Captain Marvel Is Getting A Box Office Boost From Avengers: Endgame

Captain Marvel Is Getting A Box Office Boost From Avengers: Endgame

The story of the box office this past weekend and perhaps our lifetimes was Avengers: Endgame, which snapped away nearly every opening weekend record in existence with an absurd $357.1 million domestic haul and over $1.2 billion worldwide. Believe it or not, the MCU’s culmination film wasn’t the only title in theaters. In fact, there was another Marvel movie playing as well, Captain Marvel to be specific, and it is receiving a nice box office boost from Endgame.

The domestic box office enjoyed the biggest weekend of all time with $401.65 million according to Deadline, with the largest chunk of that obviously coming from Endgame. That rising tide lifted Captain Marvel’s boat as well because the MCU solo film came in second with $8.3 million. That might not seem like an impressive number on its own, but in context it is clear that Captain Marvel is getting a major rub from all the hype around Endgame.

Captain Marvel has been a massive success in its own right and has earned $414.5 million domestic and over $1.1 billion worldwide, but it was winding down its theatrical run. Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck’s film released all the way back on March 8 and by the weekend of April 12-14 it had dropped to sixth place at the box office with $8.6 million according to Box Office Mojo.

The weekend before Avengers: Endgame, it started to look like the Brie Larson film was getting a bump as it rose 5.7%, climbing to fourth place with $9.1 million. But this past weekend, in its eighth weekend in release, Captain Marvel took second place at the box office, dropping only 8.7% to $8.3 million from 2,435 locations. Remarkably, Captain Marvel has maintained this hold and gotten a boost at the box office all while continuing to shed theaters.

This seems to be pretty clearly a result of Avengers: Endgame spreading the love and elevating its MCU brethren (sistren?) and it makes sense. While I tend to think that the MCU has a coterie audience that sees all the movies, it is possible that some MCU fans and more casual audiences still needed to catch up on Captain Marvel or wanted to see it as part of their pre-Endgame MCU rewatch.

If you couldn’t get Avengers: Endgame tickets till Sunday, why not make a weekend out of it and hit Captain Marvel on Saturday? This is pure speculation but it’s also feasible that audiences that skipped Captain Marvel saw how badass she is in Avengers: Endgame and decided that her solo film was worth checking out.

Whatever the reason, this past weekend was all about Avengers: Endgame and the MCU overall and Captain Marvel benefitted from that.

Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame are now playing. If you still need to see the latter, or want to see it again (who doesn’t?), make sure you know what ticket to buy. Also, be sure to take a look at our 2019 Release Schedule to see all the other big movies headed your way this summer.

New Toy Story 4 Trailer Shows Buzz Flying And Rex Panicking

New Toy Story 4 Trailer Shows Buzz Flying And Rex Panicking

As the summer release of Pixar’s fourth Toy Story adventure is now just under three months away, the studio is starting to give us a closer look regarding just what the beloved toys will be up to this time around. We already know we’ll meet a craft-project named Forky, the gang will go on a roadtrip with Bonnie and Woody will reunite with Bo Peep at a carnival. The new international trailer is showing us a bit more of Buzz Lightyear’s storyline, along with some memorable lines we already can’t wait to quote. Check it out:

Excited yet? The Disney UK trailer features a ton of the fun footage we have seen thanks to the release of the full Toy Story 4 trailer last week, but also has a few more tidbits to show off we have yet to see until now. First off, there’s a great Rex line that will certainly find its way into reaction gifs: “the panic is attacking me!” The plastic T-Rex looks to be talking about the toys’ upcoming road trip, but it’s a great addition to the anxious character’s other lines such as “I just don’t think I can take that kind of rejection” and “Oh, I hate all this uncertainty”. Same Rex. Same.

Another new moment seen in this new trailer is a bit more of what looks to be a hilarious exchange between Woody and Forky on the side of the road. The craft project runs away from the vacation because he doesn’t feel like he belongs there and Woody goes after him to convince him to come back to Bonnie. The new footage features Forky asking Woody to carry him before Tom Hanks’ iconic character gives him a hard “no”.

There is also more footage of what will be going on for Buzz in Toy Story 4. After Woody and Forky leave the RV, Buzz plays the hero (as always) and decides to opt for his own rescue mission and fly out the window. The character voiced by Tim Allen seems to learn nothing from the first movie, as his flight attempt turns into one big “fall with style” that gets him captured and turned into a carnival prize.

Buzz ends up next to Key and Peele’s new characters, Ducky and Bunny, who seem a little threatened by his presence in the toy lineup. Ducky makes fun of Buzz by saying “To infinity and my foot” while kicking the space cadet before it gets stuck in his helmet.

The new Toy Story 4 moments are primarily comedic ones that tease some laugh-out-loud moments between the new and old toy characters as they venture into the carnival setting that the new movie seems to largely take place in. Where will the movie take us (and our tears) this time? The movie comes out on June 21, 2019.

Mark Strong Finally Got To Be The DC Villain He Was Meant To Be In Shazam!

Mark Strong Finally Got To Be The DC Villain He Was Meant To Be In Shazam!

If you’re looking for an imposing villain with strong features and a voice like smooth oak, Mark Strong is one of the best people you can hire for the job. Hollywood is certainly not afraid to admit that fact, as he’s been cast as the baddie quite a few times in the comic book world, most notably in Kick-Ass, Green Lantern and now as the vicious Dr. Sivana in Warner Bros.’ Shazam. And it’s in that last film that Mark Strong finally got to be the baddie he was always meant to be in the DC Universe.

