Top 25 Anticipated Movies of 2018

I’m currently catching up on the 2017 movies (and by that I mean impatiently waiting for some of them to actually release in New Zealand) and I thought I might as well do my list of movies that I’m most looking forward to. Of course I’m not aware of every single movie that’s coming out in 2018 but I’ve done some searching around in terms of films coming out this year, and this is my personal list.

25. Mary, Queen of Scots

I first heard about this movie with the two leads, Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie being involved. It takes quite a bit for a period piece film to interest me and it seemed that Ronan and Robbie were enough to do that.

Mary Stuart’s (Saoirse Ronan) attempt to overthrow her cousin Elizabeth I, Queen of England (Margot Robbie), finds her condemned to years of imprisonment before facing execution.

I’ll admit, it’s just really the cast that interests me, particularly Saoirse Ronan (Mary, Queen of Scots) and Margot Robbie (Queen Elizabeth I) and also David Tennant and Guy Pearce. I don’t know much about Mary, Queen of Scots or Queen Elizabeth I and I’ve not seen anything from director Josie Rourke. It’s really just the cast that makes me has my interest, I have no doubt that they will be great in it. Whether the film on the whole will be great remains to be seen.

Mary, Queen of Scots is set for release on November 1st 2018

24. Ant Man and the Wasp

I personally liked Ant Man, I wouldn’t call it one of the best of the MCU but it was reasonably entertaining. I didn’t really know how excited I would be for a sequel but there’s enough things here to interest me.

In the aftermath of ‘Captain America: Civil War,’ Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) grapples with the consequences of his choices as both a Super Hero and a father. As he struggles to re-balance his home life with his responsibilities as Ant-Man, he’s confronted by Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) with an urgent new mission. Scott must once again put on the suit and learn to fight alongside The Wasp as the team works together to uncover secrets from their past.

Along with returning actors like Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Pena and Michael Douglas we also have some new actors involved with Michelle Pfeiffer, Laurence Fishburne and Walton Goggins. As for the plot, along with Evangeline Lilly’s character of Hope becoming The Wasp, the film will apparently involve the quantum realm, which was explored briefly in the first film. This allows for more crazy visuals and creativity and I’m completely on board for that. I’m not expecting anything immensely great from Ant Man and the Wasp but it should be something rather good.

Ant Man and the Wasp is set for release on July 5th 2018.

23. Mortal Engines

I first heard about Mortal Engines when I heard that it was going to be a fantasy film produced by Peter Jackson. Although I haven’t read the books that it is based on, the premise is enough to get me at least somewhat interested in it.

Many years after the “Sixty Minute War,” cities survive a now desolate Earth by moving around on giant wheels attacking and devouring smaller towns to replenish their resources.

We got a teaser trailer a little while ago, it looks pretty good but outside of the premise I don’t really know what to expect. The only actors involved that I recognise are Hugo Weaving and Stephen Lang. Because of Peter Jackson’s involvement however, I’m on board with this movie.

Mortal Engines is set for release on December 13th 2018.

22. Mary Magdalene

Normally I’m not interested in biblical stories, however both the cast’s involvement as well as the director got me interested in this movie. There’s a lot of talent involved and that makes me intrigued to see what this movie is like.

Set in the Holy Land in the first century C.E., a young woman (Rooney Mara) leaves her small fishing village and traditional family behind to join a radical new social movement. At its head is a charismatic leader, Jesus of Nazareth (Joaquin Phoenix), who promises that the world is changing. Mary is searching for a new way of living, and an authenticity that is denied her by the rigid hierarchies of the day. As the notoriety of the group spread and more are drawn to follow Jesus’ inspirational message, Mary’s spiritual journey places her at the heart of a story that will lead to the capital city of Jerusalem, where she must confront the reality of Jesus’ destiny and her own place within it.

Garth Davis had previously worked on Lion, so that already has me somewhat curious in checking out the Mary Magdalene movie. Also as I previously mentioned, the cast is excellent. We’ve got Rooney Mara as Mary Magdalene, Joaquin Phoenix as Jesus Christ and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Peter. All of these are very talented actors. As I said, the story didn’t initially interest me and the trailers have done really nothing to elevate my anticipation levels but to see all these talented people involved makes me interested in checking out this movie.

Mary Magdalene will be released in March 29th, 2018.

21. Solo: A Star Wars Story

It’s not usual for a Star Wars movie to be low on my anticipated films lists, it was already low on my anticipated films list because it feels quite unnecessary to do a Han Solo movie. My scepticism of the film was worsened as directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were replaced by Ron Howard halfway during filming (if you haven’t heard about all that drama look into it). However, I can’t deny that I’m still looking forward to it, it’s a Star Wars movie, I can’t help it.

The story is centered on a young Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich), the roguish smuggler who later meets Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker in the Mos Eisley Cantina.

Solo: A Star Wars Story does have some good actors involved like Alden Ehrenreich (as Han Solo), Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson and more. It is also written by Empire Strikes Back writer Lawrence Kasdan and Ron Howard can direct some good things. So there are good elements here for a good movie. The problem is that the whole movie just feels so unnecessary, I honestly have no idea how this film will turn out. But I can guarantee that I’m going to watch this on the day of its release.

Solo: A Star Wars story is set for release on May 24th 2018.

20. Isle of Dogs

I’ve admittedly only seen a few of Wes Anderson movies, that being the Grand Budapest Hotel, Moonlight Kingdom and Fantastic Mr Fox. However I really liked those movies, so I can imagine that I’ll really like his next film, Isle of Dogs.

In the future, an outbreak of canine flu leads the mayor of a Japanese city to banish all dogs to an island that’s a garbage dump. The outcasts must soon embark on an epic journey when a 12-year-old boy arrives on the island to find his beloved pet.

The voice cast is long and includes Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Billy Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Ken Watanabe, Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand, Harvey Keitel, Live Schreiber, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton and F. Murray Abraham. On top of that, it’s a Wes Anderson movie and while I haven’t seen many of his films, I really dig his unique style and this will be his second animated/stop motion movie after Fantastic Mr Fox. With Isle of Dogs, I’m expecting another quirky and unique film from Wes Anderson that will probably be one of the highlights of 2018.

Isle of Dogs is set for release on May 19th 2018.

19. You Were Never Really Here

I have heard a lot of buzz about this movie. At the Cannes Film Festival it won best screenplay and best actor and those who have seen it have loved it. With that and the trailers, I have to say I’m quite intrigued with this movie.

