2016: The Year of the Blockbuster

2016 is shaping up to be a major year at the theater.  So save up those Fandango gift cards you got for Christmas now.  We here at ALNM are providing you a guide to all the major films coming out the next twelve months.

February

February 5th: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies -- Bloody lovely 
Probably one of the first fandom movies of the year, this film is based on the novel by Seth Graham-Smith.  It encourages the dream that one day you too can adapt that crazy zombie AU fic into a feature film with Matt Smith.  But seriously, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter was surprisingly enjoyable on screen, so we look forward to seeing how Graham-Smith’s most successful novel is adapted.

February 12th: Deadpool -- With great power comes great irresponsibility
​Ah, Deadpool.  The film that has been over a decade in the making.  Ryan Reynolds was originally linked to the role way back in 2004 and we were treated to a...different interpretation of the character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.  The studio finally greenlit the project following positive online reaction to “leaked” CGI test footage.  This film promises to be a return to the characters fourth wall breaking sassy R rated roots, and few actors today seem as excited about and dedicated to a role as Ryan Reynolds is about the smart mouthed assassin.  We definitely expect a far different experience than we’ve gotten used to with comic book films.  And that’s a good thing.

February 12th: Zoolander No. 2 -- Long time no Z
It’s been 15 long years and now Derek Zoolander and Hansel are modelling again when an opposing company attempts to take them out. The announcement of this movie is possibly one of the best when Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson stormed the runway at Paris Fashion Week 2015 as their Zoolander counterparts.  The original film was such a hit that it is surprising that it took this long for a follow-up, but suffice it to say that we here at A Little Nerd Music are extremely excited about this film.

February 26th: Gods of Egypt -- All of Heaven is at war 
In all honesty, this film made the list more because of its big budget nature and the controversy surrounding it.  The film stars Gerard Butler, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Chadwick Boseman, Rufus Sewell, and Geoffrey Rush and we’re already starting to see a pattern here, aren’t you? How audiences react to yet another film taking place in ancient Egypt starring a cast that is nearly entirely white remains to be seen, especially with so many other options available at the box office this year. ​​​​

March

March 4th: London Has Fallen -- The world’s leaders have assembled.  So have their enemies.
​After having saved the life of the President of the United States in the 2013 film Olympus Has Fallen, Mike Banning (played by Gerard Butler) is back in the good graces of the President (Aaron Eckhart) and accompanies him to the funeral of England’s Prime Minister.  There, they discover the elaborate plan to assassinate all the world leaders in attendance.  Though the first film was not as successful as one would have hoped, especially with White House Down starring Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx premiering at the same time, this action-packed sequel is sure to keep audiences at the edge of their seats.  And if you’re like Kelly, you’ll enjoy some monuments being destroyed too.​

March 4th: Zootopia -- Welcome to the urban jungle.
A star studded animated affair from Disney, Zootopia is the first of two films coming from Disney Animation Studios in 2016.  It is basically a buddy comedy in which Judy Hopps, a rabbit police officer voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin, and Nick Wild, a fox con artist voiced by Jason Bateman, team up to solve the mystery of a missing otter.  You will probably be seeing this if you have children in your life.  With a trailer that premiered during The Force Awakens, it is sure to be a hit for all ages, so don’t fight the kiddos too much when they want to see the movie.

March 18th: The Divergent Series: Allegiant -- Break the boundaries of your world.
Taking a page out of Harry Potter, Twilight, and Hunger Games’ screenplays, the final Divergent movie has been split in two. (and given two different names!)  In the first part of what is sure to be an epic finale, Tris and Four journey out into the world beyond the fence.  Fans of the books and movies are sure to swarm to the theatres to see the penultimate installment of the saga and we all know that Shailene Woodley and Theo James will bring it as they bring this series to a close.​

March 25th: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
​Ah, the first half of the epic 2016 showdown of superhero showdowns.  Initially set to be released May 6th, the studio claims the move up to March had nothing to do with Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War being released the same day.  This film is a sequel to 2013’s Man of Steel and is meant to set up a larger DC film universe.  We will be seeing a wealth of DC superheroes, including the titular Superman (Henry Cavill) and Batman (Ben Affleck) as well as Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), and The Flash (Ezra Miller).  We will also see Jesse Eisenberg make his debut as a young Lex Luthor.  The film presents itself as Batman seeking to stop Superman’s heroics, which he views as dangerous vigilante justice that is a threat to humanity.  The two superheroes will have to work out their differences by the end of the film in order to make the greater franchise work, and moviegoers will certainly be lining up to see how it all goes down.  Whether or not Warner Brothers can create a comic book universe to rival Marvel remains to be seen.​

