Fantastic Beasts 3: What We Know So Far

Fantastic Beasts 3: What We Know So Far

Merlin's beard, we have so many questions about the third Fantastic Beasts movie! For one, what will it be called? It has a title, and the castmembers appear to know it, but it has yet to be announced. So much of Fantastic Beasts 3 is still as mysterious as Credence's backstory, but we do have enough information to get started. So, here's what we know at this point about the movie that will follow Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, and precede the planned sequels Fantastic Beasts 4 and Fantastic Beasts 5. Keep your eye on this guide, because we'll update it with new intel as the owls fly in.

What Is The Fantastic Beasts 3 Release Date?

Warner Bros. finally issued an official release date in late April 2019: Fantastic Beasts 3 is currently scheduled to open November 12, 2021. Fantastic Beasts 3 was initially hoped / expected to release on November 20, 2020, then WB gave Dune that release date. Production on Fantastic Beasts 3 was initially delayed from starting to film this July, 2019, to starting instead in late fall 2019. Filming was delayed yet again to start in the spring of 2020 to match the new November 2021 release date.

Dan Fogler (Jacob Kowalski) said filming was delayed because the third movie is "bigger than the first two combined." The "gigantic" movie needed more time to prep, and they didn't want to rush anything. Also, screenwriter J.K. Rowling is said to be re-working the script right now (spring 2019), to try and make the third movie better than Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald after the relative disappointment of the second movie with fans, critics, and the box office.

What Will Fantastic Beasts 3 Be Rated?

The MPAA won't reveal Fantastic Beasts 3's official rating until well after filming, closer to the release date. But it's almost certainly going to be PG-13. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was rated PG-13 for "some fantasy action violence." Crimes of Grindelwald was rated PG-13 for "some sequences of fantasy action." Expect something similar for Fantastic Beasts 3.

What Will Fantastic Beasts 3 Be About?

Ah, the biggest question! When a fan asked J.K. Rowling to describe the third film in three words, she replied, "Answers are given." What answers, though? Since this is the third of five planned movies, we know not everything will be wrapped up in Fantastic Beasts 3. However, we know some things. The first film was set in 1926 in New York, with the second film set in 1927, mostly in Paris. Dan Fogler already revealed they'd be going to Brazil for part of the third movie, but he also said it would be bigger than the previous two movies combined. In late 2018, J.K. Rowling made her Twitter header a photo of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in the 1930s, in what was seen as a big clue on what's to come. She also hinted at seeing more of a professor from Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the North American school of magic, so we have to include that U.S. school as a potential location.

If the movie is set in the 1930s, that would be a bit of a time jump, but it would still leave a long way before the planned ending for the franchise in 1945. That's the end of World War II but also the year of Gellert Grindelwald and Albus Dumbledore's big duel. Speaking of world wars, Grindelwald ended the second movie gathering followers to his cause, partly by using the fear of world war if they kept in the current muggle-led direction. Queenie and Credence joined Grindelwald's cause, for their own reasons. Meanwhile, one of Newt Scamander's Niffler friends stole the blood vial sealing the blood pact between Dumbledore and Grindelwald.

The next film doesn't have a synopsis at this point, but it may follow the team fighting Grindelwald's followers around the world while they search for a way to break the blood pact. That way Dumbledore can fight Grindelwald (which apparently takes a while since they don't duel until 1945). Presumably, there will also be more fantastic beasts in the third movie. And, at some point, Nagini is set to become one of them.

Who Is Directing Fantastic Beasts 3?

David Yates appears to be continuing with the franchise, potentially to the end. He started in J.K. Rowling's magical world with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and continued with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and both Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows movies. He returned to direct the first two Potter prequel movies in the Fantastic Beasts series, and it looks like he's at least signed up for the third movie. Two years ago, longtime producer David Heyman told CinemaBlend he'd like to see David Yates continue to direct all five films. But it sounded like it was partly up to Yates himself, and also dependent on how things played out. So, there's still a glimmer of hope for my dream that Oscar winner Alfonso Cuarón will return to the Harry Potter universe to direct one of the final Fantastic Beasts movies. It's just not gonna be this one.

Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne)

The Fantastic Beasts series centers around Newt Scamander, and that is likely to continue. Newt was trying to stay neutral but he ended the second movie by telling his brother Theseus that he had firmly chosen his side -- with him and Auror Tina, against Grindelwald. Newt seems to be Albus Dumbledore's #1 agent / puppet. In typical Dumbledore fashion, he only doles out little bits of information at a time. The movie ended with Newt presenting Dumbledore with the blood vial a Niffler stole from Grindelwald. So, now they can consider how to destroy it and let Dumbledore fight Grindelwald. Newt has a long history in the Harry Potter world that you can catch up on before the third movie arrives.

Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp)

Crimes of Grindelwald started with Johnny Depp's character escaping prison custody and ended with him holding a rally for his followers. He preached for an end to the statute of secrecy protecting muggles from the truth about wizards. He used images of World War II to justify his plans for domination, and had his followers go spread the world. His rally was also attended by Aurors, but he escaped them once again. First, he created a line with blue flame, with his supporters on one side and enemies on the other. Queenie and Credence joined Grindelwald and left with him to his castle in Nurmengard in Austria. That's where Grindelwald dropped the shocker on Credence that he was actually Albus Dumbledore's long-lost brother, Aurelius. Do we believe that? You have to consider the source. Grindelwald appears to want to use Credence to defeat Dumbledore, since he can't face his old more-than-friends buddy himself.

Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law)

Albus Dumbledore made his debut in the second movie and had a relatively small role. That role is expected to get bigger as we approach the big duel between Dumbledore and his former great love, Grindelwald. The second movie ended with Dumbledore saying "maybe" when Newt asked if the blood pact with Grindelwald could be broken. But, it must be broken at some point in the next couple of movies.

In a deleted scene from Crimes of Grindelwald, Newt openly asked Dumbledore why he sent him to New York for the events of the first movie. Dumbledore answered that he knew Grindelwald would try to catch Credence. Grindelwald had had a vision years ago that an Obscurial killed the man he fears above all others, presumably Dumbledore. So, Dumbledore wanted to "deprive Grindelwald of his weapon," not by killing Credence, but by saving him. Unfortunately, that did not work. And now we have the news, according to Grindelwald, that Credence is actually the younger brother of Albus and Aberforth. Is it true? If so, does Dumbledore know? It would be classic Dumbledore to have information that he chose not to share with others, so we'll have to see.

Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller)

A fragment of Credence's Obscurus survived Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, as a sign that his story was not done. In the second film, he teamed up with Nagini in a search for his own history. Who was he? Through Leta Lestrange, he learned that he was (probably? definitely?) the baby who was swapped at the last moment before a shipwreck took the life of her real half-brother. Later, Grindelwald told Credence he was actually Aurelius Dumbledore. Grindelwald could've been lying, or just wrong, but there was a phoenix that emerged, which is said to be a tie to the Dumbledore family. So did Percival Dumbledore have a child while in prison, the half-brother of Albus, Aberforth, and Ariana? Ariana was said to likely be an Obscurial like Credence. The second film ended with Credence casting a very powerful spell with his wand while at the Grindelwald HQ in Nurmengard. Maybe the "answers" J.K. Rowling promised will be connected to Credence.

Queenie Goldstein (Alison Sudol)

Many fans left Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald frustrated with Queenie for deciding to side with Grindelwald. But sweet Queenie started the movie by enchanting Jacob to do what she wanted, to come with her to Europe so they could get married and avoid the muggle / wizard marriage ban in the U.S. So, she's already no stranger to controlling muggles, even if it's coming from good intentions. When Newt lifted the enchantment, Jacob was understandably upset. Queenie left to find her sister in Paris and, while there, she became distraught and was comforted by Grindelwald's followers. He made an argument that she'd be joining him for love, to change the laws that keep wizards separate from muggles.