A contract killer (Joaquin Phoenix) uncovers a conspiracy while trying to save a kidnapped teen from a life of prostitution.

Joaquin Phoenix is a phenomenal actor and he without a doubt has delivered an excellent performance here. Aside from that, all of my hype for this movie came from the trailers and all the hype I’ve heard about it. This film looks very stylised, visually stunning and brutal. I don’t know what to expect at all, even after watching the trailers but it must be something special to be already generating this amount of buzz.

You Were Never Really Here is set for release on April 6th 2018.

18. Halloween

I found it weird that we are getting a Halloween movie now 9 years after the last Halloween movie ( 15 years if we aren’t including the Rob Zombie films). However there’s a lot here that has me interested. First of all, it’s not a remake or reboot, second of all its going to be a direct sequel to the original Halloween that completely disregards the sequels. That in itself has me confident.

Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) comes to her final confrontation with Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago.

One of the things that has me interested in Halloween 2018 is the director. David Gordon Green (who also wrote the screenplay alongside Danny McBride) is a pretty good director with Pineapple Express, Stronger but especially Joe, so I’m confident that he will do a great job with Halloween. Jamie Lee Curtis also returns to reprise her role as Laurie Strode, this version of Laurie has her confronting Myers 40 years later and so it’ll be interesting to see what direction they will take her character. Honestly, I’m not quite sure what to expect but everything so far looks great and as someone who liked the original film and hasn’t seen the sequels or remakes, I’m looking forward to it.

Halloween is set for release on October 18th 2018

17. Mowgli

In 2016, Disney had their own live action Jungle Book movie, which I liked quite a bit. 2 years later, Warner Brothers have their own take on Jungle Book coming with Andy Serkis directing, this time titled as Mowgli. It seems weird seeing another Jungle Book movie a mere 2 years after the last one but looking at the people involved and most of all how different the take on the story will be, I can’t help but be excited for it.

The story follows the upbringing of the human child Mowgli (Rohan Chand), raised by a wolf pack in the jungles of India. As he learns the often harsh rules of the jungle, under the tutelage of a bear named Baloo (Andy Serkis) and a panther named Bagheera (Christian Bale), Mowgli becomes accepted by the animals of the jungle as one of their own. All but one: the fearsome tiger Shere Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch). But there may be greater dangers lurking in the jungle, as Mowgli comes face to face with his human origins.

First of all there is a lot of talent involved. Andy Serkis directs and along with him, Christian Bale, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hollander, Cate Blanchett, Naomie Harris, Jack Reynor and Eddie Marsan all do motion capture performances. However, the thing that’s most interesting to me at least is the different take its going to have. This version of The Jungle Book story is a more genuine adaptation of the classic novel, and is darker. On top of that it is shot with a mix of motion capture and live locations and knowing Serkis’s familiarity with motion capture, that aspect will undoubtedly be superb. I’m pretty sure that Mowgli is going to end up surprising a lot of people who are just expecting a retread of 2016’s Jungle Book.

Mowgli is set for release on October 18th 2018.

16. God Particle

This film was originally set for release in 2017. So below is pretty much my same thoughts.
Despite being titled God Particle, it is part of the Cloverfield trilogy which for whatever reason don’t really connect to each other but they actually might. However I’m not interested in the movie because of the connection, I’m interested because of the premise and the cast, also JJ Abrams is producing.

Astronauts must fight for their lives after making a terrifying discovery in outer space.

I have no idea how this movie will connect to Cloverfield or 10 Cloverfield Lane, however either way I’m sure this movie will be great on its own. I just hope the ‘terrifying discovery’ is a twist that pays off. This movie also stars Elizabeth Debicki, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Daniel Bruhl, David Oyelowo and many more talented actors. The director, Julius Onah, is someone who haven’t done many movies but then again that’s the case with 10 Cloverfield Lane’s director, so that doesn’t really concern me. It does concern me that God Particle was pushed from 2017 to February 2018, only to be pushed back a further 2 months but hopefully that doesn’t say anything about the movie itself. Overall God Particle is a movie I’m cautiously curious about, and I can only hope it pays off.

God Particle is set for release on April 20th 2018 (unless it gets pushed back again).

15. Mission Impossible 6

The Mission Impossible franchise has been great recently, with 4 and 5 being among the best in the series. Naturally with the same team returning for the sequel, I’m on board.

Christopher McQuarrie returns to direct and write Mission Impossible 6 and while I liked the tradition of each Mission Impossible film having a different director, I loved McQuarrie’s work on Rogue Nation and so I’m happy to see him return. Along with the returning cast with Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Michelle Monaghan, Alec Baldwin and Sean Harris, we also have Henry Cavill and Angela Bassett, who will no doubt prove to be good additions to the movie and franchise. I don’t know yet what the plot will be about but I don’t really need to know, if it’s anything like Ghost Protocol and Rogue Nation, then I’m happy.

Mission Impossible 6 is set for release on August 2nd 2018

14. Deadpool 2

While I don’t love Deadpool as much as I did when I first saw it in the cinemas, I still really like it. Along with some notable X-Men characters being introduced for the sequel, John Wick director David Leitch is involved and that instantly increased my interest in the film. Hopefully it’ll try some new things while still feeling like a Deadpool film.

After surviving a near fatal bovine attack, a disfigured cafeteria chef (Wade Wilson) struggles to fulfill his dream of becoming Mayberry’s hottest bartender while also learning to cope with his lost sense of taste. Searching to regain his spice for life, as well as a flux capacitor, Wade must battle ninjas, the yakuza, and a pack of sexually aggressive canines, as he journeys around the world to discover the importance of family, friendship, and flavor – finding a new taste for adventure and earning the coveted coffee mug title of World’s Best Lover.

Along with the returning cast of Ryan Reynolds (who is a perfect Deadpool), Morena Baccarin and Brianna Hildebrand, we have new actors and characters with Josh Brolin as Cable and Zazie Beetz as Domino, although I haven’t read comics involving them, they are a big deal, so it’s going to be interesting to see what parts they are going to play here. Instead of Tim Story who did the first Deadpool, the sequel is directed by David Leitch, who had co-directed John Wick and directed Atomic Blonde, so that makes me quite excited for this film. At the very least the action is going to be something special.

Deadpool 2 is set for release on May 31st 2018.

UPDATE:

Deadpool 2 is now set for release on May 18th 2018.

13. The Predator

I’ve only seen the original Predator, I haven’t seen Predator 2 or Predators but I heard that they weren’t all that great. 8 years after the last attempt at a solo Predator movie, Shane Black is here to direct The Predator. I gotta say, I’m intrigued to see Black has planned for the next Predator movie.

