The last few years have been a roller-coaster ride for Ridley Scott, who has had a couple of big-time box office misfires with Napoleon (starring Joaquin Phoenix) and Gladiator II (starring Paul Mescal). The former was much more divisive than the latter — after being heavily criticized for historical inaccuracies, Napoleon grossed only $222 million at the box office against a $200 million budget, leaving it more than $100 million short of its break-even point. With a $250 million budget, Gladiator II also fell short of its $500 million break-even point by turning in only $460 million globally, and the lack of Russell Crowe in the film certainly made fans more hesitant to show up to theaters. Scott has suffered a few misfires in the historical epic department, but this summer, he’ll officially return to the genre he has helped revolutionize.

Prime Video has had more than its fair share of big TV shows return this year already, but nothing has had as much anticipation behind it as the fifth and final season of The Boys. The show first arrived back in the summer of 2019, and it was such an unknown at the time, that Prime Video debuted all episodes of the series at once — it didn’t waste any time becoming one of the hottest binges of the year. Over the course of five seasons in seven years — an impressive turnaround schedule for any show with this level of budget — The Boys became one of Prime Video’s flagship properties. There were high expectations heading into The Boys Season 5, but it didn’t take fans long to begin picking apart the show’s final outing, which will undoubtedly taint how it’s remembered in the long run.

Video game adaptations have been hit or miss over the years, but more creators have shown dedication to the source material in recent years, which has helped to produce some more faithful remakes. One of the most universally lauded video game adaptations to come in recent years is the live-action Fallout show on Prime Video. The show has already released two full seasons, and it’s been renewed for a third, which is expected to film later this year. Most fans would agree that The Last of Us has also done a fine job adapting the series of critically acclaimed Naughty Dog games from the mind of Neil Druckmann. There is always a new video game adaptation to look forward to, and one of the biggest projects ever brought into live-action is officially coming next year.

Taylor Sheridan fans are on top of the world right now after the neo-Western scribe has delivered several new shows to start the year. Sheridan got the ball rolling with a new Yellowstone spin-off, Marshals, which brought back Luke Grimes to play Kayce Dutton now that he’s left ranch life behind. Around the same time that Marshals was unleashed into the world via CBS, Paramount Plus subscribers were also treated to the first season of The Madison, the heartfelt neo-Western led by Kurt Russell and Michelle Pfeiffer. The Madison has already been picked up for second and third seasons, so the show isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Sheridan has a few other shows set to return later this year, including Tulsa King (starring Sylvester Stallone) and Mayor of Kingstown (starring Jeremy Renner), but they all fall under the shadow of his biggest hit since Yellowstone.

Marvel may have some of the most popular characters in comic book history, but where the brand has really shone is with its teams. One of the first that comes to mind is Marvel’s First Family, aka The Fantastic Four, who have headlined several feature films and hundreds of comics over the years. The Avengers have also become one of Marvel’s biggest cash cows in recent years, particularly thanks to the rise of the team during the early days of the MCU’s Infinity Saga. There is, however, another Marvel team that stands above the rest as the most popular in comic book history: The X-Men.

Prime Video is in line for one of the biggest years in the streamer’s history in 2026 after releasing new seasons of some of its biggest properties. The first show that comes to mind is The Boys, which just wrapped up with a divisive finale that still has fans watching and debating close to a month later. Prime Video also aired a new season of its critically lauded adult animated show, Invincible, and confirmed on the day of the Season 4 finale that more episodes are coming next year. However, the biggest Prime Video show returning before the end of this year is Reacher, the hit action series starring the gargantuan Alan Ritchson. There is such little doubt that Reacher Season 4 is going to be a massive hit that the show has already been picked up for Season 5 before Season 4 even has a release date.

