Ten days from right now, on September 18, 2026, Sony brings a rebuilt Resident Evil back to the big screen in Cinema, and the timing of the release date puts the franchise in a spot it hasn’t occupied in years: genuinely anticipated instead of merely tolerated. The new film, directed by Zach Cregger, premieres at Fantastic Fest on September 17 before opening wide the next day in standard, PLF, and IMAX formats, and it arrives carrying a weight that has nothing to do with nostalgia and everything to do with who’s steering it. That distinction matters, because Resident Evil hasn’t exactly earned goodwill on the big screen in a long time.
The franchise’s box office track record is actually strong on paper — six Milla Jovovich-led films between 2002 and 2017 pulled in more than $1.2 billion worldwide combined — but that success came despite reviews that ranged from mixed to outright hostile toward the series’ shift into action-heavy spectacle rather than survival horror. The 2021 follow-up attempt, Welcome to Raccoon City, tried to correct course by hewing closer to the games, and still landed with a thud at the box office and with critics. A companion Netflix series met a similarly quiet fate. So walking into 2026, Resident Evil as a screen property had built up a reputation problem that no amount of built-in fan recognition could paper over on its own.
What’s turning heads now is the specific combination of who made this one and how Sony landed him. Cregger came off Barbarian, his breakout 2022 horror hit, and Warner Bros.’ Weapons, and multiple studios reportedly entered a bidding war for his original take on the franchise before Sony secured it. The studio’s motivation is not subtle: after Kraven the Hunter, Morbius, and Madame Web all underperformed and led Sony to scrap its planned Spider-Man spinoff slate, Resident Evil became the property the studio is actively betting on to prove it can still deliver a big theatrical horror swing. Cregger has been upfront that this is not a direct adaptation of any single game, instead following an ordinary medical courier named Bryan through a single night of the Raccoon City outbreak, loosely informed by Resident Evil 2, 3, and 4 rather than retelling any of them beat for beat. That approach split reactions when the first teaser dropped, with some longtime fans wanting a literal recreation of game moments, but the fuller trailer released ahead of Cregger’s Comic-Con Hall H appearance shifted the conversation, drawing coverage calling it one of the year’s strongest trailers.
The cast rounding out Bryan’s night from hell — Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, and Paul Walter Hauser — gives the film a grounded, character-actor-heavy roster rather than an ensemble built around one recognizable action lead, which tracks with Cregger’s stated goal of following someone with zero combat experience stumbling through a nightmare rather than a trained hero mowing through it. At a reported $80 million budget, considerably leaner than a typical modern franchise tentpole, Sony is clearly not trying to out-spectacle the Jovovich era so much as out-atmosphere it. Whether that bet pays off gets tested in real time starting September 17, but for a franchise that has spent nearly two decades being profitable without being respected, having a genuine directorial voice attached is the first new variable the property has had in a long time.
In a sudden move that surprised television audiences, Prime Video opted not to move forward with a second season of the live-action superhero series Spider-Noir, starring Nicolas Cage. The eight-episode first season premiered on the platform in May 2026, serving as the debut project to actually reach screen under the high-profile partnership between Amazon MGM Studios and Sony Pictures Television to leverage Marvel characters controlled by Sony. While the project followed the shelving of the previously planned Silk: Spider-Society spinoff before it entered production, Spider-Noir completed its debut run as a standalone limited story, which now stands as its singular season.
The series launched with significant critical praise and strong early engagement, holding a 92% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes and earning 11 Emmy Award nominations. Despite debuting to 851 million viewing minutes in its opening week on Nielsen’s U.S. charts and amassing 2.6 billion viewing minutes over its initial six-week window, the show experienced a quicker-than-expected decline from the streamer’s daily top ten rankings. The decision not to renew ultimately hinged on the gap between its total viewership retention and its massive production cost, which reportedly reached $400 million due in part to producing two distinct visual presentations—a classic black-and-white version alongside a full-color edition.
The project stood out in the current streaming landscape as Nicolas Cage’s first regular leading role in a television series. Portraying Ben Reilly, a down-on-his-luck private investigator in 1930s New York forced to confront his past life as the city’s lone superhero, Cage brought a distinct noir-inspired tone to the adaptation. Guided by co-showrunners Oren Uziel and Steve Lightfoot alongside executive producers Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Amy Pascal, the production assembled a supporting cast that included Lamorne Morris, Li Jun Li, and Brendan Gleeson.
