Zoolander

{{short description|2001 film by Ben Stiller}}

{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2014}}

{{Infobox film

| name = Zoolander

| image = Movie poster zoolander.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = Ben Stiller

| producer = {{Plainlist|

}}

| screenplay = {{Plainlist|

}}

| story = {{Plainlist|

  • Drake Sather
  • Ben Stiller

}}

| based_on = Characters created
by Drake Sather
Ben Stiller

| starring = {{Plainlist|

}}

| music = David Arnold

| cinematography = Barry Peterson

| editing = Greg Hayden

| studio = {{Plainlist|

}}

| distributor = Paramount Pictures

| released = {{Film date|2001|09|28}}

| runtime = 89 minutes{{cite web | url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/zoolander-2001 | title=Zoolander (12) | work=British Board of Film Classification | date=October 5, 2001 | access-date=December 27, 2014}}

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget = $28 million{{cite web |title= Zoolander (2001) - Financial Information |url= https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Zoolander#tab=summary |website= The Numbers }}

| gross = $60.8 million

}}

Zoolander is a 2001 American comedy film directed by and starring Ben Stiller. The film contains elements from a pair of short films directed by Russell Bates and written by Drake Sather and Stiller for the VH1 Fashion Awards television specials in 1996 and 1997.{{cite news |last1=Morris |first1=Daniel |title=Film Talk: Looking Back – Hitting the catwalk with Zoolander |url=https://www.expressandstar.com/entertainment/2023/04/08/film-talk-looking-back--hitting-the-catwalk-with-zoolander/ |access-date=9 April 2023 |work=Express & Star |date=2023-03-08}} It is the last film from Paramount Pictures with the involvement of Village Roadshow Pictures.

A satire on the fashion industry, the film follows fashion model Derek Zoolander (Stiller) who is tricked by fashion mogul Jacobim Mugatu (Ferrell) into assassinating the Prime Minister of Malaysia, whose progressive laws on the fashion industry would harm his businesses. The film received generally positive reviews and was a box-office success. A sequel, Zoolander 2, was released in February 2016.{{cite web|title='Zoolander 2' Coming February 2016|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/zoolander-2-announced/|website=SlashFilm|date=March 10, 2015|access-date=March 10, 2015}} An animated film, Zoolander: Super Model, was released on Netflix in the UK in August 2016.{{cite web |title=Watch the Trailer for the 'Zoolander' Cartoon Movie |url=http://exclaim.ca/comedy/article/watch_the_trailer_for_the_zoolander_cartoon_movie/ |date=Nov 17, 2016 |first1=Josiah |last1=Hughes |website=Exclaim |access-date=August 19, 2016 }}

Plot

In New York City, male model Derek Zoolander is at a low point; he is ousted as the top male fashion model by rising star Hansel McDonald, his roommates and colleagues are killed in a "freak gasoline-fight accident", and an attempt to reconnect with his southern New Jersey working-class relatives ends with the family rejecting him. Meanwhile, fashion mogul Jacobim Mugatu and Derek's agent Maury Ballstein are charged by the fashion industry with finding a model who can be brainwashed into assassinating the new progressive-leaning Prime Minister of Malaysia, whose policies will prohibit them from retaining cheap child labor in the country. Mugatu hires Derek, whom he had never worked with, to star in the next runway show for his brainwashing plan. It involves Derek being conditioned to attempt the assassination when the song "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood is played.

Journalist Matilda Jeffries, feeling responsible for Derek's downfall as she wrote a scathing Time article about him, becomes suspicious of Mugatu's offer. She tells her concerns to Derek, but he ignores her. After receiving info through calls from former hand model J.P. Prewett, Matilda and Derek meet him in a cemetery. Prewett reveals that the fashion industry has been behind several of history's political assassinations, including Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy, and the brainwashed models are soon killed after they have completed their task. Mugatu's cronies attack the group, forcing Derek and Matilda to flee. They go to Hansel's home, the last place they believe Mugatu will think to look. Derek, Hansel and Matilda bond, the two male models resolving their differences while partaking of Hansel's collection of narcotics and participating in group sex with Matilda and others. Derek and Hansel break into Maury's office to find evidence of the assassination plot, but they cannot operate his computer to find them.

