There will be an unprecedented level of Zendaya in 2026

Zendaya has been filming Euphoria season three for the last couple of months. Here she is on set on March 18 and what you’re looking at here isn’t Zendaya, master of the red carpet, fashion icon, but Rue. This is Rue. It’s not just in her clothing but in her body language, her expression. Those eyes. This is why she has two Emmys for this role.

But Zendaya is not thinking about Rue anymore. Because just this week she was seen arriving in Italy to join the cast of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. Production has already been underway for weeks in Greece, now it’s moved to Sicily, and Zendaya is rumoured to be playing Athena

Athena is Odysseus’s patron goddess. As a reminder, Matt Damon is Odysseus who relies on Athena for guidance. She also mentors his son, Telemachus, played by Tom Holland. I think I’ve mentioned before, I studied Greek mythology in university, and I LOVED Athena. She’s a brilliant tactician, she is courageous, she prizes cunning in those she favours, and she can also be arrogant, petty, and vindictive. Zendaya is perfectly cast. And her costume in this film might just end us all.

The Odyssey is scheduled for release on July 17, 2026. Two weeks later comes the next Spider-Man movie, also starring Tom Holland and Zendaya, on July 31, 2026. Filming, then, should start by summer, at the latest. That’s still just over two months ago, but Tom and Z don’t have a lot of downtime before they have to start working on it.

And then there’s Dune 3. There are unconfirmed reports that Denis Villeneuve’s third installment will go into production this year and eyeing a December 2026 release date. This isn’t locked, but last fall there was some speculation that Dune 3 would indeed be filming this year and if that is true, Zendaya would go straight into that after Spider-Man.

It is possible, then, that she’ll have three blockbuster movies to promote in 2026. On top of whatever and whenever Euphoria 3 will be. No, no, wait… there’s one more: Shrek 5! She’s been cast as Shrek and Fiona’s daughter, Felicia. Shrek 5 is due out in December 23, 2026.

If this is actually how next year will roll out for her, 2026 will be ALL ZENDAYA. Like at an unprecedented level.