The most exciting shows and movies still to come in 2021
It's going to be better in 2021, isn't it? It has to be. Surely. Well, at least there are a ton of delayed TV shows and movies we can expect to see this year – they can't sit on them forever. Below are 50 things to make you excited about the dawning of a new age where we emerge, slowly, from our chrysalises. We've started with the ones that don't have dates attached right now, then move on chronologically.
UNDATED
Red Notice (Netflix)
It's been a while since we had a good comedy crime caper, and this one is packed full of promise: Dwayne Johnson stars as an Interpol investigator tracking the world's greatest art thief, Gal Gadot. Throw top con man Ryan Reynolds into the mix and you have a recipe for the next Ocean's 11, potentially.
Everybody's Talking About Jamie (Cinemas)
Delayed twice by the ol' COVID, the musical is due to finally emerge in a shower of rainbow confetti and lippy in 2021. Starring Max Harwood as Jamie, the teenager who just wants to be a drag queen, it's an adaptation of the hit West End musical, itself adapted from the documentary Jamie: Drag Queen at 16. The new Billy Elliot?
Sex Education season 3 (Netflix)
It's the show that just keeps getting better and better, so anticipation for Sex Ed's third season has skyrocketed. Usually coming to screens in January, the Netflix juggernaut has been hit by The Delays – but that hasn't stopped us from holding out hope for more episodes at some point soon in 2021. After all, we've waited long enough to see the ramifications of that lost voicemail.
Young Rock (NBC)
Just like Everyone Hates Chris was a comedy based on the formative years of Chris Rock, so the *other* Rock has given the go-ahead to this comedy about his youth. (Dwayne Johnson features in it, but it will mostly star a range of young actors as his various incarnations.)
Landscapers (Sky and NOW TV)
The Crown's Olivia Colman will front this true-crime drama, set to revisit a truly unique and perplexing real-life case. What drove Susan and Christopher Edwards to kill Susan's parents, and bury them in the back garden of their Mansfield home? They have always protested their innocence, and this dramatisation – with direct access to the accused – will surely delve deep.
Ms Marvel (Disney+)
Adding to the promise of Disney+'s original shows, Ms Marvel – one of the newer character additions to the comics, and marking Marvel's first Muslim title character – will be getting her very own series. Iman Vellani will take on the lead role of Kamala Khan and, to add to the excitement, it's also been revealed that Ms Marvel will crossover with Captain Marvel in the hotly anticipated sequel movie.
Power Book III: Raising Kanan (Starz)
The saga continues, only this time we're going backwards: we're heading to the '90s to see how those bonds of blood were formed and filling in the backstory for Jamie, Tommy, Angie and more. Fiddy has even promised new music, produced to sound authentically '90s style.
MARCH
Coming 2 America (Amazon, March 5)
The long, long awaited return of Prince Akeem will finally happen in 2021 (on Amazon because of You Know What). Eddie Murphy's Zamundan prince is about to finally become King when he discovers the existence of a son he never knew he had in New York. Along with faithful retainer Semmi (Arsenio Hall once again), he returns to America to groom his son for royal life.
Chaos Walking (US cinemas, March 5)
It's been a long time coming, but the adaptation of Patrick Ness' excellent YA sci-fi mystery novel about an all-male planet of telepaths is finally here. Rumours of extensive reshoots may well be true, but it didn't do any harm to World War Z, which had a similarly troubled production. (And that didn't have the benefit of Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley in the lead roles.)
Raya and the Last Dragon (Cinemas and Disney+, March 5)
Raya and the Last Dragon is an upcoming animated movie from Disney. Kelly Marie Tran voices the titular character, who is on a mission to find Sisu (Awkwafina), the last remaining dragon, who can help her banish the evil forces that are threatening her people. Director Don Hall, who worked on Big Hero 6 and Moana, is also on board, alongside Crazy Rich Asians screenwriter Adele Lim, which can only mean one thing: this is going to be epic.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Disney+, March 19)
Captain America may be a wrinkly old man now, but his legacy lives on in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, a new Disney+ show which follows Steve's two best buddies on a globe-trotting Marvel adventure. Look out for the villainous return of Daniel Brühl as Baron Zemo, the man who nearly took down the Avengers single-handedly, and Wyatt Russell, whose new "hero" may take the Captain America name in some not-so-welcome directions.
