Whether you’re the type to have the decorations up by mid-November or someone who runs for the hills at the first whiff of a clove-studded orange, you’re probably as susceptible to the charms of a good Christmas film as anyone else. Rooting around to write this piece, it dawned on me that the subgenre of stories involving St. Nick himself has actually provided fewer films than I’d remembered — but we do tend to watch the ones that stick a lot.

The following list contains more genres than you might imagine, including comedy, action, animation, and straight-up festive heart-warmers. There are some not-very-good films that still gave us good Santas. There are also some quite good films that gave us bad ones. Regardless, you’ll find them below, ranked in ascending order. Read on to discover more, and use the guide below to find them on services like AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere.

12. Tom Hanks in The Polar Express (2004)

We begin our list in two places: The North Pole and, less hospitably, the uncanny valley. Robert Zemickis has always been the kind of director who likes to work at the cutting edge of special effects (think recent movies like The Walk and Here), but his mo-capped 2004 Christmas movie, The Polar Express, is probably best known for pushing the boat out a little too far.

As a result, the film can be unsettlingly humanlike at times, but it’s mostly a delight—and who doesn’t want to see Tom Hanks (aka America’s dad) as the man himself? 

11. Paul Giamatti in Fred Claus (2007)

Given the actor’s lovable, gruff nature and physical charms, it was only a matter of time before Paul Giamatti was asked to play Santa Claus. Unluckily, his opportunity came in the not particularly funny Vince Vaughn comedy Fred Claus, in which Vaughn plays the jolly guy’s degenerate brother.

The film is one of Vaughn’s post-Wedding Crashers comedies, so if you’re okay with the movies from that era (The Break-Up, Four Christmases), then you’ll probably have a good time with it. Regardless, Giamatti, as ever, is a delight.

10. Jim Broadbent in Arthur Christmas (2011)

Given the number of great animated Christmas movies out there, there’s no shortage of solid Santa vocal performances to choose from. One of the more delightful and low-key comes from Jim Broadbent in Arthur Christmas.

This festive action caper (which follows Santa’s youngest son on a quest to deliver one last present) comes from the geniuses at Aardman Animations, so if you like films like Curse of the Were-Rabbit and Chicken Run, this is one you’ll want to check out. 

9. JK Simmons in Klaus (2019)

The next animated film on our list is Klaus, a gorgeous 2019 Netflix release that offers a kind of origin story for the man in the red suit. The protagonist is a Norwegian postman who gets stationed in the far north, where he meets a toy maker who seems like he might have other skills to offer.

The signature voiced J.K. Simmons actually played Santa in the flesh in last year’s Dwayne Johnson-led action film, Red One, but his work here is even better—especially if you liked his voice work in shows like Invincible and BoJack Horseman.

8. David Harbour in Violent Night (2022)

A more recent trend in Christmas films is to blend the festive cheer with another, less festive genre. A few of these, like the aforementioned Red One, have opted for action, and none with more of a sense of ‘90s fun than the 2022 film Violent Night, which basically marketed itself as a blend of Home Alone and Die Hard.

For the lead role of this axe-wielding Santa, the filmmakers cast David Harbour—an actor who, funnily enough, was already known for playing a Red Guardian. The story takes place in a compound on Christmas Eve, where Santa must save a family from a group of mercenaries.

7. Tim Allen in The Santa Claus (1994)

If you were born at some point in the late ‘80s or early ‘90s, there’s a good chance that Tim Allen’s performance in The Santa Clause was burned onto your retinas. The film probably isn’t considered as much of a classic these days as it used to be, but in terms of offering an alternative take on Christmas mythology (Allen plays a divorced Dad who has to take on the role after accidentally killing St Nick), it kind of got there first—so credit where credit’s due.

This is one that fans of festive movies from around that period, like Home Alone 2 and Jingle All the Way, will probably love.

6. Chris Sarandon in The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Our highest-ranked animated film is, of course, a Christmas classic in its own right—and kind of a classic in general, especially for fans of gothy stop frame animation (think Coraline, Corpse Bride). All that said, Henry Sellick and Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas doesn’t exactly star Santa, but this incarnation, voiced by Chris Sarandon, is nothing if not memorable.

Having been abducted by Jack Skellington, Sarandon’s festively plump Claus gets to show some range as he’s quickly scared out of his leather boots, first by Lock, Shock, and Barrel and then by the terrifying Oogie Boogie.

5. Kurt Russell in The Christmas Chronicles (2018)

Given how bearded Kurt Russell looked when he made his comeback in Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight, are we surprised that someone asked him to play Santa just a couple of years later? Whatever the case, we now have two Christmas Chronicles movies—and if you enjoy Russell’s vibe in films like Death Proof and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, let’s just say he doesn’t change his approach too much here.

The first of the two—in which two kids have to help Santa out after accidentally causing his sleigh to crash—is easily the best.

4. Ed Asner in Elf (2003)

Thinking back over all these movies, you start to notice a few different types emerging. There’s the endlessly warm kind, the cool dad kind, and then there’s the tough love, no-nonsense kind. At the time of writing, no one has done the latter as well as Ed Asner did in Elf.

The actor really only appears in a handful of scenes in this air-tight, Will Ferrell classic (imagine Barbie meets Step Brothers, but set at Christmas, and you’ll have some idea of the vibe), yet every moment he has on screen is solid gold. 

3. Billy Bob Thornton in Bad Santa (2003)

Now, if Asner is the best example of the patriarchal Santa, nobody did the anti-hero version quite like Billy Bob Thornton in Bad Santa. The movie, surprisingly enough, was directed by none other than Terry Swigoff—and if you appreciate the slacker energy of the director’s previous movies (think Ghost World and Crumb), this is definitely the Christmas film for you.

Thornton’s Santa is, of course, not exactly the sleigh-riding kind, but the film does build to a relatively festive conclusion—once you get past all the bad behaviour, of course. 

2 & 1. Richard Attenborough/Edmund Gwenn in Miracle on 34th Street (1994/1947)

As we reach the end of our countdown, it’s time to forget all those alternative approaches and just bask in the presence of the real deal. It’s almost impossible to choose between the two Miracle on 34th Street films, so in the spirit of Christmas, I’ve decided to award them joint first. 

The 1947 original (which, given the time period, will appeal to fans of It’s a Wonderful Life) stars Maureen O’Hara and Natalie Wood (who was just eight years old at the time), but it’s the great Edmund Green who steals the show as St. Nick—the actor remains the only person to win an Oscar for playing the role. 

If I had to choose one, however, it would be Richard Attenborough, who gives a performance that is pure warmth in the 1994 version—and honestly, that monologue about being “a symbol” just gets me every time. This one was written by the great John Hughes, so if you like Home Alone, you’re gonna love it.

We’re more than a week into December, and the end-of-year lists are starting to come in quick and fast. One that’s always interesting to take a look at is the American Film Institute’s, otherwise known as AFI. Voted on by a jury of industry experts (who are encouraged to factor in both artistic achievement and cultural impact), it’s not exactly the place to go for offbeat choices, but it’s interesting to see what some of the top film people in America consider to be the year’s most important movies.

2025 is no different—in fact, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see most of these films nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. The ones that don’t make that final list will likely lose their spot to one of the movies that weren’t eligible for inclusion on the AFI’s list—i.e. international favourites like It Was Just an Accident (Iran), The Secret Agent (Brazil), No Other Choice (South Korea), and Sentimental Value (Norway).

Read on to learn more about the AFI’s top ten movies of 2025—which they list in alphabetical order, so we will too—and use the guide below to find them in theatres or on services like AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere. For the movies yet to be released in the UK, we will have that information up as soon as it’s available. 

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Despite the astronomical amount of money that the Avatar movies tend to make around the world, often pushing the limits of digital effects and exploring new aesthetic territory in the process, it’s fair to say that the films themselves are not everyone’s cup of tea.

I presume that the latest, Avatar: Fire and Ash, will be no different, especially for the fact that it largely repeats a lot of the narrative structure of the last film, The Way of Water. It does, however, bring back Payakan, everyone’s favourite talking space whale, and add a vengeful and dangerous new antagonist into the mix in Oona Chaplin’s Verang—and yes, she is Charlie’s granddaughter. 

Needless to say, it’s not for the unconverted, but if you’re a fan of all things Pandora, you can basically book your IMAX tickets now.

Bugonia

Though produced via Ireland’s Element Pictures and directed by the Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos, Bugonia managed to make the cut for the AFI’s top ten thanks to being at least partly produced by Focus Features. This is a loose remake of the 2003 South Korean film Save the Green Planet!, an eco sci-fi about an alien who comes to earth to warn of an invasion—but nobody believes him.

In Lanthimos’ film, the protagonists are two brothers who abduct a tech CEO whom they believe to be the nefarious alien. The CEO is played by Emma Stone in what is now her fourth collaboration in a row with the Greek provocateur—so if you liked all the weird stuff they got up to with The Favourite and Poor Things, you will probably like this one, too.  

Frankenstein

Having seen some images and read some tepid reactions to Guilermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, I’d say my expectations were not sky high when I sat down to watch it—which is sometimes the best way to be. The beloved director (the singular artist behind such modern classics as Pan’s Labyrinth and The Shape of Water) has been threatening to adapt Mary Shelley’s novel for years, but the resulting film is surprisingly fresh. 

It’s also nicely melancholy, and fittingly gruesome—which should be especially pleasing to hear for horror fans. Del Toro structures his take like Shelley’s narrative, introducing us to this fantastical world through the eyes of an arctic explorer before switching to Dr Frankenstein’s (Oscar Isaac) POV and then—lastly and most compellingly—the Creature’s (Jacob Elordi).

Hamnet

Though it’s only played at a number of film festivals and a few select cinemas in the United States so far, Chloe Zhao’s Hamnet is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the biggest tear-jerkers of the decade. The film stars Jessie Buckley (already a hot favourite for the Oscar for Best Actress) and Paul Mescal as Agnes and William Shakespeare, respectively, in a story that follows how the couple attempted to process the death of their son.

Adapted from Maggie O’Farrell’s bestseller, this is a deeply felt story about trauma. It’s also a film that finds a sense of refuge and calm in images of the natural world—which is to say, if you appreciated Zhao’s work on movies like Nomadland and The Rider, you’ll know exactly the kind of tone to expect here.

Jay Kelly

One of the movies on this list that’s already available to watch at home is Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly—there was a theatrical release, but Netflix has already (kindly enough) put it up for streaming just in time for the holiday season. 

This is a story about an ageing movie-star (George Clooney) looking back over his life and wondering what it was all about—imagine Lost in Translation but set in Italy and mixed with one of Clooney’s Nespresso ads (this is not a dig), and you’ll have some idea of what to expect. Jay Kelly also features Adam Sandler in a rare dramatic role, so if you’re a fan of his work in Uncut Gems or Punch-Drunk Love, this might be up your alley. 

Marty Supreme

And while we’re talking Uncut Gems, fans of that incredible nail-biter should put director Josh Safdie’s new film, Marty Supreme, at the top of their to-watch list—if it’s not there already. This is the movie that’s currently catching the internet’s attention with an orange-tinted marketing campaign that’s so far featured an unhinged Zoom meeting, a massive blimp above L.A. and a much sought-after zip-up jacket.

By the sounds of things, the movie (in which Timothée Chalamet plays the real-life professional ping pong champ Marty Reisman) has plenty of substance to go with all that style—another sports flick to add to the Safdie canon, albeit one that sounds more on the level of Uncut Gems than The Smashing Machine.

One Battle After Another

At the time of writing, Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another looks like the movie to beat this awards season. This will be music to the ears of the director’s legions of fans, not least for the fact that the man behind Magnolia, Boogie Nights, and There Will Be Blood (to name just three) has never won a single Oscar.

If he does it for this film, however, it will be nothing if not fitting: One Battle After Another, a whirlwind story about a washed-up revolutionary trying to find his kidnapped daughter, looked like an instant classic from the moment it was released and is currently topping best-of lists across the board. As they say, he’s due one.

Sinners

As we near the halfway point of December, with news of Netflix’s potential acquisition of Warner Bros. still fresh in the memory, Ryan Coogler’s Sinners might just have been the most uplifting cinema story of the year—certainly for anyone who values the theatrical experience. This is a movie by a young director who cut his teeth in the IP system (making Creed and Black Panther) before unleashing something big and new and deeply personal.

What made Sinners such a success is that he mixed his own rich and textured ideas (about the importance of music to displaced and diaspora communities) with a tried and trusted genre—aka the vampire movie. Sinners, for lack of a better word, is awesome, and if you’re a fan of films like Near Dark and From Dusk Till Dawn, I can’t recommend it highly enough. 

Train Dreams

Another movie on this list that’s already available to watch on Netflix is Clint Bentley’s Train Dreams, a film the streaming giant picked up way back at Sundance that has become a word-of-mouth hit among critics and audiences this year. Set in America’s Pacific Northwest, this is a tender, heartbreaking story about grief told from the eyes of a logger and railroad worker around the turn of the 20th century.

It’s a poetic and remarkably cinematic film that fans of Chloe Zhao and Terrence Malick (think Days of Heaven, The Tree of Life), in particular, will adore. 

Wicked: For Good

Seeing Wicked: For Good on this list did make me wonder about when the voting took place. John M. Chu’s film, a direct follow-up to last year’s musical smash, certainly has its fans, but the critical reception has been middling, and the producers will now be on high alert about its awards chances after seeing the film fail to secure a nomination for Best Picture at the Golden Globes.

Whatever the case, it’s already banked a lot of money, and if you liked the first one, you won’t need reminding to watch this one—just be warned, it’s the darker of the two.

Considering how often you see Stephen King’s name pop up in the credits for movies and TV shows, it’s amazing that the writer’s well of work just refuses to run dry. And with somewhere in the region of 260 novels, novellas and shorts under his belt, it seems unlikely that that will happen any time soon. And that’s before we factor in the possibility for reboots, remakes and complementary miniseries—not to mention all the stuff (Weapons and Stranger Things come to mind) inspired by his style.

In 2025 alone, UK cinemas welcomed the release of no fewer than four (yes, four) movies adapted from King’s work, along with a couple of TV series that began potential multi-season arcs. In the coming years, it looks like these will be joined by several new projects, including one set in the world of his most famous story. Read on to discover more and use the guide below to find them on services like Netflix, AppleTV, Prime Video and elsewhere.

The Life of Chuck (2024)

When The Life of Chuck won the audience award at TIFF in 2024, it sounded like a sure thing for at least a few nods on the awards circuit earlier this year. For whatever reason, that never came to pass, but if you’re not against a little schmaltz (think ‘90s Zemeckis, like Forrest Gump) and enjoy adaptations of King’s non-horror work (think Shawshank, Stand by Me), you might really enjoy it.

The story begins in an unusual, end-of-the-world setting and only reveals itself after the first act. I recommend you go in as blind as possible.

The Monkey (2025)

Osgood Perkins has become unavoidable in the last couple of years, utilising his Hollywood brand name (he’s the son of Psycho’s Anthony Perkins) in a bid to become a King-like name in horror cinema. The recently released Keeper is his third theatrical feature in just 16 months, and if you liked that one and Longlegs, you’ll probably get a kick out of The Monkey, too!

The story uses the reliable setup of a Final Destination movie, where the kills seem inevitable, and the fun comes in trying to work out how they’ll happen.

It: Welcome to Derry (2025 - )

Earlier this year, Netflix and A24 teamed up to release Welcome to Derry, a spinoff of a remake of a 1990 King adaptation (IT) that basically ruined some childhoods, including my own. This newer incarnation (like the movies it’s spun from) is a little gorier but also softer around the edges (think Stranger Things) and a good deal more fun—so if that’s your vibe, this could be the one for you.

The show is a gnarly expansion of the IT universe that explores the lore of Derry, including how Pennywise became the clown. 

The Long Walk (2025)

While I can’t say I fully loved The Long Walk as much as I’d hoped to, the movie has the kind of thrifty, throw-back, minimal feel that I find quite attractive in a dystopian movie. I also find the cast (which includes David Jonsson from Alien Romulus and Cooper Hoffman from Liquorice Pizza) quite attractive, too, which always helps.

The movie is somewhere in the realm of the televised Battle Royale genre (think Death Race, Running Man), focusing on a government-organised walk to the death that takes place each year through the American heartland.

The Running Man (2025)

And speaking of The Running Man,  he most recent King adaptation that’s hit our screens is Edgar Wright’s remake of that Arnold Schwarzenegger classic. This is one for fans of the previous movie, of course, but also anyone who appreciates Wright’s more action-focused work—like Baby Driver and Hot Fuzz.

The movie stars current red-hot leading man Glen Powell as a guy who has to survive 30 days while most of the public attempts to kill him. 

The Institute (2025 - )

The most low-key King release this year is the MGM+ show The Institute. This one follows a kid with special abilities who is taken to a mysterious centre full of other gifted children—imagine a mix between Stranger Things and Shutter Island, and you’ll have some idea of what to expect.

Created by TV legend Jack Bender (Lost, Game of Thrones), The Institute stars Joe Freeman as Luke Ellis alongside Ben “Prince Caspian” Barnes as former police officer Tim Jamieson.

Carrie (2026)

Despite various rumours over the years, we never got to see the Shining TV series (said to be titled The Overlook) that HBO Max, and later Netflix, were apparently producing. This upcoming Carrie miniseries, however, based on King’s legendary novel and produced by Mike Flanagan for Amazon Prime, definitely looks like it’s coming our way.

Flanagan’s show will be the fifth adaptation of King’s debut, after Brian DePalma’s 1976 classic, a forgettable 1999 sequel, a TV movie from 2002 and the decent Chloë Grace Moretz remake from 2013. The cast is naturally mostly newcomers, but Scream’s Matthew Lillard (who appeared in Life of Chuck) is on board to play the school’s principal. 

Billy Summers (TBA)

Having already adapted King’s Lisey’s Story, Castle Rock and 11.22.63, J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot are now in production on his 2021 bestseller, Billy Summers—a crime story about a hitman who pretends to be a writer while working a job in a small town.

Bad Robot had originally envisaged it as a ten-episode miniseries, but it now seems to be going ahead as a feature, with Warner Bros. set to release it. Sounds promising!

Mister Yummy (TBA)

Just this month, Deadline reported that an adaptation of King’s 2015 short, Mister Yummy, was in development at Intrinsic Value Films. Naturally, little information is currently available, but the project sounds like an interesting one.

The story focuses on an elderly man in a retirement home who starts to see visions of a man he once fell in love with. This one sounds more like the dramatic, introspective King of stories like Stand by Me and Life of Chuck—so if they’re your bag, consider putting this one on your radar. 

Fairy Tale (TBA)

King’s 2022 fantasy novel Fairy Tale was actually optioned very soon after the book’s release, with Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Ultimatum) attached to direct. It’s now looking more likely that the story will be told as a miniseries, with J. H. Wyman (who worked on Fringe) acting as showrunner.

The story follows a young boy who acquires a set of keys that give him access to another realm—Narnia fans take note. 

Good morning, sports fans! Chances are, if you enjoy watching people kick, hit, or throw balls in real life, you’re probably partial to a sports movie from time to time. But we can’t expect you to be in 100% competitive mode all the time, and that’s where comedy crossovers come in.

There are lots of epic sports drama movies out there that tap into the underdog story or the mission to be the very best in your field. But the release of Happy Gilmore 2 in 2025 reminds us that sometimes, sports can be very silly.

We can’t put the new movie in the hall of fame just yet, but the original sure does make the podium. Read on for the top ten funniest sports comedies of all time, ranked from ten to one.

10. Space Jam (1996)

A lot of the movies on this list aren’t necessarily family-friendly, but Space Jam certainly is. So, if you’re looking for something the kids can enjoy, this is a great introduction to sports movies. 

I remember watching this film as a child and being absolutely obsessed with the alien villains, and also thinking it was incredibly cool that Michael Jordan was friends with Bugs Bunny.

As you’d expect from the Looney Tunes, the comedy in Space Jam is very juvenile and slapstick, but there are also moments of double entendre for the grown-ups in the room. It’s short, sweet, and very silly… and it’s also way better than its sequel, Space Jam: A New Legacy.

9. A League of Their Own (1992)

Chances are, Gen Z sports fans have probably tuned into the TV show version of A League of Their Own (which is also great), but it’s important to go back to where it all began and watch the movie. 

When you put Tom Hanks and Geena Davis together in a ‘90s movie, you’re going to get magic, and that’s exactly what happened in the film iteration of A League of Their Own. It might be cliché, but this is the perfect date night movie. If you’re trying to get someone to watch a sports movie who usually prefers a rom-com, or if you’re trying to trick a sports fan into watching a cute romance flick, everyone’s a winner with this one.

8. Happy Gilmore (1996)

Here he is, the reason we’re even making this list right now! I’ve seen some angry golfers in my time, but Happy Gilmore takes the top prize in that regard. Thankfully, it’s very, very funny to see Adam Sander lose his cool on the course. Of all his work in the 1990s, this is my favourite of Sandler’s, and that’s not just because I love golf.

In fact, you really don’t need to like golf at all to enjoy this sports comedy. My partner loved it when we watched it together, and she doesn’t give golf the time of day usually. Happy Gilmore is ludicrous at times, but it’s actually got a pretty great story at the core of it. The best thing is that because of the sequel, the original is on most streaming services at the moment, including Netflix, the exclusive home of Happy Gilmore 2.

7. Blades of Glory (2007)

Will Ferrell appears on this list three times, and this is the first of his movies to make the cut. It seems the comedy legend loves to dive into sports comedies, and he’s very, very good at making them, too. Blades of Glory is arguably his most universally loved, mainly because the actual sports element takes such a backseat here.

So, don’t worry if you don’t know your loop from your lutz; you do not need to be a figure skating expert to have a great time with this one. It’s more like a childish crime caper than anything else, with sabotage and double-crossing the order of the day.

6. Bend It Like Beckham (2002)

Football (or soccer, for the Americans) is probably the most difficult sport to capture effectively in a film. I suspect that’s largely because of the dynamic nature of the game and how hard it is to convincingly portray that, especially when you stick a camera into the heart of the action. Thankfully, Bend It Like Beckham doesn’t worry too much about the actual game – it’s far more concerned with the human element of it.

It’s very similar to the American football (or soccer) comedy film She’s the Man in many ways, though far less on the nose with its comedy. Bend It Like Beckham is definitely in the rom-com realm as much as it is a sports comedy, with lots of drama and emotional beats underpinning the lighter moments. Much like A League of Their Own, this is perfect for a date night.

5. Fighting with My Family (2019)

Proving that maybe they just don’t make sports comedies like they used to, this is the most recent release of the ten films on this list. The world of WWE gets the Florence Pugh treatment in Fighting with My Family, and it’s not just a really funny family dramedy; it’s also a genuinely very good film, too.

The fight sequences are slick, the story is inspirational and authentic, and there are laughs aplenty throughout. It’s also directed by Stephen Merchant, so if you like the work he does with Ricky Gervais, you’ll be able to get on board with this pretty easily. It’s also on Netflix, which means it’s super easy to track down, especially if you’ve just watched Happy Gilmore 2.

4. Semi-Pro (2008)

Will Ferrell alert! The big man is back, and this time he’s playing basketball. As the frankly ridiculous Jackie Moon, Ferrell essentially lives out what I’m sure is a dream for a lot of folks, in that he buys out his local basketball team and makes himself the star player. If you think that sounds dumb, you’d be absolutely right, and Semi-Pro is not afraid to lean into that mindless territory.

I’ve seen this film more times than I can count, and so many of the quotes from Semi-Pro have been a huge part of my lexicon for the past 17 years. It’s very crude and brash, and it’s not for everyone by any means. But, if you’re into films like Role Models and The Hangover, you’ll be all in on Semi-Pro.

3. Tin Cup (1996)

If you want some golfing action that’s slightly more serious than Happy Gilmore 2, Tin Cup is a guaranteed hole-in-one. Featuring a romantic narrative laced with gently comedic moments, it has a similar tone to something like Jerry Maguire. Rather than slapstick humour, you’ll find yourself chuckling at the playful dynamic between Kevin Costner and Rene Russo as their relationship blossoms.

There’s a very specific type of sports movie in which Tin Cup fits, which is the story of a washed-up ex-Pro finding his love for the game once more to do something incredible. I love that archetype, and that’s why Tin Cup is a firm favourite of mine.

2. Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)

Alongside Happy Gilmore and post-Millennium, it’s hard to find a more universally loved and widely watched sports movie than Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. A big part of this legacy is the brilliant cast, which includes Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, and Justin Long, all at the top of their game.

The film is very similar to Blades of Glory in the sense that it doesn’t really matter how much you know about dodgeball (people have to avoid getting hit by a ball; it’s pretty simple), as Dodgeball is more focused on tomfoolery and nefarious plans hatched by cartoonish villains. 

It’s on Disney+ and, to be honest, worth a month of subscription fees for this one alone.

1. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)

Ricky Bobby always says, ‘If you ain’t first, you’re last’. Thankfully, he ends up at the top of the leaderboard in our ranking of the funniest sports comedies with Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. And guess what? It’s the third and final entry for Will Ferrell.

Here, he teams up with his long-time collaborator John C. Reilly, and if you like what they did with Step Brothers, you’re going to find Talladega Nights to be a laugh riot. Simply put, you can’t ask for more from a sports comedy: it comes in at under two hours, it’s relentlessly funny, has a few twists along the way, and best of all, free to watch on Prime Video right now.

It wouldn’t be an awards season without a few shocks and snubs, and the 2026 Golden Globes nominations have no shortage of surprises. Taking place in January, the Globes are generally a more low-key and boozy affair than most other awards shows, a party to kick off the glitzy season after the critics' circles have handed out their year-end gongs. It has always been an idiosyncratic beast, and that also goes for who gets nominated. 

For a long time, the Globes were voted on by the HFPA, a group of roughly 90 hacks that nobody had ever heard of (as opposed to the literal thousands of people in the Academy), which meant that a well-targeted campaign of shmoozing could win you a nomination at a fraction of the cost of running for an Oscar. Now, having expanded its voting members to around 310 international journalists in 2023, we’re starting to see a new kind of Globes emerge—an award show with a genuinely more global feel. 

This is particularly evident in this year’s selection, with festival favourites taking up spots usually reserved for major US releases—even though two great American movies (Sinners with seven, One Battle After Another with nine) lead the pack alongside Norway’s Sentimental Value (eight). Read on to discover more and use the guide below to find out where to watch the movies, whether in theatres or on services like AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere.  

SNUB: Wicked: For Good Misses Out on a Best Picture Nod

Wicked: For Good is exactly the kind of big screen popcorn movie that used to be a dead cert for the Globes (think The Greatest Showman, Rocketman), an awards ceremony that splits many of its categories into either Drama or Musical/Comedy—meaning twice the noms. That bifurcation has meant that, given the reluctance to award actual comedy movies, basically any half-decent musical was usually guaranteed at least a mention—but perhaps not anymore.

Wicked: For Good predictably saw nominations for its two actresses (Grande has a good shot of winning) and a couple of songs, but will only be in contention for the still vague “Cinematic and Box Office Achievement" award, which its predecessor, Wicked, won while losing Best Picture Musical/Comedy to Emilia Perez. 

SHOCK: Indie & International Movies Get Huge Globes Recognition

Where movies like Wicked: For Good missed out, international and independents won big. 

Jafar Panahi (Iran), Joachim Trier (Norway) and Kleber Mendonça Filho (Brazil) all had their movies nominated for Best Drama (It Was Just and Accident, Sentimental Value, The Secret Agent) while in the Musical/Comedy category, Korean filmmaker Park Chan Wook’s No Other Choice was nominated alongside Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos’s Bugonia and four films from American indie royalty: PTA’s One Battle After Another, Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme, as well as Nouvelle Vague and Blue Moon—both of which were directed by Richard Linklater.

The weird part is that not one of the six movies in that category is a musical, nor, with the possible exception of Nouvelle, do I think any of these directors would refer to them as comedies. We are used to seeing a little category shenanigans at the Globes (remember The Martian, The Wolf of Wall Street?), but this is a whole new level. 

SNUB: Sydney Sweeney Punches Out Of Acting Categories

Given Euphoria breakout Sydney Sweeney’s magnetic ability to court controversy online, it’s probably not so surprising that the actor failed to make the cut in yesterday’s nominations for either The Housemaid or her more awards-friendly role as the pioneering female boxer Christy Martin in Christy.

This is the kind of part that requires an actor to undergo a physical transformation (think Monster, or to a lesser extent, I, Tonya), so Sweeney must have been quietly hoping for at least a nod from the Globes when she took it on. Unfortunately for her, the movie didn’t make a huge impression with critics and has struggled at the box office—maybe it’s time for a rebrand?

SHOCK: Jacob Elordi Is Nominated For Not One, But TWO Golden Globes

Sweeney can perhaps take some pleasure in seeing her fellow Euphoria alum Jacob Elordi pick up not one but two nominations yesterday. The Australian heartthrob first got a nod for his role in the TV drama Narrow Road to the Deep North (a POW story that fans of Atonement might enjoy) before receiving a shock Best Supporting Actor nom for his role as the Creature in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein (a film for fans of The Shape of Water, naturally). 

As of today, the awards boffins at Gold Derby have the actor down for a nomination at the Oscars. He’s alive!

SNUB: Katheryn Bigelow Fails to Make An Impact at the Globes

Since becoming the first woman to win Best Director at the Oscars for The Hurt Locker in 2010, Katheryn Bigelow’s name has naturally stayed in the conversation for this category. She was back in 2013 with Zero Dark Thirty, but just missed out with Detroit a few years later. Now, with House of Dynamite, her first film in eight years, the director (and the execs at Netflix) must have been hoping for a comeback. But despite a lot of buzz from Venice, the film has failed to really ignite upon impact.

In truth, the Best Director category was always going to be a knife fight this year, and with Chloe Zhao already a lock for Hamnet alongside a selection of international names, you won’t find too many people arguing about a lack of diversity. 

SHOCK: 2026 Is a Cool Year For Score and Song at the Globes

Whenever I watch an Oscar ceremony (as I now do every year, without fail) and it comes time to hear the performances for Original Song, my mind imagines what it was like in 1996, when Colour of the Wind (Pocahontas) beat out You’ve Got a Friend in Me (Toy Story) for the prize. 

Thanks to an interesting selection of tunes, I might not need to daydream this year. The category for Best Original Song this year includes I Lied to You from Sinners (great), two tunes from Wicked: For Good (inevitable), one from KPop Demon Hunters (fun) and, best of all, a Nick Cave tune from Train Dreams (dreamy). 

This unusual level of good taste is also present in the nominations for Best Score, where names of maestros Hans Zimmer (F1), Alexandre Desplat (Frankenstein), Ludwig Goranson (Sinners) and Max Richter (Hamnet) will be said in the same breath as Radiohead’s Johnny Greenwood (One Battle) and the Berlin-based techno DJ Kanding Ray (for the miraculous Spanish movie Sirāt).

SNUB: No Nomination For The Pitt’s Katherine LaNasa 

Viewers on the lookout for shenanigans could find plenty in the TV acting noms, where there was no love for The Gilded Age and not enough for The Pitt, while the weakest season of White Lotus absolutely cleaned up. The most egregious snub was surely for Katherine LaNasa’s supporting turn as nurse Dana Evans in The Pitt, a category where no less than three Lotus actors were nominated.

Nothing against those performances, of course, but LaNasa was the heart and soul of the exceptional ER-set drama. That scene where she attempts to make a cup of tea while shellshocked in one of the last few episodes is honestly one of the best things I’ve seen all year.

SHOCK: What Is Going on in Best Cinematic and Box Office Achievement?

In truth, when this category was announced last year, it already seemed like a terrible idea. Sure, it’s an opportunity to recognise popcorn movies that never get nominated elsewhere, but aren’t all these nominees defined as “cinematic achievements”? And like Don said in that now ubiquitous meme, isn’t that what the money is for?

Either way, all kinds of funny stuff seems to be going on in the category this year, including nods for the yet to be released Avatar: Fire & Ash and the Netflix-streaming movie KPop Demon Hunters—both of which were recognised instead of six of the actual top seven highest-grossing movies of the year, including Superman and The Minecraft Movie.

SNUB: Sinners’ Wunmi Mosaku Should Have Been Nominated 

The electric Nigerian-British star Wunmi Mosaku was a standout in Ryan Coogler’s Sinners earlier this year (a miraculous vampire mashup movie that fans of From Dusk Till Dawn will love), but sadly didn’t make the cut with the Globe voters. The movie did get nominated for seven awards, though, including Michael B. Jordan for his dual role as the Smokestack twins. 

It was also the only film nominated in both the Box Office and Best Picture categories—no mean feat.  

SHOCK: Sorry, Baby’s Eve Victor Is (Rightfully) a Best Actress Nominee

Though many missed out, there were heartwarming decisions in other places, not least a first nomination for Rhea Seahorn for the excellent Pluribus after years of being overlooked by the Globes for her work on Better Call Saul. The most delightful, however, has to be Eva Victor’s nod for Best Actress for her incredible turn in Sorry, Baby—a deeply personal movie that Victor (who identifies as non-binary) also wrote and directed. 

Victor’s categorisation in the drama category is not necessarily off, but the film is certainly more of a comedy than If I Had Legs I’d Kick You or One Battle After Another, both of which have their leading actresses (Rose Byrne and Chase Infiniti) nominated in that other category. Whatever the case, this awards season just got a lot more interesting.

Who would have thought that a guy who was once little more than a side character on Sons of Anarchy would go on to become one of the most prolific and successful TV writers of the streaming era? Taylor Sheridan is well and truly the king of Paramount Plus right now, with a sprawling cowboy kingdom and a bunch of crime-based thrillers already jockeying for room in his portfolio.

His newest show, The Madison, has just landed on Apple TV and Paramount Plus, where it is currently holding its own, even in the shadow of Sheridan's previous hit, Landman — an oil field epic that became Paramount’s most-watched series of all time. With that honour under his belt, plus the hugely popular Yellowstone franchise (and an executive producer credit on Lawmen: Bass Reeves, too), Sheridan has totally dominated the small screen for the past seven years.

But which Taylor Sheridan show is the best? Do the cowboys reign supreme, or are the oil kings coming for that crown? See which of Sheridan’s shows are worth your time with our ranking of them all. (Spoiler: they are all worth your time, actually!)

8. Tulsa King (2022-)

Listen, it’s always going to be fun to see Sylvester Stallone playing a mafia boss, so please don’t be fooled into thinking Tulsa King is a bad show just because it’s at the bottom of this list – something had to be, and it’s got tough competition. 

If you like shows like The Sopranos and Peaky Blinders, you’ll be all in on this one, which has a wonderful blend of brutal violence and moments of levity that only Stallone can pull off. While it does lack the nuance and depth that some viewers might yearn for, the show still brims with a simple charm: big, brash, loud, and unabashedly macho, and we mean all of that in the most complimentary way possible. Tulsa King is a really easy watch, as long as you don’t mind a bit of violence and profanity.

7. 1923 (2022-)

As a Yellowstone prequel spin-off series, it was always going to be hard for 1923 to live up to the hype, and to be honest, the first season failed to hook me in. That was largely because the characters were scattered around and on their own little adventures. Thankfully, Season 2 brought everyone back together and stepped the violence and tension up a notch, leaving me wanting more of a show I was willing to take or leave when it first aired.

Like Tulsa King, you get some real star power with this one, in the form of Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren. 1923 tells us the backstory of the Dutton family and their iconic ranch; how they fought against villainous forces to protect what they built, and it develops into a truly thrilling, gritty family drama once Sheridan hits his stride. It reminds me a lot of Ozark – one of my favourite Netflix series of all time – with an array of nefarious bad guys and questionable heroes you can’t help but root for.

6. Mayor of Kingstown (2021-)

While Sheridan does have his critics, largely for his shortcomings as a writer (he’s often guilty of cheesy dialogue and convoluted storylines, which is all part of the fun), he does have an admirable tendency to tackle wider societal issues in his work. Mayor of Kingstown is a perfect example of this, with the US prison system put on the stand, as it were.

The Jeremy Renner-led series is brimming with themes of police corruption, political collusion, and criminal correction. It’s actually very similar thematically to Tulsa King, but while Stallone’s Dwight Manfredi is on the wrong side of the law, Renner’s Mike McLusky is the one pulling the strings in his world. Mayor of Kingstown is not in the same league as The Wire or Breaking Bad, but it’s definitely striving to appeal to the same audiences. Be warned, though, this Sheridan show is very bleak and violent, to the extent that even I would say it’s gratuitous at times.

5. The Madison (2026-)

It might have only just debuted, but the latest addition to the Sheridan-Verse has already been putting down some serious viewing numbers and, in what will likely feel like a great success for Sheridan given some of the criticism he has received for his female characters over the year, a large proportion of that audience appears to be women.

The show—which was originally planned as a Yellowstone spinoff before becoming its own, standalone neo-Western—is called The Madison it stars Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell as Stacy and Preston Clyburn, a couple of married New Yorkers who relocate to Montana in the hopes of finding peace after a tragic plane crash claims a number of their family's lives. The first six-episode run (a second series is already in development) introduces us to their sprawling clan — including Preston's brother, Paul (played by Lost legend Matthew Fox), and their son-in-law, Russell McIntosh (played by Suits legend Patrick J. Adams).

4. Landman (2024-)

Clearly, Sheridan is doing something very right when it comes to Landman. Almost 15 million viewers in its first four weeks on Paramount Plus, eclipsing the massive audience Yellowstone already boasted. Once again, ideas of land ownership and capitalism are at the heart of the story for Landman – themes that obviously play on Sheridan’s mind a lot. This time, however, the concept of corporate greed really ramps up, leaving us with very few characters that are actually likeable.

That’s not necessarily a problem, especially when the characters are as fun as Tommy Norris (Billy Bob Thornton), a man who speaks his mind, gets things done, and fears no one. He’s not quite as cool as John Dutton, but he’s pretty close. If you’re into movies like There Will Be Blood, Killers of the Flower Moon, and No Country for Old Men, you’ll have a riot with Landman. Just beware: Sheridan’s penchant for poorly written female characters hits a new low here, with the two-dimensional Angela and Aynsley Norris being the main gripe for most viewers.