The story of how Green Lantern went wrong is basic comic book movie history, with a lot of factors leading to the failure of the Ryan Reynolds film in theaters back in 2011. But one of the best things to happen to that film was Strong’s casting as Sinestro, a high-ranking member of the Green Lantern Corps who tried to whip smart-assed rule-breaker Hal Jordan into shape. Of course, this was only a prelude to the eventual fate of his character, which was shown in the film’s post-credits sequence.

Sadly, the big heel turn left Mark Strong rather bummed out when it came to showing his antagonistic chops, as Green Lantern never got the sequel it was gearing up for. While that DC character is definitely getting a reboot and Strong has made his peace with that, there’s still some regret as to how Sinestro was handled overall. And when CinemaBlend recently got to sit down with the actor as part of Shazam’s big junket day, he compared his two very different DC experiences as follows:

I never really got to take Sinestro to where he’s famous for. The Green Lantern that we did, he’s the head of the Corps, but his only problem in that movie was that he was pretty down on [Hal Jordan.] He’s a kind of almost like a military overseer, making him get into shape and stuff. None of the evil came through there, none of the badness. It was only in the credits sequence, when he puts on the other ring, that I thought he actually started to come into himself, and that’s the bit that I wanted to take to the next level. But I feel that I’ve been able to do that with Silvana

Shazam’s Dr. Sivana is definitely the DC villain that Mark Strong was always meant to be, as right from his character’s origins, there’s an energy about him that’s just waiting to turn sinister. Only, instead of promising such an event in a post-credits sequence, director and recent guest on our ReelBlend podcast, David F. Sandberg’s film goes ahead and shows us Strong’s dark side in the first act, and continues to let it shine throughout.

Now that’s not to say that being a villain is Mark Strong’s only claim to fame, as the man has racked up quite a resume. Even in the comic world, Strong has been seen as the charming and lovable Merlin, tech guru to the Kingsman organization in the two Matthew Vaughan-directed films we’ve seen thus far. But when it comes to actors we’d trust in the role of the person we can sympathize with, while simultaneously hating their every move, Shazam! picked exactly the right person to portray that very kind of person. You can feel it as you watch Strong talk about his role in the film, and the big difference between his two big DC Comics experiences, in the video below:

Having Mark Strong playing Dr. Sivana only helps anchor down the film’s lighter treatment of the themes of super powers, who’s truly worthy to possess them and what people do with those powers once they’ve gained them. With his side of the bargain fulfilled, seeing the kids of Shazam! squaring off against the deadly doctor is only that much more rewarding and crowd pleasing. And when it comes to the DC Universe, those are two of the best adjectives to be associated with their recent output.

Watch Mark Strong’s Dr. Sivana threaten the world, and some foster kids standing in his way, in Shazam! when it opens in early shows Thursday night.

Jared Leto Reveals First Look At Sony’s Morbius Movie

Jared Leto Reveals First Look At Sony’s Morbius Movie

Last October, Venom kicked off Sony Pictures’ own shared Marvel universe, and Morbius will keep the ball rolling next year. Morbius the Living Vampire’s cinematic adventure was announced back in November 2017, and now principal photography has finally begun, with Jared Leto playing the blood-sucking Marvel character. To commemorate finishing the first week of shooting, Leto has shared the first official look at Morbius, which you can gaze at below.

Ah, the old ‘strategically-placed clapperboard’ trick. While we can’t make out Jared Leto’s full Morbius look in this Twitter picture, his eyes seem to have a sickly quality to them. Assuming that Michael Morbius will look more monstrous as a vampire like his comic book counterpart does, then I’m guessing this particular scene takes place when Michael is still fully human and suffering from a blood disease or whatever his ailment in the upcoming movie is. It’s logical to assume that this guy won’t be running any marathons in his current condition. In any case, since there’s still a lot of time to go until Morbius wraps up principal photography, maybe we’ll be treated to an official, unobscured look at Leto vampire-ed up before the cameras finish rolling.

For those unfamiliar with Morbius the Living Vampire, Michael Morbius, a Nobel Prize-winning biochemist, attempted to cure his blood disease with a treatment involving vampire bat DNA and electroshock therapy. This treatment did succeed in curing Michael of his disorder, but it also turned him into a pseudo-vampire. He obtained amazing abilities like super strength, flight and an accelerated healing factor, but he now also had to ingest fresh blood on a regular basis to stay alive. While no specific plot details about the Morbius movie have been revealed yet, it’s expected to follow this same basic premise. This movie marks Jared Leto’s second time contributing to the comic book movie genre, the first time being as The Joker in Suicide Squad.

Like Venom, Morbius won’t see the eponymous character fighting Spider-Man, though perhaps that could change later on in the franchise (though I doubt it would be with Tom Holland’s version of the Web-Slinger). Also like Venom, Morbius is expected to portray the character as more of an anti-hero than a full-blown super villain, with an unofficial plot description saying that Morbius the Living Vampire will prey on criminals he deems are unworthy of life. The cast also includes Matt Smith, Adria Ajona and Jared Harris. Life’s Daniel Espinosa is directing, and Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless wrote the script.

Morbius will be released in theaters on July 31, 2020, so keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates on its progress. For now, you can look through our 2019 release schedule to find out what movies are coming out this year.

