The SLMan Culture List: December
THE STAR VEHICLE: Jay Kelly
Jay Kelly is the latest film from Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story, Frances Ha). It follows famous movie actor Jay Kelly (George Clooney) as he embarks on a journey of self-discovery, confronting both his past and present, accompanied by his devoted manager Ron (Adam Sandler). Poignant and humorous, epic and intimate, the film is pitched at the intersection of life's regrets and notable glories.
5th December
Visit Netflix.com
THE BIG RETURN: The Night Manager
Fans of the BBC's 2016 smash-hit adaptation of John le Carré's The Night Manager will be happy to hear that two new seasons are in the pipeline – with the first set to start over Christmas. Tom Hiddleston will reprise his role as Jonathan Pine in the hugely popular thriller, which will air on the BBC and Amazon Prime. Olivia Colman will also be back as Angela Burr, alongside Alistair Petrie as Sandy Langbourne and Douglas Hodge as Rex Mayhew. The new series will pick up eight years after the first season's dramatic conclusion.
1st January 2026
Visit BBC.co.uk
THE WESTERN: The Abandons
It’s Washington Territory, 1854, and the matriarchs of two very different families – one of wealth and privilege bound by blood, the other a found family of orphans and outcasts bound by love and necessity – find their fates linked by two crimes, an awful secret, a forbidden love and a piece of land with silver underneath. The collision echoes the American struggle of the haves and have-nots, in a place just beyond the reach of justice. Stars Game of Thrones’ Lena Headey, Gillian Anderson and Diana Silvers.
4th December
Visit Netflix.com
THE FOLLOW-UP: Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) returns for his most dangerous case yet in the third and darkest chapter of Rian Johnson’s murder mystery opus. When young priest Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor) is sent to assist charismatic firebrand Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin), it’s clear that all is not well in the pews. Wicks’s modest-but-devoted flock includes devout church lady Martha Delacroix (Glenn Close), circumspect groundskeeper Samson Holt (Thomas Haden Church), tightly wound lawyer Vera Draven (Kerry Washington), aspiring politician Cy Draven (Daryl McCormack), town doctor Nat Sharp (Jeremy Renner), bestselling author Lee Ross (Andrew Scott) and concert cellist Simone Vivane (Cailee Spaeny). After a sudden and seemingly impossible murder rocks the town, the lack of an obvious suspect prompts local police chief Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis) to join forces with the renowned Detective Blanc to unravel a mystery that defies all logic.
12th December
Visit Netflix.com
THE POTENTIAL OSCAR WINNER: Marty Supreme
Marty Supreme is a 2025 American sports comedy-drama film produced and directed by Josh Safdie (Uncut Gems), loosely inspired by American table tennis player Marty Reisman. Starring and co-produced by Timothée Chalamet, the film also features Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’zion, Kevin O’Leary, Tyler Okonma, Abel Ferrara and Fran Drescher in supporting roles. The drama is set in New York City during the 1950s, and focuses on up-and-coming table tennis star Marty Mauser as he goes to hell and back in pursuit of greatness. We’re already loving the merch Chalamet and pals (including Tom Brady and Kid Cudi) have been rocking in the lead up to the film’s release.
26th December
Visit Picturehouses.com
THE INDIE FILM: Eternity
We’re intrigued by this new A24 rom-com with a difference. In an afterlife where souls have one week to decide where to spend eternity, Joan is faced with the impossible choice between the man she spent her life with, and her first love, who died young and has waited decades for her to arrive. Stars Elizabeth Olsen, Miles Teller and Callum Turner.
5th December
Visit Picturehouses.com
THE STREAMER: F1
Following its summer release at the cinema, Brad Pitt’s F1 is landing on Apple TV. In the 1990s, Sonny Hayes (Pitt) was Formula 1's most promising driver until an accident on the track nearly ended his career. Thirty years later, the owner of a struggling Formula 1 team convinces Sonny to return to racing and become the best in the world. Driving alongside the team's hotshot rookie, Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), Sonny soon learns that the road to redemption is not something you can travel alone.
12th December
Visit TV.Apple.com
THE ADAPTATION: Amadeus
Sky Original’s Amadeus stars Will Sharpe (Giri/Haji, The White Lotus) as musical prodigy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Paul Bettany (A Very British Scandal) as envious court composer Antonio Salieri, and Gabrielle Creevy (Black Doves) as Constanze Weber, Mozart’s fiercely loyal wife. Based on Peter Shaffer’s award-winning stage play and boldly adapted by Joe Barton (Black Doves, Giri/Haji, The Lazarus Project), this five-parter explores the meteoric rise and mythic downfall of one of the world’s greatest composers. When 25-year-old Amadeus arrives in 18th-century Vienna, no longer a child prodigy and craving creative freedom, his world collides with two pivotal figures. Amadeus is a threat to all that Salieri holds dear: his talent, his reputation, even his faith in God – and so Salieri vows to bring him down. What begins as professional rivalry turns into a deeply personal obsession spanning 30 years, culminating in a murder confession and a desperate attempt to entwine himself with Mozart’s legacy forever.
21st December
Visit Sky.com
THE THRILLER: The Savant
This tense new series follows an undercover investigator known as the Savant (Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye) as she infiltrates online hate groups to stop domestic extremists before they act. The cast also features Nnamdi Asomugha, Cole Doman, Jordana Spiro, Trinity Lee Shirley, Toussaint Francois Battiste and guest star Pablo Schreiber. Its eight gripping episodes are slated to start landing on Apple TV later this month.
Date TBC
Visit TV.Apple.com
THE DOCUMENTARY: Sean Combs: The Reckoning
Diddy. Puff Daddy. The hip-hop icon is known by many names, but who is the real Sean Combs? In a new four-part documentary from executive producer Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson and Emmy-winning director Alexandria Stapleton, Sean Combs: The Reckoning is a staggering examination of the media mogul, music legend and convicted offender. Combs made a quick ascent through the ranks of the music industry with Bad Boy Entertainment. He was crucial in bringing hip hop to the pop masses, and launching the careers of generation-defining artists like The Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J. Blige. But along the way, something darker began to colour his ambitions. Through explosive, never-before-seen materials, including exclusive interviews with those formerly in his orbit, this documentary tells the story of a powerful, enterprising man and the empire he built – and the underworld that lay just beneath its surface.
Out now
Visit Netflix.com
THE COFFEE-TABLE BOOK: Rocky: The Complete Films
This is the definitive tribute to one of cinema’s most enduring action heroes. Rocky Balboa, the original ‘Italian Stallion’, rose from rags to riches to boxing glory, first capturing hearts on screen almost half a century ago. Shot on a tight budget with Sylvester Stallone as writer and star, Rocky became an overnight sensation, winning three Oscars and launching a six-film franchise. A collaboration with Stallone and Amazon MGM, this volume brings together copious images from the MGM archives and the Academy Library, including rare on-set photography by Neil Leifer, plus vintage interviews and a foreword by Stallone, revealing the making of an enduring action hero and a cinematic masterpiece.
Out now
Visit Amazon.co.uk
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