Movies and TV series not to miss this October From "Primetime" to the Italian box office sensation "L'estranea", the releases to mark in your calendar
This October is the month of adaptations. It starts with East of Eden by John Steinbeck for Netflix, moves on to Carrie by Stephen King for Prime Video and ends in cinemas with Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. There are plenty of new releases too, such as Tom Cruise having to save the world (or not) in Digger, actor Austin Abrams facing a whale in Whalefall and, above all, the Italian film of the year, L’estranea by Paolo Strippoli, Italy’s candidate for the 2027 Oscars. Here, then, are all the films and series not to be missed.
East of Eden - on Netflix from October 1
Zoe Kazan inherits a fundamental piece of her family’s work and takes on the story that her grandfather, Elia Kazan, directed for the big screen in 1955. East of Eden, based on the novel of the same name by John Steinbeck, this time becomes a Netflix series starring Florence Pugh, Mike Faist and Christopher Abbott, a trio whose stories will be followed across two generations.
Digger - in cinemas from October 1
Tom Cruise is ready to save the world once again, but not in the way you might imagine. This time he stars in Digger, the new film by Alejandro González Iñárritu, in which he plays Digger Rockwell, a tycoon whose drilling has brought about the imminent end of the world as we know it. What will he do to fix the situation?
Verity - in cinemas from October 1
Another Colleen Hoover novel is ready to hit cinemas. This time it is the turn of Verity, the story of a writer who, in order to complete a colleague’s work, finds herself caught up in a web of intrigue and mystery. The leads are Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson, joined by Josh Hartnett.
Ingorgo - on Prime Video from October 2
A new comedy for Prime Video. Ingorgo is exactly what it promises: a cluster of cars stuck in a jam, each with a story that makes up the six-episode show. The Italian series has a cast of familiar names and is built on comic dynamics, plot twists and bizarre characters, all at a standstill and ready to make us laugh even in one of the most stressful situations of all: traffic.
Peccato - on HBO Max Italia from October 2
If you love Emanuela Fanelli, mockumentaries and a brand of comedy that is at times delightfully nonsensical, then Peccato is the October series for you. The comedian and actress, here also the writer of the six-episode show, plays a version of herself in 2049 who looks back on her career through interviews with figures from the cultural world, reconstructing her (fictional) rise and fall in show business.
Carrie - on Prime Video from October 7
Among the month’s adaptations, Carrie is one of the most anticipated. The series is a Prime Video original and a contemporary reimagining of the novel by Stephen King. The protagonist is once again Carrie White, this time played by Summer H. Howell, in an exploration of who the young woman is and how she will face the cruelty of the world.
L’estranea - in cinemas from October 7
It is the Italian film event of the year. L’estranea by Paolo Strippoli is a psychological thriller in which a mother will do anything to keep up the appearance of her family, making extreme and painful decisions. A breath of fresh air for Italian cinema, absolutely not to be missed.
Yaga - on HBO Max Italia from October 7
If you miss Heated Rivalry, and its actors in particular, from October 7 on HBO Max Italia you can catch up with Hudson Williams while waiting for the young adult show’s second season. The actor is in the cast of the series Yaga, the story of a private investigator who arrives in town to look into the disappearance of a powerful family’s heir.
Below - on Netflix from October 8
Not just Verity, Josh Hartnett also arrives on Netflix in October with Below, a series in which he stars and has to face a mysterious sea creature that begins to threaten the small town where he lives.
The Social Reckoning - in cinemas from October 8
The long-awaited spiritual sequel to The Social Network has finally arrived. From October 8, The Social Reckoning hits cinemas with Jeremy Allen White, Mikey Madison and Jeremy Strong. The film centres on the story of Frances Haugen, an engineer and former Facebook employee who, together with journalist Jeff Horwitz, will try to bring to light the harm the social network has caused to people.
Incidents Around the House - in cinemas from October 8
The horror of the month comes courtesy of Rob Savage, who picks Jessica Chastain as the lead of his Incidents Around the House, based on the novel Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman. As the title suggests, a supernatural presence takes on the appearance of a little girl’s mother, posing as the parent and haunting a family’s everyday life.
Matchbox - on AppleTV+ from October 9
John Cena is on a roll, especially when it comes to feature films for streaming. In Matchbox his character reunites with his old group of friends, who have no idea that in the meantime he has become a CIA agent on whom the fate of the world depends, something they will find out the hard way.
