Kate McKinnon Is Back-and Her New Projects Feel Bold
- 01. Kate McKinnon's current projects in 2026
- 02. Key live-action film roles
- 03. Animated and voice-work projects
- 04. Writing and literary work
- 05. Examples of Kate McKinnon's current projects (2025-2026)
- 06. Lifestyle and off-screen work
- 07. Historical context and career arc
- 08. FAQs about Kate McKinnon's latest work
Kate McKinnon's current projects in 2026
Kate McKinnon is currently balancing a mix of high-profile film and TV roles with a quieter, more rural lifestyle, marking a pronounced shift from her decade-long tenure as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Her most visible on-screen work in 2025-2026 includes the 2025 ensemble dark comedy The Roses, the 2026 sci-fi film In the Blink of an Eye, and voice contributions to the upcoming live-action/animation hybrid A Minecraft Movie. Beyond acting, she has also published a middle-grade mystery novel and increasingly leans into country living, describing herself as a farmer and hobby carpenter in recent interviews.
Key live-action film roles
In 2025, McKinnon appeared in the limited-release ensemble dark comedy The Roses, which earned a 64% audience score on aggregator sites and drew attention for its ensemble cast and tonal balancing of absurdist humor with family drama. Her character, a sharp-tongued but emotionally guarded sister at the center of a crumbling rural estate, showcases a move away from pure sketch-comedy caricature toward grounded, dysfunctional-family satire-the kind increasingly sought by streamers and mid-budget studios hoping to emulate the "funny but painful" adult-drama playbook.
For 2026, her most prominent project is the sci-fi film In the Blink of an Eye, directed by Andrew Stanton and released on Hulu in February 2026. The movie, which also features Rashida Jones and Daveed Diggs, follows a group of scientists whose experiment with near-instant teleportation fractures both their research and their relationships, landing the film an R-rating for its blend of high-concept spectacle and interpersonal tension. Critics note that McKinnon brings her signature comedic timing into a more dramatic framework, making her the film's emotional anchor rather than its outright comic relief-a noticeable evolution from her earlier blockbuster roles.
Animated and voice-work projects
- The Lunch Witch: McKinnon is attached to this animated children's feature still in development, which is based on a popular picture-book series about a reclusive school-lunch lady who may be a literal witch.
- Women in Business: She is also cast in a still-undeveloped adult-oriented animated project titled Women in Business, which industry trackers describe as a satirical workplace dramedy aimed at an older streaming audience.
- A Minecraft Movie: For 2025's A Minecraft Movie, McKinnon lends her voice to one of the world's most recognizable gaming franchises, joining a star-studded ensemble that includes big-name A-list actors.
These vocal roles signal a continued interest in animated and family-oriented projects, even as her on-screen work leans more adult. By remaining active in both kids' and adult animation, McKinnon fits a broader industry pattern in which top comedic actors use voice work to maintain broad audience reach while exploring more challenging, live-action roles.
Writing and literary work
Outside of acting, McKinnon has expanded into publishing, releasing a middle-grade mystery novel titled The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science, which centers on three eccentric sisters and a mad scientist defending their town from shadowy threats. The book has been described as a blend of whimsical mystery and STEM-adjacent adventure, reflecting McKinnon's long-standing interest in quirky, character-driven stories.
She also narrates the audiobook version of The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science alongside her sister, a collaboration that has been highlighted in late-2024 and early-2025 press tours. Industry sources note that this move into children's literature aligns with a broader trend of comedians and TV stars pivoting into family-oriented branding, where literary projects can double as evergreen IP and school-tour opportunities.
