7 streaming TV series and movie releases to look out for in 2021

The year 2020 significantly slowed down the production and release of new TV series and movies, but that doesn’t seem to be the case for 2021. With studios diverting major film releases to streaming services, and the existing extensive streaming series catalog, 2021 is about to have some great new releases.

With so many new TV series and movie releases hitting the streaming services this year, you’ll be spoiled for choice. So if you want to know which releases you should wait for, we’ve got you covered. Here are the seven streaming TV series and movie releases to look out for in 2021.

Upcoming streaming TV series and movie releases:

1. In the Heights
2. The Lord of the Rings
3. The Suicide Squad
4. Loki
5. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
6. Cowboy Bebop
7. Army of the Dead

Note: We’ll update this list of streaming TV series and movie releases regularly as new ones and their release dates are announced.

1. In the Heights

This upcoming movie is from the mind of Lin Manuel-Miranda, the creator of the hit Broadway musical Hamilton and playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes. It will follow the story of bodega owner Usnavi, played by Anthony Ramos. A resident of Washington Heights, Usnavi struggles with his grind. When he inherits his grandmother’s fortune, he has a tough choice ahead of him. With Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu at the helm, In the Heights is the screen adaptation of Miranda’s 2007 musical of the same name. 

Miranda’s projects always have a fun touch to them while making some firm social commentary. With In the Heights taking a look at the tough immigrant life in America, it has the promise to be a great watch. In the Heights will also star Melissa Barrera, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, Dascha Polanco, Stephanie Beatriz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Olga Merediz, and Jimmy Smits. In the Heights will release on HBO Max (and the theatres) on June 11, 2021.

2. The Lord of the Rings

Amazon wanted a Game of Thrones-sized hit, so it went after one of the biggest fantasy IPs out there. Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings series will see its story start thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books. We will get to see a lot more of the timeline of events of the LOTR universe with this one, featuring an ensemble cast that will feature characters we know, as well as a ton of new ones.

The Lord of the Rings series is currently in development, and Amazon has officially announced 20 cast members, including Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Nazanin Boniadi, Tom Budge, Morfydd Clark, and others. Several reports and rumors have also talked about some other big stars joining the cast. The Amazon Prime Video series is currently under production and has a 2021 release window, but not an exact release date.

3. The Suicide Squad

The Suicide Squad is getting a second chance with James Gunn directing this time around. With a new look, multiple new cast additions, and Gunn bringing his Guardians of the Galaxy-styled charm to DC, the movie looks like it will take a much lighter approach than the first Suicide Squad film. The premise remains similar — jailed supervillains with armed explosives in their skulls go on a mission with the promise of a reduced sentence.

The cast includes Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Sylvester Stallone, Viola Davis, Peter Capaldi, and more. After the success of Zack Snyder’s Justice League,  DC films now have higher expectations to meet. This one, however, seems like a winner already. The Suicide Squad will arrive on HBO Max (and the theatres) on August 6, 2021.

4. Loki

Loki has always been a fan-favorite character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and now he’s getting his own show on Disney Plus. The show will follow the God of Mischief after the events of Avengers: Endgame. The last we saw of him was when he escaped with the Tesseract in Endgame, which means this show will follow Loki as we saw him in 2012, in the first Avengers film.

Tom Hiddleston is back to play the character, of course. Other cast members include Owen Wilson as Mobius M. Mobius, Sophia D Martino, Cailey Fleming, Jamie Alexander, Sasha Lane, and more. Rick and Morty writer Michael Waldron is onboard as the creator and writer, with Kate Herron set to direct. Loki will hit Disney Plus on June 11, 2021.

5. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It

It’s a great new horror franchise, with seven films as of yet. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is the eighth film set in the universe and the third to bear the Conjuring title. It will loosely follow the 1981 murder trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, who claimed a demon had possessed him when he killed his landlord. 

Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga are back to play Ed and Lorraine Warren. Other cast members include Ruairi O’Connor, Sarah Catherine Hook, and Julian Hilliard. Michael Chaves will be directing the horror flick. The Conjuring films have been big box office hits before, so it will be interesting to see how the film does with a simultaneous theatrical and HBO Max release, set for June 4, 2021.

6. Cowboy Bebop

Netflix is giving the live-action treatment to the wildly popular Cowboy Bebop anime. While Netflix’s take on Death Note received a rather lukewarm fan response, Cowboy Bebop looks rather promising. The series will follow a bunch of bounty hunters aboard the spaceship, Bebop.  It’s a space western, so you will see these cowboys on their adventures across the galaxy.

The cast looks amazing, too, with John Cho playing Spike Speigel, Mustafa Shakir as Jet Black, Alex Hassell as Vicious, Daniella Pineda as Faye Valentine, and Elena Satine as Julia. The director of the original anime, Shinichiro Watanabe, is onboard as a creative consultant. That’s not all; composer Yoko Kanno is returning to score the series too! Javier Grillo-Marxuac is set to executive produce. The series will drop on Netflix sometime in 2021, and we expect a trailer and release date announcement soon.

7. Army of the Dead

Fresh off the success of Justice League, Zack Snyder is bringing us Army of the Dead. This Netflix film is a sequel to Dawn of the Dead and follows a group of mercenaries as they enter the quarantine zone of a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas. The film is a mix of crime, action-adventure, and heist genres and is sure to get your adrenaline pumping.

The cast is fantastic, with Dave Bautista leading the pack. Other cast members include Ella Purnell, Ana de la Reguera, Garret Dillahunt, Raúl Castillo, Omari Hardwick, Tig Notaro, Huma Qureshi, Hiroyuki Sanada, and others. Reports say Netflix is looking to turn the Dawn of the Dead universe into a franchise, and this film could be the first of many. Army of the Dead releases on Netflix on May 21, 2021.

Looking for more streaming recommendations? Take a look at these lists.

• Upcoming Netflix shows and movies you won’t want to miss
• Here are all the Warner Bros HBO Max movies coming in 2021
• The 18 best original series on Amazon Prime Video