Star Trek’s Zachary Quinto Is Still Hoping To Play Spock Again

Star Trek’s Zachary Quinto Is Still Hoping To Play Spock Again

Star Trek found new life on the big screen when J.J. Abrams brought the franchise back with a new timeline in 2009. That film's success spawned a pair of sequels and we were expecting a fourth film to come along in short order. However, the most recent word is that the film is not currently an active concern for the studio. Having said that, Zachary Quinto certainly hopes that he gets a chance to play Spock again at some point.

When recently asked by Vulture about the status of Star Trek 4, not to be confused with The Voyage Home, Zachary Quinto stated that he had no idea what the plan for the franchise was at this point, though he made it clear that he certainly wants a fourth movie to happen, saying...

I don’t know what’s happening with that, and I’m trying to figure out what, if anything, will be the future for it. I feel glad that the franchise is having its own life continuing on [with Star Trek: Discovery] and my hope is that we’ll also get to go back and play those roles again. But there’s no telling right now if it’ll happen or not.

Almost as soon as Star Trek Beyond hit theaters we were expecting a fourth film to get the green light. Franchise producer J.J. Abrams was already talking about an idea that would have brought Chris Hemsworth, who had a cameo in the first film as the father of James T. Kirk, back into the series, and everybody seemed very excited. Director S.J. Clarkson was brought on to direct the film and everything appeared to be going smoothly.

However, it seems that because Star Trek Beyond had a somewhat lackluster box office, Paramount Pictures was looking to save money and wanted Chrises Pine and Hemsworth to take pay cuts for the project. Negotiations stalled out, and from there what had seemed to be a promising new movie appears to have fallen apart.

Chris Hemsworth has recently stated that, in the end, he didn't think there was enough of a reason to move forward with the film, and so he decided to walk away from it.

Star Trek as a franchise certainly isn't going anywhere. As Zachary Quinto mentions, Star Trek: Discovery, which includes his character Spock, though played by a different actor, is still keeping the popular brand going. It seems almost certain that we will get more Star Trek on the big screen at some point, but we simply have no idea what form that will take.

Quentin Tarantino has mentioned an idea for a Star Trek movie that looks like it has as good a shot as anything of getting made, though it's unclear if his idea would include the current movie cast or not.

Rocketman Has Screened, See What People Are Saying

Rocketman Has Screened, See What People Are Saying

On the heels of the worldwide box office phenomenon known as Bohemian Rhapsody comes another tribute to a popular music icon who rose to fame in the ‘70s and loved to don a glittery get-up: Rocketman. Taron Egerton stars as Elton John in a biopic/musical framed around his breakthrough years.

Ahead of its theatrical release in a couple weeks, Rocketman has now premiered at Cannes Film Festival in France to a standing ovation from the crowd. That’s certainly a good sign! But did it lift off and soar in critics' eyes? Let’s take a look at some of the first reactions about the fantasy musical.

CinemaBlend's own Sean O'Connell is now in London doing interviews for Rocketman. Before that, he had a chance to see the movie and shared his rave review:

We can talk about Rocketman? It’s FANTASTIC. A wonderful, emotional and uplifting musical that weaves Elton John’s classics into a heartbreaking ode to fame. Taron Egerton is BRILLIANT and Dexter Fletcher stages jaw-dropping musical interludes. A home run!

That's a great start! Rebecca Keegan of The Hollywood Reporter sounds like she was absolutely floored by the film. Take a look:

Hot damn, Taron Egerton is the real deal. Rocketman is a musical about picking yourself up off your ass and Taron delivers the sweat, grit and vulnerability it needs.

Along with loving Taron Egerton’s iteration of the music sensation, she praised it for the “I’m Still Standing” message. The actor worked closely with the Elton John himself, even having to sing and act with John in front of him, which he understandably found to be extremely intimidating. The iconic musician has been quite supportive of Egerton though.

Not everyone was completely convinced by Egerton’s performance though. The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw felt he didn’t quite hit every note with these words:

Dexter Fletcher’s Rocketman is a good-natured biopic-slash-jukebox-musical with Taron Egerton gamely doing a middleweight impersonation, more comfortable with the lighter side, better at the tiaras than the tantrums.

When it comes to the dramatic aspects of Rocketman, Bradshaw didn’t feel like he sold it. Conversely, Stuart Oldham of Variety specifically pointed out the more somber moments of the film hitting a high for him. Here’s what he said:

Rocketman is fantastic, a musical drama that hits all the right notes, especially the sad ones.

Elton John’s husband of 26 years, John Furnish, recently watched the flick and said his personal struggles at the beginning of his career and prior to their life together made him want to give John a hug. Considering some of these reactions, as an audience we may collectively be feeling the same way as the film discusses his stint in rehab and sexual identity.

A couple months ago, there were rumors that Paramount had cut a “nude cuddle” between Taron Egerton’s Elton and Richard Madden’s John Reid due to the studio pulling back on the film’s adult content. This reaction from NY Times’ Kyle Buchanan indicates Rocketman does not steer away from portraying his sexuality. In his words:

Pleasantly surprised that Rocketman does not skimp on the gay sex, but the gayest thing about the movie is still Taron Egerton insisting he’s fat when he isn’t.

