On 4 March, 2021, the official Netflix Twitter account tweeted out a series of emojis: a flashing camera, a glass of red wine, two eyes, and a knife. To call this a mysterious entry into the Twittersphere would be to exaggerate it, as the bottom half of the tweet clarified that the emojis were to celebrate the set release date of Joe Wright’s thriller The Woman in the Window. The delight inherent in the tweet’s tone was completely justified, as the Amy Adams-led flick has had a bumpy road to premiere.
That the source material itself is a best-selling novel written by a full-on con man might have possibly been a warning sign. First announced back in 2018, what was initially hailed as a surefire Hitchcockian Oscar win for Adams soon hit a wall with a series of unpromising test-screenings. As Director Wright said to EW earlier this year, “Oh my God. There were some plot points that people found a bit confusing. I would say possibly too opaque maybe.” With rewriting, reshoots, and pandemic-related delays finally over, it will probably be a relief for everyone involved just to see the film finally hit the small screen.
That’s not the only Netflix product to be released in May that’s being trailed by a streak of controversy. Zach Snyder’s zombie-heist genre mashup, Army of the Dead, seemed headed for dire straits after multiple women accused one of the film’s stars of misconduct. How did Snyder react? Read on to find out—and to see what other must-watches should be gracing your screen this month.
1 / 7
Selena: The Series, Part 2
Before she became the Queen of Tejano Music, Selena Quintanilla was a young girl from Texas with big dreams and an even bigger voice. Selena: The Series explores her journey from singing small gigs to becoming the most successful female Latin artist of all time—and the years of hard work and sacrifice the Quintanilla family navigated together. Part 1 was released on back in early December last year, with 9 episodes. Part 2 will focus on Selena’s struggle, both to go solo in her career and to navigate married life. It will also introduce the singer’s fan club president, Yolanda Saldivar, signalling the beginning of the tragic end.
Watch the second part of Selena: The Series from 4 May.
2 / 7
The Sons of Sam: A Descent Into Darkness
The hunt for the “Son of Sam” captivated the world in the late 1970s, but the story behind the story of one of America’s most notorious serial murderers was all but forgotten—until now. While the arrest and conviction of David Berkowitz brought the nightmare to an end for many, for journalist Maury Terry, the real mystery was just beginning. Convinced Berkowitz had not acted alone, Terry would go on to spend decades attempting to prove that the web of darkness behind the murders went deeper than anyone imagined. His pursuit of that elusive truth would eventually cost him everything. This true-crime doc compiles archival news footage, interviews, and Terry’s own words and case files to tell a cautionary tale of a man who went down a rabbit hole and never came out.
Watch The Sons of Sam: A Descent Into Darkness from 5 May.
3 / 7
Jupiter's Legacy
After nearly a century of keeping mankind safe, the world’s first generation of superheroes must look to their children to continue the legacy. But tensions rise as the young superheroes, hungry to prove their worth, struggle to live up to their parents’ legendary public reputations—and exacting personal standards. Based on the ongoing graphic novels by Mark Millar and Frank Quitely, Jupiter’s Legacy is an epic superhero drama that spans decades and navigates the complex dynamics of family, power, and loyalty. (The final volume, which is 12 issues long, will be out June 2021.) Says creator Mark Millar of Jupiter’s Legacy, “My one and only ambition was to create the biggest and best superhero story of all time.”
Watch Jupiter’s Legacy from 7 May.
4 / 7
Mine
Two women struggle to hold onto happiness and their true selves when a stranger enters into their perfect lives. Seo Hee-soo (Lee Bo-young) and Jeong Seo-hyeon (Kim Seo-hyung) are wed to the second and first heirs of the Hyowon Group, respectively. A powerful chaebol family provides a seemingly perfect life for the two of them, until a stranger, Kang Ja-kyeon (Ok Ja-yeon), is hired as a tutor to Hee-soo’s stepson. As the secrets and lies that permeate high society threatens to destroy all they hold dear, Hee-soo and Seo-hyeon must struggle to hold onto their happiness and true selves.
Watch Mine from 8 May.
5 / 7
The Woman in the Window
Give Amy Adams her Oscar already. Confined by her agoraphobia, Anna Fox (Adams) finds herself keeping tabs on the new family across the street through the windows of her New York City home. After inadvertantly witnessing a brutal crime, however, things begin to quickly fall apart. Nothing and no one are what they seem. Based on the gripping, best-selling novel adapted by Tracy Letts (of August: Osage County fame), this suspenseful psychological thriller has strains of The Girl on the Train and Sharp Objects (another Adams vehicle, funnily enough) that will titillate lovers of the shocking and unsettling. It also helps that a heaping handful of well-known faces have been added to the cast, including Gary Oldman, Anthony Mackie, Wyatt Russell, Brian Tyree Henry, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Julianne Moore.
Watch The Woman in the Window from 14 May.
6 / 7
Halston
Ewan McGregor stars as the inimitable, legendary fashion designer Halston. This 5-episode limited series—Ryan Murphy’s latest venture into historical docudrama—follows him as he leverages his single, invented name into a worldwide fashion empire synonymous with luxury, status, and fame. Along for the ride are members of his glamourous inner circle, including such celestial bodies as Liza Minelli (Krysta Rodriguez), Elsa Peretti (Rebecca Dayan), and Victor Hugo (Gian Franco Rodriguez). The grit and the glitz of ’70s and ’80s New York will be on full display in this show; it promises to drip with sex, money, betrayal, and chaos galore.
Watch Halston from 14 May.
7 / 7
Army of the Dead
This z-heist (zombie-heist, for the uninitiated) flick is not to be missed, for the fascinating last-minute workaround if nothing else. What exactly do we mean by that? Well, director and co-writer Zack Snyder wrapped production in 2019, only for for multiple women to accuse comedian-actor Chris D’Elia, cast to play pilot Peters, of sexual misconduct. Rather than buckle down and brazen through a release, Snyder opted to recast comedian Tig Notaro in the role (not unlike how Ridley Scott swapped out Kevin Spacey for Christopher Plummer in 2017’s All the Money in the World). Notaro filmed her role, now rebranded and “slightly tweaked” as Marianne Peters, against a green screen. How did the finished product turn out? You’ll have to see for yourself. However, it’s still fundamentally a story about a group of mercenaries heisting a casino in Las Vegas during a zombie outbreak. So no matter what, it’ll be a wildly fun ride.
Watch Army of the Dead from 21 May.
