22 things to look forward to in 2021
From long-awaited movies and exhibition openings to the most exciting music, TV and literary releases of the year, here are the cultural highlights to make note of for 2021
MOVIES
The French Dispatch
Wes Anderson’s long-awaited feature plays true to his type – an ensemble cast weaving together stories in a beautiful cinematic tapestry. This one is about life on an American newspaper in an alternate last-century France. And, if that isn’t enough to draw you in, enjoy the roll call of Anderson collaborators on this project: Timothée Chalamet, Saoirse Ronan, Léa Seydoux, Bill Murray, Elisabeth Moss, Edward Norton, Benicio Del Toro, Adrien Brody, Anjelica Huston, Frances McDormand, Christoph Waltz and Willem Dafoe. Released from May 2021
Cruella
The legendary villainess of 101 Dalmatians gets the anti-hero treatment (inspired, no doubt, by the success of Joker and Maleficent) in this live-action origins story by director Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya). Set in a 1970s, punk-era London, with Emma Stone taking the eponymous role of an ambitious young fashion designer, and Academy Award-winner Jenny Beavan taking control of the costumes, the film promises to stand out on every creative level. Released from May 2021
The United States vs. Billie Holiday
Grammy-nominated R&B singer Andra Day takes on the role of jazz legend Billie Holiday in this much-hyped biopic. It focuses on the period of Holiday’s life when she was targeted by the government, ostensibly for drug offenses, but, in reality, as an attempt to silence her musical political protests. Moonlight star Trevante Rhodes plays her federal-agent lover, and Lee Daniels (Precious, The Butler, Empire) directs. Released from February 2021
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Marvel Studios has made inspiring director choices for its 2021 slate – the little-known Cate Shortland for Black Widow in May, and Chloé Zhao (Nomadland, The Rider) for Eternals, but most intriguing is Destin Daniel Cretton, director of biopics Just Mercy and The Glass Castle, whose martial-arts superhero adaptation is due in the summer. Starring Awkwafina and Michelle Yeoh, all the buzz suggests it will be something special. Released from July 2021
Don’t Worry Darling
Olivia Wilde – whose directorial debut Booksmart was a smash hit in 2019 – is deep in production on her follow-up feature, Don’t Worry Darling. Plot details are so deeply under wraps that we can’t even tease what to expect, but this much is known: it stars Florence Pugh and Harry Styles – arguably the most exciting screen pairing since Bonnie and Clyde – alongside Wilde herself, Gemma Chan and Chris Pine. It’s written by Booksmart script god Katie Silberman. And the legendary Arianne Phillips (of Once Upon A Time in Hollywood and pretty much most Madonna-music-videos fame) is doing the costumes. We will be seeing it more than once.
TV
The Underground Railroad
Anything with Barry Jenkins’ name attached most definitely deserves our attention. The critically acclaimed Moonlight director has taken on Colson Whitehead’s masterpiece, The Underground Railroad, a novel about the secret route used by enslaved Americans to reach freedom in the 1800s. The book was a landmark literary release, so expect the series to be just as captivating. Coming on Amazon Prime
Nine Perfect Strangers
No one does blockbuster thrillers quite like Liane Moriarty. The Big Little Lies author is enjoying another TV adaptation, this time of her bestselling book, Nine Perfect Strangers – an uncomfortably close-to-home tale of a wellness retreat gone wrong. Tune in to see a stellar ensemble cast – Nicole Kidman, Regina Hall, Melissa McCarthy and Tiffany Boone – in what is sure to be one of the year’s highlights. Coming on Hulu
Inventing Anna
The curious case of Anna Delvey had the internet gripped when it broke back in 2018. She was the mysterious New York socialite who appeared on the scene out of nowhere, lived in boutique hotels, spent thousands on clothes and fine dining – and conned her friends out of $60,000. Produced by Shonda Rhimes, with Julia Garner, Laverne Cox and Anna Chlumsky in the leading roles, catch this real-life Gossip Girl-style scandal when it drops in the spring. Coming on Netflix
Maid
Based on the real-life memoir of the same name, this new dramedy is an eye-opening look at the wealth gap in America, as a single mother on the cusp of poverty tries to make a living through housekeeping. It’s another clever release from Margot Robbie’s production company, LuckyChap Entertainment, which has a knack for spotting powerful female narratives (see #MeToo revenge-thriller Promising Young Woman) and bringing them to the mainstream. This is set to be equal parts harrowing and heart-warming, with a first-time on-screen appearance from mother-daughter duo Andie MacDowell and Margaret Qualley. Coming on Netflix
