What to Watch in November 2024

Your guide to all the best new films and TV shows coming to screens in November...

FILM

Paddington in Peru

Last seen enjoying tea and marmalade sandwiches with the late Queen Elizabeth II, Paddington makes his long-awaited return to cinema screens this month and, given the brilliance of the first film and its near-flawless sequel, the third instalment in this much-loved series certainly has a lot to live up to. This time around, the duffle-coated ursine adventurer is intent on visiting his beloved aunt Lucy in their homeland of ‘darkest Peru’ – and of course, he’ll be dragging his adoptive family, the Browns, along with him for the ride.

Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville, Julie Walters and Jim Broadbent are among those returning to reprise their roles for this third outing, but there are one or two notable absences. Sally Hawkins, who played the family’s matriarch in the first two films, announced last year that she would not be returning to the role. Perhaps calculating that killing off Mrs Brown in the first act might sour the mood, the filmmakers have instead taken the wise decision to pull a casting ‘switcheroo’, with Emily Mortimer stepping into the role in her place. There are some other fine additions to the cast too, with Olivia Colman and Antonio Banderas joining the ranks for this new chapter.

There’s also a change in director this time around, with Paul King – who helmed the first two films - being replaced by Dougal Wilson. Fans may be reassured to know, however, that King and his writing partner Simon Farnaby have once again provided the story behind this third adventure, so you can bet there are plenty of laughs in store.

Heretic

The early days of Hugh Grant’s career often saw the actor typecast in variations of the same role – the charming, affable, permanently-befuddled-yet-somehow-romantically-appealing Brit, stumbling awkwardly from one love interest to the next in light-hearted rom-coms such as Four Weddings and a Funeral and Love Actually. In recent years, though, Grant has been on a highly entertaining trajectory into villainy; from the scenery-chewing high camp of his performance as Paddington 2’s chief antagonist to his menacing, darkly comic turn in Guy Ritchie’s The Gentleman, watching Grant turn heel – and visibly enjoying himself in the process – has been nothing short of a joy to witness.

His latest role, however, is something altogether more sinister. Leading a small but capable cast that includes Yellowjackets star Sophie Thatcher and True Blood’s Chloe East, in Heretic Grant plays the role of a reclusive Scot who receives a visit from two young missionaries from the Mormon church, who hope to convert him to their worldview. The pair soon discover, to their horror, that they have wandered into a deadly trap. Directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods - the pair behind the script for horror hit A Quiet Place – Heretic will have you on the edge of your seat and glued to the screen.

Juror #2

With Clint Eastwood now well into his 90s, it has been speculated in recent months that Juror #2 may well be the veteran actor’s final outing in the director’s chair. Whether that turns out to be the case remains to be seen; with a career as bedazzled with accolades and awards as his, nobody could blame him for wanting to hang up his stetson at this point. Eastwood, though, has always seemed the type who would rather die on the job than contemplate retirement, so don’t be too surprised if we end up back here again talking about his next film a couple of years from now.

As it is, if Juror #2 does turn out to be his final offering, there are certainly worse ways to go out than this gripping courtroom thriller with an unlikely yet tantalising premise: What would you do if you were selected for jury duty, only to find that the man on trial is being falsely accused of a crime that you committed? That’s the dilemma that Justin Kemp (Nicholas Hoult) finds himself facing. Does he send an innocent man to prison, or condemn himself to the same fate?

Featuring an impressive cast that also includes Toni Collette, Zoey Deuth, Kiefer Sutherland and J.K. Simmons, Juror #2 is another fine addition to Clint Eastwood’s filmography and one that will do his legacy no harm whatsoever.

Small Things Like These

The first of several forays to the Emerald Isle in our roundup this month finds Cillian Murphy making his first starring appearance since his Oscar-winning turn in Oppenheimer – and his first time out as a producer too. Small Things Like These is certainly a change of pace, but the subject matter on offer is no less intense. Tackling the truly upsetting tale of Ireland’s notorious ‘Magdalene laundries’, the film is based on Claire Keegan’s novel of the same name and stars Murphy as a coal merchant and family man named Bill Furlong.

Set in 1985, the story sees Bill stumbling upon some disturbing sights while delivering on his rounds at a purported “training school for girls” and begins to suspect something is amiss. As he discovers more about the horrors inflicted upon these young women at the hands of the Catholic church, he begins to weigh the risks of helping these women, in the knowledge he is wrestling with forces that could ruin his life. Directed by Tim Mielants and co-starring Emily Watson and Eileen Walsh, Small Things Like These is a powerful yet finely-balanced telling of a terrible story that doesn’t always make for easy viewing, but it’s one that deserves to be told.

