Warner Bros.’ 2021 movies: What will debut on HBO Max and in theaters?

Christie D’Zurilla, Los Angeles Times

This year couldn’t get much worse, so Warner Bros. has decided to extend the fun into the next one, announcing recently 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. 15
  • Starring: Jessica McNamee, Tadanobu Asano, Kiroyuki Sanada, Mehcad Brooks
  • FYI: The famous video game has been turned into a feature film.

‘The Little Things’

  • Release date: Jan. 29
  • Starring: Denzel Washington, Jared Leto, Rami Malek, Natalie Morales
  • FYI: Two cops track down a serial killer in this thriller helmed by “The Blind Side” director John Lee Hancock.

‘Tom & Jerry’

  • Release date: March 5
  • Starring: Chloe Grace Moretz, Michael Pena, Rob Delaney, Colin Jost, Ken Jeong
  • FYI: This semi-animated comedy-adventure sees the classic Hanna-Barbera cat and mouse rivals palling up — and doing battle — in New York City.

‘The Many Saints of Newark’

  • Release date: March 12
  • Starring: Vera Farmiga, Jon Bernthal, Michael Gandolfini
  • FYI: 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 16
  • Starring: Rebecca Ferguson, Hugh Jackman, Thandie Newton, Natalie Martinez
  • FYI: 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 21
  • Starring: Julian Dennison, Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown
  • FYI: It’s a movie about monsters, people. Big, scary monsters.

‘The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It’

  • Release date: June 4
  • Starring: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Julian Hilliard
  • FYI: 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 18
  • Starring: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Stephanie Beatriz, Jimmy Smits, Anthony Ramos
  • FYI: 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 16
  • Starring: Sonequa Martin-Green, Don Cheadle, LeBron James
  • FYI: James joins the Looney Tunes gang in this sequel to Michael Jordan’s 1996 “Space Jam.”

‘The Suicide Squad’

  • Release date: Aug. 6
  • Starring: Margot Robbie, Taika Waititi, Joel Kinnaman, Sylvester Stallone, Idris Elba, Viola Davis
  • FYI: Robbie reprises quirky Harley Quinn in this movie directed by “Guardians of the Galaxy” auteur James Gunn.

‘Dune’

  • Release date: Oct. 1
  • Starring: Rebecca Ferguson, Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin
  • FYI: “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.

‘King Richard’

  • Release date: Nov. 19, 2021
  • Starring: Will Smith, Jon Bernthal, Dylan McDermott
  • FYI: 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, 2021
  • Starring: Keanu Reeves, Jessica Henwick, Jonathan Goff, Carrie-Ann Moss, Priyanka Chopra
  • FYI: 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?

‘Sherlock Holmes 3’

  • Release date: Dec. 22, 2021
  • Starring: Rachel McAdams, Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Jared Harris
  • FYI: Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective and his sidekick are back. Prepare to sleuth.

‘Cry Macho’

  • Release date: unknown
  • Starring: Clint Eastwood
  • FYI: A washed-up horse breeder teaches a young boy what it means to be a good man in this Eastwood-directed effort.

‘Judas and the Black Messiah’

  • Release date: unknown
  • Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons, Martin Sheen
  • FYI: “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: unknown
  • Starring: Angelina Jolie, Jon Bernthal, Nicholas Hoult, Aidan Gillen
  • FYI: Twin assassins chase a teen murder suspect and his survival-expert companion through a raging forest fire.

‘Malignant’

  • Release date: unknown
  • Starring: Annabelle Wallis, Maddie Hasson, George Young, Michole Briana White
  • FYI: It’s a horror story directed by James Wan, who helmed “Aquaman.”

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