After the teaser unveiled last month, here we get a better look at Adam Sandler in his new film soon to be available on Netflix. Sandler takes a radical departure from his comedic roles to play a heartbroken, soul-distressed astronaut in the film Spaceman.
Adam Sandler. Carey Mulligan. Paul Dano.
An astronaut reckons with his crumbling marriage with help from a mysterious stowaway. Spaceman premieres March 1. pic.twitter.com/z2evvf1A4G
The images of Spaceman, from director Johan Renck (Chernobyl), generate a lot of interest in this trailer, and there’s every reason to believe that Sandler will do it again, i.e. surprise us in a genre further from his comfort zone.
Spaceman will premiere at the Berlin Film Festival, before hitting Netflix on March 1.
Adam Sandler is in the upcoming sci-fi thriller Spaceman on Netflix, which has just released the first teaser for this film by Johan Renck, the director behind the excellent Chernobyl series.
Spaceman, based on Jaroslav Kafar’s 2017 novel Spaceman of Bohemia, features astronaut Jakub embarking on a solo research mission to the farthest reaches of the solar system.
Sandler thus once again takes on a dramatic role, a genre that has brought him much success with audiences, notably in Hustle and Uncut Gems. Sandler is also now well known for his success and relationship with Netflix, with recent projects including Leo, You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah and Murder Mystery 2.
The release date for Spaceman on Netflix is March 1, 2024!
456 people will compete in Squid Game: The Challenge for a giant prize pool of $4.56 million!
Squid Game is a South Korean series to be released on Netflix in 2021. It revolves around individuals in financial difficulty who take part in a deadly competition for a chance to win a huge amount of money.
Netflix
Squid Game quickly became a global phenomenon. The series has been widely acclaimed for its compelling storyline, intense performances and social commentary.
A Season 2 is planned for 2024.
Squid Game: The Challenge arrives on Netflix on November 22!
Every week, MobileSyrup outlines some of the most notable movies and TV shows that recently hit Canadian streaming platforms.
Our ‘Streaming in Canada’ column typically focuses on new content from Amazon Prime Video, Crave and Netflix, but other services like Apple TV+ and Disney+ are mentioned when relevant. Premium video-on-demand (PVOD) platforms are also fair game as movies continue to come to digital early.
Finally, we’ll highlight shows or movies that are made by Canadian companies, involve notable Canadian cast or crew and/or are filmed in Canada.
Amazon Prime Video
Citadel [Amazon Original]
Amazon Prime Video Canada release date: April 28th, 2023 (first two episodes, new episodes every Friday) Genre: Spy thriller Runtime: 2 hours, 10 minutes
Two amnesiac former spies and lovers are called back to action to stop sinister forces.
Citadel was created by Josh Applebaum (Alias), Bryan Oh (Zoo) and David Weil (Hunters) and stars Richard Madden (Game of Thrones), Priyanka Chopra Jonas (Quantico), Stanley Tucci (Spotlight) and Lesley Manville (The Crown).
It’s worth noting that with a rumoured budget of $300 million USD (around $408 million CAD), Citadel is believed to be the second most expensive series ever made, behind only Prime’s own The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Citadel is also intended to be a launchpad for an interconnected universe of international shows set in Italy, India, Spain, and Mexico.
An Amazon Prime Video subscription is included at no additional cost with an Amazon Prime membership, which is priced at $99/year.
The full list of movies and shows hitting Amazon Prime Video Canada this month can be found here.
Crave
Love & Death
Crave release date: April 27th, 2023 (first two episodes, new episodes every Friday) Genre: Spy thriller Runtime: 2 hours, 10 minutes
HBO’s latest series is based on the true story of an extramarital affair in 1980 that led Texas housewife Candy Montgomery to murder her friend Betty with an axe.
