2026: The Year of Anne Hathaway

BY: MADELYN DIBIASE / CHIEF SPORTS EDITOR

The year 2026 will go down in history as one of the greatest years for cinema. But nobody had a year quite like Anne Hathaway. 

At 43 years old, Hathaway has been in the film industry for 27 years. So, she is no stranger to the routine of filming a movie and then promoting its premiere. 

This year, she promoted five movies, all while carrying exciting news in her personal life and being named a Disney legend for her contributions to the entertainment company. 

Anne Hathaway starred in “Mother Mary”, “The Devil Wears Prada 2”, “The Odyssey”, “The End of Oak Street”, and “Verity”. 

Mother Mary (April 2026)

“Mother Mary” is an A24 production directed by David Lowery. The film is a psychological thriller, with a soundtrack composed by Jack Antonoff and Charli XCX.

In the film, Hathaway plays Mother Mary, a pop star who needs a dress for her comeback performance. Her vocals are on full display as she sings songs, namely “Burial”, “Holy Spirit”, and “My Mouth Is Lonely For You”. 

Hathaway stars alongside Michaela Coel, who plays Sam Anselm, a costume designer with whom she has a long and complicated history. 

“Mother Mary” was released in US theaters on April 17 and is now streaming on HBO Max. The film made $3 million worldwide at the box office, compared to its $20 million budget.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 (April-May 2026)

20 years after the first “Devil Wears Prada” film, the sequel was highly anticipated and did not disappoint. Both films are directed by David Frankel and have a star-studded cast: Hathaway alongside Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep, and Stanley Tucci. 

Hathaway plays journalist Andy Sachs, as she returns to Runway Magazine as its features editor. Under Miranda Priestly (Streep) and Nigel Kipling (Tucci), they work to rebuild the magazine as it faces corporate threats and the decline of print media. 

The film was released in theatres on May 1 and is now available on Disney+ and Hulu. The budget for this film was $100 million, and the film made $676 million worldwide. “The Devil Wears Prada 2” was also No. 1 in the box office domestically, during opening weekend. 

The Odyssey (July 2026)

Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” is a highly anticipated adaptation of the ancient Greek poem, penned by Homer. The film is making its rounds and is even being talked about as the movie of the year.

Anne Hathaway plays Odysseus’ passively waiting wife, Penelope. Odysseus (Matt Damon) has been absent for 20 years, and his wife feels the pressure of the empty throne. She needs to attend to aggressive suitors vying for a spot on the throne, unaware that Odysseus will return. 

Hathaway portrays Penelope with the emotional strength that it took to wait for her husband to return to Ithaca. She stalls the suitors by using her loom as an excuse. She claims she needs to finish her tapestry, when in reality, she is unweaving the loom. 

As time ran out, she presented the suitors with a challenge, one that is impossible for anyone but her husband. Whichever suitor can successfully string Odysseus’ bow and shoot it cleanly through 12 axes will marry her and take the throne. No man could succeed. Until one man does, and that one man? Yup, it was Odysseus. 

This movie had a cast stacked with the biggest names in the industry. Alongside Hathaway and Damon, there was Zendaya, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, and Charlize Theron. 

With its July 17 release, “The Odyssey” has grossed over $1.8 billion worldwide in the box office and is front-running Oscar campaigns for 2027. Hathaway’s performance is being considered for nomination, as well. She is set to participate in the Best Supporting Actress category, and if she wins, it will be her second Academy Award.

The End of Oak Street (August 2026)

“The End of Oak Street” required Hathaway to go down the sci-fi/thriller avenue, a route she doesn’t typically take in films. The film takes place in the 1980s, set in the prehistoric era, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. 

Residents of the suburban neighborhood Wisteria Gardens are forced to fight for survival against dinosaurs after a mysterious anomaly transports the neighborhood into that time period. 

Starring alongside Hathaway in this film are Ewan McGregor, Maisy Stella, and Christian Convery. They make up the Platt family, who represent the struggles faced by normal townspeople as they fight for their neighborhood’s safety.

The film, directed by David Robert Mitchell, was released in theatres on Aug. 14. In the worldwide box office, it has made $121.6 million. 

Verity (October 2026)

Based on the 2018 novel penned by Colleen Hoover, “Verity” is a psychological thriller, a genre Hathaway has tackled before. Verity Crawford is a decorated author who suffers an accident that leaves her incapacitated, unable to speak or move. Verity’s husband, Jeremy, recruits a struggling writer, Lowen Ashleigh, to ghostwrite the remaining books in his wife’s iconic collection. 

Through her research of Verity’s notes, Lowen discovers a chilling manuscript that reveals many secrets and confessions from Crawford. Her infatuation with Verity borders on obsession, which can become mind-warping for Lowen. 

Dakota Johnson plays Lowen, and Josh Hartnett plays Jeremy, alongside Hathaway. The film was directed by Michael Showalter, a director Hathaway has worked with before on the 2024 rom-com “The Idea of You”.

The movie was released on Oct. 2 and made over $172 million worldwide at the box office. 

The release of “Verity” marked the end of a milestone career year for Anne Hathaway, as she planned to “disappear into a plume of smoke” on Oct. 3, immediately following the premiere. 

D23 Disney Legend Ceremony (August 2026)

On Aug. 16, Anne Hathaway was officially inducted as a Disney Legend. The ceremony took place during D23—the Ultimate Disney Fan Event in Anaheim, CA. 

This is a huge milestone, and her fellow 2026 class of Disney Legends includes names like the Jonas Brothers, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and former Disney CEO Bob Iger.

David Frankel, who directed both “The Devil Wears Prada” films, presented her with the honor, as well as a video message from Anna Wintour. 

Her notable roles in Disney that led to her induction are: Princess Mia Thermopolis in both “The Princess Diaries” films, the White Queen in both “Alice in Wonderland” films, and Jewel in both “Rio” films. 

In her heartfelt speech, Hathaway reflects on not only her career, but also her personal life. She thanks her family, every Disney employee, and her fellow co-stars over the years. Through this, she acknowledges the fans and viewers who watched her grow up on their screens. 

Baby Hathaway (TBD)

While working hard to promote all five movies this year, Anne Hathaway was also pregnant! This is her third child, expected to be born in late 2026.

She announced her pregnancy prior to press starting for “The Odyssey”. On June 19, she posted an adorable reel to her social media accounts, cradling her baby bump. The video is captioned, “x Baby, I’m yours x”, a nod to the song by Barbara Lewis.

In an interview with Heart, Hathaway commented on every press tour and her pregnancy. “There hasn’t been a minute of press this year where I wasn’t pregnant,” Hathaway said.

Hathaway’s “The Devil Wears Prada” costar Stanley Tucci recently appeared on The Skimm, where he praised Hathaway for her hard work this year, calling her “a machine” for doing it all while pregnant. “How she did that junket while in her first trimester is beyond me,” Tucci said. 

Five films, a Disney legend induction, and a baby later, Hathaway’s recent strides in Hollywood reflect the career she's built since her initial debut.

Now, she’s taking a breather: “I am taking a little break… you’re not going to see me until you have to,” she tells Entertainment Tonight, before welcoming her next set of projects slated for 2027. Congratulations to Hathaway for all of her success this year!