The Most Anticipated Movies of Summer 2021

Image via Complex

Director: Jon M. Chu

Cast: Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, Lin-Manuel Miranda

Genre: Musical, Drama

Release date: June 10

Before there was Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda and playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes collaborated on a musical called In the Heights. Originally slated for a summer release in 2020—and now being released in theaters and on-demand via HBO Max in June—In the Heights tells the story of Usnavi (Anthony Ramos), a young man saving for a better life and dreaming of his future in the tight-knit New York City neighborhood of Washington Heights.

Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians) directs this movie adaptation of the Tony Award-winning musical, which brings Miranda and Hudes’ stage production to life with sumptuous color and vibrancy. Judging from the trailers that have been released to date, the film looks to be a kaleidoscopic celebration of the power of community and culture, infused with a rousing score of hip-hop and salsa. Especially following such a harrowing year for New York City thanks to the coronavirus, In the Heights looks perfectly poised to be the celebratory hit of the summer, thanks in no small part to its catchy tunes, freestyle flows, and story of the resilience and strength that can only come from living your life authentically and unabashedly in a community that wants the best for you.

Director: Patrick Hughes

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek

Genre: Action/Comedy

Release date: June 16

If you were a fan of 2017’s The Hitman’s Bodyguard, then buckle up for the sequel, which looks just as madcap! Set four years after the events of the original film, The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard sees bodyguard Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) teaming up with hitman Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson) and his wife Sonia (Salma Hayek) to fight against an international plot that will have global repercussions if it’s not thwarted. The twist? Bryce has recently entered into sabbatical per the recommendation of his therapist and is not allowing himself to break that vow, meaning that he can’t kill or use firearms. This sets the stage for even more ass-kicking from Jackson and Hayek, meaning that the gleeful mayhem you came to love from the first film will be back in tall order in The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard.

With a teased appearance from Morgan Freeman and a trailer juxtaposing chases, gunplay, and explosions with Britney Spears’ pop hit “...Baby One More Time,” it’s hard not to get hyped for a good old-fashioned action movie. If your soundbar and flatscreen haven’t been cutting it this past year, be sure to check out The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard on the big screen.

Director: Justin Lin

Cast: Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Michael Rooker, Charlize Theron

Genre: Action, Adventure, Crime

Release date: June 25

As if The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard wasn’t enough, June also promises another action sequel sure to get everyone back in movie theaters: the release of F9, another entry in the Fast & Furious saga. Judging from the trailer alone, F9 looks poised to jam-pack all of the high-octane action you know, love, and have missed from the series onto the big screen come June 25. Car chases, spies, overtures about family and loyalty… F9 looks to have everything (and more) you could want from a blockbuster action film. Plus, with the addition of the character of Jakob, Dom’s brother and a formidable high-performance driver in his own right, the conflict at the heart of this Fast & Furious movie looks to be personal.

Although F9 will be the ninth film in what is promised to be an 11-movie saga, Vin Diesel has recently shared that F9 serves as more of an origin story for the character of Dominic Toretto through a few flashbacks to events that occurred prior to the original Fast and the Furious movie. As such, longtime fans of the series have a lot to look forward to with the June 25 release of F9.

Director: Janicza Bravo

Cast: Taylour Paige, Riley Keough, Nicholas Braun, Ari’el Stachel, Colman Domingo

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Biopic

Release date: June 30

It’s not often that you find a film based on a series of tweets, but Zola—which had its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2020 and will finally see a national release on June 30—is just that. Aziah “Zola” King’s famous saga of strippers, murder, prostitution, and suicide was detailed in 2015 in a viral Twitter thread spanning 148 total tweets. The sensational story was covered in detail in a piece for Rolling Stone by David Kushner entitled “Zola Tells All: The Real Story Behind the Greatest Stripper Saga Ever Tweeted,” which, combined with the original tweet thread itself, form the foundation for the screenplay penned by Janicza Bravo and Jeremy O. Harris. As Kushner puts it in his article, Zola’s story “reads like Spring Breakers meets Pulp Fiction, as told by Nicki Minaj.” 

Unlike other films on this list, Zola has already been screened by some audiences and critics. Its reception has been quite positive, with the film receiving an 89 percent average on Rotten Tomatoes and many critics heralding it as a sign that director and screenwriter Bravo is a filmmaker to watch. If you’ve read the Twitter thread or are just intrigued by any film whose source material begins with, “So I met this white bitch at Hooters,” Zola should definitely be on your list of films to see.

