We've Been Talking About How We're Getting The Summer Of Tom Holland In 2026. Now, It's Looking Like The Winter Of Florence Pugh
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.
We've been talking about how we're getting the summer of Tom Holland, with the English-born actor set to star in Christopher Nolan's Odyssey movie and swinging back into cinemas in the upcoming Spider-Man sequel. The summer of 2026 will be huge for upcoming movies, but if you're looking ahead a few months, December is already shaping to belong entirely to someone else: Florence Pugh. Not just figuratively, either; she has two major films landing on the same weekend.
Those would be the Russo brothers' Avengers: Doomsday, and Dune: Messiah, both slated for December 2026. Go ahead, let that sink in.
Let's start with Doomsday, the next big swing in Marvel's Multiverse Saga. Pugh returns as Yelena Belova, the no-nonsense assassin who's gone from scene-stealing supporting role to franchise anchor. With much of the original Avengers lineup gone or rebooted, Yelena is positioned to take center stage in a way fans have been waiting for. And with Doomsday reportedly setting up the final pieces of Marvel's multiverse endgame, expect high stakes, massive cameos, and the Midsommar actress is in a full-fledged action lead capacity.
She won't even have time to take off the combat boots before dropping into the sand again, because she's also reprising her role in some of the best sci-fi movies of recent memory, as Princess Irulan in Dune: Messiah, Denis Villeneuve's next chapter in the sweeping sci-fi saga. This sequel is expected to take a darker, more intimate turn as Paul Atreides' messianic rule begins to unravel.
And if you've read the book, you know Irulan's role is only growing. She's no longer just window dressing in the imperial court, but a political.
Two franchise juggernauts. Two wildly different roles. One actress anchoring both. That's not just a scheduling coincidence, but a flex.
Studios rarely schedule two major blockbusters starring the same actor on the same opening weekend, but the Little Women star isn't your average star. She's earned a reputation for elevating every project she joins, whether it's the unsettling indie Midsommar, action-packed upcoming Marvel movie tentpoles, or the prestige ensemble of Oppenheimer. Now, she's entering rare air: a bona fide box office force and a critical powerhouse. Come next holiday season, it won't just be Christmas, it'll be Pugh Season. And like the Barbenheimer phenomenon before it, we're about to witness a cultural collision. Call it DoomsDune, Dune'sDay, Doone, whatever the name, it's the event of the season, and fans won't want to miss it.
So yes, the summer of Tom Holland is happening. We'll get the suit, the quips, the billion-dollar box office, and maybe even a Spider-Verse twist or two. But when winter hits, it's Florence Pugh's turn to own the spotlight. And with Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Messiah both set to dominate the cultural conversation, she could walk away from 2026 with not just the year's biggest hits, but its most iconic performances too.
Mark your calendars! Dune: Messiah hits theaters on December 16, 2026, and just two days later, Avengers: Doomsday is coming to cinemas on the 18th. Don't miss out!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
Why this author wrote about creative women as they aged: ‘They made much of less'
In this week's newsletter, we have a chat with Susan Gubar, whose new book, 'Grand Finales: The Creative Longevity of Women Artists,' profiles seven creators who found a second wind in their advancing years. We also look at recent releases reviewed in The Times. And a local bookseller tells us what's selling right now. Seventeen years ago, Susan Gubar was handed a death sentence. A distinguished professor emerita of English and women's studies at Indiana University and the co-author (with Sandra M. Gilbert) of 1979's 'The Madwoman in the Attic,' a groundbreaking work of feminist literary theory, Gubar in 2008 was staring down a terminal cancer diagnosis. A clinical trial involving an experimental drug prolonged her life and gave her the impetus to tackle a new project about seven artists — George Eliot, Colette, Georgia O'Keeffe, Isak Dinesen, Marianne Moore, Louise Bourgeois, Mary Lou Williams, Gwendolyn Brooks and Katherine Dunham — who entered a new phase of creative ferment and productivity as they grew older. I talked to Gubar about her new book, the myth of old age and the persistent stereotypes attached to female artists who may be perceived as having outlived their usefulness as creators. (Please note: The Times may earn a commission through links to whose fees support independent bookstores.) Can you talk about how the book came about? In 2008, I was told that I had 3-5 years to live with late-stage ovarian cancer. The standard treatment was ineffectual. But then in 2012, my oncologist encouraged me to enroll in a clinical trial that was experimenting with a new drug. After nine years in the trial, she then urged me to take 'a drug