Top 10 Anticipated Film of 2017

After much thought and taking a glance at what we have coming down the line for this year, we could be in for an entertaining time at the theater this year. We have the DCEU finally picking up steam with two anticipated films that may finally satisfy fans. An original war film, a superhero homecoming and a intergalactic band of misfits returns, and then there are sequels, sequels, and sequels. Did I forget to mention sequels?

10) Justice League - November 17th

The DCEU got there a little faster than Marvel, but a moment fans young and old have been looking forward to has finally arrived. We're getting a Justice League Movie! DC's Gods Among Us will take center stage as Batman (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) assemble a team of metahumans to face the threat of Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds) and the Parademons, who are on the hunt for the three Mother Boxes on Earth. The team consists of Cyborg (Ray Fisher), The Flash (Ezra Miller), and Aquaman (Jason Momoa). The obvious question is: how will Superman (Henry Cavill) return and will he join the team?  The other supporting cast members from the previous movies will also be making cameos in this ensemble film. Considering the mediocre success of Batman v Superman, this is DC's chance to really right the ship. They will have an earlier opportunity in the summer, but this could be their second chance.

9) Kingsman: The Golden Circle - October 6th

In 2014, the British-spy action film Kingsman: The Secret Service surprised everyone. The fresh storyline, comedy, and stylized action scenes (remember that church scene?) made the film one of the top grossing films of that year. It only made sense that a sequel would be made. Now, we're finally being treated to one. Taron Egerton returns as Gary "Eggsy" Unwin as an attack on the Kingsman Headquarters forces him, Merlin (Marc Strong), and Roxy (Sophie Cookson) to head to the United States and join forces with Statesman, their American Counterpart, to take on a new enemy called Poppy (Julianne Moore). I, for one, am looking forward to this film after having so much fun watching the first. New cast members include Channing Tatum and Jeff Bridges to represent the Statesman but the big question is how Colin Firth's Harry Hart will make his return after presumably killed in the first film.

8) The Fate of the Furious - April 14, 2017

'Family No More' seems to be the tag line for this installment in the high-speed series and, after the first trailer, it's very appropriate. Dom (Vin Diesel) and the crew, despite being exonerated after the events of Furious 7, are still up to their old tricks and found some semblance of normal lives. When a mysterious woman named Cipher (Charlize Theron) corrupts Dom into betraying his family and into a world of crime he cannot escape. They each will face trials that will test them like never before. Vin Diesel returns along with series veterans like Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson and Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges, returning characters played by Kurt Russell and new players like Charlize Theron and Helen Mirren will be joining the cast. Since the original cast has returned, the series has truly evolved past its street racing beginnings. Despite the tragic loss of Paul Walker, the Fast and the Furious continues to run. Let's see where this direction takes them in the final trilogy of the Fast and Furious film series.

7) Blade Runner 2049 - October 6, 2017

An unexpected cult classic is FINALLY getting a sequel. After languishing in developmental hell, going through changes to the script, writers, and all the stalling, Blade Runner returns. Picking up thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD officer K (Ryan Gosling), unearths a long buried secret that has the potential to plunge what's left of society into chaos. K's discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years. Since it seems like Harrison Ford is returning to past role that made him a star and we have seen Han Solo's end, who knows what the fate of Deckard will be? I'm looking forward to seeing Blade Runner's sequel will translate with the masses.

6) Wonder Woman - June 2, 2017

Before the Justice League finally assembles in DC's biggest film yet, one of the founding members and iconic heroes of all time will, at last, get her own solo movie. Gal Gadot reprises her role as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman in this origin story set in the early 20th century, finding the Amazon princess of Themyscira meeting American military pilot Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) when he washes ashore. After learning about the outside world embroiled in World War I, Diana leaves the island to bring an early end to the war. A film about the iconic comic book hero has been long discussed and teased that we never thought it would happen. Now, it looks like DC might get a chance to one-up Marvel Studios with the first solo film for a female superhero.

5) Dunkirk - July 21, 2017

Christopher Nolan returns to the director's chair this summer to deliver a war epic that could be an earlier front-runner to win the summer and possibly an Oscar nomination. This film concerns the Dunkirk evacuation during the Second World War, where Allied soldiers from Britain, Belgium, Canada, and France are surrounded by the German Army on the beaches of Dunkirk and evacuated in Operation Dynamo. Starring a stellar cast that contains Kenneth Branagh, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance, and introducing Harry Styles, this film could be very strong. We've never seen a movie cover the early years of World War II, but if there is one director who can do that film justice, it is Christopher Nolan.

4) Spider-Man: Homecoming - July 7, 2017

After an original trilogy and a reboot under the Sony banner, Sony finally struck a deal with Marvel to bring the web-slinger home. This second reboot of the Spider-Man film series and the sixteenth film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe follows the events after Captain America: Civil War, finding Peter Parker (Tom Holland) trying to find a balance in his life as an ordinary high school student with fighting crime as his superhero alter-ego, Spider-Man, along with the help of his mentor, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) as a new threat emerges in the Vulture (Michael Keaton). I was very impressed by Tom Holland during Civil War and it will be amazing to see how he stands on his own and interacts with this established universe and all its amazing characters. Welcome home, Spidey.

3) Beauty and the Beast - March 17, 2017

One of my all-time favorite Disney movies and one of my favorites of all time is getting the live-action treatment. This movie doesn't need to be changed or modified in any way. It just needs to be done right. Belle (Emma Watson) is a young woman who is taken prisoner by a Beast (Dan Stevens) in his castle in exchange for her father's (Kevin Kline) freedom. Despite her initial fears, she comes to befriend the castle's enchanted staff and learns to look beyond the Beast's physical appearance to recognize the true heart and soul of the human prince inside as a hunter, Gaston (Luke Evans), is on the loose to take Belle for himself and kill the Beast at any cost. Disney could not find a better cast to be a part of this film with the talents of Emma Thompson, Ian McKellan, Ewan McGregor, and Josh Gad. This film deserves to be one of the most anticipated of this year.

2) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - May 5, 2017

Marvel's intergalactic band of misfits are back! The sequel to the surprise hit of 2014 finds James Gunn returning to the helm the new adventure with its cast of colorful characters. Set two months after the first film, the Guardians of the Galaxy travel throughout the cosmos and struggle to keep their new family together, while helping Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) learn about his true parentage. Featuring the returning cast members of Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Michael Rooker along with new members like Kurt Russell along with what is sure to be an amazing soundtrack (like the first film), this film could be out of this world.

1) Star Wars: Episode VIII - December 15, 2017

In what seems to be the start of a holiday trend, a new Star Wars movie will blast into theaters in December. The second installment in the Star Wars sequel trilogy following The Force Awakens, finished filming in July 2016. Little is known about the film that will pick up after the events of the previous episode. Star Wars veterans Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker and Carrie Fisher in her final role before her untimely death as General Leia return to team up with returning new cast members Daisey Ridley as Force-sensitive Rey, John Boyega as Finn, Oscar Issac as Poe Dameron, and Adam Driver as Kylo Ren. I cannot wait to see the first preview for this film, knowing that this film is the top of the anticipated movie list for many entertainment forums.

What's your most anticipated film for this year? Did any of them show up on my list? Let me know!

Here's to a great year of movies!