The official trailer for "Zoolander 2" has been released online by Paramount Pictures and reactions are mixed.
The sequel to the satirical comedy film once again stars Ben Stiller as Derek Zoolander and Owen Wilson as Hansel McDonald. Stiller also served as the director, as he did on the first film.
In the trailer, viewers get a glimpse of what has happened to Derek, who was once the top male fashion model of the industry, and what his latest adventure entails.
Derek and Hansel are now old and irrelevant, and a crowd doesn't take well to Derek's arrival on the catwalk. The fashion world has apparently changed, and they are no longer in it.
They meet the current top supermodel of the industry, All, played by Benedict Cumberbatch. When asked by Derek if All is a male or female supermodel, the latter simply replies, "All is all."
The trailer features a lot of familiar faces, including Justin Bieber, who is apparently killed by an unknown assailant after he impresses with some fighting skills. Before he dies, he snaps a photo of himself with one of Derek's signature poses, "Blue Steel."
Interpol is, of course, alarmed by the situation, as Bieber is not the first to use the signature pose after getting attacked. Joining him are Demi Lovato, Usher and Miley Cyrus.
As a result, Derek is called upon to help Interpol with the crisis, which could only be the work of Mugatu (Will Ferrell), who exclaims, "Prison changed me," while sporting a fit body with toned muscles, before hilariously pulling it off as a fake suit.
Although Zoolander fans have praised the new trailer and expressed excitement over the new movie coming soon, LGBT activists have taken offense to the way transgender people are portrayed in the film.
An online petition set up by activists has started urging people to boycott the film due to Cumberbatch's character, All, and his portrayal of transgender people.
"Cumberbatch's character is clearly portrayed as an over-the-top, cartoonish mockery of androgyne/trans/non-binary individuals. This is the modern equivalent of using blackface to represent a minority," the petition reads.
Meanwhile, Justin Theroux, the sequel's screenwriter, has responded to the feedback and petition in an interview with The Wrap, and said people should actually see the movie first before taking things out of context.
"I don't even know what to make of it, because it hurts my feelings in a way. I take great care in the jokes I write, and the umbrage being taken is out of the context of the scene. I wish people would see the movie first. Satire is a thing that points out the idiots, and we went through it on 'Tropic Thunder' with the 'R' word," he said.
"Zoolander 2," or "2oolander," as it is stylized, opens on Feb. 12.
