Black Widow is webbed up. Wonder Woman has been lassoed until August (at least). And James Bond’s license to kill is suspended until November. So what is a filmgoer to do? Basically, spend summer at home. With movie theaters shut down due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Hollywood has all but mothballed its blockbuster line-up. And the films that haven’t been postponed are instead headed straight to on-demand platforms, joining the original productions already planned to debut digitally on various streaming services. So while it may be the strangest summer movie season in memory, there will still be plenty to watch. Here are nine of the ones to look for while we wait for big screens everywhere to reopen.
Scoob!
Debuts: May 15, VOD
Zoinks! Originally planned for a theatrical release, this computer-animated comedy is now beaming directly to on-demand platforms. Along with those meddling kids from the Mystery Machine — Scooby-Doo (Frank Welker), Shaggy (Will Forte), Velma (Gina Rodriguez), Daphne (Amanda Seyfried) and Fred (Zac Efron) — longtime fans can look for cameos from such other Hanna-Barbera characters as Dynomutt (Ken Jeong) and Blue Falcon (Mark Wahlberg).
The Lovebirds
Debuts: May 22, Netflix
A newly-shredded Kumail Nanjiani stars with Issa Rae in this action-comedy about a couple on the verge of splitting up who becomes ensnared in a murder mystery when they witness a crime. Can they save their relationship — and their own lives? Promisingly, The Lovebirds is helmed by Michael Showalter, who previously directed Nanjiani in the 2017 indie hit The Big Sick.
The Vast of Night
Debuts: May 29, Amazon Prime
Actually, Amazon is opening this 1950s-set science-fiction mystery in theaters before its Prime Video launch — drive-in theaters, across the country May 15 and 16. (Moreover, tickets for each car will be priced at 50 cents.) Drive-ins have been surging in popularity as they allow people to gather while also maintaining a social distance. Plus, the 1950s marked the pinnacle of the drive-in’s popularity. In the movie, a small-town switchboard operator Fay (Sierra McCormick) and a radio DJ Everett (Jake Horowitz) attempt to trace a frequency that may be alien in origin.
Artemis Fowl
Debuts: June 12, Disney Plus
When his villainous father (Colin Farrell) goes missing, 12-year-old genius and budding criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl (Ferdia Shaw) sets out to confront the mysterious, supernatural forces who may be responsible for his father’s disappearance. Kenneth Branagh directs this first installment of what presumably could be a franchise, considering that Eoin Colfer’s bestselling fantasy series spans eight novels.
Da 5 Bloods
Debuts: June 12, Netflix
Lured by the promise of buried gold and still haunted by the Vietnam war, four African American veterans — Delroy Lindo, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis and Isiah Whitlock, Jr. — return to the country to search for the remains of their squad leader (Black Panther’s Chadwick Boseman). Filmmaker Spike Lee directs what many expect to emerge as a serious Oscar contender.
The King of Staten Island
Debuts: June 12, VOD
Following everyone from Bill Murray and Eddie Murphy to Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader, Pete Davidson is the latest Saturday Night Live star to leap to the big screen. Or at least he was supposed to be before movie theaters shut down around the world. Now this semi-autobiographical comedy is bound for on-demand platforms. Judd Apatow (who previously launched the film careers of Seth Rogen, Steve Carrell and Amy Schumer) directs.
7500
Debuts: June 19, Amazon Prime
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Looper, The Dark Knight Rises) stars in this confined nail-biter about the co-pilot of a packed international flight who finds himself locked in the cockpit during a terrorist attack. Unable to make an emergency landing, he must save himself, the passengers and what’s left of his crew without letting the hostage-takers seize control of the plane.
Hamilton
Debuts: July 3, Disney Plus
Disney — which reportedly paid $75 million for the rights to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash musical — will debut Hamilton on its streaming service almost a year ahead of its previously-announced theatrical bow. Unlike such other musical adaptations as Mamma Mia, the Hamilton movie is an actual recording of a staged performance with the original Broadway cast. Nevertheless, it is expected to be event viewing — especially since tickets to a live production of the Broadway phenomenon can cost hundreds of dollars.
The Old Guard
Debuts: July 10, Netflix
Once again cracking skulls and thumping bad guys after roles in Mad Max: Fury Road and Atomic Blonde, Charlize Theron — who is also the producer of this action-heavy graphic novel adaptation — stars as an immortal mercenary whose team of fellow immortal warriors has been protecting us mere mortals throughout the centuries.