Spring gives way to summer and the entertainment calendar shifts into a higher gear. The Devil Wears Prada is back after two decades, Star Wars makes its triumphant return to the big screen, and the small screen welcomes Nicolas Cage as a superhero, the final chapter of Good Omens, and a new Yellowstone spin-off. May has something for everyone.
Movies: Theatrical Releases & Streaming Debuts
May opens the unofficial summer movie season in style. Two of the biggest franchise events of the year collide mid-month, closing with a sci-fi thriller that has been quietly building one of the year’s most devoted fanbases.
Major Theatrical Releases
The Devil Wears Prada 2 (May 1) is the fashion event of the year and one of the hottest anticipated sequels in recent memory. Almost twenty years after their iconic turns defined a generation of cinema, Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci all return to the sleek corridors of Runway Magazine. Based on Lauren Weisberger’s novel Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns and directed once again by David Frankel, the sequel adds Lucy Liu and Rachel Bloom to an already formidable ensemble. After April’s Mother Mary gave us Anne Hathaway as a pop star on the edge of collapse, seeing her back as Andy Sachs, now a magazine editor in her own right, is the kind of casting synergy that money cannot buy.
Animal Farm (May 1) is the animated adaptation that has been a long time coming. Directed by Andy Serkis and featuring the voices of Seth Rogen as the villainous Napoleon, Gaten Matarazzo, Glenn Close, and Woody Harrelson, the film adapts George Orwell’s landmark 1945 novella as a coming-of-age story with a satirical edge. The tale of how a revolution for equality is systematically corrupted by the pigs who seize control remains as relevant as ever, and Serkis, the motion capture pioneer,is one of the most fitting directors imaginable for the project.
The Mandalorian and Grogu (May 22) is the Star Wars event that fans have been waiting for since The Mandalorian first captured the world’s imagination. In lieu of a fourth season of the Disney+ series, Lucasfilm has gone straight to the big screen, and the result looks every bit the epic cinematic experience the franchise demands. Pedro Pascal returns as Din Djarin alongside the internet’s favorite little green Force-wielder, with Jeremy Allen White joining as Rotta the Hutt and Sigourney Weaver in an undisclosed role that has already generated enormous speculation. This is the first Star Wars film to hit theaters since The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, and the appetite for it is enormous.
Mortal Kombat II (May 22) is the fighting game sequel that moved from October 2025 to share May’s action-packed release window after strong trailer reception. Karl Urban leads as Johnny Cage, easily the most anticipated casting of the franchise, as the champions of Earthrealm are forced into battle against the tyrannical Shao Kahn (Marty Ford). Directed once again by Simon McQoid, the film also stars Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Ludi Lin, and Mehcad Brooks. With a third film already in development, Mortal Kombat II is clearly positioning itself as a franchise with serious staying power.
Backrooms (May 29) is A24’s feature adaptation of the viral internet creepypasta that has haunted imaginations for years. Directed by Kane Parsons, the YouTube creator whose short films built the Backrooms mythology, the film stars Renate Reinsve as Dr. Mary Kline, a therapist who ventures into the eerie, infinite, yellow-walled dimension to find her missing patient, Clark, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor. A24’s track record with unconventional horror speaks for itself, and with the creative mind who invented this particular nightmare finally bringing it to full feature length, Backrooms is one of the most intriguing horror films of the year.
Streaming Debuts
Remarkably Bright Creatures (May 8) is the feel-good film event of the month, adapted from Shelby Van Pelt’s beloved bestselling novel. The story follows a widow working the night shift at an aquarium who strikes up an unlikely friendship with a giant Pacific octopus, and the unlikely mystery that unfolds between them. With its warm, gently whimsical tone and the kind of emotional depth that turns readers into devotees, this is precisely the sort of adaptation that could become one of the year’s most widely watched films.
Wuthering Heights (May 1) is director Emerald Fennell’s long-awaited take on Emily Bronte’s gothic masterpiece, and already one of the most discussed films of the year. Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi play Catherine and Heathcliff in what promises to be a visceral, passionate, and uncompromising adaptation. Fennell, coming off the Oscar-winning Saltburn, has never made a safe creative choice in her life, and her Wuthering Heights looks set to be no exception.
TV Shows: New Premieres & Returning Favorites
May is one of the busiest months of the year for television. Broadcast networks wrap up their seasons with a flurry of finales while streaming platforms counter-program with bold new originals. From the series finale of Good Omens to the debut of a Yellowstone spin-off and Nicolas Cage’s long-awaited small screen arrival, there is no shortage of appointment viewing this month.
