Leave the World Behind

Leave the World Behind is a 2023 psychological thriller film written, directed, and produced by Sam Esmail (Mr. Robot). It is based on the 2020 novel of the same name by Rumaan Alam. The film stars Julia Roberts (who also produced the film), Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha'la, and Kevin Bacon.

A family’s (Julia Robert and Ethan Hawke) vacation on Long Island is interrupted by two strangers (Myha’la and Mahershala Ali) bearing news of a mysterious blackout. As the threat grows more imminent, both families must decide how best to survive the potential crisis, all while grappling with their own place in this collapsing world.

Leave the World Behind will have its world premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on October 25, 2023. It is scheduled to be released in select theaters on November 22, 2023, before its streaming release by Netflix on December 8, 2023. Watch the official trailers below.

Merry Little Batman

Merry Little Batman is a 2023 American animated superhero film directed by Mike Roth, and written by Morgan Evans and Jase Ricci, from a story by Evans and Roth, based on DC Comics featuring the characters Batman and Damian Wayne. The film stars the voices of Yonas Kibreab, Luke Wilson, James Cromwell, and David Hornsby.

This Christmas, Damian Wayne wants to be a superhero like his dad – the one and only Batman. When Damian is left home alone while Batman takes on Gotham’s worst supervillains on Christmas Eve, he stumbles upon a villainous plot to steal Christmas and leaps at the chance to save the day.

The film was released on December 8, 2023, on Amazon Prime Video. A TV series based on the film, titled Bat-Family, is in development. Watch the official trailer below.

Reacher: Season 2

Reacher is a crime thriller series developed by Nick Santora, and produced by Amazon. The series is based on the Jack Reacher book series from author Lee Child. The series made its debut February 4th on Prime Video. Amazon Studios, Skydance Television and Paramount Television Studios produce the series. Showrunner Nick Santora executive produces with Child, Don Granger, Scott Sullivan and Adam Higgs, along with Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Matt Thunell.

The second season is based on “Bad Luck and Trouble”, the 11th book in author Lee Child’s 28-novel series featuring the character. Reacher (Alan Ritchson) gets a coded message revealing that members of his former U.S. Army unit, the 110th MP Special Investigations, are being murdered one by one. Pulled from his drifter lifestyle, Reacher reunites with three of his former teammates (played by Maria Sten, Serinda Swan, and Shaun Sipos), who begin to connect the dots in a mystery where the stakes get higher at every turn, bringing about questions of who has betrayed them.

The cast for the new season includes Alan Ritchson as Reacher, Frances Neagley, Maria Sten, Serinda Swan, Ferdinand Kingsley, Robert Patrick, Domenick Lombardozzi, Al Sapienza, and Ty Ollson.

All 8 episodes of Reacher: Season 2 will debut December 15th on Prime Video. Watch the official trailer below.

The Boy and the Heron

The Boy and the Heron (Japanese: 君たちはどう生きるか, Hepburn: Kimitachi wa Dō Ikiru ka, lit. "How Do You Live?") is a 2023 Japanese animated dark fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. The Japanese title references the 1937 novel of the same name by Genzaburō Yoshino, which appears in the film, but the film has an original story that is not connected to the novel. The voice cast includes Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Ko Shibasaki, Aimyon, Yoshino Kimura, Takuya Kimura, Karou Kobayashi, and Shinobu Otake. Described as a "big fantastical film", it follows a boy named Mahito Maki (Santoki), who discovers an abandoned tower in his new town and enters a fantastical world with a talking grey heron.

The Boy and the Heron was theatrically released in Japan on July 14, 2023, by Toho, and was screened in both traditional theaters and other premium formats such as IMAX. The release of the film, which is stated to be Hayao Miyazaki's last feature film, was noted for its intentional absence of any promotion, with Ghibli choosing not to release any trailers, images, synopsis, or casting details of the film in advance of its Japanese premiere with the exception of a single poster. It grossed over $52 million in Japan.

Following the film's release in Japan, the North American rights were acquired by distributor GKIDS with the film being internationally titled The Boy and the Heron. The film will have its international premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival as its opening film on September 7, becoming the first animated film in history to open the festival. The film will also be screened at both the 71st San Sebastián International Film Festival and the 2023 New York Film Festival, before being released in North American theaters later this year on December 8. Watch the official teaser trailer below.

Poor Things

Poor Things is a 2023 black comedy fantasy film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster, The Favourite) from a screenplay by Tony McNamara, based on the 1992 novel of the same name by Alasdair Gray. The film stars Emma Stone (La La Land, Cruella), who also serves as producer, Mark Ruffalo (Shutter Island, Avengers: Infinity War), Willem Dafoe (The Lighthouse, Spider-Man: No Way Home), Ramy Youssef (Ramy, Why Him?), Jerrod Carmichael (mid90s, On the Count of Three), Christopher Abbott (First Man, Possessor), Margaret Qualley (Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, The Nice Guys), and Kathryn Hunter (The Tragedy of Macbeth).

