New Netflix movies 2022: every original film coming to the streamer this year
It’s not often that a major streamer lifts the lid on its entire annual movie slate ahead of time, but that’s exactly what Netflix decided to do with its impressive selection of original features bound for the platform in 2022.
There isn’t just a handful of new Netflix movies on the way, either. In a February press release, the company revealed it would be dropping a new film every week until December 31 – that was, at the time of announcement, 71 upcoming titles.
We’ve already seen the likes of Windfall, The Adam Project, Spiderhead, Hustle, The Sea Beast, The Gray Man, Me Time, The School for Good and Evil and The Good Nurse arrive on Netflix this year, but we’re still excited for the movies left to come over the next few months.
Below, we’ve collated details on the biggest of the lot, combining their official synopses (as provided by Netflix) with any confirmed release dates, trailers and promotional imagery to give you a better idea of what’s on the way in 2022.
For a whistle-stop tour of the streamer’s schedule – which includes nods to Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery – check out the preview trailer below.
Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical
Release date: December 9
An adaptation of the Tony and Olivier award-winning musical, Matilda tells the story of an extraordinary girl who, armed with a sharp mind and a vivid imagination, dares to take a stand to change her story with miraculous results. Emma Thompson, Lashana Lynch and Stephen Graham all star in this inevitably cheerful feature, which will release theatrically in the UK and on Netflix overseas.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Release date: December 9
Acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro reinvents Carlo Collodi’s classic tale of the wooden marionette who is magically brought to life in order to mend the heart of a grieving woodcarver named Geppetto. This whimsical, stop-motion musical follows the mischievous and disobedient adventures of Pinocchio in his pursuit of a place in the world. It also looks exceptionally creepy.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Release date: December 23
In the follow-up to Rian Johnson’s hugely popular crime thriller, Knives Out, Daniel Craig returns as Detective Benoit Blanc (this time travelling to Greece) to peel back the layers of a mystery involving a new cast of colorful suspects. Hopefully it’ll be better than Death on the Nile.
The Mother
Release date: May 2023
Cue generic Netflix thriller plot: In The Mother, a deadly female assassin (Jennifer Lopez) comes out of hiding to protect the daughter she gave up years before, while on the run from dangerous men (a bit of a change of pace for Lopez after glitzy rom-com Marry Me…). This one was scheduled to release in 2022, but has since been delayed until May next year.
We Have a Ghost
Release date: TBA (now likely 2023)
Happy Death Day director Christopher Landon helms this spooky family adventure starring Anthony Mackie and David Harbour. After finding a ghost named Ernest haunting their new home, Kevin and his family turn into overnight social media sensations. But when Kevin and Ernest go rogue to investigate the mystery of the latter’s past, the family instead becomes a target for the CIA.
The Mothership
Release date: TBA (now likely 2023)
The Mothership is a sci-fi adventure that follows Sara Morse (Halle Berry) one year after her husband (Omari Hardwick) mysteriously vanishes from their rural farm. When she discovers a strange, extraterrestrial object underneath their home, Sara and her kids embark on a race to find their husband, father and most importantly – the truth. Sounds ominous.
You People
Release date: TBA (now likely 2023)
A new couple and their families find themselves examining modern love and family dynamics amidst clashing cultures, societal expectations and generational differences in this comedy from Kenya Barris. Jonah Hill (also a producer), Eddie Murphy and Julia Louis-Dreyfus all star here.
Spaceman
Release date: TBA (now likely 2023)
As an astronaut sent to the edge of the galaxy to collect mysterious ancient dust finds his earthly life falling to pieces, he turns to the only voice who can help him try to put it back together. It just so happens to belong to a creature from the beginning of time lurking in the shadows of his ship. Adam Sandler, Carey Mulligan and Paul Dano star in this one, which has us more intrigued than the movie’s plot otherwise does.