Netflix Fall Theatrical Releases Include 'The King', 'Marriage Story', And More
Netflix finally revealed its plan to release The Irishman in theaters this November, but Martin Scorsese's crime epic isn't the only film from the streaming channel headed to the big screen. In total, the streaming giant will send 10 movies to theaters. The Netflix fall theatrical releases will include The King, Marriage Story, Dolemite is My Name, and more.
Before the year gets away from you. pic.twitter.com/AoL9eriZwg
— Netflix Tudum (@NetflixTudum) August 27, 2019
As you can see above, Netflix is rolling out 10 movies to theaters this fall. The theatrical releases for these titles suggests that Netflix is hoping some will pick up some awards season consideration. Not every film on this list is going to get an awards season push, though. For instance: Earthquake Bird, a new thriller, isn't expected to be on anyone's awards voting radar. And I seriously doubt the animated Santa Claus movie Klaus is destined for a trophy. Films that Netflix isn't hoping to push to award voters have shorter theatrical runs, whereas Oscar hopefuls will run a little longer.
Here is a breakdown of the films in question.
The Laundromat (Dir. Steven Soderbergh)
When her idyllic vacation takes an unthinkable turn, Ellen Martin (Academy Award winner Meryl Streep) begins investigating a fake insurance policy, only to find herself down a rabbit hole of questionable dealings that can be linked to a Panama City law firm and its vested interest in helping the world's wealthiest citizens amass even larger fortunes. The charming — and very well-dressed — founding partners Jürgen Mossack (Academy Award winner Gary Oldman) and Ramón Fonseca (Golden Globe nominee Antonio Banderas) are experts in the seductive ways shell companies and offshore accounts help the rich and powerful prosper. They are about to show us that Ellen's predicament only hints at the tax evasion, bribery and other illicit absurdities that the super wealthy indulge in to support the world's corrupt financial system.
Dolemite is My Name (Dir. Craig Brewer)
Stung by a string of showbiz failures, floundering comedian Rudy Ray Moore (Academy Award nominee Eddie Murphy) has an epiphany that turns him into a word-of-mouth sensation: step onstage as someone else. Borrowing from the street mythology of 1970s Los Angeles, Moore assumes the persona of Dolemite, a pimp with a cane and an arsenal of obscene fables. However, his ambitions exceed selling bootleg records deemed too racy for mainstream radio stations to play. Moore convinces a social justice-minded dramatist (Keegan-Michael Key) to write his alter ego a film, incorporating kung fu, car chases, and Lady Reed (Da'Vine Joy Randolph), an ex-backup singer who becomes his unexpected comedic foil. Despite clashing with his pretentious director, D'Urville Martin (Wesley Snipes), and countless production hurdles at their studio in the dilapidated Dunbar Hotel, Moore's Dolemite becomes a runaway box office smash and a defining movie of the Blaxploitation era.
The King (Dir. David Michôd)
Hal (Timothée Chalamet), wayward prince and reluctant heir to the English throne, has turned his back on royal life and is living among the people. But when his tyrannical father dies, Hal is crowned King Henry V and is forced to embrace the life he had previously tried to escape. Now the young king must navigate the palace politics, chaos and war his father left behind, and the emotional strings of his past life — including his relationship with his closest friend and mentor, the ageing alcoholic knight, John Falstaff (Joel Edgerton).
The Irishman (Dir. Martin Scorsese)
Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci star in Martin Scorsese's THE IRISHMAN, an epic saga of organized crime in post-war America told through the eyes of World War II veteran Frank Sheeran, a hustler and hitman who worked alongside some of the most notorious figures of the 20th century. Spanning decades, the film chronicles one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in American history, the disappearance of legendary union boss Jimmy Hoffa, and offers a monumental journey through the hidden corridors of organized crime: its inner workings, rivalries and connections to mainstream politics.
Earthquake Bird (Dir. Wash Westmoreland)
A psychologically unsettling and atmospheric thriller set in 1989 Tokyo from director Wash Westmoreland (Colette, Still Alice), Earthquake Bird follows Lucy Fly (Alicia Vikander), an enigmatic ex-pat haunted by a painful past, who enters into an intense relationship with Teiji (Naoki Kobayashi), a handsome yet similarly troubled local photographer. Lucy's imperturbable exterior begins to crack when a naive newcomer, Lily Bridges (Riley Keough), becomes entangled in their lives and ends up missing – suspected dead.
Marriage Story (Dir. Noah Baumbach)
MARRIAGE STORY is Academy Award nominated filmmaker Noah Baumbach's incisive and compassionate portrait of a marriage breaking up and a family staying together. The film stars Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver. Laura Dern, Alan Alda, and Ray Liotta co-star.
Klaus (Dir. Sergio Pablos)
Klaus is a 2D animated family feature film from writer/director Sergio Pablos, co-creator of Despicable Me. When a selfish young postman is assigned to a remote Scandinavian town, his unlikely friendship with a reclusive toymaker leads to the origin story of Santa Claus. This timeless story is visualised through a unique combination of classical hand drawn animation and cutting edge digital technology. The world features volumetric lighting and texturing typically seen in CG animated films.
I Lost My Body (Dir. Jérémy Clapin)
A severed hand escapes from a dissection lab, determined to find its body again.
Atlantics (Dir. Mati Diop)
In a suburb of Dakar that lies along the Atlantic coast, a futuristic-looking tower is about to be officially opened. The construction workers have not been paid for months. One night, the workers decide to leave the country by sea, in search of a brighter future. Among them is Souleiman, the lover of Ada. However, Ada is betrothed to another man. Days later, a fire ruins Ada's wedding and a mysterious fever starts to spread. Ada is unaware Souleiman has returned.
The Two Popes (Dir. Fernando Meirelles)
From Fernando Meirelles, the Academy Award-nominated director of "City of God," and three-time Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Anthony McCarten, comes an intimate story of one of the most dramatic transitions of power in the last 2,000 years. Frustrated with the direction of the church, Cardinal Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce) requests permission to retire in 2012 from Pope Benedict (Anthony Hopkins). Instead, facing scandal and self-doubt, the introspective Pope Benedict summons his harshest critic and future successor to Rome to reveal a secret that would shake the foundations of the Catholic Church. Behind Vatican walls, a struggle commences between both tradition and progress, guilt and forgiveness, as these two very different men confront their pasts in order to find common ground and forge a future for a billion followers around the world.