Even with the end of Spider-Noir, the broader television agreement between Amazon MGM Studios and Sony Pictures Television remains active. Both studios continue to develop alternative live-action projects within Sony’s Marvel catalog, with at least one unannounced title currently nearing a formal series order. For viewers, the full eight-episode run of Spider-Noir remains available in the Prime Video catalog, ending its run as a stylized, single-season chapter in Marvel’s television lineup.
The iconic comedy franchise that redefined horror parodies in the early 2000s is experiencing a massive streaming surge as Scary Movie (popularly known as Scary Movie 6) makes its official debut on Paramount+. Following a successful theatrical run in June 2026, where it grossed $231 million worldwide against a $30 million budget, the film has now transitioned to digital home streaming with an exclusive extended cut. This platform-exclusive release adds nine minutes of brand-new footage, bringing the total runtime to 1 hour and 44 minutes. The added material delivers expanded gags and sharper parodies targeting recent horror trends, such as modern “requels” and elevated horror hits like M3GAN and Smile.
Created at the turn of the millennium, the original Scary Movie franchise built a massive global legacy, generating nearly $900 million across five previous installments. However, after creative differences led the Wayans family to step away following 2001’s Scary Movie 2, the series gradually lost steam and went on a 13-year hiatus after the fifth entry in 2013. The 2026 release marks a major turning point, serving as a direct “rebooquel” and spiritual successor to the original two films. While mainstream film critics remained lukewarm with a 24% score on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences embraced the revival with a 64% approval rating, turning it into the franchise’s highest-opening theatrical debut to date.
The immediate buzz driving the film to the top of streaming charts stems from Paramount’s strategy of releasing both the theatrical version and the unrated extended cut simultaneously on demand. Viewers flocking to discover the unreleased jokes pushed the title into the platform’s top-trending position within days. The momentum is further amplified by the platform’s launch of the complete Scary Movie Collection, which consolidates all six movies in one streaming destination just as fans begin curating their fall and Halloween movie watchlists.
Much of the revival’s appeal centers on the long-awaited reunion of the original creative team and cast. After 18 years apart from the property, Marlon, Shawn, and Keenen Ivory Wayans returned to pen the screenplay, reuniting classic stars Anna Faris (Cindy Campbell) and Regina Hall (Brenda Meeks) alongside Marlon and Shawn. Under the direction of Michael Tiddes, the cast recaptures the raw, unfiltered comedic chemistry that defined their earlier work. By leaning heavily into nostalgic character returns and unapologetic slapstick humor, the new release proves that a well-executed return to original roots can comfortably capture both old fans and new streaming audiences.
Horror enthusiasts visiting Cinema locations nationwide are turning their attention to Ice Cream Man, the latest slasher feature from director Eli Roth that arrived on August 7, 2026. Produced through MCT Studios and The Horror Section on a tight $5.5 million budget, the film turns a tranquil summer vacation into a graphic nightmare when a enigmatic vendor rolls into the suburban neighborhood of Bayleen Bay. Starring Ari Millen as the titular villain Jonathan Smiley, the standalone thriller follows a small group of kids—led by a lactose-intolerant boy named Jared—who must fight for survival after cursed frozen treats transform their classmates into a mind-controlled, homicidal horde.
The theatrical debut follows a notable career trajectory for Roth, who self-financed the independent project to bypass major studio development notes and distribution models. Released across 1,761 domestic theaters by Iconic Events Releasing, the film collected $1 million during its opening weekend and surpassed $6 million globally at the box office. Operating as a homage to 1980s suburban horror tropes, the feature follows Roth’s 2023 slasher Thanksgiving, opting for explicit shock value, practical gore, and absurd genre setups rather than slow-burn psychological tension.
What triggered immediate public chatter surrounding Ice Cream Man throughout its August run was a wave of online controversy regarding its visual production techniques. The film sparked debate across horror fanbases after Roth confirmed during press interviews that select sequences, including animated jingles and backstory flashbacks, utilized generative artificial intelligence. The admission fueled viral discussions across social media platforms, drawing curious moviegoers to multiplexes to examine the controversial digital effects alongside the film’s signature violent set pieces.
