Rope of Silicon has provided us with the first two stills from a pair of upcoming Columbia Pictures films. First up is Roland Emmerich doing Shakespeare in Anonymous. Though it be a departure for the 2012 and Independence Day director, we have our first look above featuring Rhys Ifans. The film also stars Joely Richardson, David Thewlis, Xavier Samuel, Rafe Spall, Jamie Campbell-Bower and Derek Jacobi.

Set in the political snake-pit of Elizabethan England, Anonymous speculates on an issue that has for centuries intrigued academics and brilliant minds ranging from Mark Twain and Charles Dickens to Henry James and Sigmund Freud, namely: who was the author of the plays credited to William Shakespeare? Experts have debated, books have been written, and scholars have devoted their lives to protecting or debunking theories surrounding the authorship of the most renowned works in English literature. Anonymous poses one possible answer, focusing on a time when cloak-and-dagger political intrigue, illicit romances in the Royal Court, and the schemes of greedy nobles hungry for the power of the throne were exposed in the most unlikely of places: the London stage.

Anonymous hits theaters September 30th, 2011.

We also have our first look at Jake Kasdan‘s comedy Bad Teacher. From the director of Zero Effect, Orange County, and The TV Set, this film stars Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel, John Michael Higgins, Lucy Punch, Justin Timberlake, and Molly Shannon. See the first picture of the main leads below along with a synopsis:

Some teachers just don’t give an F. For example, there’s Elizabeth (Cameron Diaz). She’s foul-mouthed, ruthless, and inappropriate. She drinks, she gets high, and she can’t wait to marry her meal ticket and get out of her bogus day job. When she’s dumped by her fiancé, she sets her plan in motion to win over a rich, handsome substitute (Justin Timberlake) – competing for his affections with an overly energetic colleague, Amy (Lucy Punch). When Elizabeth also finds herself fighting off the advances of a sarcastic, irreverent gym teacher (Jason Segel), the consequences of her wild and outrageous schemes give her students, her coworkers, and even herself an education like no other.

Bad Teacher hits theaters June 17th, 2011.

What film are you more excited to see?