As summer (hopefully) begins to turn into fall, I'm leaving blockbuster movies and iced coffee behind for awards season and pumpkin spice lattes – and curling up on a sofa at home.
The release calendar for the next four months is stacked, with Netflix in particular having a fall lineup of awards-worthy dramas, laugh-out-loud comedies, star-studded thrillers, and cozy holiday romances.
Brad Pitt will return to his Oscar-winning role of Cliff Booth in a surprise sequel from Quentin Tarantino and David Fincher, while Cameron Diaz’s latest high-octane comedy follows her 2025 return to screens after an 11-year retirement. So whatever you're in the mood for, take a look at HELLO!'s ultimate guide below….
September
© Philippe Bosse/Netflix ©2026HELLO!'s pick:
Unabomber (September 25)
Inspired by true events, Jacob Tremblay, the breakout child star of Room, transforms into Ted Kaczynski, who became the infamous terrorist known as Unabomber, the man who murdered three people and injured 23 others between 1978 and 1995 in a nationwide mail bombing campaign.
Janus Metz' movie explores his college years at Harvard and his twisted relationship with Professor Henry Murray (Russell Crowe), who performed controversial experiments on students, as well as the future investigation by Joanne Miller (Shailene Woodley), the FBI agent tasked with catching the Unabomber.
© Emily V. Aragones/NetflixMaitreyi Ramakrishnan as Maya & Priyanka Kedia as Anjali in Best of the Best
Also coming this month:
Sept. 1: Untold: Raygun: Breaking Badly
Why We’re Watching: The Olympic debut of Australian breaker Raygun (aka Rachael Gunn) lives rent-free in my head, and for the first time a documentary crew has gone beyond-the-scenes of Raygun’s performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics and the wave of conspiracy theories that followed
Sept. 8: Untold: Mr. T: I Pity The Fool
Why We’re Watching: A deep-dive portrait tracing how Mr T, a former Chicago bouncer, turned him into an iconic pop culture and professional wrestling titan.
Sept. 9: Why Did I Get Married Again?
Why We’re Watching: Tyler Perry does it again in this lighthearted relational comedy that explores long-term romance – and second chances.
Sept. 10: Call My Agent! The Movie
Why We’re Watching: The beloved French series returns to Netflix – and this time as a feature-length movie that serves as a curtain call full of celebrity cameos and high-stakes chaos.
Sept. 18: Best of the Best
Why We’re Watching: A fast-paced ensemble comedy set in the competitive world of a Bollywood-fusion college dance team? Sign me up..
October
© Warrick Page/NetflixKerry Washington as Abigail and Ben Affleck as Mark in Animals
HELLO's pick:
Animals (October 9)
Ben Affleck has proven himself behind the camera (Argo, The Town) and his new project looks set to be another top-tier thriller with serious awards potential.
Ben directs himself and Kerry Washington in Animals, with the pair playing a Los Angeles-based political power couple drawn into a web of deception and forced to consider terrible choices when their son is kidnapped.
© Courtesy of NetflixSacrifice. Chris Evans as Mike Tyler in Sacrifice
Also coming this month:
Oct. 16: Sacrifice
Why We’re Watching: Billed as a satirical thriller, Chris Evans plays movie star Mike Tyler who – in the middle of an existential crisis – finds himself taken hostage at a charity gala, attended by billionaires and A-listers, by a radical cult led by Anya Taylor-Joy.
Both Chris and Anya can pull off the biting wink in the eye needed for a project like this, so I'm intrigued to see how it plays out.
Oct. 16: Therapy Done Right
Why We’re Watching: A dark comedy with Ricardo Darín and Diego Peretti centered on an unconventional therapist whose radical methods upend the lives of an eccentric group of patients.
November
© Kane Skennar/Netflix ©2025Nicholas Galitzine, Tom Francis, Bill Skarsgaard and Ray Nicholson on the set of The Mosquito Bowl
HELLO's pick:
The Mosquito Bowl (November 30, in cinemas October 30)
In 2006 Peter Berg adapted Buzz Bissinger's 1990 non-fiction book Friday Night Lights into an Emmy-winning TV series, and now he is setting his sights on Buzz's 2022 retelling of the 1944 Mosquito Bowl.
