Pull on some Spandex, grab some popcorn and retire to your secret lair: The coming year in cinema promises to be a spectacular one for genre fans. In addition to seven big-budget superhero movies, there’s fantasy, horror and science fiction o’plenty. Here are some of the most-anticipated:
“Deadpool” (Feb. 12): Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) was an accomplished assassin when an experiment gave him accelerated healing powers and cancerous, un-healing skin. It also made him nuts (or nuts-er). “The Merc with a Mouth” is famous for being hilarious to readers — whom he sometimes addresses directly — but annoying to everyone else.
“Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice” (March 25): If it’s big-budget superhero spectacle you like, Warner Bros. is here to make your Spandex dreams come true, as Henry Cavill returns as the Man of Steel and Ben Affleck debuts as the Darknight Detective. In addition to the battle between the titular characters, “BvS” promises to populate most of the starting lineup of the Justice League.
“The Jungle Book” (April 15): You know you want to see it. Especially with genre veteran Jon Favreau (Happy Hogan in “Iron Man”) directing, and voices by Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Idris Elba (Heimdall) and Ben Kingsley (The Mandarin in “Iron Man 3”).
“The Huntsman: Winter’s War” (April 22): You might remember “Snow White and The Huntsman” (2012) as being better than it should have been, but both director Rupert Sanders and star Kristen Stewart are gone from the sequel. That’s OK, because the best characters — The Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth, who also plays Thor over in Marvel Films) and the villainous Ravenna (Charlize Theron, late of “Mad Max: Fury Road”) — are sticking around.
“Captain America: Civil War” (May 6): This movie superficially mirrors “Batman v Superman,” with Captain America (Chris Evans) and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) duking it out, and most of the Avengers as a supporting cast. “Civil War” is based on a Marvel storyline wherein Congress passes a law that forces super-powered Americans to register with the government, which divides the Avengers.
“X-Men: Apocalypse” (May 27): “X-Men: First Class” and “X-Men: Days of Future Past” kicked the board over as far as X-Men history goes, so the movies are now way out of sync with the comics. But we’ll still see familiar X-characters such as returnees Beast (Nicholas Hoult), Magneto (Michael Fassbender), Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), Professor X (James McAvoy) and Quicksilver (Evan Peters). There are also a number of newcomers. All of these mutants, good and evil, will be challenged by the oldest and arguably most powerful mutant, Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”).
“Warcraft” (June 10): If you’ve played the video game “World of Warcraft” then you have an idea what this is about, and if not, think “Lord of the Rings” with a smaller budget. But with Travis Fimmel (Ragnar Lothbrok in “Vikings”), Dominic Cooper (Tony Stark’s dad) and Daniel Wu (Sunny in “Into the Badlands”), how bad can it be?
“The Legend Of Tarzan” (July 1): With apologies to Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O’Sullivan, this movie may have the prettiest Tarzan and Jane ever (Alexander Skarsgard and Margot Robbie). And for some reason, Samuel L. Jackson is in this movie. (Maybe that’s why Nick Fury doesn’t have time for “Civil War!”)
“Ghostbusters” (July 15): This remake stars Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy, two of the funniest comedians extant. But what is astounding is that Chris Hemsworth has a supporting role. (Maybe that’s why Thor doesn’t have time for “Civil War”!)
“Star Trek Beyond” (July 22): Idris Elba shows up as the bad guy in what is supposedly the last “Trek” film with the current all-star cast. (Maybe that’s why Heimdall doesn’t have time for “Civil War”!) Unlike “Star Trek Into Darkness,” it looks like this one has an original plot.
“Suicide Squad” (Aug. 5): DC Comics has had various teams with this name going back to 1987, all of them composed of death-row supervillains forced to undertake black ops under threat of death, giving the U.S. government plausible deniability if they are caught or killed. This movie takes various elements from the comics, including hard-as-nails commander Amanda Waller — a.k.a. “The Wall,” here portrayed by the amazing Viola Davis.
“Dr. Strange” (Nov. 4): The “Dr. Strange” strip in the 1960s was so out there that college students were convinced co-creators Stan Lee and Steve Ditko were doing some serious drugs. (They weren’t.) If this movie, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the Sorcerer Supreme, can get half of that up on the screen, the audience will think it’s on drugs.
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (Dec. 16): Ever wonder how the Rebellion got the plans for the Death Star in “Star Wars IV: A New Hope”? Here the tale is told, with stars Felicity Jones, Forest Whitaker, Ben Mendelsohn and Mads Mikkelsen.
“Assassin’s Creed” (Dec. 21): Michael Fassbender takes a break from playing Magneto to headline this film, based on a video game. Fassbender is Callum Lynch, who channels the power of an ancestor who was an assassin. That brings him into conflict with the Knights Templar. Fassbender’s presence promises quality, so fingers — and katanas — crossed.
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