Not only does Fall bring chillier temperatures, pumpkin spice lattes [1], and cozy sweaters [2] but also plenty of reasons to go to the movie theater (or stay on the comfort of your own couch with new Netflix originals [3], if you're into that sort of thing). The season kicks off with everything from a heartbreaking family drama [4] to the long-awaited Halloween reboot [5] that will surely give us nightmares long after Fall transitions into Winter. This is also the season when Oscar hopefuls emerge and holiday blockbusters start coming out by the dozen, so there's seriously something for everyone. If you need an idea of what to see from September, October, and beyond, then take a look at the list ahead.
Operation Finale
- The scoop: With a large crew to back him up, Mossad agent Peter Malkin (Oscar Isaac) goes on a covert mission to Argentina in 1960 to find the Nazi officer who masterminded the Holocaust. Mélanie Laurent, Haley Lu Richardson, Ben Kingsley, and Nick Kroll costar.
- Release date: Aug. 29
Sierra Burgess Is a Loser
- The scoop: The story focuses on Sierra (Stranger Things star Shannon Purser) [7], a smart high school student who unintentionally begins catfishing her crush because of a case of mistaken identity. She teams up with Veronica, the school's typical popular mean girl (Kristine Froseth), in hopes of winning over her crush, played by The Fosters' Noah Centineo.
- Release date: Sept. 7
The Nun
- The scoop: Even the poster for this follow-up to the Conjuring franchise is enough to send chills down our spines, so we can only imagine how terrifying the actual movie is going to be. This time around, we travel to 1950s Romania, where a nun and a Catholic priest are sent by the Vatican to investigate the mysterious suicide of another nun at a monastery. What they don't realize is that an intensely powerful demonic force is already there, waiting to claim them.
- Release date: Sept. 7
Mandy
- The scoop: Nicolas Cage [8] and Andrea Riseborough star in this thriller set in 1983. The pair play Red Miller and Mandy Bloom, who lead a remote, peaceful existence in the Pacific Northwest until a sadistic cult destroys everything they hold dear. The invasion sparks a tale of bloody vengeance that will have you on the edge of your seat.
- Release date: Sept. 14
The Predator
- The scoop: Alfie Allen, Olivia Munn, and more star in this sequel, which will see soldiers teaming up to battle the vicious extraterrestrial we all know and love (to have nightmares of).
- Release date: Sept. 14
White Boy Rick
- The scoop: This based-on-a-true-story crime drama follows young teen Richard Wershe Jr. (Richie Merritt), who goes on to become an undercover FBI informant in the 1980s, although his life tragically ends in disgrace and life in prison. Matthew McConaughey [9] plays his father, Richard Wershe Sr.
- Release date: Sept. 14
A Simple Favor
- The scoop: A Simple Favor [10], a Paul Feig-directed thriller, stars Anna Kendrick [11] as Stephanie, who seems like she just wants to track down her missing BFF Emily (Blake Lively [12]) . . . but what if she actually had something to do with her disappearance? Although Emily has always seemed like an elegant, aspirational, and all-around put-together human being, she's also been hiding a dark side from both Stephanie and her own husband, Sean (Crazy Rich Asians actor Henry Golding), which creates an even more complex mystery.
- Release date: Sept. 14
The Land of Steady Habits
- The scoop: Ted Thompson's novel The Land of Steady Habits is coming to Netflix this Fall and stars Ben Mendelsohn as Anders Hill, a family man in his mid-50s living in an affluent part of Connecticut who finds himself in a rut. With his son's college tuition paid off, Anders leaves his wife (Edie Falco) and goes on a clumsy search for freedom.
- Release date: Sept. 14
The Sisters Brothers
- The scoop: This Western drama picks up in 1850s Oregon, where a gold prospector finds himself on the run from an infamous duo of assassins, the Sisters brothers. If that isn't enough to convince you to watch it, hopefully the star-studded cast is: Jake Gyllenhaal [13], Joaquin Phoenix [14], John C. Reilly, and Riz Ahmed star.
- Release date: Sept. 19
The House With a Clock in Its Walls
- The scoop: A young boy goes to stay with his uncle in a creaky old house and soon realizes that there's much more to the home than meets the eye — get ready for thrills, chills, witches, and warlocks.
