Ahsoka

Ahsoka is an upcoming American limited series developed by Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni for Disney+. It is part of the Star Wars franchise and a spin-off from the series The Mandalorian, taking place in the same timeframe as that series and its other interconnected spin-offs after the events of Return of the Jedi (1983), while also serving as a continuation to the animated series Star Wars Rebels. The series follows Ahsoka Tano as she investigates an emerging threat to the galaxy following the fall of the Empire.

Rosario Dawson stars as Ahsoka Tano, reprising her role from The Mandalorian. The character was created for the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars (voiced by Ashley Eckstein) and made her live-action debut in the second season of The Mandalorian. A spin-off series focused on the character was announced in December 2020, with Dawson reprising her role and Filoni set as a writer after he co-created the character. Filming began in early May 2022, with multiple characters from Rebels revealed to be appearing. In April 2023, additional castings were revealed, highlighted by Lars Mikkelsen reprising his Rebels role of Grand Admiral Thrawn, and the series was confirmed to be continuing the story established in Rebels.

Ahsoka is scheduled to be released on Disney+ with two episodes on August 23, 2023, and will consist of eight episodes. Watch the official trailer below.

Gran Turismo

Gran Turismo is a 2023 biographical coming-of-age sports-drama film directed by Neill Blomkamp (District 9) from a screenplay by Jason Hall and Zach Baylin. The film is based on the video game series of the same name developed by Polyphony Digital, while based on a true story. Devlopment of the film originally began in 2013, but change directions several times as far as director and the writing team.

The true story of the ultimate wish fulfilment tale of teenage Gran Turismo player Jann Mardenborough whose gaming skills won a series of Nissan competitions to become an actual professional race car driver.

The film stars Archie Madekwe as Jann Mardenborough, David Harbour, Orlando Bloom, Darren Barnet, Geri Halliwell Horner, and Djimon Hounsou.

Gran Turismo is set to debut in theaters on August 25th, courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing. Watch the official trailer below.

Vacation Friends 2

Vacation Friends 2 is a R-rated buddy comedy directed by Clay Tarver, co-showrunner and an executive producer of Silicon Valley, who also wrote the screenplay for the 2001 thriller Joy Ride. Tarver co-wrote the screenplay with John Francis Daley, Jonathan M. Goldstein, Tim Mullen, and Tom Mullen. It is the sequel to the 2021 comedy film Vacation Friends, which Tarver also co-wrote and directed. Watch the trailer and read our full review here.

Marcus lands an all-expenses-paid trip to a Caribbean resort, and he and his wife, Emily, invite their uninhibited besties, Ron and Kyla. But when Kyla's incarcerated father is released from San Quentin and shows up, things get out of control.

The cast includes Lil Rel Howery (Get Out, Uncle Drew), John Cena (Trainwreck, The Suicide Squad - see full review here), Yvonne Orji (Insecure), Meredith Hagner (As the World Turns, Palm Springs), and Steve Buscemi (Reservoir Dogs, The Big Lebowski).

Vacation Friends 2 is set to debut August 25th, only on Hulu. Watch the official trailer below.

Retribution

Retribution is a 2023 action thriller directed by Nimród Antal, based on a screenplay by Christopher Salmanpour and Andrew Baldwin. Jaume Collet-Serra, known for films like The Commuter, The Shallows, Run All Night, and Non-Stop, serves as a producer on the film.

When a mysterious caller puts a bomb under his car seat, Matt Turner (Liam Neeson) begins a high-speed chase across the city to complete a specific series of tasks. With his kids trapped in the back seat and a bomb that will explode if they get out of the car, a normal commute becomes a twisted game of life or death as Matt follows the stranger's increasingly dangerous instructions in a race against time to save his family.

The cast includes Liam Neeson, Jack Champion, Embeth Davidtz, Arian Moayed, Matthew Modine, Noma Dumezweni, and Emily Kusche.

Retribution is set to debut in theaters August 25th, courtesy of Lionsgate. Watch the official trailer below.