Derek goes to the runway and Mugatu's DJ plays a remix version of "Relax". This activates Derek's mental programming, only for it to stop after Hansel breaks into the DJ booth and shuts off the turntable. After Hansel smashes the computer on the floor (since he took Matilda saying the incriminating files were "in the computer" literally), a guilt-ridden Maury admits to the conspiracy. Mugatu then attempts to kill the Prime Minister himself by throwing a shuriken at him, but Derek stops it by unleashing his ultimate model look, "Magnum". In Derek's rural hometown, his father Larry watches the event on television and proudly acknowledges Derek as his son while Mugatu is arrested. A few years later, Derek, Hansel and Maury start "The Derek Zoolander Center for Kids Who Can't Read Good and Who Wanna Learn to Do Other Stuff Good Too". Derek and Matilda have a son named Derek Zoolander Jr., who has already developed his first modeling look.

Cast

{{Multiple image|align=right|direction=horizontal|total_width=450

|image1=Ben_Stiller_2010_(Cropped).jpg|alt1=A photograph of Ben Stiller|caption1=Ben Stiller

|image2=Owen_Wilson_Cannes_2011.jpg|alt2=A photograph of Owen Wilson|caption2=Owen Wilson

|image3=Will_Ferrell_2012.jpg|alt3=A photograph of Will Ferrell|caption3=Will Ferrell

}}

{{Cast listing|

}}

David Bowie and Billy Zane made prominent cameos as themselves, with Bowie acting as judge for a "walk-off" and Zane appearing as a friend of Derek. Comedian Godfrey and Taj Crown appear as janitor disguises for Derek and Hansel, respectively. Also making cameos were Lance Bass, Tyson Beckford, Victoria Beckham, Emma Bunton, Stephen Dorff, Shavo Odadjian, Fred Durst, Tom Ford, Cuba Gooding Jr., Fabio Lanzoni, Theo Kogan, Lukas Haas, Tommy Hilfiger, Paris Hilton, Carmen Kass, Heidi Klum, Lenny Kravitz, Karl Lagerfeld, Lil' Kim, James Marsden, Anne Meara, Natalie Portman, Frankie Rayder, Mark Ronson, Gavin Rossdale, Winona Ryder, Garry Shandling, Christian Slater, Gwen Stefani, Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Donatella Versace, Sandra Bernhard, Amanda Lepore and Veronica Webb.

Production

=Development=

Ben Stiller first created the character for a skit at the 1996 VH1 Fashion Awards. The name "Derek Zoolander" was invented by Bates while he was editing the first short film and was inspired by the names of two male models who both worked for Calvin Klein: the Dutchman Mark Vanderloo and the American Johnny Zander.{{cite web |url=https://money.cnn.com/video/media/2016/02/12/model-jonny-zander-inspired-zoolander-movie.cnnmoney/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306220758/http://money.cnn.com/video/media/2016/02/12/model-jonny-zander-inspired-zoolander-movie.cnnmoney/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 6, 2016 |title=Meet the model who inspired 'Zoolander' |author1=Bronte Lord |author2=Logan Whiteside |author3=Alison Kosik |name-list-style=amp |publisher=CNNMoney }}{{cite web |date=February 12, 2016 |last=Foreman |first=Katya |title=The male model: How did we get to Zoolander? |url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20160212-the-male-model-how-did-we-get-to-zoolander |website=BBC Culture }}

