What to Watch in August 2025

Your guide to all the best new films & TV shows coming to screens in August

FILM

The Naked Gun (August 1)

For anyone familiar with the original Naked Gun films, or indeed the preceding TV series Police Squad!, the first question that comes to mind on learning that a new film is on the way must surely be this: how do you replace the late, great Leslie Nielsen in his iconic role as detective Frank Drebin? 

The answer, it turns out, is casting Liam Neeson as his son, Frank Drebin Jr, who leads this superbly silly revival directed by The Lonely Island’s Akiva Schaffer and overseen by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, who serves as the film’s producer. 

Described as a “legacy sequel”, The Naked Gun finds Drebin Jr. following in his father’s footsteps as a detective for the elite Police Squad unit. Unfortunately for him, the department is facing the threat of closure – unless, that is, Drebin can find the culprit behind a grisly murder. 

Starring alongside Neeson are Pamela Anderson and Paul Walter Hauser (the latter appearing as the son of Drebin’s former captain, Ed Hocken), while there are also appearances from Busta Rhymes, former UFC star Michael Bisping and “Weird Al” Yankovic. Nielsen’s absence takes a little getting used to, but when the jokes are coming as thick and fast as they do here, it’d take a heart of stone not to laugh.

Weapons (August 8)

Possibly the most intriguing new film of the year so far, Weapons is a mysterious new horror-thriller from Zach Cregger, who made an impressive directorial debut in 2022 with Barbarian - another taut, spooky horror that proved to be something of a surprise hit at the box office. 

His script for Weapons quickly became the subject of a four-way bidding war that was eventually won by New Line Cinema – narrowly beating competition from Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions (some reports have suggested that Peele’s disappointment at losing the auction was behind his decision to part ways with his management team shortly afterwards).

The story centres around a school in a quiet town, where there is uproar and panic from parents when all but one of the children from one teacher’s class mysteriously disappear in the middle of the night. The parents demand answers, but the teacher is just as desperate to understand what happened to them and begins to investigate – leading her to some strange and shocking discoveries. Ozark’s Julia Garner stars as the teacher in question, alongside Josh Brolin, Benedict Wong, Austin Abrams and Tony Huss. If you enjoy being on the edge of your seat, you won’t want to miss this.

Nobody 2 (August 15)

The follow-up to 2021’s riotous action-thriller from John Wick and Atomic Blonde director David Leitch, which saw Bob Odenkirk reluctantly uprooting his quiet family life and returning to his former life as a hitman, Nobody 2 arrives in cinemas this month and finds our hero being persuaded into taking a break from the killing to spend some quality time with his family on a summer camp vacation.

Unfortunately for his holiday plans, the town they find themselves in is a hotspot for bootlegging and drugs, with a corrupt police force, ruled with an iron fist by the operations ruthless mastermind, Lendina (Sharon Stone).

Starring alongside them are John Ortiz, Colin Hanks, and Christopher Lloyd, as well as Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA. Timo Tjahjanto directs the action this time around, with David Leitch as producer and John Wick creator Derek Kolstad handling the script. If it’s anything like the first film, this will be a blast.

The Life of Chuck (August 20)

The work of author Stephen King has been adapted for the big screen over 50 times since Brian de Palma’s Carrie made its debut in 1976, and while the majority of those films been firmly in the horror genre that King has dominated for half a century now, there are many other examples that show a more tender side – from coming-of-age tales like Stand by Me to moving dramas such as The Green Mile.

The Life of Chuck is very much in the latter camp and stars Tom Hiddlestone as the story’s protagonist, Charles “Chuck” Krantz. Separated into three acts, the story of Chuck’s life unfolds in reverse chronological order from deathbed to childhood, where his younger self witnesses a premonition about the end of the universe – and its inexplicable link to his own death.

Alongside Hiddlestone are Jacob Tremblay, Benjamin Pajack and Cody Flanagan (all of whom appear as Chuck in the earlier stages of his life), as well as an impressive supporting cast that includes Mark Hamill, Chiwitel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Nick Offerman and Kate Siegel. Mike Flanagan, the man behind The Haunting of Hill House and Doctor Sleep, is in the director’s chair for this stirring adaptation. As ever with Stephen King’s work, the tale has a dark edge to it, but few of his stories have been brought to the big screen with the level of warmth and heart on display here.

