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There’s been a lot of remake/reboot/sequel backlash recently. With The Legend of Tarzan under-performing, The BFG bombing, Independence Day: Resurgence quickly coming and going with barely a whimper and the mere existence of a new Ghostbusters, it seems that it’s up to more original fare in multiplexes to keep audience members satisfied.
As a result, we’ve compiled this list of the 10 most promising original movies for the remainder of 2016. No adaptations or true stories allowed (sorry A Monster Calls and Sully). It’s hard to stare at a blank piece of paper and, without direct inspiration, write something truly new, but these 10 entries have us excited about the unknown. Are you one of those people convinced Hollywood has no original ideas? Well, this is the list for you!
In chronological order, going by U.S. release dates…
1. Sausage Party – August 12, 2016
This movie needs no introduction at this point. Sausage Party comes from the creative team that gave us stoner-comedy hits Superbad, Pineapple Express and This Is The End. It can acutely be summed-up as “Toy Story, but with food… and effed up.” with the movie’s attention-grabbing Red-Band trailers earning it much notoriety online. However, with talented performers like Seth Rogan, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Edward Norton, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader and more making up the food-based main-characters, the film has a solid pedigree. Most amusingly, one of the co-directors is Greg Tiernan who made a name for himself directing episodes of the children’s TV show Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends. What an odd career-change.
2. Kubo and the Two Strings – August 19, 2016
Opening the same day as the Ben-Hur remake, the stop-motion company LAIKA Animation, who brought us Coraline and The Boxtrolls, are back with possibly their most ambitious movie yet. First-time director Travis Knight promises to take us on an adventure inspired by Japanese folklore. The film follows Kubo on a quest to carry on his father’s legacy whilst battling against evil with the help of Monkey, voiced by Charlize Theron, and Beetle, voiced by Matthew McConaughey. The trailers have been breathtakingly beautiful, especially when you take into account the stop-motion approach. Other actors on board such as Rooney Mara, George Takei and Ralph Fiennes add additional clout. LAIKA looks set for another home-run animated hit here.
NEXT: Let’s take a look at some of the darker original films…
