And here we are again, at the doorsteps of another new year — 2017. Excitement and anticipation is felt everywhere as each year brings with it its own surprises that go on to become cherished memories.

In 2017, there is the second edition of Pakistan Super League and the return of ICC Champions Trophy for cricket fans, the first Justice League movie for DC Comics followers and Spider-Man’s Homecoming for Marvel fans, besides other things to look forward to. Read on to find out how you can keep yourself busy the next 365 days!

Cricket

Pakistan cricket team is likely to end 2016 on a high note as they became the number one Test playing nation during the year and won series in England, played brilliantly in Australia, besides doing well in the United Arab Emirates, their home ground for some years now.

In 2017, the Pakistan Cricket Board is looking forward to the return of matches with international players to the country that has been halted due to terrorism and chaos. Thankfully, the situation has now improved tremendously and Lahore is likely to host the final of the Pakistan Super League Season 2. It hasn’t been confirmed, but the officials are confident that after a successful edition earlier in the year, they would be able to convince the international cricketers representing their franchises to visit Pakistan and play the final in front of the home crowd.

And then there is the return of ICC Champions Trophy, which from now on will be held every four years instead of two years. The event will be held in England from June 1st to 18th, and the 2004 winners, the West Indies, will not be part of the event due to poor performance in the international arena. Pakistan’s Cricket team managed to qualify for the event but they will have to do better so that they can improve their ranking and be considered a threat at world level, like they are in Tests.

Tennis

Britain’s Andy Murray and Germany’s Angelique Kerber are now the top ranked players in tennis and the fans of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Serena Williams would like the New Year to bring different results. Let’s see if Andy Murray or Kerber manage to raise the bar and win trophies or their old nemesis manage to stage a comeback and win any of the four Grand Slam events — Australia Open in January, French Open in May-June, Wimbledon in June-July and the US Open in August-September.

There are many ATP and WTA events all year round for other tennis players to win and become a contender for the future.

Superheroes like never before

With every passing year, the number of superhero flicks is increasing and 2017 is going to be no different! This is the year when Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine will make his final appearance as Logan, while Wonder Woman will return to mesmerise the audience as well as the bad guys.

DC Comics will take a giant leap with the release of Justice League later in the year in which all the heroes from the DC Universe will make their presence felt, including The Flash and Aquaman who will have their own stand alone films in 2018. They might not be as super as their super friends, but kids love Power Rangers and their return to the big screen is their most awaited day of the year.

Finally, something about the Marvel Comics Universe which will have two major releases in 2017 — Spider-Man: Homecoming and Thor: Ragnarok. The makers of Spider-Man will be hoping of being third time lucky as this is their third Spider-Man this century; the presence of Iron Man in the movie will make it more interesting. As for Thor, well he is the god of thunder and how he manages to defeat his brother Loki is something to look forward to. Remember, there is a Bruce Banner in the picture too, whom you don’t want to get angry!

Animated flicks galore

Call them anything but cartoons, because the animated flicks are the future; there is The Lego Batman Movie where the Dark Knight will fight all his demons, including Joker, in the Lego World. Then there is the arrival of The Baby Boss who is not what he looks like; Smurfs make a return to the silver screen with Smurfs: The Lost Village while in The Nut Job 2, Surly and his band of brothers unite to defeat the crooked mayor of Oakton City.

Animal Crackers takes you into the world of magic where if you eat an animal cracker, you become that very animal! Children’s favourite character Captain Underpants makes his first appearance in 2017 as well along with Cars 3, the trailer of which has blown away everyone who has come into contact with it.

My Little Pony: The Movie is one of the most anticipated flicks for kids as is the always dependable Despicable Me 3. In Blazing Samurai, you will get to follow the adventures of Hank, a dog who dreams of becoming a Samurai; in Emojimovie: Express Yourself, you look at the world through one multi-expressional emoji who wants to be normal. The year will also bring The Lego Ninjago Movie that will feature teenagers who by night are gifted warriors but by day, are students, which is a bigger challenge than saving the world!

Of monsters and aliens

What would you do if a monster made your truck its home? Find out the answer in Monster Trucks where Lucas Till befriends a shark who doesn’t want to let go of his truck. Then there is the origin story of King Kong, who fights off intruders in Kong: Skull Island and, believe me, the sight of the giant monster will be anything but beautiful!

Of sequels and remakes!

Every kid — young or old — is all excited to watch Jumanji this year as it is one of those stories that most people know well. Another remake Beauty and The Beast would make a transition to live-action and will be followed by quite a number of sequels.

First to come is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, where Star Lord and his team journey through the universe in search of answers; in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, everybody’s favourite pirate Captain Jack Sparrow returns but he is the one pursued here, by his old rival Captain Salazar who wants to kill every pirate at sea.

Optimus Prime and Bumble Bee’s fight sequence in the trailer of Transformers: The Last Knight was enough to make the fans mark the date of its release on their calendars while in War for the Planet of the Apes, the Apes will once again return to battle it out with the humans.

The year will come full circle with Star Wars: Episode VIII, where Rey will begin her training under Luke Skywalker. Will they manage to defeat Darth Vader remains to be seen, however, after the success of Rogue One, people are looking forward to the second instalment of this trilogy.

Movies and their release dates

Monster Trucks: January 13

The Lego Batman Movie: February 10

Logan: March 3

Kong: Skull Island: March 10

Beauty and The Beast: March 17

Power Rangers: March 24

The Baby Boss: March 31

Smurfs: The Lost Village: April 7

Animal Crackers: April 21

Guardians of the Galaxy 2: May 5

Alien: Covenant: May 19

The Nut Job 2: May 19

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man Tell No Tales: May 26

Captain Underpants: June 2

Wonder Woman: June 2

Cars 3: June 16

Transformers: The Last Knight: June 23

Despicable Me 3: June 30

Spider-Man: Homecoming: July 7

War for the Planet of the Apes: July 14

Blazing Samurai: August 4

Emojimovie: Express Yourself: August 4

The Lego Ninjago Movie: September 22

My Little Pony: The Movie: October 6

Thor: Ragnarok: November 3

Paddington 2: November 10

Justice League: November 17

Coco: November 22

Star Wars: Episode VIII: December 15

Jumanji: December 22

Published in Dawn, Young World, December 31st, 2016