Actress Alison Sudol defended Queenie's choice by saying her character wasn't turning evil, she was trying to find someone who would give her an option, a cause she could believe in to create a better world. She doesn't know what's actually going to happen, even if Harry Potter fans do. The end of the film showed her advising Grindelwald to be gentle with Credence, since she could read the young Obscurial's mind and knew he wasn't sure he had picked the right team.

Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler)

Jacob is the lone muggle amid wizards in this series, which puts him in a dangerous position. They tried to erase his memory after the first movie, but he retained a vague memory of his beloved Queenie. In the second movie, he was fully part of the team in Paris and then at Hogwarts in the end. Obviously, he has no magic powers to help in the fight, so it's not clear what his role will be from here -- other than trying to help Tina bring her sister Queenie back from the dark side. Actor Dan Fogler revealed that, in his last scene there at Hogwarts, you can see Jacob looking in another direction from the other characters. (See photo above.) Fogler said, in that moment, Jacob was hoping that Queenie would have a change of heart and come back; if she did, he would be able to forgive her, but we'll have to wait to see what the next film holds for those two.

Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston)

Tina is now a MACUSA Auror, and she spent Crimes of Grindelwald looking for Credence. She also got caught up in a silly love triangle when she believed an inaccurate news report saying Newt was engaged to Leta Lestrange, meaning that we had to deal with that awkwardness between Newt and Tina before it was cleared up. Tina is fully part of the team trying to stop Grindelwald, but her sister Queenie is now on Team Grindelwald, which makes things especially difficult. Never mind whether Tina and Newt or Queenie and Jacob will end up together, how are the sisters going to reunite when they are on opposite sides of this wizard war?

Nagini (Claudia Kim)

Harry Potter fans are very familiar with the character of Nagini as villain Voldemort's sidekick Horcrux snake. It was a shock, then, to learn that Nagini was actually a woman -- a seemingly kind, gentle one -- when she was younger. Nagini is a Maledictus, a girl with a blood curse that will eventually turn her into a beast. This means that at some point we're probably going to see how Nagini turns, permanently, into a snake. Since the series reportedly ends in 1945, will we see how she connects with Voldemort or not quite? And how does she turn to the dark side? Nagini's whole role in Crimes of Grindelwald was as Credence's supportive sidekick -- apparently that's her lot in life. They escaped the circus and then went searching for his history together.

Credence went with Grindelwald because Grindelwald promised him answers on who he really is. Nagini was shown at Hogwarts with Newt, Tina, Jacob, Theseus, Dumbledore, and others fighting against Grindelwald. There's a lot of story that needs to be told to explain how Nagini goes from there to Voldemort's slave snake. Hopefully, they don't sideline Nagini in the next film, since she deserves to do more than just show up and comfort Credence.

Leta Lestrange (Zoe Kravitz)

Apparently there's some confusion about whether Leta Lestrange died in the blue flames toward the end of Crimes of Grindelwald or not. Zoe Kravitz was on co-star Dan Fogler's 4d Xperience podcast (via Hypable) and said it was "kind of a last minute change that she got toasted." Fogler, who plays Jacob, said they have to bring her back somehow. She said it would be cool if they did, but she had no idea what they were going to do. Leta is / was engaged to Newt's brother Theseus, but she has a history with Newt, and seemed to be his first love. She shared her tragic backstory in the second Fantastic Beasts film, including her confession that she switched her brother Corvus Lestrange with another baby during a ship voyage; that other baby was supposedly Credence. Corvus died in the shipwreck, while the other baby survived, and Leta was tortured by guilt. Will she be back in the third film, or is her part in this story complete?

Theseus Scamander (Callum Turner)

Newt's older brother was introduced in the second movie. He's a British Auror, and engaged to Leta Lestrange. But if Leta did die, I guess that engagement is pretty much over. Theseus seemed frustrated with Newt for initially not wanting to take a side in the fight against Grindelwald, with Newt wanting to be neutral. The brothers embraced after the loss of Leta and the devastation in Paris, and Newt told his brother he had chosen his side. It's not clear what role Theseus might have in the third movie, but he's an Auror so he'll be wanting to continue the fight against Grindelwald and his followers.

Nicolas Flamel (Brontis Jodorowsky)

Pretty-much-immortal alchemist Nicolas Flamel had a small role in the Paris-set second movie. His name is familiar to Harry Potter fans from The Sorcerer's Stone. He spent time with Jacob in Crimes of Grindelwald, and joined the fight against Grindelwald's curse on the city toward the end. Flamel didn't have too much of a role in the second movie, but he's a friend of Dumbledore's. And, because he's an alchemist, could he be the one who figures out how to break the blood pact between Dumbledore and Grindelwald? We'll have to wait and see.

Eulalie (Lally) Hicks (Jessica Williams)

Lally Hicks, a professor at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the U.S., had a blink-and-you-missed-her role in Crimes of Grindelwald. Jessica Williams' character was shown briefly when Nicolas Flamel was flipping through a book after seeing a vision of death and destruction. She told him he had to go and try to help stop it. Before that movie opened, J.K. Rowling had teased on Twitter that "You only see a HINT of Lally in Fantastic Beasts 2. Her true glory is revealed in FB3." We know Lally, an American professor, will have a pretty big role in Fantastic Beasts 3. Doing what? And does that mean we go back to the U.S., to visit the Massachusetts-set Ilvermorny, or will she be joining the team in Brazil or Hogwarts, or wherever else we go? There are no hints on that right now, but it should be fun to find out.

What Happens After Fantastic Beasts 3?

J.K. Rowling surprised fans when she revealed that she was actually planning to write five movies for the Fantastic Beasts series. Producer David Heyman later explained that she began by expecting three films but then, as she dug deeper and started writing the first script, she realized there was a lot more story to tell and didn't think she could fit it all in three movies.

The five-film Fantastic Beasts series is expected to span from 1926 to 1945, with the final movie including the big duel between Grindelwald and Dumbledore. The second movie was set in 1927 but, as shown above, Rowling hinted at the third movie being set at least in part in the 1930s. There has been no confirmation about the third movie's timeline. Will it lead up to the start of World War II, or would that real-world war be left to play out opposite the magical one in the fourth and fifth movies? Time will tell. (Get it? Time? #classic)

The Fantastic Beasts franchise is currently taking a moment to step back and reassess plans for the third movie after the significant drop in box office (and fan / critic reactions) after the second movie. Since J.K. Rowling is said to be reworking her script a bit, it's not clear how much could change. As of now, Fantastic Beasts 3 is set to start production in late fall 2019 for a release date most likely to be in 2021, but we're on standby for official updates. In the meantime, keep up with what's actually opening on the big screen this year with our handy 2019 movie schedule.

New John Wick: Chapter 3 Clip Features John Asking Halle Berry For Help

New John Wick: Chapter 3 Clip Features John Asking Halle Berry For Help

Arguably the most famous actor joining the John Wick franchise for Chapter 3, a.k.a. Parabellum, is Halle Berry, who, like Keanu Reeves, is playing a dog-loving assassin. We’ve seen snippets of Berry’s Sofia in the John Wick: Chapter 3 trailers, but now there’s a new clip showing John asking for her help in the midst of his latest crisis.

John Wick: Chapter 3 picks up right after the events of Chapter 2, with the High Table about to send out a $14 million bounty on John’s head for killing Santino D’Antonio. It’s a good bet that by the time the above Chapter 3 scene occurs, assassins are already on the hunt for John, but as we’ve seen over two movies, he’s quite resourceful at avoiding being killed. Somehow he’s managed to seek refuge at the hotel being run by Sofia, who we already knew was an old friend of his.

