Netflix just recently released their 2020 Movie Schedule and it's quite impressive. The launch of their 29+ Movie Titles tells us that Netflix is in it for the long-haul. Netflix has been obsessed with creating new content in the last few years to make their service more profitable and to entice audiences to remain loyal as they are being bombarded with an onslaught of media and streaming subscription devices.
2019 should be sighted as the start of The Streaming Wars. While Netflix and Hulu have been the largest players in the space for the past few years, new companies and networks have been creating their own streaming services and taking back its original content that has been housed on Netflix and Hulu for years. The first launch came from Apple + in October, followed closely by Disney + in November. In 2020, we are expected to see NBC's Streaming Service, Peacock, and HBO Max launch early in the new year. What does this mean for Netflix and Hulu? It means they need to step up their game as some of their most watched sitcoms and movies will be exiting the service in the near future.
Netflix is aware of the threat and has been securing its foothold in the streaming space by creating original content to keep its subscribers engaged. It is aware that a lot of the content that we watch on their portal is from other networks and that could diminish its audiences when networks start taking back some of the content that they own such as "The Office" (NBC, Peacock), "Friends" (HBO Max), Netflix has started taking liberties to create new television series and movies that they are hoping to become fan favorites to convince viewers to continue to subscribe. Just in the past few years, Netflix has created hundreds of television series, documentaries and movies to appease its subscriber base and ensure a long-lasting future in the new world of streaming.
In 2020, they are only expanding. In a statement on Friday, January 3rd, Netflix announced 29 up and coming movies that will be released throughout the 2020 Calendar Year. And the cast is stacked, the new movies (listed below with descriptions) include Hollywood's most popular actors and actresses including Amy Adams, Gary Oldman, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, just to name a few and along with renowned directors and writers including David Fincher, Spike Lee and Ron Howard.
Even with the large list of new movie arrivals in 2020, Netflix is still attempting to gain respect and recognition from the Awards Circuit and voting bodies. However, they still have a long way to go. Netflix rocked the Golden Globe nominations in 2019 with over 30+ nominations in television and film. Going into Sunday's Award Ceremony, Netflix was expected to sweep in many of the major categories with its content such as "The Irishman", "The Two Popes", "Marriage Story" and "The Crown". Instead, it took home 2 wins, a huge blow.
If 2019 was any indication that Netflix wanted to be taken seriously in the 2020 Award Circuit, their 2020 releases are just further proof that Netflix is not going anywhere and they are arming themselves with original content that can keep them afloat when more content is removed due to Network Ownerships and Streaming Launches.
While not all the movies have release dates attached to them, we do know some of the key plot details and casting directions, detailed below:
(summaries are provided from Netflix)
Netflix 2020 Movie Releases:
1. The Old Guard
Plot: "A covert group of immortal mercenaries who must fight to keep their team together when they discover the existence o a new immortal and their extraordinary abilities are exposed"
Cast: Charlize Theron and KiKi Layne
Genre: Action, Fantasy
2. Miss Americana
Plot: "A raw and emotionally revealing look at Taylor Swift, following one of the most iconic artists of our time as she learns to embrace her role not only as a songwriter and performer, but as a woman harnessing the full power of her voice"
Genre: Documentary
3. Mank
Plot: "From David Fincher, limited plot details, but the Story centers around the writing of Citizen Kane"
Cast: Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried, Charles Dance and Lily Collins
Genre: Drama, Biography
4. Uncorked
Plot: "Movie stars Elijah (Athie) as he must balance his dream of becoming a master sommelier with his father's expectations that he carry on the family's Memphis BBQ joint.
Cast: Courtney B. Vance, Niecy Nash, Mamoudou Athie
Genre: Drama
5. Rebecca
Plot: "Adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's novel (adapted by Hitchcock in 1940) follows a newly-married young woman (Lily James) who finds herself battling the shadow of her husband's (Armie Hammer) dead wife, the mysterious Rebecca."
Cast: Lily James, Armie Hammer
Genre: Drama, Romance
6. Hilbilly Elegy
Plot: "From Ron Howard, based on the book adaptation of J.D. Vance's memoir of the same name, a modern exploration of the American Dream about the three generations of an Appalachian Family."
Cast: Amy Adams, Glen Close, Gabriel Basso
Genre: Drama
7. Da 5 Bloods
Plot: "From Director Spike Lee, Da 5 Bloods follows four African American vets who return to Vietnam, searching for the remains of their fallen squad leader and the promise of buried treasure."
Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Paul Walter Hauser, Norm Lewis, Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Major
Genre: Drama
8. The Boys in the Band
Plot: "Adaptation of the play that follows a group of gay friends who reunite to celebrate one of their birthday's. When their host's potentially closeted college roommates shows up uninvited, the evening is thrown into turmoil"
Cast: Matt Bomer, Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto
Genre: Drama
9. To All The Boys: PS I Still Love You
Plot: A sequel to the wildly successful Rom-Com To All The Boys I Loved Before released in August 2018. In PS I Still Love You, we find "Lara Jean (Lana Condor) and Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo) have just take their romance from pretend to officially real when another recipient of LJ's love letters enters the picture."