Behind the camera, Roth co-wrote the screenplay with Noah Belson, leaning heavily on physical comedic beats and extreme violence carried out by a young ensemble cast. Actor Ari Millen anchors the film with a menacing performance as Jonathan Smiley, while supporting turns from Charlie Zeltzer, Shiloh O’Reilly, Kiori Mirza Waldman, and Benjamin Byron Davis drive the core narrative. Featuring an original score composed by Brandon Roberts and soundtrack contributions from hip-hop icon Snoop Dogg, the production pairs indie horror roots with high-profile artistic collaborations.
By taking an uncompromising, low-budget approach to traditional slasher tropes, the film carves out a distinct space in the late-summer theatrical release schedule. The debate surrounding its release proves that independent horror remains a powerful draw for physical theater admissions. As Ice Cream Man completes its run in cinemas, it marks another bold chapter in Roth’s long-standing contribution to modern splatter cinema.
Subscribers on Netflix are tracking a major upcoming feature film release with the announcement of Unabomber, an R-rated biographical thriller slated for a global release on September 25, 2026. Directed by Janus Metz, the standalone project examines the origin story of Ted Kaczynski through dual timelines. The narrative bridges Kaczynski’s early days as a 16-year-old math prodigy undergoing controversial CIA-backed psychological experiments at Harvard University in the 1950s with the high-stakes FBI manhunt that closed in on him decades later in 1994.
The premiere builds momentum within Netflix’s line of prestige true-crime and historical dramas. Produced on a substantial feature scale, the film wrapped principal photography in Montreal in mid-2025. The project follows a tradition of investigative thrillers on the platform, following previous successes that explored major law enforcement operations. Anticipation for the mid-budget drama remains high following its official trailer drop on August 27, 2026, which quickly sparked online discussions around its psychological approach to the true-crime genre.
Current buzz around Unabomber focuses on the trailer’s reveal of the film’s central psychological dynamic and its fresh historical perspective. Rather than focusing solely on the serial bombing campaign, the script—co-written by Harvard graduates Sam Chalsen and Nelson Greaves—explores the lesser-known academic experiments led by psychologist Henry Murray. This focus on the controversial MK-Ultra-adjacent study, paired with a dual-timeline structure, provides audiences with a deeper look at the events preceding the nationwide manhunt.
The production relies on a strong, cross-generational ensemble cast to anchor its parallel timelines. Oscar-winner Russell Crowe stars as Professor Henry Murray, alongside Jacob Tremblay as the young Ted Kaczynski, while Shailene Woodley plays Joanne Miller, the FBI agent spearheading the 1990s investigation. The supporting cast features Annabelle Wallis and Alexander Ludwig, with an original score composed by Marco Beltrami. Janus Metz’s direction balances these character studies with procedural tension to maintain steady narrative momentum.
By pairing historical investigation with a deep dive into psychological experimentation, Unabomber aims to offer a complete look at one of the country’s most complex criminal cases. The combination of a high-profile cast and a unique narrative structure positions the feature as a standout release for fall viewing schedules. As its late-September release date approaches, the film stands ready to engage both true-crime enthusiasts and drama fans across the globe.
Action fans have a massive new streaming event to add to their weekend watchlist as Mayday officially makes its global streaming debut on Apple TV on September 4, 2026. Produced in partnership with Skydance Media and Maximum Effort, this high-octane buddy comedy stars Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh in an unexpected Cold War team-up. The film centers on Lieutenant Troy “Assassin” Kelly, a cocky U.S. Navy pilot who gets shot down behind enemy lines during a covert mission in Soviet territory. Instead of a standard escape-and-evasion story, the film subverts classic spy tropes when Troy forms a chaotic survival alliance with Nikolai Ustinov, a eccentric ex-KGB agent who loves American culture.
The journey to its September premiere marks a major victory for the streamer’s feature film slate. Written and directed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, the project was developed on an ambitious scale, filming across international locations starting in early 2024. Early critic reviews have praised the movie’s sharp pacing, action choreography, and comedic balance, positioning it as an instant hit for home audiences. Following a star-studded world premiere at AMC Lincoln Square in New York City on September 1, 2026, the film quickly became one of the most talked-about streaming arrivals of the late summer season.