Line of Duty series 6 (estimated February/March)
Promised to be "packed full of everything" (according to AC-12's very own Vicky McClure), more episodes of Jed Mercurio's BBC procedural have been very long-awaited. What will become of Ted Hastings? Will Steve Arnott be okay? And who is H (or, to be more precise, number 4)? Hopefully it won't be long before we get some answers...
Godzilla Vs Kong (Cinemas and HBO Max, March 26)
It's got GODZILLA in it, and it's got KONG in it. IF those two elements together aren't enough to get you excited, then we put it to you that you are not in the target audience for a spectacular movie about big, frequently misunderstood creatures smashing things up. It's got Millie Bobby Brown and Alexander Skarsgard in too, for the non-smashing-things-up aspect.
APRIL
Oscars (April 25)
After a movie year unlike any other, the Academy Awards has had to make some changes, including delaying the ceremony for only the fourth time in history and making streaming movies eligible for an Oscar without a cinema release. It's apparently set to be a 'normal' ceremony with everyone in attendance, but we'll see how that pans out. What should make you excited is that it's being co-produced by the actual Steven Soderbergh (George Clooney cameo not included... yet).
MAY
Black Widow (Cinemas, May 7)
Finally arriving (well, fingers crossed) only a year and a bit after it was originally meant to, it's Scarlett Johansson's presumably final MCU outing as the Russian super-agent, from back before she, y'know, died in Endgame.
Free Guy (Cinemas, May 21)
In Free Guy, Ryan Reynolds plays the eponymous Guy, a man who is shocked to his core when a programmer called Milly (Jodie Comer) tells him that not only is he living in a video game, it's about to be "shut down" forever. With the threat of oblivion hanging over his head, Guy teams up with his newfound ally to save his world before it's too late. Stranger Things' Shawn Levy is directing, and both Joe Keery and Taika Waititi also feature, so expect plenty of comedy value along the way.
Fast & Furious 9 (Cinemas, May 28)
Having dropped the bombshell that Han is (somehow) alive again and that Dom (somehow) has a long-lost brother (played by John Cena), Fast & Furious 9 has made fans wait for answers. The movie has taken the scenic route into cinemas due to circumstances beyond its control, but that'll just make its ludicrous gravity-defying car stunts all the more explosive when it finally lands on our screens.
Cruella (Cinemas, May 28)
Yes, it may be a bit of a stretch to make 101 Dalmatians' puppy-skinning villain sympathetic enough to warrant an origin story, but Emma Stone doesn't take on any old project – chances are they've done something very interesting here and we can't wait to see what it is.
JUNE
Venom: Let There Be Carnage (Cinemas, June 25)
Though the first Venom movie didn't get the praise it deserved (Tom Hardy! The lobster tank! It was genius) there was no doubt a sequel would be on the way. Venom: Let There Be Carnage will feature Woody Harrelson with the worst hair-dye job ever, but we're pretty sure it will be just as fun and bananas as the first film.
JULY
Top Gun: Maverick (Cinemas, July 9)
Feel the need? The need for speed? Well luckily Tom Cruise is here for you, and he's back in the cockpit of the US Navy's fastest planes, determined to take you to Mach 3. Miles Teller will join him as the late Goose's son. Expect Unfinished Business and Father Issues along with the sonic-boom-breaking aerial action.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Cinemas, July 9)
While Black Widow is officially the first movie of Marvel's Phase Four, Shang-Chi is the first new character to get their own movie since Captain Marvel in 2019. With the character's origins in the Bruce Lee era of Western interest in Asian martial arts, expect a contemporary, stereotype-busting take on kung fu ass-kicking.
The Tomorrow War (Cinemas, July 23)
To be honest, they had us at "Chris Pratt battles aliens" but throw in the twist that in order to defeat them, humanity must conscript soldiers from the past and we've got a new high-concept action adventure that doesn't rely on a familiar comic book source or feature superheroes. That's a rare beast indeed.