Cast: Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Jordan Fisher
Genre: Romantic Comedy
10. Eurovision
Plot: "When aspiring musicians Lars (Will Ferrell) and Sigrit (Rachel McAdams) are given an opportunity of a lifetime to represent their country at the world's biggest song competition, they finally have a chance to prove that any dream is a dream worth fighting for"
Cast: Will Ferrell, Rachel McAdams, Dan Stevens, Pierce Brosnan
Genre: Comedy
11. I'm Thinking of Ending Things
Plot: "A road trip becomes a twister mix of palpable tension, psychological frailty and sheer terror in the latest from Charlie Kaufman"
Cast: Jessie Plemmons, Jessie Buckley, Toni Collette
Genre: Drama, Thriller
12. All The Bright Places
Plot: "Based on the novel by Jennifer Niven, Brett Haley's adaptation tells the story of Violet Markey (Elle Fanning) and Theodor Finch (Justice Smith), who meet and change each other's lives forever"
Cast: Elle Fanning, Justice Smith
Genre: Drama
13. The Last Thing He Wanted
Plot: "In this Joan Didion adaptation from Dee Rees, a veteran DC journalist (Anne Hathaway) loses the thread of her own story when a guilt-propelled errand for her father thrusts her from byline to unwitting subject in the very story she's trying to break."
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Ben Affleck, William Dafoe
Genre: Crime, Drama
14. A Fall From Grace
Plot: "In this thriller from Tyler Perry, Grace (Crystal Fox), a disheartened woman restored by a new romance, discovers her relationship is full of secrets, and her vulnerable side quickly turns violent."
Cast: Crystal Fox, Cicely Tyson, Phylicia Rashad, Bresha Webb
Genre: Thriller
15. Tigertail
Plot: This film from writer/director Alan Yang (Master of None) tells the story of a Taiwanese factory worker who leaves his homeland to seek opportunity in America, where he struggles to find connection while balancing family and newfound responsibilities."
Cast: Christine Ko, Fiona Fu
Genre: Drama
16. The Willoughbys
Plot: "Convinced they'd be better off raising themselves, the Willoughby children hatch a sneaky plan to send their selfish parents on vacation. The siblings then embark on their own high-flying adventure to find the true meaning of family."
Cast: Ricky Gervais, Maya Rudolph, Jane Krakowski, Terry Crews, Martin Short, William Forte
Genre: Animated
17. The Kissing Booth 2
Plot: "Elle (Joey King) and Noah (Jacob Elordi) just had the most romantic summer ever, but as Noah heads off to Harvard, Elle juggles a long-distance relationship with her BFF Lee (Joel Courtney) and friendship with new classmate Marco (Taylor Perez)."
Cast: Joey King, Jacob Elordi, Joel Courtney, Taylor Perez
Genre: Romantic Comedy
18. The Half of It
Plot: "Shy, straight-A student, Ellie, is hired by a sweet but inarticulate jock Paul, who needs help wooing the most popular girl in school. But their new and unlikely friendship gets tricky when Ellie discovers she has feelings for the same girl."
Genre: Romantic Comedy
19. Dick Johnson is Dead
Plot: "In this inventive portrait, director Kirsten Johnson, seeks a way to keep her 86-year old father alive forever by staging fantasies of death and beyond. Together, dad and daughter confront the great inevitability awaiting us all."
Genre: Documentary
20. The Platform
Plot: "In a future dystopia, prisoners housed in vertically stacked cells watch hungrily as food descends from above - feeding the upper tiers, but leaving those below ravenous and radicalized."
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi Thriller
21. Crip Camp
Plot: "Down the road from Woodstock in the 70s, a revolution blossomed at a ramshackle summer cap for teens with disabilities , transforming their lives and igniting a movements."
Genre: Documentary
Producers: Barack and Michelle Obama
22. Spenser Confidential
Plot: "Mark Wahlberg re-teams with director Peter Berg to play an ex-cop, Spenser, who moves in with Hawk (Winston Duke), an aspiring MMA fighter with his own rap sheet. Between gym rounds, the duo's taunts turn to trust and they team up to solve a double homicide."
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Winston Duke, Alan Arkin, Post Malone
Genre: Crime, Drama
23. Sergio
Plot: "A sweeping drama set in the chaotic aftermath of the US invasion of Iraq, where the life of top UN diplomat Sergio Vieira de Mello hangs in the balance during the most treacherous mission of his career."
Cast: Ana de Armas (Knives Out), Wagner Moura
Genre: Drama
24. Over the Moon
Plot: "Animated, musical adventure about a girl who builds a rocket ship to travel to the moon in order to prove to her father that a legendary Moon Goddess really exists."
Genre: Animation
25. Coffee and Kareem
Plot: "A Detroit cop reluctantly teams up with his girlfriend's 11-year old son to clear his name and take down the city's most ruthless criminal."
Cast: Ed Helms, Taraji P. Henson
Genre: Comedy
26. The Prom
Plot: "Ryan Murphy directs the story of a lesbian teenager who's banned from attending the big dance with her girlfriend. The injustice prompts a cast of Broadway eccentrics to descend on the small Indiana town to fight back."
Cast: Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, Awkwafina, Keegan Michael-Key, Kerry Washington
Genre: Comedy, Musical
27. Out Of The Fire
Plot: "Tyler Rake (Hemsworth) is a fearless black market mercenary with nothing left to lose when his skills are solicited to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned international crime lord. Action-packed, edge-of-your-seat thriller."
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, David Harbour
Genre: Action
28. Lost Girls
Plot: "Inspired by true events - police inaction drives Mari Gilbert (Amy Ryan) to investigate the disappearance of her daughter. Mari's search of the gated community where Shannan was last seen brings attention to over a dozen murdered women."
Cast: Amy Ryan, Thomasin McKenzie Genre: Drama, Mystery
29. Jingle Jangle
Plot: "A holiday musical tale of an embattled toymaker, his precocious granddaughter, and a magical invention."
Cast: Forest Whitaker, Keegan-Michael Key
Genre: Musical
No official release dates have been given yet, but look out for these movies and many more releases in 2020 from Netflix.
And that's the sitch.
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