3. Special Ops: Lioness (2023-)

We are so used to seeing Sheridan set his shows on dusty plains or within urban communities that it was quite surprising when he scaled up his storytelling with Special Ops: Lioness. Zoe Saldana stars in this tale of terrorist organisations and Marine recruits, while A-list stars like Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman support from the wings, giving this show a genuine pedigree.

This is a rare example of Sheridan getting his female characters absolutely spot on, harking back to the brilliant work he did crafting the character of Kate for Denis Villeneuve’s epic movie, Sicario. While it does suffer from the usual Sheridan problems of clichéd writing and overcomplicated narratives, there is no doubt that Lioness is his most gripping and intense show to date. Fans of Jarhead, Black Hawk Down, and Zero Dark Thirty will absolutely love this.

2. Yellowstone (2018-2024)

This is where it all began for Sheridan’s small-screen kingdom, and honestly, in terms of long-term entertainment value, there are very few TV shows that can hold a candle to Yellowstone. 

There’s enough of your stereotypical cowboy capers and rodeo fun here to satisfy ardent Western fans, but at the heart of this five-season-long soap opera is intense family drama and pantomime villains looking to destroy the Dutton family legacy. Think Game of Thrones and Succession, but with ranchers, and you’re on the right lines here.

Kevin Costner leads the show as patriarch John Dutton, and he’s just as cavalier and commanding as you’d expect. There’s incredible support in the rest of the cast, like Kelly Reilly as Costner’s daughter, Beth, and Cole Hauser as her husband, Rip Wheeler. A few work friends and I started watching Yellowstone out of curiosity, almost ironically, if anything. We expected to laugh about how silly and cheesy it was, and we ended up absolutely obsessed. It’s been a couple of years now, and we still talk about the show almost every day. It did make us laugh, but it also made us cry, filled us with excitement, and had us gripped until the bitter end.

1. 1883 (2021)

The 1923 prequel series might not quite have hit the mark for Yellowstone fans, but 1883, the first spinoff, is truly astounding. While the main show is, for want of a better word, a little bit trashy and simple, 1883 is packed with emotion, grit, and genuinely heavy moments that carry a lot of weight. It’s an unflinching and impassioned look at the history of the American West. You can feel how much Sheridan cares about the characters he’s crafted and the real-world issues they experience. From displaced communities to embracing different cultures, this is a story handled with a wonderful mix of delicacy and visceral brutality.

I have no hesitation in saying that Elsa Dutton (played by Isabel May) is the very best character Sheridan has ever created, and this show blows all his other small-screen work out of the water. While Yellowstone is great for anyone wanting to dabble in the cowboy kingdom for the long haul, 1883 is a phenomenal single-season experience. Sadly, it’ll leave you wanting more, but honestly, the ending is perfect as it is. Anyone who’s a fan of Western movies like Dances with Wolves, Hostiles, or 3:10 to Yuma will adore 1883.

Thanks to hits like Stranger Things, the 1980s have become a fertile, neon-lit playground for TV shows to stretch our imaginations, bringing us jaded modern viewers back to a seemingly simpler time before smartphones stole our attention and spontaneity. Some of the best modern series set in the ‘80s bring out the decade’s sparky spirit in fresh, emotional, and downright addictive ways—injecting some much-needed hope from the past into these dark modern times.

If you think Stranger Things owns the ‘80s revival crown, though, think again. These five series, which are ranked below in ascending order, deliver nostalgic vibes with more heart, pizzazz, and banging soundtracks, which make them must-watch escapes through the decade’s music, culture, and analogue life.

5. Mix Tape (2025)

Set in Sheffield in 1989, Mix Tape is a tender coming-of-age romance that follows teenagers Alison and Daniel’s first love, their messy fallout, and their eventual reconnection decades later, sparked by a shared soundtrack of pop anthems.

Adapted from Jane Sanderson’s novel of the same name, Mix Tape delicately weaves the power of music with raw emotional truths about love lost and found. The seamless shifts between ‘80s flashbacks and the present day make this a beautifully nostalgic yet deeply modern story, enhanced by needle drops that hit all the right notes. 

4. GLOW (2017–2019)

Glamming up the golden era of women’s wrestling, GLOW is a vibrant, witty, and heartfelt look at the women behind the neon-lit ring in 1980s Los Angeles. Actress Ruth Wilder and a host of other women who don’t fit the typical Hollywood mould show up to audition for a mysterious pilot: The Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW). The women of all shapes and sizes find expression, competition, and camaraderie as they (literally) fight to keep the series alive.

Unfortunately, GLOW was cancelled after its third season due to COVID-19-related budget cuts, but don’t let that stop you! The series balances camp performances with genuine struggles over identity, ambition, and friendship. Through electric fashion, iconic music, and empowering storytelling, GLOW brings to life a forgotten slice of ‘80s culture with charm and grit that beats mere nostalgia.

3. Hysteria! (2024)

Set against the backdrop of the ‘Satanic Panic’, Hysteria! follows the story of a rowdy group of punk teens who pretend to be satanists to gain clout for their new heavy metal band. But things start to spiral out of control when dark, supernatural happenings begin to plague their small town—and the band are the prime suspects.

The show skillfully blends dark humour, horror, and ‘80s nostalgia with an authentic rock-and-roll soundtrack. It captures the chaotic energy of a town caught between fear and fascination, making it a wild ride full of twists that goes beyond your typical throwback entertainment to explore how mass panic and identity collide in unforgettable ways. 

2. Pose (2018–2021)

Ryan Murphy’s Pose follows the complex, vibrant, and deeply emotional stories of the dancers, models, and socialites at the centre of the ballroom dance scene in late ‘80s to late ‘90s New York. It’s a celebration of resilience, love, and expression during a time when AIDS was devastating lives, but hope shone brightest in the fiercest performances.

Over three seasons, Pose offers incredible insight into the ballroom culture of the city’s LGBTQ+ community with dazzling costumes, fierce dance battles, and heart-stopping drama. Pose rewrites the typical ‘80s narrative to include voices and struggles often ignored, making it essential viewing for anyone craving a fuller picture of that unique time.

1. Red Oaks (2014–2017)

A sharp coming-of-age comedy, Red Oaks follows the story of David Meyers, a newly accepted college student who lands a summer job at the Red Oaks Country Club in New Jersey, 1985. There, he rubs shoulders with its elite members and even falls in love with the owner’s daughter, Skye. Meanwhile, his own parents find their relationship drifting apart as they explore new territory in middle age.

Red Oaks effortlessly blends teenage hormones, class tensions, and awkward romances with colourful flashbacks and classic ‘80s rock tunes. But under the laughs and nostalgia are deeper themes of socioeconomic mobility, family pressures, and the uncertainties of early adulthood. David’s summer is full of memorable moments—from filming an awkward adult party to navigating his relationship with Skye and career dilemmas—all while trying to find his path in a rapidly changing world. 

It’s the perfect blend of humour, heart, and sharp ‘80s style that captures the spirit of the decade in a way that’s fresh, funny, and surprisingly emotional. 

Hollywood has a long-standing tradition of casting actors well beyond their teen years to play high schoolers, college freshmen, and awkward adolescents—often with a mix of convincing results thanks to makeup, lighting, and a healthy dose of good will and fantasy from the audience. From the neon-soaked summers of the ‘80s to modern streaming hits, these age-defying performances keep us believing in eternal youth, even when the math doesn’t quite add up. 

Stranger Things set a high bar by starting with age-appropriate kids, but as the seasons dragged on, even they aged over the limit. But as you’ll see, the Upside Down isn’t the only place where these age gaps are found. Whether it’s ghosts in girls’ bathrooms, high school mean girls, or nerdy web-slingers, these actors pulled off teenage illusions that either fooled us completely or we wanted to be fooled enough to let it slide. So, let’s count down the oldest offenders who dialed up the teen vibe!

Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, and Noah Schnapp – Stranger Things (2016–2025)

Stranger Things tried harder than most productions to cast age-appropriate actors. The core four—Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and Will—were all close to 12 years old at the start of Season 1, and were played by actors around that age, too. Finn Wolfhard, who plays Mike, was 13 at the time of filming the first season, as was Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin); Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas) was 14, and Noah Schnapp (Will) was 12 years old. 

Although in each season the characters are supposed to be one year older, the real-life timeline was unable to keep filming at such a snappy pace, and the main characters have since aged out of their roles. In Season 5, Finn is 22, Gaten is 23, Caleb is now 24, and Noah is 21. There are some clear telltale signs the core four are well past 16, but the costume and makeup departments do a convincing enough job that I’m happy to buy it.

Nicola Coughlan – Derry Girls (2018–2022) and Bridgerton (2020–present)

While Nicola Coughlan effortlessly blended in with the others on Derry Girls, she was in fact already 31 at the time she started playing the 15-year-old Claire Devlin in the series. Her youthful features also served her well while playing Penelope Featherington in Netflix’s hit Regency-era fantasy series Bridgerton. 

As the roughly 17 or 18-year-old Penelope was shrinking to the sidelines during the seasonal balls and penning her devastating anonymous column, Nicola was actually already 33 years old. Now that’s a fact Lady Whisteldown would have gleefully spread around town!

Paul Rudd – Wet Hot American Summer (2001)

By now, it’s become a running joke that Paul Rudd never ages. From his role at 26 as Cher’s down-to-earth stepbrother Josh in 1995’s Clueless to starring in Marvel’s Ant-Man films at 44, he has pretty much looked the same throughout his entire career. Did he find the Holy Grail? Is he a vampire? The speculation continues! 

Back in 2001, Rudd starred in the iconic teen comedy Wet Hot American Summer as the 17-year-old Andy. Rudd was actually already 31, but what’s 14 years when you’ve got eternal life?

Shirley Henderson – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

In the Harry Potter books, it was well known that Moaning Myrtle—the ghost of the girl killed by the basilisk in the girls’ bathroom on the second floor of Hogwarts—remained the age at which she died: 14. 

In the films, she is played by actress Shirley Henderson, who was already 35 at the time Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was filmed. But her youthful looks, coupled with the opaque ghost filter and her signature baby-ish voice made it genuinely shocking for me when I discovered how old she really was. 

Rachel McAdams – Mean Girls, The Notebook (2004)

Rachel McAdams was already 26 years old when she played a high school junior in the razor-sharp teen comedy Mean Girls. As the popular leader of The Plastics, Regina George, she ruled North Shore High with cruel perfection while making it her business to build up and destroy Lindsay Lohan’s Cady Heron.

In that same year, McAdams also starred in her other breakout role in the tearjerking romance The Notebook. Like in Mean Girls, her character, Allie, is a mere 17 years old at the start of the film. While I personally didn’t find her totally convincing as a teenager in either role, there’s no doubt that she smashed it performance-wise in both films—so I say we let it slide.

Cole Sprouse – Riverdale (2017–2023)

The Archie Comics Netflix series Riverdale was a mesmerising mix of the type of plastic sheen you’d expect from teen drama series like 90210 and sci-fi horror like Supernatural. As per tradition in glossy teen romance series, all of the actors were significantly older than their on-screen counterparts.

Cole Sprouse was already 24 years old when he donned Jughead Jones’s jagged-edged beanie in the first season of Riverdale. Jughead was supposedly just 16 years old; luckily, Sprouse was able to channel his Suite Life charm into the role, despite being firmly in his mid-20s. The show’s soapy twists aged everyone up fast anyway, making it all feel rather well timed.

Keiko Agena – Gilmore Girls (2000–2007)

Lane Kim might have been 16 years old at the start of Gilmore Girls, but the actress who played her, Keiko Agena, was already 27 at the time of filming Season 1. As Rory’s quirky best friend dreaming of rock stardom, Agena nailed the angsty teen energy and awkwardness of those delicate years.

Keiko Agena returned to Stars Hollow for the reunion series Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life in 2016, reprising her role as Lane. In the revival, Agena was 43 years old while Lane was somewhere in her late 30s—somewhat bridging the gap between real life and fiction.

Jennifer Grey – Dirty Dancing (1987)

When Jennifer Grey starred as 17-year-old recent high school graduate Frances “Baby” Houseman in Dirty Dancing, she was already a decade older at 27. Despite the age gap, she was able to carry the role through a mix of bashful acting and a frumpy wardrobe—both of which transformed into a daring confidence and scandalously sparse articles of clothing by the end of the film. 

Although he didn’t play a teen in the film, Patrick Swayze’s Johnny also deserves a nod. Despite his killer dance moves, the actor was already 35 at the time of filming. However, Johnny was supposed to be 25 years old, making the age gap between both the actors and their characters the same, just with a 10-year difference.

Jon Heder – Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

In the deadpan indie hit Napoleon Dynamite, Jon Heder played a 16-year-old high schooler—despite being 26 at the time of filming. His lanky awkwardness and killer Nunchuck skills snagged every vote for Pedro, and his endearingly nerdy style and earnestness made him into a kind of Millennial superhero. 

Speaking of Pedro—the actor who played him, Efen Ramirez, was 30 at the time they filmed Napoleon Dynamite. Meanwhile, Aaron Ruell, who played Napoleon’s brother Kip, was 28 playing a 32-year-old. 

Andrew Garfield – The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

When Andrew Garfield put on the skin-tight spidey suit as Spider-Man and his real-world counterpart Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man, he was 27. Peter Parker was supposed to be a 17-year-old high school student, and while Garfield generally has a boyish, youthful look to him, not everyone was sold on his age. That being said, his performance was so good, and the film itself was beloved by superhero and normie fans alike, that Garfield has since gone down as one of the all-time favourite actors to swing through New York. 

Shoutout to Tobey Maguire, who was also 27 at the time of filming 2002’s Spider-Man. He was even less convincing as a teenager, but I truly didn’t care when I first saw the film.

John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John – Grease (1978)

At 23 years old, John Travolta gave audiences the pelvic swings of a lifetime as 17-year-old Danny Zuko, while Olivia Newton-John embodied the innocent teenage Sandy Olsson while she herself was a cool 29. But perhaps most shockingly, Stockard Channing was already 33 when she played Betty Rizzo, the leader of the Pink Ladies in Grease.

Despite the very clear age difference between actors and characters on screen, the Rydell High gang belting out hits with electric coolness that laughed off their off-screen maturity and made Grease into a timeless classic—greased lightning indeed!

For some individuals, hearing Mariah Carey warble the words “I don’t want…” in mid-November is a call for joyous celebration. For others, it’s a sign to start filling your ears with stuffing. Whichever side you fall on, there is no doubting the appetite out there for movies that go against the festive grain. 

In fact, the subgenre of Christmas horror only seems to deliver more bold, bloody, and bah-humbugy presents as the years pass by. The ten films we’ve arranged below range from genuine festive favorites to truly demented horror—some of which will get you on the naughty list, others that are merely horror-coded interpretations of confirmed Christmas crackers. Read on to discover more and use the guide below to find them on services like AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere.  

Gremlins (1984)

Let’s kick things off with a couple of movies that keep a toe in both festive and horror camps. There’s no doubting that Joe Dante’s Gremlins takes place at “the most wonderful time of the year” and, aesthetically and vibes-wise, has more than enough of that Amblin Entertainment juice (think movies like Goonies and Poltergeist) to make it a durable family classic. 

On the other hand, this is also a movie about freaky monsters in which more than a few characters die. With all that in mind, Gremlins is almost the perfect Creepmas movie to get you started. As we said, almost.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Of course, no movie in the history of cinema can claim to be both an autumn and a Christmas classic quite like The Nightmare Before Christmas, Tim Burton (think Edward Scissorhands) and Henry Sellick’s (think Coraline) animation classic.

On top of inspiring an infinite number of art student halloween costumes, this is a movie that manages to deliver a genuinely festive emotional punch while staying firmly in the Creepness movie canon. Oh, and bonus points for all the great tunes.

Terrifier 3 (2024)

Now, with all the family friendly stuff out of the way, let’s move on to the sicko stuff: if you’re looking for something to ruin the after dinner mood, or maybe to help get rid of a few lingering relatives, you can’t go wrong with Terrifier 3—a movie that will be more pleasing to fans of Bone Tomahawk and Saw than appreciators of Miracle on 34th Street.

This is the one where Art the Clown shoves a load of rats down a nice lady’s throat using a blowtorch—a scene that might make you less fussy about whether or not the turkey is a little dry. 

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010)

Still firmly in the realm of Creepmass, though more in the lineage of dark comedy and folk stories, is the Finnish movie Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale. This is the story of a young boy who thinks he has happened upon Santa’s tomb but finds an evil version of Father Christmas instead.

Rare Exports is the kind of movie that balances its sinister plot with some good natured (and decidedly Scandinavian) humour—so if you’re a fan of monster movies from that part of the world (think Troll Hunter and Border), this could be the one for you.

Krampus (2015)

Similar to Rare Exports, the 2015 movie Krampus puts a dark and twisted spin on well worn Christmas folklore. As the title suggests, this one focuses on the European myth of the Krampus—a demonic, horned, anti-Santa who enjoys torturing and abducting children.

The movie stars Toni Colette alongside Adam Scott, so if you like either of their work in stuff like Hereditary or Severance, you should definitely give this one a go!  

Black Christmas (1974)

Black Christmas holds a place in the record books for boasting one of, if not the first examples of the “final girl” trope in horror. It’s also credited with helping to revive the slasher genre. For the benefit of our list, however, it’s also worth mentioning that this was, if I’m not mistaken, the first holiday-based horror movie—so if you’re into movies like Thanksgiving and Halloween, you might enjoy going back to check it out.

The story takes place among a group of sorority girls during the Christmas season and I believe was the (yet another) first movie to use the immortal line: “The calls are coming from inside the house.”

The Lodge (2020)

Naturally, there are a number of horror films that simply take place in winter without needing to dip too much into festive iconography. A great recent one is The Lodge, which comes from the indie studio A24—and if you like the stylish horror that’s usually associated with the production house (think The Babadook, The Witch), I would highly recommend this one.

The story follows a soon-to-be stepmother (played by Riley Keogh) who gets stranded with her soon-to-be stepchildren in a family lodge at Christmastime—which, let’s be real, sounds scary enough even without all the other mad stuff that starts to happen. 

The Shining (1980)

Even more so than The Lodge, The Shining doesn’t engage with Christmas stuff on any real level, but there is certainly plenty of snow, some iconic knitted sweaters, and at least one mention of a fateful New Years Eve party—all of which makes it eligible, IMO, both for this list and any Creepmass watch party. 

Regardless, it’s always a good time to recommend Kubrick’s scariest movie—especially if the person you are recommending to is into the director’s spookier stuff, like Eyes Wide Shut and A Clockwork Orange. 

Violent Night (2022)

If you’ve made it through all the scarier stuff and need a palette cleanser, Violent Night could be a nice way to finish the party—it’s not scary exactly, but it takes a decidedly different approach to the festive season than what you might be used to seeing in a movie that features old St. Nick.

Starring David Harbour as a gun-toting Santa Claus, this is a movie that basically answers the age-old question of what would happen if Die Hard and Home Alone had a baby. 

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

Lastly, we’ll end our list with the greatest Christmas movie of them all, It’s a Wonderful Life—a film that, were you to squint the eyes a little, or cut a couple of scenes and replace them with something slightly darker, would easily feel like a particularly grim episode of Black Mirror or The Twilight Zone.

Yes, the people of Bedford Falls eventually rally and Clarence gets his wings, but not before Jimmy Stewart’s anguished journey through a nightmarish version of reality. Ho ho ho. 

We’ve waited six years for Quentin Tarantino to make a new movie. The iconic filmmaker has flirted with various ideas for his next project, but we never expected the next thing he’d put out into the world would have anything to do with Kill Bill.

The epic double-parter was a cultural sensation back in 2003 and 2004. While the violent martial arts revenge story at the heart of Kill Bill: Vol. 1 was incredible enough on its own, the sequel took things to a whole new level of blood-soaked brutality.

There have always been rumours of another sequel to follow on from Kill Bill: Vol. 2, but Tarantino insists that’s not going to happen. Still, if you’re a fan of his work, and, in particular, the tale of The Bride (Uma Thurman), you’re going to love what the director has done now.

Quentin Tarantino’s Unlikely Kill Bill Collaboration With Fortnite

Tarantino has finally been able to bring one of his wildest sequences to life. The only catch is that you have to play Fortnite, of all things, to see it all play out.

As per The Hollywood Reporter, Tarantino took a meeting with the folks at Fortnite to discuss some kind of collaboration. The chat went way better than he ever imagined, opening up a fascinating door for the filmmaker.

Speaking at a special Fortnite event in L.A., Tarantino explained: “I showed up to the meeting thinking that they would want to license characters, and they want to get my ideas about what could be a fun thing to do. But no, they had something else in mind.” Turns out, they wanted some kind of story that could last eight to 12 minutes, and Tarantino had the perfect idea.

To launch the new chapter on Fortnite, gamers and Tarantino fans were in dreamland as a project titled The Lost Chapter: Yuki’s Revenge premiered in the game on November 30. The animated story is lifted right from a draft of Kill Bill, and the only reason it never got used before, as Tarantino says, is that it was “too crazy, it was just too much action.”

Without spoiling too much, the story essentially sees Yuki – the twin sister of Gogo Yubari – tracking down The Bride to get revenge for killing her sister. If you remember Kill Bill: Vol. 1, Gogo was O-Ren Ishii’s (Lucy Liu) bodyguard, and one of the many victims taken down by The Bride in the chaotic first movie.

Kill Bill Has Finally Been Released As One Movie

For those who don’t play Fortnite, fear not: You can see Yuki’s Revenge in all its glory on the big screen this month. Tarantino is finally getting both the Kill Bill movies a theatrical release as one epic motion picture, with the animated sequence also included.

Aptly titled The Whole Bloody Affair, this cut of the two films has a whopping runtime of 275 minutes (including a 15 minute intermission) and is playing across thousands of screens in the UK and North America on December 5.

This is essentially how Tarantino always wanted the movie to be. Speaking to IndieWire in 2019, he said: “Technically we released it as two movies… but I made it as one movie and I wrote it as one movie... Frankly, the truth of the matter is, I don’t think it would’ve been as popular as a four hour movie.”

Indeed, when referring to his own body of work, Tarantino vehemently believes that he has only made nine films to date, counting Kill Bill as one project. That’s why movie number ten is so precious to him, and why we’re being made to wait to find out what that will be.

When Will We See Quentin Tarantino’s Final Film?

Since the release of Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood in 2019, Tarantino has been linked with a handful of projects that never came to be.

He originally was attached to make an R-rated Star Trek movie that would be set in the 1920s, loosely adapting an iconic episode from the original series titled ‘A Piece of the Action’. That’s already a great episode of sci-fi television, but putting Tarantino’s violent spin on it would have been truly brilliant. However, he decided he didn’t want that to be his final film.

Then, it seemed like development was racing ahead on a project called The Movie Critic. Sony was on board, as were actors including Brad Pitt. Rumours suggested the likes of Tom Cruise, Margot Robbie, and John Travolta may also be involved. According to The Hollywood Reporter, though, this all fell apart amid rewrites and indecision, before Tarantino eventually pulled the plug

So, at this moment in time, no one knows what Tarantino’s swan song will be. Even the man himself may have no idea. He’s put a lot of pressure on himself to get it right, though if anyone can live up to the hype, it’s Quentin Tarantino.

2025 has been another interestingly varied year for TV anime. There’ve been new entries from long-running franchises like Digimon and My Hero Academia, and hotly anticipated debut adaptations of Sakamoto Days, Twisted Wonderland and Devil May Cry. Cowboy Bebop creator Shinichirō Watanabe returned with futuristic, stylish sci-fi Lazarus, and Fullmetal Alchemist’s Hiromu Arakawa contributed her distinctive art style to the characters of Moonrise. 

Meanwhile, some breakout debuts made a surprisingly big impact: the Chinese series To Be Hero X wowed audiences with Spider-Verse-esque animation, Gachiakuta dumped gritty, trashpunk all over the shonen genre, and The Summer Hikaru Died (my personal pick for the best of the year) brought the intense melancholy of a Lana Del Ray ballad to both body horror and Boys Love.

What lies ahead of us now are 12 more months of sequels, spinoffs, and newcomers to put on your watchlist. I’ll begin with some honourable mentions that didn’t quite make the cut before moving on to the most essential anime series of the new year, ranked from least to most anticipated. Please note that some release dates have yet to be confirmed at the time of writing, but I’ve included estimated release windows.

Honourable mentions

• Fate/strange Fake (January 3)
• Golden Kamuy, Season 5 (January 5) 
• Fire Force, Season 3 (January 10)
• Oshi no Ko, Season 3 (January 14) 
• Trigun Stargaze (January)
• The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten, Season 2 (April) 
• Ascendance of a Bookworm (Spring)

10. Sentenced to be a Hero / Scum of the Brave

I’m going out on a limb for this first double-entry with two titles I don’t know much about in their original incarnations (a web novel and manga adaptation), but based on their reception in Japan, their intriguing premises, and the novelty of sharing the same author, novelist and YouTuber Rocket Shoukai, I think they have hit-making potential. Not a bad start to 2026 for Rocket.

Originally slated for October 2025, Sentenced to be a Hero: The Prison Records of Penal Hero Unit 9004, to give it its full mouthful of a title, is a dystopian dark fantasy story where “heroism [is] a punishment for only the worst criminals”, as per English publisher Yen Press. Similar to All You Need Is Kill, heroes are forcibly enlisted to fight waves of monsters while trapped in a never-ending resurrection cycle if they perish. Protagonist Xylo Forbartz, convicted of murdering a goddess (so you know he’s not to be trifled with), teams up with another one for the sake of dramatic irony… and badassery, no doubt. If you got deep into Solo Levelling recently, it should fill the time before the next season.

Scum of the Brave, meanwhile, leans more into sci-fi and a lighter tone, focusing on slacker Yashiro, who is roped into mentoring three young bounty hunters in a world where affluent mobsters are becoming surgically superhuman. It’s giving Zom 100 in its apathetic lead and My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen in its educational setting.  

Release dates: January (exact date TBC)

9. Hell’s Paradise, Season 2

One of the more underrated shonen series of the past couple of years, Hell’s Paradise takes place in the Edo period and follows ninja Gabimaru the Hollow. After surviving an execution, Gabimaru is enlisted by Sashiri, his would-be executioner, to help complete her mission to find the legendary elixir of life. 

The manga is gorgeously violent, and the anime, produced by MAPPA, the superstar studio behind Attack on Titan Season 4, Vinland Saga, Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man, do a typically splendid job here. If you’re already a fan of the latter two, which also share the same publisher, this is definitely a good, bloody chaser.

Release date: January 11

8. Re:Zero, Season 4

I’m not especially partial to isekai – less the concept of being trapped in another world, which is obviously broad and ubiquitous, and more the cookie-cutter deluge of animated slop based around it. Re:Zero is one of the exceptions, which is why, after a decade on the air, it’s about to enter its fourth season.

If you know isekai, you know the drill: a going-nowhere guy gets randomly sucked into a fantasy world, usually RPG-inspired. In Re:Zero, this guy is Subaru, who can come back to life a few hours in the past each time he dies, and is the only one to remember it. Naturally, this takes a psychological toll each time, so if you’re after something a bit deeper than your standard power fantasy, Subaru’s misadventures might be worth catching up on.

Release date: April (exact date TBC)     

7. Classroom of the Elite, Season 4

Based on one of Japan’s biggest-selling light novel series, Classroom of the Elite fans had to wait five long years for a sequel to the first anime adaptation. As of 2022, the seasons have been releasing much quicker, with the fourth arriving around two years after the last. 

This is a strong recommendation for those who like psychological teen dramas: set in an experimental, rigorously hierarchical school for promising future leaders. It’s something of a Lord of the Flies meets Battle Royale situation, but with mind games rather than death games. Season 4 is only the second school year, too, so there’s plenty more to come.

Release date: April (exact date TBC)

6. The Beginning After the End, Season 2

We’re back in ‘reborn in another world’ territory now with Season 2 of The Beginning After the End, the second batch of episodes following the first cour in 2025. Taking place in a fantasy realm, the story, based on a popular American webtoon, kicks off with the death of ruthless King Grey at the ripe middle age of 38 (extremely elderly in anime terms). He’s reincarnated in another land as Arthur, younger and magically gifted, but with all his memories and knowledge from his past life.

Its high fantasy setting and warring families are very Game of Thrones, and mirroring the HBO show’s final season, The Beginning After the End divided opinion with its first. Some fans were so unhappy with the animation quality that a 40,000-signature-strong petition to remake it made the rounds online. It’s not the disaster that One-Punch Man has become, but it certainly makes the next half a make-or-break instalment.

Release date: April (exact date TBC)

5. My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Season 2

By the time the second season of this My Hero Academia spinoff airs, the main series will have wrapped up for good – so if you’re looking to fill that cape-shaped hole in your life, Vigilantes is it. As a prequel, it somewhat works as a standalone, though with plenty of cameos from MHA characters in their younger days, familiarity with the world is beneficial.

Away from the high stakes of the One For All vs All For One war and centred on a protagonist who’s even more of an underdog than Deku, Vigilantes is a fun reprieve that expands the MHA universe with a fresh cast of scrappy heroes and villains operating on the fringes of society.

Release date: January (exact date TBC)  

4. Witch Hat Atelier

Manga readers will no doubt be familiar with this one. As a book series, Witch Hat Atelier has gained a huge international following and racked up award nominations and wins. Its whimsical, witchy world, drawn with traditional art techniques and inspired by classic fantasy literature, is often compared favourably to Ghibli movies.

Moving away from Miyazaki, there’s also a bit of Fullmetal Alchemist in there, both in the Eurocentric setting and the inciting incident: dressmaking, wannabe witch Coco turns her mother to stone with a rogue spell, leading her on a mission to undo her mistake that uncovers an anti-magic conspiracy in her world. Hopefully, the long-awaited anime adaptation can capture the source material’s vintage, fairy tale magic.

Release date: April (exact date TBC)

3. Frieren, Season 2

You may only know Frieren from the viral ‘looking up’ meme, but did you know that wonderfully bad piece of fan art comes from a slightly more wonderful and better drawn anime about a sad, immortal elf? Subtitled Beyond Journey’s End, Frieren follows the titular elven mage as she seeks to reunite with the lost soul of her human comrade while reminiscing about their last quest together, and the small matter of what existence means when time drags on for centuries. 

Meditative and offbeat, Frieren truly breaks the mould for expectations of fantasy anime, and gathered plenty of critical acclaim in its first season as a breakthrough piece of TV in any medium. The pressure’s on for Season 2 to pick up the baton.

Release date: January 16

2. The Apothecary Diaries, Season 3 

This historical mystery series has an ardent following in Japan; it’s taken a little longer for it to find the audience it now has internationally, no doubt boosted by Netflix picking up its first two seasons in 2025. Now, as The Apothecary Diaries prepares to roll out a third, it’s doing so as easily the most in-demand, mainstream shojo show around.

Set in an alternate version of China’s Tang Dynasty, the series follows Maomao, who works as a pharmacist in the Emperor’s palace, solving medical mysteries and forming a ‘will they, won’t they?’ relationship with supposed eunuch, Jinshi. If you enjoy other gentle, historical romance dramas like My Happy Marriage, or live-action fare like Bridgerton, this is a cuty and cosy time.    

Release date: October

1. Jujutsu Kaisen, Season 3

Alongside Demon Slayer and Chainsaw Man, Jujutsu Kaisen has been one of anime’s big box office drivers at the cinema in 2025. In 2026, it returns to the small screen for its third season, which those who contributed to the franchise’s aforementioned box office success in November will have already seen the first two episodes of as part of the compilation film’s story.

Adapting ‘The Culling Game’ arc of the manga, the Jujutsu sorcerers face off against new antagonist Kenjaku, while trying to rescue their quirky, OP mentor, Gojo, from his sidelined prison. While darker and more violent than the likes of One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen is a great gateway anime for older kids, or existing anime fans who vibe with supernatural battle series like Bleach, or the newer hotshot pair I namedropped at the top.   

Release date: January 8

With reindeer being hitched to slays and Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas” blaring in every shop, ‘tis officially the season. So grant yourself full permission to watch the cheesiest, most delightfully cliché holiday films of all time. 

While Christmas films come in all forms, perhaps the most enduring are the romantic comedies. The Holiday and Love Actually are genre classics, of course, but there’s something extra special about the so-bad-they’re-good Christmas films—the mix of tropes, kitschy aesthetics, and absurd plots that warm the heart more than a hot toddy. 

Here are five of the worst Christmas movies you secretly love, and where you can stream them all this holiday season.

5. Falling for Christmas (2022)

A Lindsay Lohan Christmas film? Yes, please! The new Queen of Christmas made a triumphant return with Falling for Christmas, the first in a string of gloriously cheesy festive movies, marking a comeback for the Mean Girls star. Lohan plays Sierra Belmont, a spoiled heiress to a luxury hotel chain who loses her memory in a skiing accident in Aspen. While recovering, she ends up in the care of the handsome Northstar Lodge owner, Jake, and the two slowly fall in love.

Seeing Lindsay Lohan act again after nearly a decade off screen is easily the film’s biggest draw. The delightfully named Chord Overstreet is no match for Lohan’s charisma, but he does a perfectly charming job as the floppy haired, down-to-earth widower she falls for. Falling for Christmas leans into almost every Christmas film trope in the book, and its embrace of a low-budget aesthetic and predictable plot make it a fun, cosy watch for the holidays.

4. The Princess Switch (2018)

By now, most Christmas movie aficionados have seen or heard of The Princess Switch. Starring Vanessa Hudgens as both the “commoner” Stacy De Novo and her royal lookalike, Lady Margaret Delacourt, the film plays like a Christmas mash-up of The Princess Diaries and The Parent Trap. 

The story centres on Stacy, a talented baker whose friend Kevin secretly enters her into a prestigious competition in the kingdom of Belgravia. While there, she literally bumps into the Duchess of Montenaro and discovers they look exactly alike. The Duchess, desperate to experience a “normal” life, suggests they swap places for two days, and Stacy reluctantly agrees. But what starts out as a lighthearted place-swap quickly gets complicated when both fall in love with people from each other’s worlds.

Cheesy, predictable, and ridiculous, The Princess Switch might not be the Citizen Kane of Christmas romances, but its bubbly charm and unabashed 2018 cringe make it more than worth the watch.

3. Holiday in Handcuffs (2007)

“She’s holding him hostage, but he’s stealing her heart!” This incredible tagline might be all the convincing you need to put Holiday in Handcuffs on your Christmas watch list—and yes, it is just as wild as it sounds!

Sabrina, the Teenage Witch star Melissa Joan Hart plays Trudie, a down-on-her-luck artist and waitress who, after being dumped, missing a job interview, and suffering a full-on breakdown, decides to kidnap a handsome customer, David (played by Mario Lopez), to present to her family at Christmas as her boyfriend. 

As he repeatedly tries to escape the remote cabin, David slowly comes to understand why Trudie felt driven to such drastic measures, and the two begin to fall in love. It’s essentially what would happen in Stephen King’s Misery if it were remade as a Hallmark Christmas film.

2. Hot Frosty (2024)

Ever wondered what the secret to healing a broken heart is? According to this film, it’s learning to love again from a snowman who magically transforms into a hunky human.

In Hot Frosty, Mean Girls alum Lacey Chabert plays Kathy, a widow of two years who has fallen into the habit of taking care of everyone but herself. Her life takes a surreal turn after she ties a scarf on a snowman and he magically turns into Jack: muscular, alive, and very confused. As sweet, naive Jack adjusts to this new human existence, he helps Kathy rediscover laughter, joy, and the possibility of love after loss.

Hot Frosty sits firmly in the realm of self-aware, campy Christmas kitsch—but it's absolutely worth the watch. The cherry on top is the cheeky Mean Girls nod: Chabert’s character sees Lindsay Lohan’s Falling for Christmas (as mentioned on this list) on TV and comments that the actress looks like someone she went to high school with… It’s a pitch-perfect wink that proves the film knows exactly who its audience is.

1. A Christmas Prince (2017)

Arguably the crème de la crème of bad Christmas movies, you can’t help but adore A Christmas Prince. When it was released, Netflix was just beginning to experiment with the Hallmark formula and couldn’t quite afford any Mean Girls alumni yet—but everyone involved rose to the occasion.

A Christmas Prince stars Rose McIver as Amber, a journalist sent to cover the royal family of Aldovia, but who is mistaken for the new tutor to the young Princess Emily and suddenly gains unusually intimate access to the family—despite some major ethical red flags. As she spends more time with them, including the handsome Prince Richard, she finds herself falling for more than just the story.

Despite leaning hard into Christmas rom-com clichés, A Christmas Prince is surprisingly well-rounded and emotionally affecting. Each character feels more three-dimensional than you’d expect, and the plot actually takes its time to unfold. It’s not just about crackling chemistry; it’s about the bonds Amber forms with the different members of the royal family, her relationship with her own father, and the push-pull of her career. It's sincere, it’s silly, and it’s just so good— highly recommended.

When someone mentions Game of Thrones, you probably think of all your favourite characters dying in the most brutal, bloody fashion. It’s a theme that became synonymous with the hit series, and that pattern has not relented in the wake of House of the Dragon hitting our screens.

The fact is, anyone living in Westeros is at risk of meeting a gloomy demise at any moment, and we really shouldn’t get attached to any of the characters. It’s just the way George R. R. Martin’s stories go… at least most of the time.

The next show to come from the franchise could change that. Judging from the source material for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, we may get a happy ending to a Thrones TV show for once.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

The Plot of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

The book titled ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ is a collection of three short stories written by Martin between 1998 and 2010. The three tales are called: ‘The Hedge Knight’, ‘The Sworn Sword’, and ‘The Mystery Knight’.

Across the three stories, Martin charts the journey of two characters: the first, Dunk, is a lowly squire who inherits his master’s possessions after his death, and the second is a young boy known only as ‘Egg’, who tags along with Dunk on his journey and becomes his squire.

By the end of the first tale, we learn Egg is actually called Aegon and is a Targaryen prince, while Dunk is bestowed the knightly title of Ser Duncan the Tall. The latter is tasked with mentoring Aegon to help him become a noble and fair man, and suggests this mission would be best accomplished by venturing out into the world.

