Netflix spends a lot of money. In 2019 alone, the company will likely invest around $15 billion on Netflix Originals content. This money goes to recruiting big-name creators such as Ryan Murphy, Shonda Rhimes and even the Obamas.
Somehow, the money doesn’t go to renewing “Tuca & Bertie” for a second season. Maybe someday I’ll forgive Netflix for that.
By the end of 2019, a handful of expensive originals will debut on the service, with casts that include A-listers such as Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep and, arguably Netflix’s most famous face given the continued ubiquity of “Friends,” David Schwimmer.
Below is a list of a few super notable, super expensive movies joining the service before the end of the year. A few of these will likely compete for Oscars. A couple of them cost around half a billion dollars to make. You’re going to want to check these out.
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“The Irishman”
Sum-Up: This is Martin Scorsese’s second Netflix movie this year (following “Rolling Thunder Revue”). The story comes from real-life figure Frank Sheehan, a union leader who worked with organized crime in the Northeast and may have had a role in the mysterious disappearance of fellow labor figure Jimmy Hoffa.
Release Date: Sept. 27 at the New York Film Festival, then later this fall on Netflix
Cast: Bobby Cannavale, Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, Al Pacino, Anna Paquin, Joe Pesci and Jesse Plemons / directed by Martin Scorsese
Cost: The Wall Street Journal reported that the budget may have exceeded $200 million.
“The Laundromat”
Sum-Up: This is Steven Soderbergh’s second Netflix movie this year (following “High Flying Bird”). It focuses on a character played by Meryl Streep who stumbles into a global conspiracy during a vacation.
Release Date: August at the Venice Film Festival, then late 2019 on Netflix
Cast: Antonio Banderas, James Cromwell, Will Forte, Gary Oldman, David Schwimmer, Sharon Stone, Meryl Streep and Jeffrey Wright / directed by Steven Soderbergh
Cost: Unclear, but Fast Company called it a “big-budget feature.” You don’t get all these A-listers for cheap.
“The King”
Sum-Up: A young prince, played by Timothée Chalamet, must rule a kingdom after the death of his father. The prince becomes King Henry V and rules England in the early 1400s. Seems kind of wild to call a movie “The King,” given the ubiquity of king-centric stories throughout the ages, but maybe this will still stand out.
Release Date: August at the Venice Film Festival, then late 2019 on Netflix
Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Lily-Rose Depp, Joel Edgerton, Ben Mendelsohn, Robert Pattinson
Cost: Unclear, but the cast, fight sequences and costume drama nature of the movie make it likely Netflix had to spend a lot.
“6 Underground”
Sum-Up: With a kind of “Batman” vibe, six billionaires fake their deaths to start fighting crime vigilante-style. Michael Bay directing a movie about billionaires using their wealth on weapons has to equal tons of explosions, right?
Cast: Mélanie Laurent and Dave Franco / directed by Michael Bay
Cost: Around $150 million
“Klaus”
Sum-Up: This is Netflix’s first original animated feature film, and the company has Oscar hopes for it. The story focuses on a man tasked with setting up a post office in a remote, icy town. After repeatedly failing to convince the townspeople to write and send letters, the postman stumbles upon a toymaker named Klaus.
Release Date: Late 2019 (presumably before Christmas)
Cast: Joan Cusack, Rashida Jones, Jason Schwartzman and J.K. Simmons / directed by Sergio Pablos (“Despicable Me”)
Cost: IMDb estimates $40 million, but doesn’t provide evidence.
Bonus: “Red Notice”
Sum-Up: Even though this won’t debut “soon,” Netflix just announced it will make this very expensive action movie with a few A-listers. Plot details remain scarce, but Deadline described it as a “globetrotting action heist thriller.”
Release Date: Possibly 2020
Cast: Gal Gadot, Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds
Cost: Around $200 million