Let’s go to the movies! These are the sci-fi, fantasy, action and generally geeky flicks we’re excited about in 2017.
Once again, superheroes and sequels (and superhero sequels) dominate the box office listings. But it’s not all retreads and remakes; there are actually some original movies coming to movie theatres in 2017.
Matt Damon goes to China in the spectacular “The Great Wall“. Pixar debuts the Mexican-themed “Coco”. Gore Verbinski’s “A Cure for Wellness” looks like an atmospheric drama, while “The Girl With All the Gifts” and “Patient Zero” put a new twist on zombie movies. We also join the space race with the fascinating true-life story “Hidden Figures“.
Books making their way to the big screen in 2017 include the eye-popping comic “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets”, and Dave Eggers’ chilling tech-obsessed novel “The Circle“. Legendary anime “Ghost in the Shell” also gets the Hollywood treatment.
Acclaimed directors Edgar Wright, Christopher Nolan, Luc Besson and M Night Shyamalan all have films out this year. Even busier is Doug Liman, who has two movies out. Author Stephen King also has two flicks on the way: the long-awaited “The Dark Tower” with Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey, and a slightly-less-hotly-anticipated remake of “It”.
Netflix and Amazon continue to expand their production of original movies. This year’s flicks made by the streaming services include “Manchester by the Sea” and “The Wall”.
It’s a good year for pop stars: Rihanna, Sia and former Spice Girl Mel B are all involved in movies in 2017. And One Direction heartthrob Harry Styles gets into uniform for Christopher Nolan’s wartime drama “Dunkirk”.
It looks, however, like a bad year for space stations. “God Particle”, “Life” and “Geostorm” all involve spacefarers having a very bad day in orbit.
Sequels, reboots and remakes
Photo by Warner Bros.
So yeah: 2017 is stuffed full of sequels, reboots and remakes. And superheroes. Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, Thor, Wolverine, the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Justice League once again fly from the pages of Marvel and DC to the screen.
Among the other sequels are “John Wick: Chapter 2”, “Kingsman: The Golden Circle” and “The Fate of the Furious”. Then there’s “War for the Planet of the Apes”, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales”, and “Transformers: The Last Knight” — not to mention new chapters in the “Resident Evil” and “Underworld” sagas.
Among all these sequels are a few films that have been a long time coming. “Blade Runner 2049”, “Alien: Covenant” and “Flatliners” revisit films made decades ago.
Old TV shows are also having a moment. “Baywatch”, “CHiPs”, Power Rangers” and “The Six Million Dollar Man” are all coming to the big screen this year.
Among the other reboots are remakes of “Friday the 13th” and new versions of the classic movies “King Kong” and “The Mummy”. Board game fantasy caper “Jumanji” is being remade too.
The kids can enjoy a live-action version of “Beauty and the Beast”, as well as “Cars 3” and “My Little Pony”. Lego fans also get to enjoy brick-shaped films featuring Batman and Ninjago.
Finally, of course, the year will be rounded out by Rian Johnson’s “Star Wars: Episode VIII” in December.
See you at the popcorn stand!
