Happy New Year! 2025 has officially left us, and it’s time to look toward the future. There’s plenty of amazing movies, TV shows, and anime on the horizon, but while the future may be a mystery to some, it actually isn’t. Plenty of sci-fi and action movies have already been set in the year 2026, and as Back to the Future II (1989) proved, every sci-fi prediction about the future has come true, 100% of the time. (Right?)
If you’re still reeling from the year changing over and are curious to see what the future holds, then look no further! We’ve scoured through plenty of movies and TV shows set in the year 2026 on streamers like Netflix and Paramount+ to find the best and most accurate predictions as to what the year could look like. So kick back, finalize your New Year’s resolutions, then throw them out the window as you realize that 2026 is going to be an absolutely bonkers and unpredictable year… according to entertainment.
Humanity Reaches Mars - Doom (2005)
Since mankind first walked on the moon in 1969, humanity has expanded its view of the stars and what lies beyond the moon. Now, many scientists and astronomers have been contemplating how to colonize Mars, and according to Doom, that will finally happen in 2026. There are some caveats to this. We won’t actually land on Mars, but rather find a wormhole that takes us to Mars. And thanks to us colonizing the planet, the humans there begin to mutate and become violent monsters hellbent on carving a path of destruction. But hey, some humans get superpowers, so that’s something!
Doom is exactly what you would expect from a dumb sci-fi action, which carries on the legacy of shlocky mid-2000s video game adaptations pioneered by Resident Evil (2002). Hardcore Doom fans may grumble that there aren’t demons on Mars, but at the end of the day, monsters are still there, and watching the Rock rip and tear is still fun. Besides, if there actually were demons on Mars, that may be a bit problematic for us down here on Earth if they come through the wormhole.
AI Almost Takes Over All Nuclear Weapons - Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (2025)
The proliferation of AI in 2025 was one of the biggest stories of the year. Tech companies have embraced it and say it’s the future, but consumers have been pushing back hard against it. People better push back harder, because if they don’t, AI will take over our nuclear weapons, at least according to Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning. It’s a bleak thought to be sure, and one that hits a little too close to home, but the film underscores the dangers that AI can pose to humans.
It’s a nearly three-hour thrill ride as we see the world tick closer and closer to doomsday, but thanks to some sick stuntwork by Tom Cruise on par with Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), the day is saved, and the evil AI program is thwarted. It’s a happy note to end on, but it doesn’t change the fact that with so many companies pushing for AI, it’s only a matter of time until this fictional action movie begins to come a bit too close to reality. At the very least, people who like wild, death-defying stunts will be entertained by Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning just as much as those wishing for the AI bubble to burst!
The President Will Hulk Out And Destroy Washington, DC - Captain America: Brave New World (2025)
To lighten the mood a little bit from nuclear armageddon, let’s talk about politics! Regardless of your political affiliation, 2026 is set to be a monumental year for the United States, and I’m not referring to it being the country’s 250th birthday. No, I’m referring to the president of the United States becoming Red Hulk and going on a rampage! At least, that’s what Captain America: Brave New World says will happen.
Captain America: Brave New World was probably the safest and most predictable movie in Marvel’s Captain America subseries. Safe sequels aren’t inherently bad, just look at Die Hard II (1990). Still, everything about Brave New World felt perfectly perfunctory… at least until the end. For its one-hour and 58-minute runtime, the movie built to the Red Hulk’s rampage. Watching an American president completely demolish the capital of the United States and parts of the White House may sound far-fetched and totally out of left field, but it’s possible in the MCU! Brave New World is a highly entertaining symphony of destruction, perfect for anyone who wants to watch some buildings and famous monuments come tumbling down like it’s a Roland Emmerich movie.
The Simian Flu Wipes Out Humanity - Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
I know we’re a few years out from COVID-19, but I have some bad news… we’ve got another disease coming. Well, technically, we’ve already been infected with Simian Flu according to Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and humanity will start going extinct so that the apes can take over.
According to the reboot trilogy, ten years ago, the same year Harambe died, the Simian Flu began to increase the intelligence of apes and drive humans to near extinction. The war between apes and humans will be fierce (on the same scale as 2013’s World War Z), but if Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is any indicator, then it’ll also be an emotional struggle, which will have us not only sympathize with the humans but also with the apes. It may not end well for us in the long run, especially given all of the later sequels, but at least we’ll witness one of the most glorious post-apocalyptic wars that ushers in a new era of life on Earth.
The Snowpiercer Rebellion Begins - Snowpiercer (2020-2024)
Did you know the world froze over seven years ago? It may be hard to believe, but it did, and trains have been circling the world with the last vestiges of humanity (ignore the ones fighting the apes). Well, sorry to say, but those humans aren’t going to last much longer either, since according to Snowpiercer, a major revolution has started to take place on them.
Most people in the world can agree that there’s a sharp divide between the rich and the poor. Class inequality is at its highest, but Snowpiercer brings that to the forefront and shows just how cruel the wealthy can be. I mean, we’ve all known that for years, especially if you’ve seen The Hunger Games (2012), but the revolution taking place on the Snowpiercer trains is grimy and more brutal. Not only that, but seeing how the struggle progresses from a simple mystery to a full-blown war over the course of four seasons makes this perfect if you’re the kind of person in favor of knocking those on top of the social ladder down a few pegs. Just think, soon these trains will be taken over by the working class and find parts of the planet that aren’t subzero wastelands. Do such places even exist anymore…?
AR Video Games Expand Like Never Before - Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale (2017)
Video games have become the biggest entertainment industry on the planet. They make billions of dollars every year and are one of the most defining elements of life in the 21st century. So much so that in 2026, thanks to Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale, the most dominant form of gaming will be gigantic AR battle royales!
If you know anything about Sword Art Online (2012) and its use of technology, that may seem like a bad thing. Back in 2022, according to the series, thousands of people were rendered inert vegetables and forced to stay in a VR world against their will, but that was 2022! This is 2026, and now it’s easy to log out of the augmented reality, just like in Ready Player One (2018). Granted, players will be limited by their own physical abilities, and uber players, like the ultimate self-insert hero Kirito, won’t be able to easily cheese their way to victory, but at least it’ll be incredibly immersive. Gamers have been constantly demanding to be a part of their favorite games, and if you’ve ever wanted to live that dream, Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale is here to tell you that it’s going to happen in the next twelve months. And there’ll be absolutely no risk whatsoever of memory loss or death in the process!
