Beloved B-Movie Franchise Gears Up for a Comeback in 2026 with Seventh Installment

The cult-favorite B-movie series “Sharknado” is making a splash again. Variety reports that The Asylum is bringing back the franchise with a new prequel titled “Sharknado Origins.”

Production is expected to start later this year, with director Anthony Ferrante returning to lead the project. A summer 2026 release is planned, though casting details are still under wraps.

“Sharknado Origins” will take fans back to the very beginning of the franchise. The story follows a teenage Fin and April, the characters famously played by Ian Ziering and Tara Reid in the original movies, according to Variety.

As the synopsis explains, their first summer together turns chaotic when a shark-filled tornado suddenly appears, setting the stage for the iconic first Sharknado.

The original “Sharknado” premiered on Syfy on July 11, 2013, and quickly became a cultural phenomenon. The low-budget thriller, made for just $1 million, featured a tornado that sucked up sharks and dropped them over Los Angeles.

Its outlandish premise, viral social media buzz, and celebrity cameos—including Olivia Newton-John, David Hasselhoff, and George R.R. Martin—helped turn it into a surprising hit.

The success of the first film led to six sequels and three spinoffs. “Sharknado 2: The Second One” remains the series’ most-watched installment, drawing roughly 3.9 million viewers. Subsequent films included “Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!,” “Sharknado: The 4th Awakens,” “Sharknado 5: Global Swarming,” and “The Last Sharknado” in 2018.

Fans of over-the-top, ridiculous action can expect the same mix of chaos and fun in the new prequel. By exploring the origins of the infamous tornado-shark disaster, “Sharknado Origins” promises to capture the wild energy that made the original a viral sensation.

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