Continuing the magnificent expansion of Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) on Disney+, in this series we see Clint Barton aka Hawkeye trying to reach his family for Christmas one year after the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019). But the path is not easy as the expert archer has to face troubles from his past as the mercenary Ronin.

However, he has help in the form of a young archer with skills that rival his own — Kate Bishop. Jeremy Renner is Clint Barton while Hailee Steinfeld joins MCU as Bishop. Among other cast members are Vera Farmiga, Florence Pugh, Fra Fee and Tony Dalton. The six-episode series premiered on 24 November 2021 and will be aired weekly.

Finale airs: 22 December 2021

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The animated film is based on the first book of the bestselling children’s series of the same name by Jeff Kinney. It follows Greg Heffley, a middle school student who is skinny but ambitious. He maintains a diary but calls it a “journal” in which he pens down his hilarious misadventures at school and life with best friend Rowley.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid features a voice cast of Brady Noon as Greg, Ethan William Childress as Rowley and Chris Diamantopoulos as Frank Heffley. Kinney wrote and produced the film, which has been directed by Swinton Scott.

Release date: 3 December 2021

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Created and written by Tracy Oliver, the series is about four friends — Camille, Tye, Quinn and Angie — from Harlem who together navigate life and career in a modern-day New York City following their graduation. Meghan Good, Grace Byers, Jerrie Johnson and Shoniqua Shandai play the four main leads. The supporting cast includes Whoopi Goldberg, Jasmine Guy, and Tyler LePley.

Release date: 3 December 2021

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And Just Like That… is a revival of the phenomenally popular HBO series Sex and the City (1998-2004). It brings back part of the original cast including Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw, Kristin Davis as Charlotte York Goldenblatt and Cynthia Nixon as Miranda Hobbes. The focus of the series is on the life, love and friendships of Carrie, Charlotte and Miranda who are now in their 50s. Among the main characters not returning to this revival is Kim Cattrall, who played Samantha Jones.

The original series won seven of its 54 Emmy nods and eight of its 24 Golden Globe nominations. It led to two box-office hits films — Sex and the City (2008) and Sex and the City 2 (2010).

Release date: 9 December 2021

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Encounter is an Amazon original movie starring Riz Ahmed in the main role of Malik Khan. The film, which is directed by Michael Pearce, is about an alien invasion that makes Khan, a decorated marine, go to dangerous lengths to protect his two young sons. The film was screened at the Telluride Film Festival on 3 September 2021. Besides Ahmed, the film stars Octavia Spencer as Hattie and Janina Gavankar as Piya Khan among other cast members.

Release date: 10 December 2021

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The Expanse Season 6 will mark the end of the epic sci-fi space adventure series which has been on since 2015. The story, which is set in the 24th century, is based on the books of the same name by James S. A. Corey — a pen name of authors Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham.

The Solar System has been colonised by humans and a power struggle is in play between the planetary forces of Earth and Mars. The Expanse begins with an investigation by an intrepid detective and his eventual teaming with the captain of a rouge space vessel, Rocinante, and its crew. Gradually, a deeper conspiracy begins to unravel as tensions between Earth and Mars rise with the rogue team finding itself in the middle.

To be released weekly, the finale will be aired in January 2022.

Release date: 10 December 2021

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A powerful true story of a Japanese man who arrives in Philippines with only one goal — becoming a professional boxer. The challenge? He has a prosthetic leg. An HBO Asia Original, Gensan Punch is based on the life of Naozumi Tsuchiyama who had to leave Japan in 2005 to train in Philippines because of rules that barred him from going pro due to his disability.

Gensan in the film’s title comes from the abbreviation General Santos City, renowned for producing some of Philippines’ greatest boxers including Manny Pacquiao. Directed by Brillante Mendoza, the film is in English, Japanese and Tagalog language. It stars Shogen in the title lead alongside Beauty Gonzalez and Ronnie Lazaro.

Release date: 16 December 2021

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The biographical film takes a look at the life of acting legend Lucille Ball and her famous husband Desi Arnaz during a very crucial one week of their lives when they are making the hit, I Love Lucy. Ball and Arnaz were a real-life couple at the time but there was tension in their marriage.

The film is named after the fictional family name of the characters, Lucy Ricardo and Ricky Ricardo, played by Ball and Arnaz, respectively, in the 1950s sitcom.

Being the Ricardos stars Academy Award winners Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem in the lead roles. It is written and directed by Academy Award winning screenwriter-director Aaron Sorkin.

Release date: 21 December 2021

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The most anticipated film of 2021, The Matrix Resurrections is a direct sequel to the three critically acclaimed blockbuster films of The Matrix franchise starring Keanu Reeves as the protagonist Neo. Like other HBO Warner Bros films, the fourth instalment will be released simultaneously in theatres and HBO Max.

The story is set 20 years after the events of the third film, The Matrix Revolutions (2003), and focusses on Neo as he appears to be living a normal life taking blue pills. A chance encounter with Trinity and the arrival of Morpheus begins to force Neo to again question his ‘reality’ as the matrix begins to unravel.  

While Carrie-Anne Moss returns as Trinity, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II replaces Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus. Other returning and new cast members include Jada Pinkett Smith, Jessica Henwick, Christina Ricci, Neil Patrick Harris, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas.

Release date: 22 December 2021

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Marking the directorial debut of writer Emerald Fennell, the acclaimed 2020 film is about a woman named Cassandra Thomas who decides to take revenge on a man who raped her friend years ago and all those whose actions led to the crime going unpunished.

Carey Mulligan plays Cassandra to such perfection that she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. The film itself was nominated in four other categories including Best Film with Fennell taking home the award for Best Original Screenplay.

Release date: 24 December 2021

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The Book of Boba Fett takes forward the story of the legendary bounty hunter from the Star Wars franchise following the events depicted in The Mandalorian (2019—). Among the most awaited series on any streaming platform, The Book of Boba Fett follows its titular protagonist as he and his mercenary Fennec Shand try to bring together the galactic underworld under their control after taking over the crime syndicate of Jabba the Hutt. Both Temuera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen reprise their roles as Boba Fett and Fennec Shand from The Mandalorian.

Release date: 29 December 2021 

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