However, times have changed since John and Sofia were last close, and she makes it clear to him that because she’s “management” now, she can’t go around shooting people like he’s been doing. John assures her he just wants to talk to her old boss for guidance. Sofia doubts this will work out, because even if John doesn’t kill this boss (Barada?), she suspects the boss will kill him and then her for allowing John to walk in.

As Sofia said in one of the John Wick: Chapter 3 previews, nothing is ever just a conversation with John, so even though he intends not to discharge a firearm for this meeting he wants, it’s a good bet bullets will start flying anyway. And when bullets start flying, bodies will inevitably drop, and John Wick has left a lot of carnage in his wake recently.

In any case, despite Sofia’s hesitance to help John out in this Chapter 3 clip, we know eventually she’ll cave and join him on his mission, although in another preview, she told him that after this, they are “less than even.” Still, at least it’ll be nice for John to finally have some backup, including Sofia’s vicious hounds.

Although Sofia isn’t particularly jazzed to be teaming up with John Wick in Chapter 3, Halle Berry is unquestionably a fan of this action franchise, as we learned in March that she asked director Chad Stahelski for a part in Chapter 3. The script for the threequel hadn’t even been written when Berry first approached Stahelski, but once it was completed, he got back in touch with her and she was still game to jump in.

John Wick 3’s Halle Berry Broke Three Ribs Trying To Keep Up With Keanu Reeves

Along with Halle Berry’s Sofia, John Wick: Chapter 3 is also introducing characters like Mark Dacascos’ Zero, Angelica Huston’s The Director, Asia Kate Dillon’s The Adjudicator, Jason Mantozoukas’ Tick Tock Man, Saïd Taghmaoui’s The Elder and Robin Lord Taylor’s The Administrator. As far as familiar faces go, Ian McShane’s Winston, Lance Reddick’s Charon, Laurence Fishburne’s Bowery King and John Leguizamo’s Aurelio are all back.

John Wick: Chapter 3 opens in theaters on May 17, and those of you curious about what other movies are coming out later this year can find that information in our 2019 release schedule.

Bumblebee Director Travis Knight Has Found His Next Blockbuster Movie

Bumblebee Director Travis Knight Has Found His Next Blockbuster Movie

After a decade under the reins of Michael Bay, the Transformers film franchise finally brought on a new director for its latest installment, Bumblebee. Under Travis Knight’s watchful eye, Bumblebee came together as a critically acclaimed blockbuster movie that collected over $466 million worldwide. While some may have hoped he’d tackle a Bumblebee sequel next, Knight is instead turning his attention to a different kind of blockbuster as a follow-up: The Six Billion Dollar Man.

Although the original TV series starring Lee Majors was called The Six Million Dollar Man, thanks to inflation, it’s going to take a lot more money than that to turn the cinematic version of Colonel Steve Austin into a bionic powerhouse… but I digress. For nearly two decades, there have been various versions of The Six Billion Dollar Man in development, with Warner Bros trying to get its own version off the ground since buying the film rights from The Weinstein Company in late 2017.

Alas, by May 2018, director Damian Szifron, who joined The Six Billion Dollar Man in 2015 following the departure of Peter Berg and co-wrote the script, also exited the project due to creative differences. That put the kibosh on Warner Bros plans to begin shooting The Six Billion Dollar Man that summer.

Shortly after Damian Szifron left The Six Billion Dollar Man, it was reported that Mel Gibson was “circling” the part of Steve Austin’s mentor, Oscar Goldman, and should he have taken the role, Warner Bros might also have courted him to direct. However, almost a year later, Variety is reporting that Travis Knight, who’s also well-known for his work on Kubo and the Two Strings, will handle directing duties on The Six Billion Dollar Man instead. Mark Wahlberg is still attached to star.

It’s unclear if Travis Knight will use the same script that Damian Szifron or if he plans on overhauling the story, but given how well Bumblebee was received last winter, it’s fortunate Warner Bros was able to recruit him. Of course, given how many directors have come and gone before him, we’ll have to wait and see if Knight is indeed the one who guides this movie into principal photography or if he also ends up eventually leaving.

While no specific plot details about The Six Billion Dollar Man have been made available to the public yet, the movie is expected to retain the basic premise of its TV predecessor, which was based on the Martin Caidin novel Cyborg. The TV show followed Steve Austin, an astronaut who was horribly injured while piloting an experimental aircraft, being “rebuilt” with bionic implants that increased his strength, speed and vision. Austin subsequently used these new special abilities as an agent for OSI (Office of Scientific Intelligence).

Although The Six Billion Dollar Man was last scheduled to come out on May 31, 2019, obviously that won’t come to pass, so keep an eye on CinemaBlend and we’ll let you know when the new release date is announced. In the meantime, you can learn what movies are hitting theaters later this year in our 2019 release schedule.

The Incredible Way Pet Sematary Uses Sound To Amplify Its Scares

The Incredible Way Pet Sematary Uses Sound To Amplify Its Scares

The scares in a horror movie seldomly only comes from the terrors on screen. The genre has long used music cues and precise sound design to create a complete sensory experience that has audiences jumping out of their seats and belting out screams. It looks like the upcoming remake of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary is no exception.

CinemaBlend’s own Sean O’Connell spoke with Pet Sematary directors Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer at SXSW, where the film premiered. Check out what Kölsch said about the importance of focusing sound design in the horror epic:

We said going in that the one thing we really wanted to capture was the chapter in the book where they bury the cat - people online have called that Stephen King’s scariest chapter. If you go back and you read it, they are just on a journey through the woods and a swamp. They’re not encountered by anything. Louis maybe thinks he sees something moving in the trees that might be the Wendigo but every single thing in that chapter is all sound. It’s all describing the feeling of this forest through sound. So we went in going, we have to really get a great sound design team because we want to do this chapter and we want to have this journey and we’re not going to want to show anything.

In CinemaBlend’s recent interview with the Pet Sematary filmmakers, they explained the inspiration on the movie’s sound design came straight from the pages of Stephen King’s 1983 novel. Kevin Kölsch maintains that while one chapter in the horror bestseller when Louis and Jud go to bury Winston Church the cat may be regarded as the author’s scariest chapter to date, the contents of the chapter is not visually terrifying scene. It’s all about what they don’t see.

Enter sound design. A simple journey through the woods and swamp in which they fear the Wendigo is all captured through the music notes and noises the sound team worked on the film. It really is amazing how sound can inform audiences into the tension of the scene and terrify audiences, even when what’s happening on screen is as simple as a nervous walk through the woods. As director Dennis Widmeyer said:

What you don’t see is stronger.

Looks like fans of the novel Pet Sematary may find some satisfaction in watching the upcoming remake since the directors paid so much attention to replicating details like these into their iteration of the horror film. Check out the directors talk about sound design below:

There has already been a huge change made from the original novel, as the daughter instead of the son in the Creed family will be killed in an accident and then resurrected in an ancient graveyard. Stephen King has however voiced his understanding of the justification, along with calling the movie “fucking great!”

Stephen King’s sentiments about the new Pet Sematary has also been echoed by critics, who have largely praised the movie for being crazy scary, and a great adaptation to the classic horror novel. The 1989 movie hasn’t exactly aged well, and horror is making serious waves right now. Just look at how much Jordan Peele’s Us opening weekend box office record. So this is a welcome story to explore all over again.

This Friday, Pet Sematary will open alongside Shazam!, DC’s next superhero origin story. While the high-flying action flick is expected to win the weekend at around $45 million, Pet Sematary is tracking close behind at $30 million.

So get ready for some serious tension when you see Pet Sematary, thanks to the movie’s sound design. The movie will be the first of two King adaptations to come out in 2019, as IT: Chapter 2 delivers more frights on September 6, 2019.