One primary criticism of last year’s Bohemian Rhapsody was the way it shied away from completely exploring Mercury’s relationships with men – Rocketman won’t be making that mistake. Richard Madden’s role is also gaining recognition as well. Here’s what Anne Thompson of IndieWire had to say:

Richard Madden is swaggeringly hot as Elton John’s manager John Reid who was also the villain in Bohemian Rhapsody. He really would make a great James Bond.

Comparisons to the Queen biopic just keep coming up! In addition to the film sharing a bit of the same subject matter and Dexter Fletcher being involved as director in both, it also includes one of the same villains. To round out the reactions, check out Ramin Setoodeh’s thoughts:

Rocketman is thankfully better than Bohemian Rhapsody. But it also feels like a Broadway musical that was forced into a movie. Or, The Greatest Showman set at the Abbey.

It looks like the movie is a lot more musical than biopic, but it still works better than the Queen film in his opinion. The Variety bureau chief also caught a sweet video of Taron Egerton’s own reaction upon seeing the film and watching the audience’s reaction at Cannes. Take a look:

The actor looks both happy and overwhelmed at his Rocketman debut! The 29-year-old actor is still fairly new to the industry and still best known for his Kingsman role. After the premiere, he and Elton John took to the stage to perform the song “Rocketman” together, captured by The Hollywood Reporter:

Wow! The actor has found a duet partner in Elton John before when they sang “Tiny Dancer” at an Oscars party in February. The pair look energized by the film’s screening in this performance. It was no doubt an emotional day for the both of them seeing their work on the film (and for John, quite literally his life’s work) finally premiere.

Rocketman hits theaters on May 31 and is expected to open at around $20 million during its first weekend as Godzilla: King of the Monsters presumably tops the musical.

The Classic Men In Black Prop That Plays A Big Role In The Reboot

The Classic Men In Black Prop That Plays A Big Role In The Reboot

Sing it with us: “Here come the Men In Black… again!” It has been seven years since the black-suited galaxy protectors at the Men In Black graced our movie screens, and Sony plans to bring the outfit out of mothballs for this summer’s Men In Black International. There will be some major changes. Gone are Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, staples of the series through the first three films. In their place are new agents played by Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, each eager to take on a globe-trotting adventure.

With the movie’s release date on the horizon, CinemaBlend ventured to London to spend time on the set of director F. Gary Gray’s sequel and learn about how Men In Black International planned to move the story forward, while also leaning on the franchise’s past. There will be nods to the existing Men In Black movies – heck, Emma Thompson reprises her role as Agent O, proving this story takes place in the same continuity as the Smith and Jones adventures. And one prop, in particular, will play more of a central role in this movie’s narrative.

Producer Walter Parkes opened up about the development of the story for Men In Black International, saying that Chris Hemsworth’s character, Agent H, is well-known for defeating a villain known as The Hive. Only, maybe he didn’t… and his memory is affected by the infamous neuralyzer that’s always used in the MiB series. Parkes told CinemaBlend:

Rafe [Spall] plays Agent C, who’s Chris’s rival. The Hive is the villainous force that Liam [Neeson] and Chris defeated four years before all of this. And our story deals with a sort of repeating history. The Hive have come back, and we discover that the circumstances of the great moment that made Chris’s character a hero may not have been true. So it’s interesting. … You know the thing about the neuralyzer, it’s a very interesting prop in the Men in Black universe, and the idea of taking people’s memories away and putting in false memories, which we’ve used but sort of around the kind of periphery of our plots, might have a little more central role in this one.

That’s an interesting approach. Is it possible that Chris Hemsworth’s Agent H was neuralyzed by his own people into believing he did some heroic deeds? In the initial trailer for Men In Black International, Hemsworth was playing his character as someone who is a little aloof and above the action, perhaps seeing himself as too good to worry about alien creatures and otherworldly messes. Maybe it’s because his memory has been altered? We’ll know soon enough.

Tessa Thompson, meanwhile, fits into the narrative as a New York-based fan of the MiB who discovers the secret agency, then talks Emma Thompson’s supervisor into letting her into the organization. Tessa will join Hemsworth on his missions, and probably prove herself to be more adept at alien busting than the burly Aussie is.

See their chemistry on display in that full Men In Black International trailer:

It’s cool that the new story is making good use of props from the original series, and evening finding important ways to potentially use them and add fresh angles to the Men In Black narrative. The use of the neuralyzer is a signature move for MiB, and I’m curious about how using it on an agent like H will impact the story.

Find out when Men In Black International arrives in theaters on June 14. And stay on CinemaBlend for a lot more coverage from our visit to the set of F. Gary Gray’s upcoming sequel.

Maleficent 2 Just Got Pushed Way Up In The Theatrical Schedule

Maleficent 2 Just Got Pushed Way Up In The Theatrical Schedule

It took a long time to get a sequel to Maleficent off the ground and while it's been half a year since the project wrapped filming, it was still going to be more than a year before the movie hit theaters, with the film set to release in May of 2020. However, this morning Disney revealed a few small pieces of very interesting information. One was the film's official title, and another was a brand new release date that moves the film way up the calendar. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is now coming out this year, on October 18, 2019.

Why This Release Date Is A Big Change

When release dates for movies change, it's almost exclusively delays. When films do have their release pushed up, it might be by a couple of weeks, or at the most a couple of months. Seeing a movie jump more than a year up the calendar is unusual.

