I'm a geek. There are many different fandoms out there that are just so neat, and very fun to follow. Lately, it seems like all of them have been rapidly pumping out new material, so I wanted to take a look at some of the cool things happening in various incarnations of geekdom.

HARRY POTTER

I was at that right age to grow up right with Harry Potter. My age very nearly mirrored his as the books were released, so they hold a special place in my heart. J.K. Rowling has created a unique and fun world of wizardry that none can match. Of course, because the books were so popular there was also a movie series adaptation. The movies were pretty well-done, especially when you consider that they had a lot of material to fit into each film in a way that would make sense. The film series is one of the highest-grossing in cinematic history.

Just this year, Potterheads were treated to a new story by J.K. Rowling that was written specifically for the stage: “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.” However, for those of us who are unable to see the performances, the writers released the script in book form. I like Harry Potter, but I'm not flying all the way to London to see a play. The book was quite good, though it takes a little bit to get used to reading script format instead of novels. It was a very intriguing story, and neat to see Harry and his friends as adults.

Also this year, we get to look forward to a new spin-off movie entitled “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” This is based on the “textbook” written by Rowling that teaches us all about the various beasts and animals in the wizarding world of Harry Potter. If you haven't seen the trailer yet, go to YouTube and check it out. It looks pretty darn cool. The film follows Newt Scamander (who will become the author of the titular textbook) as he goes to America with a magic briefcase. The briefcase houses a wide variety of magical beasts who just happen to escape Scamander's care. Now, he must retrieve the animals before too much damage is done. This is set to be the first film in a trilogy.

SHERLOCK

It's been over two years since the end of season three (or series three). We had quite the cliffhanger: Sherlock was in the government's clutches after shooting Magnussen, then every TV screen everywhere was taken over by Moriarty (who we thought was dead) saying, “Did you miss me?” WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?!?!

Well, at the very beginning of this year our appetites were whetted a little bit with the Christmas special “The Abominable Bride.” The episode is set in Victorian London, as opposed to the more modern take on Holmes that we've gotten used to, and while it touched a little bit on what's unfolding, fans are chomping at the bit for new episodes. Well, never fear! The game is afoot!

Season four has been shooting and will be upon us sometime in 2017. A trailer was released a short time ago, and though not much was really given away, it does look quite exciting. Not only that, but there will be a new villain in this season played by Toby Jones (who also played Dr. Arnim Zola in the Captain America movies). That is spectacular news to me! So, Sherlock fans will have their questions answered sometime within the next year...also with a confirmed fifth season eventually following.

STAR WARS

Some fans were a bit skeptical when we received the news that Disney had bought out Lucasfilm. I must admit I was one of them. Then, “The Force Awakens” happened. Suddenly, we realized that good Star Wars films could still be a reality! “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” broke the box office, raking in $2,068,223,624 worldwide!

This year fans can expect the anthology film entitled “Rogue One,” about the group of rebels who steal the Death Star plans prior to Episode IV: A New Hope (1977). The trailers have been revving people up, and fans are really stinkin' excited for this movie! To see how the Death Star is built, see the beginnings of the Rebel Alliance and the Empire, maybe even see a little Darth Vader...it's almost too much excitement for my puny brain to handle!

Not only do we have “Rogue One” to look forward to, but we also have the ongoing story of Rey and Finn in Episode VIII (being released in December 2017), a stand-alone Han Solo movie (being released sometime in 2018), and then Episode IX (being released in May 2019). Those are only the films that have been announced thus far. However, there are other anthology films on the schedule as well. Many fans are hoping to see movies focusing on Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi, some even going so far as to create their own fake trailers (some are actually pretty cool). Whatever happens, though, two things are certain: Disney is going to milk the Star Wars franchise for all it's worth and we're going to gobble up every bit of it.

STAR TREK

As far as the films go, we recently got “Star Trek Beyond” which is the third entry in the new Kelvin Timeline. Though the box office numbers weren't quite as big as they would have liked, the movie has gained favorable reviews among critics and fans. There was a big controversy surrounding the character of Sulu in the Kelvin timeline as being gay. Apparently, this was done in honor of actor George Takei, the original actor to play Sulu, who is a well-known gay rights activist. However, many were upset with the change, not because of the homosexual aspect, but because originally the character of Sulu was written as heterosexual.

It seems there will be a fourth movie in the future, as Chris Pine (who plays Kirk) and Zachary Quinto (who plays Spock) are both signed to play in four films. Interestingly, it was announced that Chris Hemsworth would be reprising his role as Captain Kirk's father...who we all thought was dead.

Also, in January 2017, we will see a brand new series entitled “Star Trek: Discovery.” So far, not much is known. It is said to take place roughly a decade before the original series. One of the main characters will be Number One, the female first officer to Captain Pike played by Majel Barrett in the first, unaired pilot of Star Trek. It has been said that the episode will feature Star Trek's first LGBT character as well. Executive Producer Bryan Fuller has said that original series episode “Balance of Terror” will be a “touchstone” for the new series. Personally, I'd love to see more Romulan interaction in this new series. When the show becomes available, the first episode will air on television with all subsequent episodes available only on CBS All Access streaming service.

MIDDLE-EARTH (LORD OF THE RINGS/THE HOBBIT)

Nothing terribly new with this fandom, but there will be a new video release of all six extended editions in one Blu-ray set called The Middle-Earth Ultimate Collector's Edition. It will be released October 4, 2016, each movie in its own faux leather book-style case and a Hobbit-style wood shelf. There are 30 discs in all containing the extended editions of all six films plus previously unreleased bonus materials.

There have been some rumors circulating around that Peter Jackson will be moving on to do a film version of the Silmarillion. This has not been confirmed by Jackson or Wingnut Films, and it seems unlikely as the film rights have never been sold and the copyright on the book won't expire until the year 2043.

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE

I am a huge fan of the MCU, having seen every single film in theaters (some multiple times) since Iron Man came out in 2008. There has not been a bad movie in this bunch, and it has become the highest-grossing franchise in the world.

This week “Captain America: Civil War” was released on home video. This is the kick-off point for Phase Three of the MCU films. It has been quite a game-changer in terms of the overall story arc, so it will be really interesting to see where the rest of these films lead.

The next movie to be released will be Doctor Strange in November of this year. The movie will star Benedict Cumberbatch as the brilliant surgeon who loses the use of his hands in a freak car accident. He travels to Tibet in search of “The Ancient One” hoping that this person will be able to help him. He ends up learning the mystic arts.

In 2017 we will see three films: “Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2” (May 5), “Spider-man: Homecoming” (July 7), and “Thor: Ragnarok” (November 3). 2018 will have three more films: “Black Panther” (February 16), “Avengers: Infinity War” (May 4) and “Ant-Man and the Wasp (July 6). After that we'll see “Captain Marvel” come out on March 8, 2019, and also another Avengers sequel in May of that year.

DOCTOR WHO

There's not too much happening right now with the Doctor, except to say that the tenth series began shooting in July of this year. Peter Capaldi will be returning as the Twelfth Doctor. A Christmas special is also set to be released in December of this year, followed by series 10 in April 2017.