I blinked, and the original Zoolander is almost 15 years old. The fashion-themed comedy introduced maybe the most famous character Ben Stiller ever played, A-List male model Derek Zoolander. Derek and his rival turned best friend Hansel (Owen Wilson) will return when Zoolander 2 hits theaters on Feb. 12, nearly a full decade and a half after the first. If you’re a fan of orange mocha frappucinos and high-stakes walk-offs, then you probably feel like you’ve been waiting for this sequel forever. It’s less rare now for characters and franchises to crash back into the zeitgeist after being dormant for a while. (A Star Wars movie won 2015, didn't it?) But has Derek Zoolander been out of the spotlight too long? I actually believe that the long hiatus between the movies is going to be a good thing for Zoolander 2 .
I don’t just think that because time feels like it’s flashing before my eyes, and I could have sworn the first Zoolander movie came out last summer. (“Earth to me…”) I’m sure after the success of the movie, especially on video, that there was pressure to strike again while the iron (and Hansel) were so right now. But haste doesn’t always breed quality, and even a sequel bound to feature the same slapstick, grade school comedy as the first should do that well. 2016 is the perfect time for Zoolander to hit the runway again. Here are seven reasons why.
1. They Waited For The Right Script
Zoolander 2 has been a twinkle in Ben Stiller's eye since 2008. At least that's when he told The Sun he was looking at bringing his blissfully ignorant fashion plate character back. "I feel that is the sequel I really would like to do some day because I like the original and I would make sure it was something new and worthy of it first," Stiller said, putting the emphasis on a great screenplay. That "worthy" screenplay was eventually co-written by Stiller himself, along with John Hamburg, Nick Stoller, and Tropic Thunder collaborator Justin Theroux.
2. All The References Will Feel Fresh
If Zoolander 2 had been churned out a year or two after the first, the pop culture call-outs and memes probably wouldn't have changed that much. In 2016, Zoolander has a whole new set of celebrities and trends to play with and send up.
3. Kristen Wiig Wasn't Famous Until 2005
Wiig, who's rocking a nightmarish set of prosthetic lips in the trailer, didn't join the SNL cast until four years after Zoolander came out. Too soon, and the world would have missed out on seeing the Bridesmaids star in... whatever this contraption is.
4. Aging Male Models Are Funnier Than Regular Male Models
The first Zoolander parodied the inherent theatricality of the fashion industry, and how deadly serious its inner circle can be about something so frivolous. 15 years later, Hansel and Derek aren't only male models, they're irrelevant male models; and doesn't the best comedy come from a place of sadness?
5. Justin Bieber Doing Blue Steel: It Had To Happen
Bieber was only seven years old when Derek introduced his "Le Tigre" look, but he's the ideal celebrity to join the ranks of the really famous people who are game to make fun of themselves in this franchise.
6. It Brings Mugatu To A New Generation
He's back, and hopefully his little dog is too.
7. Justin Theroux AKA The Zoolander DJ Is Now A Name
In 2001, Theroux hid under a wig and a goatee to play the DJ at the Derelict fashion show in the climax of Zoolander. In 2016, he stars on The Leftovers, is happily married to America's Sweetheart Jennifer Aniston, co-wrote the screenplay to the sequel, and, rumor has it, will pop up again in Zoolander 2 in another cameo role. What a difference 15 years makes.
Will the audience still be there when the Zoolander sequel arrives? If not, they're missing out on what could be another seminal moment in silly movie history.