Along the way, there are plenty of trials by combat, scandals, betrayals, and narrow escapes from the clutches of danger. There are deaths, too, of course, but you’ll be happy to know that neither Egg nor Dunk meet their maker by the end of the book.

George R. R. Martin Won’t Be Happy If A Knight of The Seven Kingdoms Is Changed

Obviously, both characters do eventually perish, but that happens outside of their novellas during the Tragedy of Summerhall (let’s just say hatching dragon eggs is a dangerous game). So, will HBO stick to the source material, or extend its adaptation right through to Dunk and Egg’s fiery demise?

If the studio ends A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms where it’s supposed to, we will have the most positive and sweetest Game of Thrones spin-offs to look forward to. The unlikely companions should be allowed to bring their journey on the small screen to a close as they do in the book – with Dunk being the hero after protecting Egg from the war-hungry Black Tom Heddle, and he is given a handsome reward of gold for helping Bloodraven bring about the downfall of House Blackfyre.

Using this as the show’s conclusion would be a welcome change of pace for Game of Thrones fans. And, it would probably make George R. R. Martin pretty happy, too. 

We know the writer has previously questioned the way showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss wrapped up the original series, commenting: “The final season has not been completely faithful.” It was Martin’s understanding that the show would run for 10 seasons rather than the eight that we got. There were also suggestions that the author was distanced from the production towards the end, though it’s not clear whether that was his choice or the showrunners’ decision.

Martin never outright criticised the fact that the show went in a different direction from his planned ending for the ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ novels, but he did tell Rolling Stone: “All of it is fair. I’m not angry or anything, but there’s a little wistfulness in me.”

Still, we’re pretty sure he would not be best pleased if HBO meddled with his stories again, especially given this is one that he has actually finished.

What We Know About the New Game of Thrones TV Show

Aside from A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms potentially being the most lighthearted Game of Thrones show to date, we know a few details about the upcoming series.

There isn’t long to wait for the show. It will begin on January 18 2026, and you’ll be able to watch it weekly from HBO and HBO Max through Sky and NOW. There will be six episodes in total, which does suggest there is very little scope for the showrunners to expand into Summerhall territory.

As for the cast, Peter Claffey will play Dunk, while young actor Dexter Soll Ansell will play Egg. They’ll be supported by Finn Bennett, Henry Ashton, Tanzyn Crawford, Daniel Ings, and Sam Spruell.

Since breaking out in Lars Von Trier’s provocative magnum opus, Nymphomaniac, in 2013, the British actor Mia Goth has quickly become synonymous with some of the darkest, most macabre and eccentric corners of cinema. With the odd exception, her incredible streak of playing horror queens has remained largely unbroken and, in that short period of time, she’s honed her craft in the genre and become something of a horror icon.

From those 12 years in the business, the aptly named Goth has already worked with some of the finest art house horror directors while still finding time for the occasional role outside the genre. The following list, which I’ve arranged in ascending order, naturally leans on the former—not that any of her devoted fans will mind one jot. Read on to discover more and use the guide below to find where to stream them on services like AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere.  

A Cure for Wellness (2017)

In the years after her breakout, Goth tried her hand with a number of different filmmakers. She played the daughter of Josh Brolin’s mountain climber in Baltasar Kormákur’s Everest and went on to take her first lead role in Stephen Fingleton The Survivalist, a post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller, in 2015. 

Her best performance from those years, however, was probably in Gore Verbinski’s overlong but gripping psychological thriller A Cure for Wellness—a film in the lineage of Soderbergh’s Unsane and Scorsese’s Shutter Island, but also a role that allowed the actress to do what she does best.

Emma (2020

In 2020, Mia Goth proved she wasn’t just a horror actress when she starred opposite Anya Taylor-Joy in a faithful yet unmistakably modernist adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma—think the same sort of energy as Clueless (which was also adapted from the book) except, like the excellent Love & Friendship, actually set in the appropriate period.

For the film, Goth convincingly portrayed Harriet Smith, Emma’s innocent and insecure best friend whose life becomes the target of her meddling.

Infinity Pool (2023)

It’s hard to know what made more of a stir in 2023, Brandon Cronenberg’s sicko horror film Infinity Pool or the pictures that came out of Goth with co-star Alexander Skarsgard on a leash from the film’s premier. Either way, there’s no doubt which one did more to enhance the actor’s burgeoning reputation as someone not to be messed with, on screen or off.

Whatever the case, this is still a film I would wholeheartedly recommend to any horror fans out there—especially if you liked the young Cronenberg’s previous work, Possessor, or another incredible recent horror film from Canada: Pascal Plante’s Red Rooms. 

Frankenstein (2025)

This year, with Frankenstein, Goth managed to add two horror icons to her oeuvre in one foul swoop—Mary Shelley and Guillermo del Toro. Thanks to Netflix, the Mexican director was finally able to make the film he’d dreamed of making basically since seeing the 1931 original when he was 7-years-old.

To be fair, the resulting, Jacob Elordi-starring film—like so many passion projects—is not the director’s finest work, but if you’re a fan of what del Toro achieved with Shape of Water and Nightmare Alley, you’ll probably want to check it out.

Suspiria (2018)

In 2018, Goth starred alongside Dakota Johnson and Tilda Swinton in Luca Guadagnino’s 2018 remake of the classic horror film Suspiria. This is a movie that reimagine’s Dario Argento’s Giallo classic to cold war era West Berlin—so if you like the idea of seeing that witchy world transposed to the German capitol during such a turbulent time (Possession is probably a better comp than the original), you’ll really like it.

The film also boasts Guadagnino’s typically incredible production design: stunning costumes, incredible sets, bone crunching sound, and a wonderful score from Thom Yorke.

MaXXXine (2024)

Of all her incredible roles to date, Mia Goth is perhaps best known for playing the lead roles in director Ti West’s unique slasher trilogy, X. In the third and final instalment (more on the other two in a minute), MaXXXine, Goth plays an adult film actress trying to break through into the Hollywood mainstream in the 1980s while being stalked by a killer. 

Each of the three movies in West’s franchise adhere to a distinct cinematic style; and for MaXXXine, the director drew from some of the most provocative auteurs of that time, like Brian De Palma (think Body Double, Blow Out) and Paul Schrader (American Gigolo, Hardcore).

High Life (2018)

On the red carpet for MaXXXine, few were surprised to hear Goth list filmmakers like Bernardo Bertolucci, Pedro Almodovar and Alejandro González Iñárritu in her Letterboxd top four. The actor is a renowned cinephile, and that’s a fact that’s been evident in plenty of the projects she’s chosen. Perhaps none more obviously than Clair Denis’s High Life, a sci-fi adventure that plays like a kind of sexy, doomcore cover of films like Interstellar and Ad Astra.

The film, which also stars Robert Pattinson and Denis regular Juliette Binoche, takes place on a ship full of death row criminals who, in return for relative amnesty, have agreed to join a scientific mission to a black hole. 

Nymphomaniac (2013)

It’s rare that an actor’s first role sets the tone for their career, but Goth’s scenes with Stacy Martin in Lars von Trier’s 2013 film Nymphomaniac laid down a very clear marker for the kind of provocative choices the actor would later make. The film is not for everyone, needless to say, but it’s a remarkably daring piece of work—and if you liked LVT’s Melancholia or Antichrist, you might want to give it a shot. 

Von Trier’s two-part opus follows a sex addict from the age of 15 (played by Stacy Martin) to 50 (Charlotte Gainsborough). Goth appears in the second part, playing a kind of protege to the protagonist, and, though only 18 at the time of the shoot, goes admirably toe-to-toe with both Gainsborough and Willem Defoe. 

X (2022)

Despite being on the scene for a while, Mia Goth got her real breakthrough role in Ti West’s X—a film series that would solidify her reputation as one of the biggest horror stars of the decade, if not the 21st Century so far. 

The first film, which revolves around the production of a low budget porno in a remote farmhouse in Texas, draws from a rich lineage of 1970s exploitation films—imagine The Texas Chain Saw Massacre but with Goth and Jenna Ortega in starring roles and you’ll know what kind of film to expect.

Pearl (2022)

X might have laid the groundwork, but West’s dazzling followup, the prequel film Pearl, reached whole new levels of cinematic inventiveness. This is a wildly entertaining and meme-able modern horror that takes its aesthetic cues not from Wes Craven or John Carpenter but early technicolor, like Meet Me in St. Louis and The Wizard of Oz.

Goth not only played the lead of Maxine in X but also the elderly farm owner, a role she reprises in Pearl with a red farm dress, a blue bow, plaited hair and a trusty axe. It’s no surprise that the costume became an instant Halloween classic. 

Ever since the release of the first movie in 1984, The Terminator has been a science-fiction staple: a franchise that explored time travel, artificial intelligence and the battle between human beings and technology—themes that still haunt us to this day, perhaps more than ever. Created by James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd, it’s simply a must-watch for all action and science fiction movie fans. 

James Cameron directed the first two Terminator movies, which are still renowned for their groundbreaking action sequences and special effects. The follow-up Terminator movies, directed by Jonathan Mostow, McG, Alan Taylor and Tim Miller, were less well received, but with news that a seventh movie is currently being written by Cameron (however unlikely it still seems), what better time to get back up to speed on the Terminator franchise.

The Terminator universe also includes a number of episodic shows, both live action and anime. This streaming guide includes details about them all in release order, as well as information on where to find them on streaming services in the UK.

The Terminator (1984)

Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in all but one movie as The Terminator, starting with the 1984 original. This was basically James Cameron’s big screen debut and it announced the director as one of the art-form's most ruthless storytellers and one of its most creative innovators. As action movies go, few come leaner and meaner than The Terminator, and if you like thrill rides that also give you some ideas to chew on—think RoboCop, The Matrix—this will be right up your alley. The story famously follows a cyborg assassin who travels back in time to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), the future mother of John Connor, who is the leader of the human resistance in the future—are you following?

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

As promised, Schwarzenegger will be back! Returning for Judgment Day, Cameron made the choice to reprogram the character into an antihero—a trope we see everywhere these days (even movies like Maleficent and Cruella) but in 1991 it was a kind of genius idea. It also helped make Terminator 2 the highest grossing movie of that year and, at the time, the second highest ever. 

The story sees a new model T-800 Terminator (Schwarzenegger, of course) sent back by the resistance to protect John and Sarah from the T-1000: a ruthless antagonist (played by Robert Patrick) whose frightening ability to move like mercury was also a huge landmark in visual effects.

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)

12 years later, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines built upon the storyline from Judgment Day but took a different direction with Jonathan Mostow (director of U-571) at the helm. The movie was released the same year as Matrix Reloaded, so be prepared for some similarly CGI-heavy action scenes.

The plot confirms that “Judgment Day” was only delayed to 2004. John Connor and his future wife Kate Brewster (both now in their mid-20s) are pursued by an advanced Terminator called the T-X., a model similar to the T-1000, but with some extra toys built in. Nick Stahl and Claire Danes star alongside Schwarzenegger as an only slightly older looking T-850 model.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008)

If we’re including the TV showTerminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, we need to get a bit creative with the timeline. Released in 2008, the show takes place after the events of Terminator 2 but ignores the storyline of Terminator 3. So, if you’re looking to watch them in strict chronological order, the show should be seen after T2: Judgement Day. The Sarah Connor Chronicles explores all the reliable Terminator themes (AI, time travel, destiny etc.) in episodic fashion, so if you appreciate shows like Fringe and Continuum, it might be up your street.

Terminator Salvation (2009)

Six years after Rise of the Machines' release, Christian Bale took the lead as John Connor in Terminator Salvation, a kind of prequel-sequel movie set in a post-apocalyptic future. Set a few years after the events of “Judgement Day”, the plot focuses on the battle between the human resistance and Skynet. Based in a world not dissimilar to Mad Max and featuring action sequences that recall the Transformers movies (the first of which was released two years before), director McG decided to go for a much darker tone in comparison to the previous Terminator movies, but received mixed reviews from both critics and fans for lacking the depth of the franchise's previous entries. It’s also the only Terminator movie where Schwarzenegger doesn’t appear.

Terminator Salvation: The Machinima Series (2009)

Terminator Salvation: The Machinima Series is an animated companion prequel to Terminator Salvation, set two years before the events of the movie and covering the early days of the resistance. The show’s seven episodes were animated using a video game engine, so if you like the style of stuff like Advent Children or Halo: Legends, you might be into it.

Terminator Genisys (2015)

It’s fair to say, Terminator Genisys is the least popular movie in the franchise—and not just because of that awful spelling. Genisys revisits the events of the first movie, but in an alternate reality: in this timeline, Kyle Reese is sent back only to discover a different Sarah Connor who has been raised by a T-800 who she calls “Pops”. The movie messed with the canon so much that it basically inspired Cameron to return with Dark Fate—but hey, if you’re a completist, there's no shame in watching! Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke stars as Sarah Connor, with Jai Courtney as Kyle Reese and Arnold Schwarzenegger as an aging Terminator. Jason Clarke (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), Lee Byung-hun (Squid Game) and Matt Smith (House of the Dragon) all appear as various antagonists.

Terminator Genisys: The YouTube Chronicles (2015)

Terminator Genisys: The YouTube Chronicles isn’t considered canon in any way—but if you got a kick out of the movie, you might want to check it out. The 3-part comedic web series was made to promote the movie and features Arnie, in character, interacting with some famous YouTubers from that time.

Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)

Now, here’s where the timelines get a little freaky. Terminator: Dark Fate is actually a direct sequel to Terminator 2, yet I’d recommend watching Rise of the Machines and Salvation, but not Genisys before it. The movie suggests what might have happened if one of Skynet’s plans had worked—so it’s more of an “alternative timeline” than an entire rewrite. The movie saw Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton both return, with James Cameron as a producer, in an attempt to reclaim the franchise. I can’t argue that they were entirely successful, but if you’re a fan of all things JC (True Lies, Avatar) you might want to support the scene here. The movie reunited audiences with a hardened Sarah Connor as she leads a team in the resistance to stop the deadliest Terminator yet, the Rev-9.

Terminator Zero (2024)

Released in 2024, Netflix’s Terminator Zero is the first anime show in the Terminator universe, and if you’re a big Terminator fan who also dig stuff like The Animatrix, you might want to check this one out. The story begins in 2022 and concerns the rise of a different AI company to Skynet. The story then shifts back to 1997, following a soldier’s attempts to protect the company’s founder.

This article has been updated by Rory O'Connor.

With great characters, supernatural twists and a healthy dose of nostalgia, Stranger Things quickly became a fan-favourite on Netflix after it first premiered in 2016. With the show’s long-awaited final run of episodes now  complete, we’ve put together our top picks for shows to keep you in the mood now that the dust in Hawkins has finally settled.

The following series run the gamut from ‘90s classics to more recent fan favourites, but all have in some way reminded us of Netflix’s most beloved show. Here are our recommendations—which I’ve arranged in no particular order—for 11 TV shows like Stranger Things. Read on to discover more and use the guide below to find where to stream them on services like AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere.

The Haunting of Hill House (2018)

There’s no shortage of twisted familial relationships and supernatural scares in The Haunting of Hill House, a show that dives into the haunted lives of the Crain family and their terrifying home—and if you got hooked on Stranger Things for its horror aspects (and also enjoy macabre movies like Crimson Peak or The Others), you might really vibe with this one. 

Based on Shirley Jackson’s classic novel, the story (in a way similar to It) jumps between two timelines—the first when the characters are kids, in Hill House, and another  in the present day.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer follows Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar), who is—you guessed it—a vampire slayer. Over seven seasons, she fights demons, vampires and other weekly monsters and big bads, all in order to keep the world safe. To do so, she relies on help and support of her two best friends, Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Xander (Nicholas Brendon), and her teacher Giles (Anthony Head), while also rushing on a hunky vampire, named Angel (David Boreanaz).

Created by Joss Whedon, this supernatural teen drama (which surely influenced the punky vibe of later seasons of Stranger Things) is a classic ‘90s show—and if you loved Whedon’s quippy dialogue in series like Firefly and movies like The Avengers, you’ll absolutely love it. It also has one of the best musical episodes ever made.

The Last of Us (2023-)

Based on the hit video game, The Last of Us follows Joel and Ellie (Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay) as they fight to survive in a post-apocalyptic world rampant with infected, zombie-like creatures. 

This one should appeal to Stranger Things fans who have a soft spot for the layered and unconventional father-daughter bond between Hopper and Eleven—a classic sci-fi trope that you can find in everything from Waterworld to The Road.

The X Files (1993-2002)

In The X-Files, FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully investigate paranormal cases while trying to keep their simmering chemistry at bay. This is a show that will appeal to fans of Stranger Things’ mix of science fiction and government conspiracy—think shows like Fringe or The Expanse for similar comps, or Vince Gilligan's (who started out on the show) new series Pluribus.

Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny star in what I would best describe as a conspiratorial sci-fi series. In all, the show consists of 11 seasons and a couple of movies—and if that sounds like a lot, there are ways to watch it that cut out the filler and focus on the lore and wider narrative arc.

Dark (2017-2020)

Dark is a hit German Netflix series that’s all about time travel and, like Stranger Things,  also takes place in a small town—and if you like the kind of stories where young people from a small community are faced with seemingly  overwhelming supernatural forces (think E.T. or Super 8, but a little more on the scary side), you’re going to absolutely love this. 

Over three seasons, Dark offers mind-bending prophecies and dark family secrets. It all starts to get a bit loopy after a while—but unlike most time travel stories, the ending is satisfying. 

Yellowjackets (2021-)

When a group of girls find themselves stranded after a plane crash, there’s no telling what they will do to survive. That’s the setup of the psychological thriller series Yellowjackets, a show that, like Hill House, jumps back and forth between two timelines: the first taking place in the wilderness and focusing on the girls’ attempts to survive (think Lost meets Society of the Snow); the other in the present day, where dark secrets begin to surface.

With the earlier parts taking place in the 1990s, the show should appeal to anyone who enjoys the retro vibes of Stranger Things—and similar to Winona Ryder’s role as Joyce, Yellowjackets boasts ‘90s greats like Cristina Ricci, Juliette Lewis and Melanie Lynskey in its cast. Ella Purnell and Sophie Thatcher also feature amongst the younger roles. 

Locke & Key (2020-2022)

Locke & Key follows three siblings who find magical keys with special powers after their father dies. The drama fantasy series is based on the graphic novels by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez and, similar to Stranger Things, will appeal to YA viewers especially. 

The show has elements of horror and suspense but the vibe is primarily about young people on an adventure—imagine something in between The Goonies and The Others and you’ll have some idea what to expect.

Twin Peaks (1990-2017)

In the small town of Twin Peaks, high school student Laura Palmer is killed. The FBI and local police investigate the murder, which quickly proves to be stranger than they could have imagined. 

That’s pretty much the basic setup to David Lynch’s iconic TV show, but if you know anything about Lynch you can probably guess just how weird, funny and terrifying this all gets. Twin Peaks is a phenomenal show but just be warned, it is a good bit more on the scary side than Stranger Things—so if you like that aspect of Things and appreciate Lynch’s work on movies like Blue Velvet or Mulholland Drive, it’s definitely a must watch. 

Paradise (2021-2022)

Set on Spain’s Mediterranean coast, Paradise (not to be confused with the excellent Sterling K. Brown show) is about three girls who vanish from a small town in the 1990s. As the search for them gets underway, a series of supernatural forces interfere.

Like Stranger Things and Dark, this is a teen mystery series with hints of Spielberg and speculative sci-fi —so if you’re a fan of either you’ll probably be into it.

Outer Range (2022-2024)

Outer Range is a show that mixes the American Western with supernatural mystery—imagine a little bit of Signs mixed with a little bit of No Country for Old Men and you’ll have some idea of the tone. The first couple of episodes are also directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios, so there’s plenty of style here to go with the substance.

The plot follows a rancher (Josh Brolin) who discovers an inexplicable void on his farm. It’s an otherworldly drama and, much like Stranger Things, it will keep you guessing until the very end.

The Twilight Zone (2019)

The Twilight Zone is an anthology series that dives deep into the unknown, offering a wide range of stories based on everything from science fiction to the occult. This 2019 reboot was inspired by the iconic American TV series that ran from 1959 to 1964—another show that likely inspired Stranger Things. 

This newer version was created partially by Jordan Peele—so if you like the incredible movies Peele has written and directed (like Get Out and Nope), you'll want to check it out.

While most of the world knows him as Childish Gambino, the many talents of Donald Glover stretch far beyond music. He’s a man who’s not afraid to put his face (or in the case of his recent performance as Yoshi in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, his voice) to a project, get in front of the camera, and generally get silly with it.

For me, he’s one of the most flawless rappers on the planet and his lyrics are, frankly, genius. His music has been a big part of my life for more than a decade. But any time he shows up in a TV series or a film, it’s a totally different kind of joy, and I’ll always rush to check out the latest Donald Glover movie or small screen project.

He’s done a lot of work behind the scenes, like producing hard-hitting, unique shows like Swarm. Glover also has brief cameos in the likes of 30 Rock, Girls, and even briefly pops up in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. However, in this instance, we’re looking at his ten most prominent on-screen roles as we rank the Donald Glover movies and TV shows that you have to check out.

11. The Lion King (2019)

I don’t want to start on a negative note, but I really do wish Disney would stop doing live-action remakes of their already incredible animated movies. I wouldn’t mind if a) they took the story in a slightly new direction instead of just copying the animation frame-for-frame, and b) they didn’t turn dynamic, expressive anthropomorphic characters into uncanny valley CGI experiments. Admittedly, the visual effects in The Lion King remake are very impressive, but that doesn’t mean it’s not weird to see realistic lions talking.

On a more positive note, Donald Glover brings his exquisite singing voice to the role of Simba and along with Beyonce as Nala, he really captures the magic of those memorable musical numbers. For anyone like me who grew up watching the original, you’re probably going to grumble while watching this film, but at least your kids will love it.

10 The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026)

Ok, so it look like critics have not been having the best time with The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, but, much like its predecessor, I highly doubt that's going to stop it from making an absolute bucketload at the box office. In truth, the first movie was actually a pretty fun time — especially with the great Jack Black crooning his way through his performance as Bowser.

Galaxy reintroduces most of the same characters back into the fold while also bringing in a few welcome new recruits, including Benny Safdie's Bowser jr. and, better yet, Donald Glover's Yoshi — he really has turned out to be a good fit for Mario's favourite little egg-pooping dinosaur. If you were or are a fan of these classic games and enjoyed the colour and playful energy of the 2023 Super Mario Bros. Movie, you'll probably have a pretty good time with this one.

9. Mufasa: The Lion King (2024)

You can imagine my feelings towards Mufasa: The Lion King are pretty similar to everything I just said about the 2019 film, but I have to give credit here for the fact that Disney at least spawned a new story for us to dive into. There’s always going to be merit in anything that Barry Jenkins touches, and he imbues this movie with a sense of life, spirit, and emotion that was lacking in previous the film.

I wouldn’t say Mufasa is going to change your life, nor is it the kind of film I’d be rushing to watch again, but it was definitely worth just under two hours of my time. It’s easy to track down as it’s on Disney Plus, it offers nice context to The Lion King and puts us back in that world, which is never a bad thing, and it’s a real crowdpleaser for family movie nights.

8. Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2024)

Finally, an entry where we get to see Donald Glover’s face! If you’re a fan of the Mr. & Mrs. Smith movie from 2005 – and you should be, because it’s so much fun – you’ll naturally enjoy this TV adaptation starring Glover and Maya Erskine. It’s a slightly different spin on that original premise, though the electric dynamic between the two leads is much the same here, and it’s a series packed with great action sequences, too.

It’s a real shame Phoebe Waller-Bridge didn’t stick around to bring this project to life, but the Mr. & Mrs. Smith TV series is oozing with Glover’s creative juices, providing a fresh lease of life away from its predecessor. I loved this show, and so did my partner, and I think that’s partly down to the fact it’s got an episodic feel so it’s never overwhelming or too heavy, but the overarching story is intriguing enough to keep you hooked. It’s on Prime Video, as well, so it couldn’t be easier to start watching.

7. Guava Island (2019)

I wouldn’t normally make reference to a short film in a list like this, but I believe Guava Island deserves a special mention. At 56 minutes long, it’s technically a feature film, albeit a short one, and Glover certainly packs enough into the story here to make it feel like a fully fleshed-out movie. Starring alongside Rihanna and Letitia Wright, Glover shines as the charismatic yet troubled Deni Maroon in a film that weaves multiple genres together. If you’re into mystery thrillers with a comedic and musical twist, you’re going to love this.

Guava Island came out around the time Glover was riding high in the wake of the Childish Gambino album Awaken, My Love and his politically-charged hit This Is America. It made a lot of sense, then, that he would channel his music into a work of fiction like this. The only problem is it’s not streaming anywhere anymore, but if you’re able to track it down, it’s well worth it. Anyone who’s enjoyed movies like Blindspotting, Queen & Slim, or Waves will have a good time with Guava Island.

6. Magic Mike XXL (2015)

The first Magic Mike movie was a roaring success, largely because it strikes a brilliant balance between brazenly catering to the female gaze and tongue-in-cheek parody moments. However, with Magic Mike XXL, Gregory Jacobs took over directorial duties and steered this installment into full-on buddy road trip territory, and it worked a treat.

One thing I always love about movies like this is that you can tell all the actors involved are having the time of their lives, which makes it so much fun to watch. But, while the Magic Mike movies are often regarded as a bit of mindless entertainment, they actually have a great deal to say on the topic of toxic masculinity. I remember me and my brother randomly watched this as a bit of a joke, and came away very surprised and impressed. If you like films like That Awkward Moment, Top Gun: Maverick, or even Channing Tatum’s latest, Roofman, you’ll vibe with Magic Mike XXL.

5. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

Donald Glover has long had an affinity with Spider-Man, stretching back to 2010 when Community fans started a campaign to get the actor cast as the hero. He’s always been a huge fan of the character, and while that push from fans didn’t quite work, he did cross paths with the webslinger in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Glover’s role is brief but brilliant: he plays Aaron Davis, whom Spidey fans will know as Miles Morales’ uncle, who eventually becomes Prowler, so we could still see him become more prominent in the MCU in the future.

For me, Spider-Man: Homecoming is probably the weakest of the three Tom Holland Spider-Man movies to date, but that’s more testament to the quality of the trilogy than anything. Michael Keaton’s performance as the villainous Vulture is a real highlight, while the coming-of-age, high school movie influences from the likes of The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off imbue this film with so much energy. My five-year-old son still hasn’t quite connected with the Tobey Maguire Spidey films, but he loves Spider-Man: Homecoming, which should tell you all you need to know about it.

4. Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

The Disney Star Wars era has had its fair share of ups and downs, and Solo: A Star Wars Story is considered something of a low point. That’s largely down to its box office takings, though, with the Han Solo origin movie taking roughly $393 million against a $275 million budget (with high production costs factored in, this is the first Star Wars movie to be deemed a financial failure). But guess what? Box office does not dictate the quality of a film, and I’d argue we’ve all been too harsh on this film.

Massive credit should go to Alden Ehrenreich for capturing the mannerisms and spirit of Han Solo without simply copying Harrison Ford. However, it’s Donald Glover as a young Lando Calrissian who steals the show; if you thought Billy Dee Williams was cool, Glover takes Lando to a whole new level. Solo: A Star Wars Story is far from perfect, but it’s packed with thrilling action set-pieces, and above all, it’s what any good Star Wars film should be: lots and lots of fun.

3. Atlanta (2016-2022)

It may not be at the top of this list, but Atlanta is certainly the most creative and interesting piece of work Donald Glover has ever created as an actor-writer-producer. Glover stars as Earnest, a down-on-his-luck music producer who tries to ride the coattails of his cousin, the up-and-coming rap sensation, Paper Boi (Brian Tyree Henry). With madcap pal Darius (Lakeith Stanfield) and baby momma Van (Zazie Beetz) in tow, chaos regularly ensues for the quartet, often with a surrealist spin. But the show tackles some pretty serious themes, most notably poverty and racism.

At times, Atlanta is fantastically funny and razor-sharp in its satirical take on society. At others, the show takes rather dark turns – Season 2, Episode 6, titled ‘Teddy Perkins’, is a horror-esque tale riffing on the mythology around Michael Jackson. This show is so diverse from episode to episode, which is what makes it so fascinating. If you’re into shows like The White Lotus, Beef, Broad City, or films like Sorry To Bother You and Uncut Gems, you’ll relish the madness of Atlanta.

2. The Martian (2015)

Admittedly, Donald Glover doesn’t have the biggest role in The Martian. He doesn’t even go to space. And yet, his brief but brilliant turn as astrodynamicist Rich Purnell is a really fun and pretty integral part of the film – he’s the one who comes up with the plan to rescue Matt Damon (that guy always needs rescuing, doesn’t he?)

The Martian is not only a very entertaining sci-fi film with loads of light comedy from Damon, it’s also pretty emotional by the end. Through it all, Ridley Scott and his team bring a phenomenal level of technical detail to proceedings. This movie is so rewatchable, and now is a great time to do so given the interplanetary success of Project Hail Mary (another story from the brilliant Andy Weir). If you’re a fan of introspective science fiction like Ad Astra, Arrival, or Gravity, you cannot miss The Martian.

1. Community (2009-2014)

There could only be one winner in this ranking of Donald Glover movies and TV shows. During the great sitcom boom of the early 2000s and 2010s, Community was able to hold its own against modern classics like The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Modern Family. That’s all down to the outstanding chemistry between the key cast members, including Glover. His character, Troy Barnes, and Danny Pudi’s Abed are the real stars of the show, bringing a wonderful mix of smart and silly to their madcap adventures and side-quests.

Community is the perfect easy watch when you just want to enjoy a group of fools getting into ridiculous situations; the kind of show you can stick on while you eat, or when you’re feeling sleepy and want something that isn’t going to overwhelm you. 

Fans always said they wanted “six seasons and a movie”, and that dream is supposed to come true in the near future – if they ever start filming. In the meantime, you’ll need a subscription to Now TV to watch its original run, or you can rent it at £2.49 per episode on Apple TV. 

The most wonderful time of the year is fast approaching. But before you worry about shopping for presents and defrosting the turkey, there is one far more important job to do: line up the Christmas movies you’re going to watch during the festive season.

Obviously, Christmas movies are hardly a new concept. It’s very likely you’ve all got your own traditions and must-watches at this time of year, but what if you want to shake things up and try something a little different?

Well, JustWatch has assembled a list of the seven best Christmas movies to watch in 2025 – one for every day of the week leading up to the big day – and they’re all delightfully different enough from one another to cater to any vibe you’re looking for, from must-see classics to future ones.

The Holdovers (2023)

If you’re keen to dive into an alternative Christmas story, The Holdovers is the one for you. Sure, it’s got underlying themes of kindness, family, and purpose that ring true for most festive films, but this Alexander Payne dramedy also comes with a healthy dose of cynicism and comedic bite that you don’t often find in Christmas movies. It’s essentially a story of three rather lonely people – an abrasive tutor, a sweet cook, and a troubled teen – who find an unlikely connection after being forced to spend the holidays together.

I remember when The Holdovers was released and, over the course of a couple of weeks, each day it felt like a different friend of mine had seen it and fallen head over heels in love. I think I actually got to it last out of my friendship group, but I felt exactly the same. It’s now absolutely part of our annual tradition to all watch it and wax lyrical about how funny and utterly charming it is. If you’re a fan of films like The Edge of Seventeen, Submarine, and A Real Pain, this could well become your new favourite Christmas movie.

Batman Returns (1992)

From one of the most charming Christmas movies to one of the downright coolest, Batman Returns is the ideal choice for any superhero-obsessed film fans who aren’t about to get bogged down in the debate as to what actually constitutes a Christmas movie. Is it set at Christmas? Yes. And that’s all we need to include it on this list! 

Batman Returns is the sequel to Tim Burton’s brilliant Batman of 1989, and this time, the Caped Crusader has not one, but two villains to deal with: Catwoman and the Penguin. Honestly, you can keep your MCU and forget about James Gunn’s nascent DCU; superhero movies simply do not look as good as this anymore. The snowy streets of Gotham City are captured by Burton with all the dark, surrealist style he’s renowned for, bringing a gothic twist to the festive season. But it’s not all style and no substance with this one; no, Burton puts together a thrilling Batman story that feels ripped right out of the comics, with thrilling twists, violence, and top-tier heroics. 

If you’re a fan of Burton’s other work like Sleepy Hollow, Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak, or even The Crow, you’re going to really dig this film.

Klaus (2019)

Christmas isn’t the same unless you’re watching quaint animated movies with the family, right? And if you need something to please adults and children alike, you should look no further than Klaus. 

This Netflix original offers an interesting take on the origins of Santa Claus, taking viewers to the remote town of Smeerensburg where conflict between two warring families has sucked the joy out of too many childhoods… Until a reluctant postman comes along and changes everything.

For me, the staples of Christmas movie viewing have always been Elf and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I never believed anything would muscle in on that territory, but Klaus did it. In fact, I’d go as far as to say it’s now my favourite Christmas movie. Its animation style is absolutely stunning, for a start, and it’s also incredibly funny. More than anything, Klaus will hit you in the feels. I hardly ever cry at films, but this one gets me every single time.

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

From a modern favourite to an old classic, I would go as far as to say that It’s a Wonderful Life is not just the best film on this list, it’s one of the most perfect movies ever made. 

Almost 80 years on, the story of George Bailey is still warming hearts every Christmas. It’s a movie packed with joy; one that reminds us the importance of selflessness, togetherness, and most of all, love. Be warned, though, it’s not without its sad moments – albeit those very special kind of sad moments where you wipe away a tear with a big smile on your face.

This film will always have a special place in my heart as it’s one my grandmother used to watch with me when I was a child (it’s her favourite Christmas movie). Now as an adult, I’ve made it my mission to watch It’s a Wonderful Life every year, and I somehow seem to love it more and more every time. I watched it at the cinema in 2024, and I’ll be doing so again this year. Whether it’s on a big cinema screen or cozying up in front of the fire at home, it’s impossible not to be enamored with this most magical of films.

Black Christmas (1974)

If the thought of watching sweet Christmas movies that make you feel all fuzzy inside gives you the ick, you might want to inject a spot of horror into your holidays. The original Black Christmas is a great pick for this time of year. It’s basically a home invasion, slasher-style horror movie akin to the likes of Halloween and Scream, but it’s set in a sorority house at Christmas!

At just over an hour and a half, it’s also not going to take up much of your valuable time, but it still packs quite the punch, with several gnarly scenes and a really creepy, mysterious killer behind it all. I’ll admit, it’s not the kind of film I’ll be watching every year, but if you want to go against the grain, this would be a perfect choice for a fun and frightening movie night with your friends – just make sure you lock the door first.

Christmas Karma (2025)

New Christmas films come out every year, and all we can do is take a gamble on the ones we think look good and hope that they’ll become part of our festive roster for years to come. This year’s Christmas Karma is exactly that – a gamble. This twist on the classic Charles Dickens story, A Christmas Carol, has only just hit cinema screens, so you’d have to venture out and watch it, but that’s all part of the fun.

For a start, you can’t really go wrong when a film follows the blueprint of Dickens’ incredible tale. In many ways, It’s a Wonderful Life riffs on that core idea, and look how good that is! Plus, with a cast including the likes of Kunal Nayyar (who played Raj in The Big Bang Theory), Hugh Bonneville, Eva Longoria, and Danny Dyer, you just know this is going to be an entertaining take on the original story. 

And if you don’t fancy trying something new, you could always watch The Muppet Christmas Carol instead. I wouldn’t blame you – it’s absolutely perfect.

The Holiday (2006)

We’ll round out this list with a little something for the romantics in the room. Yes, it’s full of cheesy clichés, but The Holiday knows its target audience and it nails the required tone. So much so, in fact, that it’s a bona fide classic for this time of year. My partner insists we watch it every holiday season, and while I initially grumbled about this, it’s getting harder and harder to hide the fact that I now secretly quite like this rather endearing rom-rom.

It’s a story of two women who are unlucky in love and decide to swap lives for the holidays. One heads for the British countryside, while the other embarks on an adventure in LA. And wouldn’t you know it, they both find their dream man and live happily ever after. There’s no better Christmas movie for a lovely little date night, and anyone who’s into the likes of Bridget Jones’ Diary, Love Actually, or Nora Ephron movies like You’ve Got Mail is going to swoon over this one, for sure.

Fans of the Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise didn’t have to wait too long for the sequel to the popular 2023 adaptation of Scott Cawton’s wildly serialised video game. Given the success of so many game-based movies in recent years, it’s no surprise that a wide range of other sequels are also in the works across film and TV—many of them scheduled for release as early as next year.

These include follow-ups to recent smash hits as well as long-awaited reboots—some of which I’m sure you’ve heard of, others that might come as a bit of a surprise. Read on to discover more and use the guide below to find them on services like AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere.

Fallout, Season 2 (2025)

Adapting a video game as expansive as Fallout was never going to be easy, so hats off to Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet for making a show that worked for both longtime fans of the franchise and absolute newcomers—and if you happen to be of the latter, imagine a mix of Silo and Futurama and you’ll have some idea of what to expect.

Now, a little over a year and a half since the last season wrapped, we’re returning to the post-apocalyptic wastes to check in with Ella Purnell’s Lucy and Walton Goggin’s Ghoul for another eight-episode run—this time in the tantalising world of New Vegas. Kyle MacLachlan and Aaron Moten also return alongside newcomers Justin Theroux and Macaulay Culkin.

Release date: December 2025

Return to Silent Hill (2026)

Fans of Konami’s infamously terrifying Silent Hill series have had to wait patiently for a new screen adaptation of the long running video game. Next January, 13 years after the last installment, the critically panned Silent Hill: Revelation, Cristopher Gans (who directed the first movie) is coming back with Return to Silent Hill—a direct adaptation of Silent Hill 2.

If you’ve never played the game, imagine a mix between Resident Evil and a night terror and you’ll have some idea of what you’re in for. Jeremy Irvine (War Horse) and Hannah Emily Anderson (Jigsaw) lead the cast, but no word yet on who’s playing the scary baby.