The cast alone is so great, with Boyd Holbrook, Jacob Tremblay, Yvonne Strahovski, Olivia Munn, Thomas Jane, Alfie Allen, Trevante Rhodes and more. I’m a big fan of Shane Black, who’s directed Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Iron Man 3 and The Nice Guys, so I’m happy to see him take on the Predator franchise. On top of his credible work, he also starred in the original Predator, so that helps a lot. Whether this is a full on dark and brutal Predator film or a action comedy Predator film, I can’t wait to see what Black has in store for us.

The Predator is set for release on August 2nd 2018.

12. X-Men: Dark Phoenix

Although I gave it a lot of love upon its release, X-Men Apocalypse was a little disappointing (even though I still like it). It could’ve and should’ve been so much more. It’s follow up, Dark Phoenix has the potential to be something good. Admittedly I’m a little worried about some things but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited for it.

Jean Grey begins to develop incredible powers that corrupt and turn her into a Dark Phoenix. Now the X-Men will have to decide if the life of a team member is worth more than all the people living in the world.

We get the returning surviving cast from Apocalypse with James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan, Sophie Turner and more, and we also have Jessica Chastain as apparently the main antagonist of the film. I do have a few concerns, one of them is Simon Kinberg as the director. He has written and produced a lot of movies (including most of the X-Men movies) but this is his directional debut, so I have no idea how he’ll do at it. However, Kinberg himself has discussed some of the things that didn’t work in Apocalypse. He said that it became more about visual effects than emotion and character, and that with Dark Phoenix he wanted to focus more on the characters. This give me some hope for Dark Phoenix. Along with that, it’s an X-Men movie, I can’t help but be interested to see what happens here.

X-Men: Dark Phoenix is set for release on November 1st 2018.

11. Thoroughbreds

I’ll be honest, I really only heard of this movie because Anya Taylor-Joy, Olivia Cooke and Anton Yelchin (in one of his last film appearances) are in it, so that had me already interested. After looking at the plot and trailers as well however, it’s one of my most anticipated films of the whole year.

Two upper-class teenage girls (Anya Taylor-Joy, Olivia Cooke) in suburban Connecticut rekindle their unlikely friendship after years of growing apart. Together, they hatch a plan to solve both of their problems — no matter what the cost.

As I said, the cast with Anya Taylor-Joy, Olivia Cooke, Anton Yelchin and Paul Sparks will no doubt give some great performances. I can’t describe why but something about the premise and the style shown in the trailers also has me very intrigued. This is director/writer Cory Finley’s first film but early reactions to Thoroughbreds have also been quite positive, so that has me pretty excited for it.

Thoroughbreds is set for release on March 9th 2018.

10. Sicario 2: Soldado

I was pondering for a while whether I was going to put this on the list. Sicario was one of the best films of 2015 but a sequel really wasn’t that necessary. However there’s enough talent involved with it that I’m willing to give it a chance.

The drug war on the US-Mexico border has escalated as the cartels have begun trafficking terrorists across the US border. To fight the war, federal agent Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) re-teams with the mercurial Alejandro (Benicio del Toro).

Along with the sequel being unnecessary, not only is Sicario lead Emily Blunt not returning, director Denis Villeneuve isn’t returning either and its Stefano Sollima who is in charge. I don’t know anything noteworthy that he’s done. From the original film, Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin return, as well as writer Taylor Sheridan. Sheridan has written a number of great films and del Toro and Brolin were great in the original film (especially del Toro). The trailer also looked pretty good, a little more action oriented than Sicario but nonetheless interesting enough. Despite the sequel being unnecessary and having a terrible title (it should’ve been just called Soldado), I am still cautiously optimistic and am willing to give it a watch, I’m just not expecting it to be at the same level as the original.

Sicario 2: Soldado is set for release on June 28th 2018.

9. The New Mutants

Fox seems to be making a lot of unique comic book movies recently, an R rated comedy with Deadpool, a gritty western with Logan and now we get a horror with The New Mutants. This is unlike any other comic book movie that has come beforehand. I’m always interested in comic book movies and I’m even more interested in comic book movies that try new things, and New Mutants seems to be doing just that.

Five young mutants, just discovering their abilities while held in a secret facility against their will, fight to escape their past sins and save themselves.

First of all it has some very talented actors with Anya Taylor-Joy, Maisie Williams and Charlie Heaton being a few notable stars. The director and writer is Josh Boone, who directed and wrote The Fault in Our Stars (I’ve never seen it but I heard its good), and apparently New Mutants is inspired by the works of Stephen King and John Hughes. With a smaller (but talented) cast and most of the film taking place in one location, it seems to be a much smaller film which is definitely welcome given some of the more larger than life comic book movies recently. The main point of interest however is that it will be the first horror based comic book movie and from the trailer, it seems to be going all in. Even if it just ends up being a teen horror movie with mutants, it’s something that hasn’t happened in the comic book movie genre, so I’m definitely looking forward to it.

The New Mutants is set for release on April 12th 2018.

UPDATE:
As of the 12th of January 2018, The New Mutants has been pushed back an astonishing 10 months to February 22nd 2019.
Apparently, after NEW MUTANTS tested well but not great, the studio decided to actually embrace the film’s horror elements and beef up the scares in the wake of the success of IT and GET OUT last year (I guess the movie didn’t have as much horror elements as much as the trailer suggested. I am definitely concerned seeing as this movie was pushed back 10 months for reshoots, it seems that they are going to be changing a lot. And it is disappointing that we are going to have to wait for pretty much a year before we get to see it. On the other hand, it could potentially lead to a more unique movie, with it being more horror based. Let’s just hope that these reshoots improve the movie and aren’t just a reactionary decision by the studio, Justice League has now made me concerned everytime a studio decides to do reshoots to change a movie.

The New Mutants is now set for release on February 22nd 2019

8. Venom

I’m surprised that this movie is even on this list. The initial idea many months ago sounded like it could have some problems. First of all, it’s Sony who’s creating this (and as evidence by the treatment of some of their franchises, it doesn’t always work out well), second of all Sony seem to be creating their own Spider-Man universe without Spider-Man. However at the same time there is so much things about it that has me intrigued.

