Trailer Round-Up: Mortal Kombat II, Tron: Ares, After the Hunt, Alien: Earth, Stranger Things 5 and More
It's your weekly dose of Trailer Round-Up!
Okay, we’re back with another issue of Trailer Round‑up! This is where we take a look back at the past week and collect the latest movie and TV trailers into one long newsletter. There’s enough eye candy here to feed your trailer fix. And if you’ve subscribed to this newsletter, chances are you’re just like us, watching trailers is probably your favorite pastime. So scroll through and discover the upcoming movies and shows that are sure to catch your eye.
And, as always, thank you to our Substack subscribers for your continued support. It truly means the world to us.
⇩ NEW MOVIE TRAILERS: 🎥
The sunglasses are on... and the fists are flying!
★ Mortal Kombat II — Red Band Trailer
(in theaters Oct. 24th)
Mortal Kombat II is ready to rumble, and this time, Johnny Cage is the main event!
Karl Urban steps into the arena (and into some designer shades) as Johnny Cage, the washed-up ‘90s action icon with a black belt in trash talk and roundhouse kicks. But this ain’t Hollywood... it’s Mortal Kombat! And the stakes are painfully real.
Recruited by Lord Raiden himself, Cage gets yanked out of his fading film career and into a multiversal deathmatch, where broken bones aren’t just sound effects.
Returning from the 2021 reboot are Tadanobu Asano as Raiden, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion, Mehcad Brooks as Jax, and more fan-favorite fighters. Joining the carnage are new kombatants like Adeline Rudolph’s Kitana, Tati Gabrielle’s Jade, and Martyn Ford as the towering Shao Kahn.
With Simon McQuoid back in the director’s chair and a script by Jeremy Slater (Moon Knight), Mortal Kombat II promises brutal showdowns, blood-soaked one-liners, and maybe—just maybe—a second shot at stardom for Johnny Cage. It arrives in theaters October 24th.
The war between man and machine goes live!
★ Tron: Ares — New Trailer
(in theaters Oct. 10th)
Tron: Ares, the long-awaited new installment of the cult sci-fi franchise, reboots itself for an age obsessed with artificial intelligence, digital consciousness, and the increasingly thin line between algorithm and autonomy.
Directed by Joachim Rønning (Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, Young Woman and the Sea), this new Tron film goes full neon-apocalypse as Jared Leto’s Ares—an ultra-intelligent program built as the perfect soldier—crosses over into the real world with a mission no one fully understands… not even his creators.
Evan Peters plays Julian Dillinger, heir to the ENCOM legacy, who introduces Ares with the quiet zeal of a TED Talk cult leader. “He’s biblically strong, lightning fast, and supremely intelligent,” Dillinger boasts. Oh, and if he dies? No problem. Just print another.
But control is an illusion... especially when your AI soldier starts thinking for himself!
Greta Lee (Past Lives) co-stars as a detective caught in the pixelated crossfire, while Jeff Bridges returns as Kevin Flynn, the OG User who may be the key to restoring balance between worlds. The cast also includes Gillian Anderson, Jodie Turner-Smith, Hasan Minhaj, Cameron Monaghan, and Sarah Desjardins.
The visuals? All IMAX-shot neon, tech-noir futurism with Recognizers soaring through real-world skylines, blaring the skies with neon-glowing rockets. Whether you're a boomer or a doomer when it comes to AI, Tron: Ares looks ready to plug into your deepest digital anxieties. It hits theaters October 10th.
Class is in session... and the lesson for today is consequences.
★ After the Hunt — Trailer
(in theaters Oct. 10th, expands Oct. 17th)
Trust, truth, and tenure all come under fire in After the Hunt, Luca Guadagnino’s latest drama set in the ivy-covered halls of a prestigious university.
Oscar-winner Julia Roberts stars as Alma Olsson, a revered philosophy professor whose intellect is only matched by her carefully curated image. But when a student protégé (The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri) accuses Alma’s close colleague Hank (Andrew Garfield) of misconduct, the resulting scandal threatens to tear apart not just reputations, but the entire academic sanctuary Alma’s spent her life building.