Love & Death was created by David E. Kelley (Big Little Lies) and stars Elizabeth Olsen (WandaVision), Jesse Plemons (Breaking Bad), Lily Rabe (American Horror Story), Patrick Fugit (Almost Famous) and Krysten Ritter (Marvel’s Jessica Jones).
A standard Crave subscription is priced at $19.99/month, with Starz costing an additional $5.99/month. A mobile-only subscription is also available for $9.99/month.
The full list of movies and shows hitting Crave this month can be found here.
Amid pressure to have children from friends, family and society at large, a woman undergoes a desperate clinical trial to fix her broken biological clock.
Clock was written and directed by Alexis Jacknow (American Horror Story) and stars Dianna Agron (Glee), Jay Ali (Marvel’s Daredevil), Melora Hardin (The Office) and Ottawa’s Saul Rubinek (Warehouse 13).
Disney+ Canada release date: April 28th, 2023 Genre: Fantasy adventure Runtime: 1 hour, 49 minutes
Wendy goes on an adventure with a mysterious boy named Peter to the magical Neverland, putting them into conflict with the evil pirate Captain Hook.
Based on Disney’s animated Peter Pan film, Peter Pan & Wendy was co-written and directed by David Lowery (Pete’s Dragon) and stars Alexander Molony (The Reluctant Landlord), Ever Anderson (Black Widow), Jude Law (Sherlock Holmes) and Fort McMurray, Alberta’s Alyssa Wapanatâhk (Riverdale).
Netflix Canada release date: April 27th Genre: Fantasy drama Runtime: Eight episodes (43 to 58 minutes each)
After his friends are captured and imprisoned by the Last Men, Gus must help them escape.
Based on Essex County, Ontario’s Jeff Lemire’s comic of the same name, Sweet Tooth was created by Jim Mickle (Mulberry Street) and stars Nonso Anozie (Game of Thrones), Vancouver’s Christian Convery (The Descendants) and Adeel Akhtar (Utopia).
Netflix has revealed the full list of new movies and shows coming to its service in Canada in May.
Highlights include FUBAR starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Canada’s Jay Baruchel, the third season of I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson and Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.
May 1st
3 Ninjas: Kick Back
American Gangster
Blood Quantum
The Butterfly Effect
Fifty Shades of Grey
Flight
Hell or High Water
Hop
How to Be Single
Little Fockers
Meet the Fockers
Meet the Parents
Pacific Rim
Rainbow High: Season 3
Simply Irresistible
Snowtime!
Spotlight
Stuart Little
May 2nd
Love Village — Netflix Series
The Tailor — Netflix Series
May 3rd
Jewish Matchmaking — Netflix Series
May 4th
Larva Family — Netflix Family
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story — Netflix Series
Sanctuary — Netflix Series
May 7th
Mamma Mia!
May 8th
Spirit Rangers (Season 2) — Netflix Family
May 9th
Hannah Gadsby — Netflix Comedy
May 10th
Dance Brothers — Netflix Series
Missing: Dead or Alive? — Netflix Documentary
Queen Cleopatra — Netflix Documentary
May 11th
Royalteen: Princess Margarethe — Netflix Film
Ultraman (Season 3) — Netflix Anime
May 12th
Black Knight — Netflix Series
Call Me Kate
The Mother — Netflix Film
Mulligan — Netflix Series
Queer Eye (Season 7) — Netflix Series
May 14th
The Forty-Year-Old Virgin
May 15th
Book Club
The Boss Baby: Family Business
Nitro Rush
Side Effects
Starbuck
Wind River
May 16th
Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me — Netflix Documentary
Instant Family
Ted
Ted 2
May 17th
Faithfully Yours — Netflix Film
Fanfic — Netflix Film
McGregor Forever — Netflix Documentary
Rhythm + Flow France (Season 2) — Netflix Series
Working: What We Do All Day — Netflix Documentary
May 18th
Kitti Katz — Netflix Family
XO, Kitty — Netflix Series
Yakitori: Soldiers of Misfortune — Netflix Series
May 19th
Kathal — A Jackfruit Mystery — Netflix Film
Muted — Netflix Series
Selling Sunset (Season 6) — Netflix Series
Young, Famous & African (Season 2) — Netflix Series
May 21st
A Dark Truth
Jack Reacher
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
You’ve Got Mail
May 22nd
The Boss Baby
The Creature Cases: Chapter 3 — Netflix Family
May 23rd
MerPeople — Netflix Documentary
Victim/Suspect— Netflix Family
Wanda Sykes: I’m An Entertainer — Netflix Comedy
May 24th
Hard Feelings — Netflix Film
Mother’s Day — Netflix Film
The Ultimatum: Queer Love — Netflix Series
May 25th
FUBAR — Netflix Series
May 26th
Barbecue Showdown (Season 2) — Netflix Series
Blood & Gold — Netflix Film
Tin & Tina — Netflix Film
Turn of the Tide — Netflix Series
May 28th
Masterminds
May 30th
I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (Season 3) — Netflix Series
Netflix confirmed that Season 6 of the dystopian, dark sci-fi anthology series is coming to the streaming platform this June.