You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah

You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah is an upcoming American comedy-drama film directed by Sammi Cohen (Crush) from a screenplay by Alison Peck, and produced by Adam Sandler. Based on the 2005 young adult novel of the same name, the film stars Sunny Sandler, Samantha Lorraine, Idina Menzel, Jackie Sandler, Adam Sandler, Sadie Sandler, Dylan Hoffman, Sarah Sherman, Dan Bulla, Ido Mosseri, Jackie Hoffman, and Luis Guzmán.

It tells the story of two best friends whose bat mitzvah plans get affected by a popular boy whom they fight for the attention of.

Produced by Adam Sandler's Happy Madison Productions in association with Alloy Entertainment, You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah is scheduled to be released on August 25, 2023, by Netflix. Watch the official trailer below.

Landscape With Invisible Hand

Landscape with Invisible Hand is a 2023 coming-of-age science fiction film directed and written by Cory Finley (Thoroughbreds, Bad Education), based on the 2017 novel of the same name by M. T. Anderson. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23rd, 2023.

Adam is a teenage artist coming of age in the aftermath of an alien takeover. The Vuvv, a species of hyper-intelligent extraterrestrials, brought wondrous technology to Earth, but only the wealthiest can afford it. The rest of humanity, their livelihoods now obsolete, have to scrape together money in the tourism industry. In the case of Adam and his budding love interest Chloe, that means livestreaming their courtship for the amusement of the coffee-table sized Vuvv, who find human love exotic and interesting. When Adam and Chloe's scheme goes sideways, Adam and his mother have to find their way out of an increasingly nightmarish alien bureaucracy.

The film stars Asante Blackk (This Is Us), Kylie Rogers (Beau Is Afraid, Yellowstone), Tiffany Haddish, Brooklynn MacKinzie, John Newburg, Tony Vogel, Josh Hamilton, Michael Gandolfini, and William Jackson Harper.

Landscape with Invisible Hand is set to debut in theaters on August 18th, courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Watch the official trailer below.

The Hill

The Hill is an upcoming American biographical sports drama film about baseball player Rickey Hill overcoming a physical handicap in order to try out for a legendary major league scout. It was directed by Jeff Celentano from a screenplay by Angelo Pizzo and Scott Marshall Smith. It stars Dennis Quaid, Colin Ford, Joelle Carter, Randy Houser, Jesse Berry, Bonnie Bedelia, and Scott Glenn.

The film is scheduled to be released in theaters by Briarcliff Entertainment on August 25, 2023. Watch the official trailer below.

Golda

Golda is a 2023 biographical drama film directed by Guy Nattiv and written by Nicholas Martin. It stars Helen Mirren as Golda Meir, the fourth Prime Minister of Israel. It also stars Camille Cottin and Liev Schreiber.

A thriller that chronicles the high-stake responsibilities and controversial decisions that Meir – also known as the ‘Iron Lady of Israel’ – faced during the Yom Kippur War in 1973.

Golda received its world premiere at the 2023 Berlin International Film Festival on February 20, 2023, and is scheduled to be released in the United States on August 25, 2023, by Bleecker Street and ShivHans Pictures. Watch the official trailer below.

Bottoms

Bottoms is a 2023 American teen sex comedy film directed by Emma Seligman (Shiva Baby) and co-written by Rachel Sennott (Bodies Bodies Bodies, The Idol), who also stars opposite Ayo Edebiri (The Bear). The film is produced by Elizabeth Banks under her Brownstone Productions banner.

It follows two high school senior girls (Sennott and Edebiri) who set up a fight club as a guise to hook up with cheerleaders before graduation. Havana Rose Liu (No Exit), Kaia Gerber (American Horror Story, Babylon), Nicholas Galitzine (Purple Hearts, Cinderella), Dagmara Domińczyk (Succession), and Marshawn Lynch (Westworld) appear in supporting roles.

Bottoms headlined the 2023 SXSW film festival on March 11, 2023. It will be distributed by Orion Pictures through Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in the United States on August 25, 2023, and internationally by Warner Bros. Pictures. Watch the official red band trailer below.

Blue Beetle

Blue Beetle is a 2023 superhero film based on the DC Comics character Jaime Reyes / Blue Beetle, produced by DC Studios and the Safran Company, and directed by Angel Manuel Soto from a screenplay by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer. It is intended to be the 14th film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU).

Mexican-American teenager Jaime Reyes gains super powers when a mysterious scarab binds to his spine and provides him with a powerful suit of blue alien armour.

