A Look Ahead: The Movies of Winter and Spring 2017

So it's another new year, and that means a whole batch of new movies for us to all enjoy (or indeed not enjoy). It can be hard deciding what to see when there's so much stuff, but this multi-part series contains every wide US-release movie to help you decide. Which of them will you be seeing? And which are you most excited for? Comment below after taking a good look.

WINTER

First comes the months most empty of blockbusters, and most filled with the public release of critically acclaimed award contenders. Winter has a lower turnout, but that doesn't stop some great films gracing our screens.

JANUARY 6

• Action 'Underworld: Blood Wars (2017)' from Anna Foerster. Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Theo James, Lara Pulver, James Faulkner, Charles Dance.
• Drama 'Hidden Figures (2016)' from Theodore Melfi. Starring: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons.
• Fantasy/Drama 'A Monster Calls (2016)' from J. A. Bayona. Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones, Toby Kebbell, Lewis MacDougall, Liam Neeson.

JANUARY 13

• Horror 'The Bye Bye Man (2017)' from Stacy Title. Starring: Douglas Smith, Lucien Laviscount, Cressida Bonas, Doug Jones,Carrie-Anne Moss, Faye Dunaway.
• Adventure 'Monster Trucks (2017)' from Chris Wedge. Starring: Lucas Till, Jane Levy, Amy Ryan, Rob Lowe, Danny Glover.
• Crime/Thriller 'Sleepless (2017) ' from Baran bo Odar. Starring: Jamie Foxx, T.I.Michelle Monaghan, Dermot Mulroney, David Harbour, Gabrielle Union, Scoot McNairy.
• Period/Action 'Live by Night (2016)' from Ben Affleck. Starring: Ben Affleck, Elle Fanning, Brendan Gleeson, Chris Messina, Sienna Miller, Zoe Saldana, Chris Cooper.
• Drama 'Patriots Day (2016)' from Peter Berg. Starring: Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Kevin Bacon, John Goodman, J. K. Simmons, Michelle Monaghan.
• Drama 'Silence (2016)' from Martin Scorsese. Starring: Starring: Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Tadanobu Asano, Ciarán Hinds, Liam Neeson.

JANUARY 20

• Drama 'The Resurrection of Gavin Stone (2017)' from Dallas Jenkins. Starring: Brett Dalton, Anjelah Johnson, Neil Flynn, Shawn Michaels, D.B. Sweeney.
• Biopic 'The Founder (2017)' from John Lee Hancock. Starring: Michael Keaton, Nick Offerman, John Carroll Lynch, Linda Cardellini, Patrick Wilson.
• Thriller 'Split (2017)' from M. Night Shyamalan. Starring: James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Betty Buckley.
• Action 'xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017)' from D.J. Caruso. Starring: Vin Diesel, Donnie Yen, Deepika Padukone, Kris Wu, Ruby Rose, Tony Jaa, Nina Dobrev.
• Comedy/Drama '20th Century Women (2016)' from Mike Mills. Starring: Annette Bening, Elle Fanning, Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup.

JANUARY 27

• Drama ‘The Salesman (2016)’ from Asghar Farhadi. Starring: Shahab Hosseini, Taraneh Alidoosti.
• Drama ‘A Dog's Purpose (2017)’ from Lasse Hallström. Starring: Britt Robertson, Dennis Quaid, Josh Gad, Peggy Lipton, Juliet Rylance.
• Thriller ‘Gold (2017)’ from Stephen Gaghan. Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Édgar Ramírez, Bryce Dallas Howard, Corey Stoll, Toby Kebbell, Craig T. Nelson.
• Action ‘Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2017)’ from Paul W. S. Anderson. Starring: Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Shawn Roberts, Ruby Rose.

FEBRUARY 3

• Action ‘Collide (2017)’ from Eran Creevy. Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Felicity Jones, Marwan Kenzari, Ben Kingsley, Anthony Hopkins.
• Thriller ‘Rings (2017)’ from F. Javier Gutiérrez. Starring: Matilda Lutz, Alex Roe, Johnny Galecki, Aimee Teegarden, Bonnie Morgan.
• Drama ‘Same Kind of Different as Me (2017)’ from Michael Carney. Starring: Greg Kinnear, Renée Zellweger, Djimon Hounsou, Jon Voight.
• Sci-fi ‘The Space Between Us (2017)’ from Peter Chelsom. Starring: Gary Oldman, Asa Butterfield, Carla Gugino, Britt Robertson.

