. Can\u2019t they all just get along? (6\/19)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\" id=\"attachment_253355\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.metroweekly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/FILM-LEVITICUS_Still02_Courtesy-of-NEON.jpg?resize=960%2C641&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Leviticus\" class=\"wp-image-253355\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Leviticus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Leviticus<\/strong> \u2014 Discerning indie distributor Neon presents this Australian horror film starring Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen as teen boys whose conservative Christian community tries to \u201ccure\u201d them of their sexual attraction to each other with a ritual that backfires horribly, unleashing an evil spirit that hunts them, taking the form of the person they most desire \u2014 each other. Wicked! (6\/19)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Supergirl<\/strong> \u2014 Super cousin Kara Zor-el (Milly Alcock) made quite an impression in her new DCU debut in last summer\u2019s <em>Superman<\/em> \u2014 if not on us, then certainly on the folks at Warner Bros. who are betting on this intergalactic adventure, where Supergirl and her dog Krypto run into super-powered bounty hunter Lobo (Jason Momoa), to further DC\u2019s Gods and Monsters initiative, some comic book-y rubric that won\u2019t mean anything to anybody unless this movie kicks ass. (6\/26)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>JULY<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Minions &amp; Monsters<\/strong> \u2014 We know there\u2019s an audience ever-eager to laugh at those mischievous Minions, returning in this third Minions prequel, and seventh film overall in the <em>Despicable Me<\/em> franchise, directed once again by Pierre Coffin, who also provides the little guys\u2019 voices. (7\/1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Odyssey<\/strong> \u2014 The trailer for Christopher Nolan\u2019s suitably epic take on Homer\u2019s tale is already one of the most captivating films of the year, so bring on the rest in all its lush, violent glory, led by Matt Damon as Odysseus making his perilous journey home from the Trojan War, and stacked with the season\u2019s starriest cast: Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong\u2019o, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, John Leguizamo, and Mia Goth, just to name a few. (7\/17)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Spider-Man: Brand New Day<\/strong> \u2014 The summer of Zen and Tom swings on with Sony and Marvel\u2019s fourth standalone Spidey film starring Tom Holland as the web-slinger also known as Peter Parker \u2014 except, following the events of previous film <em>No Way Home<\/em>, no one on Earth actually remembers Peter Parker exists, not even his former lady love MJ (Zendaya) or best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon). So Peter might feel especially on his own as he finds himself in typically sticky situations involving the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), the Punisher (Jon Bernthal), and an as-yet-unidentified adversary portrayed by <em>Stranger Things<\/em> standout Sadie Sink. (7\/31)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>AUGUST<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\" id=\"attachment_253360\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.metroweekly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/FILM-Teenage-Sex-and-Death-at-Camp-Miasma.jpg?resize=960%2C540&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma\" class=\"wp-image-253360\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma<\/strong> \u2014 We\u2019re not sure who\u2019s doing what to whom in this trippy horror flick from Jane Schoenbrun (<em>I Saw the TV Glow<\/em>), but somehow <em>Hacks<\/em>\u2018 Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson figure in a queer director\u2019s obsessive attempt to reboot a classic slasher franchise with the original film\u2019s \u201cfinal girl.\u201d (8\/7)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From Nolan and Spielberg to bold indies and queer standouts, the season\u2019s film lineup is packed with must-see releases. The bounty of films this season bears some strange fruit that audiences might love to sample, along with shiny new apples like films from heavy hitters Christopher Nolan, Steven Spielberg, and Steven Soderbergh, the latter two<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6607,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-6606","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/4guysmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6606","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/4guysmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/4guysmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/4guysmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/4guysmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6606"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/4guysmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6606\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6608,"href":"https:\/\/4guysmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6606\/revisions\/6608"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/4guysmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/4guysmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/4guysmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/4guysmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}