The cast includes Xolo Maridueña, Adriana Barraza, Damián Alcázar, Elpidia Carrillo, Bruna Marquezine, Raoul Max Trujillo, Susan Sarandon, and George Lopez.

Blue Beetle is set to debut in theaters August 18th, courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. Watch the official trailers below.

Strays

Strays is a 2023 R-rated live-action comedy directed by Josh Greenbaum (Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar), and written by Dan Perrault (Players, American Vandal). The film is produced by Picturestart founder and CEO Erik Feig (Luckiest Girl Alive, Cha Cha Real Smooth), by Louis Leterrier (director Fast X, The Clash of the Titans), by Dan Perrault (Players, American Vandal) and by Lord Miller partners Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part) and Lord Miller President of Film Aditya Sood (The Martian, Cocaine Bear).

Abandoned on the mean city streets by his lowlife owner, Doug, a naive but lovable dog named Reggie (voiced by Will Ferrell) falls in with a fast-talking, foul-mouthed Boston Terrier (voiced by Jamie Foxx) and his gang of strays. Determined to seek revenge, Reggie and his new canine pals embark on an epic adventure to get him home and make Doug pay for his dirty deed.

The talented comedic cast includes Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx, Josh Gad (Beauty and the Beast), Harvey Guillén (Puss in Boots: The Last Wish), Emmy nominee Rob Riggle (The Hangover), Brett Gelman (Stranger Things), Jamie Demetriou (The Afterparty), and Emmy nominee Sofia Vergara (Modern Family).

Strays is set to debut in theaters on June 9th, courtesy of Universal Pictures. Watch the official R-rated trailer below.

The Monkey King

The Monkey King is a 2023 computer-animated fantasy action comedy film directed by Anthony Stacchi (co-directed The Boxtrolls) The film, inspired by the epic Ming Dynasty classic Journey to the West and produced by Peilin Chou with Stephen Chow as executive producer, features the titular trickster, played by Jimmy O. Yang (Crazy Rich Asians, Minions: The Rise of Gru), who battles the Dragon King, who is voiced by Bowen Yang (Saturday Night Live, The Lost City). It also has supporting voice roles including Jo Koy (Easter Sunday), BD Wong (Jurassic Park, Bird Box), Jolie Haong-Rappaport, and Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once).

It was selected as the closing film at the 22nd New York Asian Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on July 30, 2023. It was released worldwide on Netflix on August 18, 2023. Watch the official trailer below.

Medusa Deluxe

Medusa Deluxe is a 2022 British murder mystery film written and directed by Thomas Hardiman. It stars Clare Perkins, Anita-Joy Uwajeh, Kae Alexander, Harriet Webb, Darrell D'Silva, Luke Pasqualino, and Heider Ali.

A murder mystery set in a competitive hairdressing contest. Extravagance and excess collide, as the death of a contestant sows seeds of division in a community whose passion for hair verges on obsession.

It was released in select theaters in the United States on August 11, 2023, and it is now available to rent or buy on demand. Watch the official trailer below.

Telemarketers

Telemarketers is an American true crime documentary series directed and produced by Adam Bhala Lough and Sam Lipman-Stern. It follows two office workers who stumble upon the truth of the work they've been doing at a telemarketing center and are determined to expose the industry.

The first of the three episodes premiered on August 13, 2023, on HBO. Watch the official trailer below.

Painkiller

Painkiller is an American drama limited series made for Netflix and created by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster. The six-episode series, which is based on Patrick Radden Keefe's New Yorker article "The Family That Built an Empire of Pain" and Pain Killer: An Empire of Deceit and the Origin of America’s Opioid Epidemic by Barry Meier, focuses on the birth of the opioid crisis with an emphasis on Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of OxyContin.

The series stars Uzo Aduba (Orange Is the New Black), Taylor Kitsch (Friday Night Lights), Carolina Bartczak (X-Men: Apocalypse), John Ales (Euphoria), Sam Anderson (Forrest Gump, Lost), and Matthew Broderick (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) as Richard Sackler, the American billionaire businessman and physician who was the chairman and president of Purdue Pharma.

Painkiller premiered on Netflix on August 10, 2023. Watch the official trailer below.

