Scarlett Johansson

With 2016 almost over, thankfully, it’s time to turn our collective attention to everything we’re excited for in the new year. Our staff even drew up a list of all the movies we’re most anticipating, and among those is the Ghost in the Shell adaptation starring Scarlett Johansson. To say that the movie remains controversial would be an understatement, but we can’t deny that it looks stunning. There’s even a new image from the movie to prove it.

Near the end of every year, Forbes releases their rankings of the top actors in Hollywood based on their box-office value and earnings (along with a list of the most overpaid actors, which is always interesting). This year, Scarlett Johansson tops the list of the highest-grossing actors in Hollywood, followed closely by Marvel co-stars Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr., who tied for second place. What makes Johansson’s ranking even more notable, however, is her earnings — while RDJr. placed ninth on this year’s list of the highest-paid actors with $33 million, Johansson ranked third on the actress list with $25 million.

Scarlett Johansson has played Natasha Romanoff in five Marvel movies, five, and yet she still hasn’t gotten her own Black Widow solo movie. It’s kind of crazy, especially since fans have been clamoring for the female superhero to get her own film for ages – just this summer a new poll found that audiences want a Black Widow movie over any other Avengers character. Kevin Feige recently ignited some hope, saying Marvel is “committed” to giving the superhero her own movie, the Russo brothers called it a “no-brainer,” and Joss Whedon is down to direct. Now Johansson has chimed in to share her ideas for a solo movie.

For the second year in a row, Jennifer Lawrence tops the list of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood, while the impressively prolific Dwayne Johnson has unseated Robert Downey Jr. as the highest-paid actor. Unfortunately, the highest-paid actors still earn millions more than their female counterparts, proving that Hollywood’s gender disparity problem still needs some fixing.

How do you become a fan favorite as an actor? Easy. Just love the character as much as the fans do. For as much as we enjoy pitting the various comic book franchises against each other, the secret weapon of the films released by Marvel Studios has always been that we honestly and truly believe that the people involved are having as much fun making the movies as we are watching them. And near the top of that list has to be Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow.

This is a big year for animated movies featuring talking animals: Zootopia, Finding Dory, The Secret Life of Pets and now, Sing. But what sets the latest adventure apart from its animated brethren is right there in the title, and you can get a taste of what’s in store this Christmas thanks to a new extended trailer, featuring the voices of Matthew McConaughey and a whole bunch of other people you really like.

Earlier this week, a new poll revealed that the MCU character fans most want to see in a standalone film is — unsurprisingly, still — Black Widow. Phase 3 is set to conclude in 2019 with Avengers: Infinity War (which will soon undergo a title change), and the only film Kevin Feige has confirmed for Phase 4 so far is Guardians of the Galaxy 3 (which may or may not be directed by James Gunn). And although he doesn’t 100-percent-confirm it here, Feige presents a Black Widow solo movie as a very real possibility for Phase 4.

Kids grow up so fast these days. They have to if they’re going to watch the movies Hollywood makes for them.

Now that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has arrived in theaters, it’s time to start looking forward to another epic superhero battle. Captain America: Civil War hits theaters in just over a month, and though this international trailer features familiar scenes, it also offers some new footage, including a special moment between Black Widow and Hawkeye.

Disney’s live-action update of The Jungle Book looks absolutely gorgeous, and if nothing else, the trailers for Jon Favreau’s new adaptation of the beloved classic promises some incredible CGI — perhaps even better than Ang Lee’s Life of Pi. We’ll have to wait until next month to be certain, but until then, Disney has released some pretty cool new photos featuring the voice cast posing alongside their respective CG animal characters.

With Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans promising a big surprise on Jimmy Kimmel Live, we knew it had to be something special — that something is the first trailer for Captain America: Civil War. Not a teaser, but an actual, full trailer, dramatically highlighting the growing divide between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark, which will divide the Avengers and pit them against one another in what could be Marvel's most epic film yet.

Can I buy tickets to Hail, Caesar! yet? Can I preorder the Blu-ray? Too early to add it to my top ten list of the year?