Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark Trailer Is Going To Totally Invade Your Nightmares

Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark Trailer Is Going To Totally Invade Your Nightmares

The horror boom is already proving to have some crazy strength in 2019, with titles like Us, Pet Sematary, and Happy Death Day 2U getting some nice buzz and heat - but these scary treats aren't going to be limited to the first half of the year. Instead, there is some haunting material set to come out in basically every quarter of this year, and now, thanks to the new teaser trailer for Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark, we have a much clearer idea of what's going to be haunting our nightmares come August. Check it out!

We got a nice taste of what to expect from Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark when little online teaser and artwork were released promoting the title last month, but this is our first real look at the upcoming film. Produced by Guillermo del Toro, it's the latest movie from Trollhunter and The Autopsy of Jane Doe director André Øvredal, and it looks like we're going to be getting a feast of horrific images on the big screen later this year.

There's been some question in regards to exactly how this movie would be able to string a narrative together, given that Alvin Schwartz's original books didn't really have any kind of consistent continuity or larger story to speak of. However, this trailer for Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark seems to suggest that the project has taken a Goosebumps-esque path, only instead of the works of R.L. Stine coming to life, it's the writings of a fictional author named Sarah Burrows.

Obviously that doesn't make the film seem all that original, but if it can make up for in scares what it lacks in narrative creativity, it may still work out for the best.

One can imagine that some of the material featured in this footage would give anyone nightmares, but it weirdly is extra special for those overly familiar with the source material - which I definitely am. It was scary enough reading stories like The Big Toe, The Red Spot, and "Aaaaaaaaaaah!" as a kid and simply imagining Stephen Gammell's brilliant artwork coming to life, but now actually seeing these terrible nightmares in realistic forms is next level freaky.

The cast of Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark is mostly made up of young newcomers, including Zoe Margaret Colletti, Michael Garza, Austin Zajur, and Gabriel Rush, but there are some familiar veteran character actors as well, including Lorraine Toussaint and Breaking Bad's Dean Norris - who doesn't appear to be in a great emotional state when he briefly appears in this trailer. Clearly there is a lot of responsibility being put on a lot of young performers here, but one also has to wonder how it will affect the atmosphere of the finished film. In a weird way, seeing big time movie stars offers a bit of comfort for audiences, as there are certain expectations for their safety, but that's not really something in play here.

CBS Films is all set to release the film later this summer, letting it invade theaters on August 9th. Are you excited yet? Hit the comments section below with your thoughts, and stay tuned for more updates about Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark here on CinemaBlend.

Guys, The John Wick 3 Dog Action Scenes Are Much Harder To Film Than You Realize

Guys, The John Wick 3 Dog Action Scenes Are Much Harder To Film Than You Realize

The following story will get into spoilers for John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum**. Do yourself a favor and turn around now if you haven’t yet seen the film**.

Hard-to-kill hitman John Wick (Keanu Reeves) remains on the run at the start of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. He is declared excommunicado by the organization he used to call “home.” And there’s a bounty on his head, meaning every assassin in the greater New York City area is hunting him down. Wick needs allies… and some of his allies in the sequel are four-legged friends.

Director Chad Stahelski unleashes two ferocious dogs in several fight sequences for John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, with Halle Berry commanding her two animals to defend her character, and John from attackers. During an appearance on the ReelBlend podcast, Stahelski explained in great detail the difficulty of shooting with the dogs, and the sheer amount of prep work that goes in to training a dog to attack – and the complications that come from that. He explains:

I would say that when you see an animal in a movie, the animal doesn't know it's a movie. There's no such thing as a movie dog. It's just a dog doing his thing on a set. … There's no half speed with an animal. The animal goes, like, when you tell him, ‘Go get the Frisbee,’ he doesn't get to go, ‘Let's walk one through. Let's rehearse.’ … So when a dog attacks, it's actually trying to injure a person. So now, you have an animal that's gone to a psychological place of fight or flight and survival mode of actually trying to hurt, kill, maim, whatever it is. And another individual wrapped up in protective gear that’s trying not to be maimed or [killed].

How does a filmmaker choreograph complicated long takes involving trained dogs who still are not really able to tell the difference between a fictional film set and a realistic fight? Especially when they are trying to complete the dog attack in the middle of an unbroken tracking shot, with loud gunshots and explosions going off all around them?

According to Chad Stahelski, speaking to the ReelBlend podcast, it requires an immense level of time commitment so that everyone involved with the stunts in the scene – from the actors to the stunt choreographers to the actual camera people – come to set months in advance to train with the dogs and familiarize themselves with the animals. He said:

You have to have all that incorporated into the financials of it -- what you're going to do with the animals after [the movie], and how you train them -- because you don't want the animals to hurt their teeth, hurt their jaws. The stuntmen have to be exceptionally trained, because if they're going to do these gigantic air-out reactions, you don't want your stunt guys to injure the animals. You want them landing on the poor doggy or anything like this. So the skills have to be rehearsed and rehearsed and rehearsed and rehearsed and rehearsed and rehearsed. ….

You [also] can't just isolate, go into one room and train an animal to attack one stunt guy. Who else is on set when you're doing that? All the background players. Guess who’s even closer to the dogs than the stunt men? Cameramen. So who does a dog have to know the most? Camera guys? Most of the time, camera men are only brought on maybe a week, maybe two weeks before the entire movie starts. I have to bring my team on three months before they start just to stand there and let the dogs that used to the smell.

Chad Stahelski goes on to say that a movie like John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum might five different dogs working with 10 different stuntmen, which requires each participant to spend two hours a day with the different dogs just so they know who to attack. As he explains in the interview, even though the stunt involving the dog doesn’t look massive, the amount of time it takes to get the dog to run from Point A to Point B and tackle the right person can take months to get right.

This is one of the many fascinating stories that Chad Stahelski told about the behind-the-scenes on the making of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. You really should give the whole interview a listen, as part of this week’s ReelBlend podcast:

This past weekend, the third John Wick movie finally dethroned Avengers: Endgame as the box office champ of the weekend, though the superhero ensemble adventure has banked more than $2.6 billion at the worldwide market, and can only go up from there. What did you go see this weekend? Did it involve dogs biting crotches? If so, then now you know how complicated those sequences were to pull off.

Dumbo’s Original Source Material Remains A Mystery To This Day

Dumbo’s Original Source Material Remains A Mystery To This Day

In the discussion about Tim Burton’s Dumbo, most speak to its original source material as the 1941 Walt Disney Animated film of the same name – but while that’s not entirely wrong, it’s also not entirely right. While there is absolutely no questioning that the new film was heavily inspired by the classic cartoon, calling it the original source material ignores the fact that the first Dumbo movie was itself an adaptation. This by itself isn’t all that interesting, but what adds a few wrinkles to the situation is the fact that the first ever version of the story no longer appears to exist.

While the Disney film obviously popularized the tale of Dumbo, it was actually first envisioned by writers Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl and illustrator Helen Durney for a toy called a Roll-a-Book. It’s believed that a prototype was created, and there is some limited artwork still floating around, but apparently it’s impossible to actually find it.

This is not due to a lack of trying, however, as I learned earlier this month during the Los Angeles press day for the new live-action Dumbo. Having learned about this strange circumstance prior to seeing the Tim Burton film and become curious about it, I decided to inquire about the mystery of the Roll-a-Book during interviews with the movie’s producers. What I discovered was that efforts were definitely made to track down the original version of Dumbo, but nobody wound up having any luck.