It is the first supervillain movie (I’m not quite sure if Suicide Squad counts) and with the R rating (unless they make any changes) it will allow them to go full out dark, kinda like what Fox has been doing with some of their recent Marvel movies with Deadpool and Logan. With Tom Hardy as Venom and a cast that also includes Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Jenny Slate and Woody Harrelson, we’ve got a large amount of talented actors involved. The director, Ruben Fleischer has done Zombieland and Gangster Squad, so I don’t know how it will turn out. That goes for the whole movie honestly, it’s an unusual project and it can turn out many different ways but at the same time, out of all the comic book movies this year it’s probably the one that interests me the most.

Venom is set for release on October 4th 2018.

7. Backseat

Backseat is about Dick Cheney, the Vice President to George W. Bush. A whole film based around Dick Cheney already has a lot of potential but add on top of that the talented cast and director and it has the makings of a great film.

The story of Dick Cheney (Christian Bale), as he goes from CEO of Halliburton to Vice President under George W. Bush, where he was a key supporter of the war in Iraq

Adam McKay proved himself to be not only a good director but a great director with The Big Short. Backseat also has a fantastic cast with Christian Bale as Dick Cheney, Steve Carell as Donald Rumsfeld, Sam Rockwell as George W. Bush and Amy Adams as Lynne Cheney. Bale particularly seems like he’s going to give an impressive performance, especially in how unrecognisable he is as Dick Cheney just in terms of physical appearance. Although I admittedly don’t know a whole lot about Dick Cheney, from what I can tell Adam McKay got a lot of material to work with and he certainly has a lot of talent to work with. Backseat definitely seems like it could be one of the highlights of 2018 films.

Backseat is set for release in 2018.

6. Avengers: Infinity War

I must preface this with that I know that this movie could fail absolutely horribly. It has so many characters involved with Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hulk, the Guardians of the Galaxy and seemingly most of the main MCU characters. If it somehow works out well, it will be a remarkable achievement. However I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t excited, and the first trailer does look great.

Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and the rest of the Avengers unite to battle their most powerful enemy yet — the evil Thanos (Josh Brolin). On a mission to collect all six Infinity Stones, Thanos plans to use the artifacts to inflict his twisted will on reality. The fate of the planet and existence itself has never been more uncertain as everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment.

Infinity War is directed by The Russo Brothers, who have already directed 2 MCU films: a surprisingly great film that’s the best of the MCU (The Winter Soldier) and a decent but disappointing movie (Civil War). Their involvement leaves me with mixed feelings, I don’t think they did well in handling multiple characters in Civil War and they are handling even more characters in Infinity War. With that said, there’s another Avengers movie coming out next year, the Infinity Gauntlet story is basically stretched over 2 movies, so it could work. Even though I have many worries, I can’t help but be excited, this is the 10th year for the MCU and Infinity War is ultimately the culmination of the multiple films in the series. I just hope The Russo Brothers can pull it off.

Avengers: Infinity War is set for release on April 25th 2018.

5. Black Panther

Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther was one of, if not the best part of Captain America Civil War, and it made me extremely excited to see what his solo film had in store for us. The trailers have only heightened my anticipation and with all the talent involved, I can’t see this movie not being something magnificent.

Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) springs into action when an old enemy (Michael B. Jordan) threatens the fate of his nation and the world.

Ryan Coogler has done some great work with Creed and Fruitvale Station, so naturally with him helming the movie, its in great hands. Along with Chadwick Boseman returning to the role of Black Panther we have a great supporting cast with Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Martin Freeman, Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett, Daniel Kaluuya, Andy Serkis and more. Honestly this film has the potential to be the best MCU film yet, and I mean like Winter Soldier level. At the very least I’m pretty sure it’ll end up being one of the best in the series.

Black Panther is set for release on February 15th 2018.

4. First Man

With First Man featuring a great cast and be a story about Neil Armstrong gets me interests me. But having Damien Chazelle direct this film increases my anticipation level even higher, his involvement was pretty much all I needed for me to be on board for it.

A look at the life of the astronaut, Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling), and the legendary space mission that led him to become the first man to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969.

There is a great cast involved, with Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong and Claire Foy, Jon Bernthal, Jason Clarke, Corey Stoll, Cory Michael Smith, Kyle Chandler and Pablo Schrieber in supporting roles. This naturally had me interested but its Damien Chazelle’s involvement that really has me pumped. His direction of both Whiplash and La La Land, both excellent films, has me interested in every film he’s involved with. It is strange seeing Chazelle take on a non music film but I have no doubt that First Man will be nothing less than great. Nonetheless I’m excited to see what Chazelle and co. are going to do.

First Man is set for release on October 11th 2018.

3. Annihilation

This is the next film by director Alex Garland, who’s last film was Ex Machina. Some have called the original novel its based on unfilmable, and there was some clashes over distribution of the film due to the potentially odd aspects, leading to it set to be released on Netflix. This has only intrigued me more, movies that have had a divisive and challenging response on people tend to interest me. Add a talented cast on top of that, and you get one of the most anticipated films of the year.

A biologist (Natalie Portman) searches for her missing husband (Oscar Isaac) while on an expedition with a secret agency and discovers a dangerous creature lurking in the wilderness.

Even from the two trailers I don’t have a clear idea what Annihilation is outside of its main premise but the talent involved is good. It’s got some really great actors with Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Oscar Isaac and of course Alex Garland is a very talented director. I have no idea what to expect with Annihilation but I’m board with whatever it is.

Annihilation is set for release on February 22nd 2018.

2. Aquaman

Aquaman is the only DCEU film released in 2018, which in some ways is good as it allows WB to get everything sorted out and sort out everything (which they really need to do as shown with Justice League). I liked Jason Momoa’s Aquaman in Justice League and I’m interested in seeing his own film, with all the talent involved it looks like it could be something special.

Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) learns that he is the heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, and must step forward to lead his people and to be a hero to the world.

James Wan has done great films in the past and although most of them are horror, Furious 6 has shown that he can do action as well. Along with Jason Momoa and Amber Heard who return from Justice League we have some more talented actors with Nicole Kidman, Patrick Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Temuera Morrison and Dolph Lungren, and with that cast involved I’m looking forward to what film they are going to give us. My main concern like with any upcoming DCEU film, is that if it will receive studio interference, especially seeing as only 2 of the 5 films in the series didn’t have any kind of interference whatsoever. So as long as WB doesn’t try to mess with Wan’s vision, it should be something great.

Aquaman is set for release on December 20th 2018

1. Widows

Surprisingly, my most anticipated film of 2018 isn’t a comic book movie or a Star Wars movie. With a great director, writer and talented cast, Widows has so much potential. To be honest I’m not really sure what I’m expecting, but I think its going to be something incredible, given the people involved.

