FROM THE BATMAN TO DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS, SPACE JAM, AND MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 7, WE LOOK AHEAD AT THE BIGGEST MOVIES COMING IN 2021.
Check out some of the upcoming movies to hit the screens on 2021 :
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (2021)
Directed by: Will Gluck
Starring: James Corden, Rose Byrne, Domhnall Gleeson, David Oyelowo, Elizabeth Debicki
Opening on: January 15, 2021
First the garden, then the world. The plot for this sequel to the surprise hit loosely based on the work of Beatrix Potter is still under lock and key, but we’re sure it will involve James Corden’s cheeky rabbit causing all sorts of PG-rated trouble. We do not expect any blackberries to be involved, however.
The King’s Man (2021)
Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
Starring: Harris Dickinson, Ralph Fiennes, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Gemma Arterton, Matthew Goode, Charles Dance, Daniel Brühl, Stanley Tucci, Djimon Hounsou
Opening on: February 12, 2021 (formerly September 18, 2020)
While both a third installment of the Kingsman franchise and a Statesman spinoff are still on the way, audiences will first get a taste of how the whole thing came to exist in the first place with this prequel, set in the early 1900s. Ralph Fiennes leads an all-star cast in an origin story that will show how a group of ex-soldiers formed the spy agency.
Antlers (2021)
Directed by: Scott Cooper
Starring: Keri Russell, Jesse Plemons, Jeremy T. Thomas, Graham Greene
Opening on: February 19, 2021 (formerly April 17, 2020)
Keri Russell and Jesse Plemons star in this supernatural thriller about a small-town teacher and her sheriff brother who find themselves in a waking nightmare when they discover one of her students is harboring a terrifying secret in his attic.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)
Directed by: Jason Reitman
Starring: Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Paul Rudd
Opening on: March 5, 2021
Jason Reitman will direct a sequel to the original Ghostbusters franchise, unrelated to the all-female reboot directed by Paul Feig in 2016. We still don’t know much about what the story will be, but as casting news trickled in, we did learn that Finn Wolfhard and Mckenna Grace will play a brother and sister, with Carrie Coon as their single mother, and Paul Rudd is in the film in an undisclosed role. We’re still waiting on word if, as Sigourney Weaver stated in an interview, the remaining original Ghostbusters will appear in the film. Originally slated to open on July 10, 2020, the film was pushed back due to concerns regarding the coronavirus outbreak.
Morbius (2021)
Directed by: Daniel Espinosa
Starring: Jared Leto, Jared Harris, Adria Arjona, Matt Smith, Tyrese Gibson
Opening on: March 19, 2021
The first true test of Sony’s break with Marvel over Spider-Man and the various characters related to him will come in the form of Morbius, based on the Spidey villain who suffers from a rare blood disease and inadvertently turns himself into a vampire in a misguided attempt to cure himself. Jared Leto, who sparked a lot of online chatter with his portrayal of the Joker in 2016’s Suicide Squad, plays the title character. Like F9 and Ghostbusters: Afterlife, this film was pushed back from its original 2020 release.
F9 (2021)
Directed by: Justin Lin
Starring: Vin Diesel, Charlize Theron, Tyrese Gibson, John Cena, Michelle Rodriguez, Ludacris, Lucas Black
Opening on: April 2, 2021
It’s full-throttle and pedal to the metal for the Toretto crime/adventure/anti-terrorism/what-even-are-they family yet again. Director Justin Lin was the man to turn the franchise around, delivering the series’ first Fresh entry on his third try with 2011’s Fast Five (Certified Fresh at 73%); since then, every Fast movie has landed on the red end of the Tomatometer. The new entry will bring the family back together to face off against a new villain played by John Cena… who happens to be Dom Toretto’s brother. Also, Han is back? What? The film was originally slated to open in May of 2020, but was pushed back almost a year to occupy the slot that had originally been reserved for Fast & Furious 10.
No Time To Die (2020)
Directed by: Cary Fukunaga
Starring: Daniel Craig, Ralph Fiennes, Rami Malek, Naomie Harris, Lea Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Rory Kinnear, Jeffrey Wright, Ana de Armas, Lashana Lynch
Opening on: April 2, 2021 (formerly November 25, 2020)
True Detective director Cary Fukunaga takes the reins for the 25th James Bond film, with Daniel Craig returning for his fifth and (presumably) final turn as 007. He’s joined by series regulars Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Rory Kinnear, and Ben Whishaw, as well as returning characters played by Lea Seydoux and Jeffrey Wright. Recent Best Actor-winner Rami Malek is reported to play the villain, while it’s presumed Captain Marvel‘s Lashana Lynch will play a newer 007 who may have to relinquish her famous code number back to Bond when he comes out of retirement.