Eddington (August 22)

Our final film pick this month comes from director Ari Aster, whose recent outings have included the likes of Midsommar, Hereditary and the extraordinary Beau is Afraid. Billed as a “neo-Western black comedy”, the action takes place in the titular town of Eddington, New Mexico during the 2020 COVID pandemic, where the local sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) is running for election as mayor against his bitter rival, the incumbent Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal).

Against a backdrop protests from the likes of Antifa and Black Lives Matter, the increasingly tense mayoral race soon reaches boiling point – with deadly consequences. Also starring Austin Butler, Emma Stone, Luke Grimes and Deidre O’Connell, Eddington comes to cinemas on August 22 and looks set to be a gripping watch.

TV

Chief of War (Apple TV+, August 1)

Jason Momoa is both the star and the co-creator of this new historical drama, based around the true story of a Hawaiian warrior, Kaʻiana, who played a key part in the campaign by Hawaiian king Kamehameha I to conquer the islands and unify them under his plans for a newly-established Kingdom of Hawaii.

Chief of War recounts the story of Kaʻiana’s life as he returns from a sailing voyage to find himself thrust into a series of brutal battles as civil war rages across the islands, eventually defecting to side with Kamehameha’s rival at the last moment. Alonsgide Moma is a cast that includes Temuera Morrison, Luciane Buchanan and Cliff Curtis, while Justin Chon directs the action. Due to land on Apple TV+ at the beginning of August, this is a fascinating look at an underexplored period in history that shines new light on the indigenous peoples of America’s 50^th state.

King & Conqueror (BBC One / iPlayer, August – exact date TBC)

Few events have had such a seismic effect on the course of British history as the Battle of Hastings, where William the Conqueror’s victory over King Harold ushered in the era of Norman rule. This new BBC drama explores the events leading up that fateful battle, including the relationship between Harold and William prior to the latter’s bid to usurp his throne, and the political machinations of those on both sides that lead to the conflict. Happy Valley star James Norton takes on the role of Harold, with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau – best known as Jaime Lannister from Game of Thrones – stars as William.

Created by Michael Robert Johnson and helmed by Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur, King and Conqueror is due to arrive sometime in August – although as usual the BBC are being coy about the exact release date, so you’ll just have to keep an eye out for this one. If the teaser below is anything to go by though, it’ll be worth the wait.

Hostage (Netflix, August 21)

A new political drama from Sussex native Matt Charman, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter behind the Coen brothers’ Bridge of Spies, Hostage arrives on Netflix on August 21 and stars Suranne Jones as Abigail Dalton, the fictional British Prime Minister, whose summit with her French counterpart Vivienne Toussaint (Jule Delphy) goes awry when it emerges that Dalton’s husband has been kidnapped and is being held hostage. 

With the kidnappers demanding her resignation as the price for his release and the French president Toussaint being blackmailed, Dalton must decide which is more important; her career, or her husband’s life. Also starring Corey Mylchreest, Ashley Thomas and Jehnny Beth, this gripping miniseries is an ideal choice for anyone who has enjoyed shows in the vein of Bodyguard, Vigil or Line of Duty.

Long Story Short (Netflix, August 22)

This new animated series from the creator of BoJack Horseman revolves around the lives of a dysfunctional Jewish family, the Schwoopers, examining the awkward relationship between three siblings at various points in time from childhood to old age. 

Series creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg has promised “a more grounded aesthetic” for his latest offering, but BoJack fans needn’t be too worried – the same trademark humour is all present and correct, there are just fewer talking horses this time around.

Due to make its debut on Netflix on August 22, this is well worth a look if you fancy something different – especially if you’re a fan of offbeat animated comedies like Archer or King of the Hill.

The Thursday Murder Club (Netflix, August 28)

Last but not least on our list of picks for August is this new crime series adapted from the series of murder mystery novels by Richard Osman, featuring a group of retired amateur sleuths who spend their days investigating historic murders and cold cases. 

However, things soon take a surprising turn when a dead body is found in their Kent retirement village, and the sleuths find themselves caught up in a real live whodunnit. 

Starring Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie, this compelling crime caper is due to arrive  on Netflix at the end of the month. We can’t wait.