Set in contemporary Chicago, amidst a time of turmoil, four women with nothing in common except a debt left behind by their dead husbands’ criminal activities take fate into their own hands and conspire to forge a future on their own terms.

Simply put, the talent involved is what has me most interested. Steve McQueen has directed 12 Years a Slave and Shame, two truly great and impactful films. The screenplay is also written by Gillian Flynn, who wrote and adapted her book Gone Girl into a great film directed by David Fincher. Here, she’s adapting the TV series of the same name (that I’ve never seen). Add on top of that a large and talented cast: yhis cast includes Viola Davis, Elizabeth Debicki, Michelle Rodriguez, Colin Farrell, Daniel Kaluuya, Liam Neeson, Robert Duvall, Carrie Coon, Jacki Weaver and Jon Bernthal. With that director, that writer and that large and talented cast, I can’t see Widows being anything less than incredible.

Widows is set for release on November 15th 2018.

What are your most anticipated films of 2018? Comment below and let me know.

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Top 25 Anticipated Movies of 2017

While I’m working on catching up on some 2016 movies, I decided to make a list of the 2017 movies that I’m most looking forward to. There are movies that I’m really looking forward to. Now I don’t know of every movie coming out this year so if you’ve noticed that a movie is missing, it might be because I don’t know about it. Either that or I’m not that excited for that movie.

25. Beauty and the Beast

Yet another Disney film is being made into a live action movie.. While it’s annoying that there is more of these (The Lion King will be a live action movie to my disappointment), I liked what they did with Tarzan and The Jungle Book. So we’ll see what this movie will be like.

Belle (Emma Watson), a bright, beautiful and independent young woman, is taken prisoner by a beast (Dan Stevens) in its castle. Despite her fears, she befriends the castle’s enchanted staff and learns to look beyond the beast’s hideous exterior, allowing her to recognise the kind heart and soul of the true prince that hides on the inside.

This movie has a large and talented cast with Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson, Ewan McGregor all involved. The director, Bill Condon, has made many great movies that I haven’t seen with Gods and Monsters, Kinsey and Dreamgirls but I have seen Mr Holmes. This director is clearly capable of making a great movie. So I’ll give this movie a shot.

Beauty and the Beast will be released on March 16, 2017.

24. Ghost in the Shell

I admit I’ve never watched the Ghost in the Shell anime. However I do know that apparently its great. Honestly the movie didn’t interest me that much until I saw the trailer. After the trailer, I’m now curious and interested in checking this movie out.

The Major (Scarlett Johansson), a special ops, one-of-a-kind human-cyborg hybrid, leads an elite task force known as Section 9. Devoted to stopping the most dangerous criminals and extremists, Section 9 is faced with an enemy whose singular goal is to wipe out Hanka Robotic’s advancements in cyber technology.

Rupert Sanders also directed Snow White and the Huntsman (which I haven’t seen) so I don’t really have a clear idea how the movie will be. However the main takeway I got from the trailer was some incredible visuals. That’s the main reason I’m interested in this movie, along with it being an adaptation of a great anime. The one problem that this film faces is the casting of Scarlett Johansson as the lead, which caused problems with whitewashing and all (understandably) and this is going to probably affect the success of the movie. Which is a shame because everything else looks excellent. However, I will give this film a shot.

Ghost in the Shell will be released on March 30, 2017.

23. God Particle

Despite being titled God Particle, it is part of the Cloverfield trilogy which for whatever reason don’t really connect to each other but they actually might. However I’m not interested in the movie because of the connection (I haven’t seen Cloverfield yet), I’m interested because of the premise and the cast, also JJ Abrams is producing this movie.

Astronauts must fight for their lives after making a terrifying discovery in outer space.

I have no idea how this movie will connect to Cloverfield or 10 Cloverfield Lane. However either way I’m sure this movie will be great on its own. I just hope the ‘terrifying discovery’ is a twist that pays off. This movie also stars Elizabeth Debicki, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Daniel Bruhl, David Oyelowo and many more talented actors. The director, Julius Onah, is someone who haven’t done many movies but then again that’s the case with 10 Cloverfield Lane, so that doesn’t really concern me. Overall God Particle is a movie I’m curious about and can’t wait to see it.

God Particle will be released on November 30, 2017.

22. The Lego Batman Movie

I really liked The Lego Movie, it was such a surprising movie. One of the highlights was Batman and of course as he’s such a big character it was natural that he would get his own movie. Now that you have Batman and other DC characters that can be thrown in, there is a lot of possibilities for this movie to be entertaining and fun.

There are big changes brewing in Gotham, but if Batman (Will Arnett) wants to save the city from the Joker’s (Zach Galifianakis) hostile takeover, he may have to drop the lone vigilante thing, try to work with others and maybe, just maybe, learn to lighten up.

I do hope that The Lego Batman Movie feels different enough from The Lego Movie but that can be done easily. It’s mostly surrounding characters that have already been created, just in Lego form. I have no doubt that this will be a really fun and enjoyable movie. There’s honestly not much to say. It’s Batman. And Lego. Lego Batman.

The Lego Batman Movie will be released on March 30, 2017.

21. Kong Skull Island

Kong: Skull Island is in the same universe as Godzilla, a movie that although divisive, I really liked. Now with Skull Island this movie will introduce Kong into the universe, and he looks like he’s going to be an absolute beast in this movie.

Explorers (Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Brie Larson) encounter a monstrous ape after traveling to an uncharted island in the Pacific Ocean.

This is yet another monster movie and yet another Kong movie. This movie also has some pretty good actors with Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, John Goodman, Toby Kebbell and Samuel L. Jackson all playing parts. From the trailer the movie has some potential. I’m most looking forward to seeing Kong in action. The one thing I’m not so sure about is the tone of the movie, because the first trailer and the second trailer have completely different tones. Other than that, I’m interested in checking out this movie.

Kong: Skull Island will be released on March 9, 2017.

20. A Ghost Story

A Ghost Story is a smaller movie which has me curious. With Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck, as well as the director and premise, this movie is quite intriguing to me. It’s only been announced a few months ago and as pictures and details have come out, my interest in this movie has escalated.

This is the story of a ghost and the house he haunts.

It has a simple premise but the fact that its got some great talent behind it has me on board to see what it is. This movie has the talents of Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck, who also collaborated with the director on Ain’t them Bodies Saints a few years ago. This film is directed by David Lowery, who directed Pete’s Dragon (A good movie) and Ain’t Them Bodies Saints (a movie I still really need to see). From early reviews, it’s a very unique movie, I can’t wait to see it.

