Sony Pictures has done a bit of shuffling on its 2017 release calendar, and suddenly things are making much more sense. Last August, the studio announced that the highly anticipated Bad Boys 3 would be arriving in…February 2017. Michael Bay’s first film opened in April 1995, but its bloated, explosive sequel Bad Boys II got a July 2003 bow. Given the star-power of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, and the fan fervor for the series to continue, most figured a traditional summer release was in store, so that February date seemed a bit odd, even if Deadpool found massive success in the same month.
Well now Sony has pushed the Bad Boys 3 release date into the heart of the summer, staking out June 2, 2017 for the film’s bow. This makes loads more sense and has the film squaring off directly against the Will Ferrell/Amy Poehler comedy The House. After years of development, Bad Boys 3 has The Grey and Smokin’ Aces helmer Joe Carnahan writing and directing, so we’re hopefully in for a fun-filled, action-filled, everything-filled sequel next June.
But as a result of Bad Boys 3 moving off of its February date, Deadline reports that Sony is also shifting another one of its big 2017 films: The Dark Tower. The long-developing Stephen King adaptation finally got off the ground last year with Nikolaj Arcel (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) directing, and just last week Sony confirmed some massive casting news with Idris Elba playing protagonist Roland Deschain and Matthew McConaughey filling the villainous role of the Man in Black. The franchise was initially slated to launch on January 13, 2017, but now Sony has moved The Dark Tower into Bad Boys 3’s old date of February 17, 2017, which again makes much more sense.
Given the success of the non-traditional Deadpool on Valentine’s Weekend this year, one imagines the inventive Dark Tower will do quite well on a similar date. The January release was always befuddling for what’s supposed to kick off a big franchise, so the February date could be a smart move on Sony’s part. It has some serious competition, however, in the form of the Matt Damon-fronted actioner The Great Wall and the sequel Maze Runner: The Death Cure, all three of which are fantasy/sci-fi-tinged, so one imagines a further shift in in store for at least one of these films.
And finally, Sony has also shifted the release of its Barbie movie, which originally had the June 2, 2017 date. The film will now bow on Mother’s Day weekend, May 12, 2017, which is solid fit. It comes a week after the release of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 and could be a swell piece of counter-programming to the superhero epic. Oscar winner Diablo Cody came aboard to rewrite the film last spring, but in December Sony opted to take a triple-track approach, hiring Lindsey Beer, Bert Royal, and Hilary Winston to pen three separate scripts, after which Sony chooses which they like best. Amy Pascal is producing alongside Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald.
These three tentpole films alone make for a solid slate, but Sony also has a new Spider-Man reboot, Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver, and a Trainspotting sequel on tap for 2017, so a comeback of sorts could certainly be in the cards for the studio after a disappointing 2015.