=Casting=

Owen Wilson was Stiller's first choice for the role of Hansel but it was uncertain if he would be available and auditions were held. Jake Gyllenhaal auditioned for the role. Andy Dick was going to play Mugatu, but was unavailable due to a previous commitment to the TV show Go Fish.{{cite web |date=28 September 2021 |last1=Kaplan |first1=Ilana |title=Zoolander at 20: How a Post-9/11 Flop Became the Comedy Everyone's Still Quoting |url=https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a37762711/zoolander-20th-anniversary-ben-stiller-interview/ |website=Esquire |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231220100851/https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a37762711/zoolander-20th-anniversary-ben-stiller-interview/ |archive-date= Dec 20, 2023 }}{{cite web |first1=Andrew |last1=Buss |title="But Why Male Models?": An Oral History of Zoolander |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2021/09/zoolander-20th-anniversary-oral-history |website=Vanity Fair |publisher=Condé Nast |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210930124439/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2021/09/zoolander-20th-anniversary-oral-history |archive-date=2021-09-30 |date=30 September 2021 |url-status=live }} Stiller had originally intended to play Derek's agent Maury as well, but was already set to play the lead role and direct the film, leading him to cast his father Jerry Stiller as Maury instead.{{Cite web |last=Coy |first=Bronte |date=September 11, 2017 |title=16 years on: What you never knew about Zoolander |url=https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/movies/16-years-on-what-you-never-knew-about-zoolander/news-story/ed99c5eb7a0e601ec029b7fb8272bb2c |access-date=March 11, 2022 |website=News.com.au}}

David Bowie appeared as himself as the judge of the walk-off scene, filming his cameo in September 2000. He later stated, "It was just too funny a script to walk past. An absolute hoot!" With his entrance accompanied by a freeze-frame and a snippet of his song "Let's Dance" (1983), biographer Nicholas Pegg describes Bowie's appearance as "willingly sending up the media's image of him as the ultimate arbiter of cool."{{cite book |last=Pegg |first=Nicholas |author-link=Nicholas Pegg |title=The Complete David Bowie |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LqFkDQAAQBAJ |publisher=Titan Books |location=London |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-78565-365-0 |edition=Revised and Updated |page=679}}

= Filming =

The opening scenes were filmed at the real life 2000 VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards during commercial breaks.

"Derelicte" is the name given to the fashion line designed by Mugatu and is a parody of a real fashion line created by John Galliano in 2000.{{Cite web |date=February 1, 2008 |title=Political Threads |url=http://onthemedia.org/transcripts/2008/02/01/08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080207141402/http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/2008/02/01/08 |archive-date=February 7, 2008 |access-date=February 9, 2008 |publisher=On the Media}} It is described by Mugatu in the film as "a fashion, a way of life inspired by the very homeless, the vagrants, the crack whores that make this wonderful city so unique." The fashion line in the film consists of clothing made from everyday objects that could be found on the streets of New York. Galliano used clothing worn by the destitute as an inspiration for a real-life fashion line in 2000.

During the scene in which David Duchovny, as J.P. Prewett, explains the conspiracy to Derek, he finishes answering Derek's original question "Why male models?" only for Stiller, in character, to ask again, "But why male models?" Stiller improvised this line because he had forgotten what he was actually supposed to say, but Duchovny allowed it, replying in character, "You serious? I just... I just told you that a moment ago."

The original ending to the film would have entailed Derek getting fatally struck by a train and ascending to heaven, but the idea was scrapped as the producers feared they could not fit it into the film's original budget.

= Censorship =

Zoolander was never shown in Malaysia, as the film depicts an attempted assassination of the Malaysian prime minister. Malaysia's censorship board deemed it "definitely unsuitable".{{cite news | title = Zoolander faces Malaysian censorship controversy | url = https://www.theguardian.com/film/2001/sep/28/filmcensorship.news | date = September 28, 2001 | publisher = TheGuardian.com }}{{cite news | title = Malaysia shuns Stiller's 'Zoolander' | url = https://apnews.com/32c6700a490095f52f85b0829c7a77eb | date = September 27, 2001 | work = Associated Press | access-date = April 2, 2019}} The film was also banned in neighboring Singapore{{cite news | title = Singapore bans US comedy film | date = February 8, 2002 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1809357.stm | publisher = BBC News}} due to "controversial elements" according to the country's Board of Film Censors.{{Cite news |date=2002-02-09 |title=Zoolander banned in Singapore |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/zoolander-banned-in-singapore/article18286381/ |access-date=2024-02-18 |work=The Globe and Mail |language=en-CA}} It was subsequently made available in Singapore in 2006,{{cite web | publisher = IMDb | title = Release dates for Zoolander (2001) | url = https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0196229/releaseinfo}} with an NC-16 rating. In the United States, the film was originally rated R for its sexual content, profanity and drug references, but was later re-rated PG-13 on appeal.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021 }}

