Netflix has unveiled its 2023 movie preview, which includes Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler’s whodunit sequel “Murder Mystery 2,” Zack Snyder’s space epic “Rebel Moon,” director David Fincher’s assassin thriller “The Killer” and at least 30 other films.
It’s a smaller — though still staggering — output compared to previous years. In 2021 and again in 2022, Netflix debuted roughly 70 films in its promise to premiere at least one film each week. But after a tough period for the company, including layoffs and its first quarterly subscriber loss in quite some time, it has scaled back the number of films on schedule.
A new sizzle reel released on Wednesday doesn’t dwell on the negative. After touting “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” Guillermo del Toro’s “Pinocchio” and other buzzy 2022 offerings, Netflix showcased the first look at upcoming tentpoles including Chris Hemsworth’s explosive sequel “Extraction 2,” Gal Gadot’s spy thriller “The Heart of Stone” and Millie Bobby Brown’s medieval action story “Damsel.”
There’s certainly no shortage of big stars in the trailer, with projects on deck from Jonah Hill and Eddie Murphy (“You People), Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali (“Leave the World Behind), Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher (“Your Place or Mine), Kevin Hart (“Lift”), Idris Elba (“Luther: The Fallen Son”) and Jamie Foxx (“They Cloned Tyrone).
As part of Wednesday’s teaser trailer, Netflix offered insight on some films that were previously shrouded in mystery.
For one, there’s “Leo,” previously referred to as “Untitled Adam Sandler Animated,” which will drop on the streamer on Nov. 22. The coming-of-age animated musical comedy, featuring the vocal talents of Sandler, takes place during the last year of elementary school — as seen through the eyes of a class pet. Here’s the logline: “Jaded 74 year-old lizard Leo (Sandler) has been stuck in the same Florida classroom for decades with his terrarium-mate turtle (Bill Burr). When he learns he only has one year left to live, he plans to escape to experience life on the outside, but instead gets caught up in the problems of his anxious students – including an impossibly mean substitute teacher. It ends up being the strangest but most rewarding bucket list ever.” Cecily Strong, Jason Alexander, Rob Schneider, Sadie and Sunny Sandler, Heidi Gardner, Nick Swardson and Stephanie Hsu round out the voice cast.
There’s also new information about “Murder Mystery 2,” which will drop on March 31. In the sequel, Sandler and Aniston’s characters Nick and Audrey Spitz have become full-time detectives who are struggling to get their private eye agency off the ground. They find themselves at the center of an international abduction when their friend, the Maharaja, is kidnapped at his own lavish wedding.
For sci-fi fans, Netflix revealed the plot description for Snyder’s grand fantasy adventure “Rebel Moon,” which is set to debut on Dec. 22. According to the logline, the story begins as “a peaceful colony on the edge of the galaxy finds itself threatened by the armies of the tyrannical Regent Balisarius.” So, “they dispatch a young woman with a mysterious past named Kora to seek out warriors from neighboring planets to help them take a stand.”
And finally, for music buffs, there’s Bradley Cooper’s Leonard Bernstein biopic “Maestro.” Described as a “love letter to life and art” and “an emotionally epic portrayal of family and love,” the movie captures the lifelong relationship between famed conductor Leonard Bernstein (Cooper) and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein (Carey Mulligan). Cooper also co-wrote and directed the film, which doesn’t yet have a release date.
Netflix did, however, share release dates for “We Have a Ghost,” a comedy with David Harbour (Feb. 24); the Jennifer Lopez-led assassin thriller “The Mother” (May 12); Hemsworth’s “Extraction 2” (June 16); “They Cloned Tyrone,” a funny sci-fi story with John Boyega, Foxx and Teyonah Parris (July 21); Gadot’s “Heart of Stone” (Aug. 11); the Emily Blunt and Chris Evans-led conspiracy drama “Pain Hustlers” (Oct. 27) and “The Killer” with Michael Fassbender (Nov. 10).