As accusations swirl and allegiances fracture, Alma finds herself caught in a generational crossfire—between the demand for justice and the fear of judgment... and also between loyalty to a friend and the rising voice of a student who won’t back down. In an era where perception can outweigh proof, Guadagnino explores this murky territory when dealing with the court of public opinion.
Written by newcomer Nora Garrett and featuring a score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, After the Hunt also stars Michael Stuhlbarg and Chloë Sevigny. It opens in select theaters October 10th and expands nationwide October 17th.
She’s out of time, out of luck, and out in the cold.
★ Night Always Comes — Trailer
(on Netflix Aug. 15th)
Before she turns invisible as Marvel’s newest superhero, Fantastic Four star Vanessa Kirby is making herself unmissable in Night Always Comes, a new gripping character-driven thriller that unfolds over one desperate night in Portland.
Kirby stars as Lynette, a woman hanging by a thread—emotionally shattered, drowning in debt, and facing the imminent eviction of her family. With just 24 hours to pull together $25,000, she plunges into the city’s underbelly, taking deals she can’t trust and facing dangers she can’t afford to avoid.
Jennifer Jason Leigh plays Lynette’s battle-worn mother, while Zack Gottsagen (The Peanut Butter Falcon) adds heart as her older brother with special needs, anchoring the emotional stakes of her whirlwind journey. Every decision Lynette makes could mean salvation... or total collapse.
Directed by The Crown and Andor helmer Benjamin Caron, and based on Willy Vlautin’s acclaimed novel of the same name, the film also features Randall Park, Stephan James, Julia Fox, Eli Roth, and Michael Kelly.
Night Always Comes is set to debut August 15th only on Netflix.
Pond rules: To eat or be eaten... and look adorable doing it!
★ Hoppers — Teaser Trailer
(in theaters Mar. 6th)
What do you get when you cross Avatar, We Bare Bears, and a rogue robotic beaver? Hoppers! Pixar’s next animated adventure that’s equal parts heart, havoc, and hilarious woodland warfare.
Piper Curda voices Mabel Tanaka, a rebellious skateboarding teen who stumbles into a top-secret lab and uploads her consciousness into a high-tech robotic beaver. Now she’s got buck teeth, a twitchy tail, and one mission: stop a soulless construction company from paving over her town’s last untouched animal sanctuary.
Alongside a ragtag crew of critters—some cute, some completely unhinged—Mabel learns the hard way that nature plays by its own savage (yet oddly adorable) code: pond rules!
Written and directed by We Bare Bears creator Daniel Chong and featuring the voice talents of Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm, and Demetri Martin, Hoppers is a high-energy, high-stakes eco-comedy from Pixar where the bark is just as bad as the bite. The film is coming to theaters next year, starting March 6, 2026.
⇩ additional movie trailers: 🎥
★ “The Map That Leads to You” Trailer: Madelyn Cline and KJ Apa Ignite a Summer Romance in Lasse Hallström’s Emotional European Love Story Based on J.P. Monninger’s Best-Seller — Streaming Globally August 20th on Prime Video
A summer fling turns into something deeper as two young travelers chase love, secrets, and self-discovery across Europe in this emotional journey from the director of The Cider House Rules.
★ “Fixed” Red Band Teaser Trailer: Adam Devine Voices a Dog on a Raunchy Last Hurrah Before Neuter Day in Genndy Tartakovsky’s R-Rated Animated Comedy — Streaming August 13th on Netflix
With voices from Kathryn Hahn, Idris Elba, and Fred Armisen, this fur-flying misadventure follows one mutt’s final night of freedom in a no-holds-barred canine caper.
★ “It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley” Trailer: Grace and Tragedy Collide in Amy Berg’s Intimate Portrait of the Late ‘90s Rock Icon — In Theaters August 8th
Charting his meteoric rise and heartbreaking fall, this documentary sheds new light on Jeff Buckley’s brief but unforgettable impact through rare footage and emotional testimony.