Bella Baxter (Stone) is brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Dafoe). Hungry for the worldliness she is lacking, Bella runs off with Duncan Wedderburn (Ruffalo), a slick and debauched lawyer, on a whirlwind adventure across the continents.

Poor Things premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 1, 2023, where it won the Golden Lion. The film is scheduled to be theatrically released by Searchlight Pictures in the United States on December 8, 2023, and in the United Kingdom on January 12, 2024. Watch the official trailer below.

Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé

Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé is an upcoming American documentary concert film by American singer Beyoncé. It is distributed by AMC Theatres, scheduled to premiere on December 1, 2023. The film will reportedly be an amalgamation of the creation of Renaissance (2022), Beyoncé's seventh studio album; the record's accompanying visual album; and the recorded footage from the Renaissance World Tour and its development.

The film was announced with a trailer following the final Renaissance World Tour concert at Arrowhead Stadium. The trailer was screened for the crowd to close the concert and then uploaded online. Watch the official trailer below.

Eileen

Eileen is a 2023 American psychological thriller film directed by William Oldroyd (Lady Macbeth) and starring Thomasin McKenzie (Jojo Rabbit, Last Night in Soho), Shea Whigham (The Wolf of Wall Street, Joker), Marin Ireland (I Am Legend, The Irishman), Owen Teague (Bloodline, It) and Anne Hathaway (The Dark Knight Rises, Interstellar). It is based on the 2015 novel of the same name by Ottessa Moshfegh and adapted into a screenplay by Moshfegh with her husband Luke Goebel.

In 1960s Massachusetts, an unhappy prison secretary (McKenzie) is beguiled by a new co-worker (Hathaway) who pulls her into complicity in a crime that surpasses her wildest imaginings.

Eileen premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2023. It will begin a limited theatrical release in the United States on December 1, 2023, by Neon, before expanding wide on December 8, 2023. Watch the official trailer below.

My Life with the Walter Boys

My Life with the Walter Boys is a 2023 coming-of-age drama series created by Melanie Halsall, based on the novel of the same name by author Ali Novak. The now 32-year-old author who is a graduate of the University of Madison Wisconsin's creative writing program wrote the novel at the age of 15.

After losing her family in a tragic accident, 15-year-old Jackie is forced to leave her privileged Manhattan life and move in with a large, boisterous family in rural Colorado, where she becomes entangled in a love triangle between two brothers.

The cast includes Nikki Rodriguez, Sarah Rafferty, Marc Blucas, Noah LaLonde, and Ashby Gentry.

My Life with the Walter Boys is set to premiere December 7th only on Netflix. Watch the official trailer below.

Culprits

Culprits is a heist television series created by J Blakeson (I Care a Lot), that stars Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Gemma Arterton, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Niamh Algar, Kamel El Basha, Tara Abboud, Karl Collins, Vincent Riotta, Amara Karan, Tom Mothersdale, Mark Field, and Laura Morgan as Soldier.

Family man Joe Petrus (Stewart-Jarrett) is living the American dream with his fiancé and step-kids. However, unbeknownst to them, Joe was involved in a mysterious crime three years ago and now his dangerous past is about to catch up with him. When a killer starts targeting the crew behind the crime, Joe realizes it’s only a matter of time before his family is targeted. He returns to London to track down his old gang and find out who is coming after them.

The series premiered on Star via Disney+ on November 8, 2023, in several countries around the world as a Star Original, and was released on Hulu on December 8, 2023, as a Hulu Original. Watch the official trailer below.

The Archies

The Archies is a 2023 Indian teen musical comedy film directed by Zoya Akhtar who also produced the film with Reema Kagti under Tiger Baby Films and Sharad Devarajan under Graphic India. The film features the fictional music band produced by and related to Archie Comics and stars Agastya Nanda, Khushi Kapoor, Suhana Khan, Vedang Raina, Mihir Ahuja, Aditi "Dot" Saigal and Yuvraj Menda.

The film adaptation of the comics has been under development since March 2018, before Akhtar's involvement as the director and producer of the film, officially announced in November 2021. Following an extensive pre-production and casting process, the film was shot during April–December 2022 in two concurrent schedules across Ooty, Mauritius, and Mumbai. Nikos Andritsakis handled the film's cinematography, with the original score composed by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy and Jim Satya, the former also composed the songs with Ankur Tewari, The Islanders and Saigal.