The service even revealed a list of top acting talent that would grace the screen this time around, including Aaron Paul, Anjana Vasan, Annie Murphy, Clara Rugaard, Josh Hartnett, Kate Mara, Myha’la Herrold, Paapa Essiedu, Rob Delaney, Salma Hayek Pinault, Samuel Blenkin, and Zazie Beetz and more.
Black Mirror Season 6 stars Aaron Paul, Anjana Vasan, Annie Murphy, Clara Rugaard, Josh Hartnett, Kate Mara, Myha'la Herrold, Paapa Essiedu, Rob Delaney, Salma Hayek Pinault, Samuel Blenkin, and Zazie Beetz.
Alongside the ‘first look’ photos from the upcoming season, Netflix also released the official season 6 trailer.
“You’ve been wondering. You’ve been waiting. You’ve been warned. The sixth season of Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror is BACK. The most unpredictable, unclassifiable and unexpected season yet is arriving in June on NETFLIX,” reads the trailer’s description on YouTube. The new season comes four years after the show’s previous instalment.
“Partly as a challenge, and partly to keep things fresh for both me and the viewer, I began this season by deliberately upending some of my own core assumptions about what to expect,” said Brooker in an interview with Netflix’s Tudum.
As indicated by Variety back in 2022, the new season will likely have more than three episodes, and they’re going to be “even more cinematic in scope than previous seasons.” Are you excited about new Black Mirror episodes? Let us know in the comments below.
Every week, MobileSyrup outlines some of the most notable movies and TV shows that recently hit Canadian streaming platforms.
Our ‘Streaming in Canada’ column typically focuses on new content from Amazon Prime Video, Crave and Netflix, but other services like Apple TV+ and Disney+ are mentioned when relevant. Premium video-on-demand (PVOD) platforms are also fair game as movies continue to come to digital early.
Finally, we’ll highlight shows or movies that are made by Canadian companies, involve notable Canadian cast or crew and/or are filmed in Canada.
Amazon’s Prime Video
Till
Original theatrical release date: October 14th, 2022 Amazon Prime Video Canada release date: April 17th, 2023 Genre: Biographical drama Runtime: 2 hours, 10 minutes
From co-writer and director Chinonye Chukwu (Clemency) comes this drama based on the true story of educator and activist Mamie Till-Bradley’s relentless pursuit of justice in 1955 after the murder of her teenage son.
Till stars Danielle Deadwyler (Station Eleven), Jalyn Hall (All American), Kevin Carroll (The Leftovers) and Frankie Faison (The Wire).
Amazon Prime Video Canada release date: April 21st, 2023 Genre: Psychological thriller, drama Runtime: Six episodes (around one hour each)
Twin doctors share everything in life in an effort to bring women’s healthcare to the forefront.
