Michael Fassbender’s mysterious new sci-fi to premiere at most prestigious film fest

The Irish Oscar-nominated actor stars in the movie alongside his Oscar-winning wife, Alicia Vikander.

Written and directed by the acclaimed South Korean filmmaker Na Hong-jin (The Chaser, The Wailing), the movie began shooting in 2023 and has been shrouded in mystery ever since.

The sci-fi's enigmatic plot synopsis reads: "A mysterious discovery is made on the outskirts of a remote harbour town.

"The residents find themselves in a desperate fight for survival against something they have never encountered before."

The movie will premiere in the main competition category at Cannes in May 2026, the festival's most prestigious strand, where films compete for the event's top prize, the Palme d'Or.

Also in the main competition category this year is Fatherland, an adaptation of Irish writer Colm Tóibín's novel The Magician starring Sandra Hüller (Project Hail Mary).

The 2026 edition of the Cannes Film Festival will take place from 12-23 May. Check out the main competition line-up below:

• Minotaur, Dir. Andrey Zvyagintsev

• The Beloved, Dir. Rodrigo Sorogoyen

• The Man I Love, Dir. Ira Sachs

• Fatherland, Dir. Paweł Pawlikowski

• Moulin, Dir. László Nemes

• Histoires de la Nuit, Dir. Léa Mysius

• Fjord, Dir. Cristian Mungiu

• Notre Salut, Dir. Emmanuel Marre

• Gentle Monster, Dir. Marie Kreutzer

• Nagi Notes, Dir. Koji Fukada

• Hope, Dir. Na Hong-Jin

• Sheep in the Box, Dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda

• Garance, Dir. Jeanne Herry

• The Unknown, Dir. Arthur Harari

• All of a Sudden, Dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi

• The Dreamed Adventure, Dir. Valeska Grisebach

• Coward, Dir. Lukas Dhont

• The Black Ball, Dir. Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo

• A Woman’s Life, Dir. Charline Bourgeois-Taquet

• Parallel Tales, Dir. Asghar Farhadi

• Bitter Christmas, Dir. Pedro Almodóvar