NEW MOVIES: Sept 24-30, 2026, “Heart of the Beast,” “Forgotten Island,” “Primetime,” “Deep in The Heart 2: Texas Rivers”

Heart of the Beast is an upcoming American survival thriller directed by David Ayer and starring Brad Pitt, set for release on September 25, 2026. The film follows a retired Special Forces veteran and his traumatized combat German Shepherd navigating a grueling 58-mile trek to safety after a seaplane crash in the Alaskan wilderness.

The film follows retired Army Special Forces veteran James Belmont (Pitt) and his traumatized military combat dog Odin, who are stranded deep in the freezing Alaskan wilderness after a plane crash. With no rescue coming, they must endure a grueling 58-mile trek to safety, battling unforgiving terrain, deadly wildlife, and their own shared combat trauma. The survival thriller highlights the deep, unbreakable bond of loyalty between a man and his canine companion under extreme stakes.^[3][4]

• Brad Pitt as James Belmont
• Uber as Odin the Dog
• J. K. Simmons
• Anna Lambe

Forgotten Island is a 2026 American animated fantasy adventure comedy film written and directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado. Produced by DreamWorks Animation, the film features H.E.R., Liza Soberano, Dave Franco, Jenny Slate, Manny Jacinto, Dolly de Leon, Jo Koy, Ronny Chieng, and Lea Salonga. Set in the 1990s in the Philippines, the story follows two childhood friends, Jo and Raissa, who become trapped in the mystical world of Nakali—which gradually feeds on the memories of those within—and must escape before they forget each other.

DreamWorks Animation officially announced the film in April 2025, with Crawford and Mercado attached to write and direct. They drew inspiration from their friendship and Philippine mythology. Initial cast members were announced in October 2025, with further casting confirmed the following March.

Early “work-in-progress” screenings were held at the 2026 CinemaCon and at the 2026 Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Forgotten Island is scheduled to be released by Universal Pictures on September 25, 2026.

In the Philippines during the 1990s, Jo tells a story about the forgotten island of Nakali and the Dreaded Manananggal at school. When a classmate makes fun of her story, she attacks him and gets in trouble. At the principal’s office, she meets Raissa, who also got in trouble for defending Jo. The two decide to become best friends and make a bracelet to share their memories, as Raissa has a sleepover with Jo and her grandma/Lola, Fatima, who tells them stories about her travels to Nakali. The bracelets fill up with charms, while Lola dies some time later.

Years later, Raissa tells Jo she is going to Caltech instead of a local college, lying that it was her parents’ idea. Jo takes this in sadness but doesn’t show it. At her farewell party, Jo makes a scene to save Raissa from being embarrassed, overhearing a conversation between Raissa and her mother, who disapproves of Jo and forces her to stay home. When she leaves, Jo and Raissa sneak out for one last night together in their jeepney, which they crashed when they were younger. After a quick argument about adding another charm, Jo finds a magical sand dollar that turns out to be the portal to Nakali they were looking for. The two decide to jump in.

The following day, they wake up with no memory of the previous night, with Raissa having wings on her back. They tie up a were-aspin named Raww, who can’t control when he transforms, before they are attacked by the Manananggal named Manang, whose wings they belong to. They evade her with the help of Batiba, a batibat, who tells them that, in exchange for their bracelets, she can send them back home. Not wanting to give up their memories, the two ditch Batiba, with Raww acting as their tour guide. At a market, they run into Bungi, a Tiyanak, who tells them the “Jewel of the Sea” they’re searching for was stolen by a Duwende king. Heading to the Duwende kingdom to retrieve it, they learn the Jewel was actually a Kataw named Mermahn, who tells them the sand dollar is in his kingdom. Feeling like no one listens to him, Raww crashes out, causing Raissa to call him a bad dog. He leaves, with Jo following, and they talk about feeling alone. At Raww’s suggestion, Jo secretly brings them to a Kapre village instead.

At the village, Jo and Raissa are told they were the best thing to ever happen to Nakali, and Raissa decides to steal Manang’s wings after she attacks the village. Grateful, they continue their quest to find the dollar, but Manang chases them. While Bungi is separated from the group, the others fall into a hole, and Mermahn reveals that he lied about the sand dollar being in his kingdom, while Raww reveals that not only does he work for Batiba, but she also feeds on memories of mortals lured to Nakali.