Examples of Kate McKinnon's current projects (2025-2026)
| Project Title | Year | Medium/Format | McKinnon's Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Roses | 2025 | Theatrical / limited release film | Lead ensemble role as a sister in a darkly comic family drama |
| In the Blink of an Eye | 2026 | Sci-fi film (Hulu release) | Complex lead character intertwining humor and emotional depth |
| A Minecraft Movie | 2025 | Live-action / animated hybrid film | Voice role in a globally marketed franchise adaptation |
| The Lunch Witch | TBA | Animated children's feature (development) | Lead voice role based on book series |
| Women in Business | TBA | Adult animated series / film (in development) | Lead voice role in workplace satire |
Lifestyle and off-screen work
After leaving Saturday Night Live in 2022, McKinnon has increasingly emphasized a rural, low-profile life, describing herself as "living in the woods" during interviews at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and on talk shows. She has characterized this move as both a retreat from urban intensity and a deliberate attempt to cultivate a slower, more hands-on lifestyle, one that includes keeping vegetables and repairing structures around her property.
In promotional visits for her novel and for In the Blink of an Eye, she has joked about her post-New York life, describing herself as a farmer and carpenter whose backyard has become an accidental stopover for migrating geese. This public persona-part rural eccentric, part surrealist comedian-echoes the same kind of self-mythologizing that helped sustain her late-night and streaming presence during her SNL years.
Historical context and career arc
McKinnon joined the Saturday Night Live cast in 2012 and remained through 2022, earning nine Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and two wins in 2016 and 2017. Her tenure on the show established her as one of the most flexible and visually inventive performers in the series' history, with standout impressions ranging from Angela Merkel to Hillary Clinton and capturing a wide spectrum of political and cultural satire.
Since departing SNL, her work has skewed toward darker, character-driven projects such as Bombshell (2019), the animated hit Barbie (2023), and the more recent The Roses and In the Blink of an Eye. This trajectory suggests a deliberate pivot from pure sketch-comedy star to a more versatile, prestige-leaning performer, one who can toggle between blockbuster voice work, arthouse-leaning films, and niche children's literature.
FAQs about Kate McKinnon's latest work
Helpful tips and tricks for Kate Mckinnon Is Back And Her New Projects Feel Bold
What is Kate McKinnon working on right now?
As of 2026, Kate McKinnon's most high-profile current projects are the 2025 film The Roses, the 2026 sci-fi movie In the Blink of an Eye, and voice work for the 2025 release A Minecraft Movie. She is also promoting her middle-grade mystery novel The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science while developing future animated projects such as The Lunch Witch and Women in Business.
Has Kate McKinnon left acting to focus on farming?
No; McKinnon has not left acting, but she has consciously shifted to a more rural lifestyle, describing herself as a farmer and carpenter who lives "in the woods" while still actively pursuing film, TV, and literary projects. Interviews from 2024-2026 consistently show her balancing promotional tours for new releases with everyday homesteading chores, suggesting a hybrid life rather than a full career change.
What kind of roles is Kate McKinnon choosing now?
Post-SNL, McKinnon is gravitating toward roles that blend dark comedy with character-driven drama, such as the ensemble family-centered film The Roses and the emotionally complex sci-fi narrative of In the Blink of an Eye. At the same time, she continues to take voice roles in both children's and adult animation, including the forthcoming The Lunch Witch and Women in Business, which allow her to maintain kid-friendly visibility while exploring more mature themes on screen.
Is Kate McKinnon involved in any upcoming TV series?
While her 2025-2026 slate is dominated by feature-film and literary projects, industry trackers also list McKinnon as tied to at least one adult-oriented animated series, Women in Business, which remains in development with no confirmed release window. Earlier reports had also mentioned limited-series projects such as a Hulu-Fox Searchlight adaptation of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes and Peacock's Joe Exotic-adjacent series, though these have not yet been confirmed as active "current" credits as of 2026.
How has Kate McKinnon's career evolved since Saturday Night Live?
Since exiting Saturday Night Live in 2022, McKinnon has moved from a primarily sketch-comedy and impression-based profile toward a more varied portfolio that includes darker ensemble films, blockbusters such as Barbie, and serious-leaning sci-fi like In the Blink of an Eye. Alongside this, she has expanded into writing with her middle-grade novel and into audiobook narration, which together pivot her brand from "late-night star" to "multi-platform performer and author" with a strong foothold among both streaming-native and family-oriented audiences.