The immediate surge in audience curiosity stems from the movie’s distinct spin on 1980s-style action cinema. Rather than playing out as a dark geopolitical drama, Mayday lean heavily into physical comedy, rapid-fire banter, and large-scale practical set pieces. The official trailer generated millions of views within days of its July release, capitalizing on the contrast between Reynolds’ trademark sarcastic hero and Branagh’s formidable Soviet operative. This blend of high-stakes action and lighthearted odd-couple chemistry provides exactly the kind of crowd-pleasing spectacle streaming subscribers seek out.
Much of the film’s creative strength comes from the talent behind and in front of the camera. Co-directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein bring their proven comedic action expertise from hits like Game Night and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. The dynamic between Reynolds and Branagh is anchored by an impressive supporting ensemble that includes Oscar nominee Maria Bakalova, Marcin Dorociński, and David Morse. By combining top-tier comedy directors with a powerhouse lead duo, the production brings genuine cinematic polish to small screens.
With its blend of classic buddy-cop dynamics and sharp modern filmmaking, Mayday stands out as a prime example of high-concept streaming cinema. The film’s seamless balance of Cold War tension and witty escapism ensures a broad appeal for movie lovers everywhere. As viewers dive into this wild escape across enemy territory, Apple TV lands another solid win for its growing action lineup.
Max continues to reinforce its catalog status by debuting a heavy-hitting mix of cinematic classics and high-profile original documentaries. The streaming platform released a massive wave of licensed blockbusters alongside prestige non-fiction programming, featuring legendary film sagas like Gremlins, Final Destination, Full Metal Jacket, and The Last Samurai. This drop coincides with the premiere of major original documentary series, including the executive-produced eight-part music biography JAY-Z In 8 and the true-crime investigative project A Killer Story.
The new drop marks a classic strategy within Max’s distribution timeline, blending timeless studio vault titles with modern prestige documentaries. Historically, vault expansions on the service draw significant watch-time spikes by combining generational nostalgia with critical award-winners—such as Oscar-winners Rain Man, A Streetcar Named Desire, and The Revenant. Rather than relying strictly on single-series rollouts, the current library strategy builds sustained subscriber engagement across distinct demographic groups.
What is driving immediate streaming traffic to Max right now is the strategic synergy between long-standing cinematic franchises and fresh non-fiction releases. Cult-favorite horror titles like MaXXXine, Pearl, and Talk To Me arrived alongside classic thrillers, tapping directly into genre trends ahead of the fall season. Concurrently, the buzz generated by JAY-Z In 8—directed by music icon Rick Rubin and co-executive produced by Daniel Kaluuya—has captured music and culture discussions across social media platforms.
The star power backing this content update extends beyond traditional Hollywood acting ensembles. High-profile creatives like Irene Taylor, Marlee Matlin, and Rick Rubin lead the documentary slate, giving non-fiction releases the same creative weight as prestige feature films. Paired with iconic performances from legendary actors across decades of cinema—from Marlon Brando to Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio—the platform offers a balanced library built on proven talent.
By pairing culturally significant documentary storytelling with dozens of Hollywood’s most memorable blockbusters, Max secures its position as a go-to destination for comprehensive viewing. Whether audiences tune in for historical music portraits or weekend movie marathons, this updated catalog offers a complete entertainment experience.
Netflix is actively developing a new live-action Dungeons & Dragons series centered on the beloved gothic-horror setting Ravenloft, bringing the iconic realm of Barovia and the villainous Count Strahd von Zarovich to the screen. The announcement marks a fresh chapter for Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast’s premier role-playing franchise following its critically acclaimed 2023 cinematic outing, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Unlike previous high-fantasy adaptations, this upcoming live-action project leans heavily into supernatural thriller territory, expanding the iconic tabletop brand into dark fantasy.
While the Ravenloft project is in active pre-production, it arrives on the heels of renewed interest in tabletop adaptations driven by the critical success of Honor Among Thieves, which earned an 91% Rotten Tomatoes score and grossed over $208 million globally. The original 1983 Ravenloft module remains one of the most celebrated adventures in Dungeons & Dragons history, frequently ranking among the top modules ever published by TSR and Wizards of the Coast. By adapting this specific domain of dread rather than a standard hero’s journey, the production targets both seasoned tabletop players and mainstream viewers fond of dark fantasy.