Conclave

Our final film pick this month features Catholic drama of an entirely different kind – namely the death of a pope, and the resulting election to find a new one. Ralph Fiennes stars in this new mystery thriller from director Edward Berger, playing the role of Thomas Lawrence, a British man appointed Dean of the College of Cardinals who is tasked with vetting the candidates as they vie to become the next to occupy the throne of St Peter.

Doing so will be no easy task; as Lawrence soon discovers, each of the candidates has their own secrets to keep. As rumours fly, bribes change hands and backroom deals are made, Lawrence must try to rise above the Vatican’s grimy machinations and find the right candidate before something terrible happens. Also starring Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto and Isabella Rossellini, Conclave may have religious themes, but it’s politics that lie at the heart of this compelling thriller.

TV

Dune: Prophecy (Sky Atlantic / Now, Nov 18)

Coming in the wake of the roaring box office success of Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic and its sequel, this prequel spinoff series looks certain to be a hit, but it hasn’t all been smooth sailing behind the scenes. With numerous changes in showrunner and director personnel – not least the departure of Villeneuve himself, who was originally scheduled to direct the first two episodes himself - Dune: Prophecy has had a somewhat rough ride on its way here, but finally makes its arrival on TV screens on November 18.

Set 10,000 years before the events depicted in the two films, the prequel series will explore the beginnings of the powerful Bene Gesserit sect, as well as the origins of the bitter feud between two of the Imperium’s major houses, Harkonnen and Atreides, which will ultimately result in the fatal desert war on Arrakis. Boasting a cast that includes Emily Watson, Mark Strong, Olivia Williams, Aoife Hinds and Travis Fimmel, Dune: Prophecy can only deepen the anticipation for Villeneuve’s third and final chapter, Dune: Messiah, which was confirmed to be in the works earlier this year.

Landman (Paramount+, Nov 17)

For those mourning the final chapter of the Yellowstone saga, which bows out this month with the second half of its fifth season, don’t get too upset just yet; Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan has already cued up his next TV project and it’s due this very month.

Jon Hamm and Billy Bob Thornton lead this new drama based on the Boomtown podcast hosted by Christian Wallace, who is also credited as the new show’s co-creator. Echoing the themes once found in classic TV series Dallas, Landman is set in the world of the oil industry in Texas – where, as the podcast says, "roughnecks and wildcat billionaires are fuelling a boom so big it’s reshaping our climate, our economy, and our geopolitics."

The show’s stellar cast also includes Andy Garcia, Demi Moore, Ali Larter and Michael Peña, to name a few. If you’ve been considering pulling the trigger on a subscription to Paramount’s steadily-improving streaming service, this might be the show that convinces you.

The Day of the Jackal (Sky Atlantic / NOW, Nov 7)

First a Frederick Forsyth novel, then a 1973 film starring Edward Fox and Michael Lonsdale, The Day of the Jackal is now set to be adapted once again – this time into a 10-episode TV series with Eddie Redmayne in the starring role as a notorious assassin tasked with taking out a high-profile political target.

There are some changes to this new version, however; where both the novel and the film both centred around the far-right French terrorist group OAS and a plot to kill the French president Charles de Gaulle, the new series has been given a more modern setting - with updated targets to match. Directed by Brian Kirk, who works from a screenplay devised by Ronan Bennett, the new series also stars Lashana Lynch, Úrsula Corberó, Charles Dance and Richard Dormer. Due to arrive on November 7, this could well be your next binge watch.

Say Nothing (Disney+, Nov 14)

Returning to the island of Ireland for a second time this month – only this time a little farther north – Say Nothing is another gritty tale from across the Irish Sea, but one quite different to that of the Magdalene laundries (although in many ways just as harrowing). Based on the novel by Patrick Radden Keefe, the story follows several key figures during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, charting their lives though various key events such as the civil rights movement and the rise of the Provisional IRA. The main focus, though, is the abduction and murder of Jean McConville in 1972 – a crime that wasn’t even investigated by the police until over 20 years later.

Starring Maxine Peake, Lola Petticrew, Hazel Doupe, Anthony Boyle and Josh Finan, Say Nothing offers a view from the inside of the Irish Republican movement and a detailed account of some of the conflict’s most catalytic events. It’s heavy stuff, but this is a gripping account of a grimly fascinating tale.

Bad Sisters – Season 2 (Apple TV+, Nov 13)

After the many twists and turns in its award-winning first season, Bad Sisters ended its first run with a bombshell – and yet, somehow the Garvey sisters seemed to be in the clear, despite their litany of misadventures. But while the truth of their deeds may stay buried, their secrets, it seems, are proving more difficult to lay to rest, and when a body shows up stuffed in a suitcase, people begin asking questions.

Sharon Horgan, Anne-Marie Duff, Eve Hewson and the rest of the Garvey clan all return for the show’s second season, which looks set to be every bit as thrilling as the first. Not to be missed.