BOX SETS AND ON DEMAND

The Old Guard (Netflix, from Fri)

Charlize Theron fans have been counting the days until this adaptation of Greg Rucka’s acclaimed graphic novel dropped on Netflix. She plays Andy, a warrior who leads a covert group of seemingly invincible mercenaries. They have fought to protect the mortal world for centuries.

However, when the team is recruited to take on an emergency mission and their supernatural abilities are suddenly exposed, Andy and new recruit Nile (KiKi Layne) must help help the group stop those who seek to replicate and monetise their power by any means necessary. If the trailer is anything to go by, this should be one of the most talked about fantasy thrillers of the year, plus the presence of Chiwetel Ejiofor doesn’t hurt matters one bit.

Stateless (Netflix, from Wed)

Jai Courtney, perhaps best remembered from his work on a Good Day To Die Hard and the Divergent saga, stars in this new drama about strangers whose lives collide at an immigration detention centre in the middle of the Australian desert. One is an airline hostess on the run from a dangerous cult; another is an Afghan refugee and his family fleeing persecution. We also meet a young father escaping a dead-end job, and a bureaucrat running out of time to contain a national scandal. The cast includes Yvonne Strahovski, who was rather good in 24: Live Another Day, The Predator and The Handmaid’s Tale and the more familiar Dominic West and Cate Blanchett.

The Deep Blue Sea (Nat Theatre Live/YouTube, from Thu)

A few years ago, many folks who couldn’t get to London were treated to a live streaming version of Medea, in which Helen McCrory gave a retina-searing performance. That National Theatre Live production was the next best thing to being there, and now there’s a chance to see the Peaky Blinders star in this version of Terence Rattingan’s critically acclaimed 1952 drama. Filmed live at the Lyttelton Theatre in 2016, The Deep Blue Sea tells the story of a woman’s tempestuous affair with a former RAF pilot and the breakdown of her marriage to a High Court judge. McCrory re-teamed with Medea’s Carrie Cracknell for this production, which has picked up a wealth of glowing reviews over the past few years.

Little Voice (Apple TV+, from Fri)

JJ Abrams has the Midas touch when it comes to any project, whether it’s Mission: Impossible, Star Trek or Star Wars. Now his company Bad Robot are hoping this new series will help Apple TV+ win the ratings war against other online streaming giants. No connection to the namesake Jane Horrocks drama, it explores “the universal journey of finding your authentic voice in your early twenties.” Keep an eye on Brittany O’Grady, Shalini Bathina and British actor Sean Teale. This could be the series that turns them all into stars. One of the driving forces behind the series is Jessie Nelson, who also worked on under-rated Al Pacino offering Danny Collins, and adapted the film Waitress for the stage. She’s written and directed many of the episodes, so it’ll be interesting to see if this voice resonates with the masses.

Charlize Theron