DC vs Marvel at the box office, one of the X-Men’s greatest enemies strikes, a Star Wars legend revealed, two huge video game inspired fantasies and two of the naughtiest comic book films yet.
Here are our 16 most anticipated movies with comic book/sci-fi twist coming in 2016:
The BFG
Steven Spielberg directs this children’s tale of a young girl and a big friendly giant fighting to stop an army of evil, hungry giants. July 1.
Passengers
When Mystique met Peter Quill? No, but Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt star in a sci-fi romance from the director of The Intimidation Game. Pratt plays a man who awakens from his ship’s sleep chamber too early and awakens another from hibernation rather than live and die alone. December 21.
Warcraft
Acclaimed director/writer Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code) brings the war of orcs vs humans to the big screen based on the video game franchise. The motion capture fantasy included comic book film veterans Dominic Cooper, Ben Foster, Daniel Cudmore and Ruth Negga from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. June 10.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Is the J.K. Rowling magic back? Eddie Redmayne as a “mazigoolist” in this prequel to the Harry Potter series with director David Yates. November 18.
Assassins Creed
Acclaimed actors and superhero movie veterans Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard and Jeremy Irons headline the film based on the video game of a man who uncovers his heritage as a master assassin out to stop the Templars. December 31.
Ghostbusters
When you want to make a remake of a comedy classic, who ya gonna call? Paul Feig called Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnion with Chris Hemsworth. July 15.
The Legend of Tarzan
The Edgar Rice Burroughs hero swings again with Alexander Skarsgard as Lord of the Jungle, Margot Robbie as Jane, Samuel L. Jackson and Christoph Waltz with director Harry Potter franchise director David Yates. July 1.
Star Trek Beyond
No ship. No crew. No J.J. Abrams directing. No problem? Kirk, Spock and the beloved officers of the Enterprises are stranded on a remote planet in the third film following the reboot. Justin Lin (Fast and Furious) takes over as director with Idris Elba as the villain. July 22.
The Jungle Book
The beloved Rudyard Kipling classic of a boy raised by wild animals in the wild comes to life with director Jon Favreau and with voices including Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray, Idris Elba and Ben Kingsley. April 15.
The wildest, raunchiest superhero movie yet? Ryan Reynolds returns as Wade Wilson, a role he played in X-Men: Origins: Wolverine. Colossus turns up in the X-Men spinoff as Wilson guns for revenge on the scientists who turned him into a monster and then go after his girlfriend (Morena Baccarin who may or may be Copycat.) Reynolds and Tim Miller deliver a R rated Valentine that may finally deliver what Merc With A Mouth fans have craved for years. February 12. See the second trailer here.
Doctor Strange
A tragedy takes away a gifted surgeon’s ability but his quest for healing turns into a Master of the Mystic Arts. Benedict Cumberbatch is the Sorcerer Supreme as Marvel unveils the dark supernatural corners of its cinematic universe under Scott Derrickson. Mads Mikkelsen is the main villain with Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams and Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One. November 4.
The wild child of DC’s cinema universe is Warner Brothers biggest gamble with director David Ayer. Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Will Smith and Viola Davis headline the film. DC’s most infamous villains including Joker and Harley Quinn go on a deadly covert mission for a shadowy government agency. August 5. See the Comic-Con trailer again here.
Professor X, Magneto, Mystique and the rest of the First Class cast face the wrath of the first mutant (Oscar Isaac) in the 1980’s. Bryan Singer returns as director and introduces new actors as younger versions of Jean Grey, Cyclops, Archangel, Nightcrawler and Storm (as a villain sporting her mohawk punk look) plus Jubilee and Psylocke. May 27. See the trailer again and our breakdown here.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
The Dark Knight vs The Man of Steel in a clash of DC titans orchestrated by Lex Luthor with Wonder Woman and what looks like a new twist on Doomsday joining the fight. Ben Affleck is the new Batman opposite Henry Cavill and Gal Gadot as the Amazon warrior. This is the film that sets the stage for the new DC Cinematic Universe. March 25. See the trailer again and our breakdown here.
Chris Evans returns as Steve Rogers but so do Robert Downey, Jr and most of the Avengers cast. A government crackdown leads to a rift between Cap and Iron Man and heroes must choose sides. Joe and Anthony Russo return as directors following up Captain America: The Winter Soldier (our favorite Marvel movie) and setting up Avengers: The Infinity War. This film introduces the Black Panther, the new Spider-Man and if it follows comics canon, could mean a new Captain America! May 9. See the trailer and our breakdown here.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Who were the band of rebels who stole the original Death Star plans and how did they do it? Set in between Episodes III and IV, this first Star Wars spinoff reveals the story of these unsung heroes of the Rebel Alliance. Felicity Jones, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen, Forest Whitaker, Diego Luna are among the actors bringing this legend to life with director Gareth Edwards. December 16th
What are the movies you’re most excited to see in 2016?
By Editor