Olivia Wilde, Edward Norton, and New Movies: “The Invite” Ignites Sundance Buzz as 2026 Roles Take Shape

As of Tuesday, January 27, 2026 ET, Olivia Wilde and Edward Norton have landed in the middle of one of this year’s loudest early film conversations thanks to The Invite, a new adult-leaning relationship comedy that premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Wilde directs and stars, Norton co-stars, and the film’s immediate audience reaction has pushed it from “festival title” to “industry priority,” even before most moviegoers have a way to see it.

For fans tracking Olivia Wilde and Edward Norton new movies, the headline is simple: they’re sharing the screen in a tightly wound, performance-driven ensemble piece that’s being treated like a bellwether for where mid-budget, star-led comedies can still break through.

“The Invite” and why it’s suddenly a career-signaling moment

The Invite centers on a seemingly ordinary couples’ night that turns into a social pressure cooker—one part awkward comedy, one part emotional stress test—built around the friction between what people say they want and what they’re actually willing to admit out loud. The hook is that the “dinner with the neighbors” setup quickly escalates into something far more revealing, forcing the characters to confront insecurities, resentment, desire, and the quiet bargains that keep long-term relationships intact.

That premise matters because it plays to both leads’ strengths:

• Wilde gets to demonstrate control of tone—keeping scenes funny without deflating the stakes—and to remind audiences she can carry a film as an actor while steering it as a director.

• Norton thrives in roles where the performance lives in micro-adjustments: the too-long pause, the over-friendly smile, the sudden pivot from charm to menace to vulnerability. In a chamber-piece format, those shifts become the engine.

The bigger context: Sundance, adult comedies, and a shrinking middle

The modern film market has made it harder for adult comedies and talky, relationship-centered stories to secure a wide, confident release. Super-sized franchises dominate attention, while smaller dramas often fight for oxygen. That squeezes the “middle”—the kind of smart, star-driven, date-night movie The Invite appears to be.

That’s exactly why its Sundance reception is being watched so closely. If a project like this can create urgency among buyers and sustain audience heat beyond the festival bubble, it becomes proof that there’s still demand for grown-up theatrical fare that isn’t built on spectacle.

Olivia Wilde’s other Sundance swing: “I Want Your Sex”

Wilde’s Sundance presence this year isn’t limited to directing. She also stars in I Want Your Sex, a provocative erotic comedy-thriller that premiered at Sundance on January 23, 2026. The film positions Wilde in a bolder, more confrontational lane—less “awkward couples’ night,” more power dynamics, performance, and the messy collisions between desire and identity.

Taken together, The Invite and I Want Your Sex show a clear strategic throughline: Wilde is leveraging Sundance not just as a premiere venue, but as a statement of range—director/actor in one film, daring on-screen persona in another.

What’s next for Edward Norton after “The Invite”

For Norton, The Invite fits his recent pattern: selective projects, strong filmmakers, and roles that let him be unpredictable without being noisy. While he’s fresh off high-profile supporting work in recent years, there have not been similarly loud, newly confirmed headline announcements around his next major film role in the immediate Sundance news cycle.

That matters in its own way. Norton’s leverage comes from scarcity. When he shows up in something buzzy, it tends to mean the material is actor-forward and the creative team has real ambition—two qualities that help a festival title feel “must-see,” even before distribution plans are public.

Behind the headline: incentives, stakeholders, and the pressure points

This moment is about more than applause in a theater.

Incentives

• For Wilde, a strong Sundance showing helps define her post-controversy narrative as a filmmaker: craft-first, actor-friendly, and capable of delivering crowd-pleasing tension without sacrificing bite.

• For Norton, it reinforces his brand as an “elevate the room” performer—someone who can tilt a scene simply by entering it.

• For distributors, a film like The Invite is a chance to own a conversation piece that can travel through awards-season corridors or become a breakout adult hit, depending on strategy.

Stakeholders

• The cast and filmmakers, whose next opportunities will be shaped by how the industry interprets this reception.

• Potential buyers, who must decide whether to bet big on adult comedy in a tough market.

• Audiences, who increasingly rely on festival buzz as a filter for what’s worth leaving home for.

Second-order effects
If The Invite lands well commercially, it could nudge more financing toward mid-budget ensemble films—projects that have been squeezed out by risk-averse greenlighting. If it doesn’t, the takeaway could harden into: “even the buzziest adult comedies struggle,” which would chill similar deals.

What we still don’t know

• When the wider public can see The Invite. Festival premieres create heat, but release calendars and rollout plans can change quickly.

• Who will distribute it and what the strategy will be. A theatrical push, a hybrid approach, or a quick-to-home release all send different signals about confidence.

• Whether I Want Your Sex follows a similarly fast path to release or takes a longer route through acquisitions and positioning.

What happens next: realistic scenarios to watch

1. Fast acquisition + festival-to-theaters sprint if a buyer believes the film can ride immediate word-of-mouth.

2. Acquisition + prestige rollout if the goal is critical longevity and awards conversation.

3. Aggressive marketing emphasizing “event comedy” if early reactions suggest crowd-pleasing momentum.

4. A quieter, curated release plan if the film is seen as sharper-edged than mainstream audiences typically expect.

5. For Wilde: another directing assignment announcement if buyers and studios interpret Sundance as proof-of-delivery.

6. For Norton: a follow-up prestige casting move as filmmakers seek his specific mix of credibility and unpredictability.

For anyone searching Olivia Wilde, Edward Norton, new movies right now, The Invite is the story to track—because it’s not just a new title. It’s a test of whether smart, adult, star-driven films can still turn festival electricity into real-world momentum.