An Oxford-set college rom-com from the guy behind The Inbetweeners; the return of one of Netflix‘s biggest ever shows; Genndy Tartakovsky’s latest adult animated project; Vanessa Kirby’s return to more intimate dramas about the human condition; a documentary that promised to shed new light on the Jussie Smollett hate crime incident; and a murder mystery film featuring several British and Irish acting icons are some of the highlights among the new films and series hitting Netflix in August.
Kicking off August is the rom-com My Oxford Year, which focuses on the tried and trusted formula of a young American girl heading to stuffy old Europe and finding love with some impossibly handsome and terribly charming guy, so it’s almost guaranteed to find a huge audience. In this instance, Sofia Carson plays Anna, an ambitious American student at Oxford University whose life is changed when she meets impossibly handsome and terribly charming local Jamie played by Corey Mylchreest. The film is directed by Iain Morris (yes, the same guy who co-created and co-wrote The Inbetweeners) and is written by Allison Burnett and Melissa Osborne, based on the novel by the same name by Julia Whelan. The cast also includes Dougray Scott, Catherine McCormack, Harry Trevaldwyn, and Hugh Coles. My Oxford Year debuts on Aug. 1.
Netflix’s big launch this month is season two of the monster hit Wednesday, which premieres Part 1 on Aug. 6. Wednesday season one is amongst Netflix’s most watched shows ever, and the streamer has already confirmed a third season and plans for spinoffs. The sophomore outing for the show sees Jenna Ortega’s kooky Wednesday Addams return for another year at the dark, mysterious and very Gothic Nevermore Academy. The creative team that made season one of Wednesday such a huge hit are all back, including creators/showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar and of course EP and director Tim Burton who gave the show his unmistakable look and feel. New cast additions include Steve Buscemi, Joanna Lumley and Billie Piper and returning castmembers include Emma Myers, Fred Arminsen Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luiz Guzman and Isaac Ordonez.
Genndy Tartakovsky is one of the biggest names in animation, and the man behind Dexter’s Laboratory, Samurai Jack, Star Wars: Clone Wars and Hotel Transylvania has a new animated feature launching on Netflix on Aug. 13. Produced by Sony Pictures Animation, Fixed sees Tartakovsky in full adult comedy mode, the logline reads, “[the film is about] Bull, an average, all-around good dog who discovers he’s going to be neutered in the morning! As the gravity of this life-altering event sets in, Bull realizes he needs one last adventure with his pack of best friends as these are the last 24 hours with his balls!” The stellar voice cast includes Adam DeVine, Idris Elba, Kathryn Hahn, Fred Armisen, Beck Bennett, and Bobby Moynihan.
The Invisible Woman will be very visible on Netflix in August, with Vanessa Kirby debuting her new film Night Always Comes on Aug. 15. The Oscar-nominated British actress is on a career hot streak at the moment, starring in big budget spectacles like The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Napoleon and Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning as well as critically acclaimed dramas such as Pieces of a Woman, and her latest, which she also produced, is more in the vain of the latter film that scored Kirby an Academy Award nomination. Directed by Benjamin Caron, Night Always Comes is a gritty crime thriller about a desperate woman (Kirby), who over the course of a night risks everything in order to secure her home and her future. The feature is an adaptation of Willy Vlautin’s 2021 novel and is written by Sarah Conradt. The cast also includes Jennifer Jason Leigh, Zack Gottsagen, Stephen James, Randall Park, Julia Fox, Michael Kelly, and Eli Roth.
On Aug. 22, Netflix launches the sure-to-be-controversial and discourse-breaking The Truth About Jussie Smollett? The documentary film purports to tell “a shocking true story of an allegedly fake story that some now say might just be a true story,” casting new light on the absolutely wild incident that involved Empire actor Jussie Smollett who in January 2019 claimed to have been victim of a viscious hate crime. The doc features interviews with police, lawyers, journalists, investigators and with Smollett. The Truth About Jussie Smollett? comes from RAW, the producers behind the viral docs Don’t F**k with Cats and Tinder Swindler.