March 25th: I Saw The Light
A biographical film about the short life of country star Hank Williams, I Saw The Light has fluctuated between being much anticipated to an afterthought on the 2016 film landscape.  Hank Williams grandson has been very vocal concerning his dislike for the film.  Fandom however is looking forward to Tom Hiddleston in the title role along with Elizabeth Olsen in the role of Williams’ wife, Audrey Sheppard Williams.  Don’t expect it to compete with Dawn of Justice that weekend, but we’ll be interested to see the reviews as they roll out.

March 25th: My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 -- People change. Greeks don’t.
​We couldn’t be more excited to see the cast and crew of the 2002 indie hit back for a sequel.  In this installment, the Miller/Portakalous family is back to wreak havoc on the life of Toula and Ian’s teenage daughter Paris.  Although there was a failed attempt for a TV series after the success of the original movie, we have high hopes for this sequel. Even the trailer looks amazing. And if it sucks, just put some Windex on it.

April

April 15th: The Jungle Book
When the visually stunning teaser trailer for this movie debuted at D23 this year, it got audiences excited for this all-star cast of voices to come together in one of the greatest Disney movies of all time.  With the vocal talents of Lupita Nyong’o, Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba, Bill Murray, Christopher Walken, and Ben Kingsley, this is sure to be a movie that will be enjoyed by Disney’s target audience of….well, everybody.  We here at ALNM couldn’t be more excited to see what this movie brings.

April 22nd: The Huntsman: Winter’s War
Let’s put it this way: after the media disaster that transpired during the release of the first movie, it’s a miracle they even tried to make a second one.  Take out the cheating husband director and the cheating girlfriend star, add Jessica Chastain and Emily Blunt and maybe -- just maybe -- people will forget about Snow White and the Huntsman and enjoy what looks to be a great attempt at a do-over.  Chris Hemsworth and Sam Claflin definitely help the situation and Charlize Theron is a woman who brings it to every role she takes.  We look forward to seeing if this sequel will help heal the wounds inflicted by the first film.

April 29th: Mother’s Day
Garry Marshall does it again with another all-star cast and another widely-celebrated holiday.  Although the weaving together of seemingly unrelated plots isn't an original format, the Pretty Woman director has so far been successful with Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve holiday-centric films.  This time, he’s taking on Mother’s Day, a day that all women look forward to celebrating with their children one day.  This version stars Julia Roberts, Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson, Jason Sudeikis, Sarah Chalke (Scrubs), Britt Robertson (Tomorrowland), and Shay Mitchell (Pretty Little Liars) and is sure to be a hit with mothers and their daughters.  

May

May 6th: Captain America: Civil War -- Divided we fall 
Potentially the most anticipated film of 2016, the internet has been buzzing ever since Marvel announced the third Captain America movie would be adapting the popular Civil War storyline.  This will also be the first MCU film released with Anthony and Joe Russo taking control over the Marvel universe from Joss Whedon.  The number of other Avengers making appearances are leading many to refer to it as Avengers 2.5.  Officially included amongst the cast of superheroes is Captain America (Chris Evans), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Ant Man (Paul Rudd), Vision (Paul Bettany), War Machine (Don Cheadle), Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), and Spider-Man (Tom Holland).  Many feared this large cast would overwhelm the film, but the initial trailer shows it is clearly a Captain America film focused on the impact of world events on Steve Rogers as well as his quest to regain his relationship with childhood best friend Bucky Barnes.  Look for a potential sneak preview during ABC’s Marvel’s Captain America: 75 Heroic Years on January 19th.

May 13th: Snowden -- One nation under surveillance for liberty and justice for all….from the most wanted man in the world
This film adaptation of Luke Harding’s book The Snowden Files features Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the title role of Edward Snowden.  We haven’t found much information about the film (fitting).  But following the Oscar win by the Snowden documentary CitizenFour, this Oliver Stone film is already creating awards buzz.

