The new year is already off to a fast start. Thus far, Regina King, Tessa Thompson and several other Black creatives have dominated Hollywood during the first two weeks of the year. From end of the year films like Sylvie's Love to recent releases like Outside The Wire, there are a number of Black films available right now. However, things don't stop in January. During each month of the year, movie fans can expect star performances from Denzel Washington in The Little Things and his son, John David Washington, in Malcolm & Marie. Here are eight Black movies you can expect to hit a streaming service near you in 2021.
The Little Things
Streaming On: HBO Max
Release: January 29, 2021
Starring: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek
"Academy Award winners Denzel Washington, Rami Malek and Jared Leto star in the psychological thriller, The Little Things. John Lee Hancock directed the film from his own original screenplay. Kern County Deputy Sheriff Joe 'Deke' Deacon is sent to Los Angeles for what should have been a quick evidence-gathering assignment. Instead, he becomes embroiled in the search for a killer who is terrorizing the city. Leading the hunt, L.A. Sheriff Department Sergeant Jim Baxter, impressed with Deke’s cop instincts, unofficially engages his help. But as they track the killer, Baxter is unaware that the investigation is dredging up echoes of Deke’s past, uncovering disturbing secrets that could threaten more than his case," Warner Bros. writes.
Malcolm & Marie
Streaming On: Netflix
Release: February 5, 2021
Starring: Zendaya, John David Washington
"When filmmaker Malcolm and his girlfriend Marie, return home from a movie premiere and await his film’s critical response, the evening takes a turn as revelations about their relationship surface, testing the couple’s love," Netflix writes
Judas and the Black Messiah
Streaming On: HBO Max
Release: February 12, 2021
Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith Stanfield
"Chairman Fred Hampton was 21 years old when he was assassinated by the FBI, who coerced a petty criminal named William O’Neal to help them silence him and the Black Panther Party. But they could not kill Fred Hampton’s legacy and, 50 years later, his words still echo…louder than ever. I am a revolutionary! In 1968, a young, charismatic activist named Fred Hampton became Chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party, who were fighting for freedom, the power to determine the destiny of the Black community, and an end to police brutality and the slaughter of Black people. Chairman Fred was inspiring a generation to rise up and not back down to oppression, which put him directly in the line of fire of the government, the FBI and the Chicago Police. But to destroy the revolution, they had to do it from both the outside…and the inside. Facing prison, William O’Neal is offered a deal by the FBI: if he will infiltrate the Black Panthers and provide intel on Hampton, he will walk free. O’Neal takes the deal. Now a comrade in arms in the Black Panther Party, O’Neal lives in fear that his treachery will be discovered even as he rises in the ranks. But as Hampton’s fiery message draws him in, O’Neal cannot escape the deadly trajectory of his ultimate betrayal," Warner Bros. writes.
Coming 2 America
Streaming On: Amazon Prime
Release: March 5, 2021
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall
"Set in the lush and royal country of Zamunda, newly-crowned King Akeem and his trusted confidante Semmi embark on an all-new hilarious adventure that has them traversing the globe from their great African nation to the borough of Queens, New York – where it all began," Amazon Prime said.
The United States vs. Billie Holiday
Streaming On: Hulu
Release: March 12, 2021
Starring: Andra Day, Trevante Rhodes
"Her voice would not be silenced. Experience Andra Day as Billie Holiday in The United States vs. Billie Holiday," Hulu writes.
Spiral
Streaming On: HBO Max
Release: May 21, 2021
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Rock
"A sadistic mastermind unleashes a twisted form of justice in SPIRAL, the terrifying new chapter from the book of SAW. Working in the shadow of an esteemed police veteran, brash Detective Ezekiel 'Zeke' Banks and his rookie partner take charge of a grisly investigation into murders that are eerily reminiscent of the city’s gruesome past. Unwittingly entrapped in a deepening mystery, Zeke finds himself at the center of the killer’s morbid game," Lionsgate writes.
Zola
Streaming On: TBD
Release: June 30, 2021
Starring: A’Ziah Wells King
"Five years after A’Ziah Wells King posted the Twitter thread known as #thestory — a tale of how a trip from Detroit to Tampa, Fla., to earn money stripping quickly devolved into a wild ride, featuring a kidnapping, a shooting, sex trafficking and a suicide attempt — the real-life 'Zola' is celebrating the film adaptation’s debut," Variety writes.
Respect
Streaming On: TBD
Release: August 13, 2021
Starring: Jennifer Hudson, Forest Whitaker
"Following the rise of Aretha Franklin’s career from a child singing in her father’s church’s choir to her international superstardom, Respect is the remarkable true story of the music icon’s journey to find her voice," MGM writes.
Candyman
Streaming On: TBD
Release: August 27, 2021
Starring: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Paris
"For as long as residents can remember, the housing projects of Chicago’s Cabrini Green neighborhood were terrorized by a word-of-mouth ghost story about a supernatural killer with a hook for a hand, easily summoned by those daring to repeat his name five times into a mirror. In the present day, a decade after the last of the Cabrini towers were torn down, visual artist Anthony McCoy and his girlfriend, gallery director Brianna Cartwright, move into a luxury loft condo in Cabrini, now gentrified beyond recognition and inhabited by upwardly mobile millennials. With Anthony’s painting career on the brink of stalling, a chance encounter with a Cabrini Green old-timer exposes Anthony to the tragically horrific nature of the true story behind Candyman. Anxious to maintain his status in the Chicago art world, Anthony begins to explore these macabre details in his studio as fresh grist for paintings, unknowingly opening a door to a complex past that unravels his own sanity and unleashes a terrifying wave of violence that puts him on a collision course with destiny," Universal Pictures writes.
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