While 2015 edges closer to an end I take a look at some of the Comic Book movies that are on the radar for next year….although there’s still that Episode VII countdown going on in my head for this year :D.
We saw just a few releases in 2015 which resulted in a mixed bag of success & failure. Marvel’s Phase 2 eased to a close with Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man with the latter proving to be a surprise package which saw a new face added and the overall roster of characters broaden in the MCU. Outside of that we only had a Fantastic Four reboot on offer that managed to miss the mark again and squander any positives that it had created……so it’s onward to 2016 with a more varied list of movies to look out for.
Deadpool
After a fairly sparse restricted appearance in X-Men Origins: Wolverine the character of Wade Wilson/Deadpool aka the Merc with a Mouth will appear again on the big screen as Ryan Reynolds will reprise the role. Hopes weren’t overly high for this with that previous outing not being greatly received and then Reynolds involvement in Green Lantern sort of left this one feeling like it was in limbo or at least being worked on far more in the background than expected. That was until the first leaked footage from SDCC earlier this year and the subsequent release of a full Red Band trailer that proved that 20th Century Fox were pushing to bring something different to the comic fans and love him or loathe him…..there’s something energetic and funny about that trailer that raises a lot of hopes for the movie in early 2016.
UK Release – 4th February
US Release – 12th February
Other release dates here.
Batman v Superman : Dawn of Justice
There was a largely positive response to Man of Steel at first but the cracks started to creep in once the Superman shine faded. The casting was pretty solid but the direction the movie took with it’s carefree destruction of Metropolis and that final decision in the Superman/Zod battle came under an increasing amount of criticism. As Zack Snyder takes the helm again the same tone seems to exist on BvS and with much the same cast from MoS appearing as well as the addition of Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman and what looks to be a who’s who of potential Justice League cameo’s. Could this be the start of DC/WB reclaiming ground on Marvel???? Time will tell and while Batman & Superman are the most bankable characters they own – the true test may come in the movies following this although BvS will give us the best indication of how that may shape up.
UK & US Release – 25th March
Other release dates here
Captain America: Civil War
Marvel’s Phase 2 finished stronger than it started and the Phase 3 begins with what could be a defining moment in the future of all Marvel’s releases. While the Civil War story arc in the comics may not have been my favourite (although I’m sure most think differently) the trailer and progress we’ve seen across all the Captain America films has quickly made this one of the most dependable that Marvel have. Big bold set pieces and now an internal rift between Steve & Tony to build us up to the main face off that we’ve kinda always been waiting on. Phase 3 could be kicking off with a significant high that will surely cement Marvel’s place in the world of cinema……if it wasn’t already!
UK Release – 29th April
US Release – 6th May
Other release dates here.
X-Men: Apocalypse
Bryan Singer brings his X-Men trilogy to an end with Apocalypse with First Class & Days of Future Past making a solid move to reinvent the franchise for 20th Century Fox. Handling the ever-growing roster well and looking to add to it further with this latest release we’ll see the X-Men face-off against the all powerful Apocalypse….although many fans have been less than impressed with the initial images featuring the powerful new foe. The new additions and a consistent script should hopefully help ease those worries but until we see footage there’s a collective breath being held as we’ve been bitten by the third installment of the same franchise before. The strength of the previous two should help ease a lot of those concerns though.
UK Release – 19th May
US Release – 27th May
Other release dates here.
Suicide Squad
A new team on the block as the worst of the worst are thrown together to run government Black Ops with zero risk of loss as they are all expendable. My initial thoughts on this weren’t great as it looked like it would work much more as a TV series (maybe a companion piece to Gotham) but the more I see of it the more I think it could work…..that will all depend on the quality of the story and how well those Batman & Joker appearances are managed. Solid cast again for a Comic Book movie and rightly so as the genre is just as valid as any others but hopefully as the approach & material is broadened we’ll see more of that……all talk seems to have been on the Joker and the new interpretation by Jared Leto but there’s a full cast involved that I’m sure can match his performance.
UK & US Release – 5th August
Other release dates here.
Doctor Strange
We’ve had some brief glimpses of Benedict Cumberbatch on the set and there are some stunning art concepts floating around the web of what to expect when this hits near the end of the year. As Marvel have already proved they can take their lower tier characters and make them just as accessible and interesting as they’re most recognizable ones and there’s just as much hope that this will be more of the same and a new member will make a smooth transfer from comic page onto the cinema screens. We’re sure to hear more about this
UK Release – 28th October
US Release – 4th November
Other release dates here.
COMICS ANONYMOUS 
Pingback: A look ahead to………the Comic Book TV shows of 2016 | COMICS ANONYMOUS