- Release date: Sept. 21
Quincy
- The scoop: Rashida Jones teamed up with Alan Hicks to direct this Netflix documentary about her father, Quincy Jones, aptly titled Quincy. The film is an intimate look into the life of the music industry icon, exploring his impact, the way he's transcended racial and cultural boundaries, and the ups and downs of his career over the last 70 years.
- Release date: Sept. 21
Nappily Ever After
- The scoop: In this Netflix romantic dramedy, Violet Jones (Sanaa Lathan) appears to have it all together — a great job, a doctor boyfriend, and a gorgeous head of hair — until a devastating, life-altering event shatters her illusion of perfection. With her carefully maintained world crumbling around her (and her boyfriend taking up with another woman), Violet decides to figure out just what, exactly, she actually wants out of life.
- Release date: Sept. 21
Life Itself
- The scoop: This Is Us [15] creator Dan Fogelman just can't help himself when it comes to making people cry [16]. Not only are we emotionally broken by his hit TV show each week, but the man is also gifting us with a new drama, Life Itself, that's sure to be a tearjerker. The film hinges on a ridiculously beautiful couple (Oscar Isaac and Olivia Wilde [17]) whose life together — from their first meeting to having a baby and raising their child — spawns "a multi-generational love story" that stretches from New York City to the Spanish countryside. Of course, in true Fogelman fashion, one tragic event is what connects it all. It also stars Mandy Patinkin, Olivia Cooke, Laia Costa, Annette Bening, and Antonio Banderas [18].
- Release date: Sept. 21
Colette
- The scoop: Keira Knightley [19] has returned to the world of period films, and we couldn't be happier. The actress stars as Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, an author who is coerced into ghostwriting a novel for her husband, Willy (Dominic West), after moving to Paris. After the story becomes wildly successful, she's inspired to fight for creative ownership and against the traditional gender norms of the early 20th century.
- Release date: Sept. 21
Night School
- The scoop: Night School stars comedian Kevin Hart as a wildly successful salesman who eventually runs into trouble when an explosion at work leaves him out of a job. Unfortunately, his prospects look slim since he dropped out of high school, so he decides to take night classes at the local high school — taught by Tiffany Haddish's tough-as-nails instructor Kerry — along with a few other troublemakers in order to get his GED and a better career.
- Release date: Sept. 28
Boy Erased
- The scoop: Garrard Conley's heartbreaking 2016 memoir is coming to the big screen, starring Lucas Hedges as Jared, the teenage son of a baptist preacher (Russell Crowe [21]) who is forced to endure a church-supported gay conversion program. The film also stars Nicole Kidman [22], Joel Edgerton, Xavier Dolan, and Joe Alwyn.
- Release date: Sept. 28
Private Life
- The scoop: This Netflix film tracks a stressed-out couple — an author (Kathryn Hahn) and her husband (Paul Giamatti) — as they endure multiple fertility therapies to get pregnant. The drama also stars Molly Shannon and Emily Robinson.
- Release date: Oct. 5
Venom
- The scoop: Tom Hardy's upcoming Spider-Man spinoff [23], Venom [24], sees the villain in all his terrifying, gory glory. The trailer [25] promises that we'll see Eddie Brock's (Hardy) transition and struggle going from investigative journalist to symbiote host, finally referring to himself as "we." (Shiver!) His ex-girlfriend Anne Weying (Michelle Williams [26]) and Riz Ahmed's evil Dr. Carlton Drake (who will later become the film's main antagonist, a fellow symbiote called Riot) also appear.
- Release date: Oct. 5
A Star Is Born
- The scoop: Bradley Cooper [27] and Lady Gaga [28]'s romance, which is the fourth iteration of this story [29], follows a has-been rock icon (Cooper) [30] who discovers a ridiculously talented young singer (Gaga). Not only do they embark on an epic love story [31], but they're also forced to navigate some thrilling triumphs and devastating pitfalls as they tackle the music industry.
- Release date: Oct. 5
Bad Times at the El Royale
- The scoop: Did God herself cast Bad Times at the El Royale [32]? Because this thriller is seriously stacked with talent. Jeff Bridges [33], Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson [34], Cailee Spaeny, Lewis Pullman, and Nick Offerman play a group of strangers who find themselves clashing at the titular creepy hotel, owned by Jon Hamm [35]. According to the film's description, "Over the course of one fateful night, secrets are unearthed, and everyone will have a last shot at redemption before everything goes to hell." Apparently "hell" is code for "Chris Hemsworth shirtless [36]."
