Hollywood is looking to the past for some of its biggest new projects.
From 1990s cult favourites to the sitcoms and romantic comedies that defined the 2000s and 2010s, familiar titles are returning through sequels, prequels, spin-offs and, in some cases, reunion conversations that have sent fans into a frenzy.
And 2026 has already delivered plenty of surprises. A sequel to How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days has entered early development, Anne Hathaway has offered promising updates on The Princess Diaries 3, while fresh chatter around New Girl briefly had fans believing the loftmates were getting back together.
Here are 10 beloved shows and movies that are back, or could be coming back, to our screens.
1. New Girl
For a moment, it looked like Jess, Nick, Schmidt, Winston and Cece might actually be heading back to the loft.
Speculation exploded in August after Max Greenfield, who played Schmidt, said he had seen scripts for a New Girl reunion from series creator Liz Meriwether. Greenfield said the material was “amazing” and suggested the project was happening.
There was just one problem: Meriwether says those scripts do not exist.
The creator subsequently shut down the reports, telling Variety there are currently no scripts or official plans for a reunion. So, no, a New Girl revival is not officially happening yet. But with the cast reuniting publicly this year and the conversation gaining new momentum, fans clearly have not given up on seeing the gang together again.
2. Modern Family
Could the Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker clan eventually return?
Talk of a Modern Family spin-off resurfaced this year after Jesse Tyler Ferguson discussed the proposed series that would have followed Mitchell and Cameron after they moved to Missouri with their children.
The project was developed following the end of Modern Family in 2020, but ABC ultimately decided not to move forward with it. Ferguson revealed in March that, at the time, he was also ready to move on after spending 11 seasons playing Mitchell.
That means there is no confirmed Modern Family comeback at present, but renewed discussion around the abandoned spin-off has once again put the possibility of revisiting the sitcom’s world in the spotlight.
3. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
Andie Anderson may have another deadline coming.
More than two decades after Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey starred in the 2003 romantic comedy, a sequel to How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days entered early development at Paramount this August.
Hudson is attached as a producer alongside Stacey Sher, although the project remains in its early stages and does not yet have a writer or confirmed plot. Hudson and McConaughey have also not officially signed on to reprise Andie and Benjamin, but the hope is reportedly to bring both stars back.
For anyone who still knows exactly what a “love fern” is, this might be one comeback worth watching closely.
4. The Princess Diaries
Genovia is not done with Mia Thermopolis.
The Princess Diaries 3 is officially in development, with Anne Hathaway set to return as Mia. Adele Lim, whose credits include Crazy Rich Asians and Joy Ride, is directing.
The project received another promising update this summer when Hathaway revealed that the film had experienced a breakthrough after an earlier version of the script was scrapped.
One familiar face, however, will be missing. Julie Andrews confirmed this month that she turned down an offer to return as Queen Clarisse Renaldi. Hathaway later said she had pushed hard for Andrews to be involved but respected her decision.
The third film comes more than two decades after 2004’s The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.
5. Practical Magic
The Owens sisters are officially back.
Nearly 30 years after Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman played sisters Sally and Gillian Owens in the 1998 cult favourite, the pair have reunited for Practical Magic 2.
The sequel once again follows the magical Owens family, with Bullock and Kidman joined by returning stars Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing. Joey King and Maisie Williams are among the newcomers.
Directed by Susanne Bier, the sequel is set to arrive in cinemas in September, turning one of the 1990s’ enduring cult films into a franchise nearly three decades later.
6. Legally Blonde
Before Elle Woods went to Harvard Law, she was navigating high school.
The Legally Blonde universe returned this year with Elle, a prequel series starring Lexi Minetree as a teenage Elle Woods in the 1990s.
Reese Witherspoon, who made the character famous in the original films, serves as an executive producer. The first season premiered on Prime Video in July and the streamer was confident enough in the project to order a second season before the first even arrived.
Production on Season 2 has already wrapped, while a third Legally Blonde film also remains in development.
7. John Wick
John Wick’s story may have reached a crossroads, but his world keeps getting bigger.
Donnie Yen is getting his own film centred on Caine, the blind assassin he introduced in 2023’s John Wick: Chapter 4.
Yen is not only reprising the role, he is also directing the spin-off. The film follows Caine after the events of Chapter 4, and production began this year.
The project gives the franchise another major character-led expansion following Ballerina, proving that the John Wick universe has plenty of stories left beyond Keanu Reeves’ original assassin.
8. The Hunger Games
Panem is calling audiences back again.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping returns to the franchise’s past, this time putting a young Haymitch Abernathy at the centre of the story.
Set 24 years before Katniss Everdeen’s story, the prequel follows Haymitch as he is selected for the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell.
Joseph Zada takes over the role made famous by Woody Harrelson, with a cast that includes Elle Fanning, Jesse Plemons, Mckenna Grace, Whitney Peak and Glenn Close.
The film is scheduled to hit cinemas on November 20, 2026.
9. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Brad Pitt’s Cliff Booth is getting another adventure without Leonardo DiCaprio’s Rick Dalton by his side.
Pitt reprises his Oscar-winning role in The Adventures of Cliff Booth, a follow-up to Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
There is a major change behind the camera. Tarantino wrote the screenplay, but David Fincher is directing the new film.
The story moves into the 1970s and expands Cliff’s life beyond the events of the original movie. Netflix has set an IMAX theatrical run beginning in November before the film arrives on the streaming service in December.
10. Crazy Rich Asians
The world of Crazy Rich Asians is also getting bigger, although its return is taking a different form.
A television series based on Kevin Kwan’s books is in development at Max, with Adele Lim, who co-wrote the 2018 film, involved as writer, executive producer and showrunner.
Jon M. Chu, who directed the film, is also involved in the project.
Importantly, the series is not intended to replace the long-discussed movie sequel. Instead, it is another expansion of the same universe, meaning fans could eventually have both a television series and another big-screen chapter to look forward to.
After years of questions about what would follow the success of the original film, the Young family may finally be preparing for its next act.
Source: Khaleej Times