May 20th: Angry Birds Movie -- Why so angry?
In the film adaptation of the wildly successful iTunes store app, comedians and an all-star cast team up to bring these angry birds to life.  With vocal talents of Peter Dinklage, Maya Rudolph, Keegan-Michael Key, Bill Hader, Josh Gad, Jason Sudeikis, Kate McKinnon, Hannibal Buress, Danny McBride and many more, this is sure to be a hilarious must-see for families and those adults who also love the game as much as our ALNM nephews do….we’re looking at you Benjamin and Beckett.

May 27th: Alice Through The Looking Glass -- It’s time for a little madness
Tim Burton travels to Wonderland again in this sequel to the 2010 film starring Johnny Depp and then-newcomer Mia Wasikowska.  Now Alice Kingsleigh must travel back in time in Wonderland to save the Mad Hatter and is joined again by all the Wonderland creatures.  With Anne Hathaway, Alan Rickman, Michael Sheen, and  Helena Bonham Carter as just some of the stars of this movie, fans of Tim Burton will not be disappointed by another trip down the rabbit hole.

May 27th: X-Men: Apocalypse -- Only the strong will survive
The ninth film in the X-Men  film franchise and the sequel to 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past, the film features a cast of returning heroes as well as new actors in familiar roles.  When an ancient mutant known as Apocalypse (portrayed by Oscar Isaac) attempts to rid the modern world of humanity to create a new world order, Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) and Professor X (James McAvoy) must lead the new X-Men team to save the world.  We will be seeing new versions of classic characters Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), Jean Grey (Sophie Turner), Storm (Alexandra Shipp), Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee), Angel (Ben Hardy), Jubilee (Lana Condor), and Psylocke (Olivia Munn).  Also returning are Magneto (Michael Fassbender), Havok (Lucas Till), Beast (Nicholas Hoult), Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne), and Quicksilver (Evan Peters).

June

June 3rd: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
Arrow star Stephen Amell makes his feature film debut as the hockey-stick wielding Casey Jones in this sequel to the 2014 film based the popular children’s toy.  Donatello (Jeremy Howard), Michelangelo (Noel Fisher), Raphael (Alan Ritchson), and Leonardo (Johnny Knoxville) return alongside Megan Fox to save the city from the evil Bebop and Rocksteady and enlist the help of Casey Jones.  In the words of Oliver Queen, “Bebop and Rocksteady, you have failed this city!”

June 10th: Now You See Me 2
Although the original film did not take off the way one would have hoped, it was still visually amazing and now their back!  In the sequel to the 2013 film, The Four Horsemen are back and this time they’ve added Lizzy Caplan and Daniel Radcliffe to the cast as they attempt to expose the unethical practices of a powerful tech magnate.  Let’s just say that the best part of this film is that Daniel Radcliffe is playing a magician who really isn’t that good.  Bravo to the writers for having a sense of humor on that one.

June 10th: Warcraft -- Two worlds. One home.
Fans of the multiplayer online role playing game rejoice and will finally come out of their dark computer rooms, taking a break from playing World of Warcraft in order to watch it on the big screen.  We here at ALNM don’t know much about this film, but it is sure to be a hit with the fans of the game.  With Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Toby Kebbell, Ben Foster, and Dominic Cooper headlining the cast, this visual-effects-heavy film  is already highly-anticipated by fans and will be popular among the gamers who made the original media such a success.

June 17th: Finding Dory -- She just kept swimming
​Possibly one of the most anticipated films of the new year by all ages, this sequel to the 2003 Pixar film has been requested by fans for years and it’s finally here.  Ellen DeGeneres reprises her role as the forgetful Dory as she searches for her family in the vast expanse of the ocean.  Ellen announced the movie on her daytime show and premiered the exclusive trailer as well.  This time, Dominic West, Idris Elba, Diane Keaton and Ty Burrell are just some of the all-star voices that are added to the cast.  We’ll just keep swimming right to the theatre for this movie!

June 24th: Independence Day: Resurgence
A sequel to the popular 1996 film Independence Day by Roland Emmerich sees aliens answering a distress signal from the first film with an even larger and more powerful fleet of spaceships.  It all seems kind of ridiculous, but we couldn’t be more excited.  Much of the original cast, with the notable exception of Will Smith, is returning with Liam Hemsworth taking a leading role.  The initial trailer features explosions, tidal waves, spaceships, and the classic Bill Pullman speech from the original film.  What more could you ask for?