Jungle Cruise (Cinemas, July 30)
Dwayne Johnson sure loves making movies with jungles in them (or possibly just likes filming in his childhood home of Hawaii). After Journey 2: The Mysterious Island and the two Jumanji films, we've now got this adaptation of a Disney theme park ride. You may scoff, but the last time they did that, they kicked off the five-volume, multi-billion Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
AUGUST
The Suicide Squad (Cinemas and HBO Max, August 6)
If you'd told us in 2016 that we'd be eagerly awaiting the follow-up to Suicide Squad, we might have laughed like the Joker in your face. Enter the brilliant James Gunn as director to sprinkle some Guardians of the Galaxy magic on the anti-hero squad in what's not quite a sequel and not quite a reboot. Some of the Squad are back, some of them won't survive, and all of us are set to have a bloody fun time.
The King's Man (Cinemas, August 20)
Kingsman: The Golden Circle was a bit of a stinker, so we didn't think we'd be looking forward to a third Kingsman movie. However, taking the franchise way back into the past looks to have reinvigorated it, as we discover the origins of the secret spy society without Eggsy or Harry Hart in sight. Plus, it has Rhys Ifans as Rasputin, so how can you refuse?
Candyman (Cinemas, August 27)
Watchmen's Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stars as Anthony, a visual artist who decides to use the myth of the Candyman, a supernatural killer with a hook for a hand, to inspire his latest work. But that's a decision that he quickly lives to regret as a wave of violence is unleashed upon both him and those he encounters. And if that doesn't draw you in, Us and Get Out's Jordan Peele has co-written the script, and his company Monkeypaw Productions is producing.
SEPTEMBER
Death on the Nile (Cinemas, September 17)
The long-awaited return of Kenneth Branagh's gigantic moustache! Teased at the end of 2017's Murder on the Orient Express, Hercule Poirot sets off for Egypt, where another glamorous all-star cast (Gal Gadot, Annette Bening, Rose Leslie, Armie Hammer, Letitia Wright, Russell Brand...) are under threat of murder on board a luxury liner.
A Quiet Place Part II (Cinemas, September 17)
In the follow-up to A Quiet Place, John Krasinski's Lee is no longer with us after he was mauled to death by one of the monsters in the first film. But Evelyn, played by Emily Blunt, and her children are very much alive, despite the odds. The family leave their home and head out into the big bad world, where they encounter other survivors – enter Peaky Blinders' Cillian Murphy and Marvel's Djimon Hounsou. But they quickly discover that the alien creatures they're hiding from aren't the only threat they have to worry about, which gives the narrative a fresh lick of paint.
No Time to Die (Cinemas, September 30 (UK) / October 8 (US))
No Time to Die marks Daniel Craig's fifth and final outing, on the hunt for a missing scientist whose disappearance is linked to a terrorist plot that could spell disaster for the world. Joining him is a glittering cast including Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody), Lashana Lynch (Captain Marvel) and Ana de Armas (Knives Out) among others, plus returnees Léa Seydoux (Dr Madeleine Swann), Ben Whishaw (Q), Naomie Harris (Moneypenny), Ralph Fiennes (M), and Christoph Waltz as Blofeld.
OCTOBER
Dune (Cinemas and HBO Max, October 1)
An adaptation of Frank Herbert's sprawling space epic has long been something of a holy grail for sci-fi fans, and now Blade Runner 2049's Denis Villeneuve has finally managed it. Whether the blend of Arabian-inspired anthropology, court politics and religious fanaticism will work for audiences in 2021 remains to be seen. For everyone else, there's Sad Boi Timothée Chalamet.
The Many Saints of Newark (Cinemas and HBO Max, October 22 (UK) September 24 (US))
The Many Saints of Newark is a prequel to the hit series, which is said to have launched the current golden age of TV, The Sopranos. It's a look at the formative years of New Jersey gangster Tony Soprano, as tensions rise between African Americans and Italian Americans in Newark, New Jersey in 1967.