New Series
Lord of the Flies (May 4) is the first-ever television adaptation of William Golding’s 1954 novel, and it arrives bearing serious credentials. The four-episode limited series was co-created by Jack Thorne, the co-creator of the nine-time Emmy-winning Adolescence, and premiered on the BBC to critical acclaim earlier this year. Now making its US debut on Netflix, the series follows a group of boys stranded on an island and the terrifying unraveling of civilized behavior that follows. For anyone who loved Adolescence’s unflinching examination of what lies beneath the surface of everyday life, this is essential viewing.
Spider-Noir (May 27) is Nicolas Cage’s first-ever starring role in a television series, a long-anticipated debut for an actor whose larger-than-life presence seems perfectly calibrated for the format. Playing an aging, noir-inflected Spider-Man operating in a 1930s New York City drenched in shadow and moral ambiguity, Cage has been talking about this role for years. The series is set in the same universe as the Spider-Verse films, and for fans who have wanted more of this particular corner of the web, it is a genuine gift.
Dutton Ranch (May 15) is the new Yellowstone spin-off that arrives as one of the most eagerly awaited entries in the Taylor Sheridan universe. Set in the present day on the Dutton family’s Montana ranch, the series explores the next chapter of the dynasty’s story with a new generation taking center stage. Sheridan’s gift for wide-open landscapes, slow-burning moral tension, and richly drawn characters is well established, and Dutton Ranch looks set to carry that tradition forward.
The Boroughs (May 21) is the Duffer Brothers’ latest producing project, and it takes their signature premise, an idyllic community rocked by an otherworldly threat, and transplants it to a retirement community. The ensemble cast includes Bill Pullman, Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, and Alfre Woodard, bringing enormous dramatic firepower to what promises to be a witty, warm, and genuinely frightening series. After Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 last month, The Boroughs confirms the Duffer Brothers have no intention of slowing down.
Can’t-Miss Returns
Good Omens Season 3 (May 13) arrives as the series finale of one of the most beloved fantasy comedies on streaming. Based on Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman’s sacred text of the same name, the show’s third and final season brings the story of Aziraphale and Crowley to its long-awaited conclusion. Michael Sheen and David Tennant have been extraordinary throughout, and the appetite for a satisfying ending is immense. Prime Video has confirmed this is the final season, making every episode a must-watch event.
Citadel Season 2 (May 6) returns the globe-spanning spy thriller with Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who were both superb in the first season’s high-octane action sequences and layered character work. The second season promises to expand the show’s mythology significantly, with new international threats and the ongoing fallout from the first season’s explosive revelations.
Devil May Cry Season 2 (May 12) continues the acclaimed animated adaptation of Capcom’s iconic video game series. After a first season that won over both longtime fans of the games and newcomers alike with its stylish animation and pulse-pounding action, the second season raises the stakes with larger conflicts, deeper character arcs, and more intense combat. For anime fans, this is one of the most anticipated returns of the spring.
Rick and Morty Season 9 (May 25) brings the anarchic animated sci-fi comedy back for another season of dimension-hopping chaos. In the wake of last season’s seismic changes to the show’s mythology, Season 9 has been described by the creative team as a fresh start that still honors everything that came before. One of the most consistently inventive shows on television, Rick and Morty continues to find new ways to surprise even its most devoted fans.
Franchise Highlights
The Punisher: One Last Kill (May 12) is a Marvel Television Special Presentation that marks Frank Castle’s return to the MCU following his appearances in the Netflix series and Daredevil: Born Again. Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green and co-written by Jon Bernthal himself, the special sees the Punisher facing one final job that forces him to confront the line between justice and vengeance. After Born Again Season 2 reminded audiences just how compelling this corner of the MCU can be, One Last Kill arrives at exactly the right moment.
Currently Streaming: What to Watch Right Now
If you are already caught up on May’s new releases and need something to fill the gaps, these titles are dominating the streaming conversation right now:
Euphoria Season 3 is still unfolding weekly through May, with each new episode generating enormous conversation. If you have not caught up yet, now is the time – the finale is approaching and the internet will not stay quiet about it.
The Boys Season 5 is also heading toward its series finale this month, with the final episodes of one of streaming’s most brutally satirical dramas landing in late May. The showdown between Butcher and Homelander is everything fans have been waiting for.