I first sat down with producer Justin Springer and screenwriter Ehren Kruger, and right off the bat asked if they had any luck finding the mysterious invention. What I learned was that they did a full archive sweep shortly after development on the project started, and while they were able to find some incredible treasures that have been beautifully preserved by the Walt Disney Company, one item that wasn’t included with the wide variety of materials was the Roll-a-Book prototype. Springer explained,

It doesn't exist. Disney doesn't have it. As soon as Ehren and I started talking about it, we did go to the Disney archives and we were able to go to the animation archives and they pulled like 20 boxes of Dumbo stuff for us. And there were old treatments, and screenplays, and artwork, cell animation, early drawings, and model sheets. One of the opportunities at Disney is that you can go back to that source material and see what some of the original thinking was… But the Roll-a-Book itself was something that we found out about because we were doing research on where the original idea came from, and read about it. But we don't know that one exists.

The patent for the Roll-a-Book, filed November 2, 1938 and credited to inventor Everett Whitmyre, suggest that the device operated like an encased scroll that the user would navigate through with a pair of nobs. The reader would turn the nobs simultaneously, changing the image shown and letting the story continue. Specifically in the case of Dumbo, the story of a baby elephant with ears so giant that they allow him to fly.

Justin Springer and Ehren Kruger were unable to track down the Roll-a-Book, but interestingly it seems that their interest in digging through the archives was a touch contagious. The producer noted that the material they had found was passed along to Tim Burton and his team once they started becoming involved with Dumbo:

When I first met Tim [Burton] and Derek [Frey], when they were coming on-board the movie, I brought them a bunch of those files so that they could have them as well.

That was only the start for Derek Frey, though, as I later learned when I sat down with him and his producing partner Katterli Frauenfelder. During that interview I again opened by asking about the Roll-a-Book, and Frey admitted that the mystery was one that intrigued him as well in the making of Dumbo. And not only was it interesting to him, but it caught the attention of his wife Leah Gallo as well. Said Frey,

We looked [for the Roll-a-Book], and actually, my wife, who wrote the making-of book, she contacted Syracuse. I think it's Syracuse University has some kind of record of it, or maybe the original artwork. I don't think it's the Roll-a-Book itself, but they were so happy that we contacted them, because we wanted to get the information on like where did this originally come from? Obviously everybody thinks of the Disney animated picture, but they got the rights to do it based off of that little Roll-a-Book. So it's interesting.

If you can’t tell where this is going, however, the efforts ultimately didn’t bear any real fruit. Even with all of the resources of the Walt Disney Company supporting the search, the original Roll-a-Book prototype that inspired Dumbo remains a lost item… if you can even call it lost, given how it’s unclear whether or not it ever physically existed. Derek Frey summed it up this way:

From what I understand, it's kind of like one of these myths. There was a Roll-a-Book being planned. I guess the fact is I don't know if anyone's actually found a physical copy of one. I think there's imagery of it, or artwork that was created for it, and there could have been like maybe like a prototype created for it. But I don't think there's actually a physical Roll-a-Book. We didn't have one, but we looked.

Frankly, this sounds like a case where the thing will randomly turn up in someone’s basement someday, with the person in possession of it being totally and entirely clueless about its pop culture significance. But until that day comes, we’ll just have to live with the material we know exists.

On that note, the original Walt Disney Animation classic Dumbo is widely available on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital. And if you're curious about the new live-action take, Tim Burton’s Dumbo – starring Colin Farrell, Nico Parker, Finley Hobbins, Eva Green, Danny DeVito, Michael Keaton, and Alan Arkin – is now playing in theaters everywhere worldwide.

Us Box Office: Jordan Peele Horror Dethrones Captain Marvel In Massive Debut

Us Box Office: Jordan Peele Horror Dethrones Captain Marvel In Massive Debut

Daaaaaamn, Jordan Peele. We knew Us would make a lot of money -- much more than the initial projections from $38 million to $48 million -- but Us' opening weekend nearly doubled that. It made $70.2 million from March 22-24, which is literally double what Captain Marvel made this week in its third time on the chart. This is the first time Captain Marvel has been dethroned at #1, after its own better-than-expected debut. Us has set all kinds of records, and we'll get to that and more, but first check out the full top 10 domestic box office chart:

Us set a new record for an original horror movie, easily passing A Quiet Place's $50 million debut. It marked the third best horror opening of all time behind It and Halloween. Also -- and this is pretty cool -- it's the best opening for an original live-action movie since Avatar in 2009, per Deadline. Huzzah for original films!

Us demolished the $33 million opening of Jordan Peele'e previous hit, the 2017 film Get Out. That movie won Jordan Peele the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. It was a tough act to follow, but it also added more anticipation for this film, which must've contributed to the huge opening box office. Plus, no one likes to be spoiled, so many fans rushed to theaters to see what happened in Us before someone spoiled it for them online. (If you're still confused on exactly what happened, here's help.)

Very strong reviews are also known to help at the box office, although fans don't seem to be quite as fond of Us as the critics. The movie currently has a 94% fresh rating from critics but only 69% from RT users, and a "B" CinemaScore from moviegoers polled on opening night.

Us winning doesn't really mean Captain Marvel loses. The MCU movie did see a drop of -48.5% this week (and a loss of 32 screens), but those chart numbers are just from the domestic box office. Captain Marvel currently has a worldwide total of $910,298,835, and it's expected to hit $1 billion later this week. One billion dollars within a month of release? Not too shabby.

Most of the chart order above looks the same as last week's figures from Box Office Mojo. There are some changes, though, like the arrival of Gloria Bell in the top 10. Julianne Moore's movie added 615 screens, putting it up to 654, giving it a box office boost of +394.5% over last week.

Other that that, this weekend pushed How to Train Your Dragon 3 very close to $500M worldwide -- it's currently at $488M -- and Alita: Battle Angel is barely a hair under $400M with a current worldwide gross of $399,866,842. The total may be above $400M by the time you read this, depending on how much still comes in from the impressive foreign box office. But the question remains on whether it can reach $500 million, which seems to be the benchmark people are looking at for profit/sequels.

At any rate, Us should enjoy #1 while it can, because next weekend we have Dumbo and then it's Shazam! time. And in just over one month, Avengers: Endgame will arrive to show every film how box office winning is done. Keep up with everything headed to theaters in busy 2019 with our handy movie schedule.

Did you predict a $70 million opening for Us? If so, now's the perfect time to brag in the comments below. (No one will believe you without proof, but that's fine.)

Dark Phoenix's Nicholas Hoult Would Totally Play Beast In The MCU

Dark Phoenix's Nicholas Hoult Would Totally Play Beast In The MCU

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is on everyone's mind currently, as Avengers: Endgame has been in theaters for nearly two weeks. The Russo Brothers delivered a blockbuster that was the true cumulation of 22 movies, and included just about every character you could imagine. There is still one movie left in Phase Three, but the public has been theorizing about what might come in the next slate of movies.

One of the biggest questions looming above Phase Four is the Fox/Disney merger, and the new characters that might join the MCU. Chief among them are the Fantastic Four and X-Men, although the latter group offers an interesting set of challenges. But will Marvel Studios invite any of the current X-Men actor to return, or just recast? Nicholas Hoult has been playing Beast since First Class, and recently expressed his interest in joining the MCU, saying:

Yeah, I think that would be cool if they do blend them together. I’m not sure what their plans are, but I loved playing the role and I got to take him to a new spot in this film and try different things. So if there was a way to keep growing within that character then that’d be something I’d be interested in.

Dark Phoenix marks Nicholas Hoult's fourth movie as Beast, and it looks like he's not quite done with the big blue guy. And he'd love to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe if Disney Studio decides to somehow combine the franchises.