Director: Everardo Gout

Cast: Ana de la Reguera, Cassidy Freeman, Will Patton, Josh Lucas

Genre: Horror, Action, Sci-Fi

Release date: July 2

Originally slated to premiere in 2020 and delayed due to the pandemic, The Forever Purge is the final installment in the Purge series. As a direct sequel to the events in The Purge: Election Year, the story centers on a Mexican couple who find themselves stranded at a ranch in Texas and forced to contend with the threat of a bunch of outsiders who have decided to flaunt the law-abolishing Purges to stage their own. 

While details about The Forever Purge have been clouded in secrecy, Purge creator and screenwriter James DeMonaco has stated that he thinks the final installment will provide a cool ending for the series. Longtime fans of the films will also be interested to see how events play out in a more rural setting than the metropolitan areas that have served as the backdrop for the past four movies. After the box office success of The Purge: Election Year, there are high hopes for The Forever Purge, especially considering the fact that Universal has slotted it for Independence Day weekend after pushing Top Gun 2 to the fall. 

Director: Cate Shortland

Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, O-T Fagbenle

Genre: Action, Superhero

Release date: July 9

If streaming WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (not to mention all of the MCU films) on Disney+ has been a major pastime during quarantine, then it probably feels great to have another entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to take in this summer, especially one led by all-around-badass Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff, played by Scarlett Johansson. Taking place after the events of Captain America: Civil War (and before the events of Infinity War), Romanoff now finds herself on her own and confronting her past as a KGB spy as she gets caught up in a conspiracy that threatens her life.

If you’ve seen the montages on YouTube of Johansson responding to sexist questions at press junkets about her costume and diet, you’ll likely be excited to finally see ScarJo lead her own film (and hopefully avoid similar questions). Johansson herself shared that she’s excited the film will offer her the chance to show Romanoff as a character “making independent and active choices for herself.” Black Widow launches Phase 4 of the MCU and will be released simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ through their Premier Access program. Let’s be real, though: You’re seeing this one in theaters.

Director: Malcolm D. Lee

Cast: LeBron James, Don Cheadle, Sonequa Martin-Green, Cedric Joe

Genre: Family, Comedy, Sports 

Release date: July 16

There’s been plenty of buzz about Space Jam: A New Legacy since it was first announced—even when adjusting for online controversy about Pepé LePew and the hotness/notness of the newly redesigned Lola Bunny. Like the 1996 film starring Michael Jordan, Space Jam: A New Legacy centers on a basketball player (LeBron James), who is sucked into an alternate universe populated with cartoon characters and villains where a high-stakes basketball game determines his fate. 

So, aside from LeBron James, what makes this sequel special? For starters, it looks to introduce a whole younger generation to a classic ’90s film many a millennial enjoyed renting from Blockbuster on a Friday night. That being said, it looks like a considerable amount of other intellectual property beyond the familiar Looney Tunes characters of Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, and Daffy Duck will make appearances in the movie. The trailer teases Game of Thrones references as well as familiar faces like the Iron Giant and Fred Flinstone in the world of the Serververse, a digitized world where Al-G Rhythm (Don Cheadle), an evil algorithm, threatens the order of the universe. Clearly, this ain’t your parents’ Space Jam, but it still looks to be an entertaining and family-friendly film to enjoy in theaters or on HBO Max when it releases July 16.

Director: Robert Schwentke

Cast: Henry Golding, Andrew Koji, Iko Uwais, Úrsula Corberó

Genre: Action/Superhero

Release date: July 23

Also known as Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, Snake Eyes is the latest entry into the G.I. Joe film series based on the toy and media franchise of the same name. This entry into the series is a prequel covering the origins of the popular character Snake Eyes, who will be played by Henry Golding, although Ray Park played the role in The Rise of Cobra and Retaliation. 

Originally slated for an October 2021 release, it was announced in April that Paramount would be pushing the release of the film to the summer instead. That being said, even only a few months out from the movie’s release, plot details about the prequel remain under wraps. While the action film has been announced as an origin story, many details have yet to be released, including which characters actors Takehiro Hira and Steven Allerick have been cast as. Even so, fans of the character—and previous films in the G.I. Joe series—certainly have something to look forward to this summer after being put on hold due to COVID-19 since March of 2020. If you’ve really been missing movie theaters, be sure to check out Snake Eyes in 3D or IMAX.

