Blockbusters in the forecast
Next summer’s film season promises several top releases
The summer movie season is winding down, which means it’s time to start getting psyched for 2018.
Some of the biggest franchises in Hollywood, including “Star Wars,” Marvel and “Jurassic Park,” have next installments on the docket, plus there's the return of a classic Pixar clan and the sweet sounds of Meryl Streep.
Here are 10 films we can’t wait to see in theaters next summer. (Release dates are subject to change because, well, a lot can happen in a year.)
“Avengers: Infinity War” (May 4): A decade of Marvel blockbusters leads to this all-hands-on-deck situation. The Guardians of the Galaxy hang with the Avengers, “facial-hair bros” Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) meet, plus bigtime cosmic villain Thanos (Josh Brolin) has designs on destroying all our favorite heroes.
Untitled Han Solo film (May 25): The latest Star Wars Story is off to a rather inauspicious start (original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller out, Ron Howard in) but the faithful won’t care when they see scruffy young nerf-herders Alden Ehrenreich as the iconic space smuggler and Donald Glover as gambling pal Lando Calrissian.
“Deadpool 2” (June 1): One of last year’s biggest superhero hits won’t have the surprise factor on its side, yet still has its not-so-secret sauce: wisecracking Ryan Reynolds running around with a sword and plenty of guns. The sequel gets a new director in David Leitch (”John Wick: Chapter 2”) and a timetraveling warrior in Brolin’s Cable.
“Ocean’s 8” (June 8): George Clooney’s “Ocean’s Eleven” heist trilogy spawns a female-led spinoff, with Sandra Bullock heading a crew that includes Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway and Rihanna robbing New York City’s Met Gala.
“Incredibles 2” (June 15): Pixar’s resident superhero family returns after 14 years, though director Brad Bird’s sequel begins right as the original ends. What’s different this time? Baby JackJack’s got crazy skills, Mr. Incredible is forced to stay home and wife Elastigirl takes charge.
“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” (June 22): The last one had the biggest summer opening of all time, so director J.A. Bayona has brought back much of the winning recipe: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard and dinosaurs. There is one blast from the past who’s not a big lizard: Jeff Goldblum reprises his “Jurassic Park” role as resident chaos theorist Ian Malcolm.
“Ant-Man and the Wasp” (July 6): The original “Ant-Man” became a boxoffice hit, thanks to its family-friendly nature and smart comedy. Paul Rudd returns as the super-shrinking hero, Evangeline Lilly gets her own supersuit as the Wasp and Michael Douglas again plays tech wizard Hank Pym, whose long-lost wife (she disappeared in the quantum realm) re-emerges, played by Michelle Pfeiffer.
“Hotel Transylvania 3” (July 13): Adam Sandler reprises his voice role as Dracula in the popular monster-comedy franchise. Drac and his gang, including daughter Mavis (Selena Gomez), go on a cruise and the lead vamp falls for the ship’s captain, a descendant of old rival Abraham Van Helsing.
“Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!” (July 20): The original movie musical didn't run through all of ABBA’s greatest hits. More pop tunes will power the sequel, with Pierce Brosnan trying to sing for a second time, Meryl Streep starring as the formerly lovelorn Donna and Lily James joining the crew as a younger version of Donna.
“Mission: Impossible 6” (July 27): Tom Cruise’s broken ankle is a downer, but fans still have the A-lister’s latest crazy stunts to look forward to in secret agent Ethan Hunt’s next action adventure. Rebecca Ferguson’s superspy Ilsa Faust carries over from Rogue Nation, while Henry Cavill makes his debut in the franchise.