2020 wasn't exactly the year filmmakers and moviegoers hoped for, but 2021 wants to make up for it.
After a tumultuous year that saw movie theaters shutdown and many highly-anticipated blockbusters delayed due to the pandemic, the upcoming year is filled with promise and excitement when it comes to big-screen releases.
Here's the crop of movies we're looking forward to (finally) watching when the clock strikes '21.
No Time to Die - April 2, 2021
007 fans were pushed to their limits in 2020 as the latest installment in the "James Bond" franchise was delayed not once but twice. The 25th film, "No Time to Die," will be released almost a year behind schedule in April 2021. It was originally slated to debut on April 10, 2020.
Daniel Craig takes his final bow as the spy, who is pulled back into active duty to rescue a "kidnapped scientist," which puts him "hot on the trail of a mysterious villain" played by Rami Malek.
A Quiet Place 2 - April 23, 2021
The sequel to " A Quiet Place" was victim to a shakeup that found its release deferred to April 23, 2021 from September 6, 2020.
Picking up almost immediately after the deadly events of the first film, Emily Blunt returns as the matriarch of the Abbott family (Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe also reprise their roles) as they leave behind their home and once again fight for survival "against otherworldly creatures that hunt by sound."
Black Widow - May 7, 2021
The Marvel film was pushed more than a year past its scheduled release date, which shifted the premiere of other upcoming films for Disney. But the delays haven't killed the buzz for the film, which dives into the past of Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), an elite spy, one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most deadly assassins and a frequent member of the Avengers, who is finally getting her much-deserved origin story.
Fast & Furious 9 - April 2, 2021
"Fast 9" pushed back its release date a year in light of COVID-19.
A sequel to 2017's "The Fate of the Furious," the 9th film pits Dom and his family against some threats that may be connected to former enemy and cyberterrorist Cipher (a role reprised by Charlize Theron).
Coming 2 America - March 5, 2021
Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall reunite once again for a sequel to the classic "Coming To America," which will be available on Amazon Prime.
Murphy's Prince Akeem Joffer's is about to become King of Zamunda when he learns he has a son in America, a Queens native named Lavelle. The follow-up guarantees all the laughs of the original with a stellar cast including Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, Morgan Freeman, Rick Ross, and more.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife - June 11, 2021
"Ghostbusters: Afterlife," is now expected to debut on June 11, exactly 37 years after the blockbuster comedy, "Ghostbusters."
The sequel introduces a new generation of Ghostbusters when a family evicted from their home arrives in a strange small town to stay in their late grandfather's home. They soon learn they have a connection to the original Ghostbuster, Ego Spengler, played by the late Harold Ramis.
Top Gun: Maverick - July 2, 2021
Tom Cruise's "Top Gun: Maverick" will finally take flight in July of 2021, nearly six months after its original December release date.
In the original 1986 blockbuster, Cruise's "Maverick" indicates he's thought about becoming a flight instructor. More than three decades later, it's happening. The sequel brings more high-flying action and on-the-ground conflict from the Navy's most fearless pilot.
The King's Man - March 12, 2021
The prequel to the "Kingsman" pushed back its theatrical debut by almost five months. The period spy dates back a century as one man attempts to stop "history's worst tyrants and criminal masterminds," led by Rasputin, as they plot to band together and kill millions of people thus wiping out humanity.
In the Heights - June 18, 2021
Despite initial plans for a summer 2020 release, production was halted due to the COVID pandemic. The new premiere date is June 2021 and like the rest of Warner Bros. films in the upcoming year, it will premiere in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously.
Before Lin Manuel Miranda's "Hamilton," it was all about "In the Heights," a Tony Award-winning Broadway play that's hitting the big screen as a film adaptation helmed by Crazy Rich Asians" director, Jon M. Chu. The film takes place in a mostly Hispanic neighborhood in New York City called Washington Heights where a bodega owner is conflicted about his dreams about retiring in the Dominican Republic.
Respect - August 13, 2021
To play the Queen of Soul, you have to have soul. Jennifer Hudson stars as Aretha Franklin in the upcoming biopic that looks at the icon's childhood, rise to fame, and impact on the civil rights movement.
Hudson is in good company with co-stars Mary J. Blige, Forest Whitaker, and Tituss Burgess.
Cinderella - February 5, 2021
It's a tale as old as time getting a modern-day reboot. The musical-comedy reimagines the classic fairytale with pop star Camila Cabello in the lead. Nicholas Galitizine will play Prince Charming, while Idina Menzel takes on the role of Evelyn, Cinderella's evil stepmother. And Billy Porter assumes the role of the genderless Fairy Godmother.
Godzilla vs. Kong - May 21, 2021
It's a monster-mash up coming to a screen near you. The fourth film in the Monsterverse pits Godzilla and King Kong against each other as "humanity is caught in the balance."
Several characters from "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" are set to return including Millie Bobby Brown. The film is currently scheduled to debut in theaters and HBO Max, but the production company behind the film is threatening litigation unless Warner Bros. pays an estimated $250 million to retain the right to stream the film.
Halloween Kills - October 15, 2021
The wait for the next installment in the "Halloween" franchise was extended by a whole year. Instead of premiering on October 6, 2020, the release is now October 15, 2021, which means the third film in the rebooted trilogy, "Halloween Ends," will premiere in 2022 rather than 2021.
Michael Myers is back with a vengeance. The sequel to the 2018 Halloween reboot seems to pick up closely after the events of the previous film, which saw the masked-killer trapped in the burning basement of Laurie's (Jamie Lee Curtis) home.
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