Nicholas Hoult's comments come from his recent chat with MTV International. While publicizing his role as the title character on Tolkien, the conversation eventually turned to Hoult's superheroic tenure as Beast in the X-Men franchise. Dark Phoenix has been teased to be the final installment in the property as we know it, but there are lots of fans hoping the mutants will be brought into the MCU.

Related: Nicholas Hoult Doesn't Make A Big Deal About Working With Ex Jennifer Lawrence On X-Men Set

But Marvel Studios' plans for the future are almost a complete mystery, save from Spider-Man: Far From Home and Black Widow. Studio head Kevin Feige did recently claim that the X-Men wouldn't be brought into the MCU for years, likely allowing audiences to move on from the long running franchise. But the MCU is a place full of twists, so there's always the possibility that those comments were a red herring.

Comic book fans have been waiting for the X-Men to meet The Avengers since the MCU introduced serialized storytelling to the film world. While this seemed like an impossibility for the last decade, Disney's acquisition of Fox seemed to open the doors. But exactly how Marvel will be introducing the beloved mutants to the greater shared universe is unclear.

If the current class of X-Men are offered, Nicholas Hoult is one actor who is ready to crossover to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Let's just hope that Kevin Feige and his team are considering this as an option.

Nicholas Hoult's Tokien arrives in theaters on May 10th, and Dark Phoenix will debut on June 7th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Triple Frontier's Twist Was Actually Ben Affleck's Idea

Triple Frontier's Twist Was Actually Ben Affleck's Idea

Warning: spoilers for Netflix's Triple Frontier are in play. If you haven't seen the film yet, and want to remain unspoiled, bookmark this page and come back later.

It's a moment that comes as a shock to everyone who watches Triple Frontier: the moment where Ben Affleck's Tom “Redfly” Davis is taken out by a fatal headshot, thanks to a rash action he'd taken earlier in the film. The karmic consequence of killing a handful of farmers, it's a kill that shocks and surprises anyone who would expect someone like Affleck to make it to the end of the movie. But as co-writer/director J.C. Chandor recently explained, the decision to kill Ben Affleck's character was not only spawned in a re-write, it was from a note from Affleck himself. Chandor's version of events goes like this:

When I first read the script it was a secondary character [who got killed], I can’t even remember which one of the other guys it was. It was someone else… It was actually in meeting with Ben for the first time, he suggested it. He said would you ever be willing to do that? I had actually moved it to a different character than the one that I originally read [in Mark Boal’s draft of the script]. I won’t get into who, but it was to another character and it was very secondary. Ben said, ‘Would you ever be willing to, if I got the studio to agree to it, to allow that to be me?'

Killing off any random character that wasn't Ben Affleck might have worked in Triple Frontier. Doubly so, considering that by time Affleck's lead is killed while defending his friends in a mountain range fire fight, it really felt like the whole team would be walking away from this caper with their lives. But even in the movies, when it's your time to go, it's time to go.

According to remarks Ben Affleck made to Collider during the Triple Frontier press day, that decision was inspired by, among other things, a random crime drama from the 1980's. That specific film, and the effect it had on Affleck's decision, can be read below:

I thought that would be interesting and I wanted to see somebody actually pay a price for what happened. I always liked To Live and Die in L.A., how Bill Peterson’s character died. It kind of takes you off guard. I wanted to do the same thing. This is a little bit later in the movie than Bill Peterson’s character, but it highlights the risk to people’s lives. It focuses on the mortality question and theme, which I think is really interesting.

As mentioned before, Tom's death is the consequence of his cold blooded murder of South American farmers trying to claim some of the money stolen in Triple Frontier as their own. If it wasn't for that particular incident, Ben Affleck's character wouldn't have been hunted down by one of the farmer's sons, and he would have lived happily ever after. Or as happily as he could have with $5 million. But who was originally supposed to die?

While J.C. Chandor isn't divulging which Triple Frontier character was originally on the chopping block, the smart money would be on either Garrett Hedlund's Ben or Charlie Hunnam's William originally taking the big dirt nap. With one being shot during the actual robbery, and the other going out of their way to protect their brother, the process of elimination helps narrow it down to those two characters. And comparatively, they could be considered characters secondary to Affleck's Tom or Oscar Isaac's Santiago.

This only makes the effect of this big rewrite all the more impressive. The finished film doesn't feel like it has just two “star” team members and three “secondary” characters. Rather, the entire team of Triple Frontier is important in their own individual ways. So no matter died, it would have stung. But the fact that it was Ben Affleck is even more shocking, as it violates the conventional wisdom that a star of his stature always makes it to the end. A decision to which we, as movie fans, must say bravo.

Triple Frontier is currently available on Netflix, and being shown in limited theatrical release.

Avengers: Endgame Writers Have An Easy Answer For The Spider-Man Confusion

Avengers: Endgame Writers Have An Easy Answer For The Spider-Man Confusion

SPOILER WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Avengers: Endgame. If you have not yet seen the film, read on at your own risk!

Thanks to its time travel wackiness and an unannounced future slate of Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, Avengers: Endgame is a film that has audiences asking a lot of engaging questions while coming out of screenings – and one of the most significant has been about Tom Holland’s Peter Parker and his high school classmates. Because the blockbuster jumps ahead in the timeline five years, some have wondered why it is that many of Peter’s friends appear to be basically the same age in the upcoming Spider-Man: Far From Home as they were when we last saw them in Spider-Man: Homecoming and Avengers: Infinity War.

While this may seem confusing to some, Avengers: Endgame co-writer Stephen McFeely has a pretty simple explanation for the situation: anyone who appears to be the same age after the events of the movie were turned to dust following Thanos’ snap, and are still the same age they were five years earlier for the same reason Peter Parker didn’t get older. Said the screenwriter,

That one seems easy to me. Isn't it clear that anybody who looks the same blipped, and they're back just like [Peter] is? I don't know what happens in [Spider-Man: Far From Home] at all, but I can only assume that most of the main characters got blipped, and maybe some ancillary characters are now older, and then you'll get some comedy from that? I don't know.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely as part of the latest episode of our HeroBlend podcast, and it was early in the interview that the subject of Spider-Man and his pals not aging came up. I’ve personally had many conversations with friends about this particular aspect of Avengers: Endgame, and while explanations similar to McFeely’s have generally resolved the debate, it’s nice to hear it directly from one of the filmmakers involved with the film.

In Avengers: Endgame the only friend of Peter Parker we actually see is Ned Leeds (played by Jacob Batalon), who apparently got snapped away just like his buddy - but the first trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home seemingly confirms that Spider-Man and The Guy In The Chair weren’t alone being affected by The Decimation. As seen in the screenshot above, apparently both Flash Thompson (Tony Revolori) and Betty Brant (Angourie Rice) also disappeared following the events of Avengers: Infinity War, given they look basically the same as they did in Spider-Man: Homecoming, and it seems that it’s also the same situation with Zendaya’s M.J.

This lingering Avengers: Endgame question was one of many that I got to ask Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely about during our interview, so if you want to hear more be sure to click play on the HeroBlend episode below and give it a listen:

Avengers: Endgame is now out in theaters everywhere, and Spider-Man: Far From Home will be hitting theaters this summer on July 2nd. For the latest updates about both Marvel Cinematic Universe titles, be sure to stay tuned here on CinemaBlend.

Captain Marvel's Stan Lee Tribute Is Perfect

Captain Marvel's Stan Lee Tribute Is Perfect

The following contains minor spoilers for Captain Marvel**.**

When we lost Stan Lee at the end of last year, Marvel fans were in shock. when it wasn't necessarily an unexpected turn of events, the man who helped bring so many of our favorite heroes to life was loved by many who never met him that everybody felt it. Since then, we've seen tributes to Lee included in Once Upon a Deadpool and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, but the one included in this week's Captain Marvel may be the best of them all. It doesn't wait until the credits roll where some might not see it. It drops it right into the opening seconds of the movie, by making Stan Lee the focal point of the Marvel Studios logo.