Release date: January

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026)

After at least one famously disastrous attempt to bring everyone’s favourite Italian plumber to the screen in the 1990s, Universal did a pretty decent job out the gate with The Super Mario Bros. Movie—an adaptation that delivered plenty of the nostalgia hits that fans had been crying out for without, let’s say, reinventing the wheel. It also made $1.36 billion at the box office—which helps.

The same writer-director team returns for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which promises to deliver the same offbeat humour and kaleidoscopic imagery—think stuff like The Lego Movie and Sonic the Hedgehog and you’ll have an idea. Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor Joy and Jack Black (the first movie’s MVP) reprise their roles alongside newcomers Brie Larson (as Rosalina) and Bennie Safdie (Bowser Jr.).

Release date: April

Mortal Kombat II (2026)

When the first Mortal Kombat movie was released directly to HBO Max during lockdown, it quickly became the most streamed movie in the studio’s history. Naturally, that meant that a sequel would soon follow. This one will thankfully play in proper theatres, which means that fans will get a chance to see all that gnarly, R-Rated stuff as big and bloody as possible.

I must say I’m pretty pumped for this one as Karl Urban is set to lead the cast, playing Johnny Cage, and if the trailer is anything to go by, it looks like he’ll be bringing some of that humour from The Boys with him—so if you’re a fan of that show, make sure to add this one to your list! 

Release date: May

Resident Evil (2026)

Normally, I wouldn’t be super excited to hear that a buzzy director, someone responsible for two of the most entertaining original concepts of the last few years (Weapons and Barbarian), was switching to IP filmmaking, but there’s just something about the idea of a Zach Cregger Resident Evil that sounds awesome to me.

Cregger will presumably be looking to take a new approach after Paul WS Anderson’s wonderfully idiosyncratic sextet of movies. Little is known at this point, but I fully expect a more horror-leaning focus to coincide with the movie’s spooky season release date.

Release date: September

Street Fighter (2026)

The upcoming Street Fighter movie, like Cregger’s Resident Evil, is, of course, more of a reboot than a sequel, but it would be wrong not to give it a mention here. The movie, which is set for release at some point next year, is being produced by Paramount, the studio behind the consistently good Sonic the Hedgehog movies—so there are certainly reasons for optimism. 

Directed by Kitao Sakurai (Twisted Metal) from a script by Dalan Musson (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), the movie is set to feature the WWE stars Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns alongside Eric Andre, 50 Cent and Jason Momoa. Sounds fun!

Another Minecraft Movie (2027)

With movies like Jumanji, Kung Fu Panda 4, Super Mario Bros. and presumably Anaconda all making serious bank, a case could be made that Jack Black is the biggest star in Hollywood at the moment. No movie has done more to burnish that argument than The Minecraft Movie, which, at time of writing, remains the second most successful American movie of the year.

Younger readers will probably (accurately) tell me that that phenomenon had more to do with a chicken jockey, but either way, a sequel was inevitable. Expect this one (which might be titled Another Minecraft Movie) at some point in 2027.

Release date: July

With the second part of Jon M. Chu’s gangbusters adaptation of Wicked now finally in cinemas, fans of the hit Broadway musical can once again be immersed in the wonderful Land of Oz. Starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in the now iconic roles of Elphaba and Glinda, the film invites fans to explore the world of The Wizard of Oz from a different perspective — in doing so, it tells the story of how not only Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West came to be, but also the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion.

If you loved Wicked and Wicked: For Good and are craving more fantasy films with a musical flare, there are no shortage of options for you to check out. The following list, which I’ve arranged in no particular order, features magic and fantasy, action and romance, dazzling colour and plenty of memorable tunes. Read on to discover more and use the guide below to find out where to stream them on services like AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere.

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

If you love all things Oz and aren’t quite ready to click your ruby slippers and head back home, there are plenty of other films that take place in the Oz universe. Sam Raimi fans (think Evil Dead and Spider-Man) will likely enjoy the offbeat vibe of his 2013 film Oz the Great and Powerful — an origin story for the Wizard himself. Soul music fans, however, will probably thrill to The Wiz, Sidney Lumet’s iconic Harlem-set retelling of the original story starring Diana Ross, Richard Pryor, and Michael Jackson. 

But of course, the classic Wizard of Oz from 1939 is still the gold (or at least yellow brick) standard for all things Good and Wicked — and if you liked Erivo’s performance as the Witch of the West, just wait till you get a load of Margaret Hamilton’s demented take on the role.

Return to Oz (1985)

The other Oz film that deserves a standalone mention on this list, at least IMO, is Walter Murch’s genuinely strange and unsettling 1985 sequel, Return to Oz. This is a film for Oz fans who don’t mind a little horror in their fantasy (think Legend or The Witches), or even those who don’t mind something a little surreal. It’s probably the closest thing to a David Lynch version of an Oz film that we’ll ever see — unless of course you count Wild at Heart.

The film begins with Dorothy in a mental institution and features a wonderful collection of creepy characters, like Jack Pumpkinhead and, scariest of all, the Wheelers. 

Into the Woods (2014)

If you enjoyed singing along to ‘Defying Gravity’ or “For Good” in the cinema, there are plenty of other film musicals that will have you belting out lyrics from your seat. The 1997 Cinderella, starring no less than Brandy and Whitney Houston, features plenty of fun songs and outrageous outfits. The Timothée Chalamet led Wonka is also plenty of fun; as is Annie; and, in its own way, as is Cats.

If I had to choose one to recommend, I’d probably suggest the 2014 adaptation of Into the Woods, a film that will feel pretty familiar to Wicked fans — as it also looks at well known fairy tales from a different angle. It also features the great Meryl Streep as a singing witch — so what’s not to like?

Enchanted (2007)

And speaking of looking at fairy tales from a different angle, the delightful 2007 Disney film Enchanted basically helped to invent that genre. The story follows a princess in waiting, named Giselle, as she travels from her typical animated world to modern day New York — imagine a mix of Shrek and Elf and you’ll have some idea of the vibe.

This was also the film that helped make Amy Adams a star, so even if you only know the actor from something like Arrival, you might enjoy seeing her in her breakout role.

Maleficent (2014)

When Wicked began its run on Broadway in 2003, it was one of the first attempts to reframe a famous story by telling it from a misunderstood antagonist’s POV. We now have a bunch of these, with as far flung films as Joker and Despicable Me arguably following the same blueprint.

One of the first to try was Maleficent — in which the evil witch from Sleeping Beauty (played wonderfully by Angelina Jolie) is given her own backstory and motive. If you love Wicked — especially for its message and its exaggerated costumes — you’ll probably love this one too.

Cruella (2021)

If you liked Wicked and Maleficent, the 2021 film Cruella should be added to your watch list immediately. This is the film that does for One Hundred and One Dalmatians what Maleficent does for Sleeping Beauty and Wicked does for The Wizard of Oz.

As the title suggests, the film is an origin story for Cruella Deville that explores the legendary villain’s rise in the London (or at least a fantastical version of the city) fashion world. She is played by Emma Stone, so if you’re a fan of films like Poor Things or La La Land, this might be the one for you.

Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Of course, we can’t talk about all these alternative Disney films without mentioning a few of the originators. When it comes to sing-along songs, there are no shortage of classics to check out (or revisit) — like Aladdin, Frozen, Cinderella, Tangled, Peter Pan, and The Little Mermaid. 

If I had to choose one, for its sweeping romance, gorgeous animation and wonderful songs, it would have to be the 1991 version of Beauty and the Beast. At time of writing, it remains the only 2D animated film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. 

Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Sometimes, the best way to fill a fantasy film-shaped void is to dive back into another immersive fantasy film. For something with a similar level of imagination, dazzling colour and production design, Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland seems as good a place as any to start.

This live action remake of the animated classic is not quite on the gothic level of Burton’s early work (like Edward Scissorhands) but if you like the director’s more recent output (like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), this should be firmly in your wheelhouse. 

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

While we’re on the subject of chocolate factories, this timeless 1971 adaptation of Roald Dahl’s story feels like a good fit for Wicked fans, not least if you’re also a fan of Return to Oz — even more than Wonka and the Burton version, there are parts of this film that feel genuinely strange and dark.

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory features a few incredible songs and an iconic performance by Gene Wilder in the title role — so if you loved the actor in films like The Producers and Blazing Saddles, you’ll want to see him (or perhaps see him again) here.

Stardust (2007)

Last but not least, if you like Wicked for its engaging blend of action and fantasy, make sure to check out Stardust — especially if you’re a fan of swashbuckling adventures like The Princess Bride or Pirates of the Caribbean. 

The film takes place in a world of fairies and sky pirates and stars Charlie Cox as a young man who falls in love with what he believes is a fallen star (Claire Danes). Oh, and Robert Dinero plays a pirate called Captain Shakespeare.

Gifted with one of the most impressive vocal ranges of any modern star, Ariana Grande is probably best known as a ponytailed pop sensation who’s been dazzling the music world for 15 years now. All that said, while she might have long dominated the worlds’ stages as a star musician, she actually got her start as an actor on Nickelodeon, and has since branched out into film.

Of course, Grande’s most recent starring role was as the good witch Glinda in Jon M Chu’s juggernaut adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Wicked, and its recently released sequel, Wicked: for Good. Read on to learn more about Ariana Grande’s movies and TV shows and use the guide below to find out where to stream them on services like AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere.

Victorious (2010-2013)

When she was still just 17-years-old, Ariana Grande got her first big start playing the sweet but somewhat dim Cat Valentine on the popular (pop-u-lar) Nickelodeon series Victorious, which aired on the channel from 2010 to 2013.

Few would claim that the series, which takes place in a performing arts school (think iCarly meets Fame), is a classic, but if you’re a big Grande fan you’ll probably get a real kick out of seeing her natural charisma here in a more raw form — even as a side character, she easily steals the show.

Sam & Cat (2013-2014)

I have to presume that the series creator of Victorious (who was also behind Zoey 101 and Drake & Josh) felt the same way about Grande, as a spinoff series starring the future pop sensation began directly after Victorious finished its three year run.

The spinoff was titled Sam & Cat and saw Grande continue in the role of Cat Valentine opposite Jennette McCurdy’s Sam Puckett. The show follows the two young women as they move in together and start a babysitter business. 

Swindle (2013)

With the release of her Billboard chart-topping debut album, Yours Truly, 2013 turned out to be a landmark year for the young star. Along with that and Sam & Cat, Grande also appeared in Swindle, her very first TV movie.

The story follows a group of teenagers who attempt to retrieve a valuable baseball card from a crooked collector. This is basically a heist movie made for Nickelodeon audiences, so if you like the idea of seeing Cat and Sam (McCurdy also stars) in an Ocean’s Eleven style farce, you’ll probably dig it.  

Underdogs (2016)

Grande understandably took a break from acting once her music career began to skyrocket, but in 2016, around the time of the release of her third album, she lent her now world famous voice to the English language version of Underdogs.

Funnily enough, this animated movie about a table football player (voiced in English by Nicolas Hoult) and his team was Juan José Campanella’s followup to his Oscar winning breakthrough, The Secret in their Eyes—so if you happen to be a fan of that movie and also enjoy Pixar’s Toy Story and Ratatouille, this might be up your street.

Hairspray Live! (2016)

Grande finally got her first taste of musical fame in 2016 when she played Penny Pingleton in Hairspray Live!, NBC’s live television performance of John Waters’ classic Broadway musical — and if you like the legendary John Travolta-starring original, or appreciate Waters’ more PG13 work, you should definitely give it a shot!

The role gave Grande the chance to work no only with Jennifer Hudson, comedy legend Martin Short and musical theatre legend Kristin Chenoweth, but also a young Billy Eichner. 

Ariana Grande: Dangerous Woman Diaries (2018)

In addition to her television and film roles, Ariana Grande has also had two documentaries made about her. Released in 2018, Ariana Grande: Dangerous Woman Diaries is a four-part docuseries that offers fans a behind the scenes look at her Dangerous Woman tour. 

As well as showing Grande perform (including the moving One Love Manchester show following the bombing at her concert in 2017) and interact with her team, the doc follows her as she records her then-upcoming Sweeteners album. If you appreciate Grande’s music and like docs like Miss Americana and The World’s a Little Blurry you’ll wanna see it.

Ariana Grande: Excuse Me, I Love You (2020)

Two years after Dangerous Woman Diaries, Grande released Ariana Grande: Excuse Me, I Love You, a close-up look at her London performance during her subsequent Sweeteners world tour. 

Focusing on one performance, Excuse Me is a more contained documentary than its predecessor, but if you like single-show performance docs like Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids, you might actually prefer this one!

Don’t Look Up (2021)

Five years and three hugely successful albums after her appearance in Hairspray Live!, Grande tentatively returned to the screen with a small but memorable role in Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up, an eco-disaster movie that also worked as a hilarious satire.

Appearing opposite A-list stars like Timothée Chalamet and Jennifer Lawrence, Grande played the role of pop star Riley Bina — and if you like the idea of seeing the singer play an exaggerated version of herself, and also like McKay’s other movies (think The Big Short, Vice), you’ll probably have a good time. 

Wicked (2024)

In 2024, Grande played her biggest role to date as the good witch Glinda in the live-action adaptation of Wicked, opposite Cynthia Erivo — an actress who she immediately had chemistry with, both on-screen and on the movie’s legendary press tour. 

Directed by Jon M Chu, Wicked was a quick sensation (imagine a mix of Cruella and The Wizard of Oz and you’ll know what to expect), making $750 million at the box office and earning Grande a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards.

Brighter Days Ahead (2025)

Released earlier this year, Brighter Days Ahead is a “visual companion” to Grande’s 2024 album Eternal Sunshine. This short movie, which is made in a style reminiscent of science fiction movie, is also Grande’s directorial debut — and if you’re curious what that might look like, you should probably give it a look!

This one will likely appeal to fans of Grande’s music who also enjoyed Beyonce’s Lemonade.

Wicked: Part Two (2025)

Grande might have lost out to Zoe Saldaña for Emilia Pérez at the Oscars this year, but if awards prognosticators are anything to go by, she looks to be in a strong position to win Best Supporting Actress for her second turn as Glinda in the newly released Wicked: Part Two.

The movie itself picks up where Chu’s predecessor left off, and offers origin stories for some of the most famous characters from the 1939 original, including Tin Man, Scarecrow and The Cowardly Lion — so naturally, if you’re a fan of all things Oz, be sure to check it out. 

Ever since his memorable stint as The Viper on Game of Thrones, Pedro Pascal has emerged as one of the most beloved actors in Hollywood. With all that recent success and fame, however, it’s sometimes easy to forget that the actor has been steadily working since the mid-90s—with appearances in everything from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Graceland. Since then, he's joined some of the biggest franchises of all time, including Star Wars, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Game of Thrones. So, if after all that you’re still craving more Pedro on your screen, we’ve got you covered. Here you'll find the fourteen best Pedro Pascal performances in movies and TV shows.

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

In 2020, Pascal joined Patty Jenkins’s second Wonder Woman feature as the supervillain Maxwell Lord. The film takes place in the 1980s (and if you like period set superhero movies like The First Avenger or Captain Marvel, you might find more to like here than critics gave it credit for) and sees Gal Gadot’s Diana step away from her quiet life to take on the failing businessman Maxwell Lord.

Although Max is in many ways your typical comic book baddie, he goes through quite the arc throughout the film, and Pascal’s performance wonderfully captures the character’s desperation and moral uncertainty.

Triple Frontier (2019)

While Triple Frontier may not be the greatest film of all time, it brings together Pedro Pascal and Oscar Isaac in a gritty action film—and that alone makes it worthy of recognition. The film is also directed by J.C. Chandor, and if you liked his work on Margin Call and All is Lost you might be interested in seeing him work in a totally different gear.

The story follows four former special forces operatives — Pascal’s Francisco “Catfish” Morales, Isaac’s Santiago “Pope” Garcia, Ben Affleck’s Tom “Redfly” Davis, and Charlie Hunnam’s William “Ironhead” Miller — as they team up for a heist on the territory of a South American drug lord. Pascal is not front and centre in this one, but his banter with Isaac and the others elevates the film to a pretty enjoyable watch.

The Equalizer 2 (2018)

Just a couple of years after his big break on Game of Thrones, The Equalizer 2 saw Pascal more than hold his own opposite one of the greatest actors of all time, Denzel Washington — and if you like the Hollywood legend in pure action mode (think films like Man on Fire or Inside Man), this is one you’ll probably be into.

As Dave York, the morally bankrupt antagonist, Pascal displays not only his ample action chops but also his equally remarkable skills at playing a backstabbing villain.

Prospect (2018)

Prospect is one of the most overlooked Pedro Pascal movies that should be on your watchlist. The sci-fi drama sees Pascal actor play Ezra, a merciless prospector searching for rare materials on a forest moon full of poisonous fungal spores. Like his more recent parts (especially in The Last of Us and Fantastic Four), Pascal excels in the role of a conflicted would-be protector, and succeeds in convincingly showing Ezra’s darker instincts and desperation to survive at all costs.

The drama is kicked into motion after a confrontation with the father-daughter duo Cee and Damon (played by Sophie Thatcher and Jay Duplass) — with whom Cee and Ezra wind up joining forces with in an effort to fulfil their mission and stay alive. This is the least famous title on the list, so if you haven't seen Prospect yet, consider checking it out for an underrated Pedro Pascal performance.

The Wild Robot (2024)

One of Pascal’s most understated roles in recent years was lending his vocal talents to The Wild Robot. This is a delightful, animated film — and trust me, if you appreciate films like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and The Iron Giant, this film is basically guaranteed to make you cry. The story begins when a high tech robot crash lands on a bird’s nest and takes it upon itself to raise the only survivor, a goose named Brightbill. Pascal voices a fox named Flick who becomes the young bird’s unlikely, carnivorous friend. While you won't get to see Pedro's acting abilities on screen, his charismatic performance as Flick serves the story well enough to accompany Lupita Nyong'o's pitch perfect portrayal of the titular robot.

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)

Whether you’ve only seen the meme of a crazy-eyed Pedro Pascal and Nic Cage driving in a convertible, or the mere idea of their two names together is enough to pique your interest, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is without a doubt one of the most fun entries on this list — especially for fans of Cage at his most unhinged (like Mandy or Bad Lieutenant.)

For the film, Pascal gets to display his over-the-top comedic chops and easily holds his own against Cage’s typically bonkers performance. The Hollywood legend literally plays himself, albeit as a washed up actor in need of cash who accepts a paid invitation to a wealthy fan’s (Pascal) birthday party — who of course turns out to be trouble. This is easily one of the most fun-filled Pedro Pascal movies, so check it out if you want to see the actor's playful nature on the big screen.

Eddington (2025)

Even considering all the incredible work that Pascal has done in the last few years, 2025 stands out as a landmark year for the actor. It started with the second season of Last of Us, but Eddington’s premier in Cannes marked a new frontier for the actor: a brush with the highest echelons of cinema culture in a film that — whether critics liked it or not — got everybody talking.

The story takes place in the tumultuous summer of 2020 in the titular town and follows a sheriff (played by Jaoquin Phoenix) and a mayor (Pascal) as they lock horns over Covid restrictions, Black Lives Matter protests, and other hot button issues. The film is directed by Ari Aster, so if you’re familiar with his work (Midsommar, Beau is Afraid) you know what kind of anxiety attacks that await you.

Gladiator II (2024)

With his roles in The Mandalorian and The Last of Us, Pedro Pascal basically confirmed his place as modern popular culture’s resident handsome, fatherly protector figure — or, to use an internetism, “Daddy”. In 2024, with Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II, Pascal solidified that reputation with his portrayal of General Acacius, an aging warrior attempting to live in accordance with his moral code in a world of rapidly shifting powers and political uncertainty — and if you liked the first movie or Scott’s recent hit The Last Duel, this is one you’ll want to see.

The film is one of Pascal’s biggest blockbuster appearances so far, and sees him star opposite Paul Mescal, who plays the film’s young protagonist, Lucius. Pascal’s portrayal of Acacius gives the character a heartfelt dose of nuance and idealism, and we discover he is much more than the ruthless warrior we first see on screen.

Materialists (2025)

Fans of Celine Song’s beloved debut, Past Lives, will likely be intrigued to see this unusual followup in which Pascal plays the wealthier of high-end matchmaker Lucy’s (Dakota Johnson) two potential love interests — the other is played by fellow MCU alum Chris Evans.

Studio A24 marketed Materialists as a new kind of rom-com, but it’s a much stranger film than even that — think less Pretty Woman and more Closer. In comparison to the other roles on this list, Materialists puts Pascal in a muted performance that suits the tone of this unique love story.

Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)

Pascal’s third big moment in 2025 came with his wonderful introduction into the MCU in Matt Shakman’s still underappreciated The Fantastic 4: First Steps. This is a Marvel film that takes place in a multiversal world that looks a bit like our own in the 1950s, but with that nice retro-futurist feel of the original Jack Kirby comics and movies like Brad Bird’s The Incredibles. The story follows Marvel’s first family, led by Pascal’s Reed Richards and Venessa Kirby’s Sue Storm, as they encounter Galactus and the Silver Surfer for the first time.With Pedro Pascal leading the team, he's poised to be a key character in I.  In the role of Reed Richards, he shows great chemistry with the rest of the Fantastic Four, especially Sue Storm's Vanessa Kirby.

The Mandalorian (2019-2023)

He may not show his face very often, but The Mandalorian wouldn't be the same without Pedro Pascal. His undeniable charisma and presence have been more than enough to carry the beloved Star Wars series for three seasons now — and if you like your sci-fi space operas with a Western twist (think A New Hope or Firefly), this is one you’ll want to see.

Next year, Disney and Lucasfilm are set to release The Mandalorian & Grogu, a film that will see Pascal return to play the tenderhearted yet deadly Mandalorian Din Djarin, a lone bounty hunter who decides to risk it all to protect the outrageously adorable Grogu (affectionately known by fans as “Baby Yoda”) through a series of close-shave adventures.

Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Although Pedro Pascal only appeared in a smattering of Game of Thrones episodes during the show’s fourth season, boy did his portrayal of Oberyn Martel leave an impression on the GoT fandom. From his exuberant skills in both combat and the bedroom to his eye-poppingly memorable fight with The Mountain, Oberyn had a whole lot going for him.

If you’ve still to see the show, imagine a sexier, more violent, and more political Lord of the Rings and you’ll have some idea of what to expect. Outside of the show, it’s kind of a heartening story: a working actor finding fame with a mid-career role that captivated audiences at the time and has remained an enduring fan-favourite a decade later. The performance served as Pascal’s big break, catapulting him to a level of stardom that has only grown since.

Narcos (2015-2017)

In his first big role after Game of Thrones, Pascal starred in one of Netflix’s foundational hit series, Narcos, as real-life DEA agent Javier Peña. Although the series’ main focus — on the rise and fall of the notorious Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar (played by Wagner Moura) — deviated in the third season, Pascal’s Peña remained a constant and appeared in every episode.

His performance highlights Pascal’s ability to portray his characters as equally hardened and affected by what happens around them. If you like well-written and bingeable TV shows about the drug trade (Ozark and Breaking Bad are the obvious comps), you’ll probably like this one, too.

The Last of Us (2023 - )

Given all that Pascal has done for his audience in the last few years, it’s tricky to choose his best performances to date. That said, the work the actor has done so far in playing Joel— a man tasked with bringing Bella Ramsey’s Ellie safely across a zombie-filled post-apocalyptic United States—in The Last of Us is kind of hard to argue with. The rough complexity that the actor gives to Joel has made him one of the most admired and compelling characters on television.

The acclaimed series—which was developed by Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin and based on Naughty Dog’s hugely influential video games, which were also influenced by films like The Road—takes us into a bleak, dystopian world in which a fungus has infected over half the world’s population, turning them into zombie-like creatures. Despite the many iconic roles on this list, I think this stands out as his best performance to date.

After years of stumbling beginnings, reboots, and drawn-out pauses, The Fantastic Four made a triumphant return in 2025 — this time within the Marvel Cinematic Universe — with The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The film is now available to stream on Disney+ and AppleTV, but for fans who can’t get enough of Marvel’s first family, there are a whole bunch of previous incarnations to enjoy — and we’re not even talking about The Incredibles. 

It’s true, the Fantastic Four might have just made their ‘first steps’ in the MCU, but the quad have been around on screens big and small since as early as the late 1960s. Read on to discover more about all the Fantastic Four movies and TV shows and use the guide below to find out where you can stream them on services like Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere.

Fantastic Four (1967–1968)

Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the Fantastic Four were originally created as Marvel’s first family, a superhero squad composed of Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards), Invisible Woman (aka Susan Storm), Human Torch (aka Johnny Storm), and Thing (aka Ben Grimm).

Over the years, the Foursome have inspired a series of somewhat successful animated television series. The earliest of these came just six years after the characters first appearance in Marvel comics and ran for 20 episodes, with episodes that featured fan favorite villains such as Dr. Doom and Galactus. If you like the retro feel of early Spider-Man, you’ll probably dig it. 

The New Fantastic Four (1978)

The next iteration of the animated series, The New Fantastic Four, arrived a decade later, running for 13 episodes with a slightly more advanced animation style — though we are still very much in the retro, Spider-Man era of TV shows here.

The series once again featured Doom and Mole Man but there were also appearances from less likely villains, such as Magneto from the X-Men franchise. The show is probably most famous for having replaced The Human Torch with a robot named H.E.R.B.I.E. (as the rights to the character were tied up at the time) — of course, both of them would later appear in First Steps. 

Fred & Barney Meet the Thing (1979)

Anyone currently feeling multi-verse fatigue should stop for a moment and spare a thought for Fred & Barney Meet the Thing, a Flintstones/Fantastic Four crossover that makes the Multiverse of Madness look, well, pretty sane.

Over 13 episodes, the show pretty much does what it says on the tin — let’s just say this is one for the completists. 

Fantastic Four (1994–1996)

The longest-running and best remembered of the early iterations of the Four are, and I think I’m not alone in saying this, the two seasons that ran from 1994 to 1996 as part of the Marvel Action Hour. This is the show to watch if you’re a fan of ‘80s and ‘90s TV animated shows like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or Transformers.

Over 26 episodes, the show features many of the villains mentioned above alongside guest stars like Thor, Hulk and Black Panther (who was voiced by none other than Keith David.) The great Giorgio Moroder even provided the original score.

Fantastic Four (2005)

The first Fantastic Four film, which was made in 1994 by Roger Corman’s studio as a way (you guessed it) to hang onto the rights, was deemed so awful that it was never officially released—though edits of footage have since been made and the movie has gained cult status. 

Regardless, in 2005, 20th Century Fox finally took a real crack at it with Fantastic Four, an adaptation starring Chris Evans, Jessica Alba, and Kerry Washington. The film was originally not so well received but has, in recent years, found a more appreciative audience — especially amongst fans of pre-MCU marvel movies like Spider-Man and X2.

It’s true, the film’s attempts at humour aren’t great and some of the acting is debatable, but the movie has an undeniably goofy charm. 

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)

Vibes-wise, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer has much of the same things going for it as its predecessor, including the charismatic cast and nicely cringy energy. It also introduces Doug Jones’ Silver Surfer, a character that looks impressively realised by the standards of 2007 CGI — and if you like that indulgent era of special effects (like on Michael Bay’s Transformers films), you’ll probably be into it.

Just don’t expect much from this iteration of Galactus — that giant cloud is still inexcusable. 

Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes (2006–2010)

It might not have the nostalgic quality of earlier shows, but these days there’s no doubting that Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes is widely seen as the best animated series yet to feature the squad. 

It only lasted one season, but its straightforward interpretation of Lee and Kirby’s stories from the comic books, plus its sleek animation style, helped ease the disappointment among fans around 2005 live-action film’s release. This is the one to watch if you want something faithful to the original comics that also boasts a modern animation style. 

The Super Hero Squad Show (2009–2011)

For parents of younger fans looking for a more entry-level superhero show, Marvel’s Super Hero Squad Show is probably the best place to start. The show, which ran for two seasons and 52 episodes from 2009-2011 features a whole host of Marvel’s most famous heroes, including the Avengers, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. 

The story is a classic superhero team-up and even features some of the same narrative as seen in the MCU, including Thanos and the Infinity stones, so if you’re a big Endgame fan you might get a kick out of it. 

Fantastic Four (2015)

Perhaps the less said about the 2015 reboot the better — but hey, while we’re here we might as well say something. Like a few too many efforts to bring these characters to the screen, Fox decided to make a new Fantastic Four in order to hold onto the rights. At the start, it all seemed to be going quite well: Josh Trank (red hot from the sucess of Chronicle) was brought on to direct with a cast — featuring Miles Teller (Whiplash), Kate Mara (House of Cards), Michael B Jordan, and Jamie Bell — chockfull of some of Hollywood’s brightest young stars. 

Sadly, the studios chopped it up and the film went on to live in infamy. Teller’s career has taken a decade to recover while Trank, sadly, is still in director's jail. If you must, watch it “for the plot.”

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

Four years after the 2015 box office bomb, 20th Century Fox was sold to Disney (who also own Marvel Studios), finally giving the Fantastic Four a chance at live-action redemption within the MCU. In two subsequent Marvel productions, members of the first family made brief cameos in a couple of unlikely places.

The first was Reed Richards in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness — where he was portrayed by John Krasinski in a nod to a long established online casting choice. The movie itself is a blast, especially if you’re a fan of director Sam Raimi’s earlier horror work on movies like Evil Dead and Drag Me to Hell. 

Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

The other post-takeover cameo came in Ryan Reynolds and Shawn Levy’s Deadpool & Wolverine, a film that offers some of the most outrageous multiversal shenanigans imaginable — which is to say, if you enjoyed Across the Spider-Verse and Loki, you’ll probably love it.

For the film, Reynolds and Levy managed to convince Chris Evans to reprise his role as Johnny Storm — despite the 15 years he had spent playing Captain America in the interim.

The Fantastic 4: First Steps (2025)

In 2025, the Fantastic Four finally reassembled in Fantastic 4: First Steps, their first solo debut in the MCU, with an all new cast including Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby as Susan Storm, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm.

The story is set on Earth 828, which appears like a retro-futurist, 1950s-like version of our own — imagine a mix of the 1978 series and Brad Bird’s The Incredibles and you’ll have an idea of the earnest, playful tone. The drama is kicked into motion by two events: the arrival of the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) and Galactus and the arrival of Sue and Reed’s baby boy. 

Say it quietly, but Christmas is fast approaching. Aside from the usual problems of finding the ideal gifts for your loved ones, deciding on a colour scheme for your tree, and making sure you have enough snacks to last through the festive period, the one issue that has plagued cinephiles for generations is picking the perfect Christmas movie for this most wonderful time of the year.

Many of the best holiday movies are so obviously steeped in Christmas cheer, snow, and tinsel that it’s almost too on the nose at times. But there are some films that don’t quite fit the stereotypical box. Questions have been asked about Die Hard. No one is quite sure about The Nightmare Before Christmas. And now, we’re pondering whether Gremlins is a true Christmas movie.

The iconic fantasy classic from Joe Dante has charmed audiences for the last 40 years thanks to its blend of family fun, cute creatures, and flashes of horror. But is it really in keeping with the festive spirit? According to British audiences, there’s a definitive answer.

UK Audiences Love Watching Gremlins at Christmas

The answer to this question is usually subjective, but here at JustWatch, we have quantifiable data to turn to.

As you may have expected, Gremlins climbs our Most Rewatched and Most Anticipated charts leading up to Christmas. This happens across Europe and in the US, which suggests that these territories do regard Gremlins as a Christmas movie.

But it’s in the UK that the most definitive verdict arises. You see, only in the UK does Gremlins crack the top 25 on those charts around the festive season (as high as number 24, actually), which proves once and for all that British audiences are on the right side of history with this particular debate.

Gremlins Is Obviously a Christmas Movie

To be honest, I don’t see where the confusion is with this one. Of course, Gremlins is a Christmas movie!

Think about all the main ingredients we look for in a Christmas movie: the story has to take place at Christmas; it needs snow and bright lights; it should be full of cheer, gifts, and celebration, and, of course, it helps to explore themes of family, belonging, and kindness.

Sometimes it’s enough for a film to just hone in on one of these elements enough. With Gremlins, Joe Dante ticked every single box. The entire movie revolves around Christmas and the very problematic gift a father gives to his son. There’s snow, Santa hats, carol singing; it’s a film full of charm and heart, and at the core of it all, love, as this family bands together to save the day.

Frankly, the idea of Gremlins being anything other than a Christmas movie is ludicrous. Whether Dante intended it or not, he created the quintessential quirky Christmas flick.

Why Gremlins 2: The New Batch Is The Perfect Film For New Year's

On the other hand, if you’re hastily planning your Christmas viewing schedule and think following the original up with Gremlins 2: The New Batch is a good idea, I implore you to pause for a moment. Don’t worry, though, you only have to wait a week before it’s prime time to watch the sequel.

While Gremlins 2 is not necessarily about New Year celebrations, it is a brilliant choice to bring in the turn of the year. Not only is it a movie brimming with Y2K aesthetics and chaotic parties, but we also get a scene where a bunch of intoxicated gremlins perform a rendition of ‘New York, New York’ at the stroke of midnight.

Gremlins fans have even taken to starting the movie on New Year’s Eve (at 10:32 pm, to be precise) so that Brain Gremlin’s musical number kicks off just as our own clocks hit 12. So, whatever you plan for the holidays this year, make sure you find room for Joe Dante’s delightful double bill.

It’s time, once more, to hold space for Wicked, as the Oz-set sequel For Good flies into cinemas a year after Part One. IRL BFFs Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are back as Elpheba and Glinda, the so-called Wicked Witch of the West and Good Witch (of a non-disclosed direction), along with the rest of the main cast, including Michelle Yeoh as Madam Morrible and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard, who, by the end of the first film, declared Elpheba public enemy number one, having already scapegoated Oz’s talking animals as similar pariahs.

Sadly, as is so often the case with prequels, there’s only so much Elphepha can do to try and escape this public perception and her prewritten fate – to be melted by a doe-eyed, Kansas teenager with a bucket of water on the orders of a charlatan. But Wicked: For Good has a twist ending that gives Elpheba a more hopeful and mysterious fate. Let’s unpack what happens and why.    

What Happens to Elpheba In Wicked: For Good

Wicked: For Good picks up some time after Elpheba steals the Grimmerie, a book of spells that only she can read, from the Wizard’s castle in the Emerald City. Having refused to help the Wizard and Madame Morrible use its magic to subjugate Oz, she becomes a lone freedom fighter seeking to expose the Wizard as a fraud. 

Glinda, meanwhile, dejectedly becomes the poster child for ‘good’ despite a lack of tangible powers, with Morrible’s propaganda establishing a dichotomy between her and Elpheba – one a hero of the people and the other something for them to unite against. She also gets engaged to Prince Fiyero, played by a frosted-tipped Jonathan Bailey – a move that’s also a PR stunt, even though Glinda’s feelings for him are real.

This culminates in a confrontation at the Wizard’s castle, where Elpheba implores him to tell the people of Oz that he’s been manipulating them. With the help of Glinda, he instead brokers a truce with her. However, as Glinda and Fiyero prepare to wed, Elpheba discovers the Wizard has been imprisoning the animals. Enraged, she frees and unleashes them on him, ruining the wedding, and giving Fiyero the impetus to leave with her.

This moment of respite is short-lived, however, when Dorothy crash-lands in Oz, thanks to a vengeful tornado conjured by Morrible. Fiyero is captured by the Emerald Guard and tortured in an effort to reveal Elpheba’s base of operations (her Western castle). Desperate to spare him, she transforms him into the Scarecrow, and embraces her characterisation as ‘wicked’, meeting with Glinda one last time to encourage her to also truly be good, before facing her untimely demise at the hands of Dorothy.

How Elpheba Cheats Death In Wicked (Without Changing The Wizard of Oz)

As fans of the original book and musical will already know, the Wicked Witch of the West isn’t actually killed when Dorothy chucks a bucket of water over her. Wicked teases this key weakness long before this happens at the climax of For Good – when Morrible shields Elpheba from the rain in Part One, for instance. But after Dorothy triumphantly takes her broomstick, as proof of her death, to the Wizard, and Glinda, who witnessed the whole thing from a hiding place, tearfully returns to take up her goodly duties in the Emerald City, we return to the Wicked Witch’s castle.

Fiyero, in scarecrow form, opens a hidden trap door, revealing Elpheba slipped through it to fake her death. It seems the whole water thing was just a myth all along, propaganda that Elpheba used to her advantage in the end. Having chosen to martyr herself for the sake of maintaining the new equilibrium, she leaves Oz altogether with Fiyero. They’re last seen journeying through a mysterious desert that exists outside of it.  

What Is the ‘Deadly Desert’?

Also known as the ‘impasable desert’, the ‘deadly desert’ that Elpheba and Fiyero end up in comes from L. Frank Baum’s original Oz books, the lore of which many of the adaptations only really scratch the surface of. In Wicked, the desert’s existence is established in the first act of For Good when Elpheba sees the animals fleeing persecution through a tunnel to it. 

This desert surrounds the land of Oz, and as the name implies, it can be lethal for anyone passing through it. As per the Oz novels: "Any living thing that touches it turns to sand." In the 1939 movie, Oz is one big fever dream in Dorothy’s head. However, in Baum’s lore, Oz is real and exists in our world – the desert not only makes it difficult for anyone to leave Oz, but for anyone on the outside to wander in. That’s why outsiders like Dorothy and the Wizard can only get there via air travel. (Baum published the first Oz book in 1900, just before the invention of planes, so he wouldn’t have considered the implications of random commercial flights drifting into Ozian airspace every day…) 

Why Wicked Had to (Partially) Change The Wizard of Oz’s Ending

The more Wicked: For Good overlaps with The Wizard of Oz, the more hoops it has to jump through to both preserve the beloved film’s central story while keeping its own narrative interesting – and the payoff satisfying.

Elpheba has to be ‘killed’ by Dorothy to uphold the core canon, but that’s a pretty downer ending after we’ve spent around four hours across two movies sympathising with and rooting for her. Tragedy isn’t out of place for major stage musicals, like Les Misérables and The Phantom of the Opera, but in this case, Elpheba dying for real may have been both too bleak and too predictable. By having her fake her death and leave Oz, the original Wizard of Oz ending remains intact, and Wicked can deliver one final surprise to audiences.

