We just time-travelled from the year 2017, and we're happy to report that geeks have much to look forward to in the coming year! Get ready for your Spider-Men and Star Wars, apes and Aliens, Guardians of the Galaxies and Ghosts in the Shells!
It's Age of the Geek, baby, and everything must go! In 2017, cinemas will be filled to the brim with superheroes, space operas, giant apes, giant robots, regular-sized robots and an occasional disturbing glimpse into the nightmarish worlds of the near-future dystopias. It's a dream come true for all of us geeks and quite probably the next best thing we can hope to see in the near future, aside of the technological singularity.
Without further ado, we're presenting you with our list of the 16 Most Anticipated Sci-Fi Movie Of 2017 - from your most beloved franchises to... well, your other most beloved franchises.
16. Bonus: The Dark Tower - July 28, 2017
Best-selling horror writer Stephen King has been working on his The Dark Tower series at least since the early 1980s. The series consists out of eight books, with the last one - The Wind Through the Keyhole - published in 2012. The world of the Dark Tower is a strange and original mix of science fiction, epic fantasy and Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns.
The Dark Tower follows the last gunslinger-knight Roland Deschain (Idris Elba - Star Trek Beyond) as he struggles against the forces of the Man in Black (Matthew McConaughey - True Detective), a mysterious immortal sorcerer first appearing under the name Randall Flagg in King's apocalyptic novel The Stand. These two fight for the control over the Dark Tower - a magical lynchpin that holds multiple realities together. The movie adaptation of The Dark Tower novels has been in development since 2007. Produced by Ron Howard and Akiva Goldsman, the movie is directed by Danish filmmaker Nikolaj Arcel.
15. Valerian and the City of Thousand Planets - July 21, 2017
One of the more interesting criticisms leveled at Star Wars is that the movies liberally borrow images and ideas from the cult French comic book series Valérian and Laureline. Thanks to movie director and producer Luc Besson, next July we'll be able to check these claims for ourselves in his big budget adaptation titled Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.
Created by Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières in 1967, the comic book series follows adventures of time-travelling cops Valérian and Laureline (played in the movie by Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne). Judging by the movie's first trailer, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets looks similar to Besson's highly entertaining yet unappreciated The Fifth Element (1997). Even if this kind of sci-fi camp isn't to your taste, you should remember that Besson knows how to deliver action as can be attested by movies such as Nikita (1990), Léon: The Professional (1994) and Lucy (2014).
14. Alien: Covenant - May 19, 2017
2017 should be a very good year for Ridley Scott. He's producing a Blade Runner sequel (read more about it below) while also directing a sequel to Prometheus. Scott has previously stated he intends to direct three or four Prometheus sequels and that would set up the stage for the first Alien movie.
Taking place after the events of Prometheus, Alien: Covenant follows the crew aboard the colony ship Covenant as it travels to what is supposedly a paradise world. Unsurprisingly, it turns out that the planet in question is actually a hellhole full of aliens. Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace will return to play their characters David the android and Dr. Elizabeth Shaw. The cast will also include Danny McBride (Eastbound and Down), Billy Crudup (Watchmen) and Callie Hernandez (Blair Witch) whose characters will all most probably all get eaten by the aliens. Alien: Covenant was originally scheduled for an August release but was recently re-scheduled for May instead.
13. War for the Planet of the Apes - July 14, 2017
In Rise of the Planet of the Apes, apes have their intelligence artificially increased by the scientists looking for a cure for Alzheimer's disease. In Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, apes try and fail to peacefully co-exist with the plague-devastated remains of mankind. In the next year's War for the Planet of the Apes, Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his colony of apes engage in a full-on war against the army of humans led by the sinister Colonel (Woody Harrelson).
War for the Planet of the Apes will be directed and co-written by Matt Reeves, who previously directed Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and Cloverfield. This will be the ninth Planet of the Apes movie overall. It's always worth pointing out how this media franchise that began decades ago when the Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling turned the French satirical sci-fi novel La Planète des Singes into a sci-fi movie starring Charlton Heston.
12. Kong: Skull Island - March 10, 2017
It's been a little over a decade since Peter Jackson's King Kong remake. This means it's time for yet another movie about the world's most famous giant gorilla. Set in the 1970s and heavily inspired by the look of movies such as Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now, Kong: Skull Island follows explorers, soldiers, and scientists sent to the mysterious Pacific island, unaware of the giant ape called Kong and other monsters living there.
Kong: Skull Island takes place in the same universe as the 2014 Godzilla movie by Gareth Edwards. Produced by Legendary Pictures, these two movies are supposed to lead towards an epic Godzilla - Kong showdown sometime around 2020. Kong: Skull Island is directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, while its cast is led by Tom Hiddleston (The Avengers), Samuel L. Jackson (also The Avengers), John Goodman (10 Cloverfield Lane), Brie Larson (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) and John C. Reilly (Guardians of the Galaxy).