The immediate buzz around the series stems from Netflix’s strategic commitment to building out a dedicated Dungeons & Dragons Universe following Hasbro’s re-evaluations of its media pipeline. Industry attention shifted toward Ravenloft after Paramount+ pivoted away from its own planned eight-episode D&D live-action series in mid-2024, opening the door for Netflix to take the reins. Fans are tracking every development update closely as creative teams finalize scripts and prep for casting announcements, eager to see how the platform translates the atmospheric horror of Barovia into a episodic narrative.
Behind the scenes, creative direction focuses on capturing the distinct gothic mood that set the original module apart from typical sword-and-sorcery fare. Hasbro Entertainment is producing alongside established showrunners with experience in fantasy world-building, ensuring that the legendary vampire Strahd von Zarovich receives an authentic, character-driven portrayal. The project aligns with a broader trend of streaming platforms investing in established gaming intellectual properties that feature rich, pre-built lore and highly engaged global fanbases.
This new adaptation represents a bold shift toward specialized genre storytelling within the growing universe of gaming adaptations. By swapping broad high-fantasy tropes for psychological gothic horror, the project stands to deliver a unique experience for fantasy lovers and horror enthusiasts alike. As pre-production continues, the trip into Barovia is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated streaming events on the horizon.
After decades commanding action franchises and signature blockbusters, Tom Cruise is about to step into territory he’s rarely touched: auteur-driven black comedy. Digger, his first project alongside Oscar-winning Mexican filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu, arrives in theaters this fall, carrying a rare mix of artistic prestige, studio-level scale, and genuine curiosity about what Cruise can deliver outside his comfort zone.
Here’s what’s confirmed so far — and what’s still up in the air.
Digger has already moved through every core stage of production. The project formally began development in March 2024, advanced to production that December with filming at Pinewood Studios in the UK, and entered post-production in December 2025. By July 2026, the film had reached completed status, with only its release date left to arrive. The shoot itself, based in the UK, ran for roughly six months. Iñárritu confirmed the film was captured in VistaVision, the large-format process also recently used by Paul Thomas Anderson — a sign of the technical care and visual ambition behind the production.
As for the story, without giving anything away, Warner Bros. has kept the logline deliberately cryptic: Cruise plays the most powerful man in the world, embarking on a frantic mission to prove he’s humanity’s savior before the disaster he unleashed destroys everything. It’s billed as a satirical black comedy, with Warner itself describing the tone as “a comedy of catastrophic proportions” — the pitch chosen to sell a film that blends absurdist humor with an apocalyptic backdrop. Analysts who’ve pored over the promotional material speculate the plot follows an influential man convinced he can fix the world, whose ideas spiral out of control and turn his mission into chaos. Worth stressing: that reading comes from trade press interpretation of trailers and posters, not an official full synopsis — the studio is still keeping the plot details close to the vest.
The creative team is stacked, typical of a prestige international production. Alejandro G. Iñárritu directs and shares screenwriting credit with Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolás Giacobone, and Sabina Berman — the first two also “Birdman” writers — on a script originally written in 2023. The film is produced by Iñárritu, Tom Cruise, and Mary Parent, under Legendary Pictures alongside Cruise’s TC Productions and M Productions. Cinematography comes from Emmanuel Lubezki, with editing by Stephen Mirrione and Conor O’Neill. Confirmed cast, alongside Cruise in the title role of Digger Rockwell, includes Jesse Plemons, Sandra Hüller, Riz Ahmed, Sophie Wilde, Emma D’Arcy, Robert John Burke, Burn Gorman, Michael Stuhlbarg, and John Goodman. Distribution in the US and UK falls to Warner Bros. Pictures. This marks Cruise’s first collaboration with Iñárritu, and it’s not a recent one: according to the director, the idea for the film began taking shape shortly after “The Revenant” (2015), taking about seven years to actually reach the actor.