- Release date: Oct. 12
First Man
- The scoop: Ryan Gosling [37] plays Neil Armstrong in this biopic, which reunites him with La La Land director Damien Chazelle. Based on the book by James R. Hansen, the drama looks equal parts heartfelt and intense [38] and also stars The Crown's Claire Foy and Bloodline's Kyle Chandler.
- Release date: Oct. 12
Apostle
- The scoop: Occult horror-thriller Apostle stars Beauty and the Beast's Dan Stevens as Thomas Richardson, who returns home to London in 1905 only to discover that his sister has been captured by a cult led by the dangerously charismatic Prophet Malcolm (Michael Sheen) and is being held for ransom. Thomas sets out to rescue his sister, infiltrating the cult's island community and eventually uncovering an evil secret.
- Release date: Oct. 12
Beautiful Boy
- The scoop: Get your tissues ready, because Timothée Chalamet [39] will break your heart in this Amazon Studios adaptation of Tweak and David Sheff's gut-wrenching memoir, Beautiful Boy. Chalamet's character goes from a lighthearted, suburban big brother who enjoys family time to a young adult battling a devastating methamphetamine addiction. Steve Carell [40] plays his father, and their relationship will shake you to your core.
- Release date: Oct. 12
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
- The scoop: Melissa McCarthy flexes her dramatic acting chops in Can You Ever Forgive Me? [41] as Lee Israel, a real-life magazine writer whose life took a turn when she started forging and selling letters supposedly written by late, legendary writers. She later pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to transport stolen property in 1993 and eventually wrote a memoir about her life, upon which the biopic is based.
- Release date: Oct. 19
Halloween
- The scoop: A David Gordon Green-directed reboot [42] of the terrifying franchise sees Jamie Lee Curtis reprising her role as Laurie Strode from the 1978 original. Now older (but perhaps not altogether wiser), Laurie has spent years praying that her attempted murderer, Michael Myers, would escape from his psychiatric ward so that she can get revenge for the trauma he put her through by killing him herself. Well, thanks to a bus crash, she gets her wish, and the unstoppable homicidal maniac is let loose on the world once again.
- Release date: Oct. 19
Wildlife
- The scoop: Do you hear that? It's the sound of Oscar buzz for Wildlife, which stars Jake Gyllenhaal [43] and Carey Mulligan [44] as a couple who move their son to Montana in 1960, only for their marriage to fall apart.
- Release date: Oct. 19
Galveston
- The scoop: After mob hit man Roy (Ben Foster) discovers his boss has hired assassins to take him out, he goes on the run with a young, troubled woman named Rocky (Elle Fanning). As they make their way to Galveston, they desperately try to outrun not only the mob but also the demons from both of their pasts.
- Release date: Oct. 19
An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn
- The scoop: In this quirky comedy, Lulu Danger (Aubrey Plaza) is already deeply unsatisfied in her marriage to Shane (Emile Hirsch [45]), but things only degrade further when a mysterious man from her past (Jemaine Clement) arrives in town to perform an event called "An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn; For One Magical Night Only."
- Release date: Oct. 19
Suspiria
- The scoop: As a follow-up to award season darling Call Me by Your Name [46], director Luca Guadagnino has dramatically changed courses by remaking one of the scariest horror movies from the 1970s [47]: Suspiria [48]. It follows Dakota Johnson's ambitious young dancer, Susie [49], arriving at a world-renowned dance company led by a mysterious artistic director (Tilda Swinton), who will send Susie on a journey filled with darkness (translation: satanic rituals, witches, curses, murder, etc.). Mia Goth, Lutz Ebersdorf, Jessica Harper, and Chloë Grace Moretz also star.
- Release date: Oct. 26
Bohemian Rhapsody
- The scoop: The long-awaited Queen biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody [50], stars Rami Malek as the group's legendary frontman Freddie Mercury and also dives into the musician's relationship with Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton) [51] and the creative process behind some of Queen's biggest hits.
- Release date: Nov. 2
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
- The scoop: Disney's The Nutcracker and the Four Realms [52] is a beautiful look at the magical world young Clara (Twilight's Mackenzie Foy [53]) stumbles upon one Winter night. Her new surroundings include a dashing soldier (Jayden Fowora-Knight), a gang of mice, the Sugar Plum Fairy (Keira Knightley [54]), and a tyrannical Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren [55]). Will Clara be able to locate the strange and mysterious key that can restore harmony in this parallel world? Considering real ballet superstar Misty Copeland has a starring role [56], we have high hopes for this.
