Several high-profile films widely expected to compete in this year's awards season are instead shifting to 2027, according to Variety's exclusive report. Studios are prioritising a "clean runway" for their titles rather than crowding an already packed 2026 release slate, meaning strong contenders are being held back for better festival positioning rather than due to any concerns about quality.

Among the delayed titles is Netflix's "Saturn Return," Greg Kwedar's follow-up to "Sing Sing" starring Charles Melton, Rachel Brosnahan and Will Poulter, which is now eyeing a March 2027 South by Southwest launch. Also pushed back is "Here Comes the Flood," a nonlinear heist thriller directed by Fernando Meirelles and starring Denzel Washington, Robert Pattinson, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Danai Gurira and Sean Harris; a tight post-production window after filming wrapped in late January, combined with Netflix's already stacked year-end slate, makes a 2027 debut more likely. The report, credited to Variety's Clayton Davis, also references Joel Coen's "Jack of Spades" and a still-unspecified surprise release from A24 among other titles affected by the reshuffle.