It’s a new year, and with every new year comes an abundance of opportunities to engage with fantastical stories for God’s glory!

Let’s face it: the past few years in entertainment have been a mixed bag. We’ve had the displeasure of writing some recent downer reviews (Stranger Things, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2, and Journey to Bethlehem). And we’ve also enjoyed the privilege of reviewing stories that gleam optimistic (House of David, The Sun Eater Series by Christopher Ruocchio, Superman (2025), K-Pop Demon Hunters, and Thunderbolts*).

It’s sometimes difficult being a fantasy and science fiction fan when so many stories that achieve liftoff just can’t manage to stick the landing when it comes to meaningful themes, strong characters, compelling craft, and spiritual fidelity.

But rebellions run on hope! And we’re not out of hopeful fuel just yet.

Here’s what the Lorehaven team is looking forward to enjoying in 2026!

Daniel Whyte IV

1. The Odyssey (July 17)

If you catch me depressed during the first six months of 2026, please remind me that Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey comes out in July. And let’s face it: Nolan doesn’t miss. (Even when he’s making talky films like Oppenheimer.)

After Nolan was forced out of directing Troy early in his career, this is almost prophetic: the hero returns after a long voyage through time, memory, space, and Gotham. And like those Batman films which stand as outliers in Nolan’s twisty, typically high-brow oeuvre, this adaptation of Homer’s classic is bound to be gritty, heroic, mythic, and majestic—story traits our times desperately need.

2. Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew (Nov. 26)

It’s been fifteen years since Walden Media’s The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010), the last (and not so great) attempt at translating one of C.S. Lewis’s tales for the big screen. Unlike, say, Harry Potter (which has an HBO TV series planned for 2027), there’s not a lot of recent Narnia-related conversation happening. Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing, but my curiosity is getting the best of me. I’m tired of the speculation and the doomsaying. I’m ready for Greta Gerwig’s take on Narnia. I’m ready for Digory, Polly, and Fledge to take up a lot of space in the cultural arena. I think that’s a plus for C. S. Lewis stans, Gerwig skeptics, and Narnia agnostics alike.

3. Avengers: Doomsday (Dec. 18)

I absolutely hated Marvel bringing Robert Downey Jr. back to the MCU to play Doctor Doom. Sitting in the theater a few weeks ago, I hated Marvel again as I watched the teaser indicating the return of Chris Evans to play Steve Rogers. And then came Chris Hemsworth’s Thor. More hate.

Bottom line: the MCU is pulling in the bankable stars because they want an undeniable success story told in box office returns.

Bottom line: maybe that’s not a bad thing.

Marvel’s aware of its flagging output since Endgame, and they are pulling out all the stops for the next Avengers outing. I’m here for the spectacle.

E. Stephen Burnett

1. The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin (Jan. 22)

Jeremy Boreing created this fantasy action drama that releases on the DailyWire+ streaming platform Jan. 22. The entrepreneur is better-known in cultural conservative spaces as former co-CEO of The Daily Wire (platform for political/social pundits such as Ben Shapiro and Matt Walsh). But it’s clear that with this series, Boreing feels a deeper call with potential echoes beyond podcasting.

Seven episodes of this high-budget and higher-aspiration series adapt events from Stephen R. Lawhead’s first two Pendragon Cycle novels, Taliesin and Merlin.

Boreing has praised this book series for helping change his life, thanks to its portrayal of robust Christian truth and virtue reaching the British isles, creating the dynasty of King Arthur and ultimately all of cultural Christendom.

Yes, The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin series seeks to level up conservative-made popular culture. But this series also aims to portray nothing less than glimpses of the higher light that formed Western civilization—the epic true myth of the gospel that takes root among warring tribes and pagan religions.

2. Godzilla Minus Zero (June 2)

Christmas 2023 marked an epic return for Toho’s monster king when Godzilla Minus One stomped onto American shores. Director Takashi Yamazaki’s fresh take on the terrible lizard recast his origins in post–World War II Japan (diminished by the conflict, e.g., reduced to level “minus one”). This startling human drama stars kamikaze pilot Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) on his slow journey toward healing. Yet the famed dinosauroid atomic-breather isn’t far behind. He’s now seen as an unstoppable symbol of the trauma Kōichi must defeat to rebuild not just himself and a family, but all of Japan.

Godzilla Minus One was famously made on a shoestring budget, yet gained a 2024 Academy Award for best visual effects. So far, Yamazaki has stayed silent about this year’s followup. But the first film’s closing moments alluded to classic Godzilla lore and provoked fan speculation about one heroine’s fate. I hope a sequel will stay faithful to its new late-1940s setting, not just in aesthetics but in virtues. Here’s hoping that despite high praise from Hollywood heavyweights like Spielberg and Cameron, Yamazaki will also deepen his homemade-blockbuster roots.

3. Avengers: Doomsday (Dec. 18)

No, I do not have “superhero fatigue.” I have clown-show fatigue. That’s a direct result of Marvel’s and DC’s bizarre and self-destructive demands to shed all mythological weight of their worlds in favor of “action comedies.” All but the most tolerant fans (and some hardline shills) have turned against this approach that recast Superman as a “loveable oaf” and Thor as a self-parody.