A Ghost Story will be released in 2017.

19. War for the Planet of the Apes

Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a surprisingly good reboot of the Planet of the Apes franchise. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes however took the franchise to a new level. Now the third instalment of the Apes franchise is coming and like the previous film, it’s probably going to be a hit.

Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless colonel (Woody Harrelson). After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind. As the journey finally brings them face to face, Caesar and the colonel are pitted against each other in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both of their species and the future of the planet.

Andy Serkis is flawless in his motion capture performances, and is no doubt going to deliver yet another fantastic performance here, just like he did in the previous two films as Caesar. Woody Harrelson is also great, and will likely add a lot to the film. The trailer for the movie definitely looks impressive. Director Matt Reeves (who directed Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) returns for the sequel. This film seems like it may somehow top even the previous movie. I can’t wait to see it.

War for the Planet of the Apes will be released on July 13, 2017.

18. Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2

Guardians of The Galaxy was one of the biggest surprises in recent years. It was just such a different and fun movie that was really entertaining. So naturally me and many people are looking forward to the sequel. I have no idea what the film will be about but I’m sure it will be great.

The one thing that I’m worried about however is how this film will compare to the original. While it will definitely have the things that we loved from the previous movie (as shown in the trailers), I also want to add and try something new from the original. Kurt Russell and Elizabeth Debicki join the returning cast, both are very talented and I can’t wait to see them in this movie. Overall I’m excited to see Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2, I’m certain it will be at the very least a fun time.

Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 will be released on April 25, 2017.

17. The Snowman

The Snowman is a movie I only found out about recently but I think it has a chance at being one of the highlights of 2017. With the cast, director and premise, this movie definitely has a lot of potential.

A boy finds his missing mother’s pink scarf wrapped around the neck of a sinister-looking snowman. Detective Harry Hole (Michael Fassbender) is called in to investigate and begins to suspect it’s the work of a serial killer.

This movie has a big cast with Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Ferguson, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Val Kilmer, Toby Jones and J.K. Simmons and others involved. That amount of talent got my attention alone. Also the director, Tomas Alfredson, made Let the Right One In and Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy (the former I still have yet to watch). Clearly this director is very capable. So we’ve got an interesting premise, a talented cast and a great director. The Snowman is definitely a movie that I’m curious about.

The Snowman will be released on October 13, 2017.

16. The Discovery

What originally caught my attention with this movie is the talented cast involved. As information about this movie came out, The Discovery seemed like something truly unique. By the time the trailer came out, I was sold on this movie, and is now one of my most anticipated films of the year.

Soon after the existence of the afterlife has been scientifically proven, the son (Jason Segal) of the man who made the discovery (Robert Redford) falls in love with a woman (Rooney Mara) with a tragic past.

The film’s cast consists of actors like Rooney Mara, Jason Segal and Robert Redford, that alone has my interest. On top of that, the premise of this movie, about discovering that the afterlife is real and the aftermath of this discovery is such a fascinating idea, there’s a lot that can be done with this premise. The trailer was very… unique. It seems like such a different movie that I need to see it. This movie will be arriving on Netflix in late March and you can bet that I’ll be watching that as soon as I can. I really can’t wait to see this movie.

The Discovery will be released in March 31, 2017 on Netflix.

15. Mary Magdalene

Normally I’m not interested in biblical stories, however both the cast’s involvement as well as the director got me interested in this movie. This film will have Rooney Mara, Joaquin Phoenix and Chiwetel Ejiofor. This film is also directed by Garth Davis (who also worked with Rooney on 2016’s Lion). There’s a lot of talent involved and that makes me intrigued to see what this movie is like.

The story of Mary Magdalene (Rooney Mara).

Garth Davis had previously worked on Lion, which was from what I heard was a great movie. So that already has me curious in checking out the Mary Magdalene movie. Also as I previously mentioned, the cast is excellent. We’ve got Rooney Mara as Mary Magdalene, Joaquin Phoenix as Jesus Christ and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Peter. All of these are very talented actors. As I said, the story didn’t initially interest me but to see all these talented people involved makes me interested in checking out this movie.

Mary Magdalene will be released in 2017.

14. Thor Ragnarok

Thor Ragnarok is a movie that I am still divided about. It has a lot of potential with the new cast and the director, Taika Waititi, I like Thor. I’ve also liked all the MCU movies so far. There are just aspects of the story details which turn me off. I’m certain I will like Thor Ragnarok, but I have no idea how much I’ll like it.

Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok – the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization – at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela. But first he must survive a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger – the Incredible Hulk.

Along with returning cast (with Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston and Anthony Hopkins), this film also has Tessa Thompson, Cate Blanchett, Karl Urban and Jeff Goldblum (with the latter three as villains, hopefully not wasted). Also, Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk is confirmed to play a part in this movie, so that’s exciting as well. An interesting choice was made for this film, Taika Waititi. He is a very talented director and writer, Hunt for the Wilderpeople definitely showed that he’s great. One thing that’s also already looking up is that the comedic relief human characters from the first two Thor films aren’t here, so even if this movie is just funny, it will actually be funny. Thor Ragnarok has a lot of very unique ideas, and I’m looking forward to seeing how well these ideas are executed.

Thor Ragnarok will be released on November 3, 2017.

13. Split

M Night Shyamalan has unfortunately made a lot of bad films recently, with The Happening, The Last Airbender and After Earth. He however made a comeback recently with The Visit so I’m optimistic that he will have another great movie with Split. And according to many of the people who have seen Split already, it’s really good, so I can’t wait to see it.

A man (James McAvoy) who has multiple personality disorder holds three teenage girls captive.

Aside from Shyamalan the main reason I’m so excited for this movie is James McAvoy. He is a fantastic actor, and he’s taking on such a challenging role, playing someone with multiple personalities. And yes, some people have managed to see Split already and most of the people really like it. Even the people who didn’t like the movie, at least loved McAvoy’s performance. This movie has a lot of potential, I can’t wait to see it.

Split will be released on February 2, 2017

12. Blade Runner 2049

I’ll admit that while I liked parts of the first Blade Runner I never really loved it. I might need to rewatch it, see if my opinion on the movie changes. Despite not being the hugest fan of Blade Runner, I’m still excited to see its sequel, mostly due to director Denis Villeneuve being the director of the film, and I’m always interested in whatever films he makes.

