The Sympathizer”
South Korean auteur Park Chan-wook, Robert Downey Jr., and Canadian actor/filmmaker Don McKellar team up for an espionage thriller and cross-culture satire about the struggles of a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam War and his resulting exile in the United States (they co-showrun and Wook directs). Downey Jr. plays multiple antagonist characters, all of whom represent a different arm of the American establishment. The main cast is Hoa Xuande (“Cowboy Bebop”), Fred Nguyen Khan (“Transplant”), Toan Le, Vy Le, and Alan Trong (“The Tomorrow War”), all of Vietnamese descent.
Airdate: TBD, via A24 and MAX, but a lengthy teaser is out, so maybe before the end of the year.
“Expats”
Set against the vibrant and tumultuous tapestry of 2014 Hong Kong, Lulu Wang’s (“The Farewell”) adaptation of Janice Y.K. Lee’s internationally bestselling novel “The Expatriates,” portrays a family tragedy from many perspectives. The six-part limited series stars Nicole Kidman, Brian Tee, Sarayu Blue, Jack Huston, and Ji-young Yoo.
Premieres: TBD, but since it’s screening at TIFF in September, it should arrive later this fall via Prime Video.
“Three Women”
In this intimate, haunting portrayal of American female desire, three women are on a crash course to radically overturn their lives. The drama stars Shailene Woodley, DeWanda Wise, Betty Gilpin, Gabrielle Creevy, Blair Underwood, and Lola Kirke. Laura Eason, a writer on “The Loudest Voice,” showruns the series alongside executive producers like the author who wrote the original book, Lisa Taddeo, and Emmy Rossum. Louise Friedberg (“Y: The Last Man,” “Borgen”) directs the first two episodes.
Airdate: Starz bought it after Showtime gave up on it, but it’s still a big fat TBD.
“Alice & Jack”
Andrea Riseborough and Domhnall Gleeson play imperfect lovers who navigate the highs and lows of a 16-year relationship. With two heavyweights like that, what else could you possibly need to know? Well, there’s more. Created and written by Victor Levin (“Mad About You”), and directed by Juho Kuosmanen (Cannes 2021 Grand Prix Winner “Compartment No. 6”), this series is an authentic look at a relationship, blemishes and all.
Premieres: TBD, but it is premiering at TIFF which means, maybe it’ll turn up this fall?
“Masters Of The Air”
A World War II miniseries based on the U.S. Army Air Forces and produced by Playtone, which also made its precursors “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific,” this story will clearly feature similar sensibilities. Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Barry Keoghan, Fionn O’Shea, Anthony Boyle, Nate Mann, and Raff Law are among the many names. Cary Fukunaga is one of the A-list directors on board, and additional filmmakers include Dee Rees, Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck, and Tim Van Patten (“Boardwalk Empire”).
Airdate: TBD, via AppleTV+.
“The Curse”
A genre-bending comedy series created and written by Nathan Fielder (“The Rehearsal”) and Benny Safdie (actor and co-director of “Uncut Gems”), that stars Emma Stone, we’re sold. All three, principals, Fielder, Safdie, and Stone appear in the series which explores how an alleged curse can disturb the relationship of a newly married couple as they try to conceive a child while co-starring on their problematic new HGTV show, “Flipanthropy.” Fielder directs and co-stars so he presumably plays Stone’s husband. A24 is produces.
Airdate: TBD, but it’s making its world premiere in September/October at NYFF, so likely coming this fall.
“Star Wars: Skeleton Crew”
Created by “Spider-Man” trilogy filmmaker Jon Watts and Christopher Ford, the latest “Star Wars” series is a coming-of-age sci-fi adventure starring Jude Law, four unknown kids, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Tunde Adebimpe, Kerry Condon and Jaleel White. Set in the “The Mandalorian” age (after “Return of the Jedi”), it’s about four children lost in the galaxy following a discovery they make on their home planet. Directors on the series include The Daniels, David Lowery, Jake Schreier, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Lee Isaac Chung.
Airdate: Originally supposed to be out before end of 2023, so nowTBD via Disney+ and maybe now actually pushed to 2024, we shall see.
