We’re always trying to track what historical costume movies and TV shows are coming up. I always feel like we’ve Just Posted one of these, and then I go check and it’s been months. So, yay, we get some new stuff! As always, you can keep an eye on what’s forthcoming on our Upcoming Movies page! Editor’s note: Due to the ongoing pandemic and the recently completed Writers Guild of America and ongoing SAG-AFTRA strikes, some theatrical releases are being rescheduled, so please be patient as we update our Upcoming Movies page. Note that all dates are for the U.S.
Priscilla (Oct. 6)
A look at the relationship between Priscilla & Elvis Presley. Costumes by Stacey Battat.
In the Fire (Oct. 13)
A New York doctor treats a boy in remote village, sparking a war of science versus religion in the 1890s. Costumes by Sabrina Beretta.
Lessons in Chemistry (Oct. 13)
A woman’s dream of being a chemist in the early 1960s is put on hold when she finds herself pregnant, alone, & fired from her lab. Costumes by Mirren Gordon-Crozier.
Killers of the Flower Moon (Oct. 20)
Members of the Osage tribe are murdered under mysterious circumstances in the 1920s, sparking a major F.B.I. investigation. Costumes by Jacqueline West.
The Gilded Age season 2 (Oct. 29 on HBO)
New York’s super-rich society of the 1880s. Costumes by Kasia Walicka-Maimone.
All the Light We Cannot See (Nov. 2 on Netflix)
A blind French teenager develops a connection with a German soldier during World War II. Costumes by Andrea Flesch.
The Crown season 6 (Nov. 16 on Netflix)
The Queen Elizabeth II bio-series. Costumes by Amy Roberts and Sidonie Roberts.
The Buccaneers (Nov. 8 on Apple TV)
A new adaption of Edith Wharton’s unfinished final novel. Costumes by Kate Carin.
Rustin (Nov. 17 on Netflix)
Biopic of gay civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, who organized the 1963 March on Washington. Costumes by Toni-Leslie James.
Napoleon (Nov. 22)
A Napoleon Bonaparte biopic directed by Ridley Scott and starring Joaquin Phoenix. Costumes by Janty Yates.
The Artful Dodger (Nov. 29 on Hulu)
A follow-up to Dickens’ story, set in 1850s Australia, where the Artful Dodger is grown-up & a surgeon. No costume designer yet listed on IMDB.
Poor Things (Dec. 8)
The fantastical evolution of a young woman brought back to life in late Victorian Europe. Costumes by Holly Waddington.
Wonka (Dec. 15)
A Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory origin story set in the early 20th century. Costumes by Lindy Hemming.
The Color Purple (Dec. 25)
Musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s novel set in the early 1900s. Costumes by Francine Jamison-Tanchuck.
The Book of Clarence (Jan. 12, 2024)
A Biblical-era story. Costumes by Antoinette Messam.
The Taste of Things (Feb. 24, 2024)
A turn-of-the-century cook (Juliette Binoche) and her 20-year relationship with the gourmet for whom she cooks. Costumes by Nu Yên-Khê Tran.
Cabrini (March 8, 2024)
Biopic of Francesca Cabrini, who became one of the great entrepreneurs of the 19th century. Costumes by Alisha Silverstein.
Three Little Birds (no release date; BritBox)
Miniseries following three women who leave Jamaica for Great Britain in the 1950s. Costumes by Mena Martinez.
Which of these movies or TV series are you most excited about, and why is it not The Buccaneers?
A gritty War Drama about a woman on the front lines? I’m looking forward to watching it! The lack of hair pins/beachy waves is forgivable at least! Lee Miller was a former fashion model!
Wow- The Buccaneers looks dreadful!! Why is the fact that people in the 19th century did act differently from instagram influencers hard for screenwriters and other producers to understand (or believe?)
I’m not sure that I would call Mother Cabrini one of the greatest entrepreneurs in the traditional sense of the word. She was one of the founders of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The hospitals and missions that she founded were part of her work as a nun.
Yeah, might want to check that Lee Trailer again, it looks like bait…
Yep, that’s not it. At least I really hope that’s not it.
Sorry one slipped through! Removing it.
The Buccaneers trailer looks so bad, like the cringiest cross between Bridgerton and Reign. The costumes don’t even look that interesting, as opposed to the older version of the Buccaneers. Hard pass.
Book of Clarence has the standard Biblical beige/orientalist/Gladiator cliches in the costuming (I swear, do all costume designers just go on autopilot when designing for this period?), but the story looks fun, at least.
I am VERY excited for the new Gilded Age season. It looks like just the lavish soapy escapism with jaw-droppingly detailed costumes that I need. I cannot wait!!
I think both Priscilla and Three Little Birds are looking excellent so far. The Priscilla trailer was fantastic.
I don’t have Apple TV, so it’s hard to be interested in The Buccaneers.
I was looking forward to the buccaneers, but after that trailer it’s a miss. I can’t believe that a book that is trying to follow real life examples of the heiresses can bu turned into a romantic novel. It’s only redeeming grace is that it looks like the Duchess of Trevenick marries in a necklace that her sister got married in, in the earlier version (the one her mother gives her that she later pawns).
Yes the description of Cabrini is a real head scratcher. They must be allergic to the word nun.
I share Ms. Renaud’s interest in THE GILDED AGE (Having enjoyed the first season I’m hoping the second is as good or even better); one also has hopes for NAPOLEON (Partly due to Ms. Vanessa Kirby and partly because one spotted the Duke of Wellington bearing a suspicious resemblance to Mr Rupert Everett).
I also have a vague interest in THE BOOK OF CLARENCE, for no reason I can divine.
Laughing Cavalier has a new review of the Napoleon, trailer. It’s thorough, detailed, and quite funny.
I will have to check that out later.
I have serious reservations about the film, which I’ve stated on here before. The more I see, the less I’m interested.
And the lines we’ve heard from the script? “I am the most important thing in the world!” A paid screenwriter wrote that?