On budget, it’s worth separating official figures from industry estimates. The number most widely cited — passed along by a Warner Bros. representative to entertainment industry journalist Matt Belloni — is $125 million. Belloni himself, however, reported being skeptical of that figure, saying he’d heard the real cost was significantly higher. In other words: $125 million is the most-repeated press estimate, but it shouldn’t be treated as a final, officially locked-in number from the studio. Still, for comparison, that figure sits below the budgets of the action tentpoles that defined Cruise’s last decade, like the recent “Mission: Impossible” chapters — suggesting that Digger, despite its starry cast and studio backing, operates on a budget scale closer to a prestige drama than an action tentpole. Using the 2.5x multiplier commonly applied by industry analysts to estimate a film’s break-even point, Digger would need to gross roughly $312 million worldwide to turn a profit — a speculative industry calculation, not an officially stated studio target.
For a while, speculation swirled that Digger might launch at a major festival like Venice or Cannes, a plausible move given Iñárritu’s history with those events. Behind-the-scenes reports, however, indicate Warner Bros. decided to skip the fall festival circuit altogether, opting instead for a direct release backed by an aggressive global IMAX marketing push. That’s a piece of trade reporting, not a detailed official statement from the studio. Even so, the film will get its moment of glamour: Digger‘s world premiere will take place as the Royal Film Performance, a longstanding British charity event, on September 22. The theatrical release date, meanwhile, is one of the few fully confirmed and stable facts about the project: October 2, 2026, simultaneously in the US and UK, with no indication of a change so far.
The buzz around Digger runs on two tracks: artistic and commercial. On the artistic side — and this is awards-analyst speculation, not settled fact — there’s talk that the film could land Cruise his first Best Actor Oscar nomination, a category where he’s been nominated twice before, for “Born on the Fourth of July” and “Jerry Maguire,” without a win. The Iñárritu comparison is unavoidable: the director already guided Leonardo DiCaprio to the statuette in “The Revenant,” and repeating that feat with Cruise would be a symbolic milestone for both. On the commercial side, the stakes are just as real. Cruise’s previous release, the latest “Mission: Impossible” installment, underperformed franchise expectations despite grossing nearly $600 million worldwide — a result seen as below the series’ historical standard. That puts Digger in the position of having to reaffirm Cruise’s box-office pull outside the action genre. One thing worth flagging from trade coverage: the film’s first trailer had a modest initial reception on video platforms, sparking discussion about the challenge of marketing an absurdist satire led by an actor historically associated with action. That’s an observation from the early weeks of the rollout — not a box-office prediction, which will only be known after release.
What makes this project especially compelling is the contrast it represents. After a decade devoted almost entirely to franchise filmmaking — powered by the success of “Top Gun: Maverick” and successive “Mission: Impossible” chapters — Cruise is stepping into character-actor territory here, something he hasn’t done since donning prosthetics to play studio executive Les Grossman in “Tropic Thunder” (2008). Behind-the-scenes accounts describe Cruise’s physical and performative transformation for the role as striking. The actor himself has referred to the film, in recent public appearances, as one of the high points of his four-decade-plus career — a line that, like any promotional-campaign soundbite, is worth taking with the usual grain of salt.
Digger also needs to be read within a bigger picture. It’s Cruise’s first film since he signed a deal in late 2024 to develop and produce theatrical films with Warner Bros. Discovery — his first project with the studio since “Edge of Tomorrow,” released a decade earlier. The move reinforces a thesis Cruise has publicly championed for years: that going to the movies requires events big enough to justify leaving the house. By balancing action franchises with a high-profile detour into auteur cinema, Cruise broadens his portfolio without abandoning his long-standing commitment to big theatrical releases made for the big screen rather than streaming.
With post-production wrapped, the October date confirmed, and the gala premiere already set for late September in the UK, Digger now enters the most visible phase of its journey: the release campaign. In the coming weeks, expect a growing wave of promotional material — new trailers, interviews, and public appearances from Cruise and Iñárritu — along with the first critical reactions after the premiere. What remains uncertain is exactly what will make the difference: whether audiences will respond to seeing Tom Cruise in a register so far removed from what’s defined his recent career, and whether the film can convert curiosity into solid box-office performance. Until then, what’s certain is a rare pairing of talent on both sides of the camera — and the expectation, not yet backed by any concrete result, that this combination could become one of the most talked-about moments of Hollywood’s fall calendar.