Netflix continues to have an ambitious release schedule for upcoming projects, including over a dozen upcoming Netflix Original sci-fi movies. The streaming service has made science fiction a priority, aiming to attract the genre's devoted fanbase. As Netflix focuses on a global audience, the list of upcoming sci-fi movies includes works in a variety of languages addressing every subset of the diverse genre.
The streaming service ventured into the science fiction genre with some series such as Sense8 and Altered Carbon. When Netflix began producing original movies as well as TV shows, this also included sci-fi, beginning with the 2016 release ARQ. Some of its most prominent science fiction films have included The Cloverfield Paradox, George Clooney vehicle The Midnight Sky, and Duncan Jones' Moon sequel Mute.
2021 has seen Netflix ramp up its sci-fi production. This year has already seen the release of the Anthony Mackie action film Outside the Wire, South Korean space Western Space Sweepers, thriller Oxygen, and action movie Awake, all in distinctly sci-fi settings. Some of the service's biggest original releases this year, such as Army of the Dead and The Mitchells vs. The Machines, have also had science-fiction elements.
While Netflix has released numerous sci-fi movies, none of them have quite become huge hits or widely acclaimed by genre fans. This has led some to argue that Netflix has a "sci-fi problem." The streaming service is surely hoping that at least one of these sci-fi releases strikes a chord and is widely watched.
Lulli
Lulli is a Portuguese-language movie starring Larissa Manoela, the Brazilian telenovela star who previously appeared in Netflix's 2020 movie Airplane Mode. Manoela plays the eponymous Lulli, an ambitious medical student who gains the ability to read others' thoughts after being electrocuted by an MRI machine. The movie has completed filming in Sao Paulo and is slated to be released this year. Lulli sounds like it will be more of a comedy with a fantastical premise, but time will tell how involved its sci-fi elements end up being.
Army of Thieves
Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead is the start of a planned universe spanning film and television on Netflix, and the next piece in the puzzle will be Army of Thieves. The prequel movie is set during the beginning stages of the zombie outbreak and will reveal the backstory of Matthias Schweighöfer's safecracker Ludwig. The supporting cast includes Nathalie Emmanuel, Guz Khan, and Ruby O. Fee. Schweighöfer will direct as well as star in the movie. Army of Thieves was filmed in Germany last year and is also scheduled for a 2021 release.
Blasted
Blasted is a Norwegian film that focuses on the mysterious "Hessdalen Lights," which have often attracted the attention of UFO enthusiasts. The story follows two childhood friends who find themselves battling an alien invasion after reuniting at a wedding. Billed as the first Norwegian sci-fi comedy, Blasted will be directed by Martin Sofiedal, written by Emanuel Nordum, and star Axel Boyum and Fredrik Skogsrud. It is expected to release in 2022.
Bigbug
Bigbug is the latest project from director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, best known as the director of Amelie and Alien: Resurrection. Jeunet has described the French-language film as "a science fiction comedy, in a closed setting, with humans, androids and mechanical robots." The story follows a group of bickering suburbanites who are forced together when an android uprising finds their house robots locking them up for their safety. Jeunet describes it as a project that has been in the works for over four years before he found a studio to take it on. The project began filming last fall, starring Elsa Zylberstein, Isabelle Nanty, and Youssef Hajdi.
Empress
Based on a comic book series by Mark Millar, Empress tells the story of Queen Emporia, married to galactic dictator King Morax, who goes on the run from her husband with her children. The movie is being adapted by writer Lindsey Beer. It is one of three upcoming movies based on the Millarworld comics label, which Netflix purchased in 2017. The first Millarworld project, Jupiter's Legacy, was recently canceled, but Netflix seems to still be moving forward with other Millar adaptations like Supercrooks and Empress.
Huck
Huck is another Millarworld project, and one of the divisive writer's softer titles. The titular hero is a gentle giant whose superpowers are concealed by his small town until a visitor reveals them to the media. The Netflix movie adaptation will be handled by Ted Melfi, best known as the director and writer of Oscar nominee Hidden Figures.
Sharkey the Bounty Hunter
Sharkey the Bounty Hunter is the third planned Millarworld movie. It is set in a sci-fi world where an inhuman bounty hunter and a ten-year-old kid pursue a big score. The comic book was published by Millarworld under Netflix ownership, with a screenplay later being adapted by Scott Pilgrim screenwriter Michael Bacall. The Millarworld movies have been in Netflix development since 2018, but with Jupiter's Legacy finally seeing the light of day, movies like Sharkey and Empress may be next.
Satellite
Satellite was announced earlier this year as part of a slate of projects from Barack and Michelle Obama's Higher Ground Productions, with Rian Johnson's T Street also involved. The film will be written by Ola Shokunbi. Not much has been revealed about the movie's plot, but based on the names involved it could be a major production.
Spaceman
One of the more unusual projects on Netflix's slate is Spaceman, an English-language adaptation of a Czech novel by Jaroslav Kalfař. Kalfař's story is an absurdist satirical narrative about the first astronaut of the independent Czech Republic who is sent on a risky mission to Venus and ends up befriending an arachnid alien. The adaptation is set to be directed by Johan Renck and will star Adam Sandler and Carey Mulligan. The tragicomic Spaceman could give Adam Sandler an opportunity to demonstrate his acting skills again after wowing audiences with his work in Uncut Gems.
The Adam Project
Another upcoming sci-fi movie with big names attached is The Adam Project, starring Ryan Reynolds, Jennifer Garner, Zoe Saldana, Mark Ruffalo, and Catherine Keener, directed by Stranger Things' Shawn Levy. The movie has been in development since 2012 and was originally slated to be a Paramount theatrical release starring Tom Cruise. Reynolds stars as a man who travels back in time to seek the help of his 13-year-old self.
The Mothership
The recently-announced The Mothership will star Halle Berry as a rural mother who finds an alien object underneath her farm that holds the key to the disappearance of her husband. The movie will be the directorial debut of Matthew Charman, best known as the screenwriter of Bridge of Spies. Berry will also serve as a producer for the movie.
They Cloned Tyrone
The comedy They Cloned Tyrone will feature John Boyega's return to sci-fi after Star Wars with Jamie Foxx and Teyonah Parris. The movie is based on an original screenplay by Creed 2 writer Juel Taylor, who will also serve as director. They Cloned Tyrone is described as "a pulpy, sci-fi mystery caper" dealing with a trio of street criminals who uncover a vast cloning conspiracy. The movie completed filming in Atlanta in the fall of 2020.
Where I End
Helmed by Black Christmas director Sophia Takal, Where I End is set in a world where human memories and personalities can be saved on a computer and restored should the mortal body be killed. The plot is a thriller about a man who comes back to life and investigates the circumstances of his death, including his suspicions of his wife.
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All of the above movies have been confirmed by Netflix, including many which have already been shot. The streaming service also has a number of sci-fi projects in development, including new takes on futuristic characters like video game icon Mega Man and Japanese tokusatsu hero Ultraman. Netflix is also exploring adaptations of the cult video game Beyond Good & Evil, the J. G. Ballard novel Hello America, John Scalzi's Old Man's War, the Mark Millar comic Prodigy, and the young adult novel The Selection. While not all of these projects are guaranteed to end up as finished movies, it seems clear that Netflix is invested in science fiction for a long time to come.