Cristian Mungiu is gearing up to unveil his next film, and buzz is starting to come out for what already looks to be one of 2026’s most anticipated international releases.
The Romanian director, best known for his Palme d’Or-winning “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days,” recently wrapped production in Norway on “Fjord,” which stars Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve. Neon picked up the film for North American distribution.
Much to the surprise of nobody, Mungiu is now telling Deadline on the red carpet at the Marrakech Film Festival that he’s eyeing a Cannes debut for the film. That’s where his last four movies have screened.
“I’m in post-production now. We shot this year in April and May in Norway mostly. We are very happy that we happen to have a couple of actors in the film that have had a lovely year, Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve,” the Romanian director added.
“Fjord” centers on a Romanian family living in Norway who become entangled in a deeply complex legal investigation. The Norwegian child protection system launches a probe into the household following an incident that raises suspicions of physical abuse. What begins as a domestic inquiry quickly escalates into a high-profile trial, drawing national attention and support from religious communities across the country.
The story, based on real events, marks a significant shift for Mungiu, whose previous films have almost exclusively taken place in Romania. The Norwegian setting, combined with an international cast, signals a move toward broader themes and a multilingual—or English-language—production.
“It’s half a joke, but it’s true, [Stan] speaks a little bit of Romanian in the film, but he also speaks a lot of English, and it’s mostly a mixture of English and Norwegian with a little spice of Romanian every now and then,” he added to Deadline.
For Mungiu, “Fjord” will mark his sixth feature, extending a career that has firmly established him as one of the most important voices in modern European cinema, with acclaimed works such as “Beyond the Hills,” “Graduation,” and “R.M.N.” Despite the shift in language and setting, his signature slow-burn storytelling remains intact: audiences can expect the same rigorous realism, long takes, and unembellished visual style that have defined his filmmaking from the start.
So there's a script. That's something. It looks as though “The Movie Critic” really is dead and buried, and that this is a brand-new project, and title, but the premise is unknown.