Okay, so here’s a fun little plot twist for your Tuesday. We’ve been hearing about the Manifest universe expanding over at Netflix, and now we finally have a concrete project to chew on. The streamer has officially locked in a spinoff titled Arrivals - but if you were expecting a plane to vanish over the Atlantic, you might want to buckle up for something entirely different.

Before you start theorizing about the Callings or wondering if a certain flight attendant is going to show up, let’s get one thing straight: this isn't that kind of Arrivals. No, this one is a deep, intimate drama that dates back to 2013, and it’s actually a Slovenian short film. That’s right - while the Manifest universe is busy playing with the supernatural and the metaphysical, this new addition is grounded in the painfully real, messy business of long-distance relationships and life-changing surprises.

According to the official metadata that just surfaced, Arrivals runs a tight 27 minutes and was directed by Primož Ekart, who helmed the project back in the day. The story follows a couple, Klemen and Katja, who decide to make a big leap: they’re moving abroad. Klemen heads out first, a few months ahead of his partner, to get everything prepped for her arrival. Sounds like a solid plan, right? Just a classic, romantic “I’ll get the apartment ready, you finish the goodbyes” setup. But here’s where things get a little less meet-cute and a lot more woof.

While Klemen is settling into life in America (played by Matej Puc), Katja (Iva Babič) discovers she’s pregnant. And not in a cute, “let’s celebrate with sparkling cider” way. More in a “this completely derails our carefully orchestrated plan” way. The distance, the secrecy, the timing - it all spirals, and the relationship unravels. The synopsis is blunt about it: "Not everything goes according to plan." Understatement of the century.

So, what’s the deal here? You might be scratching your head wondering how a 2013 Slovenian short from a nearly forgotten corner of European cinema ends up as the next big Netflix spinoff. Honestly, that’s the part that feels like a bit of a riddle. In the current streaming landscape, studios are constantly raiding their back catalogs for B-sides and rarities to repackage under a popular banner. Slapping the Manifest brand on this thing is a bold move - arguably a confusing one - but it certainly gets people talking. If you’re going to launch a new project into the algorithm, you might as well tie it to a show that had people obsessing over flight 828 for years, right? Even if, on paper, the only thing connecting them is a vague theme of arrival - literal, emotional, and metaphorical.

There’s also a third character in the mix: Greg, played by Eric S. Ward. We don’t have a pile of details on how he fits into the crumbling dynamic, but with a runtime under half an hour, you can bet every scene carries weight. The film is classified as a straight drama, which makes sense. There’s no mystery box, no supernatural entity, just two people trying to bridge an ocean while one of them carries a secret that turns their future upside down.

As of now, the TMDb rating sits at a cold, hard zero. That’s not exactly a glowing endorsement, but let’s be honest - that number usually means no one has voted yet. It’s a fresh entry, waiting for its moment. And with the Netflix bump, it’s likely to attract a wave of curious viewers who just finished binging the fourth season of Manifest and are hungry for anything adjacent. They’ll come for the branding, and they’ll stay for the... well, the very real and very heavy relationship drama.

It’s a weird flex, sure. Slapping a mainstream U.S. hit title onto a Slovenian short from 13 years ago is a creative licensing choice. But it’s also a move that gets under the skin of pop culture - it makes you double-take, raises eyebrows, and forces a conversation. And in an era where entertainment news moves at lightning speed, that’s kind of the point. Whether Arrivals will land with fans of the original series remains to be seen. But one thing’s for sure: it’s going to be a talking point at the water cooler.

So, if you’re in the mood for something brief, emotional, and starring a couple whose life falls apart due to bad timing, this one might be right up your alley. Just keep your expectations out of the Manifest-mythology lane. There are no glowing white lights here - just real-life turbulence.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter