This year has not been a good one for theatrical films. Half of the films we previewed last year are now scheduled for 2021. So I shouldn’t be surprised that when I looked up the films of 2021, I found a far longer list than I’d expected, even after filtering a good many. With an end to the pandemic in sight, we can hope that these 2021 films keep their release dates. Enjoy this preview of 2021 movies.
Marvel
Spider-Man 3
Rumor has it that the third MCU Spider-Man film will be Spider-Man: Homesick, which would pair well with Homecoming and Far From Home. It’s not entirely clear how much of the information about the film is rumor, but what I’ve heard is absolutely amazing. Alfred Molina will be reprising his role as Doctor Octopus, and we’ll supposedly see previous Spider-Men Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire. I also recently read that Charlie Cox will be appearing as Daredevil in the film. I’m insanely excited. Sadly, we’ll have to wait, as the movie is nearly a year out. November 17th.
Black Widow
GeekDad first posted the Black Widow trailer back in 2019. The film is set just after Captain America: Civil War and is sure to give us a lot of backstory on Natasha Romanoff. We’re currently set to get the film on May 7th.
Blade
When I first heard that Mahershala Ali would be taking the Wesley Snipes role in a new MCU Blade film, I was ecstatic. The original Blade films were excellent, which was uncharacteristic for a superhero film at the time. And I’ve been a fan of Mahershala Ali since I saw him in The 4400 many years ago. It’s unclear exactly when we’ll see Mahershala as Blade, but it’s presently scheduled for 2021.
The Eternals
I know nearly nothing about The Eternals. There isn’t yet a trailer for the film, so I’ve attached a trailer for the comic. But it is the MCU, and I give them a lot of credit, so I’m excited about this one. We’re scheduled to see The Eternals on November 5th.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
In the comics, the Ten Rings is a terrorist organization led by the Mandarin. In the MCU, a cell of the Ten Rings captured Tony Stark, but they were later wiped out by Obidiah Stane. We also know that the Mandarin was a front used by Aldrich Killian, with Trevor Slattery playing the Mandarin. But in the hilarious Marvel one-shot “Hail to the King,” we get more detail about the Ten Rings when they abduct Trevor Slattery from prison. I’m guessing that when Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings comes out on July 9th, we’ll get more Trevor Slattery.
Morbius
We covered the Morbius trailer and offered a lot of thoughts when it was first released. Since Morbius is a Sony film, it’s unlikely that it will tie in with Blade, and far more likely that we’ll see Spider-Man tie-ins. It’s also one of the earlier films, scheduled for release on March 19th.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage
While I wasn’t a big fan of the Venom movie, I do put it on very much on par with the underrated 2018 film The Predator. However, Venom: Let There Be Carnage has Woody Harrelson playing Carnage, and I’m intrigued to see him in the role. Look for it on June 25th.
Science Fiction
Matrix 4
I can’t imagine where they’re going with the plot of this film, given the ending of the previous movie, but Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Jada Pinkett Smith are reprising their roles. It’s possible that they’re making it a prequel, or else perhaps the characters are digital zombies. We’ll find out on December 22nd.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
I’ve been interested in this film since the trailer first came out. The trailer has a very Stranger Things vibe, and this movie has the chance to be really good. It stars Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, and Paul Rudd, and you can expect appearances from Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Sigourney Weaver. I’m really looking forward to this on June 11th.
Dune
Another Dune remake. In my unpopular opinion, the Syfy remake back in 2000 was pretty good. This one may be even better. Zendaya as Chani, Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto, Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, and Dave Bautista as Glossu Rabban. The cast is excellent. It releases on October first.
Chaos Walking
In the not too distant future, Todd Hewitt (Tom Holland) discovers Viola (Daisy Ridley), a mysterious girl who crash lands on his planet, where all the women have disappeared and the men are afflicted by “the Noise”—a force that puts all their thoughts on display. In this dangerous landscape, Viola’s life is threatened, and as Todd vows to protect her, he will have to discover his own inner power and unlock the planet’s dark secrets.
The premise has me hooked. And while it’s not likely to be the best film of the year, I’ll definitely watch it at some point. Chaos Walking releases on January 22nd—only weeks away.
