Summer blockbuster movies for 2017
With awards season out of the way, the studios can concentrate on the summer blockbuster movies aka 'tent poles' (i.e. those that will make shed loads of money, even if they will never get within sniffing distance of the Academy), which for us punters means one thing: big name stars, comic book heroes and more action than you can shake a stick at.
2017 has a bumper crop of new movies coming up from first sunshine all the way till Autumn, so read on. All you need to do is buy the popcorn...
Spider-man: Homecoming (July 7th)
Twenty-year-old Londoner Tom Holland is the latest actor to put on the red suit in a reboot of the franchise with a twist with Zendaya co-starring. Spider-Man is now merged into the Marvel Comic Universe, so we'll see Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) as his mentor. Plus the young Peter dealing with spider powers and a new nemesis, The Vulture (Michael Keaton).
Justice League (Nov 17th)
DC Comics are taking Marvel's lead in assembling their finest superheroes in the same movie. Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) and Batman (Ben Affleck) round up their up a team including Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and The Flash (Ezra Miller) to save the planet. Should be fun.
RexAlien: Covenant (May 19th)
After 2012's bewildering Prometheus, the Alien series is back on more familiar ground. Lots of running and screaming as the monsters pick off the unlucky crew of a space ship one by one. This time the ship's called Covenant with new members James Franco, Katherine Waterston and a return Michael Fassbender as another cold-eyed android.
RexDespicable Me 3 (June 30th)
After their own spin-off movie of their own, the Minions return as sidekicks for their loveable villain master Gru (Steve Carell). There's much to do as their boss discovers he has a more successful evil brother Dru (also Carell). Kristen Wiig is back too as Lucy, and Trey Parker plays a camp 80's disco baddie. Should be the animation of the year.
RexThe Mummy (June 9th)
The evergreen Tom Cruise replaces Brendan Fraser in a kickstart of the classic series. He's Nick Morton, an adventurer who unearths a vengeful Egyptian princess - played by French-Algerian dancer turned actress Sofia Boutella. This is part of a new Universal Monsters series with movies based on The Wolfman and the Bride of Frankenstein on the way.
Transformers: The Last Knight (June 23rd)
The fifth and final (we'll see) instalment in the giant shapeshifting robot series. The humans are at war with the Transformers and our only chance is Mark Wahlberg, Bumblebee (the yellow and black one) and an eccentric Lord (Anthony Hopkins). With a globe-trotting shoot from Cuba to Alnwick Castle - expect the usual metallic mayhem.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (May 26th)
Johnny Depp reportedly picked up a $90 million cheque for the fifth high seas adventure for Captain Jack Sparrow. The bad guy this time is Javier Bardem as a ghostly pirate hunter, and Kaya Scodelario is a new addition as an astronomer searching for the powerful Trident of Poseidon.
RexWar of the Planet of the Apes (July 14th)
It's the year of the monkey. After Kong comes yet more hairy action with the third in the series for the warring apes. Andy Serkis gets in the motion capture suit again to play Caesar, the leader of a tribe of intelligent simians, with Woody Harrelson as a crazed Colonel looking to kill them off once and for all.
Blade Runner 2049 (Oct 6th)
The Harrison Ford comeback continues with a return to another of his most famous roles, the replicant bounty hunter Rick Deckard. Missing for 30 years, he's lured out of retirement by a rookie detective, played by Ryan Gosling at his smoldering best. The highlight of the year for sci-fi and Gosling fans.
RexValerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (July 21st)
The biggest ever French movie at £170 million, from their biggest director Luc Besson (Luc Besson). A teasingly bonkers trailer shows Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne team up as time-travelling agents. Their job is to investigate a strange force on the intergalactic city of Alpha.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Dec 15th)
It wouldn't be Christmas without a Star Wars movie. The 8th in the series has already got fans in a frenzy, partly because so little is known about the plot. The big rumour is that Rey (Daisy Ridley) is Luke's daughter. And there's a mysterious connection between her and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) our favourite Star Wars baddie. And Yoda might be back... excited we are.
Jumanji (Dec 20th)
A huge year for Dwayne Johnson who after The Fate of the Furious and Baywatch) rounds off 2017 with this big family movie. The sequel to Robin Williams's 1995 film updates the action from a living board game. Four kids are now stuck in an old video game as unlikely avatars - played by Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart and Karen Gillan.