July

July 1st: The Legend of Tarzan
When we first heard about this film a few years ago, there was buzz of Michael Phelps playing the title role in his film debut.  The movie has obviously undergone many transformations since then.  Alexander Skarsgård will be playing Tarzan with Margot Robbie playing his love Jane Porter.  The film actually takes place after Tarzan has left the jungle behind for a “civilized” life with his wife.  He returns to the Congo at the request of Parliament leading to some sort of deadly struggle which inevitably involves shirtless tree swinging adventures.  We will see what this film brings to the already prolific list of Tarzan adaptations.

July 8th: The Secret Life of Pets -- Think this is what they do all day?
When the trailer for this movie first debuted, pet owners everywhere laughed out loud because we all wonder exactly what our pets are doing all day while we’re at work, school, or going about our daily lives.  This film, which is brought to you by Blue Sky Studios, the same studio behind the Rio films, is sure to delight us all as we learn what our pets are up to every day.  As we are both dog owners, we here at ALNM couldn’t be more excited to see this witty take on the secret lives of our beloved pets.  With the voices of so many talented and funny actors (Ellie Kemper, Bobby Moynihan, Dana Carvey, Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Steve Coogan, Albert Brooks, Kevin Hart, and Hannibal Burress, just to name a few), this movie is sure to be hilarious and a great treat for pet-lovers of all ages.

July 15th: Ghostbusters -- Who you gonna call?
Four amazing comediennes are taking over!  Leslie Jones, Kate McKinnon, Melissa McCarthy, and Kristen Wiig suit up to fight ghosts in this remake to the 1986 hit.  Though this movie was initially met with skepticism, as more and more was revealed about it, everyone got more and more excited about it.  To make things even better, they’ve gender-bent the secretary role and cast Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth.  Fans of the original and new fans are sure to enjoy this reboot of the film that is already such a classic.  We can’t wait to see these bad-ass ladies in action!

July 22nd: Star Trek Beyond
This is the third film of the rebooted Star Trek franchise.  The entire crew of the Enterprise is returning for this adventure along with Idris Elba and Sofia Boutella.  As JJ Abrams had his hands full with Star Wars, Justin Lin has taken over directing and Simon Pegg and Doug Jung took over scriptwriting.  Not much is known about the plot of the film, but as with any addition to this classic franchise the film is highly anticipated.

July 29th: Untitled fifth Bourne film -- Bourne is back
Matt Damon returns to the role of Jason Bourne, along with helping produce and write the film.  That’s about all we know.  There is no official summary available and we don’t even have a title yet.  But just being a Bourne film with Matt Damon has people excited.

August

August 5th: Suicide Squad -- Justice has a bad side
Different than most comic book films we’ve seen, Suicide Squad features DC’s group of anti-heroes coming together for a secret government mission.  The film will be a part of the expanded DC film universe that includes Man of Steel and Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice.  The cast includes Will Smith (Deadshot), Jared Leto (Joker), Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn), Joel Kinnaman (Rick Flag), Jai Courtney (Boomerang), Cara Delevigne (Enchantress), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Killer Croc), Karen Fukuhara (Katana), Jay Hernandez (Diablo), Adam Beach (Slipknot), and Viola Davis (Amanda Waller).  Warner Brothers is taking a risk with using this film to build the franchise, but it could potentially pay off big time.

August 12th: Pete’s Dragon
In a live-action remake of the 1977 Disney film, Robert Redford, Bryce Dallas Howard, Karl Urban, and Wes Bentley lead the cast in the story of a young orphan who seeks refuge from his abusive adoptive parents with the help of a dragon and a young couple that live in an iconic lighthouse.  Not much is yet known about this film so it will be interesting to see if they mix media as they did with the original film.  We anxiously await the first trailer so we can see what the tone of this movie is going to be like.

September

September 16th: Bridget Jones’s Baby
Bridget Jones is back again and this time she and Mark Darcy (played by the lovely Colin Firth) have a new addition to the family.  Bridget now must navigate motherhood and living in her 40’s while still maintaining a life as a publishing executive.  This time around, they’ve added Dr. McDreamy himself, Patrick Dempsey to the cast as well.  Fans of the first three films and the books are sure to flock to the theatre to see the last hurrah of Bridget Jones.

