2023 was a pretty good year for Netflix subscribers thanks to such Original Movies as They Cloned Tyrone, Extraction 2, and Nyad. Admittedly, not all of the streaming service’s movies were worth the subscription fee – Murder Mystery 2 and The Out-Laws were particular lowlights – but the good mostly outweighed the bad, so the recent price hike can (almost) be justified.
So, what about 2024? What Netflix Originals are coming our way this year? Well, there are quite a lot actually – far too many for us to discuss here – and there are a fair few that we think are worth adding to your watchlist. Check out our ‘most anticipated movies’ below and then let us know which titles you are most looking forward to in the year ahead.
Please note: There’s a chance some of these movies will miss their expected release dates so don’t be surprised if one or more of these Netflix Originals slip over to 2025.
Orion and the Dark
February 2, 2024
Based on the children’s book of the same name, Orion and the Dark tells the story of Orion, a rather anxious young chap with an irrational fear of murderous gutter clowns (we’re presuming he’s seen the IT movies), the ocean, and the thing he has to contend with on a nightly basis – the dark!
When the literal embodiment of his nightly fear pays him a visit, Orion is whisked away on a roller coaster ride around the world by Dark who hopes to help the boy overcome his nighttime anxiety. Will Orion finally be able to let go of his fears? All will be revealed when this Dreamworks Animation hits Netflix in February.
With an excellent voice cast, including Jacob Tremblay (Good Boys) as Orion and Paul Walter Hauser (Richard Jewell) as Dark, and a script from the master of the bizarre, Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), we’re expecting this to be a movie of our dreams and not of our nightmares!
Spaceman
March 1, 2024
The fact that Adam Sandler is starring in this one might make you question our decision to put this movie on our ‘most anticipated’ list. After all, he is responsible for such duds as The Ridiculous 6 and The Do-Over, two Netflix movies that can best be considered as lazy and witless.
But as Sandler’s other Netflix credits include the recent animated hit Leo and the Oscar-nominated Uncut Gems, you still have reason not to doubt our filmic tastes when scrolling through our choices.
Spaceman, based on the novel ‘Spaceman of Bohemia’ by Czech author Jaroslav Kalfař, sees Sandler take on the role of an astronaut named Jakub who, after jetting off on a mission into outer space, meets and befriends an ancient alien creature that is hiding in the bowels of his ship.
Paul Dano voices the alien and Carey Mulligan stars as Jakub’s wife in a Netflix Original that appears to be more thoughtful and dramatic than some of Sandler’s more frivolous movies for the streaming service.
Damsel
March 8, 2024
Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (28 Weeks Later) directs this new movie that sees Stranger Things actress Millie Bobby Brown experience another kind of Upside Down in a fantasy tale that flips the traditional fairy tale formula on its head with its story of a handsome prince who sacrifices a princess to a dragon instead of rescuing her from the fire-breathing beast.
Don’t expect this princess to be a ‘damsel in distress,’ however. Brown has already proven her worth as a tough cookie with her role as Eleven in Netflix’s hit sci-fi show so we expect her to kick monster butt once again as she relies on her survival skills in this upcoming movie.
With an original plotline and a starry cast which includes Ray Winstone, Angela Bassett, and Robin Wright, this movie should be worth adding to your watchlist when it lands on Netflix in March.
Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver
April 19, 2024
The first part of Zach Snyder’s Rebel Moon was one of our most anticipated movies of 2023. Unfortunately, the opening instalment of his sci-fi epic didn’t get an overly positive response from critics, largely because of its derivative script and less-than-compelling characters.
Of course, it was all a set-up for Part Two of Snyder’s franchise so we expect this upcoming movie to be better than the first as much of the groundwork has been laid for a significantly better story.
Plot details are thin on the ground at this stage but we expect to learn more about the mysterious Kora (Sofia Boutella) and a story that will see the villainous Noble (Ed Skrien) on a quest for revenge after the events of the first movie. We also expect the movie to match (or even surpass) the excellent visuals of Part One, so even if the story is on the thin side, there should still be enough spectacle to make us forget any weaknesses in the writing.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
Summer 2024
Eddie Murphy reprises his iconic role in this belated fourth entry in the action-comedy franchise. He isn’t the only actor returning as series regulars Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, and Bronson Pinchot, as Detective Billy Rosewood, Sergeant Taggart, and sassy art gallery salesman Serge respectively, are also making a comeback. Kevin Bacon and Joseph Gordon Levitt also star in this new movie that will hopefully have more in common with the excellent first Beverly Hills Cop title than the lacklustre second and third entries.
