Zoolander is a 2001 American comedy film directed, co-produced, co-written by and starring Ben Stiller. A satire on the fashion industry, the film follows fashion model Derek Zoolander (Stiller) who is tricked by fashion mogul Jacobim Mugatu (Will Ferrell) into assassinating the Prime Minister of Malaysia, whose progressive laws on the fashion industry would harm his businesses. The cast also features Owen Wilson, Christine Taylor, Milla Jovovich, Jerry Stiller and Jon Voight. The film contains elements from a pair of short films directed by Russell Bates and written by Drake Sather and Ben Stiller for the VH1 Fashion Awards television specials in 1996 and 1997. Zoolander was released to theatres by Paramount Pictures on September 28, 2001. It received generally positiv
