2016 has rolled around fast and we are at the start of another fantastic movie year... and there are a whole host of terrific movies on the horizon over the next twelve months.
Star Trek Beyond
The science fiction genre is one that I always look forward to and we have been treated to some great films in recent years. I am pleased to say that 2016 is set to follow on that fine tradition with some great movies that I cannot wait to see.
We take a closer look at some of the standout sci-fi films of the year that you cannot afford to miss if you are a fan of this genre.
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - released 16th December
When it comes to sci-fi movies, there will be none that will be bigger than Rogue One: A Star Wars Story this year. This is the first spin-off of the new Star Wars franchise and, given that The Force Awakens has been such a huge hit, I think Rogue One is also going to be a huge success.
Of course, a spin-off is always a risky move but the cast and director that has been assembled for the film really is a major cause for excitement.
The movie sees Gareth Edwards back in the director's chair for the third feature film of his career - he has already brought us Monsters and Godzilla. He is one of the most exciting new filmmakers around and I cannot wait to see what he delivers with Rogue One.
Oscar nominee Felicity Jones is set to lead the cast and she is joined by Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Diego Luna, Forest Whitaker, and Riz Ahmed.
While nothing is known about the characters in the film, the movie follows a group of Rebels that set out on a mission to steal the plans for the Death Star. Star Wars is the only film franchise anyone can talk about at the moment and we are going to be treated to a handful of films over the next few years.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will be the December movie not to miss and promises to be one of the biggest sci-fi hits of the year... but just how big a movie will it be at the box office?
- Passengers - released 23rd December
Jennifer Lawrence is a favourite here at FemaleFirst and 2016 is set to be another very busy year for the Oscar-winning actress. She is set to tackle the adventure/sci-fi genre with her upcoming film Passengers.
The movie will see Lawrence team up with actor Chris Pratt and director Morten Tyldum for the first time. Tyldum has brought us movies such as Headhunters and this will be his first feature film since the huge success of The Imitation Game in 2014. Filming on Passengers is still underway and is set to hit the big screen in the UK at the end of the year.
Lawrence and Pratt take on the central roles of Aurora and Jim Preston and are joined on the cast list by Michael Sheen and Laurence Fishburne. Lawrence and Pratt are two of the most exciting and in-demand stars right now and I cannot wait to see them share the screen together.
The movie is set aboard a spacecraft that is transporting thousands of people to a distant colony planet. When there is a malfunction in one of the sleep chambers, a single passenger wakes decades early. Rather than face the fate of growing old and dying alone on the craft, Jim wakes up a second passenger - played by Lawrence.
Tyldum delivered a fantastic character study with The Imitation Game and I cannot wait to see him deliver more of this same with this new sci-fi project. Jon Spaihts, who wrote the script for Prometheus and Doctor Strange, has penned the screenplay and this is one of the sci-fi films that I just cannot wait to see.
- Star Trek Beyond - released 22nd July
It was back in 2009 when the rebooted Star Trek franchise hit the big screen and 2013 when the sequel was released... this summer sees Star Trek Beyond hit the big screen.
However, it is all change in the director's chair this time around as Justin Lin has taken over from J.J. Abrams for the first time - Abrams went on to film the small movie that was Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin, and John Chu are back as Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Scotty, Bones, Chekov and Sulu. Idris Elba is the big new addition to the cast list and is expected to take on the role of Krall in the new film.
I have been a big fan of the first two Star Trek movies and it will be interesting to see it in the hands of a new director. Lin is no stranger to the big budget blockbuster, having helmed three Fast & Furious movies, and I can't wait to see what direction he takes the franchise and these popular characters.
The plot of Star Trek Beyond is being kept under wraps but we were treated to the film's first trailer at the end of last year - which really did promise and action packed ride. The movie looks set to be a major force at the box office during the blockbuster summer and is not to be missed if you are a fan of this genre and this franchise.
- Independence Day: Resurgence - released 24th June
I have to admit, Independence Day: Resurgence is not a movie that I am jumping up and down with excitement to see. I am such a HUGE fan of the original film - which will be twenty years old this August - and didn't think that a sequel was necessary.