Dicks: The Musical

Dicks: The Musical is a 2023 R-rated musical comedy directed by Larry Charles (Seinfeld, Borat), from a screenplay by Aaron Jackson and Josh Sharp. It is scheduled to have its world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival in September 2023.

Two self-obsessed businessmen (writers Aaron Jackson & Josh Sharp) discover they’re long-lost identical twins and come together to plot the reunion of their eccentric divorced parents.

The cast includes Nathan Lane, Megan Mullally, Bowen Yang, Megan Thee Stallion, Aaron Jackson, and Josh Sharp.

Dicks: The Musical is set to debut in theaters September 29th. Watch the official trailer below.

The Last Voyage of the Demeter

The Last Voyage of the Demeter (also known as Dracula: Voyage of the Demeter in some international markets) is an upcoming American supernatural horror film directed by André Øvredal (The Autopsy of Jane Doe, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark) and written by Bragi F. Schut Jr. and Zak Olkewicz. It is an adaptation of "The Captain's Log", a chapter from the 1897 Bram Stoker novel Dracula. The film stars Corey Hawkins (Straight Outta Compton, In the Heights), Aisling Franciosi (The Nightingale, The Unforgivable), Liam Cunningham (Game of Thrones), and David Dastmalchian (The Suicide Squad, Dune). Its plot follows the doomed crew of the merchant ship Demeter who attempt to survive the treacherous ocean voyage while being stalked by a vampire, known only as Dracula.

Planning for the film adaptation of "The Captain's Log" began when Schut Jr. wrote the initial screenplay but did not come to fruition and languished in development hell for close to two decades. After Amblin Partners obtained the rights in October 2019, Øvredal was announced to direct the film. The main cast members were confirmed in 2021. Principal photography began on June 30, 2021, in Berlin, continued in Malta, and ended on October 1. Thomas Newman originally composed the film's score, but Bear McCreary served as his replacement due to Newman's scheduling conflicts.

The Last Voyage of the Demeter is scheduled to be released in the United States on August 11, 2023, by Universal Pictures. Watch the official trailer below.

Jules

Jules is a 2023 sci-fi drama film directed by Marc Turtletaub, who previously served as a producer for Little Miss Sunshine (2006) and Safety Not Guaranteed (2012), from a screenplay by Gavin Steckler.

Jules follows Milton (Kingsley) who lives a quiet life of routine in a small western Pennsylvania town, but finds his day upended when a UFO and its extra-terrestrial passenger crash land in his backyard. Before long, Milton develops a close relationship with the extra-terrestrial he calls “Jules.” Things become complicated when two neighbors (Harris and Curtin) discover Jules and the government quickly closes in. What follows is a funny, wildly inventive ride as the three neighbors find meaning and connection later in life - thanks to this unlikely stranger.

Jules is set to debut in select theaters August 11th, courtesy of Bleecker Street. Watch the official trailer below.

Heart of Stone

Heart of Stone is an upcoming American spy action thriller film directed by Tom Harper from a screenplay by Greg Rucka and Allison Schroeder and a story by Rucka. The film stars Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman, Red Notice), Jamie Dornan (Fifty Shades franchise, Belfast), and Alia Bhatt (RRR).

International intelligence agent Rachel Stone (Gadot) must embark on a dangerous mission to protect the mysterious MacGuffin known as "The Heart." Stone is tasked by the peacekeeping operation known as Charter to keep the object safe from falling into enemy hands.

The development of Heart of Stone began in December 2020, when Gadot signed on to star, with the film being the planned start of a franchise in a similar vein to the Mission: Impossible films. Harper and Netflix were confirmed to serve as director and distributor respectively the following month, with the rest of the cast being confirmed in early 2022. Filming took place in Italy, London, Reykjavík, and Lisbon between January and July.

The film is scheduled to be released on August 11, 2023, by Netflix. Watch the official trailer below.

Strange Planet

Strange Planet is an animated science fiction comedy television series based on the webcomic of the same name by Nathan W. Pyle. Pyle co-created the series with Dan Harmon.

Blue beings find themselves exploring and trying to understand the complexities and nuances of human traits.

The series premiered on August 9, 2023, with its first three episodes. Watch the official trailer below.