FEBRUARY 10

• 'The Lego Batman Movie (2017)' is likely to be one of the biggest hits of the season as it capitalises on a release around Valentines Day. Now it may be no romance, but it is one of two 2017 LEGO animations from Warner Bros, and if the trailers are anything to go by it looks like one heck of a funny ride. The movie does have an interesting team of people working on it too (often with a background in TV) starting with TV-director Chris McKay at the helm, and Seth Grahame-Smith, Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers (and the more experienced Jared Stern) writing. Perhaps its strongest element though is its comedic voice cast as it stars Will Arnett, Zach Galifianakis, Michael Cera, Rosario Dawson and Ralph Fiennes, who will all probably bring real life to the funny script. LEGO Batman has the potential to be a great movie, but what if you want a more serious affair for your valentines day weekend? Don't worry, there are two more offerings here that may also appeal...
• Romance ‘Fifty Shades Darker (2017)’ from James Foley. Starring: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Kim Basinger, Luke Grimes.
• Action ‘John Wick: Chapter Two (2017)’ from Chad Stahelski. Starring: Keanu Reeves, Ruby Rose, Ian McShane, Bridget Moynahan, Laurence Fishburne.
• Drama ‘God Bless the Broken Road (2017)’ from Harold Cronk. Starring: Lindsay Pulsipher, Jordin Sparks, LaDainian Tomlinson.

FEBRUARY 17

• Drama ‘A Cure for Wellness (2017)’ from Gore Verbinski. Starring: Dane DeHaan, Jason Isaacs, Mia Goth.
• Fantasy/Action ‘The Great Wall (2017)’ from Zhang Yimou.Starring: Matt Damon, Jing Tian, Pedro Pascal, Willem Dafoe, Andy Lau.
• Comedy ‘Fist Fight (2017)’ from Richie Keen. Starring: Ice Cube, Charlie Day, Tracy Morgan, Jillian Bell.
• Thriller ‘Patient Zero (2017)’ from Stefan Ruzowitzky. Starring: Natalie Dormer, Matt Smith, Stanley Tucci, Clive Standen, Agyness Deyn.

FEBRUARY 24

• Horror ‘Get Out (2017)’ from Jordan Peele. Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford, Caleb Landry Jones, Keith Stanfield
• Animation ‘Rock Dog (2017)’ from Ash Brannon. Starring: Luke Wilson, Eddie Izzard, J. K. Simmons, Lewis Black, Kenan Thompson, Mae Whitman.

SPRING

After winter, spring is the time where Hollywood warms up for the big summer blockbuster season. Yes, here we're never short of some great movies to get our teeth into, and some big box office successes too.

MARCH 3

• Kicking off spring is the R-Rated 'Logan (2017);' the last X-Men film to star Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, where we're promised a very different vibe and a real emotional rollercoaster. Because of that, and also thanks to the somber first trailer, this is one of the most anticipated 2017 movies for many. Will the film be better-recieved than the previous two Wolverine 'solo movies' though? Well James Mangold (director of 'The Wolverine') is returning, and for some that's promising, whilst for others it's a bit of a worry. For the skeptics, we at least know comic book and film writer Michael Green (Alien: Covenant, Blade Runner 2049, Murder on the Orient Express) worked on the screenplay, and we also know Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Richard E. Grant, Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Merchant (and Dafne Keen) probably wont let us down in front of the screen either. The film follows Logan in 2024 where mutant births are severely in decline and a government operation is turning mutant children into killing machines. Logan is dying, but finds himself taking up the mantle of mentor to a mutant child like him with two claws instead of three.
• Drama ‘Before I Fall (2017)’ from Ry Russo-Young. Starring: Zoey Deutch, Halston Sage, Logan Miller, Kian Lawley, Jennifer Beals.
• Drama ‘The Shack (2017)’ from Stuart Hazeldine. Starring: Sam Worthington, Octavia Spencer, Radha Mitchell, Alice Braga, Tim McGraw.

MARCH 10

• Action ‘Kong: Skull Island (2017)’ from Jordan Vogt-Roberts. Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, Brie Larson, Jing Tian, Toby Kebbell, Terry Notary, John C. Reilly.
• War film ‘The Wall (2017)’ from Doug Liman. Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, John Cena, Randy Orton.
• Drama ‘T2 Trainspotting (2017)' from Danny Boyle. Starring: Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Robert Carlyle.

MARCH 17

• Next up of course is Disney's ‘Beauty and the Beast (2017)’ remake, which forms the next in a long line of live-action fairy-tales from the studio after the success of last year's 'The Jungle Book.' This time, from director Bill Condon, we'll see a re-telling of the classic 1991 film, now starring Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens as the beast, as well as Luke Evans, Kevin Kline, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Ian McKellen and Emma Thompson. If that star-studded cast isn't enough to tempt thousands of movie-goers I'm not sure what is, but the real question on the lips of Disney's bosses will really be how much it can make next to Jon Favreau's Jungle Book that took almost $1bn the same time last year. The trailers for this have been very popular, and something tells me this is going to be one of the biggest all-round successes of 2017. The question is just how successful.
• Thriller ‘The Belko Experiment (2017)’ from Greg McLean. Starring: John Gallagher, Jr., Tony Goldwyn, Adria Arjona, John C. McGinley, Melonie Diaz, Josh Brener, Michael Rooker.
• Drama ‘Song to Song (2017)’ from Terrence Malick. Starring: Ryan Gosling, Natalie Portman, Rooney Mara, Michael Fassbender, Christian Bale.