To 3D Or Not To 3D: Buy The Right Dumbo Ticket

To 3D Or Not To 3D: Buy The Right Dumbo Ticket

Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, and Disney aficionados far and wide! It’s time to step right up and see the latest wonder of the world, the one, the only, the absolutely adorable Dumbo! The latest in Disney’s remake crusade to update the classics, this Tim Burton film is ready to take off into the wild blue yonder, stealing your heart in the process. But, of course, there’s another question pertaining to this circus of delights; one that we find ourselves asking quite often, asides from that one where we wonder what we know about a movie like Dumbo. To 3D, or not to 3D?

If you want to find out how much we enjoyed Dumbo as a movie, take a look at our official review. But if you’re wondering if this particular circus is worth the extra 3D ticket money, or if you should save that money to buy some peanuts, you’ve come to the right place. Step under the big top, and get ready to see if the prince of the skies flies off the big screen!

While there’s certainly a lot of thrills and excitement to see in Dumbo’s finished product, it’s not a perfect 3D fit. For a good piece of the film, what we see on screen is focused on a family drama that plays out in the confines of a circus, and ponders the morals of using live animals in entertainment. But that being said, there’s still a lot of fantastic detail that the 3D conversion to Dumbo adds to the visuals that are presented; and once the higher flying action kicks in, the additional visual flare definitely shines.

There's certainly a lot of work that went into the planning and effort of Dumbo's 3D coat of paint. Quite a lot of detail is drawn in the images shown, and while it's not a total showstopper, there's a lot of panache that's on display. Though as far as 3D movies go, this is a cohesive whole that doesn't stumble on any particular aspect, but rather does a serviceable job of being a good finished product. There's nothing wrong with that, for sure, but it's something to think about in the long run.

There are a couple of flourishes in Dumbo really take advantage of the opportunity to point objects out at the crowd. All are very subtle but important things, like Michael Keaton’s cane, Colin Farrell’s hand, or Eva Green gesturing to the audience as she’s about to engage in her act. There’s even some water splashing that looks like it’s going to come out of the frame and soak you to the bone. But if you’re looking for huge scale eye popping thrills involving items flying out of the screen, then you might be a bit disappointed.

Winning the Before/Beyond The Window tug of war in Dumbo’s 3D conversion, the Beyond factor pulls more of the visual weight this time around. Characters and their environments are properly spaced, and the spacing between characters and each other is exemplary as well. Crowd shots at the circus really sparkle, with the feel of an actual audience being conveyed to a tee. Unfortunately, the background shots for Dumbo aren’t as limitless as one would want, and if they are the eye is drawn more to the close up action throughout the film.

Brightness is a factor that tends to be a common weak point for 3D films, as the greyish tint of the glasses required tends to wash out the colors a bit. Also, there’s some variance depending on how well your local theater tends to their projectors and screens, so Dumbo’s brightness in 3D won’t be consistent across all screens. With those stipulations, I’m happy to report that Dumbo still shines in beautiful color with its 3D conversion. Besides the slight washing of colors, again expected with putting on 3D glasses that correspond with the image on the screen, you’re not going to lose any action in the dark.

Watching a 3D movie, any audience member is going to be tempted to either remove or slide their glasses up at any point during the film. Whether it’s to give your eyes a break, or to see the historic blur that’s always been a part of 3D presentations, you’ll notice that in fact the image in front of you is blurred to varied degrees. Dumbo uses this blur to full effect, with even the closest of closeups taking on nuanced degrees of distortion, with only seconds long moments of 2D appearance in order to help anchor the elements of a particular scene. Backgrounds also get a pretty big dose of blurred wonder, showing just how much manipulation is used to make the film as 3D as it possibly could be.

Possibly the most important factor of a 3D film is how comfortable the audience is with watching it. In terms of Dumbo’s comfort levels, everything is a-ok, as the film doesn’t cause nausea or eye strain of any sort. With a crisp, clear visual intelligence poured into every frame, your eyes won’t burn and your stomach will be clear of nausea. This is particularly comforting if you’re bringing your little ones to see Dumbo, as there won’t be any messy clean-up involved after the show.

Dumbo does a pretty fine job of being a 3D spectacle. It isn’t a full stop must see in the visually enhanced format, but it’s certainly not a waste of time either. Rather, it’s a pretty good example of a middle of the road 3D conversion, which adds some flash but doesn’t go the extra mile to be essential viewing in this premium format. If you're looking for a special flare to your showing of Dumbo, it might be a good idea to check out the IMAX format presentation instead.

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

Danny DeVito Teased Michael Keaton About Dumbo's Batman Returns Role Reversal

Danny DeVito Teased Michael Keaton About Dumbo's Batman Returns Role Reversal

For Tim Burton’s remake of the 1941 Disney classic Dumbo, the prolific filmmaker reassembled his Dark Knight and Penguin from Batman Returns to play alongside the soaring circus elephant. 27 years later, Burton opted to give Michael Keaton and Danny DeVito a different roles in his film to play this time around. Looks like DeVito couldn’t get enough of the role-reversal, per his recent words:

In Batman, [Keaton] plays the good guy. Now in Dumbo, I play the good guy and he plays the bad guy. I needle him about it all the time.

Insert DeVito’s penguin chuckle here. The character actor is well-known for playing a signature baddie, especially in 1992’s Batman Returns, alongside Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman, along with his other iconic roles of Mr. Wormwood in Matilda and his longtime mischief as Frank on It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. He loved the idea of going back to playing a character of a softer, kind-hearted nature with Disney’s Dumbo, especially since Keaton would now be the one he gets to steal the good guy glory from.

In the family-friendly flick, Danny DeVito plays Max Medici, a ringmaster of a financially struggling circus who is approached by Michael Keaton’s V. A. Vandevere, a powerful entrepreneur who has bigger plans and dollar signs in his eyes for his popular spectacle Dumbo soon becomes.

Michael Keaton recently pulled off another villainous role in Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2017, so it’s not a big surprise for audiences. Danny DeVito’s recent comments to Entertainment Weekly seem to indicate a fondness for how the tables have turned since their last movie together. Although, there’s another reason why he was attracted to taking on a more friendly role in Dumbo. In his words:

Sometimes I embarrass my kids. On Sunny, I do a lot of crazy things. Sometimes I cringe when I think about how this is gonna play with my kids. In Dumbo, I think they were all pretty happy. I’m in good shape with my kids.

In recent years, Danny Devito has been seen seldom on the big screen due to his hilarious 13 season stint as Frank on his FX comedy series, where the actor will do or say just about anything for a good bit. As you can imagine, the often twisted humor that’s a regular on the show doesn’t always play well with his children.

It’s certainly nice to see Danny DeVito back in a movie, and with Michael Keaton as they take on opposite dynamics from their Batman Returns roles. DeVito will also star in more family-friendly faire in the upcoming Jumanji sequel alongside Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart and Jack Black coming in December.

As far as Batman and Penguin go, the upcoming new iteration of the character from Matt Reeves is rumored to feature the two adversaries facing off once again, following Tim Burton’s 1992 take.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3: What We Know So Far

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3: What We Know So Far

There is no questioning that the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise is one of the greatest achievements of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Prior to the titular group’s big screen debut, general pop culture awareness of their existence was basically zero, and many questioned why Marvel Studios would take such a huge risk on an unknown property. Two blockbusters later, the brand has earned $1.6 billion at the global box office, and the characters have become some of the most popular in the entire comic book movie canon.

Because of this, fans have spent years both expecting and waiting for the third movie in the series, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and soon enough it will be making its way to a theater near you. But, what do we know about the project? When is it coming out? Who is making it? Who will appear? It’s for addressing all those questions and more that we have written this latest installment of our What We Know So Far series, so read on and find out everything you need to know about the upcoming space adventure.

What Is The Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 Release Date?