★ “A Savage Art: The Life & Cartoons of Pat Oliphant” Trailer: The Life and Legacy of America’s Fiercest Political Cartoonist Explored in This New Documentary — Hitting Theaters September 5th
With biting wit and fearless ink, this doc delves into Oliphant’s decades-long crusade against power and hypocrisy, featuring rare footage and hundreds of his most iconic cartoons.
For more trailers, check out our latest ☰ “Trailer Blitz” post, covering a range of new indie and foreign movies coming out soon, click the link below:
⇩ NEW TELEVISION TRAILERS: 📺
The Xenomorphs have landed. We repeat: this is not a drill. They’re here ... on Earth!
✪ Alien: Earth — New Trailer
(on FX/Hulu/Disney+ Aug. 12th)
From Emmy-winning creator Noah Hawley (Fargo, Legion), Alien: Earth marks a bold new chapter in the legendary sci-fi horror saga—one that finally brings the franchise down to ground level. Set in 2120, two years before the original Alien, this FX series trades space isolation for a neon-lit metropolis, where the threat is just as deadly—and a hell of a lot closer to home.
Rising star Sydney Chandler (FX’s Pistol, Apple TV’s Sugar) leads the cast as Wendy, a teenage girl whose consciousness has been transferred into a new synthetic body—she’s half-human, half-machine, and wholly unprepared for what’s about to be unleashed. When a deep-space vessel crash-lands in Prodigy City carrying a cargo of deadly alien specimens, Wendy and her grizzled handler Kirsh (a platinum blonde Timothy Olyphant) are called in to investigate. What they find is a pure nightmare: acid-blooded death with a mean streak—and maybe a baby Xenomorph that’ll haunt your dreams.
Hawley injects the franchise with philosophical heft, asking: What makes us human? And what happens when a synthetic human is forced to face primal terror? With Ridley Scott on board as executive producer, Alien: Earth promises a mix of existential dread, corporate corruption, and pure survival horror.
Also starring Alex Lawther, Essie Davis, Babou Ceesay, and Samuel Blenkin, Alien: Earth redefines the rules of the franchise while unleashing its most terrifying monster in the one place we thought was safe: home. It’s set to premiere Tuesday, August 12th on FX/Hulu/Disney+.
The world’s turning upside down... one last time
✪ Stranger Things 5 — Teaser Trailer
(on Netflix: Nov. 26 Vol. 1, Dec. 25 Vol. 2, and Dec. 31 Vol. 3)
After nearly a decade of Demogorgons, Dungeons & Dragons, and danger from the Upside Down, Stranger Things is finally ready to say goodbye. But not without a fight.
The first official teaser trailer for Stranger Things 5 is here, and it looks like the final showdown is going to be bigger, darker, and more emotional than ever before. The Hawkins crew (now visibly older and visibly scarred) returns for their final battle, as Vecna looms, the blood trail grows, and the fate of not just Hawkins, but the entire world, hangs in the balance.
David Harbour’s Hopper, now looking more war-weary than ever, delivers the series’ final rallying cry: “I need you to fight one last time.” And if the flashing images of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Max (Sadie Sink), and the rest of the gang are any indication, they’re ready to do just that.
Created by the Duffer Brothers, with direction this season from Shawn Levy and The Shawshank Redemption’s Frank Darabont, Stranger Things 5 is pulling out all the stops. Linda Hamilton joins the cast in a nod to ‘80s sci-fi greatness, and returning favorites like Winona Ryder, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Maya Hawke, Joe Keery, and more are all back for one last trip to the Upside Down.
Each of the eight final episodes is longer, bolder, and packed with the heart, horror, and nostalgia fans have come to love. This isn’t just the end of a series... it’s the end of an era.
Stranger Things 5 will roll out in three volumes:
Volume 1: November 26
Volume 2: December 25
Finale Episode: December 31
Just two friends making everyone else uncomfortable.
