Summer Movie Calendar, from 'Cruella' to 'The Suicide Squad'
Films delayed for a year or more by the pandemic are getting a shot at the summer spotlight, starting with “A Quiet Place Part II” and “Cruella” at the end of May
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Your support makes all the difference.A rundown of notable films coming out this summer:
May 28
“A Quiet Place Part II” (Theaters): In this sequel to John Krasinski’s 2018 hit, the Abbott family (Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe) ventures away from their home while trying to survive the creatures that hunt by sound.
“Cruella” (Theaters, Disney+ Premier): A live-action origin story for the “101 Dalmatians” villain Cruella de Vil, starring Emma Stone.
“Moby Doc” (Theaters and on-demand): Moby narrates his own documentary, a surrealist biography in which he reflects on his life and career.
“Plan B” (Hulu): Natalie Morales makes her directorial debut in this teen comedy about a South Dakota high-schooler (Kuhoo Verma) who has 24 hours to hunt down a Plan B pill with her best friend (Vitoria Moroles) after a regrettable sexual encounter.
June 4
“The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” (Theaters, HBO Max): Paranormal investigators Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) are back at it in another case, this time a fight for the soul of a young boy.
June 11
“In the Heights” (Theaters, HBO Max): Lin-Manuel Miranda’s other Tony-winning show, “In the Heights,” about life in New York’s Washington Heights, gets a big-screen adaptation in John M. Chu’s exuberant musical starring Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Melissa Barrera and others.
June 18
“Luca” (Disney+): Enrico Casarosa, director of the Pixar short “La Luna,” helms this Pixar feature about a boy’s unforgettable summer on the Italian Riviera with his best friend, a sea monster in disguise.
“The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard” (Theaters, June 16): In this sequel to the 2017 buddy comedy, Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson are back in R-rated action, but this time Salma Hayek takes a more prominent role. Also starring Morgan Freeman and Antonio Banderas.
“Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway” (Theaters): Will Gluck’s sequel to 2018’s “Peter Rabbit” returns James Corden as the voice of Peter, Margot Robbie as Flopsy and Elizabeth Debicki as Mopsy. Joining the CGI bunnies are live-action actors Domhnall Gleeson, David Oyelowo and Rose Byrne.
“Fatherhood” (Netflix): Kevin Hart stars as a widower raising his baby daughter on his own. Directed by Paul Weitz, the film is based on Matthew Logelin’s memoir “Two Kisses for Maddy.”
June 25
“F9” (Theaters): The “Fast & Furious” franchise rides on, undaunted by physics or the normal lifespan of film series. Justin Lin’s film, the ninth in the franchise not counting the spinoff “Hobbs & Shaw,” is the first to detour into space.
“The Ice Road” (Netflix): Liam Neeson, star of 2011’s “The Grey,” returns to the cold in this thriller as an ice driver on a rescue mission.
“False Positive” (Hulu): About the trials of fertility and the horrors of patriarchy, “False Positive” has been called a contemporary spin on Roman Polanski’s “Rosemary’s Baby.” Starring Ilana Glazer, Justin Theroux and Pierce Brosnan, it’s co-written by Glazer (“Broad City”).
July 2
“The Forever Purge” (Theaters): The fifth and supposedly final film in the “Purge” series is set after the abolition of the annual rite. But some keep the tradition alive.
“The Tomorrow War” (Amazon Prime Video): To fight a future war against an alien species, soldiers from 30 years earlier are recruited for the battle — including a schoolteacher played by Chris Pratt.
“Zola” (Theaters June 30): Janicza Bravo’s film is based an infamous tweetstorm turned into a film by Brazo and co-writer Jeremy O. Harris. Taylour Paige and Riley Keough star as strippers who take a surreal road trip.
“Summer of Soul” (theaters, Hulu): Amir “Questlove” Thompson makes his directorial debut in this documentary of a landmark 1969 Harlem concert series known as “Black Woodstock.” Performances include by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly and the Family Stone and the Staples Singers.
“America the Motion Picture” (Netflix): Phil Lord and Chris Miller are executive producers of this animated absurdity, with Channing Tatum voicing George Washington, Jason Mantzoukas as Sam Adams and other cast members including Simon Pegg, Judy Greer, Bobby Moynihan and Raoul Trujillo.
July 9
“Black Widow” (Theaters, Disney+ Premier): Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) gets her long-awaited solo movie in this Marvel movie set between the events of 2016’s “Captain America: Civil War” and 2018’s “Avengers: Infinity War.”
JULY 16
“Space Jam: A New Legacy” (Theaters and HBO Max): Twenty five years after Michael Jordan shared the big screen with Bugs Bunny, a new generation is hitting the courts in this Malcolm D. Lee directed sequel, starring LeBron James as himself, Don Cheadle and a more than a few NBA cameos.
“Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain” (Theaters): Documentary director Morgan Neville (“Won’t You Be My Neighbor”) explores the globetrotting life of celebrity chef and author Anthony Bourdain, who died by suicide in 2018 at the age of 61.