It also allows Elpheba to finally take control of the narrative. Wicked is a big, shiny musical that looks sweet on its surface, but has a more sobering message about propaganda, fear, and control barely concealed underneath. Elphaba is mischaracterised to the public throughout the films as an evil force that must be purged. In the end, if she’d died for real, it would have looked like she gave up, closing things out on a note of hopelessness. By orchestrating her own demise and selflessly choosing her fate, Elpheba instead regains her autonomy and leaves Oz in a better, more equitable state. 

Forty years ago, The Goonies was released in theatres and, in some ways, we’re still feeling the reverberations. If you’d told a punter at the time that the Richard Donner-directed, Stephen Spielberg-produced movie would still be inspiring the biggest and most expensive TV shows of the 2020s, they’d probably have told you to shuffle your truffle.

In our nostalgia-driven culture, it’s still a Goonies world, and we’re all just living in it; and something similar could be said for the movie’s stars, who have been lighting up our screens in a wide variety of places since 1985, and for the most part continue to do so. If you’d gone on to tell our imaginary friend that four of the original Goonies would eventually be nominated for Oscars, one of them even going so far as to win, they’d have probably passed out.

Whatever the case, it’s always a great time to revisit Donner’s classic—not least with Stranger Things on the verge of its long-awaited finale and Spielberg’s return to science fiction and wonder looking quite imminent next year. Read on to discover more, and use the guide below to discover what the cast of The Goonies have been up to in the years since. 

Josh Brolin

When it comes to tallying up the achievements of the Goonies cast in the last 40 years, nobody comes close to Josh Brolin. That movie was the actor’s big screen debut, and since then, he’s gone on to become an A-list star and something of an all-American treasure. 

Aside from one Paul Verhoeven movie, the ‘90s and early ‘00s were a bit of a bust, but something happened around 2007 that changed the course of the actor’s career. All of a sudden, he found himself in Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror, Ridley Scott’s American Gangster and the Coen brothers’ No Country for Old Men—the last of which earned him a nomination for Best Actor at the Academy Awards. A decade later, as Thanos, Brolin arguably played the lead role in two of the most successful movies ever made.

In 2025 alone, Brolin has added three acclaimed movies to his cluttering CV: Wake Up Dead Man, Weapons and The Running Man. Look out for him next year in Dune: Part Three. 

One to watch: If you like Fargo, try No Country for Old Men.

Sean Astin

Looking at Sean Astin’s post-Goonies work, three credits rise above the others like Barad-dûr—and there’s absolutely no shame in that. Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, in which Astin delivered a performance as warm as a Hobbiton stew, are by some metric the most universally beloved movies of the 21st century so far.

Before Middle Earth, Astin enjoyed an otherwise steady post-Goonies career, picking up roles in quality movies like The War of the Roses, Toy Soldiers and Rudy and, in the years since, has leaned into his celebrity with roles in The Big Bang Theory and even a recurring run as Bob Newby on Stranger Things.

One to watch: If you like fantasy, jump in with The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

Martha Plimpton

Since her performance as Andi’s best friend, Stef, in The Goonies, Martha Plimpton (surprisingly, unlike her co-star Kerri Green) has gone on to be a consistent, reassuring presence across American movies and television. On the big screen, she appeared in ‘80s classics like Parenthood and Running on Empty before pivoting into grittier work in recent years with critically acclaimed movies like Small Town Murder Songs and the recent festival hit Sovereign, with Nick Offerman.

Plimpton has also guest-starred on several long-running shows in that time, like The Good Wife, and now appears to be making a long-overdue jump to prestige TV. Her performance in Task this year, opposite Mark Ruffalo, was incredible, and fans will get to see her again next year in Zoe Kazan’s hotly anticipated adaptation of East of Eden—the first major spin on that novel since Kazan’s grandfather, Elia, directed James Dean to a debut Oscar nomination in 1955.

One to watch: If you like what Brad Ingelsby did with Mare of Easttown, you’ll love Task.

Ke Huy Quan

If you asked viewers in 1985 what Goonies cast member would be the first to win an acting Oscar, and when? Few would have guessed it would take 37 years, and fewer still would have guessed it would go to Ke Huy Quan.

With his open expressions and adorable energy, Quan quickly established himself as one of the most cherished child actors of the 1980s (he’d starred in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom a year before). It would be decades, however, before Hollywood saw him as a mature actor, thanks to the Daniels’ Everything Everywhere All at Once, a movie that won him a heartwarming Oscar for Best Supporting Actor and basically reignited his career. Since then, Quan has appeared in the MCU, the Russo Brothers’ Electric State and starred in his own action movie, Love Hurts. 

One to watch: If you like your multiverses extra crazy, it has to be Everything Everywhere All at Once.

Joe Pantoliano

By 1985, Joe Pantoliano had already appeared in movies as big as Risky Business, but his performance as Francis Fratelli in The Goonies solidified his place as one of Hollywood’s go-to sleazebags. In the decades that followed, Pantoliano would bring that energy to everything from The Fugitive to Memento, to Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun and, as Captain Howerd, to four Bad Boys movies—and counting.

When I think of Pantoliano, however, I usually think of two roles: as the backstabbing Cypher in The Matrix and, better yet, as Ralph Cifaretto in three seasons of The Sopranos.

One to watch: If you’ve got the time, start The Sopranos. If not, put on The Matrix.

Corey Feldman

Having already appeared in Gremlins and two Friday the 13th movies, Corey Feldman was (at least aside from Quan) probably the closest thing to an established child star in the Goonies cast before the movie’s release. In the years that followed, he became synonymous with ‘80s cinema—consistently picking up the coolest roles in films like Stand by Me, The Lost Boys and, my personal favourite, The Burbs.

The following years were less kind to the actor—a classic case of an industry chewing up a young star and spitting them back out. In 2020, he went on the record with his experiences from that time in the tell-all documentary (My) Truth.

One to watch: If you like Hanks in pure ‘80s mode, it’s gotta be The Burbs.

Anne Ramsay

A little like Feldman, Anne Ramsay is one of those faces that seems to only exist in the 1980s—at least as far as movie fans of that era are concerned. 

Born in 1929, the actress best known for playing Mama Fratelli only started acting in the early 1970s, but her career enjoyed a late-flourish in the years after The Goonies. In 1988, she even earned a surprise nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars for the Danny Devito/Billy Crystal buddy comedy, Throw Momma from the Train, but sadly passed away just a few months after the ceremony, which she attended. She appeared posthumously in Scrooged that November—and unsurprisingly, that movie is dedicated to her. 

One to watch: If it’s December, go Scrooged.

Lupe Ontiveros

You might not know the name, but since playing Rosalita in The Goonies, Lupe Ontiveros went on to have one of the most lively careers of any cast member. When she passed away in 2012, at the untimely age of 69, her IMDb had already reached a formidable 111 credits. Given the options for Latinx actors during that time, it’s probably no surprise that she was often typecast, but that didn’t stop her from making her mark on movies like As Good as it Gets and shows like Desperate Housewives, the latter of which earned her an Emmy nomination for Best Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. 

One to watch: Certain parts of As Good as it Gets haven’t aged the best, but it’s still well worth seeing.

Robert Davi

Robert Davi started in TV before landing the part of Jake Fratelli in The Goonies, a role that would basically influence the rest of his career. In the decades that followed, Davis went on to play admirably meat-headed bad guys in everything from Predator 2 and License to Kill to Paul Verhoeven’s misunderstood classic, Showgirls.

The latter of those earned him a Razzies nomination, which he lost to Dennis Hopper for the equally undervalued Waterworld—what a year! If you know Davi from anything, however, it’s probably for playing the taller of the two Special Agent Johnsons in Die Hard. 

One to watch: Definitely Die Hard.

John Matuszak

John Matuszak is one of the few Goonies cast members who came into the movie at the end of his career. Before putting on the prosthetics to play Sloth, Matuszak had already won two Super Bowls during a decade-long career in the NFL. Outside of The Goonies, he appeared in ‘80s movies like North Dallas Forty and One Crazy Summer before his tragic death in 1989, when he was still just 38 years old.

One to watch: I can’t claim to have seen any, but North Dallas Forty has Nick Nolte in it, so it seems like as good a place as any to start.

Guillermo Del Toro is a master of gothic horror and a lover of monsters. And I mean that last bit in every sense of the word: the highly distinctive filmmaker has talked often and lovingly of his affection for villainised creatures, whether they’ve crawled out of a black lagoon or out of the deep, dark woods. His filmography, from Hollywood superheroes to period horror, consistently makes us empathise with traditional figures of dread. And sometimes, he even asks us to find them desirable.

Shape of Water is Del Toro’s most notable creature-loving feature, and the first major Oscar-winner (I think) to feature inter-species, underwater copulation. But with his latest masterpiece, Frankenstein, starring a tall, dark, and brooding Jacob Elordi as the ‘Creature’, who woos Mia Goth’s Elizabeth, Del Toro has truly proven himself as the patron saint of monster lovers. (Dare I say, monster smashers..?)

It’s about time we looked back at the Del Toro Hot Monster canon (fuelled almost singlehandedly by the lithe creature actor Doug Jones), and shallowly but very seriously rank them by how romanceable they are — and how much or little reputational damage you’d do by stepping out in public with them. Just remember, like Victor, we’re doing this purely for science.

Honourable Mention: Sir Thomas Sharpe — Crimson Peak (2015)

First, a shout-out to the incestuous wife trap that is Tom Hiddleston, aka Sir Thomas Sharpe, in Del Toro’s lavish Victorian ghost story. 

He’s tall, he’s handsome, he’s trouble, and he gets his butt out on screen. He also winds up (spoilers) as a ghost, which sort of qualifies him as a ‘monster’ — motives aside — but not quite enough for a proper spot on this list.

Dishonourable Mention: The Strigoi — The Strain (2014-2017)

No. Just no.

5. The Kaiju Hive Mind — Pacific Rim Uprising (2018)

As open-minded as I am, I’m not sure I would have included this one had it not been for Charlie Day. And I tend to base many of my editorial and life decisions around the voice of Luigi and the man who co-created Fight Milk. Like a weird Japanese dating sim, Day’s eccentric scientist in Uprising decided that yes, anything in Del Toro’s ‘bots battling monsters franchise could be romanceable, including a barely biological interconnected consciousness.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, it’s kind of like the movie Her, but instead of an Alexa girlfriend voiced by Scarlet Johansson, it’s a brain in a jar. As a weirdo who cackled her way through The Substance and the slurpy feeding scenes of Nosferatu, I absolutely love that this film went there with this bonkers subplot, especially for a big, shiny action movie that kids might see. It’s a soft ‘maybe’ for the come-hither voice and the freakiness, but a hard no for the mind control. What can I say, I’m one of Destiny’s Child’s Independent Women.

4. Pale Man — Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

Pale Man (Eye Guy, as I like to call him) is one of Del Toro’s creepiest and most iconic, original creations. He has eyes on the palms of his hands, a head full of teeth, and the consumption of children on his mind. Let me convince you why he’s boyfriend material.

One: Seen and not heard; good listener. Two: Table manners. Underrated in this day and age. Three: If you want a childless life, so does he. Think of all the money you’ll both save! Four: Snatched. Just look at that waist. Five: He only has eyes for you. As a reminder, those eyes are on his palms, and he only gets them out for special occasions.

Could you take him home to meet the folks? I don’t know if you could take him anywhere, really, mostly because if I’m interpreting the film correctly, I’m not entirely sure he actually exists. A small but not unworkable drawback.

3. Amphibian Man — The Shape of Water (2017)

The Shape of Water, in which Sally Hawkins gets freaky with Del Toro’s version of the Creature From The Black Lagoon, and Del Toro got his unexpected Best Picture Oscar. Love wins!

Amphibian Man is your classic mer-person fantasy, but for those who aren’t cowards. If you think Ariel is the only acceptable mermaid crush, you’re not ready for this slimy, sexy, forbidden romance, or Michael Shannon as a spitting, fascist Gaston. You’re not going to get much conversation out of a literal fish guy, unless you know sign language, and he’s useless on land. But if you’re willing to put up with permanently pruned fingers and attracting angry mobs, you’ll net yourself a mate for life.

2. The Creature — Frankenstein (2025)

Let’s be frank(enstein) here, Del Toro just painted Aussie heartthrob Jacob Elordi white, put a wig on him, and called it a day.

I’m being facetious, here — the makeup, hair and costuming in Frankenstein is outstanding, but Elordi’s deathly Byronic beauty is a far cry from Boris Karloff’s Exorcist vomit skin and square bolted head. This is a reanimated corpse with a porcelain complexion, eight feet tall (no, I won’t fact-check that), and the passion to hunt his creator to the ends of the earth to poetically tongue whip him. You have to love a man with ambition who wears his heart on his sleeve — even if that heart is from someone else.

Once you give him a thesaurus, he’d be great dinner conversation, though I’m not against cries of ‘VICTOR!’ being our personal love language. The scarring and what I suspect would be a bit of a foul smell from various rotting wounds may raise some eyebrows, but nothing some foundation, aftershave, and accusing people of ableism won’t fix.

1. Hellboy — Hellboy (2004) & Hellboy II (2008)

Ron Perlman. David Harbour. The other guy from The Crooked Man. When we talk about Hellboy, we’re talking about the Daddiest antihero, out-Daddied only by Josh Brolin as Thanos. And Josh Brolin as Cable. Josh Brolin as anything.

Sticking to the Del Toro-Perlman incarnation, as per this list, which made the comic book character mainstream, this is the easiest sell on the monster lover scale. Sure, he’s like a demonic, bipedal Clifford the Big Red Dog, and it’d be hard to introduce him to your god-fearing granny without inducing cardiac arrest. But he’s also half-human with cheesegrater abs and an IDGAF attitude that he can actually pull off on account of being satanic spawn. We all love a bad boy, and we love a bad boy who’s really a good boy even more.

The only catch for me is that cigar breath. But I think if we made things official, a switch to vapes wouldn’t be out of the question. Cherry, please!

From book, to stage, to the silver screen, we’re all obsessulated with the journey of Elphaba and Glinda. It’s not surprising Wicked was one of the most pop-u-lar movies of 2024, and the sequel, Wicked: For Good is now dominating the cinematic lexicon.

Obviously, Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba is the star of the show, as much as Ariana Grande’s Glinda likes to make it all about her. The two characters have a fascinating dynamic, but what goes on around them is what truly shapes Elphaba into the iconic ‘villain’ we ultimately know her to be: Her unusual abilities and green complexion make her an easy target for the students at Shiz University, and also lead to her being manipulated by Madame Morrible and the Wizard to be the face of their, well, wicked plans.

There is no denying Elphaba is a tragic character. It’s what makes her so interesting and compelling, but there’s another character in Wicked who has a far tougher time – and yet, she flies under the radar.

Spoiler warning: If you haven’t seen Wicked: For Good yet, we are going to discuss some pretty key plot points here!

What Happens to Nessarose, Elphaba's Sister, In Wicked

Let’s talk about Elphaba’s sister, Nessarose. Admittedly, she doesn’t get bullied by her peers, largely because she’s not green. That helps her have a much lower profile than Elphaba, but she still plays a key role in the events of Wicked, and none of it is particularly positive.

For a start, she has none of Elphaba’s magical abilities. Obviously, having that talent doesn’t necessarily help Elphaba get ahead in life, but it’s still something Nessarose looks at with envious eyes, feeling like she has been denied something special herself.

Her resentment leads to Nessarose joining forces with the Wizard, rather naively, to become governor of Munchkinland. While in that role, Nessarose rules with cruelty and becomes obsessed with control and power.

On top of that, Nessarose falls in love with the Munchkin Boq, and it doesn’t end well. For her, it’s a case of unrequited love, as Boq only pretends to like her so he can get closer to the true object of his desires: Glinda. When she learns the truth, Nessarose turns to magic to try and change Boq’s mind and win his heart. The spell goes wrong, Boq ends up with no heart at all, and has to be saved by Elphaba by turning him into the Tin Man – not the ideal way for a love story to pan out really, is it?

Wicked Makes Nessarose's Downfall Even More Complex

If all of this wasn’t enough, Nessarose’s situation is even more complex and difficult because of her disability. With her mother terrified of having another green child, she eats milk flowers during pregnancy. This leads to complications in Nessarose’s birth and means she needs a wheelchair.

In the original novel, Nessarose is described as having no arms. In the musical, this is altered to be a disability in her legs, more like what we see in the movie. Interestingly, the depiction of Nessarose in the Wicked movies, where she is played by Marissa Bode, is the first time a disabled actor has taken on the role. This is clearly positive for authentic representation, and while being disabled needn’t be something that carries negative connotations by default, the story’s colouring of Nessarose’s situation, unfortunately, is.

Wicked treats it as yet another cruel element of Nessarose’s downfall, as her disability actively motivates her to do the things she does out of bitterness for Elphaba. It also blights that authentic representation as the only visibly prominent disabled character is totally mired in disaster. And the tragedy doesn’t even end there.

Nessarose's Fate In The Wizard of Oz Is Even Worse Because of Wicked

For anyone well-versed in the overarching story of The Wizard of Oz, we know Elphaba goes on to revel in the title of the Wicked Witch of the West. While her malevolent turn is a huge part of the reason why the 1939 classic is one of the best musicals of all time, people often forget about Nessarose’s fate.

Admittedly, she isn’t in the film for long. When Dorothy’s house lands in Munchkinland, she inadvertently crushes the Wicked Witch of the East as she searches desperately for Boq after his horrific transformation. As the Munchkins rejoice the demise of their oppressive leader, we the audience move on and follow Dorothy’s journey along the yellow brick road.

But, behind the celebrations, we should remember that it is Nessarose Thropp under that house, a character we’ve gotten to know and sympathise with. She may have turned wicked along the way, but she is ultimately just a young woman who was twisted by circumstance and environment. And adding insult to injury, Dorothy even steals her lovely, shiny red shoes! Elpheba suffers, but at least she gets a bittersweet ending as an anti-heroic martyr; Nessarose’s death is a punchline and her legacy squashed with her.

Predator: Badlands has spent November tearing up the global box office. At the moment, the film, which stars Elle Fanning as a legless android alongside newcomer Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as her unlikely alien hunter companion, is sitting at the top of the franchise food chain on a prize of $160 million. It also had the strongest domestic and global opening in the series’s 40-year history, which is a huge payoff for the gambit 20th Century Studios took in theatrically releasing director Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey follow-up, which went straight to streaming in 2022.

Badlands also takes a big story risk: it’s the first Predator film to feature one of the titular warriors – a species commonly called Yautja – as a protagonist. In this case, Schuster-Koloamatangi’s Dek. Branded a ‘runt’ by his father, Dek escapes execution at the patriarch’s hands by crash-landing on the hostile planet Genna. There, he vows to prove himself a worthy hunter by slaying a fabled, unkillable beast called the Kalisk. This is where he runs into and begrudgingly teams up with Fanning’s Thia, a broken Weyland-Yutani synthetic from the Alien universe sent to Genna for reasons that become clearer as the film goes on. 

This marks the first proper crossover (on film) between the Predator and Alien franchises since 2007’s Alien vs Predator: Requiem, and if you’ve had the unfortunate experience, like I have, of watching that mangled mash-up, you’ll know why. I’m happy to report that Badlands is worlds away from that low point – balancing high stakes, action-packed fun with dynamic characters and wonderfully fleshed-out worldbuilding. Its success hammers home the undeniable fact that fans of both Predator and Alien are eating well these days: Trachenberg’s Prey, Badlands, and animated offshoot Killers of Killers were critical and commercial successes for the former, and Romulus and Alien Earth have been equally well-received for the latter.  

The absence of the Xenomorph stops Badlands from being the unofficial third AVP film, but the strong Weyland-Yutani presence makes the sci-fi properties even more intertwined. The sinister corporation’s activities on Genna could also inadvertently tell us a lot about what to expect from the future of Alien.

Predator: Badlands’ Ending, Explained

Dek and Thia team up to help each other achieve simple goals: Dek wants to kill the Kalisk, and Thia wants to recover her legs, which were severed by the creature. She also wants to find her ‘sister’ synthetic, Tessa, who is also played by Fanning. Unlike Thia’s perky curiosity, Tessa is a ruthless company woman, which eventually puts the twin androids on an ideological collision course when Tessa captures Dek, as well as the deadly Kalisk.

In a Weyland-Yutani mobile lab where Dek is held and experimented on, a conversation between Tessa and Thia reveals that their models have been programmed to feel empathy – a skill the company enabled to make them better understand the creatures they’ve been tasked with capturing. But Tessa determines that Thia’s attachment to Dek means she’s become defective and must be deactivated.

This betrayal solidifies Thia’s newfound allegiance with Dek, whose species is socially conditioned to be lone wolves. This is the narrative irony in his dynamic with Thia – she’s an artificial being programmed to feel too much; he’s an organic being programmed to feel too little.

Naturally, Dek’s character arc turns everything he’s been taught about what makes a ‘worthy’ Yauntja on its head. After Thia helps him escape capture, he utilises everything he’s learned about Genna and enlists alien allies – including Bud, who he realises is the Kalisk’s child – for a rescue mission. Storming the Weyland-Yutani HQ on Genna, he liberates Thia and reunites Bud with its parent. Sadly, their reunion is short-lived: Tessa destroys the Kalisk with cryoweapons she looted from Dek’s ship. She takes aim at Thia next, only for Dek and Bud to finally put her down.

The trio eventually return to Yauntja Prime, where Dek confronts and defeats his father in combat, directing an older, larger Bud to take his head. As the three of them square up to his father’s remaining clan, a huge ship appears, which Dek says is under his mother’s command.    

How Predator: Badlands Could Tie Into Alien Earth - And The Wider Alien Franchise

Those who’ve seen Killer of Killers may have put the pieces together - that Dek’s mother is very likely the fierce, villainous matriarch whom a band of time-displaced human warriors fought in that handsomely animated film. While not directly linked to one another, Trachenberg’s trilogy of Predator films can easily be connected by way of the Yauntja’s time-travelling technology. But what about their link to the most recent piece of Alien media, the TV miniseries Alien Earth?

While they were released close together and Alien and Predator clearly take place in the same universe – Badlands being the strongest evidence of their interconnectedness yet – Alien Earth never references Predator. And yet, interestingly, Weyland-Yutani has the same M.O. in both Alien Earth and Badlands – capturing intergalactic species and bringing them back to Earth for experimentation. This isn’t unique to the FX show; the capitalist empire has been instructing its synthetics to bag Xenomorphs since the first Alien film, but across Alien Earth and now Badlands, it’s clear this mission has been supercharged and become far-reaching. 

As both franchises ’ universes widen to include more and more weird and horrifying creatures, so does Weyland-Yutani’s appetite to have them under lock and key. Why? Probably the usual evil stuff, like power and money, but there are also scientific breakthroughs. A common thread among Alien’s egomanical human scientists and CEOs, from co-founder Charles Bishop Weyland to upstart company Prodigy’s Boy “Genius” Kavalier, is the pursuit of human immortality. On paper, it’s pitched as curing diseases and ageing, but in reality, it’s about achieving a state of godhood. Badlands’ Kalisk is hard to kill because it has incredible regenerative properties. That ability would be a huge boon to either company in pursuing that lofty goal, and certainly more useful than the Xenomorph’s acid blood and double-head situation.

So, while Badlands and Alien Earth don’t explicitly reference each other, they both reinforce Weyland-Yutani’s relentless interstellar goal, and put these governmental conglomerates front and centre in Alien’s growing mythos. Which planet will they set their sights on next? My money’s on that bizarre Howard the Duck one.  

It seems like we’re all increasingly obsessed with how much movies make at the box office these days. Obviously, money is not the defining factor to separate good films from bad ones. In fact, some truly amazing films have financially bombed, including Citizen Kane, Fight Club, and The Shawshank Redemption.

COVID-19 and the subsequent global lockdown led to a rise in straight-to-streaming releases and a significant change in the longevity of theatrical movies. Gross box office numbers have plummeted over the last five years, with over $11 billion generated every year from 2015 to 2019. Since an obvious low of $2.1 billion in 2020, this figure has still only risen as high as $8.9 billion in 2023, and dipped again last year to $8.5 billion.

It figures, then, that box office results can make or break a filmmaker’s career and have movie studios second-guessing every decision they make. Ultimately, it feels like no one quite has the magic solution to getting bums in seats at the cinema. Warner Bros. are clearly doing something right, however, as the moviemaking giant has enjoyed hit after hit at the box office in 2025. Let’s discuss how this has happened and why it’s not all cause for celebration just yet.

Warner Bros.’ Hot Streak Is Thanks to Minecraft, Superman, and Other Hits These Properties

As per a report from Variety, Warner Bros. has done something no studio has ever achieved before: having seven consecutive releases with openings of $40 million or more.

Horror hit The Conjuring: Last Rites was the latest in that line of successful drops for Warner Bros. The Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga-led flick racked up a whopping $87 million weekend domestically and $187 million globally in its opening weekend. Perhaps that was always to be expected given it’s the fourth instalment in this highly popular series, but this success rounded out a summer filled with smart releases and creative risks for the studio.

It all began in April, when A Minecraft Movie dominated cinemas and popular culture with its silly catchphrases and Jack Black tomfoolery. That $162 million opening remains the biggest win for Warner Bros. in 2025. Obviously, A Minecraft Movie benefited from the immense built-in audience that comes with the territory of a video game adaptation, and it’s exactly the kind of bankable film a studio needs to offset its losses throughout the year.

Elsewhere, Final Destination Bloodlines and Superman continued the trend, bringing in $51.6 million and $125 million, respectively. Both have the advantage of being part of franchises with devoted fanbases. In the case of Superman, perhaps it’s actually more like two fanbases, with James Gunn bringing his MCU admirers over to DC.

One of the more interesting successes, though, is F1: The Movie. While the Joseph Kosinski film was produced by Apple, Warner Bros. won the theatrical rights and bagged itself a sure fire hit that brought in a $57 million opening. With Kosinski at the helm, A-list titan Brad Pitt in the lead, and an exhilarating, fast-paced plot, F1 followed the Top Gun: Maverick blueprint to a tee, and Warner Bros. was wise to get behind such a crowd-pleasing project.

The five movies listed above present calculated pushes from the studio; films that were always likely to deliver box office wins. But what about the other two?

What We Can Learn From the Success of Weapons & Sinners

Ryan Coogler’s Sinners and Zach Cregger’s Weapons could easily have failed. But the horror-thriller hybrids brought in $48 million and $43.5 million respectively in their opening weekends, and they prove that Warner Bros. was more than willing to take big risks this year.

Hiring two of the most exciting filmmakers in Hollywood is always a good foundation for a successful project, but how often do we see that formula fail? You only have to look at films like Damien Chazelle’s First Man or Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049 to see that acclaimed directors don’t always deliver guaranteed box office returns.

In allowing Coogler and Cregger to bring fresh spins to classic horror tropes like vampires and witches, Warner Bros. captured the imagination of moviegoers and provided something no other studio could. Let’s not forget, Weapons was such a hotly anticipated movie that Jordan Peele was furious when his company, Monkeypaw Productions, failed to acquire the rights for the film.

Franchise follow-ups, popular adaptations, and huge movie stars are easy wins. But as these numbers prove, putting out original stories is clearly still something audiences crave. That’s great news for the film industry in general, and Warner Bros. will be delighted that its risks paid off. But it may still count for very little in the long run for the studio.

Why Warner Bros.’ Future Is Still Uncertain

The company may have put out an incredible string of cinematic successes and been at the heart of some of 2025’s most brilliant movie characters, but Warner Bros. is still struggling financially. So much so, in fact, that the studio is up for sale.

As per the BBC in October, CEO David Zaslav was considering offers from numerous parties for Warner Bros. He is said to be looking for a way to “unlock the full value” of his and the board’s assets, while a bid from rival studio Paramount has already been rejected.

This comes just three years after Warner Bros. merged with Discovery, but it seems all this success in 2025 has not put the studio any closer to stable ground. We could yet see the company split up its assets to facilitate a sale, but what does that mean for the many iconic titles in the Warner Bros. library?

That repertoire includes the likes of Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings, two properties that are already being played around with in various adaptations. We know that whatever hands the studio falls into, those franchises will still live and breathe in some way, shape or form. It’s unclear what the future holds for Warner Bros.. One thing is for sure, though: the highly creative, original stories – Sinners and Weapons – that the studio has brought to life in 2025 underpin the kind of bold, winning formula we want and need to see more of in the movie industry.

2025 has been dominated by Huntrix, both in terms of the Netflix and music streaming charts, too. KPop Demon Hunters has proven to be the cultural phenomenon of the year. And rightly so: the anime-inspired hit has a thrilling story, stunning animation, and catchy songs that you just can’t help but play on repeat.

We know a sequel is in the works, though it isn’t due for release in 2029. Until then, there are many movies like KPop Demon Hunters you could watch. That’ll only take you so far, though, so why not delve into the wonderful world of theories as to what the follow-up might deliver, including one that’s been pushed by one of the Saja Boys themselves.

Huntrix’s rivals perform fantastic songs like ‘Soda Pop’ and ‘Your Idol’ in the film, but their affiliation with Gwi-Ma and the demon underworld was obviously problematic for their fans. Thankfully, the Huntrix girls put an end to the Saja Boys and their wicked plans, even if it did mean that their ringleader, Jinu, had to sacrifice himself for the cause. But what about the rest of the group? According to one of their voice actors, we may not have seen the last of one of the chart-topping K-pop idols.

What Happens At The End of KPop Demon Hunters?

You’ve probably rewatched KPop Demon Hunters just as many times as I have – my son is obsessed, and I’m not about to complain, to be honest. So, you’ll obviously recall that, at the end of the movie, we see Rumi embrace her demonic patterns, unite with Mira and Zoey, and stand up to Gwi-Ma.

While the girls take down all of Gwi-Ma’s more feeble minions, battling the Saja Boys is a far tougher task. Zoey faces off against Baby Saja and Mystery Saja while Mira resists the temptations of Abby’s impeccable abs and slices him up real good.

Obviously, Rumi and Jinu are busy defeating Gwi-Ma. By the end, the demon curse appears to be lifted, and everyone can move on happily with their lives – albeit with a bittersweet tinge with Jinu gone. But did we all miss one of the Saja Boys escaping the chaos and surviving to fight another day?

Joel Kim Booster Hints at Romance Saja’s Fate

In an interview with JustWatch, the voice actor behind Romance Saja, Joel Kim Booster, suggested that his character may not have actually been killed off at all, and claimed he is eager to return for the sequel.

He said: “I’m glad you brought this up, because I have been told by many of the internet sleuths who are obsessed with this movie, that my character is the only one who doesn’t die on screen. 

“So, there may be a return. From my lips to Netflix’s ears, I think Romance should be set to return for the sequel.”

Of course, there’s every chance that Romance did die in the first movie among the chaos of the battle, but it does seem weird that his demise wouldn’t be shown. Was the plan all along to have one of the Saja Boys remain to lay the foundations for a sequel? Perhaps so.

The Saja Boys Have to Return For KPop Demon Hunters 2

It makes a lot of sense for one of the Saja Boys to be brought back for KPop Demon Hunters 2. As one of the best Netflix animated movies to date, there are devoted fans ready to watch the sequel no matter what. Still, having some link to the events of the first film is important for re-establishing that connection with the audience.

Romance may not have been the top dog in the Saja Boys, but he is still incredibly powerful and would pose a considerable threat to Huntrix if he were to fight them again. With Gwi-Ma seemingly gone, could we see a new, even more formidable foe manipulating Romance and turning him into a suped-up version of himself?

Alternatively, there’s a chance we could see Romance follow in Jinu’s footsteps and learn from the error of his ways. It would be interesting to see him try to earn the trust of Rumi, Mira, and Zoey and help them take on whatever villain they encounter next.

Either way, having another familiar face (and voice) among the cast for KPop Demon Hunters 2 would be a popular decision, and forcing Romance to stand on his own away from his bandmates would make for a fascinating dynamic. Make it happen, Netflix!

No show has rocketed up our charts in the last few weeks quite like Pluribus, a fresh, worrying, and relentlessly gripping sci-fi series from the people who brought us Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad. 

Read on to discover more about the show, what it means, and what inspired it, and use the guide below to find out where to stream some similar stuff on services like AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere.

What Does ‘Pluribus’ Mean? (And What Is The TV Show About?)

Let’s start with the basics. Pluribus is the latest show from Vince Gilligan, the celebrated writer and TV auteur behind Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. The show stars Rhea Seehorn (who played Kim Wexler across all six seasons of Saul) as Carol Sturka, a successful but disaffected ‘romantasy’ author who survives (for want of a better word) a world-altering event. 

In terms of plot, it’s important to tread lightly: Pluribus is the kind of show that’s best enjoyed with as little prior information as possible. We can say that it’s solidly in the realms of science fiction, the kind that takes place on a version of Earth you recognise, but by the end of the first episode, with the help of some wonderful set pieces and production design, becomes a version of Earth you will not. 

The official tag line—“The most miserable person on Earth must save the world from happiness”—does a great job of expressing the vibe without giving anything away. 

The word “pluribus” comes from the Latin, meaning “of many” or “from many.” For people from Gilligan’s part of the world (i.e. the United States), it presumably rings more of a bell: “E pluribus unum”, meaning “out of many, one”, is considered to be the country’s unofficial motto. 

If the episodes that have been released so far are anything to go by, that suggestion of political subtext is not accidental. This is a show that raises questions about the age-old conflict between individualism and collectivism, and how each of those belief systems tend to, at best, distrust the other and, at worse, demonise it—especially in the U.S and not least in our present moment. 

‘Pluribus’ Was Secretly Inspired By This Sci-Fi Classic

Sci-fi writers and filmmakers have been drawn to this conflict for decades, especially during the Cold War years, with the Red Scare and the communist witch-hunts. One movie that tapped into those anxieties at the time was 1956’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers, which Gilligan (who made his name as a writer and producer on the sci-fi conspiracy series The X-Files) has already mentioned as a key influence for Pluribus. 

In that movie, humans were replaced by alien pods that attempted to replicate human emotion. It’s too early to say, but the hive mind in Pluribus feels more benevolent, so we’ll have to wait and see if Carol’s distrust is unwarranted or if the show is really about something else—like the rise of AI.

Should You Watch ‘Pluribus’?

100%. Not only is Gilligan a genius when it comes to stringing an audience along, but I’ve honestly not been this impressed by a show’s looks and design since Shōgun. Additionally, even though some of the themes are not of this world, the sense of place in Gilligan’s native Albuquerque is as evident as it was in Breaking Bad, which makes the creeping sci-fi stuff all the more uncanny. 

That all adds up to a refreshingly unique experience, especially for fans of ideasy sci-fi like The Leftovers or Black Mirror. If I’m not mistaken, the show also has plenty of things to say and, best of all, I’ve absolutely no idea where it will land.

In this age of information saturation, I must say I find it quite reassuring to walk into the foyer of a movie theatre and spot a poster for a sequel I’ve never heard of. There’s something quite nostalgic about it: a little reminder of a time before Internet marketing took over, perhaps, but also a little reminder of a movie or franchise you haven’t thought of in a while. 

Just recently, Now You See Me became a prime example. Was convincing the world this threequel didn’t exist the greatest trick the Four Horsemen ever played? That’s right: in November 2025, almost a decade after the second instalment, everyone’s favourite bank-robbing, heist-planning, Robin Hood-esque magicians returned to screens to close out the Now You See Me trilogy with the perfectly titled, Now You Don’t.

If something really pops in Hollywood, you can be damn sure (90% of the time, at least) that a sequel is on the way. So, while some of the entries on this list—which I’ve arranged by release date—will be less surprising than others, you might be taken aback by how many you’ve already managed to memory hole. Read on to discover more a nd hit the guide below to keep track of when and where each one will be released—both in theatres and on streaming services like AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere.

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (2026)

And speaking of perfect titles, Samara Weaving is set to return in the long-overdue sequel to her 2019 bridal revenge movie Ready or Not, which is, of course, titled Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (though I’m deeply annoyed by that unnecessary “2”). The first one worked wonderfully as a cat and mouse horror/rich people behaving badly movie—think a little bit The Hunt, a little bit Fresh—so we can safely (or perhaps unsafely) expect more of the same this time around.

Weaving will be joined by Kathryn Newton, playing her younger sister, amongst a stacked cast of supporting players, which is said to feature not only Sarah Michelle Gellar but also NBA star Kevin Durant and the body horror god David Cronenberg. 

Expected release: April 10th, 2026

Practical Magic 2 (2026)

Practical Magic 2 has to be one of the least likely sequels in recent years. The original, which was released in 1998, was a box office disappointment and received, at best, fairly lukewarm reviews. The movie’s current rating on Rotten Tomatoes is an unfortunate 27%, yet it’s gained some cultural cache in recent years—not least for its late ‘90s style (think Cruel Intentions) and autumnal, witchy vibe (think The Craft).

The sequel (which is based on Book of Magic, Alice Hoffman’s follow-up to the first novel) is being directed by Susanne Bier, taking over from Griffin Dunne, and will reunite the movie’s iconic stars. Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are on board, of course, but also Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing. Maisee Williams and Joey King are among the new arrivals. 

Expected release: September 18th, 2026

The Adventures of Cliff Booth (2026)

The Adventure of Cliff Booth is the quintessential they’re actually still making that? movie. It’s scheduled for a 2026 release, and we’ve already seen some set photos, yet for some reason, I’m still not entirely convinced it exists. This is a sequel to Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood and will apparently check back in with Cliff Booth (a role Brad Pitt won an Oscar for) in 1977.

The script was written by Tarantino, but the movie is being directed by David Fincher—so if you liked the original but also have a soft spot for Mank, Fincher’s own attempt at recontextualising Hollywood history, this might be one for you. 

Expected release: Tarantino’s movies tend to play in Cannes but the festival still doesn’t work with Netflix. I’d say Venice in autumn for the premiere, with a Netflix release soon after.

Focker in-Law (2026)

Yes, 16 years after the Meet the Parents trilogy ended, with Little Fockers, Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller are set to reprise their roles as Jack and Greg next year in Focker In-Law. The movie is set to be directed by comedy veteran John Hamburg, who wrote all four instalments in the franchise as well as some other Stiller favourites, like Zoolander and Along Came Polly. Iif you’re a fan of their collabs in general, you should definitely have this on your radar. 

