Every Netflix Original Film Worth Getting Excited About in 2019

Every year, Netflix becomes more of a power player in the film industry. 2019 is shaping up to be one of the streaming giant's best years yet when it comes to original movies. Here are 16 intriguing new projects to add to your queue this year.

'Polar'

Release Date: Jan. 25 One of Netflix's first big movies of the year is a comic book adaptation casts Mads Mikkelsen as an aging assassin dragged out of retirement after surviving an attempted hit. Reviews haven't been particularly positive, but this one is still probably worth a look for anyone who needs a quick fix before "John Wick Chapter 3."

'Velvet Buzzsaw'

Release Date: Feb. 1 Fans of 2014's 'Nightcrawler' will be thrilled to see director Dan Gilroy and stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Rene Russo reunite for a new project. This horror film centers around a group of people tormented by a supernatural force lurking inside a series of paintings.

'High Flying Bird'

Release date: Feb. 8 Thankfully, rumors of Steven Soderbergh's retirement were greatly exaggerated. Soderbergh's next effort is a sports drama starring André Holland, Zazie Beetz, Melvin Gregg, Sonja Sohn and Zachary Quinto. Like 2018's "Unsane," it's also notable for being filmed entirely on an iPhone.

'Paddleton'

Release Date: Feb. 22 Mark Duplass and Ray Romano star in this comedy about two neighbors who embark on an emotional road trip after one of them is diagnosed with terminal cancer. The title comes from the fictional game the two friends invented.

'Triple Frontier'

Release date: Mar. 15 This star-studded crime drama features Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund and Pedro Pascal as five military vets who join forces to rob a South American drug kingpin. The cast alone makes this one a no-brainer.

'The Highwaymen'

Release Date: Mar. 29 "The Blind Side" director John Lee Hancock is joining forces with Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson to chronicle the other side of the famous saga of Bonnie and Clyde. The duo star as the two retired Texas Rangers brought in to help bring the infamous bank robbers to justice.

'Klaus'

Release Date: Holiday 2019 Netflix has acquired distribution rights to the latest effort from "Despicable Me" co-creator Sergio Pablos. This hand-drawn animated movie offers a new origin story for Santa Claus, as a postman is stationed in the far north and accidentally winds up creating a legend.

'All the Bright Places'

Release Date: n/a Netflix seems to specialize in coming-of-age teen dramas, with this film veering toward the darker end of that spectrum. Elle Fanning (pictured here in "The Neon Demon") and Justice Smith star as two teens who develop an unhealthy fascination with the subject of death.

'All Day and a Night'

Release Date: n/a 'Black Panther' co-writer Joe Robert Cole is writing and directing this drama, which features a young criminal reflecting on the troubled days leading up to his arrest. Ashton Sanders and Jeffrey Wright (pictured here in "Westworld") headline the film.

'Always Be My Maybe'

Release Date: n/a Rom-com fans will want to keep an eye out for this new effort from "Fresh Off the Boat" producer Nahnatchka Khan. Randall Park and Ali Wong star as two childhood friends who develop a romance as adults, despite finding themselves in wildly different socioeconomic positions.

'The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind'

Release Date: n/a Chiwetel Ejiofor is pulling triple duty for this drama, writing, directing and starring in a biopic about a boy (played by Maxwell Simba) whose handmade windmill saved his African village from a deadly drought.

'Dhaka'

Release Date: n/a Somehow, the Russo bros. managed to find time in between all those Marvel movies to make a very different sort of film starring Chris Hemsworth. "Dhaka" casts Hemsworth as a hardened mercenary who's called upon to rescue a boy caught between rival Indian gangs.

'Dolemite Is My Name'

Release Date: n/a It's been a long time since we've been this psyched for an upcoming Eddie Murphy comedy. Murphy stars in this biopic about comedian/blaxplotation icon Rudy Ray Moore. Wesley Snipes, Craig Robinson, Mike Epps and Tituss Burgess also star.

'First Ladies'

Release Date: n/a We're eagerly looking forward to Netflix's new Jennifer Aniston comedy, with Aniston (pictured here in "She's Funny That Way") playing a lesbian woman elected President of the United States. Adding to the movie's appeal is the fact that comedian Tig Notaro is both writing and co-starring as Aniston's wife.

'In the Shadow of the Moon'

'In the Tall Grass'

Release Date: n/a "The Conjuring" star Patrick Wilson is returnign to horror, this time via an adaptation of a novella penned by Stephen King and Joe Hill. "In the Tall Grass" follows the plight of two twins who become impossibly lost in a corn field after trying to rescue a child.

'The Irishman'

Release Date: n/a Netflix can cross another big item of its company bucket list, as they've wooed legendary director Martin Scorsese to the fold. Even better, this biographical crime drama features Scorsese working with dome familiar faces. Robert De Niro stars as labor union leader Frank Sheeran, the man famous for killing mob boss Jimmy Hoffa (played here by Al Pacino).

'Juanita'

Release Date: n/a If you can't get enough Alfre Woodard in your movie world (and who can?), you'll want to keep an eye out for this drama from director Clark Johnson. The film is an adaptation of Sheila Williams' book "Dancing on the Roof," and stars Woodard as a woman who drastically reinvents herself after moving to Montana.

'The King'

Release Date: n/a Director David Michôd is adapting some of the most famous plays of all time in this movie that blends Shakespeare's 'Henry IV Parts 1 and 2' and 'Henry V' into one tale. Timothée Chalamet (seen here in "Call me By Your Name"), Joel Edgerton, Robert Pattinson and Ben Mendelsohn headline an impressive cast.

'The Last Thing He Wanted'

Release Date: n/a Dee Rees' "Mudbound" was one of the first films to prove Netflix could compete with the major studios in terms of awards season cache. Now Rees is back for this adaptation of the Joan Didion novel, with Anne Hathaway (seen here in "The Intern") starring as a political correspondent who's forced to quit and care for her terminally ill father (Willem Dafoe).

'The Laundromat'

Release Date: n/a Steven Soderbergh's other big Netflix release this year chronicles the release of the Panama Papers and stars Meryl Streep, Gary Oldman and Antonio Banderas. Given Streep's involvement, one could almost view this as a sequel to 2017's "The Post."

'Lionheart'

Release Date: n/a "Lionheart" is poised to become the very first Netflix original film from NIgeria. Genevieve Nnaji directs and stars as a woman who takes over her ailing father's company and fights to save it from overwhelming debt.

'Murder Mystery'

Release Date: n/a Adam Sandler (pictured here in "Funny People") hasn't exactly had a great run when it comes to Netflix original movies. We're hoping that he'll find more success teaming with director Kyle Newacheck. This comedy stars Sandler and Jennifer Aniston as a couple who accidentally become prime suspects in the murder of a European billionaire.

'The Perfection'

Release Date: n/a Early buzz is strong for this horror thriller from director Richard Shephard, which stars Allison Williams and Logan Browning as two rival cellists. The film reportedly features a shocking twist ending that Netflix is working hard to keep under wraps.

'Six Underground'

Release Date: n/a Michael Bay is another Hollywood A-Lister making his Netflix debut this year. Bay's latest blockbuster action epic stars Ryan Reynolds, Mélanie Laurent, Dave Franco, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Adria Arjona, Corey Hawkins and Ben Hardy as six vigilantes who band together to target the world's most dangerous criminals.