In October 2014 – approximately seven months before the release of The Avengers: Age of Ultron – Marvel Studios held a special event in Los Angeles where they made a big show of announcing their Phase 3 slate, revealing all of the projects they were making for the next five years (or at least all the ones that were in the works at that time). Unfortunately, the company hasn’t been as forthcoming when it comes to information about their Phase 4 plans. Not wanting to count their chickens before they hatch / give everything away, Marvel has held off on officially announcing release dates for films coming out after July 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home, and that includes Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

That doesn’t mean that there haven’t been clues – but it’s also worth noting that plans have very much changed during the blockbuster’s development. Originally it looked as though Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was going to be one of the three films slated for release in 2020, but for reasons we’ll get into in a minute those plans were put on hold after July 2018. Now, with James Gunn working on another project at another studio, it appears that the movie won’t be released until at least 2022, but even that isn’t 100% certain.

What Is The Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 Rating?

In 2016, Tim Miller’s Deadpool changed the comic book movie world forever. While it had once been thought that superhero features couldn’t be successful without attracting teenage audiences, the Merc With The Mouth put that theory to rest by making a stunning $783.1 million worldwide with an epic number of swear words, a touch of nudity, and quite a bit of ultra-violence. We’ve seen a few more success stories since then as well, including both Deadpool 2, and Logan, but Marvel Studios has not yet made the plunge when it comes to R-rated blockbusters – and as a result we can definitely assume that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be certified with a PG-13.

As a writer / director, James Gunn does have a number of R-rated credits on his resume, including his first two features – Slither and Super – and there are a few adult references to be found in both Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. That being said, the idea that this series will change gears for its third installment is ridiculous. We won’t actually know what Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be rated until the movie is ready to come out, as the MPAA doesn’t do its grading until after a project has been assembled, but you can be certain that this is a blockbuster that will be made with a PG-13 rating in mind.

The Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 Writer/Director

This one is a bit of a journey, so strap in.

To the surprise of very, very few, in the weeks leading up to the 2017 release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, James Gunn announced that he had made a deal with Marvel Studios to take the helm of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – confirming that the movie would “conclude the story of this iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy.” He wrote the script himself, and wheels were clearly in motion to make the blockbuster one of the earliest films released as a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase Four.

But then the troll attack happened. In the days surrounding San Diego Comic-Con 2018, James Gunn found himself at the center of some controversy due to some nearly decade-old Tweets that had been dug up by those who were, apparently, unhappy with his politics. The social media messages, which featured extremely distasteful jokes about horrendous subjects, put the family-friendly Walt Disney Company in an awkward situation, and they made the decision to remove Gunn as the director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in response.

Of course, that was only the start of the controversy. In the following days, weeks, and months, it wasn’t only fans who voiced thunderous support for James Gunn (with over 400,000 signing a petition for his reinstatement), but also many of his colleagues. The members of the Guardians of the Galaxy cast – including Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Sean Gunn, Pom Klementieff and Michael Rooker – all signed an open letter requesting that Gunn be reinstated, and many fellow directors made their voices heard on the subject as well. When names like Edgar Wright, Taika Waititi, Chris Lord and Phil Miller were proposed as possible replacements at the helm of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the filmmakers let it be known that they stood behind Gunn and had no interest in taking the job.

For more than half a year it was unclear how exactly Marvel Studios would be able to move forward with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, but the situation was resolved in mid-March 2019. Following the release of Captain Marvel, the news was made official that a new deal had been made with James Gunn that would see him reinstated as the director of the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy capper. This coincided with a few plan changes for the project in terms of scheduling, as Gunn had spent his months being fired working out a deal with Warner Bros. to both write and direct the upcoming The Suicide Squad – which is currently on track for release in August 2021. This is why it’s unlikely we will see the filmmaker’s third epic space opera until 2022 at the earliest.

Now that he’s directing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 again, James Gunn will actually become the first filmmaker in Marvel Studios history to complete a full trilogy for the franchise. At this stage it’s unclear exactly what he has planned story-wise for the film – which is no surprise given the secrecy surrounding these projects – but details should start to come out as we get closer to the movie entering production.

Star-Lord

The role of Peter Quill a.k.a. Star-Lord completely changed Chris Pratt’s career overnight. One minute he was the goofy, lovable idiot on Parks and Recreation, and the next he was one of the biggest movie stars in the world. He is now known in pop culture as one of the “Chrises” (along with Evans, Hemsworth, and Pine), and because of his popularity it’s basically impossible to imagine that he won’t be back for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. There is, however, one little hitch.

Those who saw Avengers: Infinity War know that as things currently stand in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star-Lord is dead. Along with half of the universe, the leader of the Guardians was turned to dust when Thanos managed to assemble the Infinity Gauntlet and snap his fingers. We suspect that the events that go down in the upcoming Avengers: Endgame will change this status, but right now we have no idea if that’s actually true, or really any clue how it might happen.

Gamora

Like Star-Lord, Gamora is another character who is technically dead in the Marvel Cinematic Universe at this time (prepare to see a lot more of this as we continue), but it’s worth noting that her situation is a bit different. Rather than being dusted in The Decimation, Gamora was killed by Thanos when he was trying to acquire the Soul Stone – with the Mad Titan forced to make a sacrifice of something he loved in order to acquire the precious ingot. Because of this, it’s unclear if Gamora will be brought to life should the surviving members of the Avengers and Guardians save everyone destroyed by the snap, or if her timeline has come to an end.

It would certainly be an earned death story-wise, though the permanence of it would be a serious bummer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, as the film would be missing one of the best characters from the first two movies. That being said, even if Gamora is gone for good it’s still possible that Zoe Saldana could make an appearance in the upcoming blockbuster, via dreams, flashbacks, or any other various narrative devices. She did, after all, form an incredibly close relationship with Star-Lord during the four years in which they knew each other, and it’s hard to imagine him just forgetting about her after the whole Thanos ordeal is over.

Drax The Destroyer

During the whole “James Gunn getting fired” saga, nobody stood up for the writer / director the way that Dave Bautista did. Clearly recognizing and fully acknowledging how Gunn very much changed his career by casting him as Drax, Bautista was extremely vocal about how incredibly pissed off the whole situation made him. Even though it could have potentially hurt his career, he wasn’t at all shy about his fury aimed towards Disney, and he even suggested that he would request a release from his contract with the studio if Gunn’s script for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 wasn’t used.

Now that James Gunn has been rehired, one can imagine him seriously rewarding Dave Bautista for his incredible loyalty – but exactly how that might play out is currently up the air. Why? Because like the previous two characters mentioned, Drax The Destroyer currently exists as flakes of dust floating around the atmosphere on Titan. Again, there is expectation that he will somehow be resurrected in Avengers: Endgame, and going by the comics he may even be the one to put Thanos down, but we have no evidence right now to suggest that will happen.

Rocket

Finally, a character who is currently alive! Rocket is one of only two Guardians of the Galaxy who survived The Decimation – left without any of his teammates on Earth in the aftermath of the Battle Of Wakanda. He did what he could to try and help the heroes stop Thanos from completing the Infinity Gauntlet, including assisting Thor in the creation of Stormbreaker, but the efforts weren’t enough at the end of the day, so in Avengers: Endgame we’ll watch as he teams with all of the survivors to try and save the universe.

James Gunn has said many times that Rocket is his favorite character among the Guardians, and the one he most relates to, so it’s pretty easy to imagine that he will have a meaty role to play in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. We can assume that he will once again be brought to life courtesy of performance capture work from Sean Gunn, and with the voice of Bradley Cooper, but beyond that we won’t have any firm expectations for the character until after we see Endgame.

Groot

Of all the characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, weirdly it’s Groot who has the hardest time staying alive. The original version of the living tree sacrificed himself so that the Guardians of the Galaxy could live through their first movie, and while Baby Groot managed to survive Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the slightly older version of himself – Adolescent Groot – was another character turned to dust in Avengers: Infinity War.