Owen Wilson and Blythe Danner are also returning alongside two hilarious newcomers: Ariana Grande and Beanie Feldstein. I am feeling quietly confident about this one. 

Expected release: November 26th, 2026

The Beekeeper 2 (2026)

Next year, Jason Statham is set to reprise his role as Adam Clay—one of the silliest, most fun, and weirdly controversial characters of his career—in The Beekeeper 2. All going to plan, this time next year we will finally get to see if he can keep those damned bees. 

Or not. The more likely outcome is that his solitary beekeeping life will be disturbed by some vengeful remnants of the climactic battle of the first movie, leaving Clay to once again exact a little vigilante justice of his own. The movie is set to be the third English-language feature of the celebrated Indonesian action-horror director Timo Tjahjanto—so if you liked Nobody 2, or even some of his earlier stuff, like May the Devil Take You, this might be one to keep an eye on. 

Expected release: Filming began in September, so late next year seems likely.

The Resurrection of the Christ: Part One and Two (2027)

It supposedly took Jesus Christ three days to rise from the grave. By the time The Resurrection of the Christ: Part One is released, it will have taken Mel Gibson 22 years. A lot has happened with the director in that time, needless to say, so the jury is very much out on this one—but if you’re into historical epics, like the predecessor, or even Gibson’s incredible Apocalypto, you might be just about curious enough to check it out. There are even rumours that Gibson will include some sequences in Hell.

In some ways, it’s still surprising that it’s taken Gibson so long. Whatever you might think about The Passion of the Christ, it earned more than Fantastic Four: First Steps (to cite a recent example) at the box office—even without adjusting for inflation. 

Expected release: Good Friday and Ascension Day, 2027. Or March 26 and May 6, for all the heathens out there.

Constantine 2 (unknown)

Speaking of movies set in the netherworld, the team behind the original Constantine have been attempting to do just that for at least several years now. In 2022, Warner Bros. announced that a sequel was in the works, with Keanu Reeves set to return alongside writer-director Francis Lawrence. However, shifts in both the studio itself and the wider DC universe have left the movie closer to development hell than any soundstage reproduction. 

This is unfortunate, as the original, while far from perfect, certainly turned a profit. Reeves has also tantalisingly spoken about wanting to lean into the R-rated (unlike the ridiculous R-rating the first movie received) with any potential follow-up. If you appreciate the comic book brutality of movies like Logan and Dredd, this is one you might want to add to your watchlist. Whatever the case, we remain in the dark for now.

Expected release: Unknown.

Oceans Fourteen and Ocean’s Eleven Prequel (unknown)

Lee Isaac Chung, director of Minari and Twisters, is currently developing a prequel to Ocean's Eleven. This tasty-sounding project will be set in the 1960s, the same period as when the original Rat Pack movie took place, which means that we’ll presumably get lots of stylish, analogue fun (think retro Bond or even the first Mission: Impossible). The movie is being produced by Margot Robbie, who is also currently pencilled in to star alongside Bradley Cooper. Colour me intrigued.

Simultaneously, there is word going around that yet another Ocean’s movie, this one simply titled Ocean’s Fourteen, is also in development—with Clooney, Pitt, Roberts and the rest of the gang on board. We shall have to wait and see for this one, but if Soderbergh returns, you can consider me seated for this one, too.

Expected release: Unknown.

With a legacy sequel to The Mummy apparently in the works at Universal, fans of the franchise have been feeling nostalgic lately. In an approach similar to movies like Halloween H20, this new instalment is rumoured to pick up where The Mummy Returns left off, thus banishing any memories of Rob Cohen’s lamentable Tomb of the Dragon Emperor for good. Once the announcement was made, rumours immediately began to circulate as to who might be returning. Would Oscar winners Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz be coaxed back into playing Rick and Evelyn? Could John Hannah, the beloved Scot, be convinced back into that white linen suit? At the time of writing, it all feels deliciously plausible.

As we wait for those rumours to unravel, it seems like as good a time as any to look back on the original movies and see what became of their many stars. The following list contains actors who were already established when the first Mummy was released in 1999, and some who would go on to bigger and brighter things. For each, I’ve included some recommendations of where else to see them. Hit the guide below to find out where to watch some of those movies on services like AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere.

Brendan Fraser

It’s fair to say that no actor in any of the Mummy movies has had a more unpredictable career in the years since than Brendan Fraser. The actor entered the franchise already minted as a Hollywood heartthrob, having starred in George of the Jungle two years earlier. However, in the years that followed, a series of personal and professional misfortunes led to him spending most of the 2010s in relative obscurity.

That all changed after a run of prestige TV appearances led to a role in Steven Soderbergh’s No Sudden Move in 2021. From there, Fraser went from strength to strength, earning a shock Oscar win for Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale and landing a supporting role in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. 

One to watch: If you love a comeback (think Keaton in Birdman or Rourke in The Wrestler), it’s gotta be The Whale.

Rachel Weisz

Compared to Fraser, Rachel Weisz’s post-Mummy ascendancy has been nothing if not steady. In fact, few actors in the 21st century have managed to balance popcorn cinema (The Bourne Legacy, Black Widow), romantic comedies (Definitely, Maybe), award season prestige (The Lovely Bones) and auteur experimentation (The Fountain, To the Wonder) with such apparent ease. 

Along with marrying James Bond, it’s difficult to choose a high point in the last two decades. Still, her Oscar win for The Constant Gardener and her remarkable performances for Yorgos Lanthimos (in The Lobster and The Favourite) have to take the biscuit. 

One to watch: Her daring, uncompromising work in The Favourite remains her finest achievement. 

John Hannah

His costars might be the bigger stars now, but John Hannah actually came into The Mummy as the most celebrated thespian of the three, having received a BAFTA nomination for his heart-wrenching turn in Four Weddings and a Funeral a few years earlier.

In the years since, however, Hannah has kept things relatively low-key. On the big screen, he’s appeared in comedies like Overboard and period movies like Another Mother’s Son while maintaining a consistent presence on British television. In more recent years, he’s appeared in high-profile shows like The Last of Us and Black Mirror.

One to watch: If you are any kind of fan of British cinema, it has to be Four Weddings and a Funeral.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

After Dwayne Johnson graced our movie screens for the first time, as The Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns, it wasn’t entirely clear what direction the WWE star’s acting career would take. Would he continue to choose slightly more adventurous projects (as he was about to do with Be Cool and Southland Tales) or become the leading action star we saw in Walking Tall?

As we all know, it was almost exclusively a case of the latter. This meant several not very good movies (like Tooth Fairy) and a few kind of great ones (like Pain and Gain and Fast Five). These days, Johnson is attempting a serious rebrand with a role in Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine that might just land him a nomination at the Academy Awards.

One to watch: Fast Five is a great heist movie and the best instalment in the franchise.  

Kevin J. O’Connor

The name Kevin J. O’Connor might not be familiar to most people, but alongside his consistent television work and roles in movies like Van Helsing, the actor who played Beni Gabor—Rick’s double-crossing sidekick—has gone on to appear in a couple of modern classics.

Since appearing alongside Weisz and Fraser, O’Connor’s most prestigious work has, without doubt, been his two collaborations with Paul Thomas Anderson. In 2012, he played Bill William in The Master, but his performance as Henry Plainview (opposite no less than Daniel Day-Lewis) in There Will Be Blood remains the high point in his career.

One to watch: There Will Be Blood.

Jonathan Hyde

In 1999’s The Mummy, the Australian actor Johnathan Hyde donned a mildly inappropriate fez to play the benevolent and unfortunate Egyptologist Allen Chamberlain. This was a slight change of pace for an actor better known for playing smarmy villains at the time, as he had done two years earlier as Bruce Ismay in Titanic. 

Since The Mummy, Hyde has continued to work as a reliable character actor, popping up in everything from The Tailor of Panama and Crimson Peak to last year’s The Brutalist. 

One to watch: His Titanic role is iconic for a reason, but for something more recent, why not try The Brutalist?

Oded Fehr

The Israeli actor Oded Fehr is probably still best known for playing Ardeth Bay—the Medjai chieftain who becomes friends with Rick and Evelyn—in the first two Mummy movies. Since then, he’s appeared in a bunch of big and small screen productions, including the Deuce Bigalow movies and, more recently, as Admiral Charles Vance in Star Trek: Discovery.

Fehr’s biggest franchise role outside of the Mummy movies has been in Paul WS Anderson’s Resident Evil movies—in which he played Carlos Olivera in Apocalypse and Extinction, and later returned as a clone in Retribution.

One to watch: Resident Evil: Extinction. It’s one of the best of the series, and he’s one of the best parts of it. 

Shaun Parkes

Since playing the airship pilot Izzy Buttons in Mummy Returns, Shaun Parkes has enjoyed a consistent career across movies and television, appearing in British favourites like Doctor Who and Line of Duty while landing roles in celebrated films like Notes on a Scandal. 

In 2020, however, Parkes gave his greatest performance to date in Steve McQueen’s wonderful Small Axe miniseries for the BBC. Appearing in the first episode, titled Mangrove, Parkes’ portrayal of civil rights activist Frank Crichlow earned the actor a deserved nomination for Best Actor at the British Academy Television Awards.

One to watch: It has to be Small Axe.

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

After appearing as the antagonist Lock-Nah in The Mummy Returns, the British actor Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje has played villains in a host of beloved franchises—including Kurse in Thor: The Dark World, Nykwana Wombosi in The Bourne Identity and Killer Croc in the 2016 Suicide Squad.

On the small screen, his roles have been arguably more iconic—notably his portrayal of Malko in Season 5of Game of Thrones. For Lost fans like me, however, he will always and forever be Mr Eko. 

One to watch: Lost.

Arnold Vosloo

Having fallen into a bed of scorpions at the end of The Mummy Returns, it’s unclear if Arnold Vosloo’s Imhotep will be returning for the new movie—but having seen him resurrected once in the series already, fans won’t be betting against it. 

Whether Vosloo will return in the role is another question. Since that movie, the South African actor has appeared in various TV shows, a couple of G.I. Joe movies and opposite Leo DiCaprio in Blood Diamond—the latter of which is probably the high point of his career from that period. 

One to watch: Blood Diamond

Patricia Velasquez 

Surprisingly enough, given her prominence in the first two Mummy movies (where she played Anck Su Namun), the model-turned-actress Patricia Velasquez hasn’t appeared in too many movies and TV shows since. 

You might have spotted her in Season 1 of Arrested Development, where she played the actress Marta Estrella, or more recently in the horror movie Malignant. Outside of acting, Velasquez has dedicated her time to assisting indigenous Wayuu communities in northern Venezuela. 

One to watch: Arrested Development 

This article was originally written by Jess Bacon and published on 13 August 2024.In 1993, Steven Spielberg changed the future of cinema with his sci-fi classic, Jurassic Park. Adapted from the 1990 novel of the same name, the story focuses on a wealthy businessman and a team of scientists who create a wildlife park in which previously extinct dinosaurs once again roam the earth.

From close encounters with velociraptors to an iconic chase with a T-Rex, it’s an action-packed adventure that has earned its prestigious place in film history while inspiring a whole genre of prehistoric stories. Read on to discover more about them and use the guide below to find out where to stream each one on platforms like AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere. 

Jaws (1975)

We can’t talk about Jurassic Park without mentioning Jaws, a film that basically swam so the T-Rex could run. This was the first time that Steven Spielberg reinvented the summer movie. It was also the first of three times in his career that the director made a movie that went on to top the highest-grossing of all time. 

Jurassic Park fans who return to that movie for its masterful suspense and that special Spielberg touch (think E.T., Close Encounters) will happily sink their teeth into Jaws, a true classic that has just celebrated its 50th anniversary—so what better reason to watch?

King Kong (2005)

Of course, with King Kong, it’s always worth going back to the 1933 original—a movie that still stands up today—but fans of Jurassic Park’s clash of ancient beasts will probably feel more at home with Peter Jackson’s 2005 remake—an effects heavy movie, perhaps with more in common with the recent Jurassic movies, but also one that boasts the Lord of the Rings director’s unique filmmaking abilities. 

Set in 1933, the same year as the original, Jackson’s King Kong is a labour of love and a true retelling. It also features the great Andy Serkis in the titular role. 

Godzilla Minus One (2023)

With almost 40 Godzilla movies to choose from (the earliest dates back to 1954), it’s challenging to single one out, but we’ve decided to go for Godzilla Minus One, a wildly entertaining 2023 movie from the Japanese director Takashi Yamazaki.

If you appreciate the clever ways that Spielberg used the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park (or the way that Gareth Edwards did in his early film Monsters), you’ll certainly appreciate Yamazaki’s less-is-more approach here. This is a movie that cost less than $15 million to make but managed to beat both Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning and Guardians of the Galaxy 3 to win Best VFX at the Academy Awards. 

Deep Blue Sea (1999)

Deep Blue Sea is one of the many copycat movies that sprang up after Jurassic Park’s enormous success. If you’re particularly interested in stories about the awful things that happen when humans play god with nature (there are a few other entries on this list), this is one you’ll want to see.

The plot follows a group of scientists who discover a cure for Alzheimer's in the brains of great white sharks. [Nathan Fielder voice] The plan? Genetically engineer the sharks to have gigantic brains. What could possibly go wrong?

Lake Placid (1999)

Dealing not with a genetically engineered creature but a prehistoric beast, Lake Placid isn’t swimming in the same thematic waters as Deep Blue Sea, but it’s very much in the same lineage of people versus big nature. This is a movie that does for alligators what Deep Blue Sea does for sharks—so if you’re a fan of that movie, or the similarly reptilian Anaconda, this might be one for you. 

Bill Pullman, Brendan Gleeson and Bridget Fonda lead a mish-mash gang of cops and scientists attempting to stop a gigantic alligator from terrorising a small town. 

The Meg (2018)

The Meg can be added directly to the ‘don’t-play-god-and-mess-with-nature’ subsection of this list. It can also be added to the goofier corner, too: Jason Statham travels to an underwater facility to help a tech billionaire (Rainn Wilson) save some people from a 75-foot-long megalodon shark.

This is also a movie that fans of Statham in particular will love, especially if you like the more recent efforts like The Beekeeper and A Working Man. Honestly, just hearing him say “megalodon” is worth the entrance. 

The Fly (1986)

Another in our ‘don’t-play-god’ movies is David Cronenberg’s The Fly, a film I believe to be among the best ever made. If you’re a fan of Cronenberg’s (think Videodrome or Scanners) or enjoy Jurassic Park‘s relatively tidy sci-fi conceit, you’ll appreciate the vibe of this one.

The movie stars Jeff Goldblum (another Jurassic link) as a scientist who discovers teleportation, only to splice his genome with that of a rogue fly that inadvertently hops in the travel pod with him. 

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)

The trio of Planet of the Apes movies released from 2011 to 2017 is not just one of the best reboots of any franchise; it’s also one of the most consistently strong trilogies ever made. Fans of Jurassic Park might be particularly keen on the second instalment, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, in which an ape world on the rise and a human society in decline find each other on relatively equal footing. 

This is a movie for fans of speculative science fiction that’s both action-packed and thoughtfully considered—think movies like The Creator or Annihilation. 

65 (2023)

Somewhat less thoughtfully considered but no less action-packed is the recent Adam Driver-starring movie 65. This is more of a classic chase and hunt film, like the very good recent Predator movie Prey—except, to put it frankly, this one has dinosaurs. 

The story follows an astronaut who must help a young girl to survive after he crash-lands on an unknown planet. Is it Earth? Is it the past? Only one way to find out. 

The Land That Time Forgot (1974)

We’ll finish our list with The Land That Time Forgot, a classic from 1974 that I presume was somewhere in Spielberg’s mind when he sat down to make Jurassic Park—it’s also one that fans of some of the older movies we’ve mentioned on this list (like Apes, Kong and Godzilla) might be fond of. 

The plot follows a group of British officers in WWI who commandeer a German U-boat only to land on an uncharted island populated by—you guessed it—dinosaurs.

Ah, the slippery world of movie valuation. There are so many tools we can use to determine a movie’s performance—reviews, awards, longevity, cultural impact, cult status—but nothing holds weight in Hollywood quite like cold, hard cash. 

That said, as I will go on to explain, writing this list put me in some unusual positions. The term “flop”, for one, just seems a little harsh—especially when it’s impossible to know what studios are expecting most of the time. 

Regardless, whatever the mix of bad luck and who-knows-what that went into these movies being unsuccessful shouldn’t mean that you have to miss out on them. Some of the titles mentioned below are truly great, and others are certainly worth a look, at least. Read on to find out how much they stand to lose, and where to watch them on services like AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere.

One Battle After Another

This one still kinda stings. Last week, Variety reported that Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another (an instant classic that fans of There Will Be Blood and Magnolia will love) is projected to lose $100 million at the box office. This is awkward news as it’s so rare to see a filmmaker of Anderson’s talents entrusted with such a budget, but whether Warner Bros. was really expecting an Oppenheimer-style hit is harder to know. 

Whatever the case, even if it takes 20 years of repertory screenings (expect some after the Oscars), the movie will eventually get into the black—it’s simply too good not to. It will also put the studio front and centre at next year’s Academy Awards, where it has as good a chance as any of winning Best Picture. That would be a cherry on top of an already landmark year in the studio’s modern history. Is this not what A Minecraft Movie is for?

Projected loss: $100 million—but they’ll make it back. 

The Phoenecian Scheme

I feel, at least on some level, that AI had something to do with The Phoenecian Scheme, Wes Anderson’s latest movie, underperforming at the box office. In 2023, around the release of Asteroid City, a series of deeply annoying, Wes-inspired trailers (fake versions of things like Lord of the Rings and Star Wars) started doing the rounds, seemingly confirming a public suspicion that the director’s style is easily copied and thus easily mocked.

That has had a knock-on effect of devaluing Anderson’s genius—even though his movies, IMO, continue to be packed with unmistakable human emotion. For my money, The Phoenecian Scheme is the funniest and most satisfying movie he’s made since The Grand Budapest Hotel. So, if you like that one or enjoyed Benicio’s performance in One Battle After Another, you should definitely give it a chance!

Projected loss: This one’s tight, but with marketing and distribution, it’s gotta be in the red. 

Mickey 17

Winning the Palme d’Or and four Oscars with Parasite was always going to be something of a poisoned chalice for Bong Joon-ho. The director has had a shaky history with Hollywood, but the offer of a big budget and Robert Pattinson doesn’t come around too often, even for the greatest international auteurs. 

In the end, Mickey 17 became yet another messy experience for Bong—with news of reshoots and ballooning costs accompanying its bizarrely yo-yoing release date. In the end, it’s hard to say who’s to blame. The movie itself, like anything the director makes (though Snowpiercer and Okja are probably the closest comparisons), is naturally more than worth your time—especially if you like your sci-fi inventive, bonkers and kinda gross. 

Projected loss: It ended its run at $133 million worldwide, which is probably half of what it needed to break even. 

M3GAN 2.0

I must say this one caught me off guard. The first M3GAN had been a surprise hit for Blumhouse—a PG-13 horror about a killer doll that spawned a viral dance and solidified its character as an unlikely queer icon while raking it in at the box office. Surely a sequel, unlike the doll herself, would simply be a case of plug-and-play?

Well, apparently not. Was it the studio’s decision to lean more into the comedy, repositioning its titanium star as an action heroine, Terminator 2 style, that failed to draw the crowds? I still can’t say for sure. What I do know is that this was a good time at the movies—especially for anyone who saw Ex-Machina and felt it needed a little extra sass.  

Projected loss: This one probably just broke even, but given the franchise potential (various spinoffs were apparently already in the works), it’s hard to see this as anything but a major disappointment. 

Thunderbolts*

Coming in the aftermath of Johnathan Major’s disastrous fall from grace and the critical and commercial disappointments of The Marvels and Captain America: Brave New World, the pressure was on for Thunderbolts* to close out the MCU’s fifth phase with a financial bang. As you can guess by its placement on this list, it didn’t quite work out as planned.

Whether due to a lack of familiarity with the characters or a general sense of superhero fatigue, the movie underperformed. It’s actually kind of a shame, as Thunderbolts*, which was directed wonderfully by Jake Schreier, is easily one of the best Marvel movies since Endgame. What can I say? If you liked David Harbour’s Red Guardian in Black Widow or are a fan of unconventional antihero team-ups in general, like James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, you’re probably gonna like it.

Projected loss: Despite taking $425 million at the box office, a number way over its budget˛, the bizarre economics of tentpole releases suggest that it probably didn’t turn a profit. This means it will go down as one of the worst-performing MCU movies of all time. 

The Smashing Machine

There has been plenty of chatter in recent years about how Hollywood doesn’t make movie stars anymore—at least not the kind that can sell a movie on name recognition alone. Two people who are usually suggested to counter that argument are Leonardo DiCaprio and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, both of whom are currently struggling to keep up their side of the bargain with One Battle After Another (see above) and The Smashing Machine, respectively. 

Johnson’s case is even more interesting, as it’s by far the riskiest project (both artistically and financially) that he’s taken on in years—a clear attempt to redirect his career toward quality work that I think is quite commendable. The movie itself, I’m afraid to say, is a little low on momentum—especially for any sports or UFC fan looking for a classic underdog story. It is, however, a strangely beautiful movie—and if you liked the weird vibe of Good Time and wanted to see what it would be like if one of that movie’s directors remade The Wrestler, now’s your chance!

Projected loss: Despite an award in Venice and plenty of buzz around Johnson’s performance, the $50 million movie made just $6 million on its opening weekend—the lowest wide release of the actor’s career.

Black Bag

Black Bag’s financial underperformance is tricky to assess, as the Steven Soderbergh movie—a tightly-wound espionage thriller—came to streaming quite fast, and long before opening worldwide. Whatever the case, the director will take little solace from any of that after watching his ecstatically reviewed, $60 million (not including marketing costs) movie take just $40 million at the worldwide box office. 

I can imagine this was especially frustrating for Soderbergh, a director who usually shoots and edits his own movies, and a person widely considered to be one of the most savvy filmmakers of the last 30 years. Whatever the case, don’t let those numbers turn you off—especially if you appreciate the director’s work (think Ocean’s Eleven or Out of Sight) or were a fan of Michael Fassbender’s performance in David Fincher’s recent Netflix hit, The Killer.

Projected loss: After everything is taken into account, probably in the range of $30 million. 

Elio

Like Marvel, Pixar has recently had to come to terms with the fact that it’s struggling to launch new stories and characters. Some believe this is due to the studio’s decision to start releasing some of its movies (including the excellent Turning Red) direct-to-streaming, thus taking away the sense of urgency that used to come with a theatrical release.

Whatever the reasons, Elio now holds the record for the worst opening weekend of the animation giant’s history, ultimately failing to come anywhere close to recouping its reported $170 million budget. This is unfortunate, as while the movie doesn’t come close to the best Pixar work, it’s still superior to most other animated movies out there and provides the signature blend of warmth and humour (think second rung Pixar movies like Onward and Luca) that the studio is famous for. 

Projected loss: Somewhere in the eye-watering region of $130 million. 

Accountant 2

Back in the land of moderate underperformance: Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal’s return in The Accountant 2, Gavin O’Connor’s follow-up to his enjoyable, Chris Nolan-lite, 2016 action thriller, didn’t quite drum up the enthusiasm that anyone involved probably expected.

Was this because the sequel got rid of all that, you know, accounting stuff? Perhaps. But whatever the case, it scored some relatively positive reviews and will probably break even on VOD in the end—and if you liked the first movie or enjoy Bernthal in Punisher mode, you’ll probably have some fun with it. 

Projected loss: It probably ended its theatrical run at around $40 million under. 

Snow White 

We’ll end on a double whammy. I think it’s safe to say that Disney’s live-action Snow White was both a financial disaster and a hornet's nest of toxic energy. Presumably, when the movie was greenlit, nobody at Disney was thinking that its two stars would end up on opposing ends—and quite publicly—of the world’s most complicated conflict, and then they did. 

We won’t delve into all that here, but suffice to say that the movie’s star, Rachel Ziegler, had to face a torrent of abuse even before the movie was released—both for her political stances and for simply being a Latinx actor. These were just a few of the bad-faith stories that led to the movie receiving the worst kind of press and commentary imaginable. In the end, for whichever reason, Snow White became a certified box office bomb—but if you like the cut of Ziegler’s jib or appreciated her incandescent performance in Spielberg’s West Side Story, you might want to show some support by giving this cursed movie a watch. 

Projected loss: Anywhere upwards of $150 million and a lot of people’s dignity. 

After landing on Prime Video and Now TV last week, All Her Fault immediately shot up our streaming charts to become one of the buzziest shows of the season. Adapted from Irish crime writer Andrea Mara’s bestselling novel, the eight-episode miniseries concerns both a mother’s psychological unravelling after her five-year-old son goes missing, and the witch hunt that inevitably follows.

Produced by Peacock and directed by Mike Spiro (The Plot Against America) and Kate Dennis (The Handmaid's Tale, GLOW), All Her Fault moves Mara’s story from the suburbs of Dublin to Chicago, Illinois. It also boasts a genuinely all-star cast, many of whom I’m sure you’ve seen before. Read on to discover more and use the guide below to find out where to some of their best work on services like AppleTV, Netflix, Disney+ and elsewhere.

Sarah Snook as Melissa Irvine

Sarah Snook is already getting rave reviews for her lead performance as the unravelling wealth manager, Melissa Irvine, at the centre of All Her Fault, but the Australian star is already considered prestige TV royalty for her iconic performance as Shiv Roy over four seasons of Succession on HBO.

Before moving to America, Snook rose to fame in her native Australia after an early stage performance as Cordelia in King Lear (a practice run for Shiv, as it turned out), which led to her landing a series of film and television roles. She gained international recognition after appearing opposite Ethan Hawke in the sci-fi movie Predestination, which led to parts in the Oscar-nominated Danny Boyle film Steve Jobs, as well as The Glass Castle from Dustin Daniel Crettin. 

More recently, Snook has divided her time between stage and screen, appearing in indie gems like Pieces of a Woman while famously playing all 26 parts in a celebrated production of The Picture of Dorian Grey—the latter of which won her an Olivier Award and a Tony Award to place alongside the Golden Globes and Emmy she won for Succession.

One to watch: Succession, especially if you’re a fan of movies like Mountainhead or The Big Short. 

Jake Lacy as Peter Irvine

If you need someone to play a classically handsome, potentially threatening, potentially heartbroken love interest who, more often than not, has a furrowed brow, Jake Lacy is your guy. The actor got his first big break when he was brought on as a love interest for Erin in the final season of the US Office. That role saw him typecast for a while, albeit in wonderful movies like Todd Haynes’ Carol and Jenny Slate’s underrated pregnancy comedy, Obvious Child. 

His best role to date, however, was the obliviously wealthy husband to Alexandra Daddario’s flailing writer in season one of The White Lotus, a show that allowed him to strip away the nice guy image and bare his teeth. As Melissa’s husband, Peter, in All Her Fault, he gets to explore that darker side again.

One to watch: If you’re in the mood for charming comedy, try Obvious Child, but Season 1 of The White Lotus is still the actor’s best work. 

Sophia Lillis as Carrie Finch

Though still only 23, Sophia Lillis (who plays Carrie, the nanny accused of kidnapping Melissa’s son, in All Her Fault), has already racked up many formidable credits. With her elfin looks, it was probably inevitable that she’d end up in a fantasy movie at some point, but luckily for us, that movie was Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves—a hilarious Chris Pine vehicle that allowed Lillis to show her comedic talents, too. 

After a handful of stage appearances in New York, Lillis got her big screen break when she was cast alongside Finn Wolfhard in It and It Chapter Two. From there, she’s mostly focused on indie films, appearing in Dustin Guy Defa’s The Adults and, somewhat inevitably, in Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City.   

One to watch: Plenty to choose from, but if you’ve not seen The Adults, I’d highly recommend it—you might not have ever heard of it, but you’ve probably seen this clip.

Dakota Fanning as Jenny Kaminski

Elle might be everyone’s favourite Fanning these days, but Dakota had to walk so her sister could run. Long before the younger Fanning was being cast by Sofia Coppola and Nicolas Winding Refn, Dakota was the most in-demand child actor in Hollywood. 

The elder Fanning found early fame after playing the daughter of Sean Penn’s character in I Am Sam when she was seven years old. From there, she went on to co-star with Denzel Washington in Tony Scott’s Man on Fire and with Tom Cruise in Spielberg’s War of the Worlds. In more recent years, she’s found a nice sweet spot between IP movies (like Twilight and Ocean’s Eight), auteur-driven projects (like Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood and Night Moves) and prestige TV shows, like Ripley and All Her Fault—don’t call it a comeback. 

One to watch: Plenty to choose from, but if you like your sci-fi with some Spielbergian flavour, it’s gotta be War of the Worlds.

Michael Peña as Detective Alcaras

If you’re anything like me, you probably felt reassured to see Michael Peña playing a police officer in All Her Fault. Since breaking onto the scene in movies like Crash and Million Dollar Baby, the Chicago-born actor has played a lawman more times than I can remember—and in as wide-ranging movies as Babel, World Trade Centre, CHiPs and End of Watch.

Outside of his dramatic roles, Peña is probably best known for his comedic timing: he’s often funny in movies (like The Martian and American Hustle) but in Peyton Reed’s Ant-Man, he’s downright hilarious.

One to watch: For the drama, go End of Watch; for the laughs, go Ant-Man.

Abby Elliot as Lia Irvine

On paper, Abby Elliot’s rise in the industry might look a little nepobaby-coded, but the actor earned her dues before joining the cast of SNL in 2008—just like her dad (Chris Elliot) and uncle (Steve Higgins) before her, and just as her cousin, John Higgins, would later do. 

After leaving the NBC sketch show in 2012, Elliot started appearing in various shows (like 2 Broke Girls) and movies (like No Strings Attached) before landing the role of a lifetime as Carmy’s sister, Natalie, in The Bear. In All Her Fault, Elliot continues that trend, playing the sister of Lacey’s Peter.

One to watch: It’s gotta be The Bear, particularly her Golden Globe-nominated work in season two.

Jay Ellis as Colin Dobbs

Outside of playing Colin Dobbs, Marissa’s friend and business partner, in All Her Fault, you might recognise Jay Ellis from some of his roles on the big screen: since entering the industry 20 years ago, the actor has appeared in everything from Movie 43 and Freaky Tales to Top Gun: Maverick.

The actor is still best known, however, for his work on television—and even if you haven’t seen him in Mrs America and The Game, you’ll probably know him for playing Lawrence, Issa’s long-term boyfriend, in the HBO series Insecure. 

One to watch: If you like sharply written shows like Girls and Hacks, you’ll probably like Insecure a lot.

Thomas Cocquerel as Riche Kaminski

If you recognised Thomas Cocquerel, who plays the husband to Fanning’s Jenny in All Her Fault, it might be for his portrayal of Errol Flynn in the Australian biopic, I’m Like Flynn, or for the psychological horror movie Escape Room: Tournament of Champions. More likely than not, however, you’ll know him for playing Tom Raikes in the first season of The Gilded Age.

One to watch: If you like a spicy period drama, The Gilded Age should be right up your street.

From classic favourites like When Harry Met Sally to beloved modern hits like 27 Dresses, romantic comedies have an undeniable charm – blending humour, heart, and hope – that keeps us coming back for more.

But as much as the genre’s older greats continue to enchant us, it’s always worth exploring the new titles that are released every year. This batch of rom-coms from 2025 pushes boundaries, experiments with classic stories, and introduces characters you can’t help but root for. Whether you’re craving a quirky adventure, a bit of old-school sentimentality, or a witty take on modern romance, there's something on this list for everyone. So, if you’re ready for your next romantic escape, here’s a lineup of eight new rom-coms guaranteed to sweep you off your feet.

Maintenance Required (2025)

Maintenance Required stars Madelaine Petsch as Charlie, a talented mechanic who runs an independent car service shop in Oakland. When a large corporate chain swoops in to buy her out, Charlie and her all-female team decide to stand their ground. Amidst the mounting pressure and stress, Charlie finds a surprising source of comfort in an anonymous connection in a car chatroom. As their online relationship deepens, neither she nor the mysterious stranger realises he’s the manager of the competing chain, Beau. 

Drawing inspiration from classics like The Shop Around the Corner to You’ve Got Mail, Maintenance Required revisits the popular trope of romantic pen pals who think they’re enemies. While the plot structure isn’t groundbreaking, the movie’s charm lies in the undeniable chemistry between Charlie and Beau as well as the fantastic side characters, like comedian Matteo Lane as Beau’s gay best friend Jordan, and Madison Bailey and Katy O'Brien as the loyal garage girls. It’s a feel-good ride that proves you can’t go wrong with a classic setup when it’s handled with sincerity and humour.

She Said Maybe (2025)

She Said Maybe might be a German-language rom-com, but don’t let the subtitles turn you off! This film revolves around Mavi, a woman of Turkish descent raised in Germany who embarks on a journey that upends her sense of self and how she imagines her future. When she visits Turkey with her boyfriend to meet her family, she discovers a startling truth: that she is part of an extremely wealthy, dynastic family. As she immerses herself in this new, opulent world of tradition and high expectations, Mavi finds herself questioning who she is and who she wants to become.

If you loved The Princess Diaries, you’ll be charmed by She Said Maybe. Both films share the theme of a woman from a modest background suddenly thrust into a world of luxury and elegance. As Mavi adjusts to her newfound reality, she is caught between her grounded, loving boyfriend and the allure of a more glamorous, confident man. It may not reinvent the wheel, but its charm lies in its beautiful depiction of Istanbul’s vibrant culture and the relatable struggles of finding your place in the world.

Ruth & Boaz (2025)

Ruth & Boaz is a modern twist on a timeless biblical story. Ruth, played with magnetic energy by Serayah McNeill, is a rising star in Atlanta’s hip-hop scene. However, she decides to leave her career behind to care for her ailing late partner’s mother in the idyllic Tennessee countryside. There, she meets Bo, a kind local vineyard owner. Their chemistry is undeniable, and love blossoms amidst the rolling vineyards, but Ruth faces a dilemma: she’s still bound by contract to her music label, which complicates her newfound happiness.

This adaptation may not be strictly biblically accurate, but it breathes fresh relevance into an ancient tale. The chemistry between Serayah McNeill and Tyler Lepley is electric, and their interactions are deeply engaging, making their romance feel real and earned. The scenic shots of rural Tennessee add a layer of tranquillity that highlights the beauty of the area, providing the perfect background for the characters’ emotional journey together. 

The Wrong Paris (2025)

Dawn’s dream of attending art school in France hits an unexpected snag in The Wrong Paris. To secure funds, she decides to participate in the Honey Pot, a Bachelor-style reality dating series set in Paris, to at least get a free trip there. There’s only one problem—the series actually takes place in Paris, Texas, a mere few miles from where she grew up, and not Paris, France. But despite her reluctant participation, Dawn isn’t prepared for the sparks that fly with the charming bachelor himself.

This film is the perfect pick-me-up for hopeless romantics. It’s got all the self-aware kitsch of the A Christmas Prince movies with a dash of the fashionable sheen of Emily in Paris. If you enjoy your rom-coms utterly unrealistic, packed with eye-candy actors, and sprinkled with witty humour, The Wrong Paris is the ideal watch for you.

The Threesome (2025)

The Threesome lands somewhere between rom-com and drama, offering a fresh take on love in complex modern times. While it may not always be bursting with laughs, it more than makes up for it with its original and daring storyline. The film stars Jonah Hauer-King as Connor, a 30-something sound engineer with a long-standing crush on Olivia, the prickly waitress at his favourite restaurant. To make Olivia jealous, Connor starts flirting with Jenny, a woman who was stood up by her date. However, what starts as a simple flirtation takes an unexpected turn—leading all three into a night they’ll never forget, resulting in both women becoming pregnant.

It’s easy to assume that The Threesome might veer into superficial, fist-bumpy territory, but luckily, it does anything but. While there are some genuine laughs, the film’s true strength lies in its tenderness and emotional depth. Zoe Deutsch’s Olivia and Ruby Cruz’s Jenny are layered, well-rounded characters that are likeable in totally different ways, and the film’s exploration of friendship, love, and vulnerability makes it a unique addition to the genre. 

Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy (2025)

This equally heartwarming and tearjerking fourth instalment in the Bridget Jones film series reintroduces us to a now 51-year-old widowed (sob) Bridget as she navigates the chaotic world of modern dating. Juggling single parenthood and grief is no easy feat, but with the unwavering support of her friends—including the ever-charming Daniel Kleaver—Bridget manages to find the time for sparks to fly with the 29-year-old Roxter, and her son’s handsome teacher, Mr Walliker.

As charming and delightfully awkward as ever, Bridget Jones remains a shining star in the world of rom-coms. Renée Zellweger offers warmth and grace as she brings Bridget into a new era, and it’s genuinely uplifting to see the whole gang—including Hugh Grant—back together to champion Bridget along the way. Be warned, Mad About the Boy may tug at your heartstrings more than expected, because it’s a story about loss, hope, and embracing life’s unpredictable turns. It’s a fitting, if bittersweet, tribute to Colin Firth’s Mr Darcy, and a reminder that love, at any age, is worth pursuing.

Too Much (2025)

Love her or hate her, there’s no denying that Girls creator Lena Dunham always has a unique and authentic take on modern dating stories. In her latest series, Too Much, Megan Stalter stars as Jess, an unapologetically messy 30-something who moves to London for a job after her ex cheats on her with an influencer named Wendy. On her first night in her new city, Jess meets Felix—a charming but somewhat lost musician—and they quickly form a deep, if complicated, connection. Meanwhile, Jess obsessively follows Wendy’s social media and records video diaries to her as a way to vent and process her own feelings.

Too Much is for anyone who appreciates a relationship that’s far from perfect—sometimes messy, often unpredictable, but always real. Jess isn’t a typical rom-com heroine: she’s loud, unfiltered, and dramatic—but that’s kind of the point; Jess offers permission for us all to be just a bit bigger and messier in our relationships, and still be loved. While some aspects of her relationship with Felix could be labelled as “toxic”, the series handles these moments with honesty and humour, allowing the story to become a playful celebration of modern love in all its raw, unfiltered glory.  

