Each month, The Steampunk Explorer offers a guide to steampunk-related films and series arriving on the top streaming services. We look for titles likely to draw interest from steampunk fans in some way, not necessarily those that fall squarely within the genre.
The highly anticipated second season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power arrives at the end of August on Prime Video, and to set the stage, the streamer will offer Peter Jackson’s complete Middle-earth film franchise: The three Lord of the Rings films plus the three-part Hobbit saga.
It’s not a new arrival, but Apple TV+ will continue streaming episodes of Time Bandits, a series adaptation of the 1981 Terry Gilliam film. Other notable titles include the Night at the Museum films on Hulu, Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes on Max, and new director’s cuts of Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon movies on Netflix.
Unless otherwise noted, these titles debut Aug. 1. We can only confirm new arrivals in the U.S., but some titles may also be available on these streaming services in other countries.
Apple TV+
On July 24, Apple’s streaming service premiered Time Bandits, a 10-episode fantasy series that reimagines Terry Gilliam's film about a band of time-traveling thieves. The series stars Kal-El Tuck as 11-year-old history nerd Kevin, who joins the bandits in their adventures. Lisa Kudrow also stars.
Taika Waititi (Our Flag Means Death) is a director, writer, and executive producer, in addition to guest starring as Supreme Being. The series has a 76 percent Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Hulu
Hulu will welcome the first three films in the Night at the Museum franchise: The original 2006 film plus the sequels Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) and Night At The Museum: Secret of The Tomb (2014). The original starred Ben Stiller as a night guard at a natural history museum where the exhibits come to life.
Also arriving: John Carter, the 2012 adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ A Princess of Mars. The Disney film, which cost $263 million to produce, was intended as the start of a new franchise. However, it received mixed reviews and scored poorly at the box office.
On Aug. 2, Hulu will begin streaming Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024), the fourth entry in the Planet of the Apes reboot.
Max
Notable arrivals this month include Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes (2009), featuring Robert Downey Jr. as the Great Detective. And, as Warner Bros. Pictures prepares the September release of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Max will stream Tim Burton’s original Beetlejuice from 1988.
Burton will return as director of the new film, and Michael Keaton will reprise his role as the title character.
Max is also running a promotion dubbed “Scary Summer” in which the streamer highlights movies and shows for horror fans. These are not new arrivals, but titles curated from the current library. Films include classics such as Carnival of Souls (1962), Häxan (1922), The Blob (1958), and Vampyr (1932), as well the Saw, Scream, and Paranormal Activity franchises. Highlighted series include 30 Coins (2021), Lovecraft Country (2020), The Outsider (2020), The Vampire Diaries (2009), and Wellington Paranormal (2021).
Netflix
Part One of Zack Snyder’s space opera film Rebel Moon arrived with great anticipation last December, especially among steampunk fans as the director said it would have a dieselpunk vibe. But the film received negative reviews, scoring 22 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Part Two, which followed in April, fared even worse with a 17 percent rating.
Now Snyder is back with extended R-rated director’s cuts of both films, which will begin streaming Aug. 2. Together, they add around two hours to the original runtimes.
On Aug. 8, Netflix will premiere the fourth and final season of The Umbrella Academy. Based on a comic book series about a family of superheroes, the adaptation has scored well with critics.
On Aug. 19, Netflix will begin streaming a collection of AMC series, including A Discovery of Witches (Seasons 1-3), Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches (Season 1), Fear the Walking Dead (Seasons 1-8), Interview with the Vampire (Season 1), Preacher (Seasons 1-4), and The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (Season 1).
Paramount+
New arrivals here include two films based on H.G. Wells stories: The War of the Worlds (1953) and Simon Wells’ 2002 adaptation of The Time Machine. The latter stars Guy Pearce as the time traveler.
Other arrivals include the campy 1968 sci-fi classic Barbarella plus two biopics: Chaplin (1992), starring Robert Downey Jr. as the actor, and The Aviator (2004), starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes.
Peacock
Peacock is streaming the Summer Olympics from Paris, but for steampunk fans, the most notable arrival this month is The Book of Eli. The 2010 post-apocalyptic film stars Denzel Washington as a mysterious nomad traveling across the U.S., which has become a wasteland with trappings of the Old West.
The film also stars Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, Jennifer Beals, Michael Gambon, and Tom Waits. It received mixed reviews.
Prime Video
Season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power arrives Aug. 29, and to build anticipation, Prime Video will stream all of Peter Jackson's Tolkien adaptations: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012), The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013), and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014).
The Rings of Power, a Prime Video original series, is set thousands of years before the events of The Lord of the Rings. It is believed to be one of the most expensive TV series ever produced, with budgets of $100 to $150 million per season.
As with Season 1, the new season will consist of eight episodes. The first three episodes will drop on Aug. 29, followed by weekly installments through Oct. 3.
Other notable arrivals include Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), The Crow (1994), and The War of The Worlds (2005).
