Here are some movies and TV shows on my radar in the year ahead:
“The 5th Wave” (movie, Jan. 22) – Chloe Grace Moretz stars in this “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” riff. While the preview – as with most movies nowadays — gives too much away, this still looks like a compelling family survival drama amid an alien invasion. “It Follows” breakthrough star Maika Monroe is in the cast, too, and she’ll also be in the year’s other big alien film, “Independence Day: Resurgence” (see below).
“The X-Files” (TV miniseries, Jan. 24, pictured above) – Chris Carter’s classic is timelier than ever as it returns for six new episodes, which promise to advance the government-conspiracy mythology while also peppering in some monster-of-the-week yarns. It will be interesting to see how it ties in with IDW’s Season 10-11 comic book, which Carter declared canonical upon its launch a few years back. So far, we know the miniseries is acknowledging the Lone Gunmen’s survival, but it also has an episode called “Home Again” by a different writer than the comic of the same title.
“Allegiant” (movie, March 18) – The third entry in the quadrilogy based on Veronica Roth’s “Divergent” books will be an interesting exercise in continuity, as the story branches in a different direction from the novels. With Tris (Shailene Woodley) and friends being greeted as heroes outside the wall by people who watched them on video, the “Divergent” series is coming uncomfortably close to morphing into “The Hunger Games.” But it retains enough mystery about the nature of what the government has planned for the Chicago citizenry.
“Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising” (movie, May 20) – The 2014 original was a respectable collection of chuckles about 30-somethings (Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne) who deal with the loud frat house next door. As the sequel switches its attention to a rowdy sorority (featuring Selena Gomez and the aforementioned Moretz), it might put an interesting gender-swapped spin on an old premise.
“X-Men: Apocalypse” (movie, May 27) – The familiar “First Class” cast will join up with some new mutants as the “X-Men” series firmly enters the new timeline carved out by “Days of Future Past.” One of the benefits is that Psylocke is born earlier. This is one of two “X-Men” universe films in 2016; the other is “Deadpool” (Feb. 12), featuring Ryan Reynolds’ character from “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.” Highlighted by endless quips amid the violence, it doesn’t appear to be my cup of tea, although I might have to see it to remain an “X-Men” completist. Colossus is another link to the primary “X-Men” saga.
“The Conjuring 2: The Enfield Poltergeist” (movie, June 10) – The 2013 original stood out from the horror pack with its 1970s setting and old-school methods for tracking ghosts. With “Fargo’s” Patrick Wilson and “Bates Motel’s” Vera Farmiga returning, the sequel – again, based on a true story – should offer a similarly smart scare-fest.
“Independence Day: Resurgence” (movie, June 24) – While Will Smith is unfortunately absent, Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman seem to have a significant presence in this sequel I didn’t realize I wanted to see until the trailer came out. The original was THE big film of 1996 (before the blockbuster-per-week era), and the sequel looks to recapture that event-movie spirit.
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” (movie, Nov. 18) – This film launches a trilogy set in “Harry Potter’s” Wizarding World. While we won’t see Harry and company, as this entry takes place in the 1920s, it’ll be fun to enter this world for the first time without knowing precisely what to expect. While there is an in-universe nonfiction book by this title, J.K. Rowling is writing fresh scripts for the big-screen adventures.
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (movie, Dec. 16) – I haven’t been thrilled with Disney’s simplifying of the “Star Wars” universe so far, but I’ve been sticking with TV’s “Rebels,” which could link up with this movie’s story of the mission to acquire the Death Star plans. If so, I might be willing to give the franchise another shot.
“Gilmore Girls” miniseries and “Rambo: The TV Series” (undated, TV shows) — No dates have yet been announced for these projects, but there’s a slim chance we could see them in this calendar year (although early 2017 is more likely). “Gilmore Girls” will catch us up with Lorelai and Rory a decade after the TV series ended, with four 90-minute episodes on Netflix. The “Rambo” TV series presumably would be a prequel to the film saga, exploring the title character during his Army days.