In the Asian release, all references to the country of Malaysia were changed to Micronesia, the subregion which Hansel mistook for Malaysia at one point in the western version.{{Cite news|url=https://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/films/15-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-zoolander/86738|title=15 things you (probably) didn't know about Zoolander|date=2013-11-14|work=ShortList|access-date=2017-12-05 }}

In the United States, since the film was released on September 28, 2001 (about two weeks after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center), Stiller made the executive decision to digitally remove any backgrounds that originally contained the Twin Towers in the background skyline.{{cite web|title=Twin Towers Removed From Zoolander Film|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2001-10-30-0110300058-story.html|work=Sun Sentinel|date=October 30, 2001 |access-date=October 30, 2001}} Stiller defended his decision to erase images of New York's World Trade Center Towers from the film, saying he did what he thought was appropriate at the time. The Twin Towers were later restored for the 2016 Blu-ray release.

= Accusations of plagiarism =

Glamorama, a 1998 satirical novel by Bret Easton Ellis, tells the story of a vacuous male model who becomes involved in a plot concocted by international terrorists who recruit from within the fashion industry.{{cite news |newspaper=Star Tribune |last=Hanson |first=Eric |title=Ellis dissects the glitterati in 'Glamorama' |url=https://www.startribune.com/ellis-dissects-the-glitterati-in-glamorama/11380706/ |date=1999-01-30 |access-date=December 22, 2021 }} In 2005, Ellis stated that he was aware of the similarities between Zoolander and Glamorama and said that he attempted to take legal action.{{cite web |url=http://www.informationleafblower.com/blog/archives/2005/09/the_better_you_1.html |title=Information Leafblower |publisher=Information Leafblower |access-date=July 21, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070210062304/http://www.informationleafblower.com/blog/archives/2005/09/the_better_you_1.html |archive-date=February 10, 2007 |url-status=live }} Ellis was later asked about the similarities in a 2009 BBC interview but said that he is unable to discuss the topic due to an out-of-court settlement.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/collective/A6127427 |title=collective — bret easton ellis interview |publisher=BBC |access-date=July 21, 2009 |archive-date=August 4, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140804160030/http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/collective/A6127427 |url-status=dead }}

Reception

= Box office =

Zoolander earned $15.5 million during its opening weekend, ranking in second place behind Don't Say a Word.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-journal-three-new-films-lure-p/128760450/ |title=Three new films lure public back to movies |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230724022433/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-journal-three-new-films-lure-p/128760450/ |date=October 1, 2001 |access-date=July 24, 2023 |archive-date=July 24, 2023 |page=7 |publisher=The Daily Journal |via=Newspapers.com |url-status=live}} {{Open access}} It grossed $45.2 million in the U.S. and Canada and $15.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $60.8 million against a budget of $28 million.{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0196229/ |title=Zoolander |website=Box office Mojo |access-date=June 14, 2020}}

= Critical response =

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 64% based on 137 reviews, with an average rating of 6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "A wacky satire on the fashion industry, Zoolander is one of those deliberately dumb comedies that can deliver genuine laughs."{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/zoolander|title=Zoolander|website=Rotten Tomatoes|date=September 28, 2001|access-date=March 4, 2025}} On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100 based on reviews from 31 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/zoolander|title=Zoolander|website=Metacritic|date=September 28, 2001|access-date=December 11, 2015}} Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale.{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/box-office-ryan-reynolds-deadpool-864451/ |title=Box Office: Ryan Reynolds' 'Deadpool' Earns Record $47.5M Friday for Massive $130M Debut |website=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=May 10, 2022 |date=February 12, 2016 |first=Pamela |last=McClintock}}

