New movies, shows and music to stream this week, from Love is Blind Habibi to a Cate Blanchett thriller

Charli XCX fans can also look forward to a celebrity-filled remix of her hit summer album Brat

In Disclaimer, Cate Blanchett plays a journalist whose life is upended when she discovers she's the central character in a new book. Photo: Apple TV+

The Middle Eastern spin-off of reality show Love is Blind is here, featuring a cast of singles looking for their life partners. Meanwhile, Oscar winners Cate Blanchett and Alfonso Cuaron are teaming up for a thriller that's already earning rave reviews. And romcom fans can watch out for a new film pairing Laura Dern and Liam Hemsworth.

For music fans, Charli XCX is launching an extended version of her viral album Brat, and Becky G has a new Spanish album.

Here are some of the latest music, movies and shows to stream this week.

New shows to stream

Love is Blind Habibi (Netflix)

The regional adaptation of Love is Blind brings together a diverse group of singles from across the Arab world, each with their own unique stories and backgrounds. Similar to the international versions, the 20 cast members from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Syria, Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan and Iraq, will try to find genuine connections, fall in love and get engaged, all before they've even met.

The nine-episode series will be hosted by Saudi celebrity couple Elham Ali and Khaled Saqer, and was extensively shot in Dubai.

Citadel: Diana (Prime Video)

More than a year after the American version fronted by Priyanka Chopra and Richard Madden was released, Citadel's first spin-off is ready. Set in Italy, Citadel: Diana follows Diana Cavalieri (Matilda De Angelis), a member of the independent spy agency Citadel, which was destroyed by a powerful syndicate called Manticore. Alone and trapped behind enemy lines, Diana's only chance to disappear and save herself is by trusting Edo Zani (Lorenzo Cervasio), the heir of Manticore Italy.

The high-octane action thriller will be followed by an Indian spin-off, starring Bollywood stars Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, which will have its premiere on November 7. Citadel was created by the Russo brothers, Anthony and Joseph, best known for their Marvel movies. The original show with Chopra Jonas and Madden, which aired in April, is one of Prime Video's most viewed original shows.

Sweetpea (OSN+)

Based on the bestselling book of the same name, this dark comedy-drama follows Rhiannon. Her quiet life working as an office manager and living with her boyfriend and dog is thrown into chaos when a bully from her past life returns to haunt her.

English actress Ella Purnell, best known for her role in the Emmy-nominated Yellowjackets, plays the lead.

Teacup (OSN+)

Inspired by horror writer Robert R McCammon's book Stinger, this new show is set in an isolated ranch in rural Georgia, US, where a group of neighbours must put aside their differences and band together against a mysterious and deadly threat.

James Wan, known for the Saw and Conjuring movies, serves as one of the executive producers on the show.

Disclaimer (Apple TV+)

Hollywood powerhouses Blanchett and Cuaron, director of acclaimed films such as Gravity and Roma, collaborate on this psychological thriller based on a book of the same name by Renee Knight. Blanchett plays a renowned journalist whose life is upended when she discovers she's the central character in a new book, which reveals a dark secret she has tried to keep hidden.

The show's ensemble cast includes Sacha Baron Cohen, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville and Kodi Smit-McPhee, who was nominated for an Oscar for his role in the 2021 film The Power of the Dog. South Korean actress Jung Ho-yeon, best known for her role in Squid Game, also stars.

New movies to stream

Ibn El Hajj Ahmad (October 11, OSN+)

This Egyptian comedy follows Ahmed who's helping his father run a supermarket. One day, he discovers that his father is actually a former secret agent and a gang has been sent to eliminate him. With the help of his friend Nabila, Ahmed embarks on an action-packed adventure that does not always go as planned.

The Last of the Sea Women (Apple TV+)

For centuries, the haenyeo (divers) of South Korea’s Jeju Island have been renowned for reaching the ocean floor – without oxygen – to harvest seafood for their livelihood.

Often called real-life mermaids, most haenyeo are now in their sixties, seventies and eighties, with their traditions and way of life facing multiple oceanic threats. This documentary follows these fierce women as they partner with the younger generation in a fight to revive their ancestral lifestyle through social media. The film looks at their tight-knit friendships, independence and sense of empowerment, resulting in an uplifting tale of women taking on world powers to protect their beloved ocean and inspire a new generation.

Lonely Planet (Netflix)

Susannah Grant, the writer of the Oscar-nominated film Erin Brockovich, directs this romcom, starring Dern and Hemsworth in the lead. Dern plays a reclusive novelist who arrives at a writer’s retreat in Morocco, hoping the remote setting will unlock her writer’s block. There, she meets a young man, which turns into a life-altering love affair.

"With Lonely Planet, I wanted to make a film about the transformational power of travel," Grant said. "How sometimes journeying thousands of miles away from everything you know about your life can make you see it, and yourself, in a revealing new light.

"Lonely Planet is a testament to the power of letting go of the familiar – a reminder of how much can be learned by forgetting everything you thought you knew."

New music to stream

Becky G's Encuentros

A follow-up to last year's album Esquinas, the American-Mexican pop star continues her work in Mexicana music with her fourth Spanish record. Translated to "encounters", Becky G said she's fulfilling a hunger that started when she was working on Esquinas.

"My last album started a fire within my creative soul that brought new colours to my world, and deep down inside I knew I couldn’t stop there … so I didn’t," she wrote on Instagram in August when announcing the album. "Since last year, I continued discovering, feeling, healing and creating. All of the parts of me that I found along the way, I have now poured into this album with so much love and dedication. You guys said you wanted more, and so did I."

Charli XCX's Brat and It’s Completely Different but Also Still Brat

"Brat summer" may be over but Charli XCX is not quite done with her hit album, which was released in June. She's releasing a deluxe, double-album version of Brat, where each of the 16 tracks is remixed with new artists. And it's raining A-listers, with names such as Ariana Grande, Tinashe, Billie Eilish, Lorde, Troye Sivan and Robyn involved.

The commercially and critically successful Brat is the British singer's sixth album and her biggest album to date.

Jelly Roll's Beautifully Broken

Known for his soulful voice, country-rock singer Jelly Roll's latest album is inspired by his coming tour. While many know him from his multiple award-winning album Whitsitt Chapel, which he released last year, Beautifully Broken is the Nashville native's 10th studio album.

Having been in and out of jail 40 times before turning his life around, Jelly Roll's searing lyrics about adversity, addiction and suffering have won him fans around the world. Beautifully Broken looks set to continue in a similar vein, with tracks so far released including I Am Not Okay, Get By, Liar and Winning Streak.