If you've seen any Marvel movie you're familiar with the Marvel Studios logo that plays either at the very beginning of every film, or after a short cold open. The current version of the logo is a collage of brief clips of various MCU films showing off all our favorite heroes in action. We see Captain America and Iron Man and Black Widow and the Hulk all looking awesome while the camera pulls back to reveal the Marvel Studios logo.

The one in front of Captain Marvel, however, is slightly different. It functions exactly the same way, only instead of seeing our favorite Marvel heroes, we get clips of Stan Lee in all of his various MCU cameos that he's made over the years. We don't see any other characters. No Iron Man. No Thor. It's just Stan. All Stan. As the logo fades away a text briefly flashes on the screen to say thank you to Stan Lee, then our movie gets underway.

It's an incredibly lovely way to say goodbye, one that touched the entire audience at my screening. The audience erupted in cheers and applause as soon as everybody realized what we were seeing. It was glorious. There may have been tears. From other people, I mean.

Of course, that wasn't the only time we saw Stan Lee in Captain Marvel's run time. Lee filmed his requisite cameo for the film before he died. It comes fairly early in the film. Vers (Brie Larson) has chased a Skrull onto a city bus and she's trying to figure out which of the humans on the bus is now the hiding Skrull. One of the people on the bus is Stan Lee.

Interestingly, unlike most of Stan's cameos, where he's playing a random nameless character, in this cameo he's actually playing Stan Lee. We see Stan on the bus reading a movie script and trying to learn his lines. Specifically, he's reading the script to Kevin Smith's 1995 comedy Mallrats. Yes, Stan Lee's cameo makes reference to another Stan Lee cameo.

We understand that Stan Lee filmed his cameo for Avengers: Endgame as well, so we'll likely see him again at least one more time. As it's only a couple months from now, maybe Stan Lee will be in the Marvel logo again then. It will be fitting to be sure Stan Lee gets a proper thank you during the film the entire MCU has being building towards. I certainly wouldn't mind seeing that again.

To 3D Or Not To 3D: Buy The Right Wonder Park Ticket

To 3D Or Not To 3D: Buy The Right Wonder Park Ticket

The days are getting longer, the weather is getting nicer, and it's almost time for that age-old tradition of strapping oneself inside a metal roller coaster and defying gravity for fun! However, you might not have a local theme park open for the season, depending on where you hail from, so a movie like Wonder Park could be the thrill ride fix you need, mixed in with a family drama about the power of imagination. But, of course, there's something else we have to wonder about with this particular film. Yes, it's time to ask that beautiful question, “To 3D, or Not To 3D?”

If you're wondering what we thought about Wonder Park as a movie, head over to our official review for the full scoop. But if you're wondering whether the film is worth the extra ticket money, or if you'd be better off throwing that money towards a box of popcorn at your local theme park, you've come to the right place. Glasses on, as we're about to ride the 3D attraction that is Wonder Park.

Wonder Park, at its heart, is a film about a young girl's imagination, and the theme park it inspires. So that alone would be a pretty big treat in 3D, especially during the theme park sequences in the film. But Wonder Park isn't content with just showing off impressive attractions with 3D panache, as it takes both the real and imaginary worlds of its protagonist and does a pretty bang up job of finding something to surprise the eye with in both.

Looking at the finished product of Wonder Park's 3D conversion, it's a clear verdict in how much time and effort was put into the execution of this enhanced version of the film. The overall package is crisp and eye pleasing, with none of the defects that crop up in some lesser 3D presentations. While there's still some holding back with the film's visuals, it's not to the extent that the film suffers from it.

There are a couple of key shots in Wonder Park that show the perfect example of a self-imposed limitation when it comes to the 3D presentation. Those shots have objects like ice cream cones and other debris from the various adventures the film engages in hitting an invisible camera lens / glass wall and bouncing back into the picture. While those little touches are kinda fun, and definitely play with the visual fourth wall, they cause the film to stop short of any sort of thrills involving the objects in play flying out towards the audience.

While objects may not fly out of the screen, and into the audience's laps, Wonder Park does happen to boast some of the best depth in a 3D animated film. And that's besides the standard shots flying through roller coaster loops and the far off vistas of Wonderland being shown in fantastic depth and clarity. This film goes the extra mile, and includes impressive panning shots of crowds occupying the park that are so well drawn, you can feel each individual guest standing in front of you. It actually feels like a crowd shot, and not just a background effect, which is the ultimate cherry on top of this visual sundae.

There are a lot of beautiful colors and night shots at work in Wonder Park, which are both the types of aspects that get lost in a film with sub-par brightness. Now your mileage may vary when it comes to the brightness of your Wonder Park showing, as theaters maintain their projection rigs to varying degrees. That fact alone throws in a variable that can't always be accounted for. But in this screening of Wonder Park, there was only a slight dimming between putting the 3D glasses on and taking them off at various points in the film. The colors still look beautiful, and the night shots aren't a pain to look at.

Speaking of taking your glasses off, if you're tempted to remove your glasses during any point of Wonder Park, you'll see that classic blur that is a significant part of any good 3D film's visual language. The level of blur you experience in a movie such as this usually indicates how well the 3D effects are being manipulated in service of the thrills portrayed on screen. In the case of Wonder Park, there is a beautiful spectrum of blurred vision, from the extremely blurred backgrounds to the subtle blur of close up shots with characters and objects they're interacting with.

As with any good theme park, there's a lot of fast motion, with spirals, dips, and whipping around in the visuals of Wonder Park. But don't get intimidated by that, as it all flows smoothly, and with great precision. Rather than confuse your eyes, or your stomach, the 3D thrills in this film will not rattle either into a sense of discomfort. So if you decide to take this ride, you won't have to keep a waste bag or eye drops handy, as you'll be able to enjoy Wonder Park with no discomfort whatsoever.

Wonder Park is a stunning film to look at, with the 3D aspect making things only that much more interesting. If you're going to see this movie, you're getting the best return on your hard earned ticket money by seeing it with the added bells and whistles. There's extra wonder in Wonder Park's 3D conversion, and you owe it to yourself to experience every bit of it.

Be sure to visit our full To 3D Or Not To 3D Archive.

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Might Be Introducing An Intriguing Force Power

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Might Be Introducing An Intriguing Force Power

Most of the main saga Star Wars movies have shown off new ways to harness the Force, like how Luke Skywalker was able to project himself from Ahch-To all the way to Crait in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. If a new rumor is to be believed, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will contribute to the expansion of the Force through something called “Force Flash Fights.”

It was teased during the Rise of Skywalker panel last week at Star Wars Celebration that new Force powers would be on display in the upcoming movie. Supposedly “Force Flash Fights” is likely the main power that was being alluded to, although it might be given a different name later on. So what are “Force Flash Fights”? Basically, as two Force-users are engaged in a lightsaber duel, the environment around them changes.

As Making Star Wars’ report notes, when Rey and Kylo Ren meet again during The Rise of Skywalker, both are much more powerful since we last saw them in The Last Jedi, which makes sense given that there’s a time jump. Whereas before Snoke was responsible for mentally linking the two together, apparently now they’re able to do that on their own. This time, as the two are flighting, they’re still physically in the same location, but Force-wise, the background will change to different places.