“Ailey” (Theaters): A documentary look at the life of dancer Alvin Ailey.
“Cinderella” (Amazon Prime Video): Pop star Camila Cabello takes a spin as Cinderella in her acting debut alongside Billy Porter, as a genderless fairy godparent.
JULY 23
“Hotel Transylvania: Transformania ” (Theaters): The fourth and final chapter of the animated series features the voices of Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg and Fran Drescher.
“OLD” (Theaters): Naturally details are scarce about M. Night Shyamalan’s new film, which was inspired by the graphic novel “Sandcastle,” and follows a family who realizes they’re aging rapidly in their idyllic vacation spot. Gael García Bernal and Vicky Krieps (“Phantom Thread”) star.
“Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins” (Theaters): “Crazy Rich Asians” heartthrob Henry Golding stars as the titular warrior.
“The Last Letter From Your Lover” (Netflix): Felicity Jones stars as a journalist who uncovers a star-crossed affair from the 1960s in a newspaper’s archives in this Jojo Moyes adaptation.
JULY 30
“Jungle Cruise” (Theaters and Disney+ premier access): Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson take a swing at turning a Disney theme park attraction into a throwback action-adventure, and odds are this will be one of the better ones. Johnson said Blunt is essentially a female Indiana Jones in the film.
“The Green Knight” (Theaters): Dev Patel plays King Arthur’s nephew Sir Gawain in this epic fantasy film from writer-director David Lowery (“Pete’s Dragon”). Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton and Barry Keoghan co-star.
“Stillwater” (Theaters): Matt Damon stars as an Oklahoma oil worker whose daughter (Abigail Breslin) gets arrested in France for murder in this crime drama from “Spotlight” director Tom McCarthy. “Call My Agent” fans will be excited to know that Camille Cottin (aka Andréa Martel) co-stars as a French woman who helps Damon’s character.
AUGUST 6
“Annette” (Theaters): French auteur Leos Carax makes his English-language debut with the musical “Annette,” starring Adam Driver as a stand-up comic and Marion Cotillard as his singer wife. The script and music comes from Ron and Russell Mael, who are also the subject of Edgar Wright’s documentary “The Sparks Brothers.”
“The Suicide Squad” (Theaters and HBO Max): Director James Gunn turned the obscure “Guardians of the Galaxy” characters into some of the most beloved in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and now the hope is he’ll reenergize DC’s Suicide Squad after their less-than-stellar 2016 film. Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman and Viola Davis reprise their roles alongside a whole new batch of stars like Idris Elba, John Cena and Sylvester Stallone (his voice, that is).
AUGUST 13
“CODA” (Theaters and Apple TV+): This Sundance charmer from director Siân Heder stars Emilia Jones in a breakout role as a hearing child of deaf adults trying to find her own voice and path. Marlee Matlin is especially amusing as the mother.
“Free Guy” (Theaters): Ryan Reynolds discovers he’s a non-player character living in an open world video game in the sci-fi action comedy “Free Guy,” from director Shawn Levy (“Night at the Museum”) and co-writer Zak Penn (“Ready Player One”). “Killing Eve’s” Jodie Comer co-stars along with Lil Rel Howery and Taika Waititi.
“Respect” (Theaters): Jennifer Hudson plays Aretha Franklin in this longtime coming biopic, which Franklin herself was even involved in before her death in 2018. Tony nominee Liesl Tommy directs.
AUGUST 20
“Reminiscence” (Theaters and HBO Max): “Westworld” co-creator Lisa Joy makes her directorial debut with the appropriately cerebral “Reminiscence,” set in a flooded, near-future Miami and starring Hugh Jackman as an investigator of the mind who takes on a mysterious new client played by Rebecca Hall.
“Cryptozoo” (Theaters): Dash Shaw’s trippy, animated fantasy features the voices of Lake Bell, Michael Cera and “Twin Peaks’” Grace Zabriskie.
“The Night House” (Theaters): Rebecca Hall plays a recently widowed woman living in her husband’s lakeside home when disturbing visions start coming to her in this psychological horror from director David Bruckner.
“Demonic” (Theaters and On Demand): “District 9” director Neill Blomkamp crafts a mother-daughter horror.
AUGUST 27
“The Beatles: Get Back” (Theaters and Disney+): There was a lot left on the cutting room floor of Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s seminal Beatles documentary “Let It Be” (60 hours of video and 150 hours of audio). Filmmaker Peter Jackson has sifted through and restored much of the unused footage to create a new film “The Beatles: Get Back,” which will show the group’s last live performance together on that London rooftop in its entirety for the first time ever.
“Candyman” (Theaters): Director Nia DaCosta sets this “Candyman” sequel in a now gentrified Cabrini-Green, overrun by upwardly mobile types and luxury condominiums where housing projects used to be. Jordan Peele co-wrote and produced the modern spin on the Candyman myth starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Teyonah Parris.