Looking ahead to cultural events in 2016
FILM
A Harry Potter spin-off starring Oscar winner and man of the moment Eddie Redmayne? A recipe for box office success if we ever heard one. This JK Rowling penned movie takes place 70 years before the The Boy That Lived reads New York wizard Newt Scamander’s book at Hogwarts. Also starring the often underrated and excellently creepy Ezra Miller (We Need To Talk About Kevin, Trainwreck) and our very own Colin Farrell.
There was ruckus online when this all-female remake of the 80s classic was announced, but with Paul Feig at the helm and a Dan Aykroyd-penned script as well as four female comedy stalwarts in the lead roles, true fans should be excited about the reboot. Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy are the better known names up front, with
star Chris Hemsworth making an appearance along with rumoured cameos from Bill Murray and Siguorney Weaver.
The trailer for Marvel’s latest superhero flick just dropped this week, even though the film doesn’t open until next November. The latest character added to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Dr Stephen Strange will be played by Benedict Cumberbatch. Also dropping in 2016 is the third Captain America film starring Chris Evans.
Anyone who read Paula Hawkins’ debut novel will no doubt be waiting for the movie with bated breath. A twisting, turning thriller, Emily Blunt will take the lead role as Rachel, the girl who gets overly involved with the people she sees out the window on her daily commute. An unreliable narrator due to her alcoholism, is she imagining what she sees — or has she witnessed a murder?
TELEVISION
If you watched Jessica Jones on Netflix this winter (and if you haven’t, get on it ASAP), you’ll be familiar with Luke — a man whose skin cannot be pierced, leading to all kinds of superhero hi-jinks. He gets his own series on the streaming service in 2016. Jones and Cage will eventually unite with Daredevil and Iron Fist for their own series The Defenders, expected in 2017.
Take Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger as executive producers, put them together with telly giant HBO, Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire writer/director Terence Winter and you should have a hit TV show. This story of the music industry in 1970s New York lands on Sky Atlantic in February.
Lena Dunham is the kind of star most people either love or loathe, but her show Girls is still going strong and about to enter its fifth season, also on Sky Atlantic. Hannah, Marnie, Jessa and Shoshanna have been through a lot since the pilot, in life, love and career — as they enter their late twenties, what have they learned?
The most anticipated show of the year is returning in the spring. Is Jon Snow dead or alive after the mutiny? Where is Daenerys and will she be found? What will become of Stannis’ army, and Cersei in King’s Landing? And will Arya get her sight back?
MUSIC
The Dublin duo’s song Darkest Oceans made it on to the latest FIFA video game in 2015, and they’ve spent much of the year gigging and supporting Kodaline. Their album lands next year with many critics waiting with bated breath. These guys have the potential to be the next big thing in Irish music.
Nominated for best new artist at the upcoming Grammys, this curly-haired singer-songwriter has a big voice and massive potential. Spotted on YouTube by the same man that made Justin Bieber a star, she’s been working towards pop superstardom for the past couple of years and is tipped for the top.
We missed her over the past 12 months, but after releasing seven albums in seven calendar years, Riri deserved a break. The brilliant single ‘Bitch Better Have My Money’ whet our appetites for the return of the Barbadian bombshell. Her new album ANTI has been announced (although no release date is set in stone) and she embarks on a world tour in the summer, including a stop at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium.
A new artist for whom musical genius could be in here genes, the 19-year-old daughter of singer Neneh Cherry and Massive Attack producer Cameron McVey has made it on to the prestigious BBC Sound of 2016 poll and is tipped by many to win. Genre-bending with pop, R&B and jazz makes this singer stand out a mile.
Other artists to watch in 2016: Ronan Keating is back with a new solo album, singer Frances is tipped for greatness and Kanye West will be releasing another LP.
BOOKS
The 2fm DJ’s cancer battle was well documented this year, not least in her moving Reality Bites show for RTÉ2 emphatically titled F**k Cancer. Her memoir is due out in June, chronicling not just her illness but her troubled upbringing, relationships and body image.
Fans of the model-turned-foodie’s blog will be thrilled to know that they can literally take a leaf from her book when it’s released in February. Stuffed with delicious recipes, heathy alternatives to old favourites and diet and fitness advice from the up and coming health guru.
The seventh novel from O’Farrell crosses time zones and continents to tell the story of a man whose life has become complicated, to say the least. From New York to rural Ireland, California and back, can Daniel claw his way back from the brink?
The novelist has been a firm favourite both in Ireland and abroad for two decades, but her latest book is a memoir rather than fiction. Advertised as “the world according to Marian”, it’s bound to capitalise on the author’s effervescent relatability and is full of wry observations and wit. Out in February.
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