Reviews appreciated Zoolander as an escapist, upbeat satire on New York fashion.{{cite web|author-link=Todd McCarthy|last=McCarthy|first=Todd|date=September 27, 2001|url=https://variety.com/2001/film/reviews/zoolander-1200469725/|title=Zoolander|work=Variety|accessdate=April 14, 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/zoolander-original-movie-2001-review-933382|title='Zoolander': THR's 2001 Review|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=September 28, 2016|accessdate=April 15, 2021}} BBC film critic Nev Pierce labeled it "sharply observed", specifically with its parody magazine covers and dialogue.{{cite web|last=Pierce|first=Nev|date=November 12, 2001|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20011113051743/http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2001/11/12/zoolander_2001_review.shtml|archivedate=November 13, 2001|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2001/11/12/zoolander_2001_review.shtml|title=Zoolander (2001)|website=BBC Online|accessdate=January 12, 2022}}

Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter felt the film mostly achieved the difficult goal of being "silly and smart" at the same time. Its humor, however, was generally considered hit-and-miss. Honeycutt wrote it had both predictable "low-grade gags" and "weirdly hip and even witty ones". Pierce thought "the frenetic buffoonery does score several big laughs" but could take time for some viewers to adapt to, such as in the first hour, "where several jokes fail to click and Ferrell's camp villainy simply grates".

Some reviews criticized the incorporation of child labor law themes; Roger Ebert criticized the portrayal as insensitive. McCarthy, while finding the assassin subplot clever, also found it too serious for the comical vibe.

Todd McCarthy of Variety praised the performances and highlighted its many cameos. He called Stiller's performance "constantly amusing" if overplaying his "look" a little, but stated "the character's intentional superficiality wears a little thin at feature length". The journalist exclaimed Wilson "gets far more comic mileage than one could have imagined possible overlaying ruthless careerism with an affably vacant grunge/Eastern veneer". Pierce wrote how the actors contributed to the film's style; he argued that Wilson's "impeccable timing in the climax elevates the sometimes bizarre material to moments that border comedy genius" and that the use of cameos "lends an air of authenticity to the idiocy".

Although praising the production design, costumes and choice of pop songs, Todd McCarthy felt the film did not have "truly confident visual stylization" to make comic book-esque villains like Mugatu enjoyable, and that long conversations were not fluidly written and edited. He also went after the removal of the Twin Towers as "disruptive" and offending the audience's intelligence.

Roger Ebert added that "to some degree, Zoolander is a victim of bad timing", referencing the film's release two weeks after September 11, 2001 and the presidential assassination plot point which he found to be in bad taste. He found some parts of the film funny and gave it a rating of one star out of four.{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/zoolander-2001|title=Zoolander|author=Roger Ebert|date=September 28, 2001|publisher= Chicago Sun-Times |access-date=January 17, 2016}} According to Stiller, years later in private, Ebert admitted that he had changed his mind and now thought that the film was funny and apologized to him for going "overboard".{{cite web |date=April 22, 2013 |author=Christopher Rosen |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/roger-ebert-zoolander-review_n_3129322 |title=Roger Ebert 'Zoolander' Review: Ben Stiller Says Late Film Critic Apologized For Scathing Notice |work=The Huffington Post |access-date=January 1, 2021 }}

The film received votes from two critics at the Sight & Sound's poll of the greatest films of all time.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b850c9e59/sightandsoundpoll2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180401083051/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b850c9e59/sightandsoundpoll2012|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 1, 2018|title = Votes for Zoolander (2001) | BFI}}

