2015 ended with a blast from the past in the form of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, tearing up box office records in the United States and on course to be the highest grossing blockbuster not directed by James Cameron. With that year just passed, we'll hence shift our minds to the Hollywood offerings for the next 12 months, which yet again includes a glutton of superhero adaptations, remakes, reboots, prequels and sequels. 

While there's the usual suspects in the form of Marvel, DC and Disney offerings, signifying another franchise overload in 2016, some original entries still manage to trickle into this list, and some films, especially those released at the year end for awards buzz, are still difficult to gauge at this point (as with last year's Ex Machina, The Martian, Creed, Room and Bridge of Spies). Be warned though, those listed here aren't guaranteed to be goodies, as evidenced by my previous list, where I had the abysmal Mortdecai and Terminator Genisys listed as hot picks.

So sit back, relax with a warm cuppa, and dive into the biggest offerings 2016 has to deliver!

This is one to hold your breath when it's released. The first film, directed by lead actor Ben Stiller and released in 2001 post 9/11, underwhelmed at the box office, but has since garnered a cult following in the wake of post-theatrical market (DVDs, VCDs), thanks in no equal parts to its humorous running gags, colourful characters, awesome cameos, and brilliant self awareness in lampooning the fashion industry. Many of us have been clamouring for a sequel since then, and it has arrived in the form of last year's Vogue fashion show reveal, promising similar gags and cameos alike. However, if the recent trailers so far are of any indication, Zoolander 2 should be making us weary, and for us to be careful of what we wish for.

Track record for comedy sequels, especially the likes of long-gestated entries, have so far failed to deliver the laughs or capture the charm of its predecessor, as evidenced by 2013's Anchorman 2 and 2014's Dumb and Dumber To. The good news is that many from the original are back (Stiller, Owen 'Hansel' Wilson, Will Ferrell and Christine Taylor) while adding Penelope Cruz and Kristen Wiig into the mix, the former being a swimsuit model turned spy (probably Stiller's idea ;)). Ben Stiller is behind and in front of the cameras yet again, and we'll see soon enough whether Blue Steel/Magnum/Ferrari/Le Tigre does indeed go out of style.

    

    

With J.J. Abrams off to work on another sci-fi Star franchise, the cinematic future of Star Trek rests on the laurels of...... a Fast & Furious director? However, Taiwanese director Justin Lin ain't no slouch after reviving the franchise of fast cars towards fast space stations, and from what we've seen in the debut trailer, it looks to brighten up the gloomy film franchise with over-the-top stunts, one-liners and even more Beastie Boys. Simon Pegg (playing Scotty) is also doubling up as one of the writers this time around, with many of the main cast of the Enterprise (Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, John Cho, Anton Yelchin) returning for a third rodeo, while bringing in Idris Elba and Sofia Boutella (fresh off Kingsman) as new additions to the cast.

Hands in the air if your first exposure to Ghostbusters was via the cartoon series... no I meant the gothic-looking, Men In Black-ish The Extreme Ghostbusters on Disney Channel, anyone? IMO, the Ghostbusters franchise never exactly excelled beyond the first film, with the sequel lacking innovation and the charm of the 1984 original.

Anyway, a third entry in the ghastly sci-fi franchise has been mooted for over two decades, with the intention of having the original crew, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and the late Harold Ramis, back in action. Those plans were dashed with Murray's constant refusal to reprise his role as Peter Venkman, and rubber stamped with Ramis' unfortunate passing in 2014. Since then, plans shifted culminating in a reboot of the series, with funnyman Paul Feig on board as director.

