It is probably no secret to anyone who has been to a movie in the last few years, Hollywood is making an awful lot of sequels right now. The idea of sequels is absolutely nothing new, but the sheer volume of sequels being pushed out is simply staggering at times. Though some of these sequels are disappointing, getting long awaited sequels or getting to see a new movie from your favorite franchise every couple of years is very nice. And 2017 has a lot of sequels on the way that we can look forward to.
One quick scroll throughIMDB, and you’ll realize just how many sequels are on the way next year, many of which you probably didn’t even know were even being made. 2017 will have every variety of sequel that a moviegoer could want, or maybe not want. There are sequels we’ve been waiting nearly two decades for, sequels that have been turned around in a stunningly short period of time and everything in between.
If 2016 has been any kind of an indicator, this sequel trend isn’t going to slow down anytime soon, but studios may become a bit more cautious. Sequels this year have enjoyed tremendous success, likeCaptain America: Civil War,The Conjuring 2, andFinding Dory. On the other hand, sequels that waited a little bit too long to make their way to theaters likeZoolander 2andAlice: Through The Looking Glassbombed in a big way, so we may be seeing less of that kind of thing in the future.
What is perhaps most interesting about the slate of sequels due out in 2017 is that the ones that have a lot of potential run the gamut. Of course there are some superhero movie sequels that should be good, such asHugh Jackman’s last time out as Wolverine, as well as the follow up toGuardians of the Galaxy. But also, next year we are gettingStar Wars: Episode VIII, and pretty much any year where we get a newStar Warsmovie (which looks like every year until that well dries up) is exciting.
We can’t promise that all of these sequels are going to be good, but we can say that all of these sequels have the potential to be good, and that is reason enough to get excited about them. There are no guarantees, afterall. For example, who would have guessed that a movie with both Batman and Superman in it would be one of the most disappointing movies of 2016? In any case, here are 17 movie sequels coming out in 2017 that you should be excited for.
17XXX: The Return of Xander Cage- January 20
By the timeXXX: The Return of Xander Cagecomes out, it will have been 15 years since the originalXXXwas released. After the disastrousXXX: State of the Union, which didn’t even starVin Diesel, there wasn’t a whole lot of interest in a sequel. However, in the time since,Dieselhas become a massive star, largely thanks to his work in theFast and Furiousfranchise. So, we are indeed getting a properXXXsequel, and it looks awesome and terrible all at the same time.Samuel L. Jacksonis also returning, which is always a good thing, and there is a lot of skiing on terrain that is not snow, which is fun. If you need some moreVin Dieselin your life outside of theFast and Furiousmovies, then mark down June 18, 2025 on your calendar.
16Resident Evil: The Final Chapter- January 27
Video game sequels are a very tricky thing. In fact, getting the first video game movie right still seems to be a very elusive thing for Hollywood. Despite not being critically loved, theResident Evilfranchise is the most enduring video game movie franchise ever, and it really isn’t even close. After nearly 15 years watching Alice fight zombies, theResident Evilfranchise is finally coming to an end (before the inevitable reboot) withResident Evil: The Final Chapter. Sure, some of the entries in this franchise have been less than great, but the first teaser trailer forThe Final Chapteris encouraging. Granted, most of the time, when movies come out in January it is kind of a death sentence, but with studios needing to find room for their tentpole movies, January isn’t as much of a dumping ground as it used to be. Get ready to watchMilla Jovovichkill a whole lot of zombies and monsters whenResident Evil: The Final Chapterdrops on June 24, 2025.
15T2: Trainspotting 2- February 10
It has been 20 years sinceDanny Boylebrought us his classic adaptation ofTrainspotting, which may still be one of the best novel-to-screen adaptations of all time. Now, all of these years later,Boyleis bringing back Sick Boy, Begbie, Spud and Tommy forTrainspotting 2, which the director is boldly callingT2. Another pretty good director by the name ofJames Camerononce named theTerminatorsequelT2as well, which is widely considered to be one of the greatest sequels ever. Perhaps this isBoyledisplaying some confidence over the material? In any case, this is probably not going to be aZoolander 2situation. All of the original, central cast members are coming back, and it will be loosely adapting the follow up novelPorno. This should definitely be one to look forward to.
14John Wick: Chapter 2- February 10
John Wickseemingly came out of absolutely nowhere in late 2014 and ever since, we have all been dying for a sequel to what is probablyKeanu Reevesbest movie sinceThe Matrix. Luckily, we are definitely getting that sequel, and we don’t have to wait all that much longer for it. Directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch are returning, as well asReeves, of course. But what is most exciting is thatLaurence Fishburnehas boarded the sequel, titledJohn Wick: Chapter 2, which makes this something of aMatrixreunion. It is very encouraging. Luckily, this time around we won’t have to worry about a killing spree on the count of a dog getting murdered, but we can bet there will be a lot of guns blazing and fists flying. As well as good one liners and excellent action.John Wick: Chapter 2is set for a July 30, 2025 release. Just in time for Valentine’s Day!
