10 films we’re excited about seeing in 2016

From Birdman to Bond, we have to admit that 2015 has been a pretty good year for film. But with the year drawing to a close (well, nearly) it’s time to look ahead to the cinematic entertainment lying ahead for us in the coming months. Take a look at our picks for the films we’ll be heading to see in 2016.

A blockbuster focussed on the villains; this is everything the superhero genre needs to keep it fresh, and under the excellent directorship of David Ayers this is sure to be a success. Whilst the specific plot has yet to be revealed, what we know from the comic books is that the Suicide Squad is a secret team of supervillains imprisoned by the US government, undertaking high risk missions in exchange for their reducing their sentences. With its innovative perspective and stellar cast, this looks to be a great entry in the field.

The title might not make it sound the most promising, but this adaptation of the parody novel mixes Austen’s regency romance with martial arts and zombie mayhem, and has a star-studded cast. May just turn out to be more of an early year must-see than one would presume.

March will bring us the first live-action film featuring both of these iconic figures, as well as the first to feature Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Cyborg. Inevitably, as Batman and Superman battle it out, and the world can’t decide with what kind of hero it really needs, a new threat arises in order to endanger mankind more than ever before. The perfect superhero action plot.

Hitting screens in February, Deadpool is the name of the alter ego adopted by a former Special Forces operative following a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers. Based on a Marvel Comics character, the plot will follow Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) as, armed with new abilities and a new identity, he hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.

Ben Affleck is building a reputation for delivering well-acted, entertaining thrillers, and he will not only star in Live by Night (based on the crime novel by Dennis Lehane), but has directed and written it as well. Set in prohibition era America, the film follows the journey of Affleck’s character from prodigal son of a Boston police captain to notorious gangster.

A sequel to the previous Captain America, featuring Spider-man interacting with other heroes on screen for the first time. The stellar cast (featuring Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson amongst others), and what we know of the plot (another international incident threatens security, prompting politicians to regulate superhuman activity, thus fracturing the team as the attempt to protect the world from a new enemy) ensure that this is firmly in our top 10.

A Harry Potter spinoff, therefore one from the most popular success stories in cinema history, and with the great JK Rowling as screenwriter as well as starring quintessential English gent Eddie Redmayne. If the fact that David Heyman (producer of the Harry Potter series), David Yates (its director) and Steve Kloves (who wrote the screenplay for 7 of the 8 films) are all involved is anything to go by, this will definitely be one on our to-do list next November.

Directed by the masterful Bryan Singer, the 9th instalment in the X-Men series is certainly one on our list. This looks set to be a timeless fate-of-the-earth-hanging-in-balance creation starring the likes of James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence and Michael Fassbender, battling the powerful and invincible Apocalypse as he tries to create a new world order.

Let’s be honest, there’s a limit to the amount of superhero movies anyone can see in one year. Nice Guys is set to be released in May, and is an American mystery thriller featuring the likes Russel Crowe, Ryan Gosling, and Kim Bassinger. The plot pairs a fighter and private detective in 1970s Los Angeles, as they attempt to solve the conspiracy behind the apparent suicide of a fading porn star.

It may be missing the name of Will Smith, but the sequel to the 1996 film – which pretty much kicked off the trend of the modern city-destroying disaster film with its striking depictions of the obliteration of Manhattan and the White House – brings with it high expectations. Whatever it is about our love of seeing the world blown up on screen, it certainly guarantees some kind of cathartic feel-good factor, even if just from walking out of the cinema to discover the world as you left it.

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