Pictured: Damsel, Masters of the Universe, Nimona, The Chronicles of Narnia.
Fantasy is huge right now, with The Witcher on Netflix, Rings of Power on Prime Video and The House of the Dragon are the main vehicles of the genre right now, but what does Netflix have in store when it comes to movies? Here’s a rundown of all the fantastic movies Netflix is cooking up for release in 2023 or beyond.
For a fantasy film to be considered such, it must be set in a fictional universe involving magic, myth, or the supernatural. Some titles will probably be more sci-fi (or even horror) than fantasy, but bear with us!
Alice in Wonderland
Tongue : English
Photo: Getty Images
First announced in October 2020, it’s unclear where exactly this fantastic musical adaptation of the literary classic stands.
Title in principle ALICEThe title is produced by Leslie Morgenstein and Elysa Dutton of Alloy Entertainment, and Sabrina Carpenter stars and produces for her At Last Productions banner.
Damsel
Tongue : English
Netflix favorite Millie Bobby Brown has plenty of upcoming projects with the streamer, including the new fantasy film directed by Dan Mazeau, Damsel.
As Princess Elodie, the film sees her being sacrificed to the kingdom’s cave dragon.
Alongside Bobby Brown, the film will star Nick Robinson, Angela Bassett, Ray Winstone and Robin Wright.
The film was shot throughout the year 2022 and ended during the summer. It’s unclear if this film will premiere in 2023, but given that it’s been in post-production for over six months, it’s a safe bet that it will.
Dragons Lair: The Movie
Tongue : English
Pictured: Dragon’s Lair and Ryan Reynolds
Based on Don Bluth’s classic video game, this fantasy adaptation follows Dirk the Bold, a knight who sets out to rescue Princess Daphne from the evil dragon Monkey and a wizard named Mordroc.
The last time anyone heard of the movie was in November 2022, when Ryan Reynolds said Netflix was taking a big turn with the fantasy film. That said, it’s unclear where development is at or how close we are to seeing it on our screens.
Ehrengard
Release confirmed for 2023
Tongue : Danish
Read our full preview of Netflix’s Ehrengard movie.
Bille August will adapt Karen Blixen’s work which is set in the fairy kingdom of Babenhausen and follows Cazotte, whom the scheming Grand Duchess hires to help secure an heir.
Perhaps the most fascinating element of this project is the fact that the Queen of Denmark has been hired to be the set designer for the Netflix film.
Escape from Hat
Release confirmed in 2023 – expected in March 2023
Tongue : English
Escape from Hat – Image: Netflix
Mark Osborne is helming this fantastical new animated feature slated for release in March 2023, according to one of the people working on the project.
The project will follow Leek, a magical rabbit who gathers an unexpected group of allies and embarks on an impossible quest to escape from inside a magician’s hat and defeat the evil black cats.
The Land of God
Tongue : English
Picture: Picture Comics
Legendary Entertainment, Aftershock Media and Nightshade Entertainment will be behind this new comic adaptation with Jim Mickle at the controls.
According to Image Comics, here’s what you can expect:
Emmet Quinlan, an elderly widower shaken by dementia, isn’t just a problem for his children — his violent outbursts are more than the local cops can handle. When a tornado destroys his home, along with the surrounding West Texas town, a restored Quinlan emerges from the rubble. The enchanted sword that lies in the eye of the storm gives him more than a healthy body and mind, however. He is now the only man capable of facing the otherworldly creatures that the sword has lured into the Lone Star State…”.
There’s no way this one will be released in 2023, given that we only recently learned that the film won’t even begin production until late 2023.
Gordon Hemingway & The Cthulhu Realm
Tongue : English
Jonathan Majors stars as Gordon Hemingway in this fantastic new film which will be directed by Stefon Bristol and produced by Spike Lee.
As of December 2022, there is no further news on the progress of the project, meaning a 2023 release seems unlikely.
Nimona
Release confirmed for 2023
Tongue : English
Based on the fantasy graphic novel by ND Stevenson, this anime adaptation has looked dodgy in recent years as Disney dropped the project.
In 2022, however, it was announced that Netflix would pick up the slack to give the new film a home.
Here is the official description of the new film which will feature the voices of Chloë Grace Moretz and Riz Ahmed:
“Nimona is the only person who can help Knight Ballister Boldheart prove his innocence, he is framed for a crime he did not commit.”
Jung_E
Release confirmed for January 2023
Tongue : Korean
Originally slated to arrive on Netflix in 2022, this South Korean sci-fi fantasy action epic has been pushed back but its release is confirmed for 2023. Although this movie sits more comfortably in the sci-fi genre, it has some fantastic elements that make it worthy of being on this list.
Written and directed by Yeon Sang-ho, the film is set in an uninhabitable 22nd century Earth where the outcome of a civil war depends on cloning the brain of an elite soldier to create a mercenary robot.
masters of the universe
Tongue : English
Originally supposed to be released in March 2021, this Sony Pictures film eventually made its way to Netflix and dropped Noah Centineo for Kyle Allen who will play the role of Prince Adam.
Masters of the Universe will be directed by Aaron Nee and Adam Nee.
The film is currently not slated for release until 2024.
Sand Kings
Tongue : English
Based on George RR Martin’s sci-fi fantasy novel, this adaptation has been in the works for several years now, and not much has been said since Collider broke the news in 2021.
Gore Verbinski was initially tipped to direct.
The Chronicles of Narnia
Tongue : English
The CS Lewis Company
We’ve included the Chronicles of Narnia in our lists for some time now. It has now been over four (long) years since Netflix announced its intention to venture into the world of Narnia.
Unfortunately, since then Netflix has been pretty quiet about what’s going on. They installed a “universe architect” in 2019, but it remained quiet beyond that. Until late 2022, when we learned Netflix was planning two Narnia movies and was even considering directing Greta Gerwig.
While we don’t expect a Narnia movie to hit Netflix in 2023, we should be getting a lot more news than ever.
The Selection
Tongue : English
Based on the novels by Kiera Cass, this fantasy romance film is produced by DiNovi Pictures and directed by Haifaa Al-Mansour.
Unfortunately, since its initial announcement, there has been virtually no official news from the project, with the many people involved often posting personal updates stating that scripts are still being submitted and worked on.
Suffice it to say we won’t see… The Selection soon.
The Uglies
Coming to Netflix in 2023
Tongue: English
Read our full preview of the upcoming film here.
Directed by McG, this fantasy action film is set in a world where forced surgery erases physical differences and makes everyone beautiful.
Joey King leads the cast of the film, based on Scott Westerfeld’s novel.
Let’s complete this list with some other fantastic projects in development at Netflix:
- Chupa – Jonas Cuarón has been tapped in 2020 to direct an untitled feature film for Netflix, produced by Chris Columbus’ 26th Street Pictures.
- Beyond Good and Evil – Adaptation of the Ubisoft game by director Rob Letterman.
- Me, Chihuahua – Animated feature film by Jorge R. Gutiérrez.
- pashmina – Gurinder Chadha directs this animated feature film about a young Indian-American girl who rediscovers her heritage thanks to her magical pashmina.
- Scarlett – Alice Waddington has been cast to direct this fantasy drama produced by Jason Bateman.
- Untitled Jason Bateman/John Cena/Netflix Project – Fantasy comedy about a family who find themselves stuck in an old abandoned movie studio that comes to life. With John Cena.
Are you looking forward to one of these fantastic movies? Let us know in the comments.