NOVEMBER
Eternals (Cinemas, November 5)
"Eternal" in this instance doesn't only relate to the length of time we've had to wait for this Marvel Phase 4 superteam movie. At this point, we're just dying to meet the immortal, god-like superheroes and see how they'll fit into the MCU. Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Kit Harington and Gemma Chan are among the stars.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife (Cinemas, November 11)
So they're rebooting Ghostbusters again. You might be sighing inwardly, but consider that it's coming from Jason Reitman, son of the original's director, so we know he'll treat the original with respect. Finn Wolfhard leads the kid cast, Paul Rudd the adults. And best of all, the three living Ghostbuster actors all return as Venkman, Stantz and Zeddemore. (RIP Spengler.)
Mission: Impossible 7 (Cinemas, November 19)
Nothing is known about Mission: Impossible 7's plot, but we're going to take a wild guess and say that it will feature a death-defying stunt from Tom Cruise. The already-excellent returning cast has been bolstered by two Marvel stars – Hayley Atwell and Pom Klementieff – and they're even bringing back Henry Czerny's Kittridge from the first movie. We don't even need five seconds to know this is a mission we'll accept.
DECEMBER
The Book of Boba Fett (Disney+, December)
Din Djarin will return for a third season of The Mandalorian (also in December 2021, we hope), but we've also been explicitly promised The Book of Boba Fett in December: a new series within the timeline of The Mandalorian, starring Temuera Morrison as Fett and Ming-Na Wen as Fennec Shand. Can. Not. Wait.
West Side Story (Cinemas, December 10)
We don't really need to give you the plot synopsis of West Side Story, do we? The upcoming movie-musical is based on a musical based on a play that you'll know – Romeo and Juliet, though the film is expected to hew more closely to the Broadway script than to the 1961 film adaptation.
Spider-Man 3 (Cinemas, December 17)
After Spider-Man: Far From Home's bombshell cliffhanger, the currently-untitled third Spider-Man movie was already eagerly anticipated by fans. That anticipation went up several notches though when it was reported that Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire are both apparently back as Spider-Man, as are Jamie Foxx as Electro, Alfred Molina as Doc Ock and likely many, many more. How will it work? Who knows, but bring on the multiverse madness.
The Matrix 4 (Cinemas and HBO Max, December 22)
You've got Keanu strapping himself back into his chunky Neo boots, Carrie-Anne Moss sending the sales of wet-look hair gel skyrocketing and Lana Wachowski at the helm. Whether they plan to use de-ageing software within the Matrix segments or do something as totally new and exciting as bullet-time (remember when?) remains to be seen.
Maybe coming in 2021…
Killing Eve season 4?
Villanelle and Eve return for another go-round, having finally declared their mutual obsession to each other. Psychopaths with amazing dress sense: can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em, can't kill 'em.
Euphoria season 2?
Zendaya, Hunter Schaefer and crew are returning for another dive into the teenage world of identity confusion, substance misuse and intelligent drama – but when?
The Witcher season 2?
Filming on season two resumed in August 2020, so we know it's coming, but Henry Cavill's sword-and-sorcery romp is going to be well overdue.
The Boys season 3?
Just when you think they can't take it any further, the intelligent satire on celebrity and power promises us an even sicker third season. Stock up on Compound V, it's going to get messy.
Doctor Who series 13?
The BBC plays its cards close to its chest with the jewel in its fantasy crown, but we'd love to see Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill exploring space and time in 2021 with newcomer John Bishop. It wouldn't be the first time the show's taken a year off though...
Lord of the Rings?
Some reports are saying Amazon will have to pump a billion dollars into this epic (about an era long before Bilbo, Frodo and pals) to make the five seasons it's committed to. It's expected to land in 2021 – they're shooting in New Zealand now – but there's been no announcement yet.
Top Boy series 4?
Netflix's involvement (thanks to the intervention of Drake, of all people) has given the saga of Black London street life a rush of adrenaline, and a new series is expected this year – we hope.
Stranger Things season 4?
We were so close! They were already filming when COVID shut everything down, but the Duffers claim that the extra time has allowed them to work on the scripts to make them even better (previously they've gone into production without final scripts for later episodes). It will be spectacular, even if it's not till 2022.
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