Warner Bros.’ 2021 movies: What will debut on HBO Max and in theaters?
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This year couldn’t get much worse, so Warner Bros. has decided to extend the fun into the next one, announcing Thursday that it will release its 2021 movie slate simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max, with only a 31-day run for the latter.
Buy yourself a new couch, kids, ’cause you ain’t getting up from it anytime soon.
The new release plan is thanks in part to AT&T’s 2018 purchase of the former Time Warner. The telecom giant now owns WarnerMedia — which in turn owns Warner Bros., HBO, HBO Max and more — allowing for coordinated release plans.
The studio had already announced a dual-release plan for “Wonder Woman 1984,” which is set to debut Christmas Day on screens big and small in the United States.
“WW1984″ had been scheduled for a June 2020 theatrical release but the pandemic changed that. Its small-screen run, like those of all Warner’s 2021 releases, will be only a month. The films will continue to run in theaters beyond that.
So what movies are on tap from Warner Bros. in 2021? Read on. All release dates are sourced from IMDb and subject to change.
‘Mortal Kombat’
Release date: Jan. 15Starring: Jessica McNamee, Tadanobu Asano, Kiroyuki Sanada, Mehcad BrooksFYI: The famous video game has been turned into a feature film.
Denzel Washington, shown in L.A. in 2019, stars in “The Little Things.”
(Jordan Strauss / Invision/AP)
‘The Little Things’
Release date: Jan. 29Starring: Denzel Washington, Jared Leto, Rami Malek, Natalie MoralesFYI: Two cops track down a serial killer in this thriller helmed by “The Blind Side” director John Lee Hancock.
‘Tom & Jerry’
Release date: March 5Starring: Chloë Grace Moretz, Michael Peña, Rob Delaney, Colin Jost, Ken JeongFYI: This semi-animated comedy-adventure see the classic Hanna-Barbera cat and mouse rivals palling up — and doing battle — in New York City.
In “The Many Saints of Newark,” Michael Gandolfini will play a younger version of Tony Soprano, his late father’s calling-card role.
(Charles Sykes / Associated Press)
‘The Many Saints of Newark’
Release date: March 12Starring: Vera Farmiga, Jon Bernthal, Michael GandolfiniFYI: This origin story follows the early days of gangster Tony Soprano, originally played by James Gandolfini and reprised here by his son, Michael. Director Alan Taylor helmed nine of the original “Sopranos” episodes.
‘Reminiscence’
Release date: April 16Starring: Rebecca Ferguson, Hugh Jackman, Thandie Newton, Natalie MartinezFYI: Written and directed by “Westworld” writer-producer Lisa Joy, this romantic thriller tracks a scientist who searches for a lost love using new technology that allows a person to relive the past.
‘Godzilla vs. Kong’
Release date: May 21Starring: Julian Dennison, Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby BrownFYI: It’s a movie about monsters, people. Big, scary monsters.
Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga originated their “Conjuring” roles in the original 2013 movie.
(Warner Bros.)
‘The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It’
Release date: June 4Starring: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Julian HilliardFYI: This story based on the experiences of paranormal researchers Ed and Lorraine Warren is the third installment in the “Conjuring” series. In it a murder suspect claims demonic possession.
‘In the Heights’
Release date: June 18Starring: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Stephanie Beatriz, Jimmy Smits, Anthony RamosFYI: Jon M. Chu (“Crazy Rich Asians”) directs this film adaptation of Miranda’s Broadway musical, which is set in New York City’s Washington Heights neighborhood.
‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’
Release date: July 16Starring: Sonequa Martin-Green, Don Cheadle, LeBron JamesFYI: James joins the Looney Tunes gang in this sequel to Michael Jordan’s 1996 “Space Jam.”
Margot Robbie, who played Harley Quinn in 2016’s “Suicide Squad,” is coming back in 2021’s “The Suicide Squad.”
(Warner Bros.)
‘The Suicide Squad’
Release date: Aug. 6Starring: Margot Robbie, Taika Waititi, Joel Kinnaman, Sylvester Stallone, Idris Elba, Viola DavisFYI: Robbie reprises quirky Harley Quinn in this movie directed by “Guardians of the Galaxy” auteur James Gunn.
‘Dune’
Release date: Oct. 1Starring: Rebecca Ferguson, Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Josh BrolinFYI: “Dune” is yet another adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi fantasy novel about a noble family and a desert planet, previously brought to the big screen in 1984 and 2000.
Will Smith will play Richard Williams, father of tennis’ Williams sisters, in “King Richard.”
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
‘King Richard’
Release date: Nov. 19, 2021Starring: Will Smith, Jon Bernthal, Dylan McDermottFYI: No Shakespeare here — this is the story of how Venus and Serena Williams became the tennis stars they are after being coached by their father, Richard Williams.
‘The Matrix 4′
Release date: Dec. 22, 2021Starring: Keanu Reeves, Jessica Henwick, Jonathan Goff, Carrie-Ann Moss, Priyanka ChopraFYI: Lana Wachowski directs this return to the dystopian world created in 1999’s original “The Matrix.” Will you have a red pill or a blue pill?
Jude Law, left, and Robert Downey Jr. return as Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes in late 2021.
(Alex Bailey / Warner Bros.)
‘Sherlock Holmes 3′
Release date: Dec. 22, 2021Starring: Rachel McAdams, Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Jared HarrisFYI: Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective and his sidekick are back. Prepare to sleuth.
‘Cry Macho’
Release date: unknownStarring: Clint EastwoodFYI: A washed-up horse breeder teaches a young boy what it means to be a good man in this Eastwood-directed effort.
Daniel Kaluuya in Universal Pictures’ “Get Out”
(Universal Pictures via AP)
‘Judas and the Black Messiah’
Release date: unknownStarring: Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons, Martin SheenFYI: “Get Out” star Kaluuya anchors this story about a chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party and his betrayal by an FBI informant.
‘Those Who Wish Me Dead’
Release date: unknownStarring: Angelina Jolie, Jon Bernthal, Nicholas Hoult, Aidan GillenFYI: Twin assassins chase a teen murder suspect and his survival-expert companion through a raging forest fire.
‘Malignant’
Release date: unknownStarring: Annabelle Wallis, Maddie Hasson, George Young, Michole Briana WhiteFYI: It’s a horror story directed by James Wan, who helmed “Aquaman.”