From a post-production stand point it's probably not an issue. The film is still coming out more than a year after filming wrapped. The bigger issue with the release date move is that Disney is moving Maleficent: Mistress of Evil into an already very crowded year, one that's been made crowded mostly by Disney itself.

This will make Maleficent: Mistress of Evil the fourth Disney live action remake -- or in this case, sequel to one -- coming out this year alone. Dumbo hits later this month, then Aladdin in May, The Lion King in July, and now Maleficent in October.

And that's just the movies based on previous animated material. 2019 is a huge year for Disney, from Captain Marvel arriving this week, to Avengers: Endgame to Frozen II to Star Wars: Episode IX, the House of Mouse is going to have no problem bringing in a massive box office this year, The studio didn't exactly need the help.

Having said all that, there is something of a gap in that schedule, as Disney didn't have anything on the calendar between August's Artemis Fowl and November's Frozen II so it's not like Disney will be cannibalizing its own box office here. And a pre-Halloween release date for Disney's biggest villain isn't the worst idea in the world. Nothing of note was set to release that weekend. Zombieland 2 and the animated Addams Family movie are set to hit the weekend before.

Maleficent 2 Also Got A First Look

In addition to the title and release date, a poster for the new film was also released. Check it out below.

The Title Calls Back To Sleeping Beauty

In Disney's original Sleeping Beauty Maleficent refers to herself as the "Mistress of All Evil." While the title calls back to that, don't expect Angelina Jolie's character to be too evil. She's not technically the villain of the story. That role is reportedly been taken by Ed Skrein.

Although, the use of the title with the new release date makes one wonder if the new movie will be something closer to horror than the original. It's certainly setting itself up to imply a very dark movie.

The success of the original Maleficent is largely responsible for the influx of live-action remakes that Disney has gone all-in on. The movie was a smash hit. The sequel will also be a return for Angelina Jolie who hasn't been on screen since the year after the original Maleficent came out. If fans are still hungry for the character or the actress then we could see yet another big hit in what is already going to be a year of big hits for Disney.

Katherine Langford’s Cut Avengers: Endgame Role Would Have Been Very Cool

Katherine Langford’s Cut Avengers: Endgame Role Would Have Been Very Cool

We've officially reached a point where spoilers regarding Avengers: Endgame are allowed, and that means that the filmmakers themselves are now talking openly about some of the decisions that led to what we saw in the epic Marvel movie. They're also talking about decisions that led to things that ended up not making it into the movie at all.

Several months ago it was reported that 13 Reasons Why and Love, Simon star Katherine Langford had been cast in an undisclosed role for the recent film. However, if you've seen the movie, you know the actress never actually appears in the final film. While the scene was cut, it seems the plans for Langford were significant, as she was hired to play an older version of Tony Stark's daughter, Morgan Stark. According to Joe Russo...

There was an idea that we had that Tony was going to go into the metaphysical way station that Thanos goes in when he snapped his fingers. And that there was going to be a future version of his daughter in that way station.

When Thanos commits universal genocide at the end of Avengers: Infinity War, we see him standing in some sort of otherworldly place where he is confronted by a child version of Gamora. She asks him what it has cost for Thanos to finally achieve his objective.

It seems the plan was to have a similar scene in Avengers: Endgame where Tony Stark has a similar vision upon using the Infinity Stones. Instead of seeing his younger daughter, he sees a version of her grown up, where Morgan tells him that it's ok that he's gone. This gives Tony Stark peace and allows him to go.

The Russos confirm to the Happy Sad Confused Podcast that the scene was shot, but in showing it to test audiences, they found that the scene was actually quite confusing, and so they took it out. Anthony Russo explains part of why it didn't work.

What we realized about it was we didn't have, we didn't feel an emotional association with the adult version of his daughter so it wasn't ringing to us, resonating with us on an emotional level, which is why we moved away from it.

Instead, Pepper Potts is sitting by Tony as he fades away, and tells him that she and Morgan will be ok. Allowing Tony to finally rest.

Since the scene was shot, there's the possibility we might end up seeing as part of extras on the eventual Blu-ray release for Avengers: Endgame. While the scene might not have worked in the final cut, that doesn't mean it's not a cool scene on its own.

Of course, this information does open up a couple of questions we have to ask. If using all of the Infinity Stones sends you to some sort of cosmic way station, what did Hulk see when he was there?

Secondly, if the Marvel Cinematic Universe ever decides to take a time jump forward and show us an older Morgan Stark, could they call Katherine Langford again? Assuming Morgan got her parents' brains, she could be an important character in the future of the MCU.

Detective Pikachu Reviews Are Up, See What Critics Are Saying

Detective Pikachu Reviews Are Up, See What Critics Are Saying

After over two decades of video games, trading cards and animated TV shows and movies, Pokemon is finally making the jump to the live action realm with Pokemon: Detective Pikachu. The movie is arriving in theaters this weekend, but as is usually the case, numerous critics were able to see the movie early. Following the initial social media reactions, Pokemon: Detective Pikachu reviews are now pouring in, and the reception towards the first live action Pokemon movie is fairly mixed.

Starting, CinemaBlend’s own Dirk Libbey had a more mixed view towards Pokemon: Detective Pikachu, giving it 3 stars out of 5 stars in his review and saying that while you don’t need to be a Pokemon expert to enjoy the movie, it doesn’t hurt. Dirk complimented the look of Pokemon: Detective Pikachu, but noted that it’s filled with over-exposition about details concerning each major Pokemon, and the story leaves a lot to be desired, though it’s clear that Ryan Reynolds had a lot of fun voicing the titular Pikachu.