holiday' since long-term use of the medication could cause leukemia. I am still on that holiday. An unanticipated old age made me appreciate the wonderful gifts longevity can bestow. In researching your subjects, what do they all share in common? All of my subjects are artists who experienced the losses of aging. They needed canes and wheelchairs and helpers while they suffered the pains of various diseases and regimens. One coped with blindness, another with deafness and still others with the loss of intimates. Yet in the face of such deficits, they used their art to exhibit their audacity, mojo, chutzpah, bravado. They're exemplars of Geezer Machismo. All of your subjects are women, who have a much tougher time in terms of earning respect and attention as they age. Can you speak to the obstacles they had to overcome as they reinvented themselves as artists in their advanced years? The stereotypical old lady is invisible or risible, but we know that many elderly women thrive. My old ladies did not approach their life stories as prime-and-decline narratives. Instead they reinvented themselves. In part, they managed to do this by changing their objectives as artists. They moved from the stage to the page or from elite to popular forms. Some of them underwent religious or political conversions that energized their last years. They fully understood the losses of old age, but they did not settle for less. Instead, they made much of less. What's interesting about these artists is that — contrary, I must admit, to what I thought would have been the case — these women were supported by men who became their benefactors, and helped them to negotiate their careers. Quite a few of the women that I write about were helped by much younger men in their lives, who became facilitators. This is true for George Eliot, Colette, Georgia O'Keeffe, Louise Bourgeoise, Mary Lou Williams and others. Williams, the great jazz pianist, was helped by a Jesuit named Father O'Brien, who helped her get control of her copyrights. Georgia O'Keeffe, in contrast, has been championed by photographer Alfred Stieglitz, but she had to leave him in her midlife to establish her autonomy late in life. He was very controlling, even though he definitely established her reputation. She was aided in her later years by a man young enough to be her grandson. You are an octogenarian, and writing a book isn't easy, as you know. Where do you find the inspiration and the strength to keep going as a creator? What keeps me going is what kept my subjects flourishing in their seventies, eighties or nineties. Any sort of creative activity involves expression, which is a great antidote to depression. It may take the form of sculpting, painting, playing an instrument, teaching a dance routine, making a quilt or a garden, establishing a park or a prize, you name it. Without my two current writing projects, I'd be lost. Even (or maybe especially) in our dismal political climate, ongoing creative projects make each day an adventure. Heather Scott Partington reviews 'Fox,' Joyce Carol Oates' mystery novel about a murdered pedophile. 'Fox has the bones of a potboiler but is supported by the sinew of the author's elegant structure and syntax,' writes Partington . Leigh Haber weighs in on Jess Walter's book 'So Far Gone,' calling the author a 'slyly adept social critic [who has] clearly invested his protagonist with all of the outrage and heartbreak he himself feels about the dark course our world has taken.' Daniel Felsenthal thinks Geoff Dyer's memoir 'Homework' is somewhat meandering, yet 'bursts with working-class pride, a fond and mournful belief in the possibility of the British welfare state.' And Paula L. Woods talked to five mystery writers about the inspirations for their new books. This week, we're talking about hot books with Nat Eastman, the manager of Chevalier's Books on Larchmont Boulevard in Hollywood, the oldest independent bookstore in Los Angeles. What books are selling in the store right now? We've been moving Percival Everett's 'James' and Ocean Vuong's 'The Emperor of Gladness' hand over fist. Thanks to BookTok, Asako Yuzuki's 'Butter' has become a mainstay on our bestseller list. We also had the honor of hosting Bryan Byrdlong for a reading from his debut poetry collection 'Strange Flowers,' and we've been handselling it right and left ever since. What are your perennial sellers? Kaya Doi's series of picture books, 'Chirri and Chirra,' is a smash hit around here. Joan Didion and bell hooks are reliable customer favorites as well. As an indie shop, though, we love the deeper cuts too — whether that's 'Água Viva,' literally any Yoko Ogawa work or something from our zine collection. Are you seeing more young people buying books? Despite all the reports about declining literacy rates among young folk, our children's section makes up a quarter of our sales. We really try to carve out a space for the next generation of readers with programs like storytime, a middle-grade book club and summer-reading punch cards. To us, messy shelves are annoying everywhere except the kids' section!
