YouTube's Jack Howard on the best films yet to come in 2017

The films in 2017 have been getting better and better. Every time I think I have a favourite, a new one swoops in and takes its place. Summer has come to a close but luckily for us the “summer blockbuster” doesn’t really exist anymore. Some of the biggest films of the year have yet to grace the silver screen.

Here are my top five most anticipated films for the rest of the year…

Blade Runner 2049

I recently saw the original Blade Runner for the first time at an IMAX screening. Of course, Scott’s original film wasn’t shot on IMAX, so it was actually just projected on a really big screen, but it was a fantastic first experience. I must admit, I didn’t quite connect with it the way many other people have – but I still appreciate and respect what it achieved.

The screening was hosted by Mark Kermode, who compèred a very interesting interview with Ridley Scott and Denis Villeneuve.

Hearing 80-year-old Scott recount stories from his work on the original was like listening to the grandfather of cinema, as he occasionally veered off on tangents and forgot questions mid-answer. It was very charming and I especially enjoyed hearing about how he used miniatures to achieve the special effects, which by the way, haven’t aged a day.

Villeneuve played his cards pretty close to the chest, electing to not to reveal anything about his sequel but did mention that fans should expect “a very different film”.

Battle of the Sexes

This will tell the true story of the 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs and I can only assume the film will explore themes of gender and sexuality that are still prevalent in 2017.

This already makes it interesting but I’m particularly excited by the team involved; it will be Emma Stone’s first performance off the back of her Oscar win and her co-star is the always brilliant Steve Carrell.

If that’s not enough, the screenplay was written by Simon Beaufoy, who penned Slumdog Millionaire, and it will be directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, who helmed one of my favourites, Little Miss Sunshine. What a team!

Justice League

It might come as a surprise to some of you that this is on the list but I am SO interested in seeing this film.

Of course I want it to be good, but from what has been reported, the production has been a bit of a rollercoaster. Zack Snyder unfortunately had to step down as director due to a family tragedy and Joss Whedon took his place to oversee reshoots and post production.

Whedon famously brought the Avengers together in their big-screen-team-up debut. He also oversaw a lot of other Marvel properties but left over “creative differences” and now he’s “playing for the other side”. Furthermore, there have been rumours about Ben Affleck wanting to hang up the Batman cowl and that Henry Cavill was contractually obligated to keep a moustache while filming Mission Impossible 6.

And finally, after the success of Wonder Woman, it will be interesting to see how the film will favour her character. I can’t wait to see how it all turns out. 

Molly’s Game

I am a huge Aaron Sorkin fan. He has created and written, in my opinion, some of the best film and television ever made and some of the most quotable lines in film history. “You can’t handle the truth!” from A Few Good Men. That was him.

Even if you don’t know his name, you know his words. Sorkin won an Academy Award for writing The Social Network, one of my all-time favourite films. Basically… he’s really good at writing. But Molly’s Game is going to be his directorial debut and I’m excited to see what style he adopts after handing his writing over to other filmmakers for so long.

I really want this one to be great.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Obviously.

Before writing this article, I tweeted to ask people what film they were most excited for and this is the title that came up time and time again.

It’s a movie shrouded in mystery; there’s already been huge debate over who the title refers to. Personally, I don’t want to know any more – I want to go into the cinema with as little information as possible.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Disney/Lucasfilm decide against releasing a full length trailer. Because that would be such a cool and confident power move on their part and because I won’t be able to help watching it a hundred times if they do.

What film are you looking forward to most? Tweet us @Cineworld.

Jack Howard is a writer, director and actor. He regularly makes content for YouTube, is developing a movie and his sitcom series - 'Jack and Dean Of All Trades' is currently available on the Fullscreen platform’.