If 2016 was the year that saw franchises ruling Hollywood, 2017 will be no different. The industry, in its realisation that franchises are definite money-spinners, has greenlighted projects for the next five years (or more) in the unshakeable belief that their returns are guaranteed.
In all this, the discerning viewer still has the odd standalone film to look forward to next year. Of course, nothing seems to have changed as far as who the big stars are. Here are the big releases slated for 2017, both franchises and others.
Live by Night
Based on the Dennis Lehane book of the same name, this Prohibition-era film is directed by Ben Affleck, boasting a packed cast including Affleck himself, Elle Fanning, Chris Messina, Brendan Gleeson and Sienna Miller. It has been four years since Argo released, and hopefully, Live by Night will make it worth the wait.
Transformers: The Last Knight
Yet another Transformers installment is set to hit the screens next year, with Mark Wahlberg and Stanley Tucci reprising their roles. The franchise is a cash cow, no doubt, but this will be the final film in the series to be directed by Michael Bay.
The Lego Batman Movie
It has a voice cast comprising Will Arnett, Zach Galifianakis, Michael Cera, Rosario Dawson and Ralph Fiennes. It’s the next Lego movie and it has Batman! What more could the audience ask for?
Logan
Superheroes will get gritty for the whole of next year, beginning with this film in the X-Men series. Hugh Jackman returns as Wolverine and will do so for the last time. It’s hard to imagine anybody else playing the character after Jackman’s portrayal of it for the past 17 years.
Kong: Skull Island
King Kong gets yet another reboot in 2017. The ensemble cast for Kong: Skull Island is filled with stars like Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Brie Larson and John Goodman, it will be the second film in the Godzilla-Kong series.
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
Guy Ritchie is back soon with his take on the Arthurian legend. Not much would change as far as the story is concerned, one expects, but it would be interesting to watch Ritchie’s treatment of the material.
Alien: Covenant
After Prometheus , Ridley Scott returns with the next film in the Alien series, this time featuring Michael Fassbender again as ‘David’, the ‘synthetic’ and the sole survivor of the Prometheus expedition.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
The fifth Pirates film will release next year. Not much might change in the storytelling as such — pirate has a quest, pirate seeks a specific artifact that helps him win, and of course, pirate wins. This installment also features Javier Bardem, and Orlando Bloom will return after his notable absence in the fourth film.
World War Z 2
Allied was the only release that Brad Pitt had in 2016, and that hasn’t even made it to worldwide markets yet. And it seems like the sequel to World War Z , which has a tentative release date in mid-2017 may get delayed further. Here’s hoping Brad Pitt has a movie to fall back on next year.
Kingsman: The Golden Circle
Kingsman: The Secret Service was everything that was fun about a spy movie, with added bits of tongue-in-cheek humour. And when the sequel was announced, one just had to take a look at the cast — Taron Egerton, Julianne Moore, Halle Berry, Mark Strong, Pedro Pascal, Channing Tatum and Jeff Bridges — to know for sure that this could well be one of the best films of next year.
Dunkirk
It is definitely going to be the big IMAX release of 2017. Christopher Nolan returns to the auteur’s chair with this war film, and if the trailer is anything to go by, the filmmaking seems inspired.
Blade Runner 2049
While Blade Runner has achieved cult status, this Dennis Villeneuve flick, slated for release next year sees Harrison Ford reprise his role as Rick Deckard. Ryan Gosling is the lead for this film, and the two stars on screen together promise to be a fascinating watch.
Justice League
The film that every comic book fan has been waiting for was announced in 2014. It took two damp squibs — Batman V. Superman and Suicide Squad — to get here. And finally, the Easter eggs in those films are now an actuality with Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, Aquaman, Flash and Cyborg all getting together.
Star Wars: Episode VIII
It seems as if the Star Wars franchise is bound to be never-ending. 2015 saw the release of The Force Awakens , and Rogue One hit the screens this year. The events of Episode VIII are supposed to take off from the end of The Force Awakens and will be the last ever role Carrie Fisher will play on screen.
Suburbicon
George Clooney is teaming up with the Coen brothers for the fifth time, this time around as a director as well, for their crime comedy film Suburbicon . Clooney’s last directorial venture The Monuments Men was panned, so it remains to be seen if this will be his directorial masterpiece.
George Clooney.
Guardians of the Galaxy 2
The Marvel Cinematic Universe continues with Chris Pratt as the Star Lord. The first film in this part of the universe was a global blockbuster and the quest to find the Star Lord’s true parentage only guarantees a sureshot winner.
American Made
Based on a true story, American Made is Tom Cruise’s big release in 2017. This year’s Jack Reacher film did nothing for his box office prospects, so the plot of this film — a former pilot becomes a drug smuggler in the 80s and is later recruited by the authorities as an informer — hopefully holds the audience’s interest.
The Hitman’s Bodyguard
It’s exactly as unbelievable as it sounds. A bodyguard takes on a hitman as a client to bring about the downfall of a dictator. With a cast consisting of Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Gary Oldman and Salma Hayek, this is one film that may make it really big purely based on the plot alone.
