Jeff Turner
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
2016 had a lot of ups-and-downs; even though it was a great year for independent filmmaking, blockbusters largely underwhelmed, excluding the typical Marvel/Star Wars fare. It was, admittedly, a remarkable year for albums, with Beyoncé’s home run Lemonade only serving as an appetizer for what was to come. Television also fared well, with “Atlanta” and “Insecure” offering fresh new perspectives, and established properties like “Game of Thrones” producing its best seasons yet. 2017 has a lot to offer.
Comic book movies will be in full supply, with DC releasing “Wonder Woman” in June, shortly after the “Guardians of the Galaxy” sequel in May. Coming later this year are “Thor: Ragnarok” and “Justice League: Part I.” Even with this lineup, the one everyone is going to want to see will be “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” It’s been about three years since “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” polarized audiences. They have cast an age-appropriate Peter Parker, whom was debuted to acclaim in “Captain America: Civil War,” and Michael Keaton will be returning to superhero fare to play the villain. “Spider-Man: Homecoming” comes out in July.
“Game of Thrones” is also returning. When season six ended, it appeared the pieces were being set in places for the series denouement. Cersei was declared ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, Dany was headed straight for her, and the Starks were finally beginning to mobilize. It’s hard to guess where showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss will go from here, as there is no more source material to work with, but it will not end well. “Game of Thrones” season seven premiers in the fall.
There will also be a new season of “Twin Peaks”. The plot of the upcoming season has not been disclosed, all that is known is that most of the original cast will be returning, plus a lot of other new cast members. David Lynch has gone without a project for almost 10 years now–no one knows what to expect with this. “Twin Peaks” season three premiers on Showtime this spring.
There’s also a “Blade Runner” sequel, which so far looks promising. Harrison Ford has shown he’s still capable to make these kinds of films with “The Force Awakens,” and Ryan Gosling is one of the all-time great leads of his generation. There’s also Denis Villeneuve, who has demonstrated time and again an interest with original stories told with striking style.
A great film coming out in April is “Sleight,” which follows a young orphan who gets into illegal activity to help support himself and his sister, after he gets in over his head, he must use his magic to save them both. “Sleight” is getting strong critical reception, and earned praise when it was screened at Sundance. It has drawn comparisons to “Chronicle.”
There will also be a new Star Wars film at the end of the year. The director this time will be Rian Johnson (“Looper”). What little we know is that the crux of the film will center around the relationship between Luke and Rey and why Luke went to the island.
