By Emily Weikl, Staff Writer
Movies and television have been used as escapism and/or food for thought for ages. These two mediums have also been a method for telling stories to shock, delight, or spur national conversations. In 2017, this rings true now more than ever.
Here are 10 upcoming movies and 10 premiering TV shows from April 2017 onward.
Movies:
The Fate of the Furious
Premiere Date: April 14
Director: F. Gary Gray
Synopsis: From IMDB – “When a mysterious woman seduces Dom into the world of crime and a betrayal of those closest to him, the crew face trials that will test them as never before.”
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Premiere Date: May 5
Director: James Gunn
Synopsis: From IMDB – “Set to the backdrop of Awesome Mixtape #2, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ continues the team’s adventures as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill’s true parentage.”
Wonder Woman
Premiere Date: June 2
Director: Patty Jenkins
Synopsis: From IMDB- “An Amazon princess leaves her island home to explore the world and, in doing so, becomes one of the world’s greatest heroes.”
The Mummy
Premiere Date: June 9
Director: Alex Kurtzman
Synopsis: From IMDB – “An ancient princess is awakened from her crypt beneath the desert, bringing with her malevolence grown over millennia, and terrors that defy human comprehension.”
Cars 3
Premiere Date: June 16
Director: Brian Fee
Synopsis: From IMDB – “Lightning McQueen sets out to prove to a new generation of racers that he’s still the best race car in the world.”
The Beguiled
Premiere Date: June 23
Director: Sofia Coppola
Synopsis: From IMDB – “At a girls’ school in Virginia during the Civil War, where the young women have been sheltered from the outside world, a wounded Union soldier is taken in. Soon, the house is taken over with sexual tension, rivalries, and an unexpected turn of events.”
Despicable Me 3
Premiere Date: June 30
Directors: Kyle Balda and Pierre Coffin
Synopsis: From IMDB – “Balthazar Bratt, a child star from the 1980’s, hatches a scheme for world domination.”
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Premiere Date: July 7
Director: Jon Watts
Synopsis: From IMDB- “Following the events of Captain America: Civil War (2016), Peter Parker attempts to balance his life in high school with his career as the web-slinging superhero Spider-Man.”
Dunkirk
Premiere Date: July 21
Director: Christopher Nolan
Synopsis: From IMDB – “Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Empire, Canada, and France are surrounded by the German army and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II.”
Baby Driver
Premiere Date: August 11
Director: Edgar Wright
Synopsis: From IMDB- “After being coerced into working for a crime boss, a young getaway driver finds himself taking part in a heist doomed to fail.”
TV:
Bill Nye Saves the World
Premiere Date: April 21
Channel: Netflix
Synopsis: From Film and TV website SlashFilm – “Each of the episodes will tackle a topic from a scientific point of view, dispelling myths, and refuting anti-scientific claims. In Bill’s unfiltered style, he will bring in special guests, conduct experiments and demonstrations, and ultimately let the facts lead the argument.”
Girlboss
Premiere Date: April 21
Channel: Netflix
Synopsis: From SlashFilm – “‘Girlboss’ is inspired by the New York Times best-selling book #Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso, founder of the fashion brand Nasty Gal. The series centers on Amoruso (Britt Robertson), who began selling vintage clothes on eBay and, by the age of 28, had built the multi-million dollar fashion empire, Nasty Gal.”
The Handmaid’s Tale
Premiere Date: April 26
Channel: Hulu
Synopsis: From Time.com – “Perhaps Hulu’s buzziest project to date, the adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel about a theocracy where women have been stripped of their rights has taken on new resonance in an era when reproductive rights are under attack.”
Dear White People
Premiere Date: April 28
Channel: Netflix
Synopsis: From SlashFilm – “The satirical series — which picks up where the acclaimed 2014 film by the same name left off – follows a group of Winchester University’s students of color as they navigate a diverse landscape of social injustice, cultural bias, political correctness (or lack thereof) and sometimes misguided activism in the millennial age.”
Cable Girls
Premiere Date: April 28
Channel: Netflix
Synopsis: From Entertainment website Metacritic – “Netflix’s first Spanish original series is set in Madrid during the late 1920s and follows four women working for the national telephone company. Eight episodes stream today, with another eight following later in the year.”
American Gods
Premiere Date: April 30
Channel: Starz
Synposis: From Time.com – “Neil Gaiman’s popular novel gets the TV treatment. In it, mythological gods war with a pantheon of new deities who reflect modern society’s obsession with money, celebrity, drugs and technology.”
Anne
Premiere Date: May 12
Channel: Netflix
Synopsis: From SlashFilm – “Anne is based on the 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery and adapted by Emmy Award-winning writer/producer Moira Walley-Beckett. The series will consist of 8 episodes, with Niki Caro directing the two-hour season premiere.”
Twin Peaks
Premiere Date: May 21
Channel: Showtime
Synopsis: From Time.com – “At long last the Twin Peaks revival is finally coming to television. After getting off to a rocky start, David Lynch and David Nevins have finally shot the sequel to the surreal show.”
Mindhunter
Premiere: October of this year
Channel: Netflix
Synopsis: From TV website CheatSheet – “This Netflix drama, set in 1979 and based on the book Mind Hunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit, will star Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany as two FBI agents, who interview imprisoned serial killers to try to solve ongoing cases.”