New and Upcoming Sci-Fi & Fantasy Movies and Series

Get ready, Dune heads, because we’re traveling way back in time for Max’s “Dune: Prophecy.” Set 10,000 years before Paul Atreides arrival on Arrakis, the prequel series follows two Harkonnen sisters as their battle to protect humanity from outside threats leads to the formation of the Bene Gesserit. Devoted fans of the novels take note, the show’s story is inspired by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson’s Sisterhood of Dune rather than a direct adaptation.

Premieres on Max Nov. 2024

Jon M. Chu is the right person to usher this production on to the big screen, despite it being a bold bet in the current climate, where audiences seem allergic to musicals, to split this well-known tale into two movies, set for release a full year apart from each another. But, remember, this stage production is beloved worldwide, especially by young people, and from Chu’s visual sensibilities to the casting, everything is correctly in place for Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande to get into the details of the superdramatic relationship between Elphaba and Glinda the Good. This could be the movie families flock to over the holidays for the better part of a month until ‘Musafa: The Lion King’ is released, but we’re also in a time when even ‘The Little Mermaid’ didn’t turn a profit at the box office. Tinkering continues on Part Two, currently set for theatrical release November 2025.

In theaters November 22, 2024

“Skeleton Crew” wants to remind us of the early, kid-focused days of the Star Wars Saga. The story finds four young people trying to get back to their home planet after stumbling upon a buried Jedi temple, then getting whisked away into the galaxy. Fans are trying to figure out how Jude Law's character Jod will factor into the story since he's not canon, but heappears to be Force-sensitive in the first trailer. We might feel like we're hanging over a precipice if it turns out to be one-and-done for the series. According to sobering leaked news, Disney is looking to halt/slow down production of SW shows; if this is true, and Law let it be known we’ll only get a read on his character in the season finale, it could cause more backlash for the franchise which has taken some hits of late.

Premieres on Disney+ Dec. 3

A footnote of a story told in J. R. R. Tolkein's novel gets forged into an animated movie from anime god Kenji Kamiyama, employing a visual style that will pay tribute to Peter Jackson's depiction of Middle-earth. The story will reveal the history of the kingdom of Rohan and its then-king, Helm Hammerhand, in his war with the Dunlendings, the wild men living on the fringes of the kingdom. If you're only a bit familiar with the lore, yes, Helm Hammerhand has a lot to do with Helm's Deep. And he was seen in statue form in 'The Two Towers.' Since we're living in Tolkein Time, Gandalf, Galadriel, and others are alive, but they are not involved in this particular tale. However, we felt actual-real emotions learning that Miranda Otto's Eowyn will narrate the story.

In theaters December 13, 2024

The 'Borderlands' video game is finally getting its big screen adaptation after nearly 10 years in the making. Set in a cyberpunk-adjacent reality where low lifes with high tech take on dangerous missions for corporate cash, the film brings together the franchise’s most beloved characters to loot and shoot their way into our hearts. Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Ariana Greenblatt, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jack Black, and Florian Munteanu make up the ensemble cast of chaos, and we’re interested to see what director Eli Roth brings to his second action film in a career defined by blood and guts.

Available to rent on VOD

Netflix subscribers are in for a treat when this adaptation of Simon Stålenhag’s graphic novel hits the platform later this year. The film, a dystopian road movie set in an alternate version of 1997, follows Michelle (Millie Bobby Brown), a teen searching for her family among the silent wreckage of a post-war southwest. Chris Pratt, Ke Huy Quan, Stanley Tucci, and Patti Harrison round out the all-star cast as fellow survivors Brown will encounter along the way. Helmed by Anthony and Joe Russo, we’re excited to see how the directing duo and their cinematographer Stephen F. Window ('The Gray Man,' 'Star Trek Beyond') tackle Stålenhag’s vision of a world filled with massive robots rotting along familiar California highways.

Expected on Netflix in 2024

"Star Trek: Discovery" kicked off with a bang thanks in no small part to a grounded, charismatic performance from Michelle Yeoh as Captain Philippa Georgiou. Now, Yeoh will return to the franchise in a standalone film that explores the secret Starfleet division Section 31, which protects the Federation through shadowy missions very few even know exist.

Expected in 2025

Apple TV+ continues to expand its impressive slate of epic sci-fi with an 10-episode adaptation of William Gibson's debut novel (40 years ago!) and cyberpunk classic, "Neuromancer." As it's early days yet, not much is known about the series other than it's being headed up by showrunner Graham Roland (who created the brilliant crime-drama "Dark Winds") and director J.D. Dillard whose earlier work includes "The Outsider," "Utopia", and WWII drama 'Devotion.' But until we know more we'll be spending our time speculating just who will be bringing life to our antiheroes, "console-cowboy" Case and "razorgirl" Molly Millions.