✪ Platonic: Season 2 — Trailer
(on Apple TV+ Aug. 6th)
Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen return as Sylvia and Will in Platonic: Season 2, the comedy that proves friendship can be way more complicated than romance. This duo dives headfirst into another round of emotional detours, personal disasters, and laugh-out-loud moments as their codependent dynamic wreaks delightful havoc on everyone around them.
As Sylvia juggles family life and career goals, and Will tries to make his new relationship work, their friendship only gets messier... with plenty of awkward parties, unsolicited advice, and the kind of honesty that borders on brutal.
Created by Francesca Delbanco and Nicholas Stoller, the new season adds Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, and Beck Bennett to the cast, joining returning favorites Luke Macfarlane, Tre Hale, Carla Gallo, and Andrew Lopez.
Platonic: Season 2 premieres August 6th on Apple TV+.
The deadliest spy she knows... just might be her own dad.
✪ Butterfly — Trailer
(on Prime Video Aug. 13th)
Spying is a dangerous business. Parenting might be worse. Put them together? You’ve got Butterfly! Prime Video’s new pulse-pounding action series where bloodlines and black ops collide.
Daniel Dae Kim stars as David Jung, a long-lost U.S. intelligence operative living off the grid in South Korea. Presumed dead for years, he’s forced back into the game when his daughter Rebecca (Reina Hardesty)—now a trained killer raised by the very agency that once betrayed him—shows up with a mission that could either reunite them... or end in bloodshed.
Rebecca thought her father was gone. Now she’s ordered to kill him. Her handler (Piper Perabo) made her into a weapon. But loyalty, like family, can get messy... especially when bullets start flying.
Created by Ken Woodruff and Steph Cha, Butterfly blends heart-pounding action with emotional stakes, as father and daughter wrestle with their past, their training, and the question of whether redemption is even possible in a world built on betrayal.
Also starring Park Hae-soo, Kim Ji-hoon, Lee Il-hwa, Kim Tae-hee, Sung Dong-il, Louis Landau, and Charles Parnell, Butterfly premieres Wednesday, August 13th on Prime Video.
⇩ additional TV trailers: 📺
✪ “The Girlfriend” Teaser: Robin Wright Suspects Something Sinister About Her Son’s Perfect New Love in This New Thriller Series — Premiering September 10th on Prime Video
When maternal instinct turns into obsession, it’s a battle of wills between a mother and the woman threatening to take her place.
✪ “Red Eye” Trailer: Richard Armitage and Jing Lusi Are Trapped on a Non-Stop Flight with a Killer in This High-Altitude British Thriller Series — Premiering July 22nd on Hulu
With 10 hours, 237 passengers, and one deadly secret, the sky’s not the limit—it’s the danger zone.
✪ “Women Wearing Shoulder Pads” Trailer: Marionette Mayhem and Telenovela Tropes Collide in Adult Swim’s New Bizarre Stop-Motion Comedy Series — Premieres August 17th at Midnight on Comedy Central
Think Pedro Almodóvar meets Robot Chicken! This Spanish-language satire brings scandal, stilettos, and shoulder pads to gloriously unhinged life.
✪ “Hostage” Teaser: Suranne Jones Is a Prime Minister Pushed to the Edge in Netflix’s New British Political Thriller Series with Julie Delpy — Premieres August 21st on Netflix
When her husband is kidnapped, national duty takes a backseat to personal vengeance in this international showdown of secrets, power, and sacrifice.
⇩ Extras: ⏩
✱ Tony Gilroy Talks His All-Time Favorite Films!
If you’re anything like us, you can’t get enough of those Letterboxd videos where actors and filmmakers share their four favorite films ever. It’s a terrific time killer—spending hours watching some of our favorite people talk about movies they love and movies that likely shaped their lives. The only problem? Those videos are sometimes way too short.
Well, here’s a nice 20-minute chat with one of our favorite writers in the biz: Tony Gilroy! Fresh from receiving a number of Emmy nominations for his stunning work on Andor, Gilroy sits down with TCM (sadly not Letterboxd) to offer his thoughts on some of his favorite movies of all time. It’s always fun to see when someone you respect gets to geek out about movies like the rest of us. Watch the video below.