- Release date: Nov. 2
The Girl in the Spider's Web
- The scoop: In the first book since David Lagercrantz took over the Millennium trilogy from the late Stieg Larsson, Lisbeth Salander (Claire Foy, taking over for Rooney Mara [57]) investigates an organization called the Spider Society. In the first trailer [58] for the highly anticipated follow-up to 2011's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo [59], Foy looks unrecognizable as she terrorizes men who have harmed other women and confronts her dark, mysterious past.
- Release date: Nov. 9
Outlaw King
- The scoop: Chris Pine [61] is leaving the 1980s behind [62] for the 1300s, as he plays real-life Scottish king and rebel hero Robert the Bruce in Outlaw King. The Netflix historical drama hails from Hell or High Water director David Mackenzie and tells the true story of the reluctant medieval king who finds himself drawn into a vicious battle with King Edward I (Stephen Dillane) and his vengeful, violent son, the Prince of Wales (Billy Howle).
- Release date: Nov. 9
The Oath
- The scoop: Ike Barinholtz and Tiffany Haddish's dark comedy sees a husband and wife attempting to survive "life and Thanksgiving in the age of political tribalism." In other words, they sit down for dinner with their extended family and find themselves viciously sparring with their Republican relatives over a new government policy that will require citizens to sign a loyalty oath to the president. When two government agents (John Cho and Billy Magnussen) enter the mix, the holiday dinner fully goes off the rails.
- Release date: Oct. 12
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
- The scoop: Not only does the Fantastic Beasts sequel take us to Hogwarts back in the day, but it also introduces young Dumbledore (Jude Law) [63] and young Newt Scamander [64] in a few nostalgic flashbacks. Of course, the film also moves to years later, when Dumbledore has to team up with adult Newt (Eddie Redmayne) on his journey to Paris, where he'll no doubt run into the evil Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) [65].
- Release date: Nov. 16
Widows
- The scoop: Another all-women heist flick is arriving this year. Oscar-winning director Steve McQueen has teamed up with Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn for Widows, a thriller about four women who are forced to step in to repay the debt their husbands — a gang of thieves who die during a heist gone wrong — couldn't. The women in question? Viola Davis, Elizabeth Debicki, Michelle Rodriguez, and Cynthia Erivo, who look more than capable of sticking it to the men in their town who don't think they "have the balls to pull this off," according to Davis's Veronica.
- Release date: Nov. 16
Creed II
- The scoop: Michael B. Jordan's boxer is back [66]! This time around, The Land director Steven Caple Jr. is at the helm while Ryan Coogler serves as an executive producer, but Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, and Phylicia Rashad are all reprising their roles. The film picks up after Adonis's defeat by "Pretty" Ricky Conlan in Creed, as he struggles to balance his boxing career with his relationship with Bianca (Thompson), as well as training for a fight against Viktor Drago, the son of former prize champion boxer Ivan Drago (who killed his father, Apollo, during an exhibition match).
- Release date: Nov. 21
Second Act
- The scoop: Real-life BFFs Jennifer Lopez [67] and Leah Remini join forces for Second Act [68], which follows Lopez's Maya as she struggles to climb the corporate ladder at the big-box store where she works because of her lack of an Ivy League degree. When her close friend and coworker (Remini) gets her son to "Cinderella" Maya's résumé and internet presence — think: photos of her with the Obamas, climbing Kilimanjaro, a degree from Wharton — she suddenly finds herself with a fancy new job on Madison Avenue. Milo Ventimiglia [69] and Vanessa Hudgens [70] also star!
- Release date: Nov. 21
Green Book
- The scoop: Peter Farrelly's Green Book is based on a true story about two men in the 1960s who form an unlikely friendship. Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali [71] stars as Dr. Don Shirley, a world-class black pianist, who hires Tony Lip (Academy Award nominee Viggo Mortensen [72]), a Bronx-born bouncer, to drive him on a concert tour that extends from Manhattan to the Deep South. Using the "Green Book," which serves as a guide to the establishments that were safe at the time for African-Americans, the pair navigate the ups and downs of their lengthy road trip together.
