Major takeaways from this year’s TUDUM

Featuring a musical performance by Lady Gaga, a surprise drop by Adam Sandler and a soaring stock, Netflix wrapped up this year’s TUDUM show – the streaming behemoth’s annual showcase event – by dropping juicy trailers and tantalising info for coming projects.

Named after the sound that plays before each show, TUDUM was held in LA this year and featured over 100 stars dropping by to promote Netflix’s upcoming slate of films and series.

Here are the biggest takeaways.

Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein

A horror master like no other, the celebrated creator of Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy, The Shape of Water and Crimson Peak returns to scare by tackling the most enduring horror story of them all: Mary Shelley’s masterpiece, Frankenstein.

Oscar Isaac plays Doctor Victor Frankenstein, the misguided scientist who messes with the nature of life and death and ends up creating a monster. Jacob Elordi plays the titular monster, and Netflix kept the look wrapped up in shadows in the trailer, possibly for a surprise reveal near the film’s launch. Also starring Mia Goth and Christoph Waltz, Frankenstein displayed a gothic aesthetic close to the tone of the book and a beautiful colour palette (especially loved Victor’s red gloves!) which Del Toro is known for.

Frankenstein drops in November.

Stranger Things Season 5

The hit series that kickstarted an 80s frenzy and established Netflix as a top-tier content-producing studio, returns for the fifth and final season.

The battle for Hawkins, and arguably the world, is up as the military put the town in quarantine while it desperately looks for Eleven. The monstrous Vecna is gearing up for the final strike, and the only thing that can stop it is the full gang.

Eight episodes will be split into three parts, with Volume 1 dropping on November 26, Volume 2 on December 25, and the finale on December 31.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

December will be a busy month for Netflix, as Daniel Craig and his preposterous, borderline offensive but incredibly endearing thick southern drawl is back for a final time in the third film of the stand-alone whodunit trilogy, Wake Up Dead Man.

The world’s best detective – and possibly an expert on fried chicken and iced tea – Benoit Blanc is back, this time tackling his most difficult case yet.

While creator Rian Johnson prefers to keep the story under wraps, from the trailer we can surmise that religion is heavily involved and a church will play a major part.

Co-starring Glen Close, Josh O’Connor, Josh Brolin, Jeremy Renner and Kerry Washington, the film drops on December 12.

Squid Game Season 3

The massive, global phenomenon, Squid Game is back for its final season. Gi-hun and the Front Man are gearing up for the final confrontation, while the teaser unveiled new challenges for the contestants. To be perfectly honest, I’m shocked that it took them three seasons to get to the jump rope.

Squid Gamedrops on June 7.

Wednesday Season 2

Quoth the Raven ‘Alejandro, Alejandro’.

After the success of season one, Jenna Ortega returns as Wednesday Addams for her second year at the Nevermore Academy, this time with a new teacher called Rosaline Rotwood, played by none other than Lady Gaga. Gaga made a musical appearance at TUDUM to promote the show, which will see the young Wednesday this time taking on a serial killer called the Kansas City Scalper. Haley Joel Osment will play the serial killer so I’m guessing a Sixth Sense crossover is possible. Is that just me? Ok just me.

As with many flagship Netflix projects, Wednesday will be dropping in two parts, the first on August 6 and the second on September 6.

Happy Gilmore 2

Get in the hole! Adam Sandler revisits his iconic Happy Gilmore character. The lovable ex-hockey player turned professional golfer is back 30 years after the first movie hit the big screen!

Happy is forced to come out of retirement to help with his daughter’s ballet aspirations. Happy brings back the whole team, reuniting original cast members – notably Christopher McDonald and Ben Stiller – while introducing new faces like music artist Bad Bunny, NFL star Travis Kelce and Sandler’s daughters, Sadie and Sunny.

Happy Gilmore drops on July 5.

TUDUM featured news and teasers for several other major projects, including the return of the live-action adaptation of One Piece and the newest collaboration between longtime friends Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, a crime thriller called Rip.

This is projected to be another great year for Netflix, as the streaming platform keeps growing in both viewership and revenue, becoming the undisputed king of streaming.