George R.R. Martin has more than earned his status as one of the most legendary fantasy authors of all time — his writings are the inspiration behind the biggest TV franchise in the world with Game of Thrones. Game of Thrones aired its second spin-off earlier this year with A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and the third season of House of the Dragon is coming in just a few weeks. Martin may be the writer of the (infamously unfinished) Song of Ice and Fire series, but he’s also involved in other non-Game of Thrones projects, both as a writer and producer. Last year, Martin’s short story, In the Lost Lands, was adapted into a fantasy film starring Dave Bautista and Milla Jovovich, but it bombed at the box office with only $6 million against a $55 million budget.

Over the last few years, Alan Ritchson has quietly become one of the most popular action stars working in Hollywood today. This is largely due to his role in Reacher, the hit Prime Video show with three full seasons already out and a fourth on the way later this year. Prime Video is so sure that Reacher Season 4 is going to be a smash hit — Ritchson has already promised that it’s by far the best season of the show yet — that it’s been picked up for Season 5 before Season 4 even has a premiere date. Ritchson has also expanded into movies recently with hits like The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, which was directed by Guy Ritchie. Earlier this year, Ritchson headlined the biggest Netflix sci-fi thriller of 2026, War Machine, which has scored over 125 million views.

Apple TV is lining up to have another big year in 2026, and things are already off to a hot start with the Season 2 premiere of sci-fi shows like Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. Apple TV also has a few big crime thrillers coming this summer with Cape Fear and Lucky, both of which are premiering this summer. Cape Fear features some big stars like Javier Bardem and Amy Adams, and it’s based on the same source material that inspired Robert De Niro’s 1991 film of the same name. Following Cape Fear around a month later is Lucky, the Anya Taylor-Joy-led crime thriller that also stars Timothy Olyphant. Last year around this time, Apple TV debuted all episodes of one of the most underrated crime thrillers in platform history, but the future of the show is still incredibly murky.

It’s taken years, but Harlan Coben has quietly become one of the most legendary writers of crime fiction in the world. Coben’s work has become so popular that he was recruited to star in an unscripted series, Harlan Coben’s Final Twist, which follows the author as he exposes shocking murder and scandals that peel back layers of deceit. The show aired earlier this year in January, and it was such a success that it was picked up for Season 2, though it’s unclear at this time when it will be released. Coben’s first project of 2026 was Run Away, the Netflix original crime thriller starring James Nesbitt and Minnie Driver. Run Away went toe-to-toe with Stranger Things Season 5 at the time of airing, and Coben will have a chance to keep the momentum soon with another binge-worthy Netflix series.

Taylor Sheridan fans are riding high right now after the legendary writer has delivered several intense shows to kick off 2026. Sheridan got the ball rolling with a new Yellowstone offshoot, Marshals, which stars Luke Grimes as Kayce Dutton now that he’s left ranch life behind to become a U.S. marshal. Around the same time that Marshals was first released via CBS — the first Sheridan-produced network show — Paramount Plus subscribers were treated to the first season of The Madison, the touching drama led by Kurt Russell and Michelle Pfeiffer. The Madison has already been renewed for second and third seasons, so the show isn’t going off the air anytime in the next few years. Sheridan has a few other shows set to return later this year, including Tulsa King (starring Sylvester Stallone) and Mayor of Kingstown (starring Jeremy Renner), but the latter isn’t the first time he has worked with the MCU star.

Netflix is the biggest streaming service in the world by overall subscriber count, so it should come as no surprise that the streamer has pumped out dozens of popular projects so far this year. The first feature film that comes to mind is War Machine, the big-budget sci-fi epic headlined by Reacher star Alan Ritchson. The film racked up over 125 million views during its first month on streaming, and after whispers that a sequel was being discussed surfaced online, Netflix confirmed earlier this week that War Machine 2 is officially in development with Ritchson and director Patrick Hughes expected to return. For fans of content a little more family-friendly, Netflix is still riding high off the success of Swapped, the animated comedy starring Michael B. Jordan (Sinners) and Juno Temple (Ted Lasso).