… While exposition is ham-handed and motivations are far from clear, there's a charm in Detective Pikachu that is undeniable. Seeing these creatures come to life is going to be a blast for fans, and while some of the references to the franchise might be lost on non-fans, Ryan Reynolds' charisma combined with seeing one lovingly crafted Pokemon creature after another will likely carry you through.

AV Club’s Jesse Hassenger was also more critical towards Pokemon: Detective Pikachu, giving it a C-. In Jesse’s opinion, the movie fails to effectively mix the classic Pokemon mythology with noir tropes, which is especially unfortunate for Kathryn Newton’s Lucy Stevens. Ultimately, Pokemon: Detective Pikachu “settles into the generic rhythms of a second-tier ’80s cop movie—in other words, noir for dummies,” though the Pokemon at least look good in their “half-realistic, half-cartoony CG.”

The movie tries to sound like a comedy (especially when Reynolds is talking), look like a noir, and act like a big summer blockbuster. It ends up a whole lot of cute, branded nothing—watchable junk for young adults of tomorrow to look back on with inordinate fondness.

On the more positive end of the spectrum, Dan Casey from Nerdist gave Pokemon: Detective Pikachu 4 out of 5 stars, calling it a “super effective” story that helps break the video game movie curse. Boasting “eticulous visual effects wizardry, a delightfully dry sense of humor, and an abiding love of pulp and noir,” Pokemon: Detective Pikachu gives audiences a world where these Pocket Monsters feel like “living, breathing creatures.”

While Detective Pikachu doesn’t reinvent the wheel in terms of storytelling, it has managed the seemingly impossible of creating a deeply satisfying and fully realized world based on something with so much fan expectation and preconceived notions attached to it.

Back to mixed territory, Empire’s Olly Richards stamped Pokemon: Detective Pikachu with 3 out of 5 stars. In Olly’s eyes, the movie’s plotting is “pretty shoddy,” in that it doesn’t clearly establish the rules of Pokemon and full of characters monologuing about what’s happening and what will happen. The saving grace is Ryan Reynolds’ performance as Pikachu, as his lines are “sharp, silly and knowing.”

It’s impossible to overstate how much this film owes to Ryan Reynolds. Even if you don’t understand Pikachu’s world, everyone can understand a great joke superbly delivered.

Chris Nashawaty from Entertainment Weekly gave Pokemon: Detective Pikachu a C+, calling it “narratively incoherent to the point of being almost avant-garde.” If you’re already a Pokemon fan, you’ll appreciate the movie much more than someone going in with barely any familiarity with the franchise.

As the wisecracking voice of Pikachu, Ryan Reynolds deserves some sort of special citation for doing the best he can without Deadpool’s f-bombs (or a decent script) to lean on. But the main problem is that the film’s gumball-mayhem plot is so frenetic that it’s impossible to determine if it makes a lick of sense. Maybe that was the point.

The Hollywood Reporter’s Michael Rechtshaffen was among the critics who took a more positive stance on Pokemon: Detective Pikachu, saying that writer/director Rob Letterman’s “energetic direction,” Ryan Reynolds’ “world-weary” Pikachu and Justice Smith’s “necessarily reactive performance” are just enough to make this an enjoyable cinematic offering.

Those anticipating another Golden Raspberry-worthy contender like last year’s The Happytime Murders, another spoof of classic pulp fiction, can park their preconceived notions at the door. It turns out Pokemon Detective Pikachu isn’t half bad.

Finally, IGN’s Joshua Yehl awarded Pokemon: Detective Pikachu an 8 out of 10 score, complementing how well animated the Pokemon are and how they feel like a “natural part of the world.” The storytelling “isn’t entirely up to par,” but this is somewhat balanced out by a “layered sense of humor” that’s willing to poke fun at itself and paves the way for some deep-cut references.

Detective Pikachu mixes humor, heart, and gloriously-rendered Pokémon to deliver a simple yet entertaining time.

These are just a sampling of the Pokemon: Detective Pikachu reviews available now, so feel free to read what other people thought of the movie elsewhere on the internet. However, working off these examples, Pokemon: Detective Pikachu falls right in the middle when it comes to critical reception. There’s definitely enough for longtime Pokemon fans to enjoy, and some newbies might also be entertained, but there are definitely various issues that prevent this movie from being exceptional.

Looking to the commercial side of things, Pokemon: Detective Pikachu was predicted last month to open between $75-$90 million, so it won’t be much longer until we learn whether it meets, exceeds or falls short of those expectations. Assuming it is a critical success, Warner Bros already has a Detective Pikachu sequel in the works, and there’s the potential for this film series to evolve into a cinematic universe.

You can judge Pokemon: Detective Pikachu for yourself starting this weekend, but if you’re more curious about what movies will be arriving later in 2019, you can look through our handy release schedule for that information. Be sure to stay tuned to CinemaBlend for any updates concerning the future of Pokemon on the silver screen.

Looks Like The Fox And Disney Merger Will Cause A Ton Of Layoffs

Looks Like The Fox And Disney Merger Will Cause A Ton Of Layoffs

Even if you've never personally been part of a business merger of any kind (and I have), it's not hard to predict many of the things that will happen as a result. When two companies that used to do largely the same thing come together, you end up with one company that has a lot more employees doing the same job than it may necessarily need. That means layoffs. When two companies the size of Disney and 20th Century Fox come together, that's a lot of employees, and that means a lot of potential layoffs. Specifically, 7,500 people are expected to end up unemployed as a result of the merger.

