Movie trailer round-up: ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’, ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’, ‘Star Trek Beyond’ & ‘Fantastic Beasts’ (Update)

Director Bryan Singer is ready to introduce the world to Apocalypse, the first mutant from which all mutants descend. Also, he’s totally evil and stuff and wants to annihilate mankind and create a new world order over which he will reign. Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn DavisEx MachinaStar Wars: The Force Awakens) plays the villainous mutant who has amassed the powers of many other mutants since the beginning of recorded time, becoming immortal and invincible in the process. A disheartened Magneto (Michael Fassbender) joins the dark side once again to take on Professor X (James McAvoy) and his team of misfit mutants in an epic war to save the world from irreversible destruction. Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games) and Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones) also make impressions in this debut trailer for X-Men: Apocalypse as young versions of Mystique and Jean Grey, respectively. The wide ensemble cast also includes Nicholas Hoult, Rose Byrne, Tye Sheridan, Olivia Munn, Lucas Till, Evan Peters, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Alexandra Shipp, Josh Helman, Lana Condor, and Ben Hardy.

Singer’s followup to his successful Days of Future Past hits theatres May 27, 2016.

Update (12/13): 20th Century Fox has dropped the first official trailer for Independence Day: Resurgence and you can watch it now after the break.

Update 2 (12/14): Following a leak in Germany, Paramount has released the first trailer for Star Trek Beyond a tad early, but we’re not complaining! Find it after the break.

Update 3 (12/15): Warner Bros. is giving Harry Potter fans a peek at the anticipated spinoff Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. By now you know where to find it.

Hello boys, they’re baaaack! 20 years after Roland Emmerich’s huge box office success and sci-fi cult classic Independence Day famously blew up the White House and put actor Will Smith on the map, moviegoers are about to experience a sequel to the alien invasion flick. Though Smith won’t be reprising Captain Steven Hiller (apparently in the interim his character died thanks to alien tech malfunction), the new Independence Day will include fan favorites such as Bill Pullman’s now former President Thomas J. Whitmore and Jeff Goldblum’s tech expert David Levinson. Also returning is Judd Hirsh, Vivica A. Fox, and Brent Spiner. Newcomers include Liam Hemsworth, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jessie Usher, Maika Monroe, and Sela Ward.

So what’s this one about? Well, it turns out that there’s more aliens where that came from. The official logline reads: “Using recovered alien technology, the nations of Earth have collaborated on an immense defense program to protect the planet. But nothing can prepare us for the aliens’ advanced and unprecedented force. Only the ingenuity of a few brave men and women can bring our world back from the brink of extinction.”

Though it sounds and admittedly looks rather run-of-the-mill as far as disaster flicks are concerned, there’s something about Pullman and Goldblum’s campy and undoubtedly nostalgic deliveries that strike just the right chord for me. Looks fun. Let’s go kick some alien ass…again!

Independence Day: Resurgence invades theatres June 24, 2016.

J.J. Abrams is taking a backseat in the next go-around in the Star Trek franchise. After directing 2009’s successful Star Trek franchise reboot and its polarizing sequel Into Darkness (2013), Abrams went off to jumpstart another iconic sci-fi franchise (maybe you’ve heard of it?). For the third new Star Trek movie, Justin Lin–the director who revitalized Fast and the Furious after it lost steam–is behind the wheel here and the action looks as fun and witty as ever. The writing team has changed, as well. Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, the writing duo behind Abrams’ Treks, have been replaced by Simon Pegg (who is pulling double here as he stars Lieutenant Commander Montgomery “Scotty” Scott) and Doug Jung (TV’s Dark Blue). Lin and Pegg are self-proclaimed hardcore Trekkie, so I have all the confidence in the world that they’re going to hold nothing back here in terms of satisfying at least the franchise’s rabid core audience.

So what’s Star Trek Beyond all about? Paramount isn’t providing an official logline just yet, but there’s much to be scooped from the trailer. Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and company have lost the U.S.S. Enterprise and find themselves stranded on an alien planet. Why are they there? Who are those mysterious beings that inhabit said planet? Sounds like Uhura (Zoe Saldana) has an idea. Rock out to “Sabotage” by the Beastie Boys (anybody else getting a Guardians of the Galaxy vibe here?) and look forward to traveling Beyond July 22, 2016.

Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything) is eccentric magizoologist Newt Scamander in this first-look teaser for the Harry Potter spinoff film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The clip previews a new tale set the Wizarding World imagined by J.K. Rowling, and its score contains hints of Potter lore that’ll conjure up warm feelings of nostalgia for Potter fans all over. Everything there is to know about the flick can be found here. It’s out November 18, 2016.

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