Expected on Apple TV+ in 2025

Zack Snyder returns to Netflix again this September with an animated series based on Norse mythology. The eight-episode show tells the story of a mortal king, his warrior bride, and their mission for vengeance against the cruelty of the gods. Snyder is credited as both creator and executive producer on the project, which boasts animation production from The Stone Quarry and Xilam Animation and a score by legendary composer Hans Zimmer. But the impressive creative team doesn’t end there. “Twilight of the Gods” features an all-star voice cast that includes Stuart Martin, Jamie Chung, Jessica Henwick, Pilou Asbæk, Jamie Clayton, Peter Stormare, Rahul Kohli, and Corey Stoll, among others.

Streaming on Netflix

Earth is threatened by an alien race that is eons ahead of us when it comes to tech and weaponry in Netflix's sci-fi series based on the first book in the Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy. Five years after "Game of Thrones" took that final season nosedive, showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss look to move beyond that show's notoreity. For what it's worth, all three books in Liu Cixin's series have been written, so the creators aren't again tasked with writing what was essentially (said with empathy) authorized fan fiction. Prepare for overlapping timelines, a massive cast of characters (including Benedict Wong, Eiza González, John Bradley from "GoT", and Rosalind Chao), and some super-complicated physics that should look cool on your screen of choice.

Streaming on Netflix

'Lethal Weapon' is the unlikely inspiration for Adam Wingard’s upcoming film 'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.' The director told “Empire” magazine his kaiju main characters are bringing a “buddy cop dysfunctional relationship dynamic” to the screen in this follow-up to 2021’s Godzilla vs. King Kong.' Along for the ride are Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, and Dan Stevens who play three humans drawn to these massive creatures as the mythic duo face off against a colossal hidden threat.

Streaming on Max

The mega-popular "Fallout" video game franchise makes the jump to live action on Prime Video this April. Ella Purnell ("Yellowjackets") stars as an underground vault dweller who ventures out into the retro-futuristic world of post-nuclear war Los Angeles. "Fallout" was developed by Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan, the creative heads behind “Westworld,” whose task is making sure the rich lore of the "Fallout" universe is translated in such a way as to capture the attention of gamers and casuals, much like "The Last of Us" did in 2023.

Season 1 streaming on Prime Video

Apple TV+ continues its investment in high concept sci-fi series with the upcoming adaptation of the massively popular novel by Blake Crouch. And prepare for the treat this is Joel Edergton playing two versions of the same character: a physicist who meets an alternate version of himself who has already meddled in his life. Fans of Crouch have been kvelling ever since he was announced as the showrunner/lead writer for the series, and the first look at the black cube that allows travel between worlds ratcheted up anticipation for the May debut. These are the same people who will tell you exactly how and why the adaptation of his “Wayward Pines” was a disappointment, so trust us: their excitement is palpable.

Streaming on Apple TV+

'Maze Runner' director Wes Ball returns to the 'Planet of the Apes' franchise, with a story set 300 years after the events of 'War for the Planet of the Apes.' Pitched by Ball as 'Apocalypto' but with apes and focusing more on action and adventure, the story follows a new protagonist Noa (Owen Teague) as he tries to steer the apes away from the totalitarian future they are headed towards. Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, Dichen Lachman, and William H. Macy star.

Streaming on Hulu

Oh, what a day! What a lovely day it was when the Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga trailer dropped at CCXP last year. Fans were instantly drawn back into the manic, mechanic high-contrast dystopia created by writer-director George Miller more than 30 years ago. This 5th installment in the Mad Max franchise follows renegade warrior Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) from her kidnapping from the Green Place of Many Mothers to the Wasteland and finally to the Citadel, home of the despotic Immortan Joe. We’re excited to see Chris Hemsworth put down Mjolnir and step into the villainous role of Demetus, and we can’t wait until they reveal the actor behind Immortan Joe’s mask.

Streaming on Max

So what’s the big deal about "The Acolyte"? For casual fans, it’s simply a new Jedi adventure. But for Star Wars buffs this Disney+ series will be the first live action depiction of the High Republic. Set 100 years before the Skywalker saga began, it follows a young Jedi and her master as they uncover sinister forces brewing during a period of peace in the galaxy. There’s speculation that the series baddie will be Darth Plagueis, who EVERYONE knows was Emperor Palatine’s master. Amandla Stenberg ('Bodies Bodies Bodies,' 'The Hate U Give') stars alongside Lee Jung-jae ("Squid Game"), and showrunner Leslye Headland has said she developed the project specifically for Stenberg. Honestly, we’re most excited to see if Headland is able to infuse the Star Wars universe with some of the edginess she brought to “Russian Doll.”

Streaming on Disney+

Time needed to be spent setting the table in the first season of "House of the Dragon" to introduce us to the Targaryen ancestors, and to help us understand all of those Velaryon and Hightower family dynamics, too. Oh, and the Triarchy and their agent of chaos, the Crabfeeder. The second season promises a "very bloody feast to come" according to showrunner Ryan Condal, as the civil war between Rhaenyra Targaryen and her half-brother Aegon II takes center stage. An uptick in action and an abundance of dragons should help to boost the show's popularity after a successful maiden launch, as we await the fates of the multiple "Game of Thrones" spin-offs in development at HBO. And here's one for the "GoT" faithful: Behind the scenes, Alan Taylor, who directed a handful of the flagship show's pivotal episodes, joins the crew as director and exec producer.

Streaming on Max