11. Thor: Ragnarok - November 3, 2017
The third movie about our favorite beer-swiveling, hammer-throwing Asgardian is scheduled to arrive late next year. So far, not much is known about its plotline. Judging by the mid-credits scene in Doctor Strange, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has come to our world looking for his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins). Does that mean he's aware that his half-brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) took his place?
Whatever the case may be, Thor: Ragnarok will feature most of the cast from the previous Thor movies as well as some newcomers. Cate Blanchett will play Hela, ruler of the underworld, Jeff Goldblum will appear as a cosmic being known as Grandmaster while Tessa Thompson and Karl Urban will play Asgardian warriors Valkyrie and Skurge. Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner/Hulk should also play a prominent role in the film. Thor: Ragnarok will be directed by Taika Waititi, a New Zealand director best known for his horror-comedy What We Do in the Shadows.
10. Ghost in the Shell - March 31, 2017
First published in 1989, Ghost in the Shell by Masamune Shirow quickly became one of the classics of the cyberpunk genre. Through a series of stories, this manga explores the world of the mid-21 century where Major Motoko Kusanagi and her Public Security Section 9 deal with intrigue and terrorism in the near-future Japan. Shirow uses this setting to explore questions of human identity and consciousness in a future in which people and machines are slowly becoming indistinguishable.
Ghost in the Shell quickly turned into a media-spanning franchise that, so far, includes two animated movies, two animated TV shows and several computer games. In 2008, Steven Spielberg's company DreamWorks Pictures acquired rights for a live-action adaptation of Ghost in the Shell. The movie is scheduled for release next spring. It already caused some controversy among the fans, due to the casting of Scarlett Johansson in a role of an Asian character Major Kusanagi.
9. Blade Runner 2049 - October 6, 2017
Based on a novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick, Ridley Scott's Blade Runner is widely considered to among the best science fiction movies ever made. There have been rumors about a Blade Runner sequel for almost two decades now. During that time, pretty much everything about it changed: its screenplay, its cast and even its director.
Ridley Scott is currently onboard only as an executive producer. Instead, Blade Runner 2049 will be directed by the talented Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, who made thrillers such as Prisoners and Sicario as well as the recent sci-fi film Arrival, widely considered to be one of the best sci-fi movies of 2016. The cast will feature Ryan Gosling (Drive), Robin Wright (House of Cards), Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy) while Harrison Ford is scheduled to reprise his role of Deckard. Blade Runner 2049 should arrive in cinemas around October of 2017.
8. Power Rangers - March 24, 2017
It's incredible to remember that Mighty Morphin Power Rangers first aired way back in 1993. During its 800 plus episodes - eight hundred episodes, people! - the show changed its villains, its cast, its setting and its title. It's quite astounding that, in this reboot-filled era, it took such a long time for someone to produce a big budget Hollywood adaptation of the Power Rangers franchise. Mind you, there have been Power Rangers movies before, but none of them had a $150 million budget!
Power Rangers will reboot the show's story and follow five teenagers: Billy (RJ Cyler), Jason (Dacre Montgomery), Kimberly (Naomi Scott), Trini (Becky G) and Zack (Ludi Lin). They learn the world is threatened by witch-queen Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks) and her army of size-changing monsters. With a help of their mentor Zordon (Bryan Cranston), these five kids will harness all the might of their Power Rangers suits. The movie - scheduled for a release in March - will be directed by Dean Israelite (Project Almanac).
7. Transformers: The Last Knight - June 23, 2017
The fifth movie in Michael Bay's magnum opus about giant CGI toys wrecking entire cities, Transformers: The Last Knight will roll to cinemas in June of 2017. In it, noble Autobots led by Optimus Prime (voice of Peter Cullen) will presumably once again clash with the vengeful Megatron (voice of Frank Welker) and his army of thuggish Decepticons. There are rumors that the movie will feature both magic and time travel.
Human characters will be involved in some capacity as well. They will most probably yell a lot and run around so as not to get trampled by all the lumbering robots. Mark Wahlberg will return as Cade Yeager, a single father and a blue collar inventor. Stanley Tucci, John Turturro, Josh Duhamel, and Tyrese Gibson will all reprise their roles from the previous Transformers movies. Then there are robots, of course: not only the Autobots and the Decepticons, but the Dinobots and Combaticons as well.