Needless to say, 7,500 people is a lot of people who likely will be viewed as redundant after the dust settles. The Disney/Fox merger is expected to be finalized on paper as early as next week. We likely won't see a bunch of people out of work on day one. A lot of the work of combining these two massive companies together likely hasn't even started yet, waiting for the merger to become official.

Certainly, not everybody coming on board is going to lose their job. Fox, and its various subsidiary divisions, is going to remain as a separate distribution label under the Disney umbrella, similar to Marvel Studios or Lucasfilm. Those parts of the company will still need people to run them and handle various jobs inside.

While it's easy to assume that layoffs will hurt a lot of the people in smaller positions, and it certainly will, nobody is entirely immune from layoffs. The new company doesn't necessarily need any more vice presidents or other top level executives than it already has, so some layoffs will take place at every level. Though, certainly things will hurt the lower level employees more.

Most of these layoffs will likely come from the Fox side of things. Disney is the company retaining control over the new company, it's easier for Disney to simply keep all its people in place and simply add in the necessary Fox people, but there's no way to know for sure.

It shows just how big the new Walt Disney Company will be that it is adding an entirely new film division, some smaller film subsidiaries, like Fox Searchlight, as well as new cable channels, and more, and will still need to layoff something close to 7,500 people. THR says that the massive merger between AT&T and Time Warner won't result in nearly as many lost jobs. While there are some undeniably cool things that a Disney/Fox merger may create on the content side of things, it can't be overstated that this merger is changing the media landscape forever.

Wheels will begin turning next week once the merger is official and the new Walt Disney Company begins to move forward and figure out what it is going to be. Hopefully, the people who find themselves without a home in the new company won't be without a job for too long.

Shazam! Director Reveals Behind The Scenes Look At His Cameo

Shazam! Director Reveals Behind The Scenes Look At His Cameo

Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for Shazam!

Big movies will often have fun cameos from their directors and DC’s Shazam! is no different. Director David F. Sandberg did show up in his delightful first foray into superhero moviemaking, but you could be forgiven for not spotting him. While many of Shazam!’s cameos are front and center for the audience to see, David F. Sandberg’s is very well hidden. The director recently revealed his cameo though and the process that went in to making it happen. Check it out:

The way David F. Sandberg presents this behind the scenes is funny, because when you first see him with his head covered in some kind of mold, you start wracking your brain trying to remember the movie and figure out what this cameo could possibly be. Or at least I did. The director was clearly getting fitted for some sort of molded costume and as you scroll through his Instagram pictures, you discover what that costume was.

David F. Sandberg cameoed as one of the Crocodile Men towards the end of the film, and it was clearly quite the involved process to make this cameo happen. Once the molds were made, we see that David F. Sandberg got to wear and test out a remote controlled crocodile head helmet that he could move with and snap its jaws. The prosthetic croc head even had the ability to electronically control the movement of the eyes and the eyelids.

The whole thing honestly looks ridiculous and kind of fun, if not a little stuffy. This also makes it plainly obvious why you could watch Shazam! a thousand times and not spot David F. Sandberg’s cameo without his reveal here. Quite a bit of work went in to making this practical effect and cameo happen, which is admirable considering that it could have just been done with CGI (without the cameo) for what was ultimately a very quick shot.

The cameo occurs towards the end of the movie, when Shazam and his foster siblings are trying to escape from the Rock of Eternity and Doctor Sivana and they come to a cavern filled with many doors to the Seven Realms. They begin opening doors to find a way out and one of those doors had the strange sight of three crocodile men in suits playing cards in it.

As David F. Sandberg shows in his Instagram, this isn’t an invention for the film but an Easter egg that has a basis in the comics. The Crocodile Men of the planet Punkus are villains of Shazam and members of the Monster Society of Evil.

This is quite a cool cameo that doubles as an Easter egg, and also shows how much fun David F. Sandberg wanted to have in this. He could have just shown up in the crowd during the bus scene or at the Christmas carnival at the end of the film but he went all out to do something different. There’s nothing wrong with more traditional cameos but its fitting that the horror director wanted to get a monster costume for his cameo.

David F. Sandberg’s heavily concealed appearance was far from the only cameo in Shazam! The film also featured a host of cameos from actors like Adam Brody as members of the adult Shazam Family, the appearance of which was a well-guarded secret prior to the film’s release. There was also something of a half-cameo by Superman at the end of the film, although it was not Henry Cavill.

Shazam! is now playing. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all this year’s biggest movies and stay tuned to CinemaBlend for all your movie news.

Hellboy’s Milla Jovovich Says Her ‘Raddest Films’ Are Always Panned By Critics

Hellboy’s Milla Jovovich Says Her ‘Raddest Films’ Are Always Panned By Critics

The box office numbers are in and the Hellboy r-rated remake didn’t win the box office. In fact, it didn’t even get second on its opening weekend. Instead, it landed in third place, so far only pulling in a little over $12 million at the box office on a reported $50 million budget.

It doesn’t look great for the superhero reboot, but Hellboy definitely has one person championing it: actress Milla Jovovich, who plays Nimue in the film.