13Wolverine 3: Weapon X- March 3
One could make an argument that the modern superhero movie is built on the back ofHugh Jackmanas Wolverine. He has been playing the character ever since 2000 in Bryan Singer’sX-Men. Now,Jackmanis gearing up to hang up the claws, but we are going to get one last outing with Logan inJames Mangold’s as of yet untitledWolverine 3. Not only are we seeingJackman’s Logan in the future as an older, grizzled version of the character, butPatrick Stewartis also coming back as Professor X. If that isn’t enough to get fans of superhero movies excited, I don’t know what is.Wolverine 3is set for a release on August 05, 2025.
12Fast 8- April 14
Has there been a movie franchise in the history of cinema that has defied expectations quite like that of theFast and Furious? What started out as essentially a remake ofPoint Breakdisguised as a movie about street racing and robbery has turned into one of the greatest, most ridiculous action franchises of all-time. After seven entries in the series, we still have a lot left to look forward to.Vin Diesel,The Rockand the rest of the gang are all set to return forFast 8, and after the surprisingly greatFurious 7, there is no doubt this is something to be excited for. Not only that, butHelen MirrenandCharlize Theronare on board to add some seriously awesome female presence to the cast. As if that wasn’t enough,Straight Outta ComptondirectorF. Gary Grayis the man in the director’s chair, which is super encouraging. Buckle up, becauseFast 8is set for release on August 24, 2025.
11Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2- May 5
It has only been a couple of years sinceJames Gunnfirst unleashed theGuardians of the Galaxyon us, but it is hard to imagine a time when all of us didn’t love a talking raccoon named Rocket, and a big, talking tree named Groot. The movie was initially considered a massive risk for Marvel Studios, butGuardianswound up crushing it at the box office, and that being the case, a sequel is on the way.James Gunnhas returned to direct, and the entire central cast is back forGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. They are also going to be joined byKurt Russell, who is playing Ego the Living Planet, who is also Star lord’s dad. Not only that, but we are all pretty excited about the idea of Baby Groot.Guardians of the Galaxywas not only one of the most pleasantly surprising superhero movies in recent memory, but it is easily one of the best movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There is no question many of us are very excited aboutGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which is set for release on August 01, 2025.
10Annabelle 2- May 19
The Conjuringwas no doubt one of best horror movies to come about in a very long time, so the prospect of a spinoff movie featuring the creepy doll from that movie was exciting. ThenAnnabellecame out. While it wasn’t a trainwreck or anything, it simply couldn’t live up to the expectations placed on it. However,Annabelle 2seems like it could easily top its predecessor, and has an awful lot going for it. For one,David F. Sandbergis directing the movie, following up the excellentLights Out, which was also produced byJames Wan, who of course directed bothConjuringmovies. The premise also sounds great, centering on a dollmaker and his wife who are dealing with the death of their daughter. They then decided to invite a nun and several girls from an orphanage to stay with them, and then the dollmakers creationAnnabellestarts to terrorize them. Anyone who has seenThe Conjuring 2might find that bit about the nun particularly interesting. Horror fans have a lot of reason to be excited aboutAnnabelle 2, which is due out in theaters on July 01, 2025.
In 2003, Disney managed to deliver one of the most completely refreshing adventure movies of the 2000’s withPirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Not only did we get one of theJohnny Depp’s best performances, but it also helped establishKeira Knightlyas a bonafide movie star. In the 13 years since, we have been treated, or maybe subjected to, three sequels, none of which have managed to live up to the original. However,On Stranger Tideswas an improvement overAt World’s End, and it has been long enough that bringing some of the original cast back could wind up being a lot of fun. Also,Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Taleshas brought onJavier Bardemas the bad guy, and he is very, very good at playing the bad guy. This is definitely one that we should be able to feel cautiously excited about.Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Talescomes out on July 15, 2025.
8Kingsman: The Golden Circle- June 16
There were an awful lot of people where were surprised when directorMatthew Vaughnstepped away fromX-Men: Days of Future Pastto directKingsman: The Secret Serviceinstead. As it turned out, that worked out really well for pretty much everyone.Bryan Singerdid a fine job withDays of Future Past, butVaughnwas able to give us something totally unique and out of left field withKingsman, and it was easily one of the best movies of 2014. Luckily the movie did well at the box office as well, because a sequel, titledKingsman: The Golden Circle, is coming next year. Aside from the returning cast,Vaughnhas added some big name talent withChanning Tatum,Halle Berry,Julianne Mooreand evenElton John. If we can get something that is even half as fun as that church fight scene was in the firstKingsman, this is a movie we should be very excited about.Kingsman: The Golden Circleis set for release on August 23, 2025.