• H.E.R. as Josephine “Jo” Yuson, Raissa’s rowdy best friend
  • Kailey Crawford as young Jo
• Liza Soberano as Raissa Molina, Jo’s prodigious best friend who is set to leave her home in favor of attending Caltech
  • Kayla Teruel as young Raissa
• Dave Franco as Raww, a well-meaning but hapless were-aspin
• Manny Jacinto as Bungi, a large Tiyanak baby demon
• Jenny Slate as Batiba, a tree-dwelling Batibat that specializes in memories
• Lea Salonga as Manang, the Dreaded Manananggal who is the most feared creature on the island
• Dolly de Leon as Lola Fatima, Jo’s grandmother
• Jo Koy as Datu, a Kapre
• Ronny Chieng as Truffle Wuffle, King of the Duwende people

Additional cast members include Kevin McCann as Mermahn, Prince of the Kataw people; Amielynn Abellera and the film’s co-director, Januel Mercado, as Raissa’s parents; and Manny and Jane Molina and Nico Santos as Starfish Pasties. Sophia Laforteza of Katseye has a voice cameo in the film.^[2]

Primetime is a 2026 American psychological thriller film^[2][3][4][5] directed by Lance Oppenheim in his narrative feature film debut. Based on the 2007 Esquire article “Tonight on Dateline This Man Will Die,”^[6] the film follows the production of the reality television series To Catch a Predator.^[7][8] Robert Pattinson stars as series host Chris Hansen and also serves as a producer.^[9] Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, and Phoebe Bridgers play supporting roles.

The film premiered in the main competition of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival on September 5, 2026, where it competed for the Golden Lion.^[10] It will be released theatrically in the United States on September 25.^[11][12] The film received positive reviews, with high praise for Pattinson’s performance and Oppenheim’s direction.^[13]

In 2006, To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen sets out to make television history.^[1]

Robert Pattinson (left; pictured in 2025) plays Chris Hansen (right; pictured in 2021)

• Robert Pattinson as Chris Hansen, a television journalist for NBC and host of To Catch a Predator.^[14] Pattinson initially joined Primetime only as a producer before agreeing to star in the film’s lead role while prepping the film, filming Die My Love and The Drama, and preparing for a role in Christopher Nolan‘s The Odyssey.^[15][16] Pattinson said he first became familiar with To Catch a Predator while staying in the United States to star in the Twilight films.^[15] He called imitating Hansen’s voice “incredibly difficult” and said he studied his appearances on podcasts, recounting how he would “wander around the streets saying what he’s talking about” and confuse bystanders because of the dark nature of Hansen’s work.^[16] Oppenheim has called Pattinson’s Hansen in Primetime “a cross between Jerry Maguire and Dracula.”^[17]
• Merritt Wever as Andie Bender, Hansen’s producer at Dateline NBC,^[15] who prioritizes the show’s ratings above all else
• Skyler Gisondo as Dan Plumb, a young aspiring actor hired for the show’s sting operations.^[18] Gisondo’s role is based on Dan Schrack, the decoy for the botched sting operation involving Conradt.^[15][19] Gisondo compared being starstruck by acting alongside Pattinson to Dan’s admiration of Hansen, saying his “personal nervousness bled into it.”^[15]
• Phoebe Bridgers as Del Harvey,^[20] a young decoy who plays both boys and girls on the show.^[15] Bridgers knew Oppenheim before production of Primetime; he sought her out because he believed someone “who had such a deep speaking voice [that] could produce this beautiful, angelic singing voice” was perfect for the decoy role.^[15]
• Matthew Maher as Xavier Von Erck, an online vigilante and the founder of Perverted-Justice^[20]
• Bokeem Woodbine as Cortland Gunn, the Rockwall County chief of police^[21]
• Anna Faris as Mary Joan Hansen, Chris’s wife^[18]
• Jonathan Lipnicki as a child predator caught on the show who uses the screen name Crazyfrog73^[22]
• Tony Revolori as an ex-Marine child predator^[23] caught on the show who uses the screen name MarriedAndLookingForFun31313^[22]
• Alex Winter as Bill Conradt, assistant district attorney of Rockwall County, Texas and the show’s latest target^[24]
• Eric Rahill^[21]
• Sean Bridgers^[25]
• Jeff Zucker as himself.^[18] Zucker oversaw programming for NBCUniversal when To Catch a Predator aired and plays a “boorish version of himself” in Primetime who is “the driver of tasking Chris Hansen and his team to think of the show as a commercial object.”^[15] Oppenheim was interested in casting Zucker, saying he “loved the idea, keeping with the project of making this a true fever dream, of having real people alongside actors” and was pleasantly surprised when Zucker agreed to take the part.^[15]
• Creed Bratton, as an admirer of Hansen’s, turned on by fantasies of violence^[23]
• Caroline Hebert as Krysten, Chris’s mistress^[21]
• Jessica Hecht as an opportunistic ABC executive looking to poach Andie^[21]