Top 10 Most Anticipated Releases of December 2017

Based on the life of P.T. Barnum, the founder of Barnum & Bailey Circus, this biographical musical could very well follow in the footsteps of “Moulin Rouge!,” “Chicago,” and “La La Land.” Speaking of the latter, this movie reunites the duo of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who, in February 2017, took home the Academy Award for Best Original Song. On top of that, how many films can you think of that bring together the likes of Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) and Troy Bolton (Zac Efron)? Now there’s a recipe for The Greatest Show On Earth!

The original “Pitch Perfect” became a sleeper hit, and spawned an adoring cult following as well as a record-breaking sequel. This third installment will reassemble Beca, Fat Amy, and the rest of the Barden Bellas for a final curtain call. With college behind them, the ladies try to sort out their futures while competing at a USO tour. Along the way, we’re bound to get a few peppy musical numbers, witty one-liners, and… explosions? Well, that’s one way to go out with a bang.

Whereas U2’s previous album was entitled “Songs of Innocence,” their follow-up is “Songs of Experience.” That seems fitting, given the volatile state of the world. Truth be told, the album was originally set to come out last year to coincide with the band’s 40th anniversary. But in the wake of Brexit and the 2016 US presidential election, they made a few alterations to reflect these recent political shifts. The release date was thus pushed back to December 1, lining up with World AIDS Day.

With a massive $90 million budget, “Bright” is one of Netflix’s most expensive projects yet, not to mention one of their most ambitious. Will Smith and Joel Edgerton star in this action-fantasy-thriller as mismatched cops: this time, one human and one orc. This Odd Couple stumble upon a magic wand; think “Men in Black” meets “Lord of the Rings” meets “Training Day.” As bizarre as this premise might be, it actually sounds crazy enough to work.

While we’re on the subject of pricey Netflix productions, Season 1 of “The Crown” cost a whopping 100 million pounds (pro tip: that’s a lot.) But having earned a Golden Globe for Best Television Series - Drama, it’s safe to say that investment paid off. While the show runners have six seasons planned overall, Season 2 will reportedly mark the end of actress Claire Foy’s reign as Queen Elizabeth. The sophomore season will also introduce Michael C. Hall as John F. Kennedy and Jodi Balfour as Jackie Kennedy.

From “Zelda: Breath of the Wild” to “Super Mario Odyssey,” the Nintendo Switch has garnered an impressive library of exclusives in less than a year. Coming out just in time for the holidays, this RPG may bring the Switch one step closer to winning the current console war. “Xenoblade Chronicles 2,” which, oddly, is technically the third entry in this franchise, promises to recapture everything that made its predecessors great: a gripping story, strong combat, and a world that feels positively inhabitable. To Elysium!

Awards season is guaranteed to get more interesting with the release of “Molly’s Game,” which stars Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain and Oscar winner Kevin Costner. It’s also the directorial debut of Academy Award winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin. This true story revolves around Molly Bloom, dubbed the “Poker Princess” for running high-stakes underground games. From the overwhelmingly positive initial critical reception, we’re willing to wager a few bucks that this crime drama is going to collect a wheelbarrow of winnings.

Yet another Best Picture hopeful, “The Shape of Water” took home the Golden Lion at the 74th Venice International Film Festival. Consider by many to be Guillermo del Toro’s finest film since “Pan's Labyrinth,” this fantasy tells the love story of a mute janitor and amphibious creature. (Yeah we know: not exactly “Gone WIth The Wind.” ) Along with the box office success of “Beauty and the Beast,” 2017 has made one thing crystal clear: romance comes in a variety of different forms.

“The Room” initially gained a reputation as the worst movie ever made. Since then, people have come to regard it as perhaps the most entertainingly bad movie ever made. Now it’s inspired a biographical film that’s garnering serious awards buzz. In that sense, could “The Disaster Artist” be this generation’s “Ed Wood?” With James Franco both directing and starring, the film is bound to not only be hilarious, but also offer insight into what exactly Tommy Wiseau was thinking when he made his beautiful train wreck.

Considering we already chose it as our most anticipated movie of 2017, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that “The Last Jedi” tops this countdown as well. “The Force Awakens” was the “Star Wars” sequel trilogy’s answer to “A New Hope,” in ways both obvious and subtle. And “The Last Jedi” seems to be following in the tradition of “The Empire Strikes Back,” in that it might outshine its predecessor in every conceivable way. In any case, director Rian Johnson appears to have something truly special in store for us.