BOOKS
Let Me Tell You What I Mean
From Joan Didion comes a curation of 12 pieces, never before collected, taken from early on in her eminent six-decade career. Ranging from politics, women, the media and writing to her own insecurities, with penetrating and prescient aptitude, the collection gives an enlightening insight into the mind of the literary marvel. Published from January 2021
We Are All Birds of Uganda
The first novel from Hafsa Zayyan, co-winner of Stormzy’s #Merky Books New Writers’ Prize 2019, lands early this year as a resonant debut about love, loss and belonging. Inspired by the mixed background from which Zayyan hails, the book traverses two continents and two decades – from 1960s Uganda, where Hasan struggles with his family business, personal tragedy and prejudice, to present-day London, where high-flying lawyer Sameer feels a void in the life he is building. Published from January 2021
The Push
Another debut comes from Ashley Audrain, which is being tipped as one of the most unsettling and breathtaking literary releases of the year (the TV/film rights have already been acquired by Once Upon a Time in Hollywood film producer David Heyman). Obsession and deep fears center the plot of this psychological drama, about motherhood and nature vs nurture. Published from January 2021
Of Women and Salt
A commanding release comes from Gabriela Garcia, former student of Roxane Gay, as a “story of America’s most tangled, honest, human roots”. Jumping between generations, it spans the fateful choice of a daughter and her mother – a Cuban immigrant who is struggling with feelings of diaspora and a difficult relationship with her own mother – as it transports readers from 19th-century cigar factories to present-day detention centers. Published from March 2021
EXHIBITIONS
Lynette Yiadom-Boakye: Fly In League With The Night
This major review of the influential British artist and writer, renowned for her enthralling portraits of fictitious figures, brings together works from 2003 to the present day. The fictional people she portrays are drawn from her imagination, inviting viewers to envision their own interpretations of the characters, making for an enigmatic and important exploration of identity. Until May 2021 at Tate Britain, London
Julie Mehretu
A mid-career survey of Julie Mehretu will cover more than 20 years of the celebrated Ethiopian artist’s works, in a comprehensive overview of her painting, practice and standout themes of history, geopolitics and displacement. From March 2021 at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
Bags: Inside Out
Having finally opened its doors in December (albeit briefly), the V&A’s fashion exhibition is set to keep spellbinding visitors long into the year. From the practical to the legendary, delve into the style, design and history of the essential accessory. Until September 2021 at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London
Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirror Rooms
A rare opportunity comes to London’s Tate Modern this year, as two of Yayoi Kusama’s magical, immersive Infinity Mirror Rooms transport visitors into the extraordinary contemporary artist’s unique visualization of never-ending reflections. From March 2021 at Tate Modern, London
MUSIC
Adele
The notoriously private singer has been teasing us with a slow-but-steady return to social media and the main feed of public consciousness. There have been Glastonbury re-enactments, Beyoncé fangirling and even a guest appearance on Saturday Night Live… and her manager let it slip that a new album is nigh. But don’t be surprised if this one takes us all by surprise.
Billie Eilish
February is set to be a huge month for the technicolor-haired electro-pop star. Not only does her long-awaited second album drop, but Apple+ is airing a feature-length documentary following her career explosion. A must for anyone intrigued by the global phenomenon that is Billie Eilish.
H.E.R
Loved by Rihanna and Adele alike, the guitar-wielding soul-rocker finally drops her first full-length album in early 2021. Expect those signature rock riffs and heavenly vocals.
Jorja Smith
R&B singer Smith grew up on Amy Winehouse, Lauryn Hill and Alicia Keys – and these influences remain strong in her soulful anthems. For anyone completely hooked on her 2018 debut album, Lost & Found, you’ll only have to wait until February for new music.
Celeste
Unbelievably, Celeste has been releasing music since 2017, but her long-awaited debut album is only just dropping this February. Co-written with Jamie Hartman (the pen behind Rag’n’Bone Man’s Human), Not Your Muse promises Celeste’s signature strand of melancholy soul and many anthems, including the singles Strange and A Little Love, which we’ll be singing well into 2021…
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