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Cast: Rufus Sewell, Thomasin McKenzie, Embeth Davidtz, Abbey Lee

Genre: Thriller

Release date: July 23

Based on Sandcastle, the graphic novel by Frederik Peeters and Pierre Oscar Lévy, director M. Night Shyamalan’s latest thriller/mystery is set on a secluded island, and a group of vacationers whose idyllic setting hides a dark secret. What starts off as a dreamy vacation destination quickly becomes nightmarish as everyone on the beach begins aging rapidly and inexplicably. Shyamalan is known for his twist endings and ability to ratchet up tension, and Old certainly looks to pair those skills with some serious existential terror. As if living through a pandemic didn’t already change your perspective of time, Old forces audiences to confront their mortality amidst the sorts of settings many of us have been dreaming of since the world was forced into lockdown and we all became confined to our homes.

When interviewed about how the graphic novel inspired him and the film, Shyamalan shared, “The book gave me the opportunity to work through a lot of anxieties I had around death and aging, and things like my parents getting older.” Releasing the film in the midst of a global pandemic may bring these themes into stark relief, but rest assured that Shyamalan has the skill to craft a thoroughly enjoyable thriller even if the context surrounding the movie’s release hits a little closer to home than anyone could have anticipated.

Director: David Lowery

Cast: Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, Sarita Choudhury

Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Horror

Release date: July 30

From writer/director David Lowery (A Ghost Story, Ain’t Them Bodies Saints) comes a fantasy retelling of the medieval legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. While the Arthurian legend centers on King Arthur’s nephew, Sir Gawain (Dev Patel), and his quest to defeat The Green Knight (a gigantic foe—think the Jolly Green Giant meets Game of Thrones’ Night King), there’s much more for Gawain to contend with than just the title character in this fantasy.

Based on the trailer alone, The Green Knight definitely has Lowery’s touch. In addition to writing and directing the film, he’s also editing it, and the film feels similar in tone to pieces like A Ghost Story even as it takes place in a world that is considerably darker and more violent. While past movies based on stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (such as 2004’s King Arthur) seemed more interested in mining the myths for their potential as epic action blockbusters, under Lowery’s direction the film seems more in line with the epic, character-driven drama at the heart of series like GoT. Especially judging from the visual design, The Green Knight certainly looks to be a bold take from an exciting director whose work with sheet ghosts and CGI dragons still managed to pack in a powerful amount of poignancy.

Director: James Gunn

Cast: Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Viola Davis

Genre: Superhero, Action, Comedy

Release date: Aug. 6

The not-quite-a-sequel-not-quite-a-remake of David Ayer’s 2016 film Suicide Squad is slated to hit theaters and HBO Max at the same time on Aug. 6. Written and directed by James Gunn, the film mixes some familiar faces from 2016’s Suicide Squad with other characters from the 1980 John Ostrander comics to create a standalone film separate from 2016’s movie. Similar to how there have been multiple takes on Batman over the years, The Suicide Squad will present these DC characters in a new story about a ragtag collection of supervillains (collectively, “The Suicide Squad” or “Task Force X”) as they travel to an island in South America to destroy a Nazi-era experimental laboratory. 

The ensemble cast of The Suicide Squad is full of some exciting choices for fans of the DC comics series. Some of the actors and characters to show up in the upcoming superhero film include Margot Robbie, reprising her role as Harley Quinn; Idris Elba as Bloodsport; John Cena as Peacemaker (who will get his own spinoff series on HBO Max in 2022): Joel Kinnaman once again tackling the role of Rick Flag; Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, the woman who runs Task Force X; and Sylvester Stallone as the voice of King Shark, among others. Overall, it looks to have more of the spirit of Gunn’s work on the Guardians of the Galaxy films, which could bode well for the series, as the first entry into the franchise garnered an infamous 26 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Director: Shawn Levy

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Joe Keery, Lil Rel Howery

Genre: Sci-Fi, Action, Comedy

Release date: Aug. 13

In the vein of films like Tron and Wreck-It Ralph, Free Guy takes viewers into the world of an online game, Free City, where Ryan Reynolds plays an NPC named Guy. Guy works as a bank teller in the video game; however, when new code is injected into the game, Guy becomes aware of the fact that he lives in a video game world and works to become the hero of the story instead of set dressing that helps other characters progress toward their own goals.