And these aren’t just any random places in a galaxy far, far away, by the way. They’ll be places that we’ve already visited in previous Star Wars movies, although no specific locations were identified. Still, considering that The Rise of Skywalker is the final chapter of the Skywalker Saga, it’d be fitting to look back at where some of the Star Wars franchise’s biggest events have gone down, even if the characters aren’t actually there.

As for how Rey and Kylo Ren end up in a “Force Flash Fight” with one another, it sounds like this could happen after that moment from the teaser trailer when Rey ignites her lightsaber, gets a running start and then leaps over Kylo Ren’s TIE Fighter as it flies towards her. She damages the ship, Kylo emerges from the wreckage and they begin this trippy battle.

However, it’s also worth mentioning that other sources that spoke with MSW say that Rey and Kylo Ren will team up against an “outside threat.” Maybe it’s Emperor Palpatine, maybe it’s the Knights of Ren, maybe it’s someone/something new that still hasn’t been revealed or even rumored, but regardless, it’s possible that if Rey and Kylo do form an alliance later in the story, they might engage in a “Force Flash Fight” with this threat.

Although this sounds like a cool way to elevate lightsaber fights up a level, given how some fans reacted to Force Projection in The Last Jedi, if “Flash Force Fights” do indeed factor into The Rise of Skywalker, I suspect that will also be met with controversy. At the very least though, seeing all these different locations flash by as Rey and Kylo Ren have their respective blue and red blades locked in combat should make for quite the visual treat if pulled off effectively.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opens in theaters on December 20, and you can find out when this year’s other big movies are coming out in our 2019 release schedule.

The Trick To Getting The Marvel Audience Excited For What’s Next, According To Joe Russo

The Trick To Getting The Marvel Audience Excited For What’s Next, According To Joe Russo

Modern blockbuster filmmaking can be tricky, particularly if you are working within the confines of a franchise. At a recent CinemaCon event featuring Elizabeth Banks, Anthony and Joe Russo, Dexter Fletcher and Olivia Wilde, the directors were talking about what the real trick is to keeping people excited for what’s coming next.

It was actually Elizabeth Banks who hit the nail on the head when she mentioned she makes sure “there’s a surprise built-in somewhere for the audience” particularly noting for people “who think they knew who this person was but there’s another layer, something more.”

Riffing off of Banks’ initial comments based on her work in Pitch Perfect 2 and Charlie’s Angels, Avengers: Endgame director Joe Russo revealed Banks hit the nail on the head. That is, in fact, exactly what he and Anthony Russo try to do to keep Marvel audiences excited. He elaborated:

I think that’s actually the critical kind of a something [Anthony] and I talk about all the time is that, in the age of social media the job of storyteller is to surprise because that’s what generates conversation. And I think just looking at the work we do on these Marvel films, the choices that we make, at the end of each film there’s something dramatic that happens to surprise the audience and then generates an incredible amount of excitement as they wait for the next movie.

At a CinemaCon luncheon, Joe Russo mentioned generating a conversation is key to keeping a narrative alive in the age of social media, but I also think this factor is important for keeping a conversation alive when there are more films coming in a franchise.

While Avengers: Endgame is being billed as the culmination of a 22-film narrative, certainly the Russo Brothers’ other films with Marvel have had to continue a through storyline in the franchise, and even Marvel as we know it won’t be just completely ending after Endgame. Instead, it'll likely just look a little different with a focus on different characters moving forward.

Joe Russo also admitted the whole goal is to start a conversation about what just happened so that the fans can engage with the storytelling as they wait for the next chapter.

They can discuss it and argue about it. It’s a really critical factor in modern storytelling, this notion of surprise.

I don’t think anywhere has this concept been clearer than in the final minutes in Avengers: Infinity War in which our heroes almost defeat Thanos only to lose. In those minutes, Marvel fans worldwide saw many of their heroes disappear into dust and it’s an idea and a surprise we’ve been chewing on for a year as we wait for Avengers: Endgame.

Luckily, that wait is nearly over. Avengers: Endgame will be out on April 26 and we’ve already seen a full scene from the upcoming film, which also dropped during CinemaCon this year.

Now, the only question is: What surprise will the Russo Brothers have in store for us this time?

Zac Efron Thinks His Baywatch Body Was ‘Unrealistic’

Zac Efron Thinks His Baywatch Body Was ‘Unrealistic’

It’s no secret Zac Efron got intensely ripped for Baywatch. He had to film opposite the insanely fit Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson after all, and that’s no small feat that just anyone could accomplish. These days, however, Efron would not recommend anyone getting into the shape he got into for Baywatch. He revealed it’s “too big,” noting,

That’s too big. For guys, that’s unrealistic. I’m telling you, I got very big and buff for that movie. But I don’t want people to think that’s the best way to be. Be your size… I don’t want to glamorize this.

While on Ellen this week, Zac Efron was confronted with a Madame Tussaud’s version of his Baywatch character, Matt Brody. Although the statue seemed slightly taller than Efron in real life (particularly given it seemed taller even given the fact he has taller hair now); however, he seemed impressed by the level of detail to the wax sculpture, which got his abs and his arm veins right.

While looking at the wax statue, Zac Efron both admired the craftmanship, yet made it clear being a size and shape that makes you comfortable should be the goal and not getting bulky to the point where you are totally unhappy and unable to enjoy your life.

He also showed off a little skin, and honestly, he still looks pretty ripped.

This isn’t the first time Zac Efron has been blunt about the way he trained for the movie version of Baywatch. He previously called his gym routine not “a healthy or normal way” to live, elaborating,

It's a finite period of time, but I would not consider that a healthy or normal way to live everyday life. My mood was terrible. In retrospect I can look back now and say that. People weren't telling me I was mean or anything, but I could feel that lack of carbohydrate.

Looking great is not always the same thing as feeling great, and while we can admire Zac Efron’s 2017 abs, it’s definitely worth noting that he seems a lot happier with where he is as a person now, trendy haircut and all.

Zac Efron also told Ellen DeGeneres that an early wax sculpture of him from way back in the High School Musical days also did not make him particularly happy, so assumedly there’s a balance he found somewhere between his cutesy locks as a young man and his Baywatch look. You can check out more from the interview in the video below.

Although I’m assuming that balance won’t be found in his next project Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile, as he’s set to be emulating serial killer Ted Bundy in that movie. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile hits Netflix this Friday.

While you ponder Zac Efron’s abs, be sure to check out what else is coming to the streaming service in May.

Why Tolkien’s Work Is Timeless, According To The New Movie’s Cast

Why Tolkien’s Work Is Timeless, According To The New Movie’s Cast

Between the various incarnations of both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, as well as the new biopic Tolkien, the fascination with the world of Middle-Earth is one that is still as strong today as it was when this literary legend first got its start.

It certainly isn’t by accident, as the world of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy franchise has captivated the imagination of audiences since The Hobbit’s first publication in 1936. And no one knows this better than the cast of director Dome Karukoski’s film centered around the years that Tolkien himself spent in the halls of academia and the trenches of war.

Depending on who you talk to, there are various aspects to J.R.R. Tolkien’s work that attract any particular reader. And as it happens, CinemaBlend was on hand during the press day for Tolkien, and was able to ask the actors present on the day just what makes those works so timeless. In the case of Nicholas Hoult, the man who plays Tolkien himself, those works of literature stand out for the following reasons:

I think it feels so real, and that is a testament to how creative and in depth his knowledge of language and the worlds he created were. It’s completely immersive, his work. So that’s something that no matter what age you read it at, and luckily for me going back to revisit it to research this, I appreciated it in a whole new way.