Nobody Wants This - Season 2 (2025)

When Nobody Wants This premiered on Netflix in 2024, people around the world positively swooned when Adam Brody’s Noah said to Joanna, “I'm on your side. I can handle you”. Now in its second season, Nobody Wants This takes Joanna and Noah into the next phase of their relationship as they negotiate how to intertwine their lives.

Full of plenty of wisecracks and emotional depth, this season brings us along for the ride as Joanna and Noah navigate the rocky road of honouring their very real feelings for each other, and their perhaps incompatible life visions. This is one for the lovers of rom-coms that don’t imagine relationships to be perfect, but rather a high-wire act that the performers somehow managed to cross.

Whatever your political persuasion, Katheryn Bigelow’s A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE probably left you with some anxious feelings. The Hollywood legend’s first movie in nine years has been topping the streaming charts thanks to its all-star cast and thrilling setup—how would the U.S. react if a single, rogue nuclear missile suddenly appeared on their radar screens, destined for Chicago in roughly 20 minutes?

Still reeling from your first viewing (or from that divisive ending) and looking to ramp up the anxiety a little more? Or maybe you’d rather slip into a more reassuring type of show. Either way, we’ve got you covered: here are ten of the best political TV shows of the last few decades—which I’ve arranged in no particular order. Read on to discover more and use the guide below to find them on services like AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere.

House of Cards (2013-2018)

House of Cards is one of the most significant shows of the century, as it basically spearheaded the idea of binge-watching while helping to turn Netflix into the global phenomenon that it is today. It is also a relentlessly gripping political TV show, especially if you like the movies of David Fincher (think The Social Network, Zodiac)—the man responsible for its creation.

Just in case you’ve not seen it before, it’s worth noting that Kevin Spacey plays the lead role of Frank Underwood and narrates almost every episode in the first five seasons—so if you’d rather not give the actor any more screentime, perhaps it’s best to try another show on this list.

Zero Day (2025)

If you enjoyed the writing and tone of Bigelow’s movie, you mostly have Noah Oppenheim to thank for that. The screenwriter has been working in Hollywood for years, notably on Pablo Larraín’s excellent Jackie (concerning the former first lady’s actions in the days after JFK’s assassination), but more recently on the six-episode miniseries Zero Day, a political thriller starring Robert De Niro.

The plot centres on a former U.S. president (De Niro) who is called out of retirement to help with a devastating cyberattack. Jesse Plemons and Angela Bassett lead the formidable supporting players.

Veep (2012-2019)

If you liked how House of Dynamite offered the chance to watch hapless politicians squirm under pressure, you might take some sadistic joy in watching Armando Iannucci’s Veep. This darkly hilarious HBO series centres on the petty, incompetent, but relentlessly power-hungry political career of vice president Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus)—and if you like Iannucci’s work on movies like In the Loop or The Death of Stalin, this one kind of takes the biscuit.

The cast is stacked with hilarious actors (including Matt Walsh, Tony Hale and Sam Richardson), but of course, Veep would be nothing without Dreyfus, who won a whopping nine Emmys for her performance over seven seasons of the show.

The Thick of It (2005-2012)

And speaking of Iannucci’s work, if you’ve already seen Veep and fancy going a little more down the Armando rabbit hole, it’s well worth checking out The Thick of It. Produced for the BBC, this iconic political show—which examined the inner workings of the British government with merciless satirical energy—basically wrote the blueprint for his more celebrated HBO show. 

This is also the show that gave the world Peter Capaldi’s colourfully profane and extremely Scottish spin doctor, Malcolm Tucker, so if you’re a fan of Capaldi’s time as the Doctor, you might get a kick out of seeing him let loose here. 

Shōgun (2024)

If all those present-day worries are proving a bit too much, you can always delve into the past with Shōgun. This celebrated show is set in Japan at the turn of the 17th century, a time when people were less concerned with rogue nuclear missiles than whether a social faux pas would result in them having their head chopped off.  

Produced by FX and Hulu, Shōgun offers a dazzlingly realised recreation of that period in history, but the way the characters operate is really not so different to more modern political shows—imagine House of Cards meets Throne of Blood and you might have some inkling of what to expect.

Succession (2018-2023)

If you watched House of Dynamite and moved on to The Thick of It, you’ll want to get onto Succession as quickly as possible. Iannucci actually co-wrote The Thick of It with Jesse Armstrong, the Succession showrunner and another veteran of UK television who has found incredible success since moving to HBO. 

Over four seasons, Succession—which charts the inner workings of a family as the younger generation fight tooth and nail over their father’s media empire—cemented itself as one of the most celebrated TV shows of all time. It’s also a show with no shortage of things to say about the state of contemporary politics—and if you liked Armstrong’s recent TV movie Mountainhead, you really have to check it out.

The West Wing (1999-2006)

If all that satire and darkness is getting to be a bit too much, why not try the decidedly warmer waters of The West Wing? This is the show that really made Aaron Sorkin a household name, so if you like his famously quickfire dialogue in movies like Moneyball and A Few Good Men, you’ll likely really enjoy this.

Just be warned, the politics here—the show centres on a liberal president, played beautifully by Martin Sheen—can sometimes get a bit gooey for comfort, but if you’re willing to suspend disbelief and give it the benefit of the doubt, it offers a comforting window to a more hopeful time. 

Parks and Recreation (2009-2015)

Speaking of more hopeful vibes, few shows have dealt with the good kind of local politics with quite as much fun and optimism as Parks and Recreation. Set in the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana, the show centres on Leslie Knopp (Amy Poehler), the hard-working and relentlessly positive deputy director of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. 

Starting in 2009, the show proved to be a launchpad for several huge stars, including Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy), Aubrey Plaza (The White Lotus) and Nick Offerman (The Last of Us)—so if you’re a fan of any of them, you might get a kick out of seeing where they started.

The Wire (2002-2008)

If you watched House of Dynamite and enjoyed the movie’s level of research and detail, you’re gonna love The Wire. This is former Baltimore Sun reporter David Simon’s magnum opus, a show that left no stone unturned as it examined the inner workings of the city’s drug trade, unions, schools, newspapers and politics. 

For all that information, what made the series great was that it never forgot to be a gripping, funny and entertaining TV show—and if you like some of the other great shows from that golden era (think The Sopranos or Mad Men), you’ll want to check it out.

The Diplomat (2023-)

We’ll end our list with a series that’s still ongoing. Over three seasons now, with another on the way, Debora Cahn’s The Diplomat has been exploring the often invisible world of foreign policy through the life of a diplomat (played by Keri Russell) who is unexpectedly appointed as U.S. ambassador to the UK.  

Russell has already been nominated for two Emmys for her portrayal of Kate Wyler in the show, and if you appreciated the actress’s stellar work over six seasons of The Americans, you’ll easily get into this one.

Considering how the show’s hero might behave, it would be wrong to say that anyone is excited for the second half of Wednesday Season 2, so let’s just say that fans will be somewhat interested to find out what happens. Following the dizzying success of the first eight episodes in 2022, Jenna Ortega’s second run as the character is such that it’s probably difficult for some viewers to remember a time when anyone else played the role—but they did.

Ortega herself has been nothing but respectful towards the performers who came before her, so let’s take a moment to do the same. Listed below, with consideration for lasting power and cultural significance, we’ve ranked every on-screen version of Wednesday Addams. 

Honourable Mention: Karina Vadadi (2022-present)

Along with rejigging the character for a new generation, Wednesday actually brought in two stars to play the role. Jenna Ortega (more on her later) is obviously the star, but Karina Vadadi (who was nine years old during the shoot) did an admirable job playing the younger Wednesday in Chapters I and VI of the show. 

Vadadi isn’t given a huge amount to do (hence the mention), but she brings the right kind of attitude—enough to suggest that Wednesday has been herself since the day she was born. 

8. Noelle Von Sonn (1973)

The least well-known actor on this list is so obscure that you will struggle to find a clip of her online. 

In 1973, Von Sonn played Wednesday on “The Addams Family Fun-House” for ABC, a musical variety show pilot written by Jack Riley and Liz Torres, who also starred as Gomez and Morticia, respectively. There is so little information available about this show, it’s practically impossible to say anything about Von Sonn’s performance, but the Lost Media Wiki page does have the only surviving promotional picture, in which Von Sonn looks agreeably emo—as nobody would have said at the time.

7. Cindy Henderson (1973)

The first cartoon version of The Addams Family started life as a crossover with Scooby-Doo. The first episode to feature them involved Scooby and the gang being asked to babysit Wednesday when their van breaks down outside the Addams’s house. This proved popular enough that the producers at the beloved Hanna-Barbera animation house decided to give the family their own show.

This incarnation of Wednesday hasn’t quite got the deadpan insolence we’ve come to expect from the character, but Cindy Henderson’s voicework was perfectly commendable. The actress continued to work in television after the show’s fondly remembered 16-episode run, appearing in series like Bewitched and The Brady Bunch. The show itself is probably only essential for Addams Family completists.

6. Chloë Grace Moretz (2019-2021)

The most recent animated Wednesday is 2019’s The Addams Family. She’s voiced by Chloë Grace Moretz, who broke out in the industry for her profanity-laden turn in Kick Ass when she was still just 12 years old. I have the feeling that, had anyone decided to reboot The Addams Family at that time, Moretz would have surely been first in line for the part. 

As it happened, she had to wait until 2019 to play the character among a starry voice cast that included Finn Wolfhard as Pugsley, Snoop Dogg(!) as Cousin Itt and Oscar Isaac and Charlize Theron as Gomez and Morticia. 

The movies weren’t a huge hit with critics, who bemoaned the lack of macabre fun that defined the show, but it was a big enough success at the box office to justify its relatively successful sequel. This one is probably best described as a Wednesday for younger audiences.

5. Nicole Fugere (1998-1999)

Coming in the wake of two iconic early ‘90s incarnations of the character was never going to be easy for Nicole Fugere, but the actress put her own spin on Wednesday for The Addams Family Reunion, a direct-to-video movie that spawned The New Addams Family TV show. 

Fugere is as monotone and sarcastic as the best Wednesdays, but also brings a campy energy to the role—somewhat thanks to her big, arching eyebrows. That physical trait makes her a good match for the similarly-browed Tim Curry, who plays Gomez in the movie but, like every cast member except for Fugere, didn’t return for the show. 

If you like slightly goofier versions of the characters (or you simply like Tim Curry in general), the movie is worth seeing, but the show is probably not so essential.

4. Debi Derryberry (1992-1993)

When Hanna-Barbera decided to revive (every pun intended) their animated show in 1992, they offered the role of Wednesday to Debi Derryberry, a voice actor who has since gone on to have a remarkable career. Across 350+ credits, Derryberry has worked consistently for Disney, PlayStation and Studio Ghibli, but is probably best known as the voice of Jimmy Neutron. 

For this early ‘90s Gen-X era version, Derryberry’s Wednesday has all the requisite attitude that fans of the character have always loved. As she explains in this delightful video, her Wednesday is monotone and goth, as all good Wednesdays should be. With respect to the others, it’s probably the definitive animated version.

3. Jenna Ortega (2022-present)

It probably seems like the safest bet ever now, but surely not even the bean counters at Netflix could have imagined the immediate cultural impact that Wednesday would have in 2022. 

As it turned out, former Disney star Jenna Ortega was an inspired choice for the role: the actress stays faithful to the character while bringing a different kind of energy, certainly enough to strike a chord with Gen-Z viewers.

Ortega’s Wednesday became one of the biggest sensations of 2020s TikTok thanks to an iconic dance sequence—which she allegedly performed while recovering from COVID-19. The actress has gone on to cement her place as a budding scream queen, with roles in Ty West’s excellent (again, all puns intended) X as well as two Scream movies and the Beetlejuice sequel. 

2. Lisa Loring (1964-1966)

This was a close call next to Ortega (though one I think she might agree with), but it would be wrong not to give props to Lisa Loring for being the first screen incarnation of the character. 

The Addams Family originated as a single-panel cartoon in the New Yorker magazine before being optioned by an ABC executive in the early ‘60s. The resulting show, simply titled The Addams Family, offered a different tone to the happy-go-lucky ‘60s sitcoms of the day and was an immediate and unlikely hit.

Watching clips of Loring now, it’s amazing how much of what she brought to the role still reverberates in more recent performances: the drab delivery, the straight-faced sadism, the cool indifference. It’s not necessary to revisit all 64 episodes, but “Wednesday Leaves Home,” the 25th of the second season, laid the foundations for future incarnations to build on.

1. Cristina Ricci (1991-1993)

This was really a no-brainer. Is it too much to say that Wednesday was the role Cristina Ricci was born to play? You could certainly make the argument—it’s been reported she even ad-libbed some of her most famous lines. 

Ricci impressed opposite Cher and Winona Ryder in Mermaids in 1990, but director Barry Sonnenfeld presumably didn’t have to think too much before offering her the role opposite Anjelica Huston (Morticia), Raul Julia (Gomez) and Christopher Lloyd (Fester) in his 1991 reboot. 

The first movie, The Addams Family, was generally liked by both critics and audiences at the time and is still widely appreciated today, but the sequel, Addams Family Values, especially Wednesday’s trip to Camp Chippewa, her rivalry with Cristine Baranski’s Becky Granger and Joel Glicker’s (a young David Krumholz) endearing attempts to woo her, is nothing short of iconic. 

Addams Family Values is the essential Addams Family movie and features the essential Wednesday performance, hands (or hand—sorry, Thing) down.

If you sat someone down in 2001 and told them that Brendan Fraser was about to effectively disappear for the best part of two decades before coming back with a movie directed by Stephen Soderbergh, another by Martin Scorsese, and another that wins him an Oscar, that person would have rightly laughed you all the way to Cairo. (And that’s without even mentioning what his co-star, the Scorpion King, is currently up to.) 

These days, the bandages are wrapped around the other head, with Fraser so back that news of his potential casting, alongside Rachel Weisz, in a planned sequel to The Mummy Returns feels like low-key trolling. 

Disregarding all of the above, if another Mummy movie is to happen, and is done with some degree of TLC, I will actually be first in line.

Why We Actually Need This Unnecessary Mummy Sequel

Just two weeks ago, I felt a strange but powerful urge to revisit Ron Howard’s trilogy of Dan Brown adaptations—The Da Vinci Code (not bad), Angels & Demons (better than you remember, and possibly deserving of a credit on Edward Berger’s Conclave) and Inferno (regrettably, not the best)—and that urge came before two wiley men in high-vis jackets decided to skip the lines at the Louvre and go through the front window. Was it the draw of watching a bumbling history teacher whose ability to solve medium-difficulty anagrams proves enough to charm the likes of Felicity Jones and Audrey Tautou, or was I just craving a kind of movie that Hollywood doesn’t seem to know how to make anymore?

Last year, Steven Spielberg passed the reins of the Indiana Jones franchise to James Mangold, who owns two of the safest hands in the business, but as much as I enjoyed watching The Dial of Destiny, not a sliver of that film’s plot has stayed with me. This year, the biggest globe-trotting adventure on offer, Guy Ritchie’s Fountain of Youth, was a $180 million turkey. Is there any reason to believe that a Mummy threequel will be any better? 

It’s foolish to bet on anything even resembling a Hollywood cash grab, but there are reasons for optimism. For one, The Mummy is being reincarnated by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett—the filmmaking team behind the excellent nuptial hunt movie Ready or Not and for making two additions to the Scream franchise (numbers 5 and 6) that even the late Wes Craven might have been proud of. 

What Needs To Happen For A New Mummy Film To Work

News of this reboot comes eight years after Universal‘s last attempt to breathe life into the franchise. That movie, which starred Tom Cruise, was a rather mercenary attempt to connect the IP to their wider Dark Universe gamble—and no, I haven’t seen it either. If Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett are going to avoid the same pitfalls, a few things will have to be carved, hieroglyph-style, into the walls of the studio’s storied backlot. 

The baseline demand should be that The Mummy 3, like its predecessors, is shot on location, which was basically the only saving grace of Ritchie’s Fountain. The second is locking down not only Weisz and Fraser, but some of the supporting players as well—just imagine how great it would be to see John Hannah dust off that white linen suit for one last adventure? Lastly, and this might be the biggest ask, but they’re going to need the script (which is being written by David Coggeshall) to actually deliver some semblance of wonder. 

Why We Should Be Optimistic After Failed Mummy Sequels

For all the flak that Howard’s Dan Brown movies took upon release, even Inferno, the least effective of the trilogy, still delivers the pulpy, page-turning narrative propulsion of its source material. You can say the same for the hugely enjoyable National Treasure movies, which were just as trashed by critics upon release but are now widely considered to be perfectly endearing entertainments. 

To put it briefly, what we don’t need is lore and Dark Universes; what we need are reliable MacGuffins that get our heroes from A to B, some tricky dramatic obstacles along the way, and some nicely choreographed action sprinkled on top. Is that so much to ask? 

The chemistry between Weisz and Frasier (both of whom Universal can and should announce with big, decadent lettering that says “Academy Award Winner”) will look after itself; just don’t forget to give them a reason to be where they need to be. If that’s in place, audiences will stop wondering whether or not this movie is necessary and simply be happy to come along for the ride. 

It’s always nice to stumble across a movie you’ve never seen before, especially if it’s something fun and uplifting. But now and again, you inadvertently discover a movie that’ll absolutely break your heart and leave you with a sense of existential dread… Doesn’t that sound wonderful?

In the past, you’d find these unheard gems in your local Blockbuster. More recently, you’d see them pop up on your Netflix library. Now, Gen Z gets all of its recommendations by scrolling through TikTok, obviously, and that’s where a bunch of folk have been introduced to the quirky 1986 animated movie When the Wind Blows.

It may look like a good old-fashioned, 2D animated treat, but this film goes to some incredibly dark places, and it’s left TikTok users absolutely destroyed emotionally.

What When the Wind Blows Is About (And Why It's SO Tragic)

The ‘80s film is based on a graphic novel from legendary British illustrator and storyteller, Raymond Briggs. You’ll know him for his iconic work on the likes of The Snowman, Father Christmas, and Fungus the Bogeyman.

However, this story is nothing like those loveable tales. When the Wind Blows focuses on Jim and Hilda Bloggs, an elderly couple who find themselves dealing with an impending nuclear attack. Sadly, the information they’re getting from the government and their own outdated methods of survival are not quite as effective as they might hope.

As the film goes on, it becomes clearer and clearer that something is seriously wrong with our adorable and unassuming protagonists. And let’s just say Jimmy T. Murakami’s tragic cartoon does not pull punches when it comes to depicting Jim and Hilda’s struggles.

If you’ve ever seen the truly terrifying Threads or Studio Ghibli movie Grave of the Fireflies,  you’ll have a good idea of the devastating tone When the Wind Blows adopts. It’s a brilliant film, but my word, it’s unfathomably bleak.

Why When the Wind Blows Is Depressing TikTok Audiences

Aside from the obvious sombre tones of When the Wind Blows – seriously, you’d have to have a very cold heart not to be affected by this film – there is a reason this has resonated with younger audiences on social media in this modern geopolitical climate.

Young people today are living under increasingly intense and hostile conditions. Many of them perceive these to be created and upheld by older generations who appear to have very little understanding or care for the long-term impact of their decisions. Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha feel they have been forced to inherit what many would consider a broken world, thanks to Gen X and Boomers.

In many ways, though, it’s not entirely those older generations’ fault. Your average person from those eras has lived through terrifying, unprecedented times, and through it all, reliant on what their government tells them, and little else.

This is underpinned by what TikTok user @anotherbadsalad says about Jim: “He doesn’t think it’s going to be that bad, and that’s why neither of them takes it that seriously. That’s because both of them lived through World War II, but they were children at that time… they have an almost infantilised view of what the war was like… Jim doesn’t understand the gravity of what is going to happen; that mutually assured destruction is going to happen.”

It’s this naivety and blind adherence to ‘the rules’ that is Jim and Hilda’s undoing, and, arguably, that’s what strikes a chord with the more cynical minds of young people today.

As @anotherbadsalad adds, “[Jim and Hilda] believe that everything will go back to normal… someone will come and help… Jim says that tomorrow everything will get better.” They conclude their analysis by saying, “It’s a sad, cautionary tale about two normal people… who suffer the aftermath of what’s happening around them; something they have no control over.”

Users like them see this every day around the world: ordinary people impacted by external circumstances and decisions made by people they’ve never even met. In their view, it’s a world built by people still living in the past. How are future generations ever going to be able to move forward?

What’s really unsettling for modern viewers is that we are able to see how things went so drastically wrong for the characters in the film, and compare it to how little things have changed in the real world since the time of the film’s release. 

Another TikTok user dissects the movie, saying: “Jim and Hilda do what they’ve always done: Follow instructions. Keep calm. And wait for the all clear. But this isn’t the 1940s… There’s this really strange horror in watching people calmly prepare for the end of the world, and doing it all wrong. The sad thing is, it’s not because they’re reckless; it’s because they have far too much trust.”

Right from the start, we know this is not going to end well for our protagonists. It’s inevitable and obvious from the outside, but isn’t that always the case? We have the benefit of hindsight, of knowing how this story can and has played out in the real world. Sadly, Jim and Hilda don’t have that luxury. All they can do is grin and bear it, and hope that the unthinkable remains just that: a frightening figment of the deepest, darkest corner of their imagination.

How to Watch When The Wind Blows

When the Wind Blows is not available on any streaming services, but you can rent it on Prime Video for £3.49, and you really should. It’s a harrowing watch, and not something you’ll revisit in a hurry, but it’s also essential viewing if you’re keen to better understand the fears of a generation who endured the constant threat of nuclear destruction.

The Star Wars fandom was stunned to learn recently that we were incredibly close to seeing Adam Driver return to the franchise in a new movie about Ben Solo. But as exciting as that sounds, the news was bittersweet and the anticipation short-lived, as it turns out Disney does not want to move ahead with the project.

As one of the key figures in the sequel trilogy and one of the most popular characters we’ve ever seen in the Star Wars movies, it feels like a no-brainer that this idea would quickly have made its way to the big screen.

However, while films like The Mandalorian and Grogu and Shawn Levy’s Ryan Gosling-led Star Wars: Starfighter prepare to fly into our lives from a galaxy far, far away, The Hunt for Ben Solo remains grounded… at least for now.

What We Know About The Ben Solo Movie Pitch

The news of the proposed project first broke in an Associated Press interview with Adam Driver, in which the actor shared plenty of details to get tongues wagging.

Tentatively titled The Hunt for Ben Solo, this was essentially two years of Driver’s life that went into shaping the project with the help of acclaimed director Steven Soderbergh, whom he first took the idea to.

On the development, Driver said: “I always was interested in doing another Star Wars. I had been talking about doing another one since 2021. Kathleen [Kennedy] had reached out. I always said: With a great director and a great story, I’d be there in a second. I loved that character and loved playing him.”

It sounds like he found both those elements – and then some. Set after The Rise of Skywalker, the story rested on the idea of Ben Solo completing his redemption arc after the disappointment of Episode IX.

Soderberg and screenwriter Rebecca Blunt pitched the idea to Lucasfilm chiefs, who were sold. In came Scott Z. Burns, who previously wrote the Driver-led movie The Report, to pen the script, which resulted in what Driver described as “one of the coolest f—ing scripts I had ever been a part of.”

However, that’s when the project hit a Disney-shaped bump in the road. Driver added: “We presented the script to Lucasfilm. They loved the idea. They totally understood our angle and why we were doing it. We took it to Bob Iger and Alan Bergman, and they said no. They didn’t see how Ben Solo was alive. And that was that.”

Ben Solo Needs Closure From Another Star Wars Film

When Kylo Ren was introduced in The Force Awakens, I was awestruck. I know you’re not supposed to root for the villains, but from the moment he ransacked the village of Tuanul on Jakku, I couldn’t help but feel we finally had a character who could rival Darth Vader as the most badass in the Star Wars franchise.

He then goes on such a fascinating and surprising character arc in The Last Jedi. His moral compass and dedication to the Dark Side are tested by the shining light of Rey, proving he was far more than just a Vader fan boy. This was a rich, nuanced, layered character who had the potential to either be gloriously redeemed or to burn it all to the ground in a defiant fit of hatred. Either way, we looked set for a phenomenal ending to the Skywalker Saga.

Unfortunately, the divisive Rian Johnson film well and truly tore the franchise apart. As a result, Disney was left second-guessing what its audience wanted from the sequel trilogy closer rather than delivering what the characters deserved. Kylo Ren’s turn to the Light Side in The Rise of Skywalker ultimately boiled down to him fighting and defeating the Knights of Ren, sacrificing himself for Rey, and fading away into dust, all while having one single, useless piece of dialogue (I’m not even sure saying ‘Ow’ really counts as a line…).

The Rise of Skywalker is, without a doubt, the most disappointing experience I’ve ever had in a cinema. It should have been the crowning glory and the fitting end to my all-time favourite movie series, and instead, it made me wish Disney had never bothered. In my eyes, the Skywalker Saga ends at Episode VIII.

Ben Solo deserved better, and Disney now has the perfect chance to make up for it. So why are they fumbling the ball?

Disney Passed On a Golden Idea By Saying No To a Ben Solo Film

One thing has become glaringly obvious in the wake of this revelation from Driver, and that is that fans would have turned out in their droves to see this.

While the trailer for The Mandalorian and Grogu still hasn’t hit 10 million views on YouTube at the time of writing, we’ve already seen the fandom unite to form petitions, create fan-made trailers, and even arrange for a plane to fly over Disney Studios with a message reading, ‘Save the Hunt for Ben Solo. '

At a time when Disney doesn’t seem to have its finger on the pulse as to what fans want, it’s ironic that the House of Mouse was quite literally handed a golden ticket, and they tore it up and tossed it out.

The Hunt for Ben Solo could well have been one of the best Disney Star Wars projects to date. Instead, it’ll have to remain a figment of our imagination – unless Adam Driver can perform some Jedi mind tricks on Bob Iger and Co..

After reaching their commercial heyday in the rough period between The Blair Witch Project and the Paranormal Activity series, found footage horror films have largely fallen out of vogue. That hasn’t stopped indie powerhouse Neon from throwing its weight behind Shelby Oaks, however, a movie combining found footage, documentary, and standard narrative storytelling for an ambitious hybrid of scare tactics. It debuted at 2024’s Fantasia Fest before hitting theatres in time for Halloween 2025.

The film follows a woman’s (Mia) search for her sister (Riley), who went missing over a decade ago while investigating the abandoned town of Shelby Oaks for her YouTube channel, Paranormal Paranoids. With elements of low-res analogue technology and folk horror, as well as shades of slasher and haunted house tropes, Shelby Oaks isn’t wholly successful at the many things it tries to do, but still delivers some genuinely jumpy moments and sustained chills. It’s also had an unconventional journey to the big screen that’s worth digging into.

Shelby Oaks Started as a 'Real' YouTube Series

Shelby Oaks is the brainchild of YouTube film critic Chris Stuckmann, who had been producing content on the platform for a two-million-subscriber-strong audience for about 10 years when the film, which he wrote and directed, was picked up by Paper Street Pictures in 2021.

Proof of concept already existed in the form of ‘actual’ Paranormal Paranoid videos, in which Riley and her team explore Shelby Oaks and eventually disappear under very sketchy circumstances. The feature version is described as a “continuation” of this web series, which, styled to look like it was made 12 years ago, will be nostalgic to those who grew up watching YouTube’s ‘golden age’ of pioneering creator content. In this regard, it could be the very first YouTube horror film, or at least, the first that likely wouldn’t exist without the juggernaut video-sharing site.

This origin is reminiscent of Blair Witch again, which used a famously innovative online marketing campaign to make audiences wonder if the film really was a documentary. However, while Blair Witch did this to drum up anticipation for the film’s release in 1999, Shelby Oaks achieved its groundswell of public interest before it was ever made.

Shelby Oaks Was Entirely Funded Through Kickstarter

For independent creators and established companies alike, Kickstarter has become a lifeline for all manner of creative pursuits. Chris Stuckmann certainly found that to be the case when lost funding and strike action prevented production on Shelby Oaks from starting in 2021. Turning to the crowdfunding platform in early 2022, Stuckmann’s impassioned plea to his YouTube audience helped raise three-quarters of its $1 million budget in a matter of days, which was a record for a horror movie. It hit $1.4 million within a week.

“We can already make the movie in the way we want to,” Stuckmann thanked backers. “Thank you, thank you, thank you. Two big studios have reached out to read the script.”

Shelby Oaks Is (Sort Of) Inspired By Real Events

Whether there’s any truth in the film’s depiction of the paranormal depends on your personal beliefs about such subjects. What is very personal and true, however, is the real-life inspiration Stuckmann drew for the emotional core of Shelby Oaks: two sisters estranged by forces beyond their control. 

In a 2021 video uploaded to his YouTube channel, in which he also came out as pansexual, Stuckmann opened up about growing up in the Jehovah’s Witnesses, from which he and his sister were eventually ostracised. As well as claiming the group forced him to repress his sexuality and interest in filmmaking, the creator also characterised them as cult-like. Knowing this, and without giving too much away, if you’ve seen Shelby Oaks, this underpinning – and Stuckmann’s traumatic experience – is bleakly clear.    

Mike Flanagan’s Important Connection To Shelby Oaks 

To horror aficionados, Mike Flanagan needs no introduction. His films in the genre include Ouija: Origin of Evil and Doctor Sleep, and in TV, Netflix’s Hill House anthology, Midnight Mass, The Midnight Club, and The Fall of the House of Usher. Suffice to say, he’s a big cheese in this world, so his involvement in Shelby Oaks is a huge boon.

Beyond just name-brand recognition as an Executive Producer, Flanagan had a preexisting relationship with Stuckmann, a casual friendship that was struck up following the YouTuber’s review of Flanagan’s debut feature, Oculus. When Shelby Oaks’ Kickstarter campaign launched, Flanagan offered notes on the script as well as an early cut of the film. Stuckmann called the filmmaker’s help a “blessing”, while Flanagan praised the up-and-comer’s “DIY attitude and determination”, which he said was reminiscent of his own journey to create opportunities in the industry for himself rather than wait for them. 

Following Flanagan’s assistance, Neon, which had just made a splash with Osgood Perkins’ debut, Longlegs, starring a frightfully unrecognisable Nicholas Cage, came on as distributor. With enough industry weight and public interest behind it, Shelby Oaks finally made it to the big screen, hopefully allowing Stuckmann a less arduous road to getting the many other horror scripts he says he’s written made.  

Pack that suitcase, feather that quill, and continue feeling iffy about J.K. Rowling, because HBO are about to make good on their bold decision to take Harry Potter fans, and the rest of the world, back to Hogwarts. 

It’s been 14 years since the last movie opened, an event that effectively closed out a saga that an entire generation grew up with, and which many young people still do. That it’s taken this long for a reboot (just consider how many Spider-Men there currently are) is a testament both to the strength of those movies and how protective many of us still are of them.

With filming now underway – for a planned release in 2027 – on the first of the show’s seven seasons (one per school year), things are quickly falling into place. Given that the movies practically hired 90% of the best British and Irish actors of their generation, many of whom seem irreplaceable in their respective roles, the most curious questions have been around the show’s casting process. This unenviable job fell to casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann (Barbie, The Batman), who, from at least a surface level, have already done a fine job. 

Let’s take a look through them all and, wherever possible, discover where we’ve seen these actors before.

Dominic McCloughlin, Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout as Harry, Hermione and Ron

The most important roles have, of course, been given to newcomers. Dominic McCloughlin will play Harry, Arabella Stanton will play Hermione, and Alastair Stout will play Ron. 

Mark Mylod has been quoted as saying that the casting call (which asked for people aged between nine and 11) received applications from “tens of thousands of children,” so congrats to these three. We wish all the best. Naturally, we’ve not seen them anywhere before.

One to watch: It’s the first role for Stanton and Stout, but fans eager to see McLoughlin (alongside Nick ‘Hagrid’ Frost, who we’ll get onto next) can catch him in the movie Grow, which premiered at the Edinburgh film festival in August 2025. 

Nick Frost as Hagrid

The task of filling the late Robbie Coltrane’s presumably enormous shoes has been given to Nick Frost, the similarly beloved star of Spaced and the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy. Outside of those early projects with his close friend Simon Pegg, Frost has appeared in fan favourites such as Dr Who, while loaning his craggy voice to everything from Tintin to Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. We can imagine him saying the lines. We can imagine him on a motorbike. This one seems like a win!

One to watch: For something recent and bearded, Nick’s appearance as Gobber the Belch in the recent live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon should provide some clues.

John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore

Another make-or-break choice. The role of Hogwarts’ beloved headmaster is mostly associated with the Irish luminaries Richard Harris (who passed away after filming The Chamber of Secrets) and Michael Gambon (who left us in 2023). Interestingly, Jude Law is the only Englishman to take the role so far, having played him in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. The role now falls to an American for the first time, though Lithgow won raves (and awards) for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in The Crown, so we don’t expect anyone to kick up too much of a fuss. 

The New Yorker broke out in Harry and the Hendersons and 3rd Rock from the Sun, but is now more known as one of the most beloved character actors, appearing in everything from Interstellar to Rise of the Planet of the Apes. 

One to watch: His recent performance as the conniving Cardinal Tremblay in Conclave should give fans an idea of how the actor looks wearing a robe, and in similarly cloistered surroundings.

Paapa Essiedu as Snape

Some of the online responses to Paapa Essiedu’s casting as Snape have been as predictable as it is atrocious. Sane people, thankfully, can’t wait to see what the I May Destroy You breakout does with a character that the late Alan Rickman once made his own. Like Rickman, Essiedu cut his teeth at the Royal Shakespeare Company before moving into film and television with roles in Black Mirror, Black Doves and more recently opposite Saoirse Ronan in The Outrun.

One to watch: I May Destroy You. It’s never a bad time to recommend Michaela Coel’s phenomenal show. 

Anton Lesser as Garrick Ollivander

Top-notch roles get the most, not the lesser? Not quite. Garrick Ollivander didn’t get a huge amount of screen time in the original movies, but the great John Hurt made every scene count. The role has now fallen to Game of Thrones alum Anton Lesser, who seems perfectly cast as the master wandmaker. 

One to watch: Lesser always brings the stench of menace to his performances, most recently as Major Partagaz in the simply unmissable Andor.

Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall

Another iconic role that will forever be associated with a beloved and sorely missed actor. When we think of Professor McGonagall, we think of Maggie Smith and her unique blend of no-nonsense deliveries and motherly warmth. Now, it’s up to Janet McTeer to fill those shoes. 

McTeer was probably at the height of her fame in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, with her role in Tumbleweeds being acknowledged with a Best Actress nomination at the Oscars. Younger viewers will be more familiar with her role as Edith Prior in the Divergent series and her appearance as Walters in the latest Mission: Impossible. 

One to watch: Albert Nobbs, which Rowling presumably dislikes and for which McTeer received her second Oscar nomination.

Louise Brealey as Rolanda Hooch

The Quidditch instructor, Madam Hooch, didn’t have much to do in the original movies, only appearing in The Philosopher’s Stone. This was apparently as much to do with the amount of ground the movies had to cover as a pay dispute that occurred between the studio and actor Zoë Wanamaker. Fair enough.

One thing people seem to agree on about the series’ episodic structure is that a lot more time will be given to the wizarding sport. This will presumably mean more screentime for Louise Brealey, which is great news to fans of Sherlock (in which she played Molly Hooper) and to anyone who’s been enjoying her unhinged performance as the mother to real-life sisters Kat Sadler and Lizzie Davidson in Such Brave Girls. 

One to watch: Look no further than Such Brave Girls. 

Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy and Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom

With Tom Felton reprising his most famous role on Broadway, the job of taking on the role of the young Draco falls to Lox Pratt. Pratt is as much of a newcomer as the three central actors, but his casting as the antagonist, Jack, in a soon-to-be-released adaptation of Lord of the Flies does suggest that HBO are not the only one to have noticed the young actor’s ability to show a menacing glint in the eyes.

Another of the newcomers is Rory Wilmot, who takes on the pivotal role of Neville Longbottom. Wilmot is similarly fresh on the scene, but viewers can catch him in the soon-to-be-released Netflix miniseries Out of the Dust.

One to watch: nothing yet, but keep an eye out for the shows mentioned above.

Johnny Flynn as Lucius Malfoy 

The musician and actor Johnny Flynn has already worked in movies and TV for almost 20 years before inheriting the role of Lucius Malfoy from Jason Isaacs. In that time, Flynn has appeared in two movies by Olivier Assayas, played David Bowie in 2020’s Stardust and taken on the role of Dickie Greenleaf (once famously portrayed by Jude Law) alongside Andrew Scott in Ripley. 

One to watch: for haughty, low-key, Malfoyish arrogance, Ripley feels like the right place to start.

Bel Powley and Daniel Rigby as Petunia and Vernon Dursley

Bel Powley and Daniel Rigby will take over from the great Fiona Shaw and Richard Griffiths to play Harry’s long-suffering aunt and uncle in the new series. Powley broke out with a phenomenal performance in Marriane Heller’s The Diary of a Teenage Girl in 2015 before going a bit under the radar. Her most high-profile work since has been a recurring role in Season 1 of The Morning Show and a part in The King of Staten Island. Rigby, meanwhile, appeared in Season 2 of Black Mirror and in the underappreciated show Jericho.

One to watch: Diary of a Teenage Girl, in which Powley plays a 15-year-old, which makes her casting as Petunia a touch hard to process.

Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley

Katherine Parkinson is set to appear as Molly Weasley, the ever-benevolent mother of Ron, Ginny, Bill, George, and the rest. Parkinson is best known for her great comedic work opposite Chris O’Dowd and Richard Ayoade in The IT Crowd. Given that the show’s creator, Graham Linehan, has since shown similarly controversial opinions about trans rights as J.K. Rowling, don’t be surprised if the actor is asked to field more challenging questions by the press than some of her co-stars.

One the watch: Despite all the dispiriting things to come out about its creator, The IT Crowd still has a lot to recommend it. 