As evidenced by the tongue-in-cheek nature of the trailer, Free Guy looks like it’s going to be a blast to watch—especially if you’re an avid gamer. The fictional video game world of Free City definitely has major parallels to open-world games like Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto series. At one point in the trailer, Reynold’s character asks another NPC if they ever think there’s more to life than being held hostage or run over by cars. If you’ve ever wondered what kind of lives the background characters to your favorite video games would lead if it weren’t for helping you achieve your own quests, Free Guy looks to answer that question in a fun action-comedy romp, complete with cameos from popular content creators on YouTube and Twitch like Jacksepticeye, Tyler “Ninja” Blevins (who called it a “cool experience” that was “so authentic and so real”), Pokimane, and LazarBeam.

Director: Liesl Tommy

Cast: Jennifer Hudson, Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Audra McDonald, Mary J. Blige

Genre: Biopic, Musical, Drama

Release date: Aug. 13

Respect, the biopic about singer Aretha Franklin, has been in development for years, so it’s exciting that the film will finally see the light of day on Aug. 13! Starring Jennifer Hudson as Franklin with an impressive ensemble cast featuring additional performances by Forest Whitaker as her father, C. L. Franklin, Audra McDonald as her mother, Barbara Siggers Franklin, and Marlon Wayans as her manager and first husband Ted White, this star-studded cast is sure to bring Franklin’s story to life in a powerful way. 

Due to its long development, Aretha Franklin was actually involved with the project up until her death, which included choosing Hudson to play her in the film. The movie will chronicle Franklin’s life, from singing in her father’s church choir to becoming the international legend and Grammy-winning Queen of Soul. Infused with song and deepening the story behind the music, Respect, directed by Liesl Tommy, is sure to have Oscar buzz the second it hits theaters with such powerhouse performers behind the film.

Director: Nia DaCosta

Cast: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Colman Domingo

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Release date: Aug. 27

Described as a spiritual successor to the 1992 film of the same name, Candyman takes place 28 years after the events of the original film. The setting is again Chicago’s Cabrini-Green neighborhood, although this time it’s been gentrified beyond recognition and is the home of Anthony McCoy, a visual artist trying to break into the art world—and the baby used as bait by the hook-handed supernatural killer in the original film.

While 1992’s Candyman is certainly one of the most famous horror movies to combine supernatural terror with racial politics, subsequent thrillers and horror films have mined that territory to equal effect, with 2017’s Get Out serving as one of the most notable recent examples. Perhaps it’s this that attracted Get Out filmmaker Jordan Peele to the Candyman source material, seeing as he is one of three screenwriters, along with Win Rosenfeld and DaCosta. Beyond its setting in Chicago, 2021’s Candyman even has some extra flair from the Windy City, with a creepy shadow puppet trailer handmade and animated by local puppetry collective Manual Cinema.

Director: Destin Daniel Cretton

Cast: Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Tony Leung, Michelle Yeoh

Genre: Superhero, Action

Release date: Sept. 3

Two Marvel movies on the big screen in one summer? Sign me up! Following the July release of Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will be the 25th entry in Marvel’s impressively large cinematic universe. In some ways paralleling the setup of Black Widow, Shang-Chi also sees its superhero protagonist wrestling with his past, as Shang-Chi must come to terms with his past as a trained assassin in the clandestine organization known as the Ten Rings. Especially considering that most audiences aren’t super familiar with this 1980s Marvel comics character, getting to experience a reimagined origin story on film is definitely going to be a fun experience for old and new fans alike.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the first entry in to the MCU that centers Asian and Asian-American characters, and, as such, the creative team behind the project is largely of Asian descent, with David Callaham adapting the screenplay from the comics along with director Destin Daniel Cretton (Just Mercy, The Glass Castle). Featuring an impressive amount of martial arts fight sequences—all captured by The Matrix cinematographer Bill Pope—Shang-Chi looks positioned to be an exhilarating entry into the MCU, offering up the best of movies like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Jackie Chan greats like Supercop, Drunken Master, and Rumble in the Bronx.