Of course, J.R.R. Tolkien didn’t create the world of Middle Earth in a vacuum, and there were a couple very important people that stand out in both the story of the author’s life, as well as the film version that Tolkien will dramatize for audiences that will see the film in theaters.

One such person was the love of his life, Edith Bratt, who is played in the film by Lily Collins. When asked what she felt made Tolkien’s work so special, she shared some of the same aspects that Nicholas Hoult had highlighted, but with some additional details as to how her character fit into the legend behind the history.

In particular, Collins had the following to say on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien:

I think his love of language, and his love of magic and fantasy is something that people are going to always resonate with, because it’s a form of escapism. Edith [Bratt] got that out of his storytelling, and it was a way for her to really leave her present existence. You know, she was a woman of the time, she was an orphan, she had a very specific social standing, and didn’t have many prospects, and so this allowed her the ability to disappear. I think we love the ability to go somewhere else for a little while in our heads, and these stories allow us to do that.

As there is a lot of romantic love to be highlighted in the world of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, especially when it comes to the Elvish beauties that Edith Bratt had inspired Tolkien to create, there’s also a strong bond of fellowship.

That particular branch of the mythos that J.R.R. Tolkien wove into his works came from the friendship he had with a personal society of school friends known as the Tea Club, Barovian Society, or TCBS for short. In Tolkien, the world of this informal fraternity is depicted at length, as the author and his friends, Geoffrey Bache Smith, Robert Q. Gilson, and Christopher Wiseman, are seen creating the club and using it to achieve their great goal in life: to change the world through art.

Played respectively by actors Anthony Boyle, Patrick Gibson, and Tom Glynn-Carney, they too had a unique perspective as to why J.R.R. Tolkien’s work translates so well through the ages, as shown below in their individual remarks during a grouped interview:

Glynn-Carney: His incredible capability to create another world, out of nothing. To be as imaginative as he is, and to see it in such vivid technicolor, and be able to bring it to life.

Boyle: Few authors have had the sort of cultural impact that Tolkien has had.

Gibson: And to be able to incorporate such human stories at the middle of a fantastical world, you feel like you could know those characters, yet it’s a tree. It’s Treebeard, and you think you’ve met him before.

With both massive sales of his printed works, as well as the various adaptations for stage and screen that have seen The Lord of the Rings presented to the world, J.R.R. Tolkien’s impact on the world of fantasy is one that isn’t going to go away any time soon. This is especially true when taking into account the fact that Amazon is about to bring the world of Middle-Earth back to the masses, courtesy of their upcoming epic TV series.

Though you can see just how excited the cast is about the works of Tolkien, as well as their part in bringing his personal story to life, in the footage from the Tolkien press day shown below:

While storytelling and fantasy have come a long way since J.R.R. Tolkien's era of literature, the core values of Tolkien's storytelling have never gone out of style. So even if audiences aren't particularly keyed into the author's famous tales, his work lives on due to his influence being felt on stories like Harry Potter and even Game of Thrones.

Tolkien opens in theaters in early showings this Thursday night. If you’re interested in more coverage with the cast of the film, stay tuned to CinemaBlend for further updates as the week goes on.

Marvel Producer Says The World Is Ready For An LGBT Superhero

Marvel Producer Says The World Is Ready For An LGBT Superhero

The Marvel Cinematic Universe changed rapidly in Phase Three, leading to plenty of success for Disney in the process. In addition to the box office and critical performance of each blockbuster, Phase Three also made the MCU a more diverse place. While the first two phases were largely focused on white male characters, people of color got a chance to shine in movies like Black Panther, Ant-Man and The Wasp, and Captain Marvel.

The call for onscreen inclusion has been a major subject in the film world, especially when it comes to major franchises like the MCU and Star Wars. Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige has been open about the franchise's dedication to diversity, even going so far as to say an LGBT superhero would enter the shared universe before long. Victoria Alonso has been a producer on every MCU installment, and when asked about the recent report that The Eternals was seeking an openly gay actor, Alonso added fuel to the fire, saying:

The world is ready, the world is ready.

Well, that certainly seems hopeful for advocates and moviegoers hoping that the Marvel Cinematic Universe will include its first gay superhero. Victoria Alonso thinks the world is ready, which may hint at the plans for the MCU in Phase Four. After all, The Eternals is being actively developed.

Victoria Alonso's comments to Variety show that the Marvel Cinematic Universe will only continue to get more diverse after Avengers: Endgame. While the studio is keeping its cards close the chest to avoid spoilers, obviously there are big plans cooking. Alonso may be unable to reveal any concrete information until Phase Three concludes, but she didn't deny the report of The Eternals seeking an openly gay actor for a leading role. So that development just gained some momentum

Of course, some might say that the Marvel Cinematic Universe already introduced an LGBT character during Phase Three. Tessa Thompson made her Marvel debut as Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok, and revealed she was playing the Asgardian heroine as a bisexual woman. In fact, Taika Waititi's threequel originally included a scene that alluded to Valkyrie's sexuality, although it ultimately ended up on the cutting room floor. Still, the character was one that fans seemed to respond to, so smart money says she'll back in one way or another during Phase Four.

Now that people of color and women have been given more of a chance to shine, it seems only natural that Marvel Studios would continue making its shared universe an even more inclusive place. Kevin Feige has teased that the future of the MCU is female, so there's no telling what the release schedule could look like after Avengers: Endgame finally arrives in theaters.

Answers will come once Avengers: Endgame concludes Phase Three on April 26th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

The Charlie’s Angels Reboot Has Been Pushed Back

The Charlie’s Angels Reboot Has Been Pushed Back

If you're a fan looking forward to the new reboot of the Charlie's Angels franchise from Elizabeth Banks, there's some bad news. You're going to have to wait a bit longer to see it. On the plus side, the film's new release date greatly improves its box office chances, making the possibility that we could see a new franchise born here that much greater. And you won't have to wait too much longer. The film, originally set for a November 1 bow, will now arrive on November 15 instead.

The movie release calendar is basically a just a bunch of dominoes, and when one falls, the rest follow suit. That's what happened last year when Warner Bros. made the decision to push Wonder Woman 1984 from it's November 1 date to the summer of 2020. When that happened, two big movies jumped into that space. The first was Charlie's Angels moving into the same weekend where the Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, version of the franchise had released, the second was the new Terminator movie, which we now know to be called Terminator: Dark Fate.

This set up an unlikely showdown, where two major tentpole releases were going to hit the same weekend. However, that showdown is now cancelled as Charlie Angel's has now jumped back two more weekends to mid-November.

The reason for the switch is two-fold. First, as with Wonder Woman 1984, the weekend just opened up, following Kingsman spinoff The Great Game leaving that date for February 2020. The other reason apparently has less to do with competing with Terminator domestically, but perhaps more with doing so internationally. Deadline says that the studio thinks the new Charlie's Angels has strong international potential and so the new release date will help with that.

The previous Terminator film wasn't a massive hit in North America, but it did much better overseas, especially in China, so it could be that Angels wants to avoid doing battle in those markets as much as possible.

While Charlie's Angels and Terminator aren't necessarily a pair of franchises that are drawing largely from the same audience, it's still nice that they'll both be given some breathing room. Fewer fans will now need to choose between them and both will be given a chance to succeed or fail on their own merits rather than simply losing business because the other film siphoned some away.

At the same time, it's been so long since we've seen a couple of major films actually go up against each at the box office on opening weekend, it would have been interesting to see who came out on top. Terminator is certainly the more established franchise, but with the success that many female centered films have had in recent years, one certainly wonders if Charlie's Angels might have shocked everybody.

Of course, to get an idea, we'll have to actually get a look at the film. We're still waiting on a trailer.