MARCH 24

• Sci-fi ‘Life (2017)’ from Daniel Espinosa. Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson,
• Sci-fi ‘Power Rangers (2017) ’ from Dean Israelite. Starring: Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott, RJ Cyler, Becky G, Ludi Lin, Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Banks.
• Action ‘CHiPS (2017)’ from Dax Shepard. Starring: Dax Shepard, Michael Peña, Vincent D'Onofrio, Adam Brody, Rosa Salazar, Vida Guerra, Kristen Bell.
• Horror ‘Keep Watching (2017)’ from Sean Carter. Starring: Bella Thorne, Ioan Gruffudd, Natalie Martinez, Chandler Riggs, Leigh Whannell, Matthew Willig, Christopher Baker.
• Comedy ‘Wilson (2017)’ from Craig Johnson. Starring: Woody Harrelson, Laura Dern, Isabella Amara, Judy Greer, Cheryl Hines.

MARCH 31

• Sci-fi ‘Ghost in the Shell (2017)’ from Rupert Sanders. Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Pilou Asbæk, Takeshi Kitano, Juliette Binoche, Michael Pitt.
• Animation ‘The Boss Baby (2017)’ from Tom McGrath. Starring: Tobey Maguire, Alex Baldwin, Lisa Kudrow, Jimmy Kimmel, Steve Buscemi.
• Biopic ‘The Zookeeper's Wife (2017)’ from Niki Caro. Starring: Jessica Chastain, Johan Heldenbergh, Michael McElhatton, Daniel Brühl.

APRIL 7

• Animation ‘Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017)’ from Kelly Asbury. Starring: Demi Lovato, Mandy Patinkin, Jack McBrayer, Danny Pudi, Joe Manganiello.
• Comedy ‘Going in Style (2017)’ from Zach Braff. Starring: Morgan Freeman, Michael Kane, Alan Arkin, Ann-Margret, Joey King, Matt Dillon, Christopher Lloyd.
• Drama ‘Wonder (2017) ’ from Stephen Chbosky. Starring: Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Jacob Tremblay,Willow Shields, Joe Chen, Maria Grazia Cucinotta.
• Sci-fi/Thriller ‘Sleight (2017)’ from Justin Dillard. Starring: Jacob Latimore, Seychelle Gabriel, Dulé Hill, Storm Reid, Sasheer Zamata.
• Drama ‘The Case for Christ (2017)’ from Jon Gunn. Starring: Mike Vogel, Erika Christensen, Faye Dunaway.

APRIL 14

• 'The Fate of the Furious (2017)' is the sequel to Universal's madly successful 'Fast7,' and the next installment in their Fast and Furious franchise. The movie will by directed by F. Gary Gray and will star Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris Bridges, Nathalie Emmanuel, Kurt Russell, Scott Eastwood, Charlize Theron and Helen Mirren. As we gathered from the intriguing first trailer and from the film's synopsis, Fate of the Furious will see the team return to their old life as Dom is seduced into a world of crime. Much like on-set rumours hinted at a disagreement between Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel, it will be interesting to see the two's dynamic change on screen as they become rivals instead of friends. "Family no more" is the tagline, and that idea may draw plenty of crowds bringing intrigue alongside a thirst for all the usual action and explosions these movies tend to bring.
• Animation 'Spark: A Space Tail (2017)' from Aaron Woodley. Starring: Jessica Biel, Hilary Swank, Susan Sarandon, Jace Norman.

APRIL 22

• Animation 'Animal Crackers (2017)' from Scott Christian Sava and Tony Bancroft. Starring: John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Ian McKellen Danny DeVito, Sylvester Stallone.
• Documentary 'Born in China (2017)' from Lu Chuan. Narrated by John Krasinski.
• Thriller 'Unforgettable (2017)' from Denise Di Novi. Starring: Katherine Heigl, Rosario Dawson, Geoff Stults, Isabella Rice.

APRIL 28

• If you like socially relevant thrillers then James Ponsoldt's 'The Circle (2017)' might be for you, as this is a film that apparently shines the light on modern-day privacy whilst also engaging in high-stakes mystery-thriller territory. To do this, it takes from Dave Eggers' novel and follows a young tech worker who soon finds herself in a perilous situation around privacy, surveillance and freedom of humanity. That tech worker will be played by none-other than Emma Watson, and she'll be joined by Tom Hanks, John Boyega, Karen Gillan, Patton Oswalt and Bill Paxton. The biggest draw is clearly the cast then, but behind the screen this film also packs a lot of punch with classic talent such as Danny Elfman on the music and Matthew Libatique behind the cinematography. Old talent isn't always a recipe for success though, so we'll have to wait and see if this film lives up to the names (and its source material) as much as that first trailer suggests.
• Comedy 'How to Be a Latin Lover (2017)' from Ken Marino. Starring: Eugenio Derbez Salma Hayek, Raphael Alejandro, Rob Lowe, Kristen Bell.
• Drama 'The Promise (2016) ' from Terry George. Starring: Oscar Isaac, Charlotte Le Bon, Christian Bale, Shohreh Aghdashloo.

So there we are, winter and spring are jam-packed, and we all know what's next... The summer movie season. Oh yes, watch this space; we'll shortly be taking a look at some of the biggest blockbusters of the year. In the meantime, which of these are you most excited for, and which will you be going to see? Comment below your most anticipated movies here.