Sharknado Origins Reveals Surprise Return for Infamous Disaster Film Series With Summer 2026 Premiere Plans

After seven Sharknado movies – including Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!, Sharknado: The 4th Awakens, and Sharknado 5: Global Swarming – Sharknado Origins is going back to the drawing board with a prequel set before the 2013 movie that started it all. Expect its story to follow teenage versions of series regulars Fin and April, who, just as they begin to fall in love, are met with the first-ever Sharknado. It’s unclear if Ian Ziering and Tara Reid, who played Fin and April through the original six-movie run, will play any part in the early prequel.

Sharknado Origins’ description teases, “nothing says young love like airborne predators,” so audiences may be in store for more of the tongue-in-cheek tone that carried the TV movies through six installments. The original became one of the most popular B-movie runs of all time thanks to its creative titles and deeply unserious plot, with its notoriously low budget only adding to the appeal.

Six films tore through moviegoers from 2013 to 2018, with the final entry, The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time, said to be the series’ final chapter. It will at least remain as a narrative bookend for the franchise when the 2026 film eventually tells the story of how a tornado first got hold of those dang sharks.

Sharknado Origins currently has no release date but is expected to premiere before summer 2026 comes to an end. It’s unclear if it will arrive as yet another TV movie or if there are plans for a theatrical run following the 10th anniversary re-release from 2023. In the meantime, you can check out our list of other shark movies that we still can’t believe are real.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).