Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Zoolander 2 won’t be hitting theaters until February 12, 2016, but the first official trailer landed online this morning. Looks like Derek (Ben Stiller) and his best friend Hansel (Owen Wilson) are back, but they aren’t the kings of male modeling anymore. That would be Benedict Cumberbatch‘s absurdly alien-looking “Isall.”
The character is obviously a satire of how fashion has indeed become far more enamored of androgynous models over the last two decades — as well as a pointed dig at Cumberbatch’s famously odd looks. The British actor has the type of strong bone structure that can be made to look either “traditionally handsome in that aristocratic way” or “really weird.”
Cumberbatch isn’t the only new star to join the Zoolander franchise. Penelope Cruz co-stars as an Interpol agent who asks Derek and Hansel to help figure out who’s killing the world’s most beautiful people. Among those stunners? Justin Bieber and Usher. Kristen Wiig also co-stars and Will Ferrell is back as Mugatu.
As fun as all this is, there is now an eerie shadow over the Zoolander sequel. The original film became a hit in the uneasy time after September 11, 2001. The campy and silly humor comforted audiences. This new film is now being released in the wake of another world-changing act of terrorism. Ben Stiller and his pals may not have planned it, but it does seem like this is the perfect time for Zoolander 2.