- Release date: Nov. 21
Robin Hood
- The scoop: Do you like roguish vigilantes? Or scenes that feature 50 arrows being shot at once in slow motion? How about dramatic dialogue like, "Who is he? He's all of us." If any of those things appeal to you, then good news: you're going to love Robin Hood. The gritty adaptation of the classic "steal from the rich, give to the poor" tale stars Kingsman's Taron Egerton [73] as the masked hero, as well as Bridge of Spies' Eve Hewson as Maid Marian and Jamie Foxx [74] as Robin Hood's mentor, Little John.
- Release date: Nov. 21
Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2
- The scoop: Ralph and Vanellope have big adventures ahead of them! The adorable duo from Wreck-It Ralph are back for the colorful sequel, Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 [75]. Six years after the events of the first film, Ralph (John C. Reilly) and Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) stumble upon a WiFi router in their arcade, which sends them on a high-flying journey around the World Wide Web. Luckily, the internet access means they'll bump into a few Disney princesses — Merida, Moana, Anna, Elsa, Rapunzel, and more! — as well as other iconic internet figures.
- Release date: Nov. 21
Mary Queen of Scots
- The scoop: Following the life of young Queen Mary after she is widowed at age 18, the biopic focuses on her relationship with rival Queen Elizabeth. Saoirse Ronan is starring as Mary Stuart opposite Margot Robbie as Queen Elizabeth I. Joe Alwyn and Guy Pearce also costar in the heated historical drama [76] about an age-old story of family ties and dueling women in power.
- Release date: Dec. 7
Aquaman
- The scoop: Prepare yourself for a more in-depth look at the world of Aquaman [77] and his family [78]. We'll finally get to see Aquaman's parents — his mother, Atlanna, played by Nicole Kidman [79], and his father, Tom Curry, played by Moana actor Temuera Morrison — as well as future wife Mera, played by Amber Heard. And no superhero film is complete without a proper villain, which we'll get twofold thanks to Abdul-Mateen II's Black Manta and Patrick Wilson's Orm.
- Release date: Dec. 21
Mortal Engines
- The scoop: After a cataclysmic event destroys civilization as we know it, London essentially becomes a giant machine that has to eat other cities to survive. Hugo Weaving, Jihae, and Robert Sheehan star in Peter Jackson's adaptation.
- Release date: Dec. 14
Bird Box
- The scoop: Josh Malerman's horrifying novel is coming to Netflix with a whole lot of star power. Sandra Bullock [80] is set to play a mother struggling to keep her two children alive in the midst of an apocalypse that turns people into violent monsters and finds herself faced with navigating them down a dangerous river while blindfolded in search of salvation. Academy Award winner Susanne Bier is in the director's chair, and the film also stars Trevante Rhodes, Sarah Paulson, and John Malkovich.
- Release date: Dec. 21
Welcome to Marwen
- The scoop: Welcome to Marwen is directed by Robert Zemeckis and based on Jeff Malmberg's award-winning 2010 documentary Marwencol [81] and sees Steve Carell [82] playing the real-life Mark Hogancamp, who was beaten into a coma by five men and spent 40 days in the hospital. After the attack left him with brain damage and PTSD, Hogancamp immersed himself in an intricate world of World War II-era miniatures as a form of art therapy. Carell is joined by Leslie Mann, Diane Kruger [83], Merritt Wever, Janelle Monáe, Eiza González, and Gwendolyn Christie.
- Release date: Dec. 21
Mary Poppins Returns
- The scoop: Mary Poppins Returns [84] will have your inner child freaking out. The sequel takes us back to Cherry Tree Lane, where we get to see Emily Blunt [85] as the lovable nanny and Lin-Manuel Miranda [86] as her dancing companion.
- Release date: Dec. 19
Bumblebee
- The scoop:Oh, you thought you'd seen the last of the Transformers franchise? Think again. After 2017's fifth addition (called Transformers: The Last Knight), a prequel titled Bumblebee posits that "Every adventure has a beginning." The action film will center on the origin story of the beloved Transformer and introduce the series to a few new stars (Hailee Steinfeld and John Cena).
- Release date: Dec. 21
On the Basis of Sex
- The scoop: This biopic stars Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) as a young Ruth Bader Ginsburg as she fights for gender equality on the road to becoming a Supreme Court associate justice. The film also has a stellar supporting cast, including Kathy Bates, Armie Hammer, Justin Theroux, and Sam Waterston.
- Release date: Dec. 25