Netflix Announce Plans to Release a New Film Every Week in 2021
Gal Gadot, Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds united to explain the streaming giant's ambitious plans for the next twelve months
As though to reaffirm an inevitable future ruled by straight-to-streaming releases, Netflix are taking full advantage of our time spent away from the big screen by promising viewers a brand new film release for every week of 2021. The announcement came yesterday via a star-studded trailer, featuring the likes of Gal Gadot, Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds, offering a sneak peak at the expansive cinematic selection coming to the service over the next twelve months.
Audiences will already be aware of some of Netflix’s upcoming originals – such as Malcom & Marie, set to drop 5 February – but this new trailer shows that there's a whole lot more to look forward to over the course of 2021. Not only are there snippets from some much-anticipated sequels (like the third installments of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and The Kissing Booth), but also a plethora of new releases featuring some of film’s biggest names.
Recent years have seen Netflix grow into one of the industry’s most powerful content platforms and production companies, already having enticed big-name directors like David Fincher and Martin Scorsese to house their latest features. And it certainly seems as though Netflix’s appeal to filmmakers and actors alike is not dwindling any time soon; of the 27 films teased in the trailer, viewers can spot the likes of Oscar winners Regina King, Jennifer Lawrence, and even Leonardo DiCaprio, in addition to a whole host of other stars, signalling that debate about Academy eligibility and the credibility of straight-to-streaming content is no water off the streaming giant’s back.
One sentiment that’s brought home in this trailer is the universal love for film: the love for watching movies and the love of making them. Halle Berry and Lin Manuel-Miranda gush over the opportunity to direct their first movies thanks to Netflix, and stars wax lyrical about the enduring appeal of cinema. “I love movies because they help me escape,” says Dave Bautista, partway through. If one statement rings true after the events of 2020, it's this one.
