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October streaming guide: Broadway makes history with Diana: The Musical on Netflix

Jeanna de Haal told Vogue last week putting the show on film first is ‘definitely an experiment and I'm thrilled that we are headlining that experiment’.

Jeanna de Haal told Vogue last week putting the show on film first is ‘definitely an experiment and I'm thrilled that we are headlining that experiment’. Photo: Netflix

Dozens of documentaries, feature-length movies and limited series have been made about Diana, Princess of Wales since her death, unpacking her highly public life as a member of the royal family to her death in a Paris tunnel in 1997.

And her story continues to make headlines, this time in a musical on Broadway.

For the first time in history, a filmed version of the stage production will be available for streaming ahead of the musical again opening to audiences in November.

Premiering on Netflix on October 1, the original Diana: The Musical promises “flashbulbs, frenzy” and iconic fashion, according to the two-minute trailer, delivering in music and dance the “dazzling and devastating life of Princess Diana”.

Stage performer Jeanna de Waal (Kinky Boots), who portrays the late princess on stage, told People magazine she spent hours “devouring” YouTube videos of Diana interviews to prepare for the role.

We see shots of Diana being chased by paparazzi, to her wedding day, to her “revenge dress,” the buzzed-about outfit worn the day Charles confessed on national television that he had been unfaithful in his marriage to Diana.

“People, within like two seconds of seeing you, are going to decide: They either buy it or they don’t,” de Waal told People.

“If they don’t buy it, it’s going to be hard for them to enjoy the story and get lost in it.”

But don’t worry if a musical on Diana is not in your viewing diary this month. There are plenty of other series floating around to get lost in.

By now, most people will have several streaming services to tap into with reasonable monthly subscription fees, producing and sourcing a world of shows accessible beyond the realm of free-to-air television.

Netflix, Amazon Prime, Stan, Binge, Paramount+, Apple TV are all offering up a selection of hits this month.

Federico Fellini and Francesca Fabbri Fellini, with some help from technology. Photo: Campari Global

Red Diaries Fellini Forward – Amazon Prime, October 1

Italian aperitif company Campari is behind a short film and documentary which has used artificial intelligence to bring filmmaker Federico Fellini back to life.

AI helped analyse past Fellini transcripts to “understand patterns in language and descriptive detail … and carried out visual analysis of the director’s signature shots, including camera movement and facial emotion”.

His niece Francesca Fabbri Fellini says: “His human experiences, the environment in which he lived, his ability to take risks in bringing ideas to audiences all contributed to the creative genius that we know today.”

My Name Is Pauli Murray – Amazon Prime Video, October 1

This is a must-see. Non-binary black scholar and lawyer, Pauli Murray was a hugely influential figure overlooked by history who battled hard for gender equality and civil rights.

Murray’s impact inspired the likes of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Thurgood Marshall.

One of Us Is Lying – Stan, October 8

Having a star like Leo DiCaprio as acting inspiration, young Aussie actor Cooper van Grootel (Mystery Road) is making a few waves in the US after scoring a part in the New York Times No.1 bestseller.

Exclusive to Stan, the series explores what happens after a group of five high school students get detention, and only four come out.

Yes, it’s a teen drama, but a great one to watch with iso friends in a bubble during the school holidays.

There’s always a story behind great champions of sport. Photo: Netflix

Bad Sport, Season One – Netflix, October 6

Athletes, coaches and law enforcement officials let us inside six unbelievable stories.

Episodes include the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic figure skating scandal, superstar Indycar driver Randy Lanier’s marijuana-smuggling operation, the Arizona State University basketball point-shaving scheme, the horse hitman at the centre of an insurance fraud ring, Calciopoli, the biggest match-fixing scandal in Italian football history and South African cricket captain Hansie Cronje’s tragic fall from grace.

15 Minutes of Shame – Binge, October 8

Andy Warhol was famously quoted as saying, “In the future, everyone will be world famous for 15 minutes”.

None better to produce and narrate this documentary then than Monica Lewinsky, who became famous after having an affair with then president Bill Clinton.

“Imagine waking up with the whole world talking about you because your mistake, your secret, has now been made public. Trust me: I know a little something about this. I was Patient Zero of having a reputation destroyed because of the internet – and I would not be the last,” the 48-year-old activist says.

I Know What You Did Last Summer – Amazon Prime Video, Oct 15

Based on Lois Duncan’s 1973 novel, which eventually gave us the 1997 film of the same name, this remake has the group of teenagers being stalked by a brutal killer as they try to find out who’s after them.

Series Mania MelbourneACMI Cinema 3, Oct 14-17

ACMI and Film Victoria in partnership with Series Mania France are offering a free, four-day online festival-of-TV event dedicated to “shining the spotlight on television and its creatives”.

It will premiere new drama, comedy and web series domestically and from around the world.

“Whether you’re a voracious consumer of television or a creator with a story idea to launch into the small-screen stratosphere, Series Mania Melbourne is the television event of the year for Victoria’s screen industry,” Film Victoria boss Caroline Pitcher said.

Succession, Season Three – HBO, October 18

It helps if you’ve seen the first two seasons, but if you’re obsessed with this “bitingly savage” Emmy-winning satirical comedy-drama where the Roy family is pitted against each other once again, tune in.

Logan Roy begins the season in a perilous position, the official synopsis reads. “Scrambling to secure familial, political and financial alliances, tensions rise as a bitter corporate battle threatens to turn into a family civil war.”

The Green Knight – Amazon Prime Video, October 28

Oscar nominee Dev Patel (Lion) leads this “darkly fantastical medieval tale” of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and co-stars Oscar winner Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl) and Golden Globe nominee, our Joel Edgerton (The King).

Colin in Black & White – Netflix, October 29

A dramatic limited series depicting athlete-turned-activist Colin Kaepernick and his adoptive parents as they navigate the challenges of raising a Black son in a white family and community.

With that as an explainer, when Kaepernick – then the San Francisco 49ers quarterback in the NFL – pioneered taking a knee back in 2016, it ended his career.

No team has been willing to offer him a contract since 2017. He continues his activism.

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