From edge-of-seat action films and the latest releases from legendary directors, to much-anticipated shows coming to the small screen, discover MR PORTER’s picks of the film and TV releases not to miss this month.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman play the seemingly picture-perfect couple whose marriage spirals into meltdown in this black-comedy satire, which is a reimagining of Danny DeVito’s 1989 film, The War Of The Roses.

In cinemas from 29 August

If you’re still watching The Office on repeat, this follow-up mockumentary from Greg Daniels and Michael Koman is the spin-off sitcom you’ve been waiting for. Starring Domhnall Gleeson and Sabrina Impacciatore and set in Toledo, Ohio, the documentary crew’s subjects are the reporters and publishers at The Truth Teller, a dying Midwestern newspaper desperately trying to save itself.

On Peacock from 4 September and Now/Sky TV from 5 September

Mark Ruffalo leads this crime drama – created by Mare Of Easttown’s Brad Ingelsby – as an FBI agent in a working-class suburb of Philadelphia, who heads ups a task force trying to stop a string of violent robberies by an unassuming family man (Tom Pelphrey). The brilliant Emilia Jones (CODA), Thuso Mbedu (The Woman King, The Underground Railroad), and Alison Oliver (Saltburn) also star.

On HBO in September

A new helping of this smash-hit series, starring Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez as mystery-busting podcasters, is always cause for excitement. Returning for the fifth season, the trio are once again joined by Meryl Streep, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Richard Kind and Nathan Lane. Also expect appearances from Renée Zellweger, Logan Lerman, Jermaine Fowler, Bobby Cannavale, Dianne Wiest, Beanie Feldstein and Keegan-Michael Key.

On Hulu/Disney+ from 9 September

Jude Law and Jason Bateman team up for this crime-drama limited series. Playing two brothers who founded a Manhattan restaurant, the plot follows their tumultuous lives and escalating dangers they face against the high-pressure New York nightlife scene.

On Netflix from 18 September

Back for season five of Emmy-winning espionage, this next outing from Jackson Lamb’s (Gary Oldman) dysfunctional band of MI5 agents is based on the fifth novel in Mick Herron’s series, London Rules. The synopsis says, “everyone is suspicious when resident tech nerd Roddy Ho (Christopher Chung) has a glamorous new girlfriend. When a series of increasingly bizarre events occur across the city, it falls to the Slow Horses to work out how everything is connected. After all, Jackson Lamb knows that in the world of espionage, the London Rules – cover your back – always apply.”

On Apple TV+ from 24 September

Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell star in this fantastical romance from After Yang’s Kogonada – with appearances from Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Kevin Kline. Meeting at a mutual friend’s wedding, the pair embark on a journey of extraordinary connection, in which they relive moments of their past with the potential of altering their future.

In cinemas from 19 September

From the multi-award-winning director Paul Thomas Anderson comes a star-studded comedy thriller. Leonardo DiCaprio plays a former soldier haunted by his past, alongside a cast that includes Benicio del Toro, Teyana Taylor, Sean Penn and Regina Hall. In post-war California, a group of ex-revolutionaries reunite for a vigilante mission after an old enemy resurfaces and kidnaps one of their daughters.

In cinemas from 26 September

Based on Stephen King’s 1979 novel, Francis Lawrence (The Hunger Games) directs the big-screen adaptation of the brutal dystopian horror. Set in totalitarian US, 100 teenage boys take part in a horrifying, unrelenting challenge where the stakes are life or death.

In cinemas from 12 September

A crime thriller with a sizzling cast – including Austin Butler, Regina King, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith and Liev Schreiber – the plot follows a former baseball star (Butler) suddenly plunged into the gangster underbelly of 1990s New York. Directed by Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan, The Whale, The Wrestler) and adapted by Charlie Huston from his novel of the same name, it’s one to catch on the big screen.

In cinemas from 29 August

Based on Richard Osman’s debut 2020 novel, an ensemble lineup comes together to bring this murder mystery – being investigated by a group of older amateur sleuths – to life. Featuring Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, Celia Imrie, David Tennant, Jonathan Pryce, Naomi Ackie, Daniel Mays and Richard E Grant.

On Netflix from 28 August

The iconic duo of Spike Lee and Denzel Washington reunite for this neo-noir crime drama, a reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 thriller High And Low. Washington plays a titan music mogul targeted by a ransom plot – alongside a cast that includes Ilfenesh Hadera, Jeffrey Wright, A$AP Rocky and, making her film debut, Ice Spice.

In cinemas from 22 August

Another literary adaptation coming to the small screen this summer is an eight-part series based on Esi Edugyan’s bestselling book. Set in the 19th century, it follows the globe-traversing adventures of 11-year-old George Washington “Wash” Black, who flees the Barbados sugar plantation where he was born after a shocking death. Starring Sterling K Brown, Ernest Kinglsey Jr, Rupert Graves and Tom Ellis.

On Hulu/Disney+ now

The cult sci-fi franchise heads to the small screen for the first time, as a prequel to the original 1979 film. Set two years earlier, the action is led by Sydney Chandler as Wendy (the first hybrid robot-human), who, along with a rag-tag group of soldiers, makes a fateful discovery when the mysterious deep space research vessel crash lands on Earth. Created by Noah Hawley and exec-produced by Ridley Scott, it promises something for fans old and new.

On Hulu/Disney+ now

Celine Song’s semi-autobiographical feature film debut Past Lives, which starred Greta Lee, entranced audiences and critics alike in 2023. Her next outing is already garnering great anticipation: Materialists is a romantic comedy about an elite New York matchmaker who falls into a toxic love triangle, featuring an all-star cast – Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans.

In cinemas now

Inspired by the podcast Firebug, this miniseries stars Jurnee Smollett and Taron Egerton as a police detective and arson investigator who begrudgingly work together to track down two serial arsonists.

On Apple TV+ now