Okay, so we all know 2020 was the year the film industry ground to a halt like no writer’s strike could ever match, but what’s next? The sequel to 2020 is of course 2021, and it’s sure to bring with it a whole host of exciting bits and pieces every film buff will want to get into. To get you ready for what’s in the pipeline, we’re going to ask the half a dozen key questions we know you’ve been frantically googling. Without further ado, let’s get started….
Who will be the next James Bond?
Credit: MGM Studios
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Good question! Daniel Craig’s tenure may be coming to an end as we wave goodbye to the grittiest, darkest Bond ever, but what next? Will we get any of the rumoured frontrunners, or will it be an outsider who takes the Bond universe by storm? Watch this space to find out because you know that we’re going to be keeping you posted until the ink is dry on the dotted line! If we had to make an educated guess, we’d pick James Norton as the dark horse!
Are YouTube rentals going to move the needle?
Credit: Pexels
This one is more about how we’re going to be watching our movies than about what we’ll actually be watching. For those of you who have been keeping a keen eye on YouTube over the last 12 months or so, it won’t have escaped your attention that they’re looking to diversify away from simply running ads. They’re now starting to make a small amount of their own content, as well as offer rentals on their platform. Can we see them overtaking Netflix? When you consider that Netflix is now a major film studio in its own right, we can’t see it happening anytime soon, but that’s fine.
YouTube rentals aren’t there with the sole goal of putting Netflix on the sidelines. This means we all have another platform to search when we’re looking for that classic that no one seems to have the rights to show right now.
Will Disney Plus overtake Netflix?
Credit: Disney Plus
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Now that we’re on a ‘will X beat Netflix?’ theme, let’s take a look at a much bigger hitter that’s been making waves in the online streaming world. Disney doesn’t just make all the classics we know and love from our childhood, they’re also now the owners of Star Wars and the entire Marvel universe. As their subscriber stats show, they’re already starting to catch Netflix’s numbers, but don’t expect Netflix to stand still either. What we want are the two platforms to go head to head in terms of their quality so we can mix and match what we binge-watch.
Is there going to be an Ocean’s 9 or 14?
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
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With the high stakes at the roulette table and the tension in the background, can we really handle a new installment from the Ocean’s franchise? It’s the question we’ve been thinking about long and hard in lockdown, and if it comes to it we’re willing to watch this one hiding behind the couch because of the tension!
It won’t really matter whether it’s the guys or girls who get another outing, or even if it’s a mix of the two. What will really make the difference is coming up with a way to bring the same suspense, energy, and danger to the screenplay that we’ve enjoyed up till now. If you think that Ocean’s 11 was a remake, and Ocean’s 8 is seen by many as a reboot of that, then you start to see why we film buffs want something a little different if it does come back. Still, with Clooney, Pitt, and Bullock all on the top of their game, who would want to risk missing that?
Can we expect a second Hobbs & Shaw?
Credit: Universal Pictures
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It may have done some great things at the box office, but is that enough in this day and age? After all, it did fall more than a couple of hundred million dollars short of what the last two offerings from the main franchise managed to do.
This was very much a sideways story for the Fast & Furious franchise which makes it all the more intriguing. When you have The Rock, Idris Elba, and Jason Statham all coming together you have onscreen chemistry that’s sure to keep an audience hooked from the first minute to the last. What’s not so clear is if there’s enough backdrop to turn this into a mini-franchise run of its own. Personally, we’d love it to stay as a one-off and get all the characters woven into the main franchise.
Will The Rock run for president in 2024?
Credit: Paramount Pictures
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The Rock has more movies and projects in the pipeline than most mere mortals work on in a lifetime, so how’s he ever going to find the time? Well, the bad news for action film fans and tequila lovers is that for The Rock to run he’s going to have to put all of this on the sidelines for the foreseeable future. Would he ever want to do it? None of us could have foreseen Trump running, but The Rock inhabits a completely different sphere. There’s no one that can fill in for him so he still gets to keep his movie career ticking over like there was for Trump when he needed his business empire running. If you ask us, we’d love to see him stay in entertainment and keep pumping out fan favourites.
Conclusion: 2021 and beyond is set to be great with film fans
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
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We couldn’t really put it any better than that, which is why we’re so excited for 2021 to get into full swing and show us what it has to offer. Hopefully, we’ll know who Bond is going to be, have a couple more established streaming platforms to choose from, and The Rock will decide to stay put in Hollywood for the rest of his career.
What do you make of this story? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook, Twitter or Instagram pages! And if you enjoy listening to film podcasts, why not check out our podcasts, Small Screen Stories and Small Screen Film Club wherever you get your podcasts!
Enjoyed the read Edward!