More than a decade since Ben Stiller first sported the Blue Steel pose in the cult 2001 comedy, fans are finally within touching distance of Zoolander 2, and Paramount has today pumped out a trio of character posters for the long-in-development sequel that spotlight old and new faces alike.
That’s not the only tidbit emerging for the Ben Stiller-directed follow-up though, which attracted criticism early last week upon the debut of the film’s international trailer. In it, we see a near-unrecognizable Benedict Cumberbatch play the role of an androgynous model, though the allegedly “cartoonish” portrayal of Cumberbatch’s character drew the ire of some viewers, who took to setting up an online petition to boycott Zoolander 2.
At the time of writing, the bill has garnered more than 21,000 signatures, spurring actor and screenwriter Justin Theroux to weigh in on the feverent backlash. In penning the script alongside Stiller, Nicholas Stoller, and John Hamburg, Theroux admitted that he was disheartened by the reaction, before offering a response to The Wrap.
“I don’t even know what to make of it, because it hurts my feelings in a way,” Theroux said to TheWrap. “I take great care in the jokes I write, and the umbrage being taken is out of the context of the scene. I wish people would see the movie first. Satire is a thing that points out the idiots, and we went through it on Tropic Thunder with the ‘R’ word.”
Outside of the controversy, Zoolander 2 will welcome the return of Will Ferrell’s megalomanic Mugatu, who sets about bringing the fashion world to its knees by killing off the industry’s biggest assets. Such a set-up naturally paves the way for a host of celebrity cameos in typical Zoolander fashion, with Billy Zane, Fred Armisen, Justin Bieber, Kyle Mooney, Kim Kardashian, Ariana Grande, and many more set to appear. As for the core cast, we know that Penélope Cruz, Christine Taylor, Kristen Wiig and Cyrus Arnold are all on board.
Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson will reprise their respective roles as the pair of imbeciles when Zoolander 2 struts into theaters on February 12, 2016.