Gizmodo
2 hours ago
- Gizmodo
The Newest Marvel/DC Crossover Will Have Some Fun Team-Ups
In May, Marvel Comics and DC finally confirmed they were doing a new crossover for the first time in over 20 years. At the time, we only knew it'd involve Deadpool and Batman teaming up in a pair of one-shots from Zeb Wells and Greg Capullo (Marvel) and Grant Morrison and Dan Mora (DC). Thanks to the latest Marvel solicitations for the month of August, we know the full scope of the crossover on its side of things. Along with the previously announced duo, Marvel/DC: Deadpool & Batman will feature stories pairing Daredevil and Green Arrow (from Kevin Smith and Andy Kubert), Captain America and Wonder Woman (Chip Zdarsky and Terry Dodson), and superpets Jeff the Shark and Krypto the Superdog (Kelly Thompson and Gurihiru). Each story also gets its own variant cover, and you can see most of them down below. That's a solid lineup of fan favorites and heavy hitters, helped by the fact none of the human characters spent time together in prior crossovers. Marvel and DC have already confirmed there's more hangouts coming: Batman/Deadpool is dropping in November, and there's another set of one-shots coming in 2026. DC's currently mum on whether its one-shot will have extra stories, and both are just as quiet on other heroes waiting in the wings in future installments, or if these are leading to something bigger on the horizon. Superheroes do tend to get caught up in multiverse problems on a frequent basis, after all. Marvel/DC: Deadpool & Batman #1 hits shelves on September 19. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Jon Bernthal Lands Role in Major Marvel Film Alongside Tom Holland
Jon Bernthal is bringing the Punisher to the big screen—and this time, he's stepping into the world of Tom Holland's Spider-Man. Bernthal has officially joined the cast of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the upcoming installment in Sony and Marvel's Spider-Man franchise. Directed by Shang-Chi filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton, the movie begins filming in England this summer and is slated for release on July 31, 2026, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Plot details remain tightly guarded, but the return of Bernthal's Frank Castle hints at a darker, more street-level tone than recent Spider-Man entries. In the comics, Castle's brutal methods often put him at odds with other heroes, and in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, that tension may come to life as he crosses paths with Peter Parker. Bernthal first debuted as the Punisher in Netflix's Daredevil before headlining two seasons of The Punisher. He returned in Daredevil: Born Again on Disney+, and Marvel has confirmed plans to expand his presence with both a second season and a stand-alone R-rated Punisher film, one that Bernthal is co-writing. The actor reportedly made it clear: if he was returning, the character's edge had to remain intact. How that uncompromising violence plays in the more family-friendly Spider-Man sandbox remains to be seen. Brand New Day also brings back Zendaya and Jacob Batalon as MJ and Ned, though their roles are still under wraps. Stranger Things star Sadie Sink joins the cast in a mystery role. The story picks up after No Way Home, where the world forgot Peter Parker's identity, giving Marvel a clean slate to rebuild. While speculation about villains runs wild, ranging from underworld bosses to symbiotes and even alternate Hulks, it's Bernthal's inclusion that changes the stakes. He and Holland share a behind-the-scenes connection, having supported each other during auditions while filming Pilgrimage in 2017. With Bernthal stepping into Spider-Man's orbit, Marvel fans can expect a collision of tone, style, and morality. Whether Castle is an ally, obstacle, or something in between, one thing is certain: Spider-Man's next chapter just got a lot more Bernthal Lands Role in Major Marvel Film Alongside Tom Holland first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 21, 2025
