New shows, movies and music to stream, from Dune prequel to Wicked soundtrack

Plus, powerful documentary about Afghanistan women's rights and Travis Kelce hosts game show

Ariana Granda as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in Wicked. Photo: Universal Studios

Depending on which side of the pop culture fence you stand, you either know Travis Kelce as a great sports star or as Taylor Swift's boyfriend. But a TV star? The NFL player is the host of a new game show that tests adult contestants' knowledge of school subjects. Meanwhile, fans Dune can look forward to a new series, which serves as a prequel to the critically acclaimed blockbusters.

Here are some of the latest films, shows and games to stream.

New movies to stream

Blitz (Apple TV+)

Elliott Heffernan as George and Saoirse Ronan as Rita in Blitz. Photo: Apple TV+

Oscar-winning director Steve McQueen returns with another historical drama, this time about a family separated during the Second World War. Saoirse Ronan plays a mother who sends her son George, nine, played by debutant Elliott Heffernan, to the countryside for safety as German bombs pound London. But an adamant George plots his return to the city, putting himself in danger as his mother desperately looks for him.

McQueen reunites with many of the team members he worked with in his Oscar-winning film 12 Years a Slave.

Bread & Roses (Apple TV+)

Bread & Roses looks at life for women in Afghanistan after the Taliban regained control in 2021. Photo: Apple TV+

Malala Yousafzai and Jennifer Lawrence produced this powerful documentary about Afghan women as they fight to recover their autonomy after the Taliban took back control in 2021.

Directed by Sahra Mani, the film follows three women fighting for their basic rights and showcases the spirit and resilience of many Afghan women as they face systemic oppression.

The Piano Lesson (Netflix)

Denzel Washington's son, Malcolm Washington, makes his directorial debut with this period film, based on a recently revived Broadway play of the same name.

It is set in Pittsburgh in 1936, during the aftermath of the Great Depression, where a family heirloom, a piano, becomes a bone of contention between a brother and sister. The brother wants to sell the piano to buy land where their ancestors toiled as slaves, while the sister wants to keep it as it has the carved faces of their ancestors, who were still slaves.

Samuel L Jackson and John David Washington, Malcolm's brother, both starred in the Broadway show and reprise their roles in the film.

Joy (Netflix)

From left, Bill Nighy as Patrick Steptoe, Thomasin McKenzie as Jean Purdy and James Norton as Robert Edwards in Joy. Photo: Netflix

Louise Joy Brown, the world's first "test-tube baby", was born in the UK in 1978. Netflix's latest film, Joy, tells her remarkable story and the 10-year journey it took to make her birth possible. It's told through the perspective of nurse and embryologist Jean Purdy, played by Thomasin McKenzie, who joins forces with scientist Robert Edwards (James Norton) and surgeon Patrick Steptoe (Bill Nighy) to make this scientific breakthrough by pioneering IVF.

New shows to stream

Dune: Prophecy (OSN+)

Chris Mason as Keiran Atreides and Sarah-Sofie Boussnina as Princess Ynez Corrino in Dune: Prophecy. Photo: HBO

A treat for fans of Frank Herbert's expansive Dune universe, this series serves as a prequel to Denis Villeneuve's 2021 film and is set 10,000 years prior, focusing on the origins of the Bene Gesserit, the powerful religious and political force whose members possess superhuman powers.

With a predominantly British cast including Emily Watson, Olivia Williams and Mark Strong, the series also features acclaimed Bollywood actress Tabu, as well as English actor Charithra Chandran, best known for playing Edwina Sharma on Netflix hit Bridgerton.

The Day of the Jackal (OSN+)

Eddie Redmayne as the Jackal in a scene from The Day of the Jackal. Photo: Peacock

Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne has more than proven his versatility through a variety of roles. Now, he gets into action hero mode in this new series, in which he plays a lone assassin who threatens global security.

Based on Frederick Forsyth’s 1971 classic novel of the same name, the show resets the story in contemporary times with Redmayne playing a ruthless British assassin and Lashana Lynch as an MI6 agent hot on his case.

Say Nothing (Disney+)

A still from the series Say Nothing, which is set in Northern Ireland. Photo: FX

Set during the Troubles, the nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted for 30 years between the 1960s to 1990s, this new series is based on Patrick Radden Keefe's book of the same name.

Based on true events, the show begins with the disappearance of Jean McConville, a single mother of 10 who was abducted from her home in 1972 and never seen alive again. Telling the story of various Irish Republican Army members, it explores the extremes some people will go to in the name of their beliefs, the way a deeply divided society can suddenly tip over into armed conflict and the long shadow of radical violence for all affected.

Are You Smarter than a Celebrity? (Prime Video)

Travis Kelce in Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity? Photo: Amazon Prime

Being a sports star is one thing, but being a quick-witted TV host is quite another. But Travis Kelce, aka the NFL player who's dating Taylor Swift, is proving he can do both as he hosts this hilarious game show. A spin-off of the long-running US show Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?, this one features adult contestants who, along with a classroom full of celebrities, answer questions pulled from the grade six curriculum and aim to win $100,000 in cash.

The contestants don’t actually compete against the stars. Instead, they enlist their help to figure out the answers. Celebrity participants include comedian Nikki Glaser, Real Housewife of Beverly Hills star Garcelle Beauvais and actress Lilly Singh.

New music to stream

Wicked: The Soundtrack

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo power this album ahead. Photo: Republic Records / Verve Records

It's a treat of year for fans of Ariana Grande. After a year dominated by the blockbuster Eternal Sunshine album, the pop star features heavily in the soundtrack of Wicked, the film adaptation of the stage musical of the same name. Grande plays Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, while Cynthia Erivo plays Elphaba Thropp, who later becomes the Wicked Witch of the West, from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Both vocal powerhouses, Grande and Erivo drive this album, which includes the famous tracks, Popular and Defying Gravity. Also watch out for songs by Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey and Peter Dinklage.

Bouquet by Gwen Stefani

The album cover of Gwen Stefani's Bouquet. Photo: Interscope Records

For her first album in six years, the former No Doubt vocalist is zooming in on love, mostly her relationship with husband and country star Blake Shelton. After dropping a teaser in February with Purple Irises, a duet with Sheldon, the 10-track album is Stefani's fifth. Other singles released ahead of the album include the songs Somebody Else's and Swallow My Tears.

"Meeting my husband felt like a second chance at life because when my family fell apart it was a catastrophe," she told The Guardian about the inspiration for the album.

Stefani, who was married to Bush lead singer Gavin Rossdale for 12 years, added: "How do you pick yourself up from that? But God put this other person there to love me."