Eddie Murphy, Manson Family Murders, Hurricane Katrina Legacy and Titan Implosion Among Subjects on Netflix’s 2025 Documentary Slate
From Eddie Murphy to Errol Morris’ take on the Manson family murders to the 20-year legacy of Hurricane Katrina, Netflix will serve up a slate of high-profile feature documentaries and docu-series this year.
“Eddie,” a look at the life of the comedian who got his start as a teenager in the early 1980s on “Saturday Night Live,” hails from prolific documentary director-producer Angus Wall and producers John Davis, John Fox, Charisse Hewitt, Terry Leonard and Kent Kubena. “In his own words, [Murphy] talks about entertaining three generations of fans with a filmography that spans comedy, action, drama, animation, musicals, and family fare,” per Netflix.
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Filmmaker Morris (“The Fog of War”) directs and produces “Chaos: The Manson Murders,” which bows March 7. Morris producers with Robert Fernandez and Steven Hathaway. Notorious madman Charles Manson, who died in prison in 2017 at age 83, and a group of his followers terrorized the Los Angeles area in 1969 by committing at least seven gruesome murders, including actress Sharon Tate.
“Katrina: Come Hell and High Water” is a three-part documentary series, executive produced by Spike Lee and produced by docu veteran Sam Pollard, to debut in August to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the hurricane that devastated New Orleans on Aug. 28, 2005. “The people of New Orleans recount their past, extoll their present and lean into the future of what they and their beloved city survived and have become 20 years later,” per Netflix. Lee, who previously produced the 2006 HBO documentary “When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts,” directs the third episode. Geeta Gandbhir and Samantha Knowles direct the first and second installments, respectively. Alisa Payne is showrunner.
Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions, Blue Ox Films and Supper Club are behind the feature “Air Force Elite: Thunderbirds,” helmed by Matt Wilcox. “For the first time ever, go inside the cockpit with the U.S. Air Force’s legendary flight squadron, the Thunderbirds, and witness the unprecedented training, peril, and personal sacrifice it takes to push the limits of aviation as a member of one America’s most revered demonstration teams,” per Netflix’s description.
Docu-series “American Manhunt: Osama Bin Laden” arrives March 10. It’s a look at “how the world mobilized to hunt down Osama Bin Laden after his orchestrations of the September 11th, 2001 attacks on the United States,” per Netflix.
“Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer” is a three-part doc from Liz Garbus and Dan Cogan’s Story Syndicate banner, directed by Garbus. It will examine the grisly murders of sex workers in New York City and Long Island that went unsolved from 1993 to 2011, until the arrest of Rex Heuermann in 2023. He has been charged with the deaths of six women and is suspected of committing more murders. Garbus and Cogan executive producer with Anne Carey, Jon Bardin and Mala Chapple.
“Pangolin: Kulu’s Journey,” dropping April 21, tells the story of a man who finds new purpose in life after helping to rescue a baby pangolin after a sting operation in South Africa to arrest those who traffic in the endangered species. Pippa Ehrlich, director of “My Octopus Teacher,” helms and produces with George Chignell, Jessica Grimshaw, Nick Shumaker. Craig Foster, Swati Thiyagarajan and David Levine are executive producers.
“Titan,” from Story Syndicate and Diamond Docs, examines the circumstances surrounding the tragic deaths of five people in 2023 when the submersible craft Titan imploded while attemping to find the wreckage of the Titantic in the North Atlantic Ocean. The film also explores the background of OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who died in the accident, and “his quest to become the next billionaire innovator.” Mark Monroe directed and produced with Jon Bardin and Lily Garrison. Dan Cogan, Liz Garbus, Kate Barry, Tommy Coriale, Mala Chapple, Amy Herdy and Jude Prest are executive producers.
(Pictured top: Eddie Murphy)
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