However, I am hope I am proved completely wrong as Roland Emmerich returns to the director's chair while Carter Blanchard has penned the film's screenplay.
Emmerich is no stranger to the big budget blockbuster and Independence Day: Resurgence is set to be another huge movie for the filmmaker. While I am not wild about this new film, I am glad that it is Emmerich who is at the helm to continue this alien invasion story.
There are some familiar faces on the cast list as Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman will reprise the role of David Levinson and President Whitmore - sadly, Will Smith will not be back. However, there are plenty of new names to watch out for as Liam Hemsworth, Joey King, Maika Monroe, William Fichtner, Vivica A. Fox, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Sela Ward will all join forces to star.
We always knew they were coming back. After Independence Day redefined the event movie genre, the next epic chapter delivers global spectacle on an unimaginable scale. Using recovered alien technology, the nations of Earth have collaborated on an immense defence program to protect the planet. But nothing can prepare us for the aliens' advanced and unprecedented force. Only the ingenuity of a few brave men and women can bring our world back from the brink of extinction.
Independence Day remains a popular and much-loved sci-fi blockbuster and I just hope that Independence Day: Resurgence can live up to what has gone before.
- Spectral - released 12th August
Spectral is one of the science fiction films that has, so far, gone under the radar as Nic Mathieu is set to make his feature film directorial debut.
Ian Fried, John Catins, and George Nolfi have all teamed up to pen the film's screenplay. Universal Pictures will release the movie.
Spectral is set to mix elements of action, sci-fi and war as the film follows a special-ops team that is dispatched to fight supernatural beings that have taken over a major city.
Another terrific cast has been assembled as Emily Mortimer, James Badge Dale, Max Martini, Bruce Greenwood, and Clayne Crawford are just some of the names on board.
We haven't been treated to the first official trailer or images for Spectral just yet, but it is certainly one of the more intriguing sci-fi films of 2016.
- Midnight Special - released 15th April
Another small sci-fi film comes in the form of Midnight Special and is set to hit the big screen in the UK in mid-April.
The movie marks the return of Jeff Nichols to the director's chair for his first feature film since Mud. Midnight Special is the fourth feature film of his career; coming after Shotgun Stories, Take Shelter, and Mud. As well as being in the director's chair, Nichols has also penned the film's screenplay.
Midnight Special sees Nichols reunite with actor Michael Shannon, whom he teamed up with for Take Shelter back in 2011.
Shannon is set to lead an all-star cast as Adam Driver, Kirsten Dunst, Joel Edgerton, Sean Bridgers, and Sam Shepard as also on board.
Shannon is set to take on the role of father Roy, who goes on the run with his young son Alton, after learning that he possess special powers.
For me, Nichols is one of the best directors around and Mud was a terrific film. Midnight Special sees him step into the sci-fi genre for the first time and I cannot wait to see what he delivers this time around.
- The 5th Wave - released 22nd January
We have been treated to a whole host of young adult movies in recent years and The 5th Wave is the latest book to be given the big screen treatment.
The 5th Wave is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Rick Yancey - the first in a trilogy of books - that introduces us to new heroine Cassie Sullivan. Chloe Grace Moretz is set to take on the role of Cassie in the new film, which sees her team up with director J Blakeson for the first time.
This is only the second feature film for Blakeson and comes six years after he made his debut with The Disappearance of Alice Creed back in 2010. Susannah Grant, Akiva Goldsman, and Jeff Pinkner are also aboard the project, having teamed up to pen the screenplay.
Moretz will play Cassie and is joined on the cast list by Nick Robinson, Maika Monroe, Liev Schreiber, Maggie Siff, Maria Bello, and Ron Livingston.
In the new film, four waves of increasingly deadly attacks have left most of Earth decimated. Against a backdrop of fear and distrust, 16-year-old Cassie (Moretz) is on the run, desperately trying to save her younger brother. As she prepares for the inevitable and lethal 5th wave, Cassie teams up with a young man who may become her final hope - if she can only trust him.
If you are a sci-fi film fan, 2016 is going to be another great with a whole host of great looking films coming our way. Which one are you looking forward to the most?