BANSHEE – Season 4

1 April – Cinemax
Fourth and final season of the pulp action drama, about a career criminal masquerading as a small-town Sheriff in Pennsylvania, who uses his zero-tolerance attitude and penchant for violence to keep the peace in a community of hidden evils. Starring Antony Starr, Ulrich Thomsen, Ivana Milicevic, and Matt Servitto.

EDDIE THE EAGLE

1 April – UK cinemas
Biographical sports comedy-drama, about a geeky British ski jumper with an unshakeable desire to compete in the 1988 Olympics Games, despite his questionable talent. Staring Taron Egerton (Kingsman) & Hugh Jackman (X-Men). Reviewed by Simon Cocks here.

THE HUNTSMAN: WINTER’S WAR

4 April – US cinemas • 8 April – UK cinemas
Prequel to 2012’s Snow White and the Huntsman, focusing on Evil Queen Revenna’s (Charlize Theron) relationship with her sister, Freya the Ice Queen (Emily Blunt), who fled their kingdom to raise a legion of deadly huntsmen. Co-starring Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty), Colin Morgan (Merlin), Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz) and Sam Claflin.

MIDNIGHT SPECIAL

8 April – UK & US cinemas
Sci-fi drama about a father (Michael Shannon) and his son (Jaeden Lieberher), who go on the run from the authorities after they discover the boy has paranormal abilities. Directed by Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter).

HARDCORE HENRY

8 April – UK & US cinemas
Russian-American action thriller filmed entirely from the POV of its eponymous hero, Henry, a cybernetic super-soldier hell-bent on rescuing his kidnapped wife. Starring Sharlto Copley, Danila Kozlovsky, Haley Bennett, Tim Roth & Andrei Dementiev. Directed by Ilya Naishuller.

OUTLANDER – Season 2

9 April – Starz • 10 April – Amazon Prime UK
Return of the sci-fi fantasy romance, about a 20th-century nurse who’s been transported back to 17th-century Scotland. Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and her new Highland warrior husband Jamie (Sam Heughan) are now living in France, intent on ensuring the survival of their way of life back home. Catchup with Frank Collins’ review of season 1 here.

FEAR THE WALKING DEAD – Season 2

10 April – AMC • 11 April – AMC UK
Return of the Walking Dead prequel, focusing on a Los Angeleno family surviving a zombie outbreak. Starring Kim Dickens, Cliff Curtis, Frank Dillane, and Alycia Debnam-Carey.

11.22.63

10 April – Fox UK
Adaptation of Stephen King’s 2011 sci-fi novel, about an English teacher (James Franco) who travels back in time to 1960, on a mission to prevent the assassination of JFK in 1963. Starring James Franco, Sarah Gadon & Chris Cooper.

EYE IN THE SKY

15 April – UK & US cinemas
Thriller about drone pilots and the political complications surrounding their controversial work. Starring Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), the late Alan Rickman, and Barkhad Abdi.

THE JUNGLE BOOK

15 April – UK & US cinemas
Live-action version of Disney’s iconic treatment of the Rudyard Kipling story, about a small boy living in the jungle surrounded by talking animals. Directed by Jon Favreau (Iron Man). Voices provided by Bill Murray (as Baloo the bear), Ben Kingsley (as Bagheera), Idris Elba (as Shere Khan), Lupita Nyong’o (as Raksha), Scarlett Johansson (as Kaa), Giancarlo Esposito (as Akela), and Christopher Walken (as King Louie).

UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT – Season 2

15 April – Netflix
Return of the effervescent comedy about a naive young woman, living and working in New York after spending 15-years in an underground bunker as part of a doomsday cult. Starring Ellie Kemper, Jane Krakowski, Tituss Burgess, and Carol Kane. Catchup with my review of season 1 here.

BASTILLE DAY

22 April – UK & US cinemas
Action movie about a young con artist (Game of Thrones’ Richard Madden) and a CIA agent (Idris Elba) trying to stop a terrorist attack in France.

GAME OF THRONES – Season 6

24 April – HBO • 25 April – Sky Atlantic
Sixth season of the fantasy drama, which will answer last year’s cultural talking point over the fate of heroic Jon Snow. Ian McShane also joins the cast, alongside Peter Dinklage, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lena Headey, and Emilia Clarke. Catchup with Sarah Hughes’ review of season 5 here.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR

29 April – UK & US cinemas
Latest Marvel comic-book extravaganza, this time focusing on a violent disagreement in the superhero community when the US government propose everyone with extraordinary abilities submit themselves to a degree of control that goes against their civil liberties. Starring Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Emily VanCamp, Tom Holland, Frank Grillo, William Hurt, and Daniel Brühl. Catchup with my review of The Avengers: Age of Ultron and Simon Cocks’ review of Ant-Man.

SON OF SAUL

29 April – UK & US cinemas
Hungarian drama set in the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II, following just shy of two days in the life of Saul Ausländer (Géza Röhrig), a Hungarian member of the Sonderkommando work unit.