Sony pictures announced their planned release dates for their upcoming films all the way up to 2019. Some exciting announcements of week known franchises, some new additions as well as some release date changes for already announced features. Looking through the list theirs something for everyone to get excited about making sure we’ll all be glued to the cinema seats for the next couple of years!
Many have been eagerly awaiting to see a third instalment of the Bad Boys franchise but after star Martin Lawrence claimed the project was ‘close to happening’. It’s no surprise that sequels were being discussed with the first instalment making $141 million and the second instalment $273 million worldwide they were massive successes with both fans and critics. Those fans have been rewarded with Sony announcing not only Bad Boys 3 with a 17th February 2017 release date and Bad Boys 4 a 3rd July 2019 summer time-slot. Although Will Smith hasn’t officially signed on it wouldn’t be the same franchise without him!
Also announced by Sony was a long awaited remake of the 1995 classic Jumanji based on a magical board game which comes to life. The original starred the late Robin Williams as well as a young Kirsten Dunst who helped William’s character Alan escape from the game. Quickly becoming a cult-classic the film made an impressive $263 million worldwide with this remake hoping to repeat this success and even better it. Zach Helm is on board to write the reintroduction of Jumanji into the 21st century, having had previous experience in the family film genre penning Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium. Sony clearly have allot of faith in the project giving it a Christmas Day release for 2016.
Possibly boasting the hottest cast in Hollywood right now Passengers has also been given a christmas season release date hitting cinemas on 21st December 2016. This romantic sic-fi drama stars Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence who are travelling through space to a distant colony planet, when a sleep chamber fails and a passenger awakes 60 years too early he must chose whether to grow old alone or awake another passenger. The Imitation Game’s Morten Tyldum is set to direct putting and with it’s winter season release date it is an early contender for award season.
Other highlights from the announcement include a moving of the release date for the all female Ghostbusters starring Melissa McCarthy and Kristin Wiig to 15th July 2016. The sixth and final instalment of the Resident Evil franchise will be released on 27th January 2017. Every girls best friend Barbie will get a feature length film to be released 2nd June 2017. Video game film adaptation of the Playstation series Uncharted will hit cinemas on 30th June 2017. Finally, Stephen King’s franchise The Dark Tower will be released on 13th January 2017, based on a gunslinger on the quest for a mysterious tower.