A rather expensive production for a reboot, at a budget of $154 million, the biggest news to come out so far during its production is definitely the casting, with Paul Feig opting for an all female clan to bust ghosts in the 21st century, with Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones (the latter two SNL cast members) the latest lot to be armed with proton packs (would've quite liked the rumoured casting choices of Emma Stone, Tina Fey or Amy Poehler though, one can only dream), adding with a certain Chris Hemsworth taking over the receptionist role. Feig has had a way with women... as in having a decent track record of directing female-leading films in recent years, as evidenced by Bridesmaids, The Heat and last year's parody film Spy, and if those movies and the cast are of any indication, it'll be sure to bring out the laughs.

    

Pixar's record of sequels in the past few years have been mixed at best. Outside of the fantastic Toy Story sequels, Cars 2 was simply unwatchable (being more of a ploy to sell more toys) while Monsters University had a cliche storyline despite bringing back the cutesy and nostalgia of our favourite plant workers. What's comparable to the former with Finding Dory was that it shifts the story focus from its predecessor to a supporting character, this time onto the forgetful Dory à la Mater's expanded role in Cars 2.

      

Not much is known about the latest offering from the Coen Brothers (Fargo, The Big Lebowski, No Country for Old Men), other than the plot, centred during the Golden Age of a Hollywood, where a 'fixer' is attempting to rescue a kidnapped A-list actor from a reclusive group called 'The Future'.

It's piqued my interest due to the impressive subject matter/setting (1950's Hollywood) and an ensemble with plenty of awards credentials including Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, Jonah Hill, Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes and Channing Tatum, but don't go expecting a Malaysian release date for this (looking back at Creed...). Premiering at the Glasgow Film Festival next month, expect some strong push for the Oscars if it's any good... for next year's ceremony anyway.

    

Outside of the Charlie series and Matilda books, The BFG is amongst my favourite Roald Dahl novel, depicting a big friendly giant (hence the initials) who takes a young human girl away on a magical adventure filled with snozzcumbers, and who better to direct a theatrical adaptation of it by non other than the legendary Steven Spielberg! The teaser trailer thus far seems to promise fantasy bewilderment combined with the subtly darker elements as seen in the children's book. 

The BFG also reteams Spielberg with Mark Rylance, who garnered a deserved Oscar nomination for his supporting role in Spielberg's Bridge of Spies last year, playing the titular character. The film would also include Rebecca Hall as Mary and Bill Hader playing one of the nastier giants in the story.

    

Benedict Cumberbatch, everyone's favourite Sherlock portrayer* finally dons the moniker of Sorceror Supreme in what is perhaps Marvel's riskiest property yet, but that's the same assumption people have been making for the past years with Guardian of the Galaxy and Ant-Man.

Aiming to explore the magical side of the Marvel universe, like how GOTG did with its space-age side, beginning with a neurosurgeon (Cumberbatch) who learns the ways of the sorceror from the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton).  Not much has been known so far, but the first look from Entertainment Weekly, coupled with a strong cast, including heavyweights such as  Cumberbatch, Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams and Mads Mikkelsen, make this cosmic Marvel entry one to watch come this November.

4) X-Men: Apocalypse

The second trilogy finale in the X-Men franchise, this picks up where the refreshing First Class and amazing Days of Future Past left of and transports us to the 1980s, where a centuries-old mutant in the form of Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac/Poe Dameron/Dance Floor Tearer) is awakened and wants to eradicate the world (think Noah's Ark 2.0). The second film in this list to use the Four Horsemen concept, our main heroes Professor X (James McAvoy) and Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) will have to confront both friends and foe alike, including Magneto (Michael Fassbender) for the umpteenth time.

Billed as the biggest X-Men film yet, director Bryan Singer returns behind the camera alongside many of the previous film's cast with Rose Bryne, Lucas Till (Havoc), Nicholas Hoult (Beast) and Evan Peters (the better Quicksilver). Other than Isaac, new additions to the film include Olivia Munn as Psylocke, Ben Hardy as Angel, and younger variations of Jean Grey, Cyclops, Nightcrawler and Storm (you know, time travel shenanigans). Unlike X-Men 3: The Last Stand, this may be the climatic finish the franchise deserves.