We’re still awaiting the comeback of earnest Superman (preferably Henry Cavill). But sincere Thor finally returned in a Dec. 30 teaser for Avengers: Doomsday.¹ In that teaser, gone are the, er, “witticisms” of a certain previous director. Back are directors Anthony and Joe Russo with a Thor you can believe in, devotedly praying for courage to face an upcoming battle.

Sure, Christians will note Thor addresses the wrong god—Marvel’s Odin, last seen dying in a previous movie. But at this point, any mark of sincerity may restore strength to a super-world obsessed with self-awareness and identity politics.

Honorable mentions: Project Hail Mary (March 20), Spider-Man: Brand New Day (July 31), Adventures in Odyssey: Journey into the Impossible (fall 2026), Dune part 3 (Dec. 18).

Ticia Messing

1. Twelve Months by Jim Butcher (Jan. 20)

This will be book 18 of The Dresden Files series. It’s been forever since the last one came out—forever meaning three years. But I’ve been following this series for years and waiting for books is hard.

2. The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin (Jan. 22)

I loved Stephen R. Lawhead’s book series in college, and actually seeing it come to life as a TV series is very exciting.

3. Shades of Obsidian by Sarah Chislon (Oct. 18)

This is the fifth book in the Blood of the Fae series. Each book in this series gets better and better. I love the worldbuilding and the gaslamp fantasy and fae courts.

A. D. Sheehan

1. The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin (Jan. 22)

To open a Stephen R. Lawhead book is to long for a live action adaptation. The Pendragon Cycle perfectly blends epic scope with a unique historical eye, giving the Arthurian legend the accuracy and spiritual congruence it has always deserved. I can’t wait to see it on screen. The fact that DailyWire+ is producing it is a double-edged Sword of Britain: Yes, they’ll nail the themes, culture, and worldview. But will they have the money?

2. Project Hail Mary (March 20)

Having been warned off the spoilery trailer, I’m basing this pick on three hopes: That Ryan Gosling will continue his recent string of brilliance; that it will be as good as the last Andy Weir adaptation, The Martian; and that the book, which I’ve recently started, will stay this interesting until the last page. All three are looking good.

3. Spider-Man: Brand New Day (July 31)

This might be an obvious choice for a long-time Marvel fanboy like myself. But since we’ve had to slog through Captain America: Brave New World and Fantastic Four: First Steps, my hopes aren’t as high about 2026. But between those dregs of the glory days and the shameless nostalgia bait of Avengers: Doomsday nestles our last best hope—a fourth Tom Holland Spider-Man movie. The series has been consistently excellent, and after Spidey’s “reset” in No Way Home, we can drop some baggage and surge ahead.

Elijah David

1. Twelve Months by Jim Butcher (Jan. 20)

Like Ticia, I’ve been reading this series for years and am ready to see where this eighteenth book takes the characters.

2. The Sheep Detectives (May 8)

My brother shared the trailer for this movie with me over the Christmas holidays. It looks like a hilarious comic mystery film that I could take my oldest to when it releases in the spring.

3. Spider-Man: Brand New Day (July 31)

I’ve been watching all the older Spider-Man movies with my oldest lately, and we’re both eagerly awaiting the final Spider-Verse film, so this will be a good way to scratch the Spider-Man itch till then. Also, I’m more invested in Tom Holland’s Peter Parker than anything else in the MCU right now.

Bonus story: VisionQuest. This is the actual followup to WandaVision (2021) that I’ve been waiting for since that series ended (forget you, Agatha All Along). I’m hoping for not just more of Paul Bettany’s wonderful acting but also—maybe, hopefully—some reversals to Wanda’s absolute character obliteration from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022).

Josiah DeGraaf

1. Red God (unknown)

While an official release date hasn’t been set yet, the climax to Pierce Brown’s Red Rising series is heavily rumored to be releasing this year. For many readers, the concept of sci-fi Roman empire has been one of the strong appeals of this series. I’ve also deeply appreciated the strong moral center this series has possessed as it’s interrogated just how many ethical lines ought to be crossed in the pursuit of a better society. After the stunning character arcs of the previous book, I’m on the edge of my seat for how everything will come together.

2. The Odyssey (July 17)

As someone who used to be a classical literature teacher, the prospect of having the Odyssey on the big screen (told by Nolan of all people) has me hooked hard. Many previous adaptations (including the popular musical) have shied away so far from depicting the deep themes of home, trust, and hospitality that are woven throughout the original. And I’ll admit that I’m a bit nervous about if Nolan is even interested in grappling with those original themes. But either way, you know I’ll be sitting there watching it on opening day.

3. Dune Part Three (Dec. 18)

The first two Dune films were pure masterclasses in cinema in addition to being insightful commentaries on the dangers of human saviors. They have me intensely curious for how Villeneuve will adapt Frank Herbert’s controversial second book that leans even harder into the flaws of Paul Atreides. Villeneuve seems prepared to deviate from the plot of the second book in significant ways in light of how Dune Part Two ended. Whatever he chooses, even if its release date stays the same as Avengers Doomsday, Villeneuve has earned my ticket.