Action, witchcraft, fashion… Angelina Jolie’s exciting projects in 2026

By Ambra Flora.

Sunny, Angelina Jolie’s new action film

Recipient of three Golden Globes, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and an Oscar over the course of her career, Angelina Jolie continues to enrich her filmography. At 50, the American actress returns to one of her favorite playground – action films. With more than forty films to her name, Angelina Jolie has built a solid reputation in this cinematic genre. As a combat sports aficionada and a collector of bladed weapons, which she wields with ease, she starred in iconic productions, such as Wanted (2008), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001). Her last major action role was in Those Who Wish Me Dead in 2021.

Now, she is about to make a powerful comeback to the world of high-octane productions with Sunny. According to the American media Deadline, Angelina Jolie will not only play the lead role, but also produce the film. The direction will be handled by Norwegian filmmaker Eva Sørhaug, known for her recent action-driven projects like Tokyo Vice (2024) and Yellowjackets (2021). In the same vein of classic mafia films, Sunny follows a female gangster willing to do anything to protect her sons from a violent drug kingpin. When a devastating event occurs, she only has a matter of hours to orchestrate their permanent escape.

Mark Fasano, one of the producers of Nickel City Pictures, described Angelina Jolie’s performance as a “tour de force” to Deadline: “People are going to be shocked by what she brings with this riveting character. This violent world that Eva and Angelina have crafted is grounded in survival and family led by a mother doing anything and everything within her power to protect her two boys.”

Angelina Jolie’s projects for 2026 and 2027

The actress, who starred in Maria (2025), will also return to the big screen on February 18th, 2026, in Coutures. Directed by Alice Winocour (Mustang, Cuties), this feature film is centered on fashion and the fate of three women navigating that world. Angelina Jolie will play one of the lead roles in it. And she’s not stopping there, since she is multiplying projects across various genres.

Thus, she will once again work with Doug Liman – the director of Mr. & Mrs. Smith – in The Initiative, an espionage thriller slated for release in 2027. That same year, she will also star alongside Aimee Lou Wood and Jason Segel in Anxious People, a film directed by Marc Forster (A Man Called Otto).

According to Variety, Angelina Jolie will also take the lead role in Every Note Played, an adaptation of Lisa Genova’s contemporary novel, starring Christoph Waltz. Directed by Michael Sucsy (13 Reasons Why, The Vow), this drama will focus on music, love, and illness. Finally, she will reprise her role as the formidable stepmother in Maleficent 3, set for release in 2028.

Coutures by Alice Winocour will come out in theatres on February 18th, 2026. Sunny by Eva Sørhaug does not have a release date yet.