It feels like it’s been eons since anyone talked much about a movie that wasn’t Star Wars, but eventually, weeks (months?) from now, its supremacy at the box office will die down, and theaters will usher in a whole new year of movies. In 2015, the deluge of franchises, sequels, and reboots seemed notable; at this point, it’s routine.
Credit: Telegraph UK
But with the Avengers sequel and Star Wars now behind us, there’s nothing quite as hotly anticipated in the year ahead. Will this give smaller fare more chance to breathe, or is that hoping too much in an industry seemingly choked by big-budget extravaganzas? Here’s a look at some of 2016’s most notable upcoming projects.
Universal
Hail, Caesar! (February 5)
What It Is: The Coen Brothers’ newest film, a wacky 1950s comedy, promises a lighter tone and a more star-studded cast than 2013’s Inside Llewyn Davis. It’s loosely based on the career of the Hollywood “fixer” Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin), a studio executive who covered up many juicy scandals in his day. The gonzo caper seems to revolve around the kidnapping of a star (George Clooney) by a gang of pipe-smoking weirdos with Mannix hot on the case, but you never quite know what you’re going to get from the Coens.
If You Need Convincing: Even by their lofty standards, Inside Llewyn Davis was one of the best Coen Brothers movies ever, and they’ve been trying to make Hail Caesar! for years. The cast includes Tilda Swinton, Scarlett Johansson, Ralph Fiennes, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill ... and Dolph Lundgren? Impossible to resist.
Paramount
Zoolander 2 (February 12)
What It Is: Remember Zoolander? With the Blue Steel and the “MerMAN!” and the school for ants? He’s back! After 15 long years (yes, we are all old), Ben Stiller’s cult-hit fashion satire has finally gotten a sequel, and it has a nutty plot and a healthy heap of au courant celebrity cameos (Benedict Cumberbatch, Justin Bieber, Kim Kardashian, and on and on and on). Original cast members Owen Wilson and Will Ferrell have returned too, and Kristen Wiig is also involved, as mandated by the new laws of making comedy films.
If You Need Convincing: This is no tossed-off sequel: Stiller is taking 2oolander (as it’s been dubbed in promotional materials) seriously enough to helm it, and he’s got a pretty good track record from the director’s chair. More importantly, the celebrity culture lampooned by the original film has only gotten sillier and more pervasive: Perhaps we need Derek Zoolander now more than ever.
A24
The Witch (February 26)
What It Is: This 1630s-set horror film, from the first-time director Robert Eggers, caused quite a stir at Sundance in 2015—enough for the studio A24 to postpone its release in order to mount a proper campaign for what could be a breakout hit. Set in Puritan New England, the plot revolves around the disappearance of a child, accusations of witchcraft, and possible demonic possession. The 17th century was a pretty scary time, after all.