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9 Massive Movie Sequels We Can’t Wait to See in 2016
Here’s the follow-ups, sequels, and second acts that have got our tongues wagging in 2016.
2016 is easily one of the biggest years for movies in the past decade, and there are some huge blockbuster sequels that are warming up to entertain our faces. Here’s our picks for the sequels and follow-ups we can’t wait to see in 2016:
London has Fallen
Release date: March 2016
Say what you want about Olympus has Fallen, but it was a fun action movie which hit all the right beats. For the sequel, the action slides over to England, and Gerard Butler and Aaron Eckhart return to reprise their roles from the first film.
After the British Prime Minister passes away, his funeral becomes a target of a terrorist organization to destroy some of the world’s most powerful leaders, devastate the British capital, and unleash a terrifying vision of the future. The only hope of stopping it rests on the shoulders of the President of the United States (Eckhart) and his formidable Secret Service head (Butler), and an English MI-6 agent (Charlotte Riley) who rightly trusts no one. Morgan Freeman also stars as the Vice President of the United States.
Jason Bourne
Release date: July 2016
America sure has spent a lot of money trying to save Matt Damon over the years, but thankfully his next role, Jason Bourne, is a more self-reliant sort. The fifth Bourne movie picks up 12 years after we last saw the amnesiac super-spy in The Bourne Ultimatum, when Jason Bourne begins to remember his dark past and seek to finish his tale of revenge once and for all.
The film will reunite Damon with Julia Stiles, who played female lead Nicky Parsons in the three previous Bourne-centric adventures. (Like Damon, she sat out the fourth film, the Jeremy Renner-starrer The Bourne Legacy.) New characters will include Alicia Vikander as a cyberspecialist, Tommy Lee Jones as a tough CIA agent, and Vincent Cassel as a villain. The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum director Paul Greengrass returns to the helm.
Underworld: Next Generation
Release date: October 2016
After a four-year gap, the fifth instalment of the Underworld franchise will finally arrive in late 2016. Underworld: Next Generation is set entirely in Prague, with Kate Beckinsale back to reprise her role as Selene, the vampire warrior. It is rumoured, however, that this fifth entry may be Beckinsale’s last appearance in the franchise.
Other actors reported to reprise their roles are: Theo James (more popularly known for his leading role in the Divergent series), who played Selene’s ally David in Underworld Awakening, and Charles Dance (Game of Thrones star), who played Thomas, the vampire elder. We can also expect to see new characters in Underworld 5. Some of the names already noted by are Edge of Tomorrow actress Lara Pulver, who will portray a “fiercely ambitious” vampire; Outlander actor Tobias Menzies, who will portray a new Lycan leader; and Game of Thrones actor James Faulkner, whose role has yet to be confirmed.
Star Trek: Beyond
Release date: July 2016
Star Trek Beyond is the third entry in the rebooted sci-fi franchise, which already includes Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013). The first two were helmed by J.J. Abrams, who’s now busy heading up the Star Wars sequels, so this one is directed by Fast & Furious reviver Justin Lin with the familiar crew of Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), Bones (Karl Urban), Scotty (Simon Pegg), Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Sulu (John Cho) and Chekov (Anton Yelchin) all set to return. One new face to look forward to will be Idris Elba, although nothing is known about his character right now. He’s being played as the surprise card much like Benedict Cumberbatch in Star Trek Into Darkness.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
Release date: June 2016
The sizeable success of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot meant that a sequel was inevitable, and we’re pretty excited. We loved the first and can’t wait for the follow-up, which sees the return Megan Fox, Will Arnett, William Fichtner, and the original Turtles cast. This time, though, the movie is being directed by Earth To Echo‘s David Green, who takes over from Jonathan Liebesman. One of the new faces that will grace the screen will be Stephen Amell, who will be playing the role of Casey Jones, a love interest of April O’Neil. Well-known monstrous villains Bebop and Rocksteady are making an appearance too, and Tyler Perry will be taking on the role of Baxter Stockman, another key Turtles villain.
Ip Man 3
Release date: 2016
How can you go wrong with Donnie Yen and Mike Tyson in one movie? Answer: you can’t. Ip Man 3 rounds out this critically-acclaimed trilogy, with Donnie Yen reprising his role as the titular character, a martial artists whose best known as the trainer and mentor of Bruce Lee. This explosive third instalment of the martial arts franchise sees Master Ip taking a stand against some brutal gangsters led by a crooked property developer (Mike Tyson). Kwok-Kwan Chan also stars as a young Bruce Lee. Fans of martial arts movies, this is as close as you get to kung-fu heaven.
Captain America: Civil War
Release date: April 2016
Civil War is slated as one of the most pivotal films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and will kick off Phase 3 of Marvel’s big-screen master-plan. Essentially an “Avengers 2.5”, Civil War is a sprawling crossover arc from the 2006 comic-book of the same name, which saw Tony Stark go toe-to-toe with Cap over a government bill aimed at forcing superheroes to register with the powers that be, reveal their identities and essentially become part of S.H.I.E.L.D. Spider-man is also confirmed to make his first appearance in the MCU during the film. Let’s just say, the hype-train is full speed ahead for this one.
X-Men: Apocalypse
Release date: May 2016
Arguably the biggest X-Men movie to date, X-Men: Apocalypse is set to hit cinemas in May 2016, with James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, and likely Hugh Jackman, all returning, with Oscar Isaac joining the franchise to play Apocalypse. The film will pick up after the events of Days of Future Past, where if you stayed through the end-credits, would have got a sneak peak of this film’s big bad guy and his powers. We’ve been told this is considered the closing chapter of a trilogy, so we’d expect some big emotional beats.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Release date: March 2016
A film that needs no introduction, but you’re getting one anyway. Still allegedly a Man Of Steel sequel, this flick will see Batman (Ben Affleck) in a bust-up with Superman (Henry Cavill) in Warner Bros/DC’s first step towards shared-universe mega-bucks. The Social Network‘s Jesse Eisenberg is playing Lex Luthor, the real bad guy of the film, with Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher) all popping up to set the stage for the Justice League movie, scheduled for 2017.
What movie sequel are you most looking forward to in 2016? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @MenStuffZA.
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