Britt Hayes

First announced last year, the remake / reboot of Jumanji based on the classic book-turned-adventure film starring Robin Williams seemed like a baffling idea. What could possibly make the average movie-goer excited about this remake? A great cast, for starters, and it looks like we might get just that as everyone’s new favorite odd comedic coupling are in talks to star in the new Jumanji movie.

Speedy Gonzales might not be the first Looney Tunes character that comes to mind when you think of possible solo film spinoffs, but the lovable animated mouse is indeed getting his very own big screen outing. Why now? Why Speedy? According to the press release, the existence of Donald Trump makes Speedy and his diverse appeal more important than ever.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice had quite the weekend — not only did it break the March opening record previously held by The Hunger Games, but with $424 million worldwide, Zack Snyder’s epic now boasts the highest opening weekend for a Warner Bros. superhero movie. All those negative reviews predictably had zero effect on audiences, who flocked to see the long-awaited showdown between the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel.

Even before the early reviews began rolling in, the trailers solidified Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman as the most exciting attraction in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Audiences agreed, as Wonder Woman — whose name isn’t even in the title of the film — ranked highest in a recent poll that asked fans which character they were most eager to see in Zack Snyder’s superhero epic. As predicted, Gadot’s debut is definitely the best thing in Batman v Superman, and although her part only makes up about seven minutes of the film’s 150-minute runtime, those few minutes are riveting — but not enough to justify Snyder’s unfortunate treatment of the remaining female characters.

Matthew Vaughn’s sequel to Kingsman: The Secret Service is shaping up to be one of our most anticipated films of 2017: The director has begun assembling a pretty cool cast, with Julianne Moore as Kingsman 2's main villain opposite returning star Taron Egerton. While we wait to find out if (and how) Colin Firth will return, the film is looking to secure another great addition, with Halle Berry in talks to play a key role.

Studios have been trying to replicate the success of Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s The LEGO Movie, with films based on Play-Doh, Minecraft, Playmobil and more in the works. And while we’ve yet to see exactly how these attempts will pan out, we can add another one to the pile as Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg have signed on to produce a movie based on the Where’s Waldo? series of books.

Tina Fey has proven herself capable of elevating some fairly mediocre material (remember Admission? Of course you don’t), and while Whiskey Tango Foxtrot hardly presents a formidable challenge, it does put that theory to the test. The latest film from the directors of Crazy Stupid Love and Focus is just as glossy as its predecessors, but without the comedic vibrance of Fey, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot could have easily resulted in a spiritual successor to Eat, Pray, Love.

Mark-Paul Gosselaar as a villain? Stranger things have happened, but yes, the artist formerly known as Zack Morris is Bruce Willis’ latest foe in his newest action-thriller, which surprisingly isn’t going direct to VOD and Redbox. And yet, the first trailer for Precious Cargo looks like your typical, modern Bruce Willis action flick, aka “Bruce needs a quick paycheck.”

Daniel Craig has made no secret that he wants to exit the 007 franchise, and if it were up to him, Spectre would have been his last outing as James Bond. During the press tour for the 24th Bond film, Craig was pretty blunt about his desire to leave the franchise behind, suggesting that he’d rather slit his wrists than play 007 again. It’s not entirely up to Craig, though, but according to his best pal and fellow actor Mark Strong, he might be done with the franchise. Or not. Who knows.

Following in the footsteps of 21 Jump Street, Dwayne Johnson’s R-rated Baywatch movie has the potential to be another great comedic riff to its classic ’90s predecessor. And while we await the inevitable news of a David Hasselhoff / Pamela Anderson cameo, Johnson has our first look at the upcoming film, featuring Zac Efron, new uniforms and a concept called “alpha balls.”

While Cary Fukunaga’s adaptation of Stephen King’s sprawling horror epic It has now joined the list of great films that might have been, New Line hasn’t entirely ditched the plans set out by the former True Detective director. The studio is still planning on adapting the novel into two films, with the first focusing on the characters as children and the second following them as adults. And though we still mourn what Fukunaga’s version could have been, take solace in knowing that New Line is at least targeting an R rating.

Not to be confused with Disney’s ever-growing slate of live-action remakes which includes a Pinocchio project, Warner Bros.’ has had a Pinocchio movie of their own in development for years, with Robert Downey Jr. attached to play the role of puppet creator Gepetto. After repeatedly failing to secure a director, WB’s Pinocchio may have finally found its maker in Ron Howard, who is reportedly coming aboard to direct the long-gestating live-action take on the classic fairy tale.