6. Wonder Woman - June 2, 2017
DC Extended Universe got off to a somewhat rocky start with Man of Steel (2013), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Suicide Squad (2016). All of them were commercially successful but received mixed reviews from the audiences and critics alike. Now, all of that just might change with the arrival of Wonder Woman. One of the oldest and the most iconic DC Comics superheroes is finally getting her own feature film.
Set around the time of World War I, the movie follows Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), an immortal Amazon princess who meets an American fighter pilot Steve Trevor (Chris Pine - Star Trek). Learning about the War to End All Wars, Wonder Woman joins Trevor and leaves her home island of Themyscira to use her powers for good in the outside world. Wonder Woman will be directed by Patty Jenkins who in 2003 made Academy Award-winning drama Monster and worked on a number of TV shows such as Entourage and Arrested Development.
5. Spider-Man: Homecoming - July 7, 2017
Has there ever been a superhero who got not one, not two, but three different movie versions in fifteen years? Our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man just might be the first. Set in the aftermath of the events depicted in Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man: Homecoming will follow young Peter Parker/ Spider-Man (Tom Holland) as he tries to balance his everyday high school life with his secret career as a crime-fighting superhero.
This second reboot of the Spider-Man franchise came to be due to an agreement between Sony - who used to hold character rights for Spider-Man - and Marvel Studios. This allowed Marvel to integrate our favorite web-slinger into their cinematic universe. The cast of Spider-Man: Homecoming will include Michael Keaton as Vulture, Marisa Tomei as Aunt May and Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. The movie will be directed by the newcomer Jon Watts who previously made the horror flick Clown and the thriller Cop Car.
4. Logan - March 3, 2017
A tenth movie in the X-Men franchise, Logan takes place in the post-apocalyptic aftermath of the events depicted in X-Men: Days of Future Past. Its story follows aged Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) whose healing abilities are slowly disappearing. He's tasked by his old friend Professor X (Patrick Stewart) to help protect Laura (Dafne Keen) - a young girl with powers not unlike those of Wolverine himself. They are all hunted by the sinister forces led by Donald Pierce (Boyd Holbrook - Narcos) and the scientist Zander Rice (Richard E. Grant - Bram Stoker's Dracula).
Logan is loosely based on the graphic novel Old Man Logan by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven, one of the crazier alternate universe stories published by Marvel. Although we probably won't get to see Wolverine fight Venom-infested dinosaurs or the incestuous hillbilly descendants of Hulk, we can still hope. Logan will be directed by James Mangold (The Wolverine, Walk the Line, remake of 3:10 to Yuma).
3. Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 - May 5, 2017
Guardians of the Galaxy sequel was first announced at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con - about a week before the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie even rolled into cinemas. Marvel's confidence was proven at the box office: Guardians of the Galaxy earned more than $700 million worldwide due to its mix of humor, action and an excellent soundtrack.
Titled simply Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the sequel will be released in May of 2017. It will be written and directed by James Gunn (Slither, Super) who directed and co-wrote the first movie as well. Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel are all expected to reprise their roles. They will be joined by the Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.) as well as by the legendary legend Kurt Russell (Big Trouble in Little China, The Hateful Eight) who should be pitch-perfect as Peter Quill's alien father.
2. Justice League - November 17, 2017
Those DC guys sure aren't waste their time! Justice League will come out six months after the release of Wonder Woman. Set in the aftermath of Superman's sacrifice at the end of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the movie follows Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) and Batman (Ben Affleck) as they assemble a team of superheroes to help them stop the cosmic villain Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds) and his army of Parademons from conquering and/or destroying our world while searching for the magical Mother Boxes that do... something?
Directed by Zack Snyder (Man of Steel, 300), Justice League will feature most of the cast from his previous two Superman movies: Amy Adams, Henry Cavill, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeremy Irons and Diane Lane will all return for their respective roles. They will be joined by Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Ray Fisher as Cyborg and Ezra Miller as Flash.
1. Star Wars: Episode VIII - December 15, 2017
Not much is known about Star Wars: Episode VIII - including its very title! What is known is that Star Wars: Episode VIII will be written and directed by Rian Johnson, who previously worked on the cable drama Breaking Bad and directed Looper - a 2012 sci-fi action movie about time travel starring Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Star Wars: Episode VIII will continue the story immediately after the ending of The Force Awakens. The movie will bring back most of the cast from the previous film: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher. Apparently, they will be joined by Benicio del Toro (Sicario, Guardians of the Galaxy) and Laura Dern (Jurassic Park, Inland Empire). Star Wars: Episode VIII will be released in December of 2017. This new trilogy of Star Wars movie will be concluded sometime in 2019 with the Star Wars: Episode IX, directed by Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World).
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So, what 2017 sci-fi movies you can't wait to see? Share your comments with the others below!