The Archies premiered at the 54th International Film Festival of India on November 22, 2023, and was released on Netflix on December 7, 2023. Watch the official trailer below.

Candy Cane Lane

Candy Cane Lane is an upcoming American Christmas comedy film directed by Reginald Hudlin (House Party, Marshall) and written by Kelly Younger. The film stars Eddie Murphy (Coming to America, Shrek), Tracee Ellis Ross (Little, The High Note), Robin Thede (A Haunted House, Bad Hair), Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation, The Last of Us), Chris Redd (Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, Saturday Night Live), and Jillian Bell (Bridesmaids, Rough Night).

A man (Murphy) is determined to win the neighborhood’s annual Christmas decorating contest. After making a pact with an elf (Bell) to help him win, the elf casts a spell bringing the 12 days of Christmas to life and unexpectedly bringing chaos to town.

It is scheduled to be released by Amazon Prime Video on December 1, 2023. Watch the official trailer below.

It's a Wonderful Knife

It's a Wonderful Knife is a 2023 Christmas comedy-horror film, written by Michael Kennedy, directed by Tyler MacIntyre (V/H/S/99), and starring Jane Widdop (Yellowjackets), Joel McHale (Ted, Community), Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps, Insomnia), and Justin Long (DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story, Barbarian).

Winnie Carruthers (Widdop) saved her town, the idyllic Angel Falls, from a psychotic killer on Christmas Eve one year previously, but after wishing she had never been born, she finds herself in an alternate universe in which she doesn't exist, allowing the killer to roam free.

The film had its world premiere at Beyond Fest on October 8, 2023, in Los Angeles and is scheduled to have a theatrical release across the United States on November 10, 2023. Watch the official trailer below.

American Symphony

American Symphony is a 2023 American biographical documentary film, written, shot, and edited by Matthew Heineman (Cartel Land, A Private War).

The film explores a year in the life of musician Jon Batiste, chronicling his career in music and the struggles his wife, Suleika Jaouad, faces with leukemia.

It had its world premiere at the 50th Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2023, and is scheduled to be released on November 29, 2023, by Netflix. Watch the official trailer below.

Family Switch

Family Switch is an upcoming American comedy film directed by McG (Charlie’s Angels, The Babysitter), written by Adam Sztykiel and Victoria Strouse, and starring Jennifer Garner (Catch Me If You Can, Juno) and Ed Helms (The Hangover, We’re the Millers). It is based on the 2010 children's book Bedtime for Mommy by Amy Krouse Rosenthal.

Jess (Garner) and Bill Walker (Helms) are doing their best to keep their family connected as their children (Emma Myers and Brady Noon) grow older, more independent, and more distant. When a chance encounter with an astrological reader (Rita Moreno) causes the family to wake up to a full body switch, on the morning of the most important day of each of their lives, can the Walkers unite to land a promotion, college interview, record deal, and soccer tryout?

Family Switch is scheduled to be released on Netflix on November 30, 2023. Watch the official trailer below.

Godzilla Minus One

Godzilla Minus One (Japanese: ゴジラ-1.0マイナスワン, Hepburn: Gojira Mainasu Wan) is a 2023 Japanese kaiju film directed, written, and with visual effects by Takashi Yamazaki. Produced by Toho Studios and Robot and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd., it is the 37th film in the Godzilla franchise, Toho's 33rd Godzilla film, and the fifth film in the franchise's Reiwa era. The film stars Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Sakura Ando, and Kuranosuke Sasaki. In the film, postwar Japan deals with the emergence of Godzilla.

Following the release of his film The Great War of Archimedes (2019), Yamazaki was selected to make a Godzilla film. He subsequently wrote the script over the course of three years, taking influence from the original 1954 Godzilla film and Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001). The film would be Yamazaki's third on-screen depiction of Godzilla, as he had previously used Godzilla through computer-generated imagery in Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 (2007) and Godzilla the Ride (2021) at Seibu-en Amusement Park. In February 2022, Robot publicized that Yamazaki was soon to begin directing a kaiju film via a casting call on their website. Filming occurred primarily in Kantō and Chūbu from March to June 2022. Shirogumi handled the visual effects at their studio in Chōfu from circa April 2022 to May 2023.

Godzilla Minus One had its premiere screening at the Shinjuku Toho Building on October 18, 2023, and was the closing film at the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival on November 1, 2023. Toho released it theatrically in Japan on November 3, the same day as the first film was released throughout Japan in 1954, to celebrate the franchise's 70th anniversary. Toho's American subsidiary Toho International will later distribute it in the United States and Canada on December 1. Watch the offical trailer below.