It’s hard to imagine Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 featuring a somber narrative following Rocket in a post-Groot universe, however, and we expect that somehow events will transpire that bring the character back to life. At the very least we hope this to be the case just because we want to see what the next stage of his evolution looks like.

Nebula

Nebula, played by Karen Gillan, has had a very different trajectory than most in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She started out as a rage-filled antagonist – an ally of Thanos and possessing a true hatred for her sister, Gamora – but her edges definitely softened through the events of both Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Avengers: Infinity War. And, based on what we know about Avengers: Endgame, it seems like she is going to evolve even more by the time we see her in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Along with Rocket, Nebula is the only surviving member of the Guardians of the Galaxy after The Decimation, though they were in two very different places when the snap went down. In the case of the blue cyborg, she was stranded on Titan along with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), and there is a presumption that they will have to work together closely in order to A) get back to Earth, and B) get revenge against Thanos. But will she survive the mission and have the opportunity to appear in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3? As of right now that’s a very big question mark.

Mantis

Brought to the big screen by Pom Klementieff, Mantis became a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy when the team saved her from Ego in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and her special extraterrestrial skills have been put to good use. She is not only a powerful empath, but also can put even the most powerful beings to sleep with her hands – though it takes a good amount of concentration and energy. This was useful for a good minute in the battle against Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, but sadly right now she can be counted among the dead Guardians of the Galaxy in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Given that she hasn’t exactly been around very long (less time than every other Guardians character), we definitely want to believe that Mantis will be back in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, but right now we technically don’t have any actual evidence of that being true. We’ll just have to wait and see how things play out in Avengers: Endgame, and once we know the details of the fallout we’ll be able to judge the situation better.

Be sure to keep your eye on this guide, as we'll keep it fresh with new details on the development of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 as they become available to us!

Why Captain Marvel Crushed At The Box Office

Why Captain Marvel Crushed At The Box Office

It’s a familiar refrain, ‘X superhero movie made X amount of dollars in a huge opening weekend.’ We are over a decade, arguably almost two, into the comic book movie boom and it is common knowledge that superhero movies make a lot of money, those from the Marvel Cinematic Universe especially so. Yet the predictable nature of these successes does not make them any less impressive, and sometimes a movie surprises us, surpassing even the loftiest of expectations and thus warranting further examination.

It happened with Black Panther and Aquaman last year and now it is happening with Captain Marvel.

This is not to say that Captain Marvel will reach the heights of those aforementioned films, it’s far too early to tell, but it is off to an incredible start. Captain Marvel obliterated the most optimistic forecasts, rocketing to $153 million domestically in its opening weekend. Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) was an international hit as well. The movie earned $302 million overseas for a worldwide opening weekend of $455 million according to Deadline.

Those numbers are good enough for the 6th highest global debut of all time, the biggest March opening ever and the 2nd biggest worldwide opening for the MCU and superhero movies overall. So how did Captain Marvel go higher, further and faster than so many films before it to crush at the box office? Here are some ideas.

Avengers: Infinity War’s End-Credits Scene

Captain Marvel has not historically been an A-list character, and anecdotally, I don’t think she enjoyed the same cultural cachet or name recognition prior to her MCU debut of any of her forbearers save the Guardians of the Galaxy. So what did Marvel do? It gave her the ball in the red zone, a running start, a softball to knock out of the park via the end-credits scene of Avengers: Infinity War.

Captain Marvel really couldn’t have been teed up better than it was thanks to that end-credits scene, which came on the heels of the most jaw-dropping, cliffhanger-y ending to the biggest superhero movie ever. Thanos had snapped his fingers and the Decimation scattered half our heroes to the winds, we were looking for answers and most importantly, hope.

That hope came when Nick Fury, in his dying act, when the hour was most late, called out for help using a strange pager that showed a symbol unfamiliar to many. That symbol was Captain Marvel’s and whether the majority of audiences knew that or not at the time, they probably found out and only became more curious to see the debut of the hero that could be the key to defeating Thanos.

That made Captain Marvel necessary viewing for Avengers: Endgame (although maybe audiences should have paid more attention to Ant-Man and the Wasp). It’s kind of remarkable that the Captain Marvel trailers and marketing didn’t lean into this by beginning with Nick Fury’s page, but it is clear that it didn’t matter.

Captain Marvel Is A New Hero

The MCU has grown by leaps and bounds since it began in 2008 but it still largely revolves around the same core group of characters. And while we love Black Widow, Thor, Captain America, Iron Man and the rest, it is always exciting when a new hero gets introduced. It’s like unlocking a new character in a fighting game, we’re eager to see who they are and what they can do.

The introduction of new characters acts like a soft reset for the universe, like a new coat of paint or a software update, opening up new storytelling possibilities and different permutations for how they will interact with existing pieces. When that character is a new female hero leading her own movie, displaying powers we haven’t seen before, it feels fresh and different and that’s exciting for audiences.

Moreover, there is a reason that superhero movies go back to the well of origin stories so often, and that’s because they work and audiences love them. The last time we got a big new hero being introduced with their own solo movie in the MCU was last year’s Black Panther and before that in 2017 with Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Both of those characters were introduced first in Captain America: Civil War and their successes and the opening weekend of Captain Marvel shows that audiences are ready to meet new characters and see this universe expand. And that’s a good sign with many established characters likely leaving the universe as we head into Phase 4 and new ones take up their mantles.

The Release Date

As is the case with most MCU movies, Captain Marvel entered the weekend unopposed by any other major studio releases, so competition was null. More than that though, Captain Marvel came into the marketplace at a time when audiences were thirsting for a new blockbuster. The first two months of the year have not exactly been full of movies that have forced audiences to brave the winter cold.

Despite wonderful family friendly animated fare like The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World hitting theaters, they don’t really motivate mass audiences to go to the theater the way a live-action, PG-13 tentpole does. The only real movie that could qualify as a blockbuster in the same vein as the MCU flick is Alita: Battle Angel, which sadly didn’t have the power of the Marvel brand behind and was somewhat ignored by domestic audiences, despite being, I would argue, a better movie.

So audiences were ready and waiting for something like Captain Marvel to hit theaters and specifically they were waiting for an MCU film. In a lesson Star Wars could learn from, Captain Marvel arrived 3 months since the last big superhero film Aquaman; 8 months since the last MCU film Ant-Man and the Wasp and nearly a year since Avengers: Infinity War.

That build up since our last visit to the MCU meant that the public was eager to return and Captain Marvel arrived just in time to get us ready for Avengers: Endgame. Arriving on International Women’s Day was also a nice touch.

The Marvel Brand

Success breeds success and there is no more successful brand at the multiplex right now than Marvel Studios. Marvel movies crush at the box office both domestically and overseas and thanks to Captain Marvel’s performance, the Marvel Cinematic Universe will soon cross $18 billion at the box office over 21 films.

This level of unprecedented success isn’t just a result of the quality or entertainment value of the individual films themselves, it is the achievement of the Marvel brand. The MCU is more than the sum of its parts and audiences turn up on opening weekend because it is a Marvel movie. The Marvel name is a trusted one among general audiences, a guarantee of quality and entertainment regardless of what hero gets top billing.

That’s why nothing is really a gamble for Marvel anymore. The days when it was feared that Guardians of the Galaxy might be too obscure and weird to succeed are long gone. Marvel can take perceived risks with its films, like its first female-led superhero film with a lesser-known character because it’s not really a risk with the Marvel name attached.

That Marvel name also lets audiences know that this is the next chapter in the cinematic television series that is the MCU. Skipping out on Captain Marvel would be like missing an episode in a serialized television show. You have to see it because you want to be part of the conversation and see how this impacts things moving forward.

Captain Marvel Offered Something Different

The last reason I think Captain Marvel is crushing at the box office is because of all the things that it brings to the table that seem to set it apart from what’s come before. Captain Marvel herself is a new hero and this is Marvel’s first female-led superhero movie and that’s exciting but this film also offered us smaller things that may have appealed and enticed audiences to come to the theater.

