The film industry was hard hit in 2020 as new productions were forced to shut down and movie premieres were delayed until it was safe to hold them. Additionally, the necessary closures of cinemas across the world meant that audiences were simply not able to access titles they had been eagerly anticipating.
In Australia, we were fairly lucky to be able to invite people back to the movies once more, but there are still plenty of films whose releases were delayed. Here are ten of the flicks we can’t wait to watch in 2021:
Coming 2 America, March 5
Launching worldwide on Amazon Prime Video on March 5, Coming 2 America will follow on from the original and much loved 1988 original.
The new plot follows Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) as he is set to become King of Zamunda, discovering a son he never knew about in America. Akeem and Semmi (Arsenio Hall) return to America to honour the King’s dying wish to groom this son as the crowned prince.
Original cast favourites from Coming to America return including King Jaffe Joffer (James Earl Jones), Queen Lisa (Shari Headley), Cleo McDowell (John Amos), Maurice (Louie Anderson) and the motley barbershop crew. Joining this star-studded ensemble are Wesley Snipes, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan and many more.
No Time To Die, April 2
The latest Bond film was the first big budget picture to push its release back thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic with the premiere date being changed multiple times before until April 2, 2021 was confirmed.
No Time to Die will mark Daniel Craig’s final outing as 007 and will also star Lea Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Ralph Fiennes, Christoph Waltz, Rami Malek, Ana de Armas and Lashana Lynch.
The new adventure will see Bond on the hunt for missing scientist Valdo Obruchev, and going up against the villainous Safin (played by Oscar-winner Malek), who just might be the most dangerous adversary the suave agent has ever faced.
Fans of Fleabag will also be excited to know that the show’s creator and star, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, co-wrote the screenplay.
A Quiet Place Part II, April 23
The sequel to 2018 horror film, starring husband and wife duo John Krasinski and Emily Blunt, was supposed to premiere globally in March 2020, but the pandemic had other plans.
Now slated for an April release, fans of the clever concept will be able to watch Evelyn Abbott (Blunt), fight for her family’s survival as they start to realise that the deadly beings they faced in the first film are not the only creatures they need to fear.
Like the initial Quiet Place, Krasinski directed the film and returned for the sequel along with Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe and Cillian Murphy.
Black Widow, May 7
Marvel’s Black Widow, starring Scarlett Johansson as the superhero of the same name, will finally premiere a year after its originally planned May 1, 2020 release.
The standalone film will finally give fans the origin story they’ve been asking for, as we discover more about how assassin Natasha Romanoff, aka the Black Widow, came to be.
The movie, which also stars Florence Pugh, David Harbour and Rachel Weisz, will take place after Captain America: Civil War, and presumably before Avengers: Infinity War and will delve into the back stories of some of its most beloved characters.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife, June 11
Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts and Sigourney Weaver are back and this time, they are joined by Carrie Coon, McKenna Grace, Paul Rudd and Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard.
The supernatural comedy is set thirty years after the 1989 sequel and revolves around a family who moves to a farm inherited from their late grandfather and begin to uncover their link to the original Ghostbusting squad.
The film, which was originally intended for a July 2020 release, will surely delight both fans of the first two films and a brand new generation of ghost-loving moviegoers.
In the Heights, June 18
The film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s incredible Broadway musical will finally hit cinemas in June, after an agonisingly long wait.
The film stars Anthony Ramos as Usnavi de la Vega — a bodega owner in Washington Heights, New York, who dreams of a better life.
Helping to bring the diverse and vibrant cast of charaters to life is Corey Hawkins, Jimmy Smits, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Stephanie Beatriz and Dascha Polanco.
Top Gun: Maverick, July 2
Fans will be able to re-enter the danger zone in July when Top Gun: Maverick finally lands in cinemas.
The long-awaited sequel to the 1986 classic will see Tom Cruise as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell once more, this time joined by Jon Hamm, Jennifer Connelly, Glen Powell, Miles Teller and Jay Ellis.
And yes, the iconic Kenny Loggins song will also feature in the sequel because how could it not?
Candyman, August 27
Oscar-winner Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us) has given his very capable hand to the Candyman sequel, which was originally scheduled to scare the pants off of us in June 2020.
In August 2021 we will at last be able to hide behind our hands as we watch the murderer with his hook-for-a-hand terrorise a new batch of victims.
Director Nia DaCosta explained the decision to postpone the release until it could be viewed in cinemas tweeting, “We wanted the horror and humanity of Candyman to be experienced in a collective, a community, so we’re pushing Candyman to next year, to ensure that everyone can see the film, in theaters, and share in that experience.”
Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Dune, October 1
Sci-fi fans have been on the edge of their seat awaiting the big screen version of Frank Herbert’s best-selling book.
Denis Villeneuve wrote the screenplay and also directs the hugely anticipated feature film which takes place on a planet named Arrakis — or Dune — and explores the themes of politics, religion and war.
Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem, Dave Bautista, Charlotte Rampling and Stellan Skarsgard star in the big-budget feature which was delayed from its original December 18 release.
West Side Story, December 10
The much loved Broadway musical was first adapted into a film in 1961, with renowned filmmaker Steven Spielberg picking up the reigns for a remake that was intended to premiere in December 2020.
Fans of the tragic tale will have to wait an entire year to see the ill-fated romance between Tony and Maria play out but it promises to be worth the wait as it stars Ansel Elgort and The Prom‘s Ariana DeBose.
Stage and screen legend Rita Morena who starred as Anita in the original, will also be featured in the supporting role of Valentina.