Warner Bros. certainly stirred things up today by announcing release plans for a number of upcoming films.
First off, J.J. Abrams’ comeback vehicle—his first film since “Rise of Skywalker”—is officially titled “The Great Beyond” and will hit theaters on November 13. It stars Glen Powell, Jenna Ortega, Emma Mackey, and Samuel L. Jackson. Plot details have yet to be revealed.
The film is rumored to be an ’80s throwback inspired by “The Last Starfighter.” The plot for “The Great Beyond” reportedly centers on “an author of popular fantasy novels who reveals that the mythical world he’s known for creating is actually real, sending the lead character (Powell) on a quest.” The previous title (“Ghostwriter”) makes sense in that context.
What that November date tells me is that Warner Bros is very confident about what Abrams’ has made here, not to mention its commercial prospects.
Meanwhile, writer-director Sam Esmail’s “Panic Carefully” is now set to hit theaters on Feb. 26, 2027. The cast includes Julia Roberts, Eddie Redmayne, Brian Tyree Henry, Joe Alwyn, and Elizabeth Olsen.
Esmail, who is coming off the major Netflix success of “Leave the World Behind,” released in 2023, has made a film that’s been described by the trades as a “paranoid thriller” in the vein of “The Silence of the Lambs.”
“Panic Carefully” was shot in January 2025 and has been in post-production since mid-2025. Most of us thought that, given the timeline, Esmail’s film might come out this year—but by all accounts, Warner Bros. has punted it to a lonely early 2027 release.
Oh, and we’re getting another “Conjuring,” this one a prequel titled “The Conjuring: First Communion,” set for a September 10, 2027, theatrical release. Rodrigue Huart is directing from a script by Richard Naing and Ian Goldberg. A cast has yet to be revealed.
Yes, ‘Doomsday’ was shot without a finalized script. It was being written as production rolled on. The screenplay was still under development on set, with daily rewrites and updates in progress.