Summer movie preview: Wonders and wars

It’s Memorial Day weekend, the official kickoff of summer. And though Hollywood’s summer movie season is already underway, there’s still lots more in store.

Here’s a look (release dates are subject to change).

Friday

“Wonder Woman” – She stole the show in “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice,” and now she gets her own show as Gal Gadot steps back into the Wonder Woman suit for her own origin story. When a pilot (Chris Pine) crashes in the Amazon and discovers Diana Prince, he tells her of a conflict in the outside world, which prompts her to leave home for the first time to join the fight.

“Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie” – The beloved children’s book hits the big screen in what will apparently be a franchise, since “First” is in the title. Two pesky fourth-graders named George and Harold hypnotize their principal into thinking he’s a superhero named Captain Underpants. I wonder whether giving wedgies is his superpower?

June 9

“The Mummy” – This remake is apparently meant to launch a large, interconnected story involving classic monsters from the golden age of Hollywood (Wolf Man, Invisible Man, Creature from the Black Lagoon, etc.). Here, Tom Cruise tries to stop the titular mummy from destroying London.

“Megan Leavey” – Attention, pet people! You’re sure to love this real-life tale of a young Marine corporal (Kate Mara) whose discipline and bond with her military combat dog saves many lives during their deployment in Iraq.

June 16

“Cars 3” – Lightning McQueen returns to prove to a new generation of racers that he’s still the best race car in the world. Self-image problem there, buddy?

“Rough Night” – Think “The Hangover” with women as a group of friends (Scarlett Johansson, Zoe Kravitz, Kate McKinnon) having a bachelorette party in Miami discover the male stripper they hired winds up dead. Wow, killer party, huh?

“All Eyez on Me” – A biopic about rapper, actor, poet and activist Tupac Shakur (newcomer Demetrius Shipp Jr.).

June 23

“Transformers: The Last Knight” – The battle between machines and humans continues, with Mark Wahlberg and Josh Duhamel returning for the fight. What’s Anthony Hopkins doing in this thing?

June 30

“Despicable Me 3” – Gru meets a twin brother he never knew about. Yes, the Minions return, of course.

“The House” – Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler star in this comedy as a couple who start an illegal casino in their basement to earn money for their daughter’s college fund.

“Baby Driver” – After being coerced into working for a crime boss, a young getaway driver (Ansel Elgort) finds himself taking part in a heist doomed to fail.

“Amityville: The Awakening” – More like “Amityville: Let’s See If This Will Still Make Money.”

July 7

“Spider-Man: Homecoming” – The second reboot of the “Spider-Man” franchise (following Andrew Garfield’s two outings) takes place after the events of “Captain America: Civil War,” where we were introduced to the new Spidey aka Peter Parker (Tom Holland). Here, he attempts to balance his life in high school with his newfound job as a superhero.

July 14

“War for the Planet of the Apes” – The third installment in this new franchise finds Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his apes being forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless colonel (Woody Harrelson).

July 21

“Dunkirk” – Director Christopher Nolan’s World War II epic looks to be visually spectacular, about allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Empire, Canada and France who get surrounded by the German army and are evacuated during a fierce battle.

“Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets”– Director Luc Besson (“Leon: The Professional,” “The Fifth Element”) directs this sci-fi tale based on the French comics “Valerian and Laureline,” about two special operatives (Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne) in the 28th century who try to stop a threat to their peaceful existence.

“Girls Trip” – Comedy about four lifelong friends (including Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett Smith) who live it up on a trip to New Orleans.

July 28

“The Emoji Movie” – Animated tale about a “multi-expressional” emoji named Gene who sets out on a journey to become a normal emoji. Aw, :(

“Atomic Blonde” – Charlize Theron stars as an undercover MI6 agent who is sent to Berlin during the Cold War to investigate the murder of a fellow agent.

Aug. 4

“The Dark Tower” – After decades stuck in development limbo, Stephen King’s mammoth novels finally gets adapted for the big screen, as the Gunslinger aka Roland Deschain (Idris Elba) roams an Old West-like landscape to stop the Man in Black (Matthew McConaughey) from toppling the fabled Dark Tower, the key that holds the universe together.

Aug. 11

“Annabelle: Creation” – This fourth film in “The Conjuring” franchise is a prequel to 2014’s “Annabelle” and tells the origin story of the weirdly creepy doll.

Aug. 18

“The Hitman’s Bodyguard” – This action comedy follows a special protection agent (Ryan Reynolds) who is tasked with guarding the life of his mortal enemy (Samuel L. Jackson), who is a notorious hitman.

This story was originally published May 25, 2017 at 7:28 PM with the headline "Summer movie preview: Wonders and wars."