The movie, which details Axel’s return to Beverly Hills to investigate the demise of a long-time confidant, is the feature directing debut of Mark Molloy. A new director can sometimes be a cause for concern but as the movie has a dependable cast and a writing team whose individual credits include Zack Snyder’s Justice League, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, and Workaholics, we are quietly optimistic about this one.
The Mothership
2024
In this upcoming sci-fi movie, Halle Berry stars as a lady named Sara Morse, who, several months after her husband has gone missing, discovers a peculiar extraterrestrial item hidden beneath her home. Could this object be connected to his disappearance? The truth is certainly out there but the events of the movie’s plotting will only be unveiled when we finally get the opportunity to check out this fantastical movie for ourselves when it finally lands on Netflix this year.
The Mothership marks the directorial debut of Bridge of Spies screenwriter Matthew Charman and stars Omari Harwick as Sara’s missing husband and Molly Parker (in an unconfirmed role) alongside Berry. We expected to have a close encounter with this movie in 2022 when it was originally due for release but due to delays (for reasons unknown), it should now be beaming down onto Netflix later in 2024.
Does the delayed release signify a bad movie? Possibly but with its Spielbergian story and Academy-Award-winning main star, we aren’t writing this off as a failure just yet.
A Family Affair
2024
The romcom genre is pretty stale but this upcoming movie, which stars Joey King, Nicole Kidman, and Zac Efron, has a story that is slightly more original than most of its type.
A Family Affair tells the story of a young woman (King) who is the assistant to a narcissistic movie star (Efron). After quitting her job, she discovers her widowed mother (Kidman) has begun a romance with the famous playboy. According to the synopsis, this “surprising romance kicks off comic consequences for (the) young woman, her mother and her movie star boss as they face the complications of love, sex, and identity.”
With a starry cast (which also includes Kathy Bates) and a strong director (Richard LaGravanese), we’re expecting this movie to be better than the glut of other romantic comedies that are taking up valuable space on Netflix’s servers.
Havoc
2024
Gareth Evans, the director of such Indonesian martial arts films as The Raid and Merentau, is the man behind this latest action movie starring Tom Hardy. The Venom actor plays a detective who fights his way through the criminal underworld to rescue a politician’s estranged son. In the process, he discovers a web of corruption and conspiracy that ensnares his home city of Cardiff.
Packed with an all-star cast, which includes Timothy Olyphant and Forrest Whitaker, and a director who’s no stranger to films involving brutal fisticuffs and explosive stunt work, this should be a movie worth keeping an eye on as it approaches its currently unannounced release date.
City Hunter
2024
Based on the best-selling manga series “City Hunter” by Tsukasa Hojo (originally published between 1985 and 1991 in the magazine Weekly Shonen Jump), this upcoming Japanese live-action adaptation stars Ryohei Suzuki (Tokyo MER) as a troubleshooter in the city of Tokyo who cleans the streets of vermin and helps out the needy. He sounds a little bit like The Equalizer to us!
This movie will likely be much-anticipated by the manga’s large fan base but even if you haven’t read the source material, you might still want to put this on your watchlist when it launches this year, especially if you like crime flicks with a thrilling balance of realism and fantasy.
Here’s the synopsis:
“In present-day Shinjuku ward, Ryo Saeba (Ryohei Suzuki) works as a “sweeper.” He likes beautiful women and when he sees one, he doesn’t hesitate to talk to them. Nevertheless, when he receives a request from a client to carry out a mission, he does excellent work with his elite gunman skills, physical ability, and cold attitude. After Ryo Saeba’s partner Makimura is killed, he begins to work with Makimura’s sister Kaori. They form a new team to uncover the truth behind his death.” (source)
The Electric State
2024
Anthony and Joe Russo (Avengers: Endgame) are at the helm of this upcoming sci-fi adventure movie about an orphaned teenager who traverses the American West in search of her younger brother with the aid of a sweet but mysterious robot companion and an eccentric drifter.
The movie, which is based on the 2017 graphic novel of the same name, stars Mille Bobby Brown as the runaway protagonist and Chris Pratt, Stanley Tucci, and Ke Huy Qyan in supporting roles.
We have every reason to believe this movie will be brilliant thanks to its excellent cast, directors, retro-futuristic look, and thrilling source material, so if you love nothing more than sci-fi blockbusters with relatable characters and emotionally charged stories, this should be one to watch when it hits Netflix this year.
So, there you have it, our list of anticipated Netflix Original Movies that are (hopefully) releasing in 2024. Are you looking forward to these releases? Or are there any other Netflix titles that you are most looking forward to? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.