Bertie Carvel as Cornelius Fudge

Taking over from Robert Hardy as Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, is Bertie Carvel, an actor who’s earned a reputation for playing larger-than-life characters. On stage, he won an Olivier Award for playing the villainous Miss Trunchbull in Matilda the Musical and a Tony for his portrayal of Rupert Murdoch in Ink. On screen, he appeared in Les Misérables and The Tragedy of Macbeth but is probably best known for playing Tony Blair on two seasons of The Crown.

One to watch: given the material, it’s gotta be The Crown.

Paul Whitehouse as Filch

The TV icon will take over the role played originally by David ‘Walder Frey’ Bradley. Whitehouse, who is probably still best known for The Fast Show and his many collaborations with Harry Enfield, will presumably give the Hogwarts janitor a more comedic spin. He will also presumably knock it out of the park. 

One to watch: For something more recent, try his portrayal of Mikoyan in Armando Iannucci’s The Death of Stalin.

With shows as varied as The Pitt, Task, Adolescence and The Chair Company once again proving that there’s still room for new ideas in the increasingly IP-focused landscape of prestige TV, 2025 has been a pretty good year for television. At the time of writing, 2026 looks set to provide audiences with the same wealth of variety, with returning favourites and exciting newcomers vying for our attention from basically the beginning of January. 

For the list below—which I’ve arranged by order of release date, with a few tantalising maybes thrown in at the end—I’ve decided to maintain that same mix of old and new. So, while I’m excited to see what will happen if and when shows like Rings of Power, Silo, 3 Body Problem, and The Night Manager return to our screens, the ten series I’ve listed have simply sparked my imagination a little more. Similarly, while I’m dying to see the next seasons of Shōgun, The Last of Us, and The White Lotus (not to mention a certain Boy Who Lived…), they all just feel a little more 2027 right now.

Read on to discover more about the most anticipated shows expected to release next year, and use the guide below to find (eventually) on services like BBC iPlayer, AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere. 

The Pitt, Season 2

I tried to avoid adding too many follow-up seasons to this list, but in this and many other ways, The Pitt is a special case. Adolescence might have gotten all the hype for its one-take chapters, but The Pitt’s 15-episode single shift in a Pittsburgh emergency room structure (and yes, this one is for fans of ER) was no less formally daring. It was also nerve-shredding and heartbreaking in just the right ratio.

For all that, the bravest choice that creators R. Scott Gemmill and Noah Wyle took was creating a show in 2025 that wore its heart on its sleeve. Is it too much to expect that a second series released this fast can be anywhere near as good? I don’t see any reason to doubt them.

Release date: 8 January 2026

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

If TV release dates are to be trusted, prestige fans will only have to wait until mid-January for the first blockbuster HBO show of 2026. Yes, George R.R. Martin fans are set to once again balance feelings of excitement and rage with the release of A Knight of Seven Kingdoms: a prequel series starring newcomer Deter Sol Ansell as the young Aegon Targaryen opposite Peter Claffey as the titular hedge knight.

This is the third branch of the Game of Thrones television universe, and the story is set 100 years before the original books but after the ongoing House of the Dragon—and naturally, if you’re a fan of those, you’ll want to add it to your calendar. The latter will also return for its third season next summer, but after a few too many scenes of people talking around tables, it’s fair to say that Knight currently looks like the more exciting property. 

Release date: 18 January 2026

Wonder Man

Our next IP mega show comes courtesy of the MCU’s somewhat flailing TV division. To be honest, it’s been a minute since one of these shows really hooked me in, but going by the trailer for Wonder Man, that might be about to change.

Helmed by Shang-Chi director Dustin Daniel Cretin, the show will follow a Hollywood stuntman (Watchmen’s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) who gets superpowers after being exposed to an ionic ray (whatever that is). From there, the show will examine the impact of fame on a superhero in the world of Hollywood. With a vibe that kind of sounds like the MCU meets The Studio and featuring guest appearances from Ben Kingsley (reprising his iconic role as failed actor Trevor Slattery), this has the potential to be its own thing, which is not something we’ve said about an MCU show for a while.

Release date: 18 January 2026

Elle

Our first IP revival on this list comes from an unlikely source: the world of Legally Blonde. Yes, the beloved lawyer-in-pink Elle Woods, famously played by Reese Witherspoon across two hugely successful movies in 2001 and 2003, is said to be returning just two years after a failed attempt to bring the character back to the big screen—but naturally, if you’re a fan of the movies, be sure to keep an eye out for this one. 

The show is said to focus on a teenage Elle (played by Lexi Minetree) and will be set in a high school in the 1990s—so expect plenty of Clueless era outfits and retro fun.

Release date: Unconfirmed, but everything points towards summer 2026.

Lanterns

The next mega-budget IP show that’s been firmly inked into our calendars is the first new TV project of James Gunn’s DCU (and yes, that Peacemaker technically originated before Gunn was elevated to his current role). Whatever the case, the show will attempt to do what numerous filmmakers have so far failed to accomplish: providing a satisfying central story arc for the Green Lantern—or any of them, for that matter.

The series will, of course, bring back Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner from Gunn’s Superman alongside Kyle Chandler as the experienced Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart, the up-and-comer—and if you liked the actor’s performance in Rebel Ridge, you’re probably as excited as I am to see what else he’s capable of.

Release date: nothing confirmed, but we can expect this one to arrive sometime after Supergirl premieres on 25 June 2026.

The Boys, Season 5

The only other repeat offender we’ve included on this list is the latest season of The Boys. I’ve done this as, aside from being one of the most consistently entertaining shows of the last six years (think Watchmen meets Kick-Ass), this upcoming season is said to be the last.

That means that the stakes will be higher than ever for Butcher, Hughie, Starlight and Homelander—and I wouldn’t be surprised if one or more of them fails to make it out alive. Almost nothing has been said about the series at the time of writing, but if leaked set photos of Homelander in an internment camp are anything to go by, it looks set to be as topical as ever. 

Release date: Unconfirmed, but the middle of 2026 seems likely.

Crystal Lake 

Set in the world of Jason Voorhees’ Friday the 13th, Crystal Lake is not what you would call an original idea. That said, it’s one of only three slasher franchises (after Scream and A Nightmare on Elm Street) to attempt the switch to the small screen, so I must say I’m nothing if not intrigued. The show will be the latest series from indie powerhouse A24, so expect a good deal of style along with the slashing. 

Linda Cardellini is set to star as Pamela Voorhees in what looks like a prequel to the original movie. The show is also being developed by Welcome to Derry creator Brad Kane, who (fun fact) started his music career and famously provided the singing voice for the original Aladdin.

Release date: Unconfirmed, but 2026 seems likely.

Neuromancer

If it gets released in 2026, the AppleTV+ adaptation of Neuromancer deserves to be one of the most hotly anticipated shows of the year. For good reason, no one in their right mind has ever managed to turn William Gibson’s hugely influential sci-fi novel into a movie or TV show—which makes me all the more intrigued to see what series creators Graham Roland (Dark Winds) and J.D. Dillard have in store.

Gibson’s book, which follows a superhacker named Case, is widely regarded as the cyberpunk bible—so if you like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or The Matrix, a movie heavily inspired by it, you’ll want to add this one to your list. 

Release date: Nothing confirmed for just yet, but late 2026 looks possible. 

First Day on Earth

I’m not entirely sure what to take from the fact that Michaela Coel has largely gone off the radar since the release of her phenomenal 2020 series I May Destroy You—except to say that if ever there was a show that might require its creator to take a break after, it is probably that one. Whatever the case, since then, she’s appeared in just Wakanda Forever and a single episode of Mr and Mrs Smith.

That could all be about to change next year with the release of Steven Soderbergh’s The Christophers and David Lowery’s Mother Mary—but the real Coel heads will know that First Day on Earth is the one to watch out for. Much like I May Destroy You, this ten-part series (which has been executive produced by Jesse Armstrong) was written and directed by Coel and also stars her—this time as a British novelist who moves to Ghana to reconnect with her estranged father. All I can say is: Banger incoming. 

Release date: Again, nothing announced yet, but here’s hoping.

Threads

We’ll end our list with more of a hopeful one than a sure thing. In April 2025, it was announced that Warp Studios, the legendary music label and producers behind Adolescence, had optioned the rights to remake the iconic 1984 show Threads, which followed the aftermath of a nuclear attack through the eyes of people in Sheffield. 

This impossibly dreary show was originally aired as a kind of PSA to make people aware of what an incident like that could really look like, but it’s since become a cult classic in its own right. Now, with fears of nuclear war as high as ever (think A House of Dynamite), it feels like an incredible time to revisit it or, perhaps more likely, reimagine it for the present day.

Release date: 2027 almost feels more likely, but with the success of Adolescence, the studio might feel emboldened enough to get this one done sooner.

It’s never a bad time to check back in with The Devil Wears Prada, a movie I’d happily watch any time of the day, any day of the week. Even for a viewer with the fashion sense of a palaeolithic cave dweller, everything about it is pure pleasure: from Lauren Weisberger’s quicksilver dialogue to the enticing world the movie creates to—for want of a better word—all that stuff. 

With images from the sequel’s New York shoot already being pored over like etchings on the Rosetta stone, we’ve decided it’s high time to check back in with the original’s cast to see who’s stayed in style and who, with the greatest respect, has become a bit last season. So if you’re feeling a bit blue (or is it cerulean?) about having to wait until Spring 2026 for Part Two to arrive, join us on a trip down memory lane and use the guide below to find some similar movies from The Devil Wears Prada’s constellation of stars.

Anne Hathaway

You won’t find anyone here claiming that The Princess Diaries is not a movie for everyone, but in the interest of narrative, let’s agree that Anne Hathaway made ‘the jump to mature roles’ around the time of Brokeback Mountain in 2005. Prada came one year later, cementing the 24-year-old actress’s place on the Hollywood A-list. 

Hathaway’s career since has been a fascinating story in and of itself: despite balancing her output between glossy, big-money crowd-pleasers (Bride Wars, One Day) and more auteur-centred movies (for the likes of Cristopher Nolan, Nancy Meyers and Jonathan Demme), Hathaway couldn’t shake the weird feeling around her performative acceptance speech at the 2012 Oscars. Thankfully, those days feel like ages ago now and the actress, after widely acclaimed performances in The Idea of You and Armageddon Time, has never been more respected. 

One to watch: plenty of options, but nothing feels more Prada than Nancy Meyers’ The Intern. Irresistible comfort food.

Meryl Streep

Streep had already won two of her three Oscars when she took the call to play Miranda Priestly, but you could easily make the case that it’s her definitive role. Interestingly, 20th Century Fox decided to campaign her for Best Actress in a year when she could easily have won Best Supporting. Her 28 minutes of screentime would have made her more than eligible, but of course, that would have made zero sense. Priestly, in many ways, is the movie, and Streep makes every second count.

The years since have been as fruitful as the ones before, with a further seven Oscar nominations, including a win for The Iron Lady, great movies like Spielberg’s The Post and Gerwig’s Little Women, and the hugely successful Mamma Mia! movies.

One to watch: for pure emotion, just try not to cry while watching The Bridges of Madison County. For Meryl turned up to 11, look no further than Mamma Mia!

Emily Blunt

Rounding out the storied central trio is Emily Blunt, who had only just made her debut in My Summer of Love mere months before landing the role. Legend goes that Blunt was about to leave for the airport—and was dressed in flip flops and a hoodie—when she dropped in to film her tape. She also spoke with her own clipped British accent despite the character being written as American. Of the 100 or so who auditioned, Blunt nevertheless landed the role and went on to basically steal every scene.

Blunt’s career has only gone from strength to strength, landing roles in Sicario and Into the Woods, earning an Oscar nom for Oppenheimer, and even getting to play Mary Poppins. She also married John Krasinski and co-starred in his hugely successful directorial debut, A Quiet Place.

One to watch: again, the options are plentiful, but we have to go for Blunt essentially reprising her role as Emily Charlton to play Miss Piggy’s receptionist in The Muppets.

Stanley Tucci

Everyone’s favourite Hollywood foodie is said to have only signed on to play Nigel Kipling a mere 72 hours before his first appearance on set. Tucci’s career had been on an upward trajectory in the years leading up to The Devil Wears Prada, landing supporting roles with esteemed filmmakers like Steven Spielberg (The Terminal) and Sam Mendes (Road to Perdition), but his performance as Andy’s friend and confidante introduced the now beloved actor to a much wider audience.

The years since have been similarly kind. When not slurping pasta in a picture-perfect Italian osteria, Tucci was landing roles in everything from tentpole franchises (The Hunger Games, Captain America) to major awards movies (Spotlight, Conclave), even picking up a nomination for Best Supporting Actor for The Lovely Bones in 2009.

One to watch: plenty on offer, but it has to be his reunion with Meryl Streep in Nora Ephron’s lovely Julia & Julia.

Gisele Bündchen

Of all the fashion world people who appeared in The Devil Wears Prada, none had quite as much to do as supermodel-turned-briefly-actress, and former Ms Tom Brady, Gisele Bündchen. As Serena, Bündchen does a fine job of offering withering looks to Andy’s outfits in earlier scenes before the two eventually become friends. 

Since that performance, Bündchen has only appeared sporadically on screen, focusing more on her astronomically successful modelling career, her philanthropic endeavours, and appearing in the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics. 

One to watch: not much to go on here, so let’s say Taxi. 

Adrian Grenier

There’s nothing more 2006 about The Devil Wears Prada than the appearance of Adrian Grenier as Andy’s sometimes boyfriend, Nate—probably the most thankless role in the entire movie. Grenier had risen to fame as a stone-cold heartthrob after appearing in the Britney Spears-inspired film, Drive Me Crazy, in 1999.

Grenier was one year into his eight-season run on Entourage when he took on the role and, for better or worse, will always be associated with that HBO hangout show. Aside from that, Grenier has since tried his hand at writing, directing, and producing, while also appearing in several direct-to-video releases.

One to watch: Entourage. The unmistakably ‘00s show is enjoying a low-key renaissance for a reason.

Simon Baker

Simon Baker’s first appearance on screen, like most Australian actors of his generation, came on Home and Away. It didn’t take long, however, for Hollywood to take note. The actor got his big break when he landed a part in L.A. Confidential in 1997 and went on to work with celebrated filmmakers like George A Romero and Ang Lee before taking on the role (and the scarf) of Andy’s other squeeze. 

The actor’s career in the years since has been dominated by his lead performance in all 151 episodes of The Mentalist, but Baker has found time in his schedule for some big-screen roles.

One to watch: has to be his reunion with Stanley Tucci in J.C. Chandor’s wonderful Margin Call.

Rich Sommer

If your viewing habits are in any way similar to mine, you will find it physically impossible to look at Rich Sommer’s face and not think of Mad Men. Sommer was still two years away from that when he appeared as Nate and Andy’s corporate research friend Doug in The Devil Wears Prada. The role presumably helped him land that of the similarly befuddled Harry Crane in Matthew Weiner’s timeless TV show. 

Elsewhere, Sommer has largely stuck to similar roles in business-adjoining movies such as King Richard and Blackberry. 

One to watch: it’s hard not to say Mad Men, but for something a bit quicker, try the Social Network vibes of Blackberry.

Rebecca Mader

Somewhat similar to Sommer, to viewers of a certain age, Rebecca Mader will always be Charlotte Lewis, the no-nonsense cultural anthropologist who steals Daniel Faraday’s heart in the latter seasons of Lost. 

After moving to New York, Mader began her career as a model and appeared in sitcoms like All My Children before eventually getting a part in The Devil Wears Prada as an assistant editor with an unlucky taste for floral print. She’s gone on to appear in many movies and TV shows, with small roles in everything from Iron Man 3 to 30 Rock.

One to watch: It’s gotta be Lost.

You always know to expect the unexpected in a Yorgos Lanthimos film, and the Greek auteur's latest film, Bugonia, may deliver his biggest curveball yet. 

The movie is his fourth collaboration with actor Emma Stone, following The Favourite (2018), Poor Things (2023), and Kinds of Kindness (2024). Budgeted at $45-50 million, it’s also Lanthimos’ most expensive to date. That feels appropriate considering it’s the closest he’s come to a sci-fi picture thus far: Bugonia’s inciting incident, as revealed in trailers, is two conspiracy theorists – Jesse Plemons’ apiarist Teddy Gatz and his cousin, played by Aidan Delbis – kidnapping Emma Stone’s CEO Michelle Fuller, who they believe to be an alien.

What follows is a pitch-black comedy-drama inflected with gruesome moments of violence, dramatic irony, pathos, and magnetic performances from Stone and Plemmons. It all culminates in a rather surprising final twist, and depending on your view of the film’s muddled messaging, this ending may make the film or completely unravel it.

Bugonia’s Twist Ending, Explained

After the kidnapping, the film gradually reveals that Teddy’s mother, played by Alicia Silverstone, is in a coma caused by the pharmaceutical company that Michelle presides over. Teddy’s deep dissatisfaction with her meagre apology and compensation clearly fuels his accusation that Michelle is an alien emissary – an Andromedon, specifically – who must be contained and prevented from contacting her mothership.

After having her head shaved (something Stone actually did for real), being forced to smother herself with cream every day to prevent communication with her species, and suffering electroshock treatment, Michelle is unsuccessful in convincing Teddy of her humanity, or placating him with the ‘truth’ in hopes that cooperation will lead him to release her. 

As everything rushes towards a chaotic finale, Teddy distracts a local cop from uncovering the truth in his basement, while Michelle accidentally persuades his cousin to shoot himself. She extracts the key to her manacles from him to escape, but before leaving, discovers a hidden room filled with pickled body parts and a photobook of Teddy’s previous dismembered ‘subjects.’ With the true extent of his operation revealed, she confronts him with the real truth about the Andromedons: they were responsible for accidentally wiping out the dinosaurs and bioengineered humans as penance. The experiments on Teddy’s mother were part of a testing phase for the next stage of human evolution. 

She claims the plans are on her ship, and she can take Teddy there via a teleporter in her office. A flawed Teddy agrees, but when they get to the office, he reveals he’s wearing an armed bomb. He steps into the teleporter as she ‘activates’ it, and the bomb detonates, killing him and knocking out Michelle. This seemingly brings an end to the whole affair… Except that when Michelle awakens in an ambulance, she flees the vehicle, returns to the office, and does indeed beam up to her mothership, revealing she really is the Andromedon Empress.   

She and her fellow Andromedons decide that humanity isn’t worth sustaining or salvaging, and essentially pull the plug on us by popping a bubble over a model of a flat Earth. 

Why Bugonia’s Ending May Be Divisive

We spend the vast majority of the film assured that Teddy’s claims are conspiratorial nonsense, and while clearly intelligent, he’s unfortunately gone too far down the rabbit hole – addled by past sexual abuse and traumatised by his mother’s condition – to come back. On the backdrop of a widespread, even murderous, rise in anti-capitalist rhetoric, his grievances with Michelle won’t seem unfounded or unsympathetic to some, even if his actions are obviously unhinged, violent, and criminal.

For her part, Michelle’s situation is similarly sympathetic. Even a privileged Girl Boss doesn’t deserve to be robbed of their dignity and accused incessantly of being an alien in a stranger’s basement. However, though she does suffer, Michelle is never a helpless victim: she physically and verbally fights her captors at every turn, harnessing corporate negotiatory psycho-babble to undermine Teddy, specifically. 

In this light, Bugonia is at its most coherent when read as a snarky summation of our current communication problems: rationality vs. belief, fact vs. feeling, or truth vs. anti-truth. Both parties not only believe they know the truth, but that they are intellectually and morally superior to the other. It’s like watching a Facebook comment section play out in real-time. This is the core tension of Bugonia’s drama, and of the relationship between its two driving antagonistic forces. 

The reveal that Michelle really was who Teddy thought she was at the very end forces you to re-examine this theme. It pulls the vague environmentalism into sharper focus, as with the end of humanity comes the implied flourishing of other species – in particular, bees, famously endangered, and the only thing that really humanised Teddy. It also gives Teddy’s complicated existence more meaning, vindicated in his explosive death. In other words, there’s a silver lining to the nihilism. 

However, this sharp turn from a quirky but grounded comedy-drama into actual science fiction in the final few minutes will no doubt be jarring to most viewers – maybe even dismissed as a cheap bait-and-switch ending thrown in just for the sake of making things even more interesting.  It's hard to tell if the social and political commentary about our inability to understand each other and the divide between the haves and have-nots was the crux of the story, or if it was the existential warnings about ecological disaster all along.  Was Teddy actually a messed-up antihero?  Considering his horrendous crimes, it's an uncomfortable re-contextualisation.

Bugonia’s Ending Comes From Its Source Material

The basis for the story comes from the Korean film Save the Green Planet! (2003), and is pretty faithful to it, including the end twist. For that reason, we can neither solely applaud nor wholly blame Lanthimos – depending on your feelings – for it.  

Ari Aster signed on to produce the remake around the time of its early development in 2020. The director is notably credited with the most significant departure between Bugonia and Save The Green Planet! – changing the gender of the kidnapped character, opening the door for Stone to step into the role when Lanthimos joined the project. Gender-swapping characters doesn’t automatically alter their personality or behaviour, but the optics of two men holding a woman against her will for an extended period of time reads very differently than it does for a male victim. 

Interestingly, Save the Green Planet! writer/director Jang Joon-hwan credits Misery as inspiration, where the gender dynamic between abductor and abductee is reversed, as well as a surprising real-life source. “I remember liking Misery a lot when it came out, but it bothered me that [the Kathy Bates character] was just this crazy bitch,” he told The Village Voice while promoting the film. “I knew that I wanted to make a film about kidnapping, but I also knew that I’d have to come at it from the opposite direction. I’d have to take the kidnapper’s point of view. And when I came across this anti-DiCaprio website, claiming that he was an alien who was trying to seduce all the women on the planet in order to conquer earth, the two ideas seemed to fit.” In the early ‘00s, such crackpot theories were more novel. Nowadays, they’re positively pedestrian. 

As October creeps into November, certain things inevitably happen: the clocks go forward, the leaves fall, and the Internet becomes awash with end-of-year lists. The most fun of these, both to read and write, are not the roundups of what we’ve seen but the tantalising idea of what’s ahead: some of which we know a lot about; some of which don’t even have a name yet. 

For the following list of 2026 film releases—which I’ve arranged in ascending order of anticipation—I’ve opted to focus on “major” upcoming movies with relatively “set” release dates. This means things that haven’t premiered elsewhere: so, while all sorts of wonderful films from 2025 have yet to find their way to UK screens, and while a whole world of new movies will shortly begin their journeys from places like Sundance and Berlin, for now let’s stick to what we know.

Honorable Mentions

As ever with a list like this, there are just too many to mention, but for now, let’s say you can colour us variously intrigued by any of the following:

• Send Help  – a highly-promising-looking desert-island-romp from Sam Raimi, starring Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien. 
• 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple – Nia DeCosta’s attempt to both put The Marvels behind her and build on Danny Boyle’s exceptional franchise reboot. 
• Wuthering Heights – Emerald Fennel’s rather thirsty-looking update on Emily Brontë’s novel, starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi. 
• The Dog Stars – Ridley Scott’s first sci-fi movie in nine years. 
• Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die  – Gore Verbinski’s first movie in a decade. 
• Focker In-Law – Ariana Grande and Skyler Gisondo join the cast for the fourth instalment in the Meet the Parents franchise. 
• Toy Story 5 – Woody and the gang apparently face their greatest threat yet: screentime. 
• The Mandalorian and Grogu – a feature spin-off of the popular series, still sure to draw a crowd despite a slightly goofy trailer. 
• The Hunger Games: Sunshine on the Reaping – Joseph Zada plays a young Haymitch Abernathy among a typically stacked cast. 
• Coyote vs. Acme – a James Gunn-written, Who Framed Roger Rabbit-style movie that, tantalisingly, almost didn’t see the light of day. 
• Supergirl – a Craig Gillespie-directed, Milly Alcock-starring DCU adventure. 
• The Devil Wears Prada 2 – the runway team reunites for fashion world fun and flashes of pathos. 
• Scream 7 – in which McKenna Grace looks set to enter Ghostface’s group chat.
• The Bride – yet another Frankenstein movie, this one with Christian Bale and Jessie Buckley—apparently doing their own version of Joker: Folie à Deux.

As ever, we wish them all the best!

10. Scary Movie 6

On to the biggies. This year’s The Naked Gun and Spinal Tap sequels might not have quite lived up to our expectations, but I must say it was a real delight to laugh in a crowded cinema again. Next year, we’ll hopefully get another chance to experience that feeling with Scary Movie 6, the hotly anticipated return of the Wayans brothers’ spoof comedy franchise.

One of the reasons I can’t wait to see it is that the last Scary Movie came out in 2013—in other words, when Jordan Peele was still a sketch comedian (Get Out was released four years later) and A24 was simply the name of a road from Clapham to Worthing. Expect the world of “elevated horror” to be firmly in the crosshairs in Scary Movie 6, in which Anna Faris and Regina Hall (who will possibly be coming in off the back of an Oscar nomination) are set to reprise their iconic roles. 

Scheduled release date: 12 June 2026

9. The Social Reckoning

As someone who watches The Social Network at least twice a year, I have generally regarded any rumours of a sequel with complete disdain. Among its many qualities, one of the best things about David Fincher’s film is that it leaves you wanting more—even in the best-case scenario, would a sequel not extinguish that delightful (and all too rare) feeling?

At the time of writing, I’m quietly confident that it won’t. This is mainly because the movie—which has neither Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, nor David Fincher involved, not to mention the first movie’s iconic Harvard setting and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross score—will look, feel and taste different enough for it not to matter. The Social Reckoning (which is being written and directed by Aaron Sorkin) is said to focus on the 2021 Facebook leak. Jeremy Strong (as Zuckerberg), Jeremy Allen White and Mikey Madison lead an undeniably formidable-looking cast.

Scheduled release date: Expect a premiere in Venice or Toronto before opening on 9 October 2026

8. Spider-Man: Brand New Day & Avengers: Doomsday 

Three or four years ago, if you told someone in Hollywood that a new Spider-Man or Avengers movie had a chance of making less than $1 billion at the box office, they’d probably laugh you all the way to LAX. In 2026, after a series of issues we simply don’t have time to go into here, that is very much the place where the MCU finds itself with Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday. 

Naturally, next to nothing has been released about either plot. What we do know is that one is the fourth movie in Tom Holland’s reign as the webslinging hero—and while the actor is still beloved, he’s surely on the verge of ageing out of the part and moving on to more mature roles (more on one of them very shortly). The other (which is promising to bring both the original Patrick Stewart-generation X-Men and Robert Downey Jr. back into the fold) feels more like the MCU going back to the drawing board than the culmination of a years-long plan. We shall have to wait and see. 

Scheduled release date for Spider-Man: Brand New Day: 31 July, and for Avengers: Doomsday: 18 December 2026

7. How to Rob a Bank

If, like me, you feel that the world would be a better place if Hollywood delivered at least one starry heist movie (think Ronin, Inception, Now You See Me) each year, you’ll probably be delighted to hear that one is on the way in 2026—and it doesn’t even have “Ocean’s” in the title.

David Leitch’s How to Rob a Bank—which apparently focuses on a group of bank-robbing influencers—stars Zoë Kravitz, Nicholas Hoult, Pete Davidson, John C. Reilly and Christian Slater. The director, a former stuntman, might have some limitations when it comes to emotional depth and characters, but (as seen in John Wick and Deadpool 2), he certainly knows how to execute a set piece. 

Scheduled release date: 7 September 2026

6. Project Hail Mary

We’ll never know what might have happened had Phil Lord and Chris Miller been allowed to finish what they started with Solo: A Star Wars Story. That unfortunate incident aside, however, and I say with great confidence: These guys do not miss. 

If I’m being completely honest, the trailer for their upcoming movie, Project Hail Mary, in which Ryan Gosling plays a scientist who wakes up on a spaceship with amnesia during a potentially world-ending event, was not quite as funny as I’d hoped it would be. But if The Lego Movie, 21 Jump Street and Into the Spider-Verse are anything to go by (not to mention The Martian, the last movie adapted from an Andy Weir novel), we basically have nothing to worry about. 

Scheduled release date: 20 March 2026

5. Resident Evil

As someone who recently revisited all six of Paul WS Anderson’s wonderfully singular but largely terrible Resident Evil movies, I can’t say that news of another franchise reboot had filled me with much joy. That is to say, at least not before I heard that Zach Cregger was on board to direct it—and if you were a fan of Cregger’s breakout hit Barbarian or his 2025 smash Weapons, you should probably add this to your most anticipated list, too.

The movie is being co-written by John Wick alum Shay Hatten and is set to star Austin Abrams (who played the drug addict in Weapons) alongside beloved character actors Paul Waller Hauser (The Fantastic Four: First Steps) and Zach Cherry (Severance). There will, presumably, be blood. 

Scheduled release date: 18 September 2026

4. Untitled Alejandro G. Iñárritu film

It’s probably no accident that the logline for Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s as-yet-untitled latest movie, which stars Tom Cruise (alongside Jesse Plemons, Sandra Huller, John Goodman and various other beloved actors), sounds a bit like what ChatGPT would come up with if you asked it to write a Tom Cruise movie. This short synopsis reads thus: ‘The most powerful man in the world causes a disaster and embarks on a mission to prove that he is the saviour of humanity.’ 

Fans of Cruise (especially those who have celebrated his movie-star resurgence in more recent Mission: Impossible movies) have noted this casting with great interest—not since the early ‘00s (think Magnolia and Collateral) has the actor given himself over to a big-name auteur. Might Cruise finally win the Oscar that has eluded him for his entire career? Like anything with Cruise, you wouldn’t bet against him. 

Scheduled release date: Expect a Venice premiere before releasing wide on 2 October 2026.

3. Dune: Part Three

Dune: Part Three has the potential to be the greatest “two for you, one for me” movie of all time. The first two instalments of Denis Villeneuve’s gothic space opera covered the events of Frank Herbert’s first novel—an admittedly dense but ultimately satisfying narrative arc. This third instalment, which will feature Anya Taylor-Joy and Robert Pattinson alongside Timothée Chalamet and the rest of the returning cast, will likely be something else entirely.

Early word suggests that Villeneuve’s script—which takes place 12 years later and draws selectively from the source material (presumably leaving out the bit when Paul turns into a giant worm)—is phenomenal but potentially unfilmable. Sign me up. 

Scheduled release date: 18 December 2026, the same as Doomsday. Surely one will have to budge…

2. Untitled Steven Spielberg Film

The second yet-to-be-titled movie in our list comes courtesy of the great Steven Spielberg, a filmmaker who has been on a low-key roll these last few years. That said, while his last two movies (West Side Story and The Fabelmans) were beloved by fans and critics, neither one made a dent at the box office. 

His once world-beating talent for making bank is set to really be put to the test next year with his first sci-fi movie since Ready Player One and arguably his first “Spielbergian” sounding movie (it’s said to be about UFOs) since War of the Worlds. If that’s not enough to whet the appetite, it’s being written by Jurassic Park scribe David Koepp and will feature Emily Blunt, Colman Domingo and Josh O’Connor among the cast. I want to believe. 

Scheduled release date: An out-of-competition slot in Cannes could be possible before releasing wide on 12 June 2026. 

1. The Odyssey

How do you top a Best Picture-winning movie about one of the most significant figures of the 20th century that also somehow managed to pull in almost a billion dollars at the worldwide box office? 

There is a timeline in which Cristopher Nolan followed up Oppenheimer with something understandably in-betweeny (your Tenets, your Prestiges), but we are not living on that timeline. Instead, Nolan has decided to adapt The Odyssey and is apparently doing so with a reported $250 million war chest and basically every star actor on the planet. The rest of us will be seated. 

Scheduled release date: 16 July 2026

The battle royale is such a satisfying setup for a movie; it’s kind of surprising we haven’t seen more of them over the years. The concept is simple: drop a group of people in a secluded location, throw a few weapons and exploding collars in the mix, and let nature take its course. 

It’s an idea that dates back at least as far as William Golding’s 1954 novel, Lord of the Flies. These days, you can see it in everything from Squid Game to Fortnite. With Kinji Fukasaku’s Battle Royale about to celebrate its 25th anniversary and a new version of Stephen King’s The Running Man, directed by Edgar Wright, set for release very soon, what better time to look back at ten of the best movies to utilise the concept?

Read on to discover more about them and hit the guide below to find them on services like AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere.

10. Battle Royale 2: Requiem (2003)

Granted, Battle Royale 2: Requiem had a mightily tough act to follow—but even with respect to the movie’s troubled production, the director, Kinji Fukasaku, died of cancer, having filmed only one scene, at which point his son, who co-wrote both movies, stepped in to complete it—it’s a hard one to fully rally for.

All that said, this is a wild curiosity and features surely the most batshit use of rugby in the history of cinema. What can we say: if you really love the first one, or similarly unhinged movies from the era (Miike’s Happiness of the Katakuris comes to mind), it’s probably worth checking out!

9. Death Race (2008) 

Journey to one of the weirder corners of film Reddit and you’ll probably find a bro posting an essay on why Paul WS Anderson is less a hack than a misunderstood auteur. I haven’t bought into that theory just yet (the truth is probably somewhere in the middle), but his 2008 movie Death Race certainly ain’t bad.

The movie reimagines Roger Corman’s 1975 exploitation classic Death Race 2000 as a kind of battle royale movie—and one with Jason Statham in the lead role. For the story, Anderson moves the action to a prison, where a group of inmates fight to the death to earn their freedom. This is pulpy, late-’00s trash, but with a distinctly dystopian flavour—imagine a mid-tier blend of Mad Max and The Hunger Games and you’ll know where to set your expectation levels.

8. Guns Akimbo (2020)

The most recent entry on our list is Guns Akimbo, a movie in which Daniel Radcliffe plays a video game developer who wakes up with guns bolted to his hands and a target on his head—and if that setup sounds like your kind of thing, this might be the one for you.

The movie has some vague things to say about the dark web (like many movies on this list, the fights are watched by paying customers), but it’s more of a wild ride than a satire—imagine a similar mood to movies like Nobody or Novocaine, and you’ll know what you’re in for. 

7. The Belko Experiment (2016)

As much as we love the originators, it’s great when a movie comes along with a new spin on familiar material. The Belko Experiment does just that, taking a battle royale setup but moving it to a building in Colombia where 80 American office workers (uniform white shirts and all) find themselves in a fight to the death. This is a sharply written, corporate-satire riff on the genre and features a surprisingly stacked cast—including David Dastmalchian, Adria Arjona and John C. McGinley.

The movie was directed by Greg McLean, the Australian horror filmmaker behind the brutal Wolf Creek movies, but, more interestingly, was written by none other than James Gunn—so if you like Gunn’s earlier work (think Slither, Dawn of the Dead), you’ll wanna check this one out.  

6. The Running Man (1987)

This one is a tiny bit of a cheat, as some people would say Stephen King’s The Running Man is more appropriately described as a cat-and-mouse movie. That said, there’s no denying its influence in the battle royale genre—certainly on plenty of movies on this list.

The 1987 original, directed by Paul Michael Glaser, stars the one and only Arnold Schwarzenegger as a soldier who gets locked up for not following orders. He then breaks out but soon finds himself fighting for his life on a brutal reality TV show. This is one for fans of late ‘80s Arnie—especially movies like Predator and Total Recall. Make sure to catch it before the new one comes out!

5. Series 7: The Contenders (2001)

Series 7: The Contenders just about pips The Running Man on this list as, even though it’s clearly influenced by it, the story adheres much closer to the key battle royale theme: ordinary, randomly-selected people, fighting against each other in a fight to the death. The twist is that it’s shot like a late-’90s reality TV show, giving a unique vibe to the brutal satire.

This inventive movie was the directorial debut of Daniel Minahan, the filmmaker behind the Deadwood movie, as well as the Jacob Elordi-starring On Swift Horses, so if you’re a fan of those, you might want to check it out.

4. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)

Catching Fire is the best sequel in the Hunger Games franchise and not just because it features Philip Seymour Hoffman—though of course, that certainly helps. The key reason, which really should be a no-brainer for the series, is that most of the running time is focused on what happens in the arena—something that later instalments often failed to do.

The movie sees Katniss return to the games to fight again, this time against a selection of past winners that includes Jena Malone’s Johanna Mason and Jefferey Wright’s Beetee. But of course, Hoffman’s Plutarch Heavensbee, a Gamemaker and a rebel, is the movie’s MVP—especially if you like seeing the actor in big-budget movies, like Mission: Impossible III.

3. The Hunt (2019)

The Hunt is another movie on this list that, like The Running Man, comes at the battle royale setup from a slightly different angle. In this one, a loose adaptation of Richard Connell’s The Most Dangerous Game, a group of regular people wake up gagged in the woods and soon discover they’re being hunted for sport. The odds, as you might have guessed, are heavily stacked against them—but with a little cooperation, they start fighting back. 

The movie stirred up some controversy upon release as it depicted the villains as liberal elites, but I think that built-in provocation only adds to the fun. This is a good old-fashioned exploitation movie, and if you like horror films where wealthy people behave badly and get their comeuppance (like Ready or Not or The Cabin in the Woods), you’ll want to check it out.

2. The Hunger Games (2012)

Adapting a wildly successful YA novel—especially one with a devoted fanbase—is always going to be a daunting task, but Gary Ross’s The Hunger Games was basically a home run: a movie that managed to achieve the unlikely feat of pleasing the converted while bringing in a whole new group of fans. 

Despite its PG-13 rating, this is a movie that fans of the battle royale genre immediately fell in love with—especially anyone who had enjoyed Jennifer Lawrence’s work in movies like Silver Linings Playbook and Winter’s Bone and wanted to see the actress in a franchise leading role.

1. Battle Royale (2000)

Last-man-standing stories, even ones with political themes, had existed in movies and literature long before Battle Royale came along, but Kinji Fukasaku’s masterpiece quickly blew them out of the water. This is a movie with a tremendous amount of style and subversive energy, not to mention a haunting subtext that still resonates today—there’s a reason why it’s still considered the pinnacle of the genre. 

Naturally, if you’re a fan of Squid Game and The Hunger Games, I can’t recommend it enough. The same goes for fans of Japanese horror from that era—think Audition, Ring, Ichi the Killer, and all those other dark classics.