A potential awards contender, the film tells the story of elite college football rivals (played by Nicholas Galitzine, Bill Skarsgård, Ray Nicholson, and Tom Francis) who enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps after Pearl Harbor.
On Christmas Eve in 1944 over 65 players then took part in one final high-stakes game, known as the Mosquito Bowl – knowing that the next day they would be deploying into the Battle of Okinawa.
© Tina Rowden/NetflixGarrett Hedlund as Roy Combs and Jessica Chastain as Misty Jones in Heartland
Also coming this month:
Nov. 4: A Dog's Perfect Christmas
Why We’re Watching: A warm, nostalgic holiday drama about dogs, and starring Rob Lowe, Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Milo Ventimiglia? Say no more.
Nov. 6: Possible Love
Why We’re Watching: Paul Mescal and Phoebe Dynevor star in this quiet romance about a couple who must navigate distance – and second chances – across the years.
Nov. 13 Heartland
Why We’re Watching: Jessica Chastain stars in this drama as a country megastar who comes out of her self-imposed seclusion and must grapple with her own murky past when her niece – a rising country musician – goes missing.
Nov 18. Guarding Stars
Why We’re Watching: The first of a new batch of 2026 Christmas movies on Netflix stars millennial faves, Gossip Girl's Leighton Meester and Supernatural's Jared Padalecki in this charming rom-com that follows a no-nonsense bodyguard assigned to protect an action star over the holidays – only for secrets to be uncovered and sparks to fly.
Nov 20. Steps
Why We’re Watching: I love a retelling that focuses on the villain – Maleficent, Hook, Wicked.
This new animation with Amanda Seyfried, Bette Midler, and Stephanie Hsu takes us into the world of Cinderella’s “evil” stepsisters – as well as biker trolls, evil henchmen, and the Screaming Woods.
December
© Peter Kramer/NetflixCameron Diaz as Joy and Ed O'Neill as Henry in Bad Day
HELLO!'s pick:
Bad Day (December 11)
Cameron Diaz returns to the screen in the type of film she is best at – an action comedy that allows her to show off her comedic chops and kick ass.
Bad Day will see her play a single mom fighting to keep one little promise to her daughter on what is turning out to be the absolute worst day of her life.
© Courtesy of NetflixWill Sharpe and Stephanie Hsu voice teenagers, AJ and Kristen, in In Waves
Also coming this month:
Dec 2. In A Holidaze
Why We’re Watching: Maddie Ziegler stars in another sure-to-be-iconic Christmas movie, as a twentysomething who finds herself trapped in a holiday time loop, forced to relive the same Christmas at her family’s cabin until she discovers what truly makes her happy.
Dec. 11 In Waves
Why We’re Watching: In Waves chronicles grief, loss, and growing up on the Northern California coastline, as Will Sharpe and Stephanie Hsu voice two teenagers, AJ and Kristen, who fall madly in love over their shared hobbies – surfing, skateboarding and art – but everything changes when Kristen faces a sudden illness.
Dec. 16 Give Me Some Sugah
Why We’re Watching: Is there anything better than a movie about miracles at Christmas?
Taraji P Henson stars in this movie, based on the incredible true story of Lenore Lindsey, a Chicago bakery owner is inspired to heal old wounds and find purpose when she makes a stunning discovery.
Dec 23. The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth (IMAX release on November 25)
Why We’re Watching: A film with Brad Pitt, David Fincher directing, and a screenplay by Quentin Tarantino? Why would we not be watching?
Brad returns to his Academy Award–winning role as Cliff Booth, whom audiences first met in Once Upon A Time in Hollywood – only this time it’s 1977 and it’s a very different Hollywood.
Little else is known about the plot, but this is sure to be a hit – and a possible awards contender for Brad – again.
