Top 10 Movies Coming to HBO Max in 2021
#10: “In the Heights” (2021)
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“Hamilton” was a huge hit for Disney+ when it was released on the platform in the summer of 2020. And now HBO Max will be getting Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “In the Heights.” Telling the stories of the Latino neighborhood in Washington Heights, Manhattan, “In the Heights” played on Broadway between 2008 and 2011 and won four Tony awards, including Best Musical. The movie will star Anthony Ramos, who gained worldwide fame for playing John Laurens and Philip Hamilton in “Hamilton.” It is sure to attract a major following thanks to the power of Miranda’s name, and it should prove one of HBO Max’s biggest non-franchise releases.
#9: “Judas and the Black Messiah” (2021)
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With Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield in starring roles, movie fans really won’t go wrong with “Judas and the Black Messiah.” Add in an interesting historical story, and this is sure to be one of the year’s most intriguing original films. Produced by Ryan Coogler, the movie will star Kaluuya as Black Panther Party chairman Fred Hampton and Stanfield as William O’Neal. Hampton was deputy chairman of the BPP and was deemed a radical threat by the FBI, who brought in O’Neal, who was placed as a mole inside the BPP. The information he fed to the FBI resulted in them raiding Hampton’s apartment, with dire results, on the morning of December 4, 1969.
#8: “The Many Saints of Newark” (2021)
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While many people were left frustrated with the ambiguous ending to “The Sopranos,” the story of Tony Soprano is over. In a way. While fans will never know precisely what happened to him, they will be able to see his early life in “The Many Saints of Newark,” a prequel set in ‘60s and ‘70s New Jersey. The plot will primarily concern the racial tensions between African Americans and Italian Americans in the midst of the 1967 Newark race riots, which resulted in 26 deaths and over 700 injuries. It is co-written by David Chase and directed by longtime “Sopranos” collaborator Alan Taylor, and will feature an amazing cast, including Leslie Odom Jr., Jon Bernthal, Vera Farmiga, and James Gandolfini’s son Michael as young Tony.
#7: “Space Jam: A New Legacy” (2021)
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Were people asking for another “Space Jam”? No, not really. But we’re glad we’re getting one! Serving as a reboot of the iconic 1996 original, “A New Legacy” will see LeBron James replacing Michael Jordan in the starring role. The movie actually has some solid names behind it, being co-written by Ryan Coogler and Sev Ohanian, both of whom worked on the Oscar Grant drama “Fruitvale Station.” It also helps that James is a naturally gifted actor, as he proved with his hilarious performance in “Trainwreck.” Like the original, “A New Legacy” will combine live-action actors with hand-drawn Looney Tunes characters and will serve as the first theatrically-released Looney Tunes movie in eighteen years.
#6: “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” (2021)
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This entry in the “Conjuring” series reunites Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as the Warrens. But “The Devil Made Me Do It” will not be a traditional haunted house story in the vein of the first two. It will also not be directed by James Wan, with “The Curse of La Llorona’s” Michael Chaves filling in the director’s chair. The story revolves around the trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, more ominously known as The Devil Made Me Do It case. This was the first court case in American history in which the defense claimed innocence based on demonic possession, as Johnson was allegedly possessed when he murdered his landlord. The judge wasn’t having it, and Johnson was sentenced to 10-20 years on first-degree manslaughter.
#5: “Mortal Kombat” (2021)
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The first “Mortal Kombat” certainly had its pleasures, but “Mortal Kombat: Annihilation” was more of a disaster that essentially annihilated the movie franchise for two decades. Work on a reboot finally began in earnest in the mid 2010s, with James Wan signing on as producer. The upcoming movie will star all the beloved characters from the game and original movie, and it’s being co-written by David Callaham of “Wonder Woman 1984” and “Zombieland: Double Tap” fame. Perhaps the best thing about it is that it will be rated R due to the inclusion of the game’s famous fatalities - a glaring and disappointing omission from the otherwise decent original movie.
#4: “The Suicide Squad” (2021)
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Not to be confused with “Suicide Squad,” “The Suicide Squad” is serving as a soft reboot and is both written and directed by James Gunn, who was hired by Warner Bros. after he was fired from Disney. The movie will carry over a few actors from the original, including Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag, and Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang. This promises to be a lighter iteration, complete with a pulpy story about Nazi experiments and inspiration taken from the ‘80s comics. This film may present the MCU some more intense competition, which is a bit ironic, considering the involvement of Gunn.
#3: “Dune” (2021)
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This is definitely one of 2021’s most anticipated movies. There’s the stellar source material, of course, as Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel is considered one of the finest science fiction novels ever written. A lot of money and talent has also been put behind the movie, including esteemed director Denis Villeneuve and the likes of Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, and Zendaya. And while the movie will only cover the first half of the book, director of photography Greig Fraser told Collider that it will work as a standalone story. With a $165 million budget, fantastic source material, and some of the biggest names in Hollywood behind it, “Dune” promises to be a true epic.
#2: “The Matrix 4” (2021)
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Nearly twenty years after “The Matrix Revolutions” closed out the trilogy in somewhat disappointing fashion, Lana Wachowski is returning to direct a fourth entry in the iconic sci-fi series. While little is known about the plot, the movie will see the return of Keanu Reeves as Neo, Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity, and Jada Pinkett Smith as Niobe. It will also see the return of minor characters like Agent Johnson and The Merovingian, a character introduced in “The Matrix Reloaded.” Filming took place throughout 2020, with a brief hiatus for the covid pandemic, and it’s scheduled to drop around Christmastime. We don’t know what to expect, but it’s sure to be intriguing. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. “The Little Things” (2021) Crime Thriller Starring Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, & Jared Leto “Reminiscence” (2021) Sci-Fi Drama About Reliving Memories “Malignant” (2021) James Wan’s New Thriller
#1: “Godzilla vs. Kong” (2021)
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This upcoming major movie is the prime example of just how revolutionary this HBO Max streaming decision truly is. “Godzilla vs. Kong” is the prototypical “theater movie,” with a $165 million budget, the culmination of an entire MonsterVerse, and a showdown between two cinematic icons years in the making. And we’ll be able to watch it at home upon release! “Godzilla vs. Kong” is a sequel to both “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” and “Kong: Skull Island,” and will pit the titular monsters against each other, in a modern cinematic event for the ages. Its fate will be a true marker of just how viable the simultaneous release strategy is — and if it’s successful, it may alter the movie business forever.