BIOS
It’s been a while since I’ve seen a Tom Hanks movie, but I do always enjoy them. The synopsis for BIOS gives us scant detail: an ailing inventor, the last man on Earth, builds an android to keep him and his dog company and goes on a journey across the country. Hopefully, we’ll find out more in advance of the film’s release on April 16th.
The Tomorrow War
This sounds like some crazy science fiction, and it’s got Chris Pratt and Yvonne Strahovski, so I’m in.
The fate of a futuristic war rests upon one man’s abilities to confront the ghosts of his past. Humanity is losing to an alien invasion, so to fight back, scientists develop a way to draft soldiers from the past to fight the war.
We get The Tomorrow War on July 23rd.
Infinite
In this film, Mark Wahlberg has hallucinations, which he eventually learns are visions from his past lives. It sounds interesting. It also stars Toby Jones and Chiwetel Ejiofor, both of whom I’ve enjoyed in Marvel movies. Infinite should be in theaters on May 28th, 2021.
Action Sequels
No Time To Die
Yes, April 2nd this year will bring us another James Bond film. I no longer get too excited about these, although they do make for generally good action films.
Fast & Furious 9
I personally only watched the first, but I know a lot of people are into these. You can get more on May 28th this year.
Top Gun: Maverick
This year, on July 2nd, for the 4th of July weekend, we’ll be getting an actual honest-to-goodness sequel to Top Gun. Hard to believe.
Mission Impossible 7
Even more Tom Cruise. The 7th movie in the Mission Impossible series is scheduled for November 19th.
The King’s Man
I’ve not been nearly as into this series as some, but I’ve seen a few, and they’re not bad. The King’s Man is scheduled for February 12th.
Horror
A Quiet Place, Part II
After how the first one ended, it’s hard to imagine where they’ll go with a sequel. From the trailer, it feels much like The Walking Dead. We’ll find out on April 23rd.
The Forever Purge
This film, releasing on the 9th of July, is apparently the fifth in a horror series I’ve never heard of.
Old
This M. Night Shyamalan film was inspired by a graphic novel named Sandcastle in which beachgoers mysteriously begin aging at an accelerated rate. It’s scheduled for July 23rd.
Comedy
Clue
Hard to imagine a remake of this eighties classic, but it already has Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman listed as cast members. I think Jason Bateman might just be able to pull off a satisfactory Wadsworth. He’ll be no Tim Curry, but I trust him to do a good job making it his own.
Coming 2 America
This comedy sequel is coming straight to Amazon Prime on March 5th. Eddie Murphy will be reprising his classic role as Prince Akeem. Hilarity will undoubtedly ensue.
Jungle Cruise
It was over a year ago when I first watched the trailer for Jungle Cruise and decided that the film might actually be worth watching when it comes out on July 24th. After all, the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise got its start from a Disney ride too.
Others
Godzilla vs. Kong
Color me meh on this monster movie franchise. If you’re into it, you can see it on May 21st.
Uncharted
I’d written this one off until I saw that it starred Tom Holland as Nathan Drake and Mark Wahlberg as Victor Sullivan. I don’t know if Holland can do Nate Drake, but I’m willing to watch it and see on July 16th.
The Suicide Squad
The first one was horrible, but Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn was so good that I’m willing to give this one a chance when it’s out on July 6th.
Tom & Jerry
Featuring cartoons against a live-action background, a la Roger Rabbit, this Tom & Jerry film seems less centered on cartoon violence and more follows the example of MouseHunt. It features Chloë Grace Moretz, Michael Peña, Ken Jeong, and Colin Jost. If you’re interested, you can see it on April 5th.
Sing 2
This one isn’t coming out until 12/22, so we still have quite a wait. The original Sing was a sleeper hit with my own family. Amongst other things, it introduced my 13-year-old to Elton John. I don’t yet know the soundtrack for the sequel, but I’m looking forward to more old-school musical goodness.
The Bad Guys
My daughter brought home this book from school and spent a solid week laughing at it and showing me pages she liked. She’ll be ecstatic when she learns about this film.
After a lifetime of pulling legendary heists, five notorious bad guys—Mr. Wolf, Mr. Snake, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Shark, and Ms. Tarantula—attempt their most challenging job yet… going good. Nobody has ever failed so hard at trying to be good as The Bad Guys, an all-new animated feature film from DreamWorks Animation. Out on 9/17.
