Ahead of the world premiere of Transformers: Age of Extinction, which brings new faces like Mark Wahlberg, Jack Reynor and Nicola Peltz to the blockbuster franchise, Paramount has announced the tentpoles that it is positioning for release in 2016 – including Transformers 5. Along with that fivequel, which was a near certainty before even Age of Extinction was announced (Wahlberg recently noted in an interview that he’d signed on for three films), Paramount also unveiled a slew of reboots and sequels, including Beverly Hills Cop, Ben Hur, GI Joe 3, Hansel and Gretel 2, Paranormal Activity 5 and Star Trek 3.
Out of all of those, the one I’m weirdly most excited for is Hansel and Gretel 2, a sequel to last year’s equally ludicrous and entertaining Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters. A sequel was in no way a done deal, because the film didn’t do that well domestically (though international grosses made it a hit). A while back, producer Adam McKay spoke about ideas for a sequel, saying that director Tommy Wirkola’s thoughts about where the story could go were “pretty insane,” hinting, “Think of different kinds of witchcraft.” Plus, Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton are likely contracted to return in a sequel, so watching them suit up and kick supernatural ass once again will undoubtedly be a ton of fun.
Looking at the other films, there are no real surprises here. We knew that Beverly Hills Cop was happening with Eddie Murphy back in the lead role, and Ben Hur has been in the works for some time with Timur Bekmambetov. GI Joe 3 already booked Jon M. Chu to direct and is rumored to include characters who died in previous installments (though we’d bet the last thing Channing Tatum wants to do is come back),
As for the Gregory Plotkin-directed Paranormal Activity 5, that was always a lock for release sometime down the road, though it’s disappointing that fans will have to wait until 2016 for the next installment. And Star Trek 3 recently stirred up some controversy when Roberto Orci snagged directing duties. Though he’s been involved with the new Star Trek franchise all along, the threequel will mark his directorial debut.
Which of the new announcements are you most excited about? Let us know below!