Based on iconic Toronto filmmaker David Cronenberg’s 1988 film of the same name, Dead Ringers stars Rachel Weisz (The Favourite), Michael Chernus (Orange is the New Black), Poppy Liu (Hacks) and Toronto’s Britne Olford (The Umbrella Academy).
Crave release date: April 20th, 2023 (first four episodes, new episodes every Thursday) Genre: Sci-fi drama Runtime: Eight episodes (around one hour each)
A nun named Simone must hunt and destroy the world’s most powerful artificial intelligence.
Mrs. Davis was created by Damon Lindelof (The Leftovers) and Tara Hernandez (The Big Bang Theory) and stars Betty Gilpin (Glow), Jake McDorman (Dopesick), Margo Martindale (Justified) and Markham, Ontario’s Andy McQueen (Outer Banks).
A standard Crave subscription is priced at $19.99/month, with Starz costing an additional $5.99/month. A mobile-only subscription is also available for $9.99/month.
The full list of movies and shows hitting Crave this month can be found here.
Disney+
The Owl House (Season 3)
Original TV broadcast run: October 2022 to April 2023
Disney+ Canada release date: April 19th, 2023 Genre: Animated fantasy Runtime: Three episodes (46 to 54 minutes each)
Luz’s journey to save the Boiling Isles from Emperor Belos and the Collector comes to an end in this third and final season.
The Owl House was created by Dana Terrace (Gravity Falls) and features the voices of Sarah-Nicole Robles (Baymax!), Wendie Malick (Fillmore!), Alex Hirsch (Gravity Falls) and Tati Gabrielle (The 100).
The full list of movies and shows hitting Disney+ Canada this month can be found here.
Netflix
Better Call Saul (Season 6)
Original TV broadcast run: April to August 2022
Netflix Canada release date: April 18th, 2023 Genre: Drama Runtime: 13 episodes (around one hour each)
The sixth and final season tracks the fateful events that lead Jimmy to meet Walter White and Jesse Pinkman, as well as flash forwards that reveal his ultimate fate post-Breaking Bad.
Better Call Saul was created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould (Breaking Bad) and features returning Breaking Bad stars Bob Odenkirk (Jimmy), Jonathan Banks (Mike) and Giancarlo Esposito (Gus), as well as Rhea Seehorn (Whitney), Patrick Fabian (Valentine), Tony Dalton (Sense8) and Montreal’s Michael Mando (the Ubisoft Montreal video game Far Cry 3).
Stream all six seasons of Better Call Saul here.
The Diplomat [Netflix Original]
Netflix Canada release date: April 20th, 2023 Genre: Political drama Runtime: Eight episodes (50 minutes each)
A career diplomat must balance her new U.K. ambassador job with her rocky marriage to a political star.
The Diplomat was created by Debora Cahn (Homeland) and stars Keri Russell (Felicity), Rufus Sewell (The Man in the High Castle) and David Gyasi (Carnival Row).
Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: Once and Always [Netflix Original]
Netflix Canada release date: April 19th, 2023 Genre: Kids and family, superhero Runtime: Eight episodes (50 minutes each)
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Netflix has a new special which reunites many of the original cast, including David Yost, Walter Emanuel Jones, Steve Cardenas, Johnny Yong Bosch, Karan Ashley, Catherine Sutherland, Barbara Goodson and Richard Steven Horvitz.
Stream Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: Once and Always here.
Netflix, which is now known predominantly as a streaming service giant, is shutting down its original business plan. The company has announced that it will officially be winding down its DVD rental service.
There’s no dramatic reason behind the change, with the decision coming from a shrinking demand for physical rentals. The company says that it has become “increasingly difficult” to offer quality service that meets Netflix’s standards.
Netflix broke into the DVD mailing market all the way back in 1998 and since then has managed to mail over 5.2 billion movies to nearly 40 million customers. It wasn’t until 2007 that Netflix jumped on the on-demand video streaming trend and by 2009, it was the company’s preferred offering. However, the company didn’t offer this service in Canada.