James Marsden Would Totally Play Cyclops For The MCU

James Marsden Would Totally Play Cyclops For The MCU

Can you believe it? We are approaching the end of an era for Marvel movies. First it will be “endgame” for quite a few of the OG Avengers with the highly-anticipated MCU flick hits theaters later this month. For the X-Men, Dark Phoenix will close out the longtime Fox franchise that started almost twenty years ago with the Disney/Fox merger now finalized, and Disney laying out plans to bring the mutants to the MCU.

Fox’s X-Men franchise has certainly seen a lot of highs and lows, switch-ups and time jumps on the big screen. James Marsden played Cyclops in the first trilogy and made an appearance in Days of Future Past before Tye Sheridan took over as a younger iteration of the role for 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse. Marsden has now told ComicBook.com that he would don those red-tinted sunglasses all over again if given the opportunity. Here's what he said:

Sure, I'd be down. I think that world, there just are no rules. You can do whatever you want. If there's some iteration down the line where we're involved...that's been a special thing to be a part of for a good period of my life and I love those fans and I love playing that character so, yeah, I'd be totally open to that.

The actor doesn’t seem to need much convincing to join the massive MCU, and we don’t blame him – there’s some seriously amazing things coming up for the Marvel franchise. It would be interesting to see Disney carve out a place for the actor in the future as his iconic role of Cyclops, as long as we don’t have to witness anything close to The Last Stand, which left a bad taste in the mouths of many for some odd years.

However, it does look like Disney’s take on the X-Men may try to differentiate themselves from what’s been established in the past 20 years, and reboot these characters in a new and refreshing way. So bringing back an original character from Fox’s X-Men movies just doesn’t sound like it’d likely be on the table. James Marsden could certainly be a great fit for another comic book character out there in the X-Men universe, and if he’s chosen for it, this would allow the actor to bring something new to the franchise-- while his presence would also be a nice nod to its roots.

Not every member of the X-Men family has shown the adamant interest James Marsden recently has about joining the MCU. Alexandra Shipp, who will soon reprise the role of Storm in Dark Phoenix said she was against it because her character already doesn’t have many lines already. James McAvoy also recently admitted the strength in numbers with the Avengers, plus the mutants just may not well work together.

James Marsden's schedule does look quite stacked between Westworld, his upcoming Netflix series Dead To Me and the Enchanted sequel in the works, but we know he's down! Would you like to see James Marsden reprise his Cyclops role or perhaps take on another comic book role in the MCU? Feel free to leave your thoughts below.

Joel Kinnaman Reportedly Out As Flag For The Suicide Squad

Joel Kinnaman Reportedly Out As Flag For The Suicide Squad

We have heard that James Gunn’s Suicide Squad sequel will be something of a soft reboot or a relaunch of the franchise. And the more things develop, the more that rings true as the film is looking less and less like it will resemble David Ayer’s 2016 film. It looks like there will be very few returning characters and perhaps one less than we thought because Joel Kinnaman is reportedly out as Rick Flag in The Suicide Squad.

THR reports that some of the characters from Suicide Squad expected to return for the follow-up are Harley Quinn, Deadshot and Rick Flag. However, another of The Hollywood Reporter’s sources says that Rick Flag will not be in James Gunn’s film. So there is definitely some ambiguity about the situation, but fans should prepare for the possibility that the commander of the team in the first film will not be returning for the sequel.

Given this ambiguity about Rick Flag’s presence in James Gunn’s film, it makes you wonder if there is a scenario where Rick Flag the character returns, but Joel Kinnaman does not play him. We just saw this play out with the character of Deadshot. Will Smith could not reprise his role due to scheduling conflicts and now Heimdall himself, Idris Elba will replace him, hopefully giving the actor a meatier comic book role.

That would potentially get into some weird territory though, if multiple characters are played by different actors in the sequel while Harley Quinn is still played by Margot Robbie. Recasting one character is fine (see War Machine in the MCU) but multiple could get into a murky area that would just seem kind of weird. But if Rick Flag is not in the film at all as has been reported, that would gel with the word that James Gunn will primarily be using DC characters that were not in the first movie.

It’s hard to say how Rick Flag’s absence will affect the sequel, given that we don’t know what the story will be. The character did play an important role in the first film, both as the leader and handler of the team and as the boyfriend of June Moone, who became the villain. But there are other major players who could fill his shoes so he doesn’t have to return.

Harley Quinn and Deadshot were the standouts of the first film and the most visible, so those two feel like the characters that must return and they supposedly are, albeit with Idris Elba playing Deadshot. If Rick Flag is out it will be just another differentiator between the two films, and lend to the sequel's supposed direction as a soft reboot.

With all the changes, it does make you wonder if The Suicide Squad will even acknowledge the events of the first film. It’s all kind of interesting because while Suicide Squad was a critical failure, it was a hit at the box office, so changing things up to such a degree could be risky.

That said, Warner Bros. seems to have a lot of faith in James Gunn to move pieces around and makes the movie he wants to make to hopefully duplicate the critical and commercial success he had with Guardians of the Galaxy for the DCEU.

We’ll keep you updated as this movie comes together. The Suicide Squad opens in theaters on August 6, 2021. For movies you can look forward to a little bit sooner, check out our 2019 Release Schedule.

Captain Marvel Brought Marvel To A Box Office Milestone

Captain Marvel Brought Marvel To A Box Office Milestone

Heading in to its second weekend, Captain Marvel is an unmitigated financial success. Carol Danvers had the biggest March opening ever, the 2nd biggest worldwide opening for any superhero movie and the film has already passed the $500 million milestone. Captain Marvel does not exist in a vacuum though; it is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and its success has rocketed Marvel higher, further, faster to a new box office milestone.

Captain Marvel is the 21st entry into the MCU canon and combined, those 21 titles have now surpassed $18 billion in worldwide ticket sales, according to Variety. That’s billion with a ‘B’ and the MCU is now a member of the three-comma club 18 times over. I guess a $455 million worldwide opening weekend will do a lot to help you reach box office milestones.

If you do the math on that $18 billion over 21 movies, each Marvel movie is worth 4/5th of a billion dollars, or to be more exact, assuming my math is closer to Bruce Banner’s than the Hulk’s, $857.14 million. Or, to put another way, in roughly 11 years in existence, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has averaged about $1.63 billion a year.

The MCU has been the most successful franchise in movie history for a while now, and the $18 billion milestone just further cements the brand’s unparalleled and unprecedented achievements. There is something cool about the fact that it was Captain Marvel, a hero with Marvel in her name that added this notch to Marvel’s belt.

Captain Marvel was just the first entry in the MCU’s stacked 2019 though and Marvel may add a few more billion-dollar notches before it’s all said and done. Captain Marvel is now at $524 million worldwide and is tracking to add another $70-$85 million in its second weekend domestically.

Beyond Captain Marvel is Avengers: Endgame, which premiered a new trailer this morning. That film, the capstone on Phase 3 and the first 11 years of the MCU may hit an absolutely insane $282 million in its opening weekend just domestically. Avengers: Infinity War hit $2 billion worldwide and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Endgame repeat that feat with another $2 billion to follow up Captain Marvel. It’s a good thing too, Disney has bills to pay.

With Spider-Man: Far From Home on the way in July (a Sony film that is still MCU even if Disney doesn’t get the money from it) the MCU will certainly pass the $20 billion milestone at the worldwide box this year.

It is truly remarkable considering how it was only around the turn of the millennium that comic book movies became good and respected after wallowing in mediocrity for a long time. There was even a time not long ago when loving comic books and superheroes was something you didn’t advertise because it was considered uncool. Now superheroes are literally the biggest thing in the history of the movie business the world over and it’s not even close. That's pretty neat.

