Power Ranking Every 2017 Comic Book Movie By Hype
Is THIS the year the DCEU actually launches properly?
It's becoming all too easy for casually lazy film pundits and disgruntled actors or directors whose indie films get smushed at the box office to talk about comic book movie saturation. Based on their stunning predictions, the bubble will have popped several years ago, the MCU wouldn't have got off the ground and we'd have all gone back to just watching endless Saw and Transformers movies all summer.
Somehow though, there are nine comic book movies coming out next year. Nine. That's more than eighteen hours of spandex-clad cinema. Great predictions, guys.
Now, that's not to say that all of them will actually be any good - this year's inconsistent bunch of genre additions would suggest that some will probably suck, in fact - but there won't be a lack of interest. We're actually at the peak of the interest curve, and that can only be good for comic book fans.
At one point we could have had both a Bloodshot movie and Gambit in the next twelve months too, but one of those hasn't yet got off the ground and the other one seems to be conspiring to drive itself back under it. Poor Channing Tatum.
Anyway, here's how the actually confirmed 9 comic book movies coming out in 2017 rank in order of anticipation.
9. Ghost In The Shell
Release: March 31st
Based on the seminal Manga (so yes, it does count), Ghost In The Shell will come to the big screen in 2017 facing an almighty weight of expectation and a massive slice of controversy thanks to its casting decisions. DreamWorks have defended the perceived white-washing, but it's going to be a tough one to recover from.
The Selling Point:
The original story is excellent of course, and while Scarlett Johansson isn't the right colour for a lot of people, she's a gifted actor and she's already played a similarly intriguing character in Under The Skin. One way or another, it's going to fall on her to make this a success.
The Concerns:
The white-washing controversy isn't going to go away, even if the film ends up being amazing. And then of course there's the fact that the animation (released in 1995) is almost universally adored (and actually has a more organic relationship with the Manga): it's going to take a lot to convince a lot of original fans that making it live action isn't doing a disservice to Anime in general.