A Quiet Place Part II (2021)
Directed by: John Krasinski
Starring: Emily Blunt, Noah Jupe, Millicent Simmonds, Cillian Murphy, Djimon Hounsou
Opening on: April 23, 2021
Director John Krasinski returns to helm this sequel, which he also wrote, starring his real-life wife Emily Blunt, as it follows up with the Abbott family after the events of the first film. Judging from the first trailer, we’ll also get some flashbacks to the beginning of the… invasion? Infestation? Whatever you want to call it, it looks like Krasinski has done a bang-up job ratcheting up the tension, and audiences should be in for another great ride.
Black Widow (2020)
Directed by: Cate Shortland
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Rachel Weisz
Opening on: May 7, 2021 (formerly November 6, 2020)
The first Marvel property to kick off its Phase 4 will be this prequel focusing on Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff. We don’t quite know what the story surrounding the character will be, but we do know that she’ll be joined by David Harbour, Rachel Weisz, and rising star Florence Pugh, among others. And who knows? Maybe Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye will make an appearance.
Spiral (2021)
Directed by: Darren Lynn Bousman
Starring: Chris Rock, Samuel L. Jackson, Max Minghella, Marisol Nichols
Opening on: May 21, 2021 (formerly May 15, 2020)
The Saw franchise officially gets revived in this new thriller, with Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II, III, and IV) back behind the camera. This time, two cops played by Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson investigate a series of gruesome murders and find themselves at the mercy of a killer reminiscent of the past (Jigsaw copycat, anyone?).
In the Heights (2021)
Directed by: Jon M. Chu
Starring: Anthony Ramos, Leslie Grace, Corey Hawkins, Jimmy Smits, Stephanie Beatriz, Dascha Polanco
Opening on: June 18, 2021
Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu adapts Lin-Manuel Miranda’s breakout musical, In the Heights. The show, which kicked off the Hamilton creator’s career, won four Tony Awards in 2008, including Best Musical and Best Original Score. Chu demonstrated real skill with spectacle in Crazy Rich Asians, and the new movie shares similar themes of reclaiming one’s heritage – it follows the stories of several characters in New York’s heavily Latino neighborhood, Washington Heights, over three days.
Minions: The Rise of Gru (2021)
Directed by: Kyle Balda, Brad Abelson
Starring: Pierre Coffin
Opening on: July 2, 2021
We last saw the minions wreaking havoc in 1960s England before they met up with a young Gru. Perhaps their next adventure will be their first with him. Whatever shenanigans the yellow ones, voiced by Pierre Coffin, get up to, expect them to be at it again for Minions 3 and Minions 4 and so on: the first Minions movie made more than $1.5 billion globally and helped the Despicable Me franchise become the highest grossing animated franchise of all time.
Top Gun: Maverick (2021)
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Val Kilmer, Jay Ellis, Miles Teller, Monica Barbaro
Opening on: July 2, 2021
Great balls of fire, we’re getting a Top Gun sequel after 31 years! Not a whole lot is known about the movie, except that the filmmakers have recruited a cast of some of the most in-demand young actors in Hollywood – including Miles Teller, who will play Goose’s son – and that Val Kilmer is officially back as Iceman. And as the trailer released during Comic-Con promises, it will again feature Tom Cruise riding motorcycles, playing volleyball, and flying jets like a madman.
Jungle Cruise (2021)
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Édgar Ramírez, Jack Whitehall, Jesse Plemons, Paul Giamatti
Opening on: July 30, 2021
Following the path that Pirates of the Caribbean charted so successfully, this new film (franchise?) is based on the Disney theme park attraction of the same name. Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt star, respectively, as a riverboat captain and a scientist on a hunt for a magical cure in this Depression-era action adventure. Comedian Jack Whitehall also joins in the fun, playing Blunt’s character’s brother. Collet-Serra has had a string of action-thriller hits working with Liam Neeson (Commuter, Non-Stop, Unknown), so there’s a chance this one could be slightly darker than anticipated.
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (2021)
Directed by: Tim Hill
Starring: Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass, Carolyn Lawrence, Mr. Lawrence
Opening on: TBD (formerly August 7, 2020)
The long-running, wildly popular animated series gets another big screen outing as the whole Spongebob Squarepants gang are back for another adventure. This time out, Spongebob and Patrick embark on a rescue mission to recover Gary, who has been taken by Poseidon, and find themselves in the mystical land of Atlantic City.
Candyman (2020)
Directed by: Nia DaCosta
Starring: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Tony Todd, Teyonah Parris
Opening on: TBD (formerly October 16, 2020)
Longtime fan and contemporary horror maestro Jordan Peele is producing this sequel to — not a remake of — the classic 1992 horror film about the murdered son of a slave whose ghost haunts the Chicago neighborhood where the Cabrini Green housing projects once stood. We don’t know yet exactly what direction the new story will take, but we know that Nia DaCosta (Little Woods) is directing, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Aquaman) and Teyonah Parris (If Beale Street Could Talk) will star, with Tony Todd reprising his role as the iconic title character.