May 2021 will bring with it another wave of major science fiction releases on streaming platforms. Streaming platforms have capitalized on the dedicated sci-fi fandom, embracing the “long tail” approach to create works in what was once considered a niche genre. With more streaming services competing for subscriptions and eyeballs, fans now have a choice of sci-fi movies and TV shows to watch each month — and May is no exception.
2021 has already seen major sci-fi releases like the second season of AppleTV+’s For All Mankind as well as smaller stories like Netflix’s Stowaway. However, big franchises like Star Trek and Star Wars have mostly been quiet in the first four months of the year. But this absence is about to change, with some science fiction heavy hitters releasing on streaming platforms in the coming months.
Sci-fi fans will know May as containing May 4, which has become known as Star Wars Day (think “May the Fourth be with you.”) The 4th could see major announcements on the streaming future of one of the biggest science fiction franchises, and will also feature the launch of a brand-new Star Wars streaming series. It will also be a big month for Netflix’s sci-fi line-ups with the return of an animated anthology show and the debut of two original series. For viewers looking to catch up on theatrical releases, HBO Max will stream one of 2020’s biggest sci-fi movies for the first time.
May will also be a big month for sci-fi-adjacent genres like superheroes and zombies. Marvel’s expansion into streaming TV will continue with a new animated series on Hulu, while Netflix will offer another take on the superhero genre. Netflix will also feature one of 2021’s most talked-about directors returning with a new zombie movie that will also be released theatrically. Sci-fi fans have plenty of options for new releases this month, with even bigger titles like The Matrix 4 and new live-action Star Trek in the months to come.
Tenet – May 1 (HBO Max)
One of the biggest theatrical movies making its streaming premiere this month is Christopher Nolan’s Tenet. The movie stars John David Washington as a CIA agent who learns of an attack from the future that aims to annihilate the present day. Washington’s unnamed protagonist learns how to “invert” the flow of time, leading to a number of unique action scenes with time flowing back and forth.
Tenet received mixed reviews; it was a divisive film both because of Nolan’s decision to release the film as a theatrical-exclusive release during the COVID-19 pandemic and because of the movie’s script and sometimes difficult-to-understand sound editing. The movie was released on DVD and video-on-demand services in December, and the ability to watch with subtitles may lead some to re-evaluate their initial judgment. This month will the first time Tenet is available to watch on a streaming subscription service at no extra cost, which could lead to more curious viewers giving it a chance.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch – May 4 (Disney+)
Premiering on Star Wars Day will be the newest animated series in the universe. The Bad Batch is a spin-off of the Clone Wars animated series starring Clone Force 99, a group of clones whose genetic mutations have made them elite mercenaries. The series is set after the end of the Clone Wars, meaning that it is set between Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and the original Star Wars movies. All of the troopers will be voiced by Dee Bradley Baker, while The Bad Batch will also include characters familiar from live-action like Grand Moff Tarkin, Saw Gerrera and Fennec Shand. The series will have a 70-minute premiere on May 4 followed by shorter episodes released every Friday.
The Bad Batch is created and produced by Dave Filoni, who has been involved with all of the CG-animated Star Wars series as well as live-action series like The Mandalorian. Filoni is one of the architects for the extended Star Wars universe being developed through Disney+, and characters like Ahsoka Tano have moved between the animated and live-action worlds. All of this means that The Bad Batch could be an essential part of the growing Star Wars universe.
Jupiter’s Legacy – May 7 (Netflix)
Jupiter’s Legacy is another take on the superhero genre. Based on the comics by Mark Millar and Frank Quitely that were released between 2013 and 2016, the series tells the story of the children of the world’s first superheroes and their difficulty living up to their parents’ legends. The story begins in the 1930s and cuts back and forth over the course of a century, showing how its superheroic characters and the world around them have changed over the years. Like other Millar stories like Kick-Ass and Kingsman, the series will have a more cynical and adult perspective than other superhero narratives. The TV adaptation stars Josh Duhamel, Ben Daniels and Leslie Bibb.
Oxygen – May 12 (Netflix)
Netflix’s next sci-fi movie is a French-language thriller directed by Alexandre Aja. The story concerns a young woman who wakes up in a cryogenic tank, unable to remember her name or past. The woman has to figure out what’s happening as she gradually runs out of Oxygen. The movie has been in gestation since 2017 and has changed a lot in this time, originally titled O2 and starring Anne Hathaway, then Noomi Rapace. The movie that will actually stream stars Melanie Laurent and Matthieu Amalric.
Love, Death & Robots Season 2 – May 14 (Netflix)
Netflix will release season 2 of Love, Death & Robots in mid-May. Just like the first instalment, each episode of season 2 will be self-contained and feature a different creative team and animation style. The eight episodes will adapt stories by major sci-fi authors like John Scalzi, Harlan Ellison, J. G. Ballard and Paolo Bacigalupi, and feature major names like Michael B. Jordan in the voice cast. Love, Death & Robots has already been renewed for a third season.
Army of the Dead – May 21
Zack Snyder is returning to the Dead franchise with Army of the Dead, which premieres May 21, 2021. The horror movie is a combination of the zombie and heist genres and sees a group of mercenaries seek to take advantage of the zombie apocalypse to rob a casino. Dave Bautista heads up an ensemble cast that contains Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick and Hiroyuki Sanada. Army of the Dead has also had a troubled production history, with the project first announced back in 2007, and had to digitally replace Chris D’Elia with Tig Notaro. But with Bautista’s growing popularity and a renewed interest in Snyder’s work following his re-released cut of Justice League, Army of the Dead could be a big hit for Netflix.
Marvel’s M. O. D. O. K. – May 21 (Hulu)
The next streaming series set in the Marvel universe will air not on Disney+ but on Hulu. M. O. D. O. K. is a comedic stop-motion animated series with adult humor about the titular mid-tier supervillain, a robotic floating head who wants to conquer the world but struggles to keep his organization and family together. The series features Patton Oswalt as the voice of M. O. D. O. K. and a supporting cast that includes Aimee Garcia, Ben Schwartz and Jon Daly and guest voices by Jon Hamm, Nathan Fillion, Whoopi Goldberg and Bill Hader. M. O. D. O. K. was originally part of a larger Hulu franchise that portrayed a more light-hearted corner of the Marvel universe, but those plans are currently uncertain.
Eden – May 27 (Netflix)
May will also see another Netflix original anime series. Eden is set in a seemingly utopian world almost empty of humans, and stars a young girl being raised by two robots who has to uncover the truth of the world. The show is helmed by Yasuhiro Irie, who directed Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood among other titles, and is written by Kimiko Ueno and Justin Leach. The series is part of Netflix’s ongoing efforts to offer its own take on anime.
The May streaming slate suggests just how diverse science fiction movies and TV are at the moment, with the month containing everything from pastoral animated series to zombie heist movies. Time will tell which of these shows and movies are worth watching, but in any case, sci-fi fans won’t be starved for choice.
Key Release Dates
Army of the Dead
Release Date:2021-05-21