Another big movie release for Netflix this month is The Thursday Murder Club, a feature based on the 2020 murder mystery novel by Richard Osman. The film, directed by Chris Columbus, features an all-star cast of British and Irish acting legends including Oscar-winners Helen Mirren and Ben Kingsley, as well as Pierce Brosnan, Celia Imrie, Jonathan Pryce, David Tennant, Richard E. Grant and rising Naomie Akie. The Thursday Murder Club tells the story of four 70-somethings, with unique past lives, who decide to solve a murder in a retirement home. Tapping into some of the ingredients that made films like The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and even Netflix’s own recently released Nonnas a hit, The Thursday Murder Club debuts on Aug. 28.
Movies added to Netflix in August include American Pie, American Pie 2, Anaconda, Clueless, Dazed and Confused, The Departed, Despicable Me, Despicable Me 2, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Groundhog Day, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park III, Megamind, Minions, Rush Hour, Rush Hour 2, Rush Hour 3, Thirteen, Weird Science, Wet Hot American Summer, Wyatt Earp, The Fast and the Furious, 2 Fast 2 Furious, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast Five, Fast & Furious 6, Furious 7 and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.
Missed what came to Netflix last month? Check out the July additions here.
Read on for the complete list of titles hitting Netflix in August.
Aug. 1
My Oxford Year
Perfect Match: Season 3
American Pie
American Pie 2
Anaconda
Clueless
Dazed and Confused
The Departed
Despicable Me
Despicable Me 2
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Fire Country: Season 2
Groundhog Day
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Jurassic Park
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park III
Megamind
Minions
Pawn Stars: Season 16
Rush Hour
Rush Hour 2
Rush Hour 3
Thirteen
Weird Science
Wet Hot American Summer
Wyatt Earp
Aug. 2
Beyond the Bar (KR)
Aug. 5
Love Life: Seasons 1-2
SEC Football: Any Given Saturday
Titans: The Rise of Hollywood: Season 1
Aug. 6
Wednesday: Season 2 Part 1
Aug. 8
Stolen: Heist of the Century (GB)
Aug. 10
Marry Me
Aug. 11
Outlander: Season 7 Part 1
Sullivan’s Crossing: Season 3
Aug. 12
Final Draft (JP)
Jim Jefferies: Two Limb Policy
Aug. 13
Love Is Blind: UK: Season 2 (GB)
Fixed
Saare Jahan Se Accha: The Silent Guardians (IN)
Songs From the Hole
Young Millionaires (FR)
Aug. 14
In the Mud (AR)
Miss Governor: Season 1 Part 2
Mononoke The Movie: Chapter II – The Ashes of Rage (JP)
Quantum Leap: Seasons 1-2
Aug. 15
The Echoes of Survivors: Inside Korea’s Tragedies (KR)
Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser
Night Always Comes
Aug. 16
The Fast and the Furious
2 Fast 2 Furious
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
Fast Five
Fast & Furious 6
Furious 7
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw
Aug. 18
CoComelon Lane: Season 5
Extant: Seasons 1-2
Aug. 19
America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys
Titans: The Rise of Wall Street: Season 1
Aug. 20
Fisk: Season 3
Rivers of Fate (BR)
Aug. 21
The 355
Death Inc.: Season 3 (ES)
Fall for Me (DE)
Gold Rush Gang (TH)
Hostage (GB)
One Hit Wonder (PH)
Aug. 22
Abandoned Man (TR)
Long Story Short
The Truth About Jussie Smollett? (GB)
Aug. 27
Fantasy Football Ruined Our Lives (IT)
Aug. 28
Barbie Mysteries: Beach Detectives
My Life With the Walter Boys: Season 2
The Thursday Murder Club
Aug. 29
Two Graves (ES)
Unknown Number: The High School Catfish