Officer K (Ryan Gosling), a new blade runner for the Los Angeles Police Department, unearths a long buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. His Discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former blade runner who’s been missing for 30 years.

Denis Villienueve is one of the best directors working today. He’s made some fantastic films with Prisoners, Enemy, Sicario and Arrival, so naturally I’m excited to see him take on the sequel of such a classic movie. Also, along with Harrison Ford returning to his role we have Ryan Gosling also involved, Gosling has been doing great recently with both La La Land and The Nice Guys last year, I can’t wait to see him here. From the trailer alone this film looks excellent, the imagery looks great, Denis Villeneuve’s films always look great and it looks like Blade Runner 2049 is no different. I can’t wait to see Blade Runner 2049, it looks like it’s going to be one of the stand out films of 2017.

Blade Runner 2049 will be released on October 5, 2017.

11. Song to Song

Originally titled Weightless, Song to Song is yet another ambitious film from unconventional filmmakers Terrence Malick. I will confess, I haven’t seen a Terrence Malick film before but from what I’ve heard he’s a great filmmaker, if divisive at times. The cast alone has me interested, with Rooney Mara, Ryan Gosling, Michael Fassbender and Natalie Portman all playing parts in the movie.

In this modern love story set against the Austin, TX music scene, two entangled couples – struggling songwriters Faye (Rooney Mara) & BV (Ryan Gosling), and music mogul Cook (Michael Fassbender) and the waitress whom he ensnares (Natalie Portman) – chase success through a rock ‘n’ roll landscape of seduction and betrayal.

As I said earlier I haven’t seen any films from Terrence Malick, so the cast is honestly the main reason that I’m interested in the movie. I can’t wait to see all these talented actors on screen at the same time. I’ve heard that Terrence Malick can be a bit divisive with his films, I saw a little bit of Knight of Cups and it was a bit unconventional to say the least. So I have no idea what Song to Song will be like. Despite this, I’m still really looking forward to see this movie, if only for the cast.

Song to Song will be released on March 17, 2017.

10. John Wick Chapter Two

2014’s John Wick was one of the year’s best surprises, not only was it Keanu Reeves’s best performance (and in my opinion his best movie), it was also a very fun movie with a great world that I would like to be explored more. And with John Wick Chapter 2, it looks like we’ll be getting that.

Legendary hitman John Wick is forced back out of retirement by a former associate plotting to seize control of a shadowy international assassins’ guild. Bound by a blood oath to help him, John travels to Rome where he squares off against some of the world’s deadliest killers.

Thankfully, one of the two John Wick directors Chad Stahelski (the other is David Leitch who is instead working on The Coldest City) is returning for the sequel, one of the best aspects of that original film is how the action was done. Instead of a lot of shaky cam, close up shots and fast cuts to create their action like a lot of modern action movies use, they let us to actually see the action unfold, allowing us to get more into it. Common is playing the villain, and he was effective as a villain in Run All Night (even though he could’ve been used more), so I think he will be quite effective here. Oh and also, Laurence Fishburne is involved with this movie. That’s always great. I sure do hope that it lives up to the previous movie, the only possible way that I think this film could be flawed is that only one of the director is returning, we can only hope that one of the directors can deliver the same amount (if not more) as the previous film. The trailer definitely looks like we’ll be getting a fun movie, so I’m hyped.

John Wick: Chapter Two will be released in 2017

9. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Misouri

Most of you won’t know what this movie even is. It’s the next film by Martin McDonagh who has created In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths, both fantastic movies (definitely check them out when you can). So naturally, I am extremely excited to see yet another movie from him.

A vigilante mother takes matters into her own hands as she searches for her daughter’s murderer. Fueled by fury, Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand) erects three provocative highway signs to catch the eye of the town’s revered Chief of Police Bill Willoughby (Woody Harrelson), who has made few inroads finding a culprit. Hoping the incendiary messages spur Willoughby’s unprincipled protégé Officer Dixon (Sam Rockwell) into action, Mildred ignites a firestorm in the community as the police force evades charges of racism and corruption.

The cast with Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell and Peter Dinklage is enough to get me interested in this movie but what got my interest in this movie in the first place was Martin McDonagh’s involvement. We can expect this movie to be hilarious, dark, violent, entertaining and overall just fantastically written. With the director/writer and the cast involved, this movie is likely going to be great.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Misouri will be released in 2017.

8. Kingman: The Golden Circle

Kingsman: The Secret Service was such a great and fun movie, it was such a pleasant surprise film in 2015. Matthew Vaughn and his talented cast return for the sequel, which will hopefully be just as great as the previous film. It definitely has a lot of potential.

Eggsy (Taron Egerton) and Merlin (Mark Strong), two British spies, travel to the United States to join forces with their American counterparts.

Matthew Vaughn is a fantastic director with films like Kick Ass, X-Men First Class, Layer Cake and the first Kingsman, so I expect that this movie will be great. My thing is like with Guardians of the Glaxy Volume 2, I just hope that it does something new to separate it from the previous movie, while giving us what we loved from the previous movie. In the sequel we also have Jeff Bridges, Channing Tatum, Julianne Moore, Halle Berry and Pedro Pascal joining the cast. All of them are very talented and so I’m excited to see them in Kingsman.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle will be released on September 28, 2017

7. The Disaster Artist

The Disaster Artist is the story behind The Room, one of the worst movies of all time. I have seen The Room and actually reviewed it (and I loved the movie for how terrible it is). This movie is based off the book of the same name by Greg Sestero, actor from The Room and friend of Tommy Wiseau, the star, writer, producer and director of The Room. I myself have read the book, and was fascinated in how the making of the film went. This adaptation has the potential to be a modern day Ed Wood.

A behind-the-scenes look at the making of Tommy Wiseau’s The Room (2003).

The Disaster Artist has a great cast, with James Franco as Tommy Wiseau, Dave Franco as Greg Sestero as well as Josh Hutcherson, Seth Rogen and Zac Efron and others playing real life people who worked on The Room. From the set photos, the actors even looked like the characters/people, so I think that they are doing it right. I think my biggest concern is how Franco can portray Tommy. Look at any clips of The Room, Wiseau acts a certain way and it’s hard to act like Tommy Wiseau without making it look like an imitation. Franco also has to nail the inner emotions of Tommy, as there are moments in the book where there are moments where that happens. I’ve been hearing about this movie for a while and seeing it finally get made is really exciting.

The Disaster Artist will be released in 2017.