Silent Night

Silent Night is a 2023 action thriller film directed by John Woo, from a screenplay by Robert Archer Lynn. The concept of the film is unique as it includes no dialogue whatsoever with the story being driven solely by sight and sound. Principal photography began April 2022 in Mexico City, but was delayed due to an on set injury involving a crew member. The film is Woo's first American feature film since Paycheck (2003).

A gritty revenge tale of a tormented father who witnesses his young son die when caught in a gang’s crossfire on Christmas Eve. While recovering from a wound that costs him his voice, he makes vengeance his life’s mission and embarks on a punishing training regimen in order to avenge his son’s death.

The cast includes Joel Kinnaman, Scott Mescudi, Harold Torres, and Catalina Sandino Moreno.

In an interview with Vulture, Woo talked about the uniqueness of the film:

"Very interesting movie. The whole movie is without dialogue. It allowed me to use visuals to tell the story, to tell how the character feels. We are using music instead of language. And the movie is all about sight and sound. The budget was a little tight, and the schedule was tight, but it made me change my working style. Usually, for a big movie, a studio movie, we shoot a lot of coverage, then leave it to the cutting room. But in this movie, I tried to combine things without doing any coverage shots. I had to force myself to use a new kind of technique. Some scenes were about two or three pages, but I did it all in one shot."

Silent Night is set to debut in theaters December 1st, courtesy of Lionsgate. Watch the official trailer below.

The Artful Dodger

The Artful Dodger is a 2023 television series produced by Beach Road Pictures and Curio Pictures for streaming service Disney+ Star. A spin-off featuring characters from the Charles Dickens classic book Oliver Twist (1838). It features Thomas Brodie-Sangster as the eponymous Artful Dodger and David Thewlis as Fagin. The eight-part series is created by James McNamara, David Maher and David Taylor. It is directed and produced by Jeffrey Walker. Also directing are Corrie Chen and Gracie Otto.

In Australia in the 1850's, Jack Dawkins works as a seemingly respectable surgeon. However, when an old acquaintance resurfaces, his penchant for a life of crime from his time as a London-based pickpocket called Artful Dodger, also returns.

The cast includes Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Artful Dodger, David Thewlis as Fagin, Maia Mitchell as Lady Belle Fox, Damon Herriman, Miranda Tapsell, Huw Higginson, and Susie Porter.

The Artful Dodger is set to debut November 29th on Hulu. Watch the official trailer below.

May December

May December is a 2023 romantic drama film directed by Todd Haynes from a screenplay by Samy Burch, based on a story by Burch and Alex Mechanik. It follows an actress (Natalie Portman) who travels to Georgia to meet and study the life of the woman (Julianne Moore) she is set to play in a film. It is loosely inspired by the story of Mary Kay Letourneau. The film premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2023.

Twenty years after their notorious tabloid romance, a married couple buckle under the pressure when a Hollywood actress meets them to do research for a film about their past.

The cast includes Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore, Charles Melton, D. W. Moffett, and Piper Curda.

May December is set to debut in select theaters in the United States on November 17, 2023, before streaming on Netflix on December 1, 2023. Watch the official trailer below.

Dream Scenario

Dream Scenario is a 2023 comedy written and directed by Kristoffer Borgli. The film is produced by Ari Aster and Lars Knudsen under their Square Peg banner, alongside Nicolas Cage, Jacob Jaffke, and Tyler Campellone.

A hapless family man finds his life turned upside down when millions of strangers suddenly start seeing him in their dreams. When his nighttime appearances take a nightmarish turn, Paul is forced to navigate his newfound stardom.

The cast includes Academy Award Winner Nicolas Cage, Julianne Nicholson, Michael Cera, Tim Meadows, Dylan Gelula, and Dylan Baker

Dream Scenario is set to debut November 10th, courtesy of A24. Watch the official trailer below.

The Shift

The Shift is a 2023 dystopian drama and sci-fi thriller written and directed by Brock Heasley. The film, which is based on a 2017 short film from Heasley, made its debut at the 168 Film Festival in Fayetville, GA, on November 3rd, 2023.

After a tense encounter with a mysterious stranger who has otherworldly powers, a man gets banished to a parallel Earth where he fights to get back to the woman he loves.

The cast includes, Kristoffer Polaha (Wonder Woman 1984, Where Hope Grows, Dater’s Handbook), Neal McDonough (Band of Brothers, Minority Report, Captain America: The First Avenger), Sean Astin (Lord of the Rings, Stranger Things, Rudy), Elizabeth Tabish (The Chosen), Paras Patel (The Chosen), and Jordan Walker Ross (1883, The Chosen).

The Shift is set to debut only in theaters December 1st, courtesy of Angel Studios. Watch the official trailers below.