For one the Skrulls and their shape-shifting ability offered a new type of villain in these movies and something that looked like it could be a lot of fun, as the battle with granny Skrull on the train in the trailers showed.There is also the fact that this is Marvel’s first film set in this time period. Many of the people who went to see this film may have lived through or grown up in the 1990s and have some affinity and nostalgic sentiment towards that decade.

Lastly, this film featured some strong supporting players. Audiences have been following Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury since 2008 and we all wanted to see him be in a buddy cop movie with Carol Danvers and find out how he lost his eye. Plus Goose, I mean come on; featuring the cat in the marketing was a smart play.

These elements may be superficial and ultimately Captain Marvel feels like fairly standard superhero origin story stuff, but it doesn’t matter because it looked different and interesting enough for people to show up and help it crush at the box office.

Whatever the reason for its success, Captain Marvel's debut has gotten the MCU's year off to a great start ahead of the all-important Avengers: Endgame next month and it is a positive sign that Carol Danvers can be one of the faces of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the years to come.

Captain Marvel is now playing. Check out what we thought of the film and what ticket you should buy when you see it. For everything else you can look forward to this year, take a look at our 2019 Release Schedule.

Clint Eastwood's Best Movies, Both As An Actor And As A Director

Clint Eastwood's Best Movies, Both As An Actor And As A Director

Clint Eastwood’s incredible career as an actor and director goes back almost seven decades, spanning from his early days in the spaghetti westerns directed by Sergio Leone to the modern-day masterpieces that he has directed. While many Hollywood stars have been both actors and directors, Clint Eastwood shines alone in his incredible success at both.

As a director, his movies have won multiple Academy Awards and he was won four individually, two for directing and two for Best Picture. He’s been nominated for another seven, including twice for his acting. Plus, he was once considered for the role of James Bond, despite being American.

A list of Clint Eastwood's best movies could stretch for miles, but I’ve picked out what I think are five of his best performances as an actor in movies he did not direct and five of his directing jobs, some of which he also acted in. Take a look.

Clint Eastwood As A Director

The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (1966)

You can’t talk about Clint Eastwood without starting with the Sergio Leone-directed “Man With No Name” trilogy, starting with A Fistful Of Dollars, followed by For A Few Dollars More, and wrapping up with the most famous, The Good, The Bad And The Ugly. All three were released between 1964 and 1966 in Italy, but were all released in sequential order in the United States in 1967. The trilogy launched Eastwood into superstardom after his gritty, tough-guy performances as “The Man With No Name.”

Kelly’s Heroes (1970)

Kelly’s Heroes is a great heist/World War II flick that is often overlooked in Clint Eastwood’s stellar career, but looking back on it, it exemplifies just how big he had become by the time it was released in 1970. Eastwood stars as Private Kelly who leads an all-star cast on a hunt for Nazi gold, a cast that includes Telly Savalas, Carroll O’Connor, Donald Sutherland, and Don Rickles. The movie is full of military satire and it brilliantly walks a fine line between serious and ridiculous brilliantly. The tank scene as they approach the Nazi gold sets that tone perfectly.

Dirty Harry (1971)

Just like the spaghetti westerns of the sixties, the five Dirty Harry pictures in which Clint Eastwood played the title character would be enough for any normal actor to enter the pantheon of greats. For Eastwood, they are definitely a huge part of his legacy. His delivery of some of the most classic lines in cinema history, like “Go ahead make my day” and “Do you feel lucky?” are as much a part of the lexicon as anything Shakespeare ever wrote!

Escape From Alcatraz (1979)

For a certain generation, Escape From Alcatraz is one of those movies that seemed to always be on cable TV, like the Shawshank Redemption of the late '80s and early '90s. Based on a true story (though not very accurately), Clint Eastwood stars as Frank Morris, a prisoner at Alcatraz that organized the most infamous escape from the country’s most notorious prison. Was it successful? The film’s ending is somewhat ambiguous in answering that question because the truth is a mystery, Morris and the others were never seen again, nor were their bodies ever found.

In The Line Of Fire (1993)

In The Line Of Fire is a little bit of a rarity in that it is a later-era Clint Eastwood movie that he starred in, but didn’t direct. In it, Eastwood is washed-up Secret Service agent who was on the Presidential detail when Kennedy was assassinated and thirty years later finds himself working on another Presidential detail in light of information that a serious threat is being made on the President’s life. The antagonist, a would-be assassin played brilliantly by John Malkovich, taunts Eastwood with the past until it all leads to a climatic showdown between the two.

Clint Eastwood As A Director

The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

Clint Eastwood’s career as a director goes much further back than most people realize. While the Outlaw Josey Wales wasn’t the first film he directed, it was the one that really got his career as a director off the ground. It was a huge hit, wildly popular with the public and critics alike. Of course, Eastwood also stars in the movie as Josey Wales, a farmer hellbent on revenge for his wife’s killing by a Unionist during the Civil War.

Unforgiven (1992)

Unforgiven was a BIG deal. For starters, it marked Clint Eastwood’s return to the genre that first made him famous, both as an actor and as a director, the western. It was also a fantastic movie with top notch performances by Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, and Richard Harris. It is another revenge story with Eastwood, as Will Munny, going after a bounty set up by a group of prostitutes to avenge the beating of one of their own. For the film, Clint Eastwood won his first two Oscars, one for Best Picture and one for Best Director with this winner.

Million Dollar Baby (2004)

The second Oscar winner of Clint Eastwood’s directing career came for Million Dollar Baby. A deeply melancholy film, it tells the story of Eastwood as a washed up boxing trainer that gets one more shot with a gritty, down on her luck woman that wants to be a champion, played by Hilary Swank. It’s a tragic story and one that took years to make, as no studio initially wanted to make it. Eastwood proved them all wrong though, as the film pulled in four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress for Swank.

Letters From Iwo Jima (2006)

Letters From Iwo Jima is unique for a number of reasons. First, it’s an American movie that is almost entirely in Japanese. It is also the companion piece to Flags Of Our Fathers, which is the story of the Battle Of Iwo Jima from the America perspective while Letters From Io Jima is from the Japanese side. The two films were shot back to back in an incredibly ambitious project that you would expect from a younger, less accomplished director, not a 76-year-old will a huge bucketful of past laurels, like Eastwood. Sadly, neither movie did well at the box office, but no matter, just the ambitiousness and uniqueness of the two movies is worth seeking them out. Letters From Iwo Jima is definitely the better of the two, though both are excellent.

American Sniper (2014)

American Sniper is a movie that causes some division among viewers. In general, it has received rave reviews over the years and it was nominated for multiple awards, but it’s also pretty controversial, both for its subject matter and for Clint Eastwood’s filmmaking. The film stars Bradley Cooper as Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle, a veteran of the Iraq War who was killed by a fellow soldier in 2013, just a year before the movie was released. The movie found a groundswell of support from veterans both for Cooper’s portrayal and Kyle’s story. Love it or hate it, it’s incredible to think that even at age 84, Eastwood was still putting out masterful films like this, just as he is today.

The word “icon” is thrown around a lot in Hollywood, often about people that while great, may not deserve the moniker. Clint Eastwood deserves it. Maybe moreso than anyone else. His incredible career has spanned multiple generations and multiple genres and even at age 88, he doesn’t appear to be slowing down. As long as he isn’t yelling at empty chairs.

Academy Awards Shoot Down Rule About Excluding Netflix From Oscar Nominations

Academy Awards Shoot Down Rule About Excluding Netflix From Oscar Nominations

Netflix had it's most successful year at the Academy Awards this year when the streaming service/movie studio saw Roma take home multiple awards. While it didn't win the big Best Picture prize, simply being nominated for the award was a major step. However, it was one that not everybody was happy to see.