6. Alien Covenant

The Prometheus sequel (I know it’s confusing with the Alien title) is directed by Ridley Scott. I was a little sceptical because Ridley Scott nowadays can be inconsistent with his recent films. However he just delivered the great film The Martian, and I also loved Prometheus (even though most people don’t). But what brought me over to make me excited for this movie was the trailer. It was… not what I was expecting.

Bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, the crew of the colony ship Covenant discovers a dark world whose sole inhabitant is David (Michael Fassbender), the synthetic survivor of the doomed Prometheus expedition.

The trailer shows that the film will be straight up horror as well as unflinching and very violent and gory. It also shows some Xenomorphs (or early stages of Xenomorphs) and that’s always nice to see. Noomi Rapace and Michael Fassbender return from the previous film and other actors like Katheryn Waterson, Demian Bichir and Danny McBride are also part of the film. Before the trailer, I had no idea how this film will turn out but now I am excited for it and I’m completely on board.

Alien: Covenant will be released on May 19, 2017.

5. Wonder Woman

Despite the divisive response to Batman v Superman, one thing that most people liked was Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, she really was something special in that movie. And from everything I’ve seen in this movie, her solo movie looks great.

After leaving her all-female island, Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) discovers her full powers and true destiny while fighting alongside soldiers during World War I.

This film looks dark and like a war movie and I love that setting. Director Patty Jenkins directs this film and if you’ve seen Monster, you know that she is a great director. Gal Gadot stole the show in Batman v Superman and I look forward to seeing her lead her own film. The supporting cast with talented actors like Chris Pine and Robin Wright is great. In terms of possible fears, it’s just Warner Bros interfering with the film. As it’s a standalone movie and not tieing into anything (as it’s a prequel), I have a feeling that it won’t be affected. Also not to mention the more positive reception to Batman v Superman’s Ultimate Edition and the criticism of the missing Suicide Squad scenes should’ve altered Warner Bros. But we’ll have to see what happens. Anyway, I can’t wait to see this movie.

Wonder Woman will be released on June 2, 2017.

4. Logan

This movie is one of my biggest worries of 2017. It’s not that I don’t think it will be a great movie, it’s just that it’s the kind of film that needs to be perfect. This is the last time we’ll see Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and Patrick Stewart as Professor X. This movie
needs to be a good sendoff to these two actors in their characters. With that said, based on the trailer alone this film looks excellent.

In 2024, mutant births are severely in decline, and people aren’t sure why. A government-type operation is turning mutant children into killing machines. From this, Logan (Hugh Jackman) emerges as a mentor to a mutant girl (Dafne Keen), who has two claws instead of his three.

James Mangold (director of The Wolverine) returns to direct the final Wolverine film. The Wolverine was a film I liked quite a bit but with Logan the trailer have made it look on a whole other level. So in this movie we have Wolverine, Professor X, X-23 and others. The first trailer alone had me sold, it looks dark, sad and nothing like any comic book movie we’ve ever seen before. It was the best trailer released in 2016 (the second trailer is also good as well). Logan definitely has the potential to be the best comic book movie of 2017.

Logan will be released on March 2, 2017.

3. Dunkirk

Dunkirk is another film from Christopher Nolan. That’s almost all that really needs to be said. There’s not one movie that he’s made that I haven’t called at the very least ‘great’. This time he is taking on a war movie, a true life story. I have no doubt that this film will be amazing based on the talent involved and the trailer.

British forces embark on a mission to evacuate Allied troops from Dunkirk, France, in 1940.

Nolan has made a very wide range of types of films, I can’t wait to see how he does a war movie. From the trailer alone it looks amazing. The cast is also great with Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh and others involved. If there’s any possible weak link it’s the questionable choice of having Harry Styles in the movie. However if Christopher Nolan cast him, he must’ve had a good reason. I’m sure Styles will do fine. Overall Dunkirk looks like it will be a great film and one of the highlights of 2017 and I can’t wait to see it.

Dunkirk will be released on July 21, 2017.

2. Star Wars Episode 8: The Last Jedi

This film was a no-brainer on my list. I loved what JJ Abrams did with The Force Awakens. Now Rian Johnson is in charge of handling the sequel. He impressed me with 2012’s Looper and I can just tell that I will love Episode 8.

We don’t know a huge amount of the plot of Star Wars Episode 8 thus far, or anything really. Not even a teaser of sorts have been revealed. Just the title recently. But I’m actually okay with that. I loved The Force Awakens, so I’ll probably feel the same about Episode 8. Also, I like it when bigger films are more secretive about their movies. What we do know is that Benicio Del Toro and Laura Dern have joined the cast, both are great so I’m interested to see what part they will play in the movie. I’m looking forward to Star Wars Episode 8 a great deal, it’s hard not to be, it’s Star Wars.

Star Wars Episode 8 will be released on December 15, 2017.

1. Justice League

Despite all the mixed reception towards the DCEU, it has done nothing to dampen my excitement for the future films. I loved Man of Steel and Batman v Superman and I liked Suicide Squad (despite it’s many flaws. The second 2017 DCEU film will be the first time we’ll see the Justice League on screen together on the big screen. I am hyped.

Batman (Ben Affleck), Superman (Henry Cavill), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), the Flash (Ezra Miller), Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher) unite to battle the evil Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds).

As I said, this is the first time we’ll see Justice League in live action for the first time. This movie has a lot of elements going on, it’s has to set up the Justice League, introducing 3 new characters and handle 6 Justice League characters effectively. But I believe that this movie can pull it off This movie also has a great cast, we’ve got Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa and Ray Fisher as the Justice League. Also there will be returning cast members and characters with Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Diane Lane as Martha Kent and Connie Nielsen as Queen Hippolyta. Along with the returning DCEU cast we have new actors and characters with J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon, Kiersey Clemons as Iris West, Amber Heard as Mera, Willem Dafoe as Nudis Vulko, and Ciaran Hinds as Steppenwolf, the villain of the film. On top of that we have Chris Terrio returning to write the film as well as Zack Snyder returning as director.

There are some worries I have. Like with Wonder Woman, studio interference is a worry, as that happened with both Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad in regards to the editing. However I think Warner Bros have learnt their lesson. Also I don’t know if this movie will be too stuffed with other things for setup for other solo movies. There’s a lot of elements that this movie needs to get just right. However I think it’s possible. I loved Batman v Superman, so I can’t wait to see the story that Terrio and Snyder have planned out. I have no idea how this film will turn out, but I have high hopes.

Justice League will be released on November 16, 2017.

So what did you think of my list? What are your picks for the most anticipated movies of 2017. Comment below and let me know.