By 2016, with Netflix already well into producing Netflix Original content, the company moved the mailed rentals to DVD.com and began to offload the mailing operations. This included the move to stop mailing DVDs on Saturdays.
The decision could also be a way of rejuvenating what has been a slow start to the year for Netflix, with the first quarter showing low profits and modest subscriber growth. By ditching DVD mailing, Netflix could cut some costs, even if it’s not enough to make any drastic changes.
Netflix’s last movie discs will be shipping out on September 29th, 2023. After that, those looking for physical movie rentals will have to make a run for the nearest Redbox kiosk.
Curious about what’s good on Netflix this month? Find out here.
Netflix is being sued for defamation and misappropriation of likeness or right of publicity by Taylor Hazlewood after his photo was used in a new true-crime documentary without his consent.
The 2023 documentary The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhikerfeatured a photo of Hazlewood alongside a convicted murderer with the text “you can never trust anyone” and audio playing behind the photos, saying “stone-cold killer.” Hazlewood claims that the photos were taken from his Instagram page without his knowledge or consent.
The new documentary revolves around Caleb Lawrence McGillvary, the center of a viral internet video back in 2013. Dubbed “the homeless hitchhiker with a hatchet,” McGillvary gained public interest after he rescued a woman by killing her assaulter with a hatchet before describing the incident to KMPH-TV News. He was later convicted for the murder of an attorney in an unrelated incident.
Hazlewood began to receive messages from friends after an Instagram picture of him holding a hatchet surfaced in the film. Near the end of the documentary, his photo appears with the narrator asking “Is this a guardian angel or a stone-cold killer?” following a description of McGillvary’s murder.
As a result of the incident, Hazlewood says he has suffered stress, anxiety and reputational harm. This has led to the man suing the streaming service in Texas state court, where he looks for over $1 million and punitive damages.
This begs the question, was it a slip-up from the company or did Netflix really pull any images they could find of people posing with hatchets? According to Hazlewood, it was no mistake.
“The use was not incidental. Instead, it was Netflix’s employees’ negligently searching for images of people holding hatchets to support their narrative.”
Netflix was the centre of more controversy last month, where they managed to escape another defamation lawsuit over accusing a retired police officer of planting evidence in the documentary Making a Murderer.
Netflix has yet to issue a statement on both the initial incident as well as the lawsuit.
Netflix rolled out its cheaper, ad-supported ‘Standard with ads’ tier roughly five months ago. Now the streaming giant is making some significant changes that will improve the value of the plan.
As spotted by The Verge, Netflix laid out the changes in its Q1 2023 letter to investors. The streamer will bump video quality on the ad tier from 720p to 1080p. Moreover, it will let subscribers watch two streams at once. The letter notes the changes will go into effect in Canada and Spain immediately and will eventually come to all 12 markets where it offers the ad tier later this month.
The Netflix website already lists the video quality change to Standard with ads tier on the plan comparison page. Interestingly, this makes Standard with ads a significantly better option than Netflix’s $9.99 ‘Basic’ tier that still locks content to 720p. Basic does offer some features that Standard with ads doesn’t, like the ability to download content to watch offline.
Along with the changes to Standard with ads, Netflix said it was “pleased” with the performance of its “per-member advertising economics” and notes that engagement on the ads tier is “above our initial expectations.”
So far, Netflix says it hasn’t seen many people switching from Standard or Premium to ad plans. Moreover, the company says Standard with ads now has, on average, roughly 95 percent content parity globally with ads-free plans. Netflix says its ads plan already has a total average revenue per membership (ARM) — from subscriptions and ads combined — that’s “greater than our standard plan,” which is part of why it’s increasing the video quality.
During the Q1 2023 earnings results, Netflix also said it was “pleased with the results” of paid sharing in Canada and other markets and will expand the program to the U.S. in June. Read more about that here.