The word on the street was that Steven Spielberg, a member of the directors branch of the Academy with a seat on the Board of Governors, would be asking for a change in the rules for Oscar nomination that would have prevented the current release practices of Netflix, where the film is only given a limited theatrical release in a few places before ending up on the streaming platform, from being nominated. However, the Board of Governors has now decided against any changes to eligibility requirements.

As it stood, any movie that had a seven day theatrical run, with at least three showings per day, in the city of Los Angeles, was eligible for nomination for Academy Awards. To that end, Netflix would release a film like Roma in order to meet those requirements, and at the end of that week, the film would debut on the streaming service for all subscribers to see.

It's unclear, based on what's reported by Variety, if a rule change was every formerly requested, however, Academy President John Bailey did say that the Academy would continue to study the broad changes occurring within the industry, so the possibility of future changes certainly remains open.

There are many who feel quite strongly that part of what constitutes a "movie" is the theatrical experience, and while a company like Netflix may offer that in a very limited fashion, it's certainly not what the company is about. The experience is truly different, it's hard to argue otherwise, but should awards only be available to those who offer one particular experience?

Streaming services certainly do blur the line between film and television. Netflix and others create original material in both fields and make that content available to watch anywhere. The one place it's hardest to watch, however, is the movie theater. Unless you live in Los Angeles or one of the few other places that Netflix movies get screened, you can't watch them on the big screen.

This is an issue that clearly isn't dead. The film industry has gone through massive changes before and it will certainly adjust to these. It's simply a question of how. Netflix certainly isn't going away and considering the company's success with original movies, both in terms of viewership and awards success, it seems like a matter of time before Netflix wins a Best Picture Oscar, unless the Academy decides one day they shouldn't be considered for them.

Chris Rock Is Rebooting The Saw Franchise

Chris Rock Is Rebooting The Saw Franchise

The horror genre is in a bit of a renaissance right now. Rather than stale sequels, there are new exciting properties being brought to theaters. These movies are being met with critical and box office acclaim, with projects like Get Out even getting Oscar attention. But the genre is also built on long-running franchises, and it looks like one of the newer classics is going to be getting a reboot: Saw. What's more, comedian Chris Rock is involved in the developing project.

While Chris Rock isn't a name usually associated with horror, he's going to intimately involved with rebooting the Saw franchise, as both an executive producer and story writer. The gore-heavy property has typically been ultra serious and cruel, Rock's point of view and comedic background should help to bring new life. Liongsgate Motion Picture Group chairman Joe Drake issued a statement with the announcement of the forthcoming reboot, explaining:

When Chris Rock came to us and described in chilling detail his fantastic vision that reimagines and spins off the world of the notorious Jigsaw Killer, we were all-in. Saw is one of the highest-grossing horror franchises of all time and it’s one of Lionsgate’s most successful film series. This upcoming film will still be as mind bending and intense as all the previous Saw films. Chris conceived this idea and it will be completely reverential to the legacy of the material while reinvigorating the brand with his wit, creative vision and passion for this classic horror franchise.

The Saw franchise hasn't spent much time out of theaters, but it looks like the next installment will be notably different from its predecessors. And it's arriving soon, as the untitled project is set to hit theaters in October of 2020.

This statement from Lionsgate (via Variety) should illicit a mixture of reactions. Obviously fans of the Saw franchise will be thrilled to see more horrifying traps on the silver screen. But Chris Rock might not be the first person that moviegoers associate with the genre, let alone such an infamously gory one. Then again, the Saw films have generally been formulaic, so perhaps a fresh perspective is what the property needs to remain relevant in the midst of the horror renaissance.

Chris Rock also gave a brief statement regarding his excitement for the upcoming Saw reboot, which he'll be producing and helping create the story for. He said:

I’ve been a fan of Saw since the first film in 2004. I am excited by the opportunity to take this to a really intense and twisted new place.

Twisted is right, as the Saw franchise is classified under the sub-genre "torture porn." Movieogers have watched behind their hands as countless characters are massacred in bloody ways, usually in excruciating physical pain. The sub-genre that was made famous through the Saw and Hostel franchises, although the overall horror world seems to be going in a different direction recently.

Related: Chris Rock Has No Interest In Hosting The Oscars Again

If Chris Rock is able to bring something new to the Saw franchise, it could give the property new momentum. To do this, moviegoers going to need more than just the terrifying traps, like character-driven story and some moments of levity. We'll just have to see if Rock can help make this happen.

The Saw reboot will arrive in theaters on October 23, 2020. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

How To Train Your Dragon 3 Flew Past A Box Office Milestone, But There's Trouble From Here

How To Train Your Dragon 3 Flew Past A Box Office Milestone, But There's Trouble From Here

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World had the best opening of the franchise, and it's still doing well so far. Will it be able to make enough to pass the previous two movies, and close out the trilogy on top, now that Captain Marvel is here to push it off the top of the box office chart?

That may be too lofty a goal even for Toothless and Hiccup.

What we do know is that, before Captain Marvel's arrival, How to Train Your Dragon 3 managed to pass the $100 million milestone at the domestic North American box office. That's after opening two weeks ago on February 22, and placing #1 on the weekend box office charts for both of its weeks.

The Hidden World had the best opening of the three films so far, but it dipped enough in its second weekend that it looked like Madea might actually pass it at #1. That didn't happen, but now that competition is getting superheroic, you have to wonder where the film might go from here -- at least at the domestic box office.

Going into its third weekend, How to Train Your Dragon has made $104,966,125 at the domestic box office and an impressive $280,900,000 at the foreign box office for a current worldwide total of $385,866,125. That number, per Box Office Mojo, will go up by the end of the weekend, and should reach past $120 million domestic. How much further can it go from there?

The first How to Train Your Dragon movie came out in 2010 and ended its run with $217,581,231 at the domestic box office. The Hidden World is a long way away from that number. However, that movie "only" made $277,297,528 at the foreign box office, and the third movie has already made more than that overseas.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 came out in 2014 and made a total of $177,002,924 at the domestic box office and $444,534,595 overseas.

It seems like How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is likely to have a domestic box office closer to the second movie's number, below $200 million -- but that's a guess. Overseas? Does it have a chance of passing the second movie's $444.5M at the foreign box office alone? China, the second biggest box office market after North America, gave $65,100,000 to How to Train Your Dragon 2. The third movie opened at the start of March and has made $32,957,995 in China alone so far. However, the film got an early start at dozens of international markets, opening in January in many places. The Hidden World has already made the most money it's going to make in several countries.

So as exciting as it is to see How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World pass $100 million in the U.S./Canada, and prepare to pass $400 million worldwide, I suspect it won't have a chance to pass its predecessors to end the franchise at #1. That's OK, it was just hoped that the record opening would lead to a record close. It's still a big success.

The first movie had a worldwide combined total of $494,878,759. The second movie upped the combined total to $621,537,519. It doesn't seem like The Hidden World has the time or ability to top How to Train Your Dragon 2 from its current worldwide total of $385,866,125 (not counting this weekend, which should add about $20M domestic). But we'll see. I'm open to being as surprised by this movie as I was by the billion dollar success of Aquaman, the love China has for Green Book, and the continued power of The Upside.

Whatever happens from here, the Dragon franchise is ending strong. All three films earned "A" CinemaScores from polled moviegoers. All of the films have Rotten Tomatoes fresh scores above 90%, with the first film earning an Audience Score of 91% and the second and third films both currently at 89%. There was even early talk that How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World might finally have a chance at that animation Oscar, but we'll see. There's a lot of competition ahead.

Speaking of competition, this weekend belongs to Captain Marvel, which had a huge opening night and is tracking at $155 million to $160 million. Check out CinemaBlend's full weekend box office report on Sunday for those details. And keep up with everything headed to theaters in 2019 with our handy movie release date schedule.