Guy Ritchie’s Star-Studded Thriller ‘Wife & Dog’ Set for 2026

Black Bear, a relatively new player in the independent film scene, has wasted little time making its mark. The studio, having just rolled out its own theatrical distribution arm in the United States, is already lining up a slate of high-profile releases. Among the most anticipated is a fresh collaboration with Guy Ritchie, who’s no stranger to assembling a formidable cast or spinning a darkly comic yarn.

Ritchie’s latest, ‘Wife & Dog’, boasts a line-up that reads like a who’s who of British acting talent: Benedict Cumberbatch, Rosamund Pike, Cosmo Jarvis, James Norton, Paddy Considine, and the legendary Anthony Hopkins. The story, as it stands, revolves around the Fairbank family, whose insatiable appetite for power and wealth sets off a chain of betrayals and killings as they jostle for control. The film is scheduled to hit UK cinemas on 23 October 2026, and early whispers suggest it’s a proper blend of Ritchie’s signature black comedy and a fresh, aristocratic twist.

Succession, Greed, and a Dash of Murder

‘Wife & Dog’ appears to be treading familiar yet fertile ground for Ritchie, with its focus on familial backstabbing and the darker side of ambition. The Fairbanks, it seems, are not a family to let sentiment get in the way of succession. With Cumberbatch and Hopkins leading the charge, expectations are running high for a film that promises both sharp wit and a fair bit of bloodletting.

There’s talk that the film will lean into the director’s knack for blending tension with a sly sense of humour, all set against the backdrop of upper-crust intrigue. The combination of a top-tier cast and Ritchie’s distinctive style has already put ‘Wife & Dog’ on the must-watch lists for 2026.

Black Bear’s Expanding Ambitions

Black Bear isn’t stopping at just one headline-grabbing release. The studio’s new distribution arm is aiming to put out up to a dozen films a year, and the calendar is filling up fast. Among the other titles on the horizon is ‘Shelter’, an action thriller starring Jason Statham, which is set to open the year. There’s also ‘Tuner’, directed by Daniel Roher and featuring Dustin Hoffman, Havana Rose Liu, and Leo Woodall, which follows a piano tuner who finds himself moonlighting as a safe cracker. Not to mention ‘The Rivals of Amziah King’, a crime drama led by Matthew McConaughey that’s already drawing critical attention.

It’s a bold move for a studio still carving out its identity, but the early line-up suggests Black Bear is keen to make a statement. With a mix of established stars and intriguing premises, the studio is positioning itself as a serious contender in the independent film market.

Ritchie’s Busy Slate and Familiar Faces

Guy Ritchie, meanwhile, shows no sign of slowing down. Alongside ‘Wife & Dog’, he’s gearing up for a reunion with Jason Statham in ‘Viva La Madness’, a long-gestating follow-up of sorts to ‘Layer Cake’. Statham steps into the shoes of the nameless protagonist, previously played by Daniel Craig, who finds himself dragged back into the criminal underworld just as he’s about to retire to sunnier climes.

There’s also word of another project that will see Ritchie and Statham joined by Vinnie Jones, a pairing that’s sure to delight fans of their earlier work.

“It’s going to be loud, fast and unapologetically patriotic. Jason and Vinnie are so brilliant together on screen and everyone working on the film was thrilled to hear that Vinnie had signed up.”

The director isn’t stopping there, either. He’s set to collaborate once more with Jake Gyllenhaal, Henry Cavill, and Eiza González in ‘In the Grey’, a thriller about two extraction specialists and a senior negotiator caught up in a high-stakes chase for stolen millions.