September 23rd: The Magnificent Seven
Rumors of a remake of the classic 1960 western have been floating around Hollywood for years.  Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, The Equalizer) took over directing duties and the film will feature the final film score of legendary composer James Horner.  Stepping into the shoes of the original film’s all star cast are Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D’Onofrio, Lee Byung-hun, Luke Grimes, Wagner Moura, Haley Bennet, Matt Bomer, and Peter Sarsgaard.  We here at ALNM hope this remake does the original film justice and successfully shows Hollywood that Westerns still work.  But at the very least we’ve got Chris Pratt on the big screen playing a cowboy.

October

October 7th: Gambit
Initially set to be introduced in X-Men: Apocalypse, this solo film will feature Channing Tatum’s first outing as popular X-Men character Remy LeBeau.  Originally played by Taylor Kitsch in the 2009 film X-Men Origins: Wolverine, this is further proof 20th Century Fox is desperate to put that film behind them.  Filming is yet to begin.

October 7th: The Girl on the Train
In one of the quickest turnarounds we’ve seen from book debut to screen debut, this film is an adaptation of the 2015 Paula Hawkins thriller about an alcoholic woman who witnesses a murder that isn’t what it seems.  The cast includes Emily Blunt in the lead role alongside Rebecca Furguson, Haley Bennett, Justin Theroux, Luke Evans, Edgar Ramirez, Allison Janney, and Lisa Kudrow.  Filming recently began in New York City.

November

November 4th: Doctor Strange
The final comic book film of 2016 features the on screen debut of Doctor Stephen Strange in the MCU after a brief shout out in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.  The film will act as the character’s origin story from top neurosurgeon to superhero.  Benedict Cumberbatch leads a cast that includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Michael Stuhlbarg, Mads Mikkelsen, and Tilda Swinton.  This film is one of Marvel’s initial steps in creating a new Avengers line up that will likely come together in Marvel’s two part Avengers: Infinity War.

November 18th: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them -- From J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World
After years of thinking that we had already seen the end of the Harry Potter Era, Warner Brothers announced the production of a new movie and then they announced the addition of Academy Award Winner Eddie Redmayne as the lead character Newt Scamander and those of us in the Harry Potter generation rejoiced!  While there were some that were still a bit skeptical, the release of the first trailer confirmed our hopes that it would be another great addition to the Harry Potter franchise.  Thank you, J.K. Rowling!

November 23rd: Moana
The first Pacific-Islander Disney Princess already caused a stir when she was first announced at the Disney convention D23, but following in the footsteps of Princess Anna and Queen Elsa of Frozen, she certainly has a lot to live up to.  Just one of many Disney projects coming up for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, this is sure to be loved by children of all ages and go down in Disney history as yet another success story.

December

December 16th: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
When Disney purchased LucasFilm, fans never expected to get what they’re getting: a new Star Wars movie every year.  With the box office smash The Force Awakens under our Jedi belts, Star Wars fans are eagerly anticipating what will come next from the franchise.  Rogue One is the first of many spin-off films and will set the precedent for the future spin-off movies in the works.  It follows a group of Rebel fighters between Episodes III and IV as they seek to steal the plans for the Death Star.  Let’s just say that a lot is riding on this film and whether or not it is well received.

December 21st: Assassin’s Creed
​We at ALNM have more hope for this film adaptation of a popular video game series than the other film coming out in 2016.  Michael Fassbender plays Callum Lynch, a man who discovers his ancestor from the 15th century was an Assassin and relives his memories in order to obtain the skills needs to fight the Templars in the present day.  Also in the film are Marion Cotillard (Fassbender’s Macbeth co-star), Jeremy Irons, and Brendan Gleeson.

December 25th: Jumanji
In 1995, a little movie called Jumanji starred a young Kirsten Dunst, David Alan Grier, and the late great Robin Williams.  The updated version of the film was announced shortly after Robin Williams’ death and was a disappointment to many young fans of the original (who are now well into their 20’s, like us here at ALNM).  A lot of the success of this movie will depend on who is cast, which is still unannounced at the time we’re publishing this article.  Only time (and internet hype) will tell what is to become of the remake of this children’s classic.