Mortal Kombat, Godzilla vs. Kong, and more featured in new HBO Max promo

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

A new trailer has shown up online to promote Warner Bros' plan of releasing all of their 2021 films to theatres and the HBO Max streaming service on the same day, and this one is packed with footage – new and old – from films that are of particular interest to us here at Arrow in the Head: Mortal Kombat, Godzilla vs. Kong, James Wan's Malignant, Dune, the serial killer thriller The Little Things, and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.

The first of the bunch to be released will be The Little Things, written and directed by John Lee Hancock and starring Academy Award winners Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, and Jared Leto. Set to reach theatres and HBO Max on January 29th, it has the following synopsis: 

Kern County Deputy Sheriff Joe “Deke” Deacon (Washington) 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 (Malek), 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.

Next up is the March 31st release of director Adam Wingard's Godzilla vs. Kong. The synopsis for that monster mash: 

In a time when monsters walk the Earth, humanity’s fight for its future sets Godzilla and Kong on a collision course that will see the two most powerful forces of nature on the planet collide in a spectacular battle for the ages. As Monarch embarks on a perilous mission into uncharted terrain and unearths clues to the Titans’ origins, a human conspiracy threatens to wipe the creatures, both good and bad, from the face of the earth forever.

Mortal Kombat follows on April 16th. Directed by Simon McQuoid, it tells the story of MMA fighter Cole Young, who is 

accustomed to taking a beating for money, but is unaware of his heritage — or why Outworld’s Emperor Shang Tsung has sent his best warrior, Sub-Zero, an otherworldly Cryomancer, to hunt him down. Fearing for his family’s safety, Cole goes in search of Sonya Blade at the direction of Jax, a Special Forces Major who bears the same strange dragon marking Cole was born with. Soon, he finds himself at the temple of Lord Raiden, an Elder God and the protector of Earthrealm, who grants sanctuary to those who bear the mark. Here, Cole trains with experienced warriors Liu Kang, Kung Lao and rogue mercenary Kano, as he prepares to stand with Earth’s greatest champions against the enemies of Outworld in a high stakes battle for the universe. But will Cole be pushed hard enough to unlock his arcana — the immense power from within his soul — in time to save not only his family, but to stop Outworld once and for all?

Mortal Kombat producer James Wan directed the previous Conjuring movies, but he handed the helm of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It over to Michael Chaves. Starring Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, this one is set to be released on June 4th and tells 

a chilling story of terror, murder and unknown evil that shocked even experienced real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. One of the most sensational cases from their files, it starts with a fight for the soul of a young boy, then takes them beyond anything they’d ever seen before, to mark the first time in U.S. history that a murder suspect would claim demonic possession as a defense. 

Wan did direct Malignant, which doesn't have an official synopsis at this time. All we know about it is that it's "giallo-inspired" and it's going to be released on September 10th.

Dune production company Legendary and director Denis Villeneuve are reportedly unhappy that Warner Bros. plans to make that film available on HBO Max as of October 1st, but it looks like they're sticking to the plan anyway. Based on the Frank Herbert novel, Dune stars Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, "a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding", who 

must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet's exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence – a commodity capable of unlocking humanity's greatest potential – only those who can conquer their fear will survive.

Warner Bros. has quite a line-up in place for 2021, I want to see almost all of the movies they have coming out this year.