Animals - on Netflix from October 9
The new film written and directed by Ben Affleck is Animals, a Netflix original about a candidate for mayor of Los Angeles who, in order to reach his goal, risks making choices that could destroy his life. The cast is stellar, featuring Gillian Anderson, Kerry Washington and Steven Yeun.
The Love of Your Life - on Prime Video from October 14
Margaret Qualley stars in the romantic film The Love of Your Life, the story of an overwhelming encounter and a future turned upside down, which forces the protagonist to come to terms with who she is and what she wants, reflecting on what it means to learn to love again. The cast also includes Gabriel Basso from the series The Night Agent.
Primetime - in cinemas from October 15
Robert Pattinson plays TV host Chris Hansen in the film Primetime, in which director Lance Oppenheim restages the programme the man was the face of, whose aim was to catch sexual predators. The cast also includes Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo and Phoebe Bridgers.
Je so’ pazzo - in cinemas from October 15
Je so’ pazzo is the biopic about singer-songwriter Pino Daniele, directed by Nicola Prosatore and starring Massimiliano Caiazzo. The film is loosely based on the book Pino Daniele. Tutto quello che mi ha dato emozione viene alla luce by Alessandro Daniele and retraces the artist’s rise, which in 1981 saw him perform in front of an audience of more than 200,000 people.
Whalefall - in cinemas from October 15
If Resident Evil turned you into a fan of Austin Abrams, you cannot miss the blockbuster Whalefall, in cinemas from October 15, in which the actor takes on another impossible challenge: the young man will find himself face to face with none other than a whale.
Tenzing - on AppleTV+ from October 16
A true story for AppleTV+. Tenzing tells the story of the Himalayan climber who gives the film its title, Tenzing Norgay, and of New Zealander Edmund Hillary. The two were the first climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest and are played in the film by Genden Phuntsok and Tom Hiddleston, with Willem Dafoe also in the cast as Colonel John Hunt.
Fatherland - in cinemas from October 16
Winner of the Best Director award at Cannes, Pawel Pawlikowski brings Fatherland to cinemas, a reflection on the relationship between man and History that takes shape in the film through the bond between Nobel laureate Thomas Mann and his daughter, on a journey through the rubble of Germany after the Second World War.
Masterplan - on Prime Video from October 16
Plans to follow and a Mona Lisa to steal: that is the plot of Masterplan, the new Prime Video film with an international cast. Stanley Tucci, Victor Belmondo and Simona Tabasco are a trio of thieves who will not only try to bring home the artwork, but will also make up for lost time, since the two younger ones will discover they are siblings.
Sense and Sensibility - in cinemas from October 22
Jane Austen adaptations are back. October brings Sense and Sensibility, the story of the Dashwood sisters who, left without their father and his inheritance, must find their way through the territories of love and marriage in the Regency era. This time the leads are Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esme Creed-Miles, joined by George MacKay, Herbert Nordrum, Frank Dillane, Caitríona Balfe and Fiona Shaw.
LOL - Halloween Special - on Prime Video from October 22
If you are a fan of LOL you will be pleased with the surprise Prime Video has in store for Halloween. The comedy show is ready for a special episode with a line-up of contestants who have already taken part in the game and now return to try to make the others laugh, but also to scare them. Competing will be Maccio Capatonda, Katia Follesa, Lucia Ocone, Herbert Ballerina, Brenda Lodigiani and Andrea Pisani, while the control room will be in the hands of the Gialappa’s Band.
Clayface - in cinemas from October 22
DC is back after the flop of Supergirl and does so with Clayface, the story of an actor who is left disfigured and who, to fix the situation, will resort to an extreme measure, turning to an experimental treatment that, on the contrary, makes things worse by turning his skin into clay. The lead is Tom Rhys Harries, the director is James Watkins and the screenplay was written by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini.
Noi, un po’ meglio - on Netflix from October 29
Elio Germano and Maria Chiara Giannetta are prospective parents in the Netflix film Noi, un po’ meglio. The two actors play a couple who embark on the adoption process in the film directed by Daniele Lucchetti, and will have to face a number of challenges over the course of the romantic comedy.
Nocturne - on AppleTV+ from October 30
Liev Schreiber, Zazie Beetz and Stephen Graham star in the series Nocturne, an AppleTV+ original about the investigations of police detective Jonah Lynn, on the trail of a sadistic and cunning serial killer. The show starts from a case involving one of the killer’s victims, who disappeared thirteen years earlier together with her sister.