Captain Marvel is now playing. Check out our 2019 release schedule to keep track of all the biggest films arriving this year and stay tuned to CinemaBlend for all your movie news.

Kevin Feige Says X-Men Will ‘Come Home’ To The MCU

Kevin Feige Says X-Men Will ‘Come Home’ To The MCU

Disney officially acquired 20th Century Fox a few weeks ago, and the time since has been filled with theorizing and doubt regarding what the future might hold. The House of Mouse recently pulled its first project from Fox's schedule, and it's been teased that dates will be changed around in order to not compete with itself on big premiere weekends. But the biggest question is what might happen to the X-Men franchise, and when the mutants might finally arrive in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

It's currently unclear when the X-Men will pop up in the larger MCU, although fans are eager to see the iconic team interact with Earth's Mightiest Heroes. While it looks like it could take years, Marvel's Kevin Feige does seem excited about the concept of bringing Professor X and company to the behemoth franchise. As he recently explained:

The specifics of what it means remains to be seen, but overall it’s wonderful and it feels like these characters have come home. It will be nice to have what every other [intellectual property] holder that I can think of has, which is access to all their IP. Imagine if Donald Duck was at another studio. Imagine if Goofy or Moana were someplace else and you didn’t have access to them even though they are yours.

While Disney's acquisition of Fox may end the X-Men franchise as we know it, Kevin Feige does make a point. Marvel's gang of mutants are beloved characters from the page, and the comics have always featured crossovers with other heroes. Now that can come to life on the big screen, as the Marvel property has the potential to join the MCU.

Kevin Feige's comments to Variety should please the hardcore Marvel fans, even if they're going to miss 20th Century Fox's X-Men franchise. The X-Men franchise may have started before shared universes became on trend, but their exclusion from the MCU still always felt strange. Hugh Jackman's long tenure as Wolverine ended before crossovers could ever occur, and Earth's Mightiest Heroes definitely could have used the X-Men's help during their major conflicts.

But now that Disney officially has access to Marvel's mutants, one has to wonder if/when they could eventually join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It feels like a great time to get a new cast of characters, as many of the OG heroes are coming to the end of their contracts with Avengers: Endgame. As such, Marvel Studios is presumably going to need to put more stock in newer characters like Black Panther, Spider-Man, and Doctor Strange. And adding in the X-Men might be a great way to keep the MCU filled out, and ripe for more epic crossover events.

For now, Disney's plans for the X-Men are unclear. But the titular team will return to theaters when Dark Phoenix arrives on June 7th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

The Fast And Furious Franchise Has Fired Its Longtime Producer

The Fast And Furious Franchise Has Fired Its Longtime Producer

Ever since the Fast and Furious franchise launched in 2001, Neal H. Moritz has been working on it as a producer, but that nearly two decade-long tenure has come to an abrupt end. Rather than Moritz deciding to leave the car and explosion-filled series of movies on his own terms, he’s been fired due to a legal dispute with Universal Pictures.

Last October, it was reported that Neal Moritz filed a lawsuit against Universal, alleging that the studio was in breach of oral contract and committed promissory fraud when it removed him as the lead producer on the upcoming Fast and Furious spinoff, Hobbs and Shaw. He demanded he be reinstated as lead producer or be paid “tens of millions of dollars in damages in lost compensation.”

Seven months later, the news has come out that not only has Neal Moritz been dropped from Hobbs and Shaw, but he’s also been removed from all future Fast and Furious movies, starting with Fast and Furious 9, which begins shooting in a few weeks. Because Moritz has a pay-or-play deal, Universal will still need to compensate on the Fast and Furious movies, but evidently that’s a better course of action than keeping him around, both financially and mentally.

Universal’s stance is that Neal Moritz is not entitled to be a producer on Hobbs and Shaw, while Moritz says he had an oral agreement with the studio’s president, Jimmy Horowitz, to produce the spinoff and was working on it up until he was dropped from it right before principal photography kicked off. Moritz also claims that he came up with the idea for Hobbs and Shaw with screenwriter Chris Morgan and spent months developing it.

So where did everything go wrong? According to a “studio insider” who spoke with The Hollywood Reporter, Universal tried to work out a deal with Neal Moritz, but due to a “a long, torturous history” with fighting him on every previous Fast and Furious movie, the studio got sick of his combative behavior.

Because Universal is trying to expand the Fast and Furious franchise into more of a cinematic universe, as well as Hobbs and Shaw’s budget growing before production, the studio asked the franchise’s top talent to contribute to a “pool” that would allow Universal to break even before others were cut in on the profit. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was among those willing to play ball, but Moritz reportedly instead “wound up for his usual game of hardball.”

As for why Universal decided to kick Neal Moritz off all future Fast and Furious movies, that came about when he named Jimmy Horowitz in his lawsuit. While it’s unclear what the thought process that the studio’s bigwigs had after that, evidently there was incentive enough for them to toss Moritz out.

With Hobbs and Shaw hitting theaters this summer, two more main Fast and Furious movies on the way and a female-centric spinoff in the works, obviously this blockbuster franchise is sticking around for the foreseeable future. Still, considering how involved Neal Moritz was from the start, this definitely marks the end of an era.

We’ll see how the Fast and Furious franchise’s first foray into spinoff territory goes when Hobbs and Shaw comes out in theaters on August 2, and Fast and Furious 9 will follow on May 22, 2020.

Fans Will Have To Wait A Long Time To See Alita: Battle Angel On DVD And Digital

Fans Will Have To Wait A Long Time To See Alita: Battle Angel On DVD And Digital

This past February, Alita: Battle Angel made its debut in theaters worldwide, fulfilling a dream decades in the making. Starting as co-writer/producer James Cameron’s baby, and eventually being transferred to the loving care of director Robert Rodriguez, the film went on to score an impressive gross at the box office, as well as a vocal internet fandom.

Those fans are going to have quite a bit of a wait to endure in order to see Alita: Battle Angel again, as the physical and digital releases are both set to drop throughout the month of July. While the digital release is set for July 9, fans won’t be able to grab a physical copy of the film until July 23, which comes a little over five months after the film’s February 14 theatrical debut.

While we’re not particularly sure about why there’d be such a delay in the release of Alita: Battle Angel, it might be because of the Fox/Disney merger that also caused delays, reshufflings and in some cases cancellations to come down on projects that the now joined studios had on their respective dockets. But what we can be sure of is that when it finally does hit shelves this summer, there are going to be quite a few awesome extras along for the ride.

As promised, Robert Rodriguez is including one of his patented “10 Minute Cooking School” segments, this time teaching the audience at home how to make the Iron City chocolate that Rosa Salazar’s Alita fell in love with as one of her first food experiences in the world. Also included are various features that detail the story of Alita: Battle Angel’s extended development process, complete with a concept art gallery from James Cameron’s work on the film back in 2005.

Most promising, though, is the inclusion of three motion comics that flesh out the world of Alita: Battle Angel: “The Fall,” “Iron City,” and “Rules of the Game.” Each of those shorts will help the audience learn more about the infamous events that preceded those of the film, as well as draw more depth into the city itself, and the sport of Motorball.

While the chances of a sequel are still up in the air when it comes to the live-action adaptation of author Yukito Kishiro’s work, there’s always the possibility that impressive rental and sales figures could boost those chances significantly. So if you happen to be a fan of Alita: Battle Angel, or have been curious to see what the fuss is all about, these details will help you become battle ready for the home video release of this imaginative epic of future combat.

Alita: Battle Angel will be on Digital HD on July 9, with 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD releases all rolling out on July 23.