Analysis

Fashion journalist Hadley Freeman categorized Zoolander as unique to other mainstream fashion films such as Designing Woman (1957), Funny Face (1957) and The Devil Wears Prada (2006); whereas these films usually employ the same critiques of unintelligent models, silly clothing and insipid business practices, Zoolander is much more surreal in how it puts these cliches together, as shown in its premise of male models being hypnotized to kill a prime minister.{{cite web|author-link=Hadley Freeman|last=Freeman|first=Hadley|date=May 2, 2007|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2007/may/02/zoolanderisthefinestfilma|title=Zoolander is the finest film about fashion ever|work=The Guardian|access-date=April 14, 2021}}

Soundtrack

The soundtrack to Zoolander was released on September 25, 2001.{{cite web |title=Zoolander 2001 Soundtrack |url=https://theost.com/2001/zoolander.html |website=TheOST.com |access-date=December 23, 2013 }}

{{Track listing

| extra_column = Artist

| total_length = 63:01

| title1 = Start the Commotion

| length1 = 2:35

| extra1 = The Wiseguys featuring Greg Nice

| title2 = Relax

| length2 = 3:57

| extra2 = Frankie Goes to Hollywood

| title3 = Call Me

| length3 = 4:08

| extra3 = Nikka Costa

| title4 = Love to Love You Baby

| length4 = 4:22

| extra4 = No Doubt

| title5 = I Started a Joke

| length5 = 3:09

| extra5 = The Wallflowers

| title6 = He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother

| length6 = 4:38

| extra6 = Rufus Wainwright

| title7 = Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go

| length7 = 3:51

| extra7 = Wham!

| title8 = Rockit

| length8 = 5:26

| extra8 = Herbie Hancock

| title9 = Beat It

| note9 = Moby's Sub Mix

| length9 = 6:13

| extra9 = Michael Jackson

| title10 = Madskillz-Mic Chekka

| note10 = Remix

| length10 = 5:50

| extra10 = BT

| title11 = Faces

| length11 = 4:28

| extra11 = Orgy

| title12 = Ruffneck

| length12 = 5:43

| extra12 = Freestylers featuring Navigator

| title13 = Now Is the Time

| length13 = 5:37

| extra13 = The Crystal Method

| title14 = Relax

| length14 = 3:06

| extra14 = Powerman 5000 featuring DannyBoy

}}

The Kruder & Dorfmeister remix of David Holmes' song "Gone" is in the movie when Zoolander is at the day spa, shortly before his brainwashing.

Sequel

{{Main|Zoolander 2}}

In December 2008, Stiller confirmed that he intended to make a sequel to Zoolander,{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/news/ni0618008/ |title=Stiller Confirms Zoolander Sequel |publisher=WENN |date=December 1, 2008 |via=IMDb |access-date=March 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205091225/https://www.imdb.com/news/ni0618008/ |archive-date=December 5, 2008}} and by January 2011, a script had been completed.{{cite magazine | date=2011-01-14 |author=James White |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/ben-stiller-talks-submarine/ |title=Ben Stiller Talks Submarine |magazine=Empire |access-date=August 31, 2021}} Filming commenced at Cinecittà studios in Rome in early 2015,{{cite web|url=https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/408055-zoolander-2-to-shoot-in-rome-this-spring|title=Comingsoon.net - Zoolander 2 to Shoot in Rome This Spring!|date=February 9, 2015}} and on March 10, Stiller and Wilson appeared at the Paris Fashion Week in character as Derek Zoolander and Hansel McDonald. Zoolander 2 was released on February 12, 2016. Unlike its predecessor, it received generally negative reviews.

An animated film, Zoolander: Super Model, was released on Netflix UK in August 2016.

Legacy

In late 2022, the film went viral on the short-form video hosting service, TikTok. The trend used clips of scenes featuring Stiller and Wilson, creating a renewed interest in the movie.{{cite web |title=What's With The 'Zoolander' Memes And What's The 'Zoolander Song' On TikTok? |url=https://www.msn.com/en-nz/movies/news/whats-with-the-zoolander-memes-and-whats-the-zoolander-song-on-tiktok/ar-AA15vbfS.html |website=msn.com |access-date=April 28, 2023 }} {{Dead link|date=August 2024}}

References

{{Reflist}}