September 5: release date, cast and everything we know about the historical thriller

Peter Sarsgaard in September 5
Peter Sarsgaard in September 5 (Image credit: Venice Film Festival)

A late entry to the slate of 2024 new movies is September 5, a contained historical thriller that depicts the ABC Sports team during the 1972 Munich Olympics forced to adapt as they must cover the hostage crisis that occurred during the games. We've got everything you need to know about September 5 right here.

September 5 is the latest movie that puts the spotlight on journalists, which has produced many all-time classics — All the President's Men, Good Night, and Good Luck, the Best Picture-winning Spotlight and She Said, to name a few. Early buzz for the movie indicates that September 5 could be right up there with those other movies.

When is September 5 playing? Who stars in the movie? Find out the answers to those questions and more directly below.

September 5 release date

September 5 is going to release on November 27 in select movie theaters in the US before opening nationwide in December. According to IMDb, the movie will get its UK release on January 24, 2025.

It joins a slate of end-of-year potential Oscar contenders that also include Queer, Nickel Boys, Babygirl, The Brutalist and more.

September 5 cast

There are four main members of the September 5 cast: Peter Sarsgaard as Roone Arledge, John Magaro as Geoffrey Mason, Ben Chaplin as Marvin Bader and Leonie Benesch as Marianne Gebhardt.

Sarsgaard is an Emmy-nominated actor (Dopesick) who recently was a key part of the hit TV series Presumed Innocent, but he has had a number of notable big screen roles throughout his career, including Garden State, An Education, Jackie, The Batman and Memory.

Magaro is best known for his role in the Best Picture nominee Past Lives, but has also starred in The Many Saints of Newark, Sylvie's Love, First Cow, Orange Is the New Black and The Umbrella Academy.

Chaplin's most notable credits include The Thin Red Line, The New World, World Without End, The Nevers and Mrs. Davis.

Rounding things out is Benesch, who notably starred in Babylon Berlin, the recent Around the World in 80 Days TV limited series and The Teacher's Lounge.

September 5 plot

Here is the synopsis for September 5:

"September 5 unveils the decisive moment that forever changed media coverage and continues to impact live news today. Set during the 1972 Munich Olympics, the film follows an American Sports broadcasting team that quickly adapted from sports reporting to live coverage of the Israeli athletes taken hostage. Through this lens, September 5 provides a powerful new perspective on the live broadcast seen globally by an estimated one billion people at the time. At the heart of the story is Geoff, a young and ambitious producer striving to prove himself to his boss, the legendary TV executive Roone Arledge. Together with Marianne, a German interpreter, Geoff unexpectedly takes the helm of the live coverage. As narratives shift, time ticks away and conflicting rumors spread, with the hostages’ lives hanging in the balance, Geoff grapples with tough decisions while confronting his own moral compass. How do you cover a situation like this if what the perpetrators want is the spotlight you give?"

September 5 trailer

There is no trailer for September 5 at this time. When one becomes available we'll add it right here. 

September 5 reviews

Having screened at the Telluride and Venice Film Festivals in early fall 2024, reviews for September 5 have already started to trickle in. Per Rotten Tomatoes and as of October 4, September 5 is rated "Fresh" by critics with a 90% positive score. 

Tim Fehlbaum movies

September 5 is the biggest movie that director Tim Fehlbaum has had in his career to date. It's also a notable change of pace, as his previous feature film credits were sci-fi movies The Colony and Hell

Michael Balderston

Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd.