It has been quite a year for Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. With four major projects across film and television landing in 2026, the Emmy winner is having a moment that is hard to ignore.
It started in January with Wonder Man, the Marvel Television series that premiered on Disney+ to critical acclaim, earning a 91 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Abdul-Mateen plays Simon Williams, an aspiring actor who discovers he has superpowers while navigating Hollywood alongside an unlikely partner in Ben Kingsley’s Trevor Slattery. The show earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, making him the only actor in history to earn Emmy nominations for live-action roles in both a DC and Marvel television project, having previously won the award in 2020 for Watchmen. It also marks the first time a Marvel Television project has earned an acting Emmy nomination since 2021. Wonder Man has already been renewed for a second season.
In April, Netflix premiered Man on Fire, in which Abdul-Mateen plays John Creasy, a Special Forces mercenary battling intense PTSD who finds himself drawn back into danger before he can fully adjust to civilian life. The seven-episode drama also stars Bobby Cannavale, Alice Braga and Scoot McNairy and is based on the novels by A.J. Quinnell.
Two more projects are on the way before the year is out. By Any Means, directed by Elegance Bratton and written by Sascha Penn, opens in theaters September 4 via Paramount Pictures. The historical crime thriller, inspired by true events, follows Abdul-Mateen as Special FBI Agent Wayne Strider, a young Black federal agent forced into an uneasy partnership with notorious mafia hitman Greg Scarpa, played by Mark Wahlberg, to investigate the murders of civil rights leaders in 1966 Mississippi. Nicole Beharie, Giancarlo Esposito, LisaGay Hamilton, LaChanze and David Strathairn round out the cast.
Then in November comes The Adventures of Cliff Booth, the sequel to Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt. The film debuts exclusively in IMAX on November 25 before streaming on Netflix December 23. Abdul-Mateen joins a cast that includes Elizabeth Debicki, Scott Caan, Carla Gugino, Timothy Olyphant, Holt McCallany and Peter Weller. His specific character has not been officially confirmed, though sources have described the role as being in the vein of Jim Brown, the iconic NFL Hall of Famer who walked away from football at his peak to pursue an acting career.
Four projects. Two already out and earning Emmy recognition. Two more arriving before the year ends. It is safe to say 2026 belongs to Yahya.