In fact, the actress actually seems to be actively trying to stay pumped about Hellboy’s first weekend box office total. That’s because all of her “raddest films” really haven’t ignited at the box office. Or, as she put it,

It’s always stressful on opening weekend and Hellboy is no different. You work super hard to make something fun and entertaining and have to absorb the negative reviews by movie critics, but hey! THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY. All I’m gonna say before going to bed is this: All my raddest films have been slammed by critics. It’s fucking hilarious.

As the actress notes, when you’re well known for movies that never really made a dent in the theatrical box office total, you get pretty inured to the showbiz cycle. In Milla Jovovich’s case, box office really hasn’t had much to do with the successes in her career.

She’s made a name for herself in projects like The Fifth Element and Resident Evil – both movies that made like $17 million on their respective opening weekends but went on to become cult favorites.

She continued to talk about these cult movies on Instagram, noting,

Dazed and Confused? Seriously? Classic movie. The Fifth Element! You would have thought that was the worst movie ever made if you read the reviews in like ‘98. Zoolander? Slammed. Joan of Arc? Disaster. Resident Evil? Let’s not even go there. Anyway, every one of those films is now a cult classic. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. And this will be too. Mark my words.

The good news for Hellboy is that even though critics do not seem to be loving the movie, the audience score for the flick is a little more on board. Hellboy does seem to have some fans out there and perhaps those fans will translate into fonder remembrances down the line.

Honestly, it was always a little confusing why Lionsgate wanted to release Hellboy in April. It seemed primed to be more of a late summer/ early fall title. Plus, April is jam-packed with superhero content. Sandwiching the R-rated movie between the PG-13 Shazam! and the PG-13 Avengers: Endgame may have seemed like counterprogramming, but to me it seemed like packing too much in. We wrote a comprehensive piece about this a couple of months ago here at CinemaBlend, although my coworker argued the movie should come out over the summer and not next fall. Either way, here we are.

Although I typically see myriad movies every month, most people don’t see three movies a year, much less three in one month and even fewer go see three superhero movies in a month! Movie also lose traction the longer they are in theaters, so it’s difficult to see where this one will earn its budget back unless it does become a cult favorite, as Milla Jovovich has suggested here.

Only time will tell if Hellboy lands closer to something like The Shadow in the superhero spectrum or ends up being a film that goes gently into the good night. We’ll keep you updated either way.

New Avengers: Endgame Video Pays Tribute To Every Single Marvel Movie

New Avengers: Endgame Video Pays Tribute To Every Single Marvel Movie

It's almost hard to believe, but we're mere days away from the arrival of Avengers: Endgame. It's been a long year since Infinity War arrived in theaters, and left the public shocked as Josh Brolin's Thanos took victory. In the meantime, we met Captain Marvel and The Wasp, although all eyes are on what the Russo Brothers' upcoming blockbuster will contain, and how it'll wrap up Phase Three.

Avengers: Endgame has been teased to be the cumulation of the past 21 movies, with the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know coming to an end in the process. Endgame's contents are almost a complete mystery, with the marketing material methodically releasing footage ahead of its release. The newest trailer paid tribute to each of the preceding blockbusters, and it's enough to make some fans misty eyed. Check it out.

I'm not crying, you're crying. Avengers: Endgame has been a long time coming for Marvel fans, as cinephiles have put up a ton of money and actively followed the shared universe for a decade.

The above Avengers: Endgame trailer fails to provide any exciting new footage, but that doesn't make it any less powerful. Footage from the past decade of filmmaking are seamlessly woven together, as the Marvel Cinematic Universe's countless characters make appearances. The video's narration is provided by a variety of characters throughout the MCU, and is edited together to make up one coherent monologue. The studio pioneered serialized storytelling, and this Endgame trailer is certainly no exception.

It should be interesting to see how much Avengers: Endgame goes into the shared universe's long history. This trailer seems to indicate an emphasis on the past, but it may just be a way to advertise the movie without giving away new footage. Still, the OG Avengers all managed to survive Thanos' finger snap of death, so Endgame does appear to be going back to its roots in some ways.

Avengers: Endgame has also been long theorized to include time travel, which should allow The Russo Brothers to really delve into Marvel's tenure in theaters. While it's unclear exactly how that could be done (the Quantum Realm? The Time Stone?), early reports indicated the heroes would be returning to The Battle of New York from the first Avengers movie. We'll just have to see if those rumors come to fruition.

The surviving heroes have a ton of dirty laundry to unpack, as they grapple with half of Earth's life suddenly fading to dust. Captain America and Iron Man have yet to repair their relationship, while Hawkeye seems thoroughly changed from Thanos' snap. Nebula and Rocket are also in deep mourning, and Thor must live with knowing he didn't aim for the head. All of the MCU has lead to this, and Endgame should be an emotional and epic final ride with the titular team of heroes.

All will be revealed when Avengers: Endgame arrives in theaters on April 26th. In the meantime, fill out our Endgame death pool, and be sure to check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

No, Avengers: Endgame Doesn't Need An Intermission

No, Avengers: Endgame Doesn't Need An Intermission

How hotly awaited is Avengers: Endgame? Well, it's the only film I can remember in recent memory where the unveiling of the running time has been a cultural event. That revelation happened this morning, as it was noted that the end of the arc now known as The Infinity Saga is going to run three hours and two minutes. But even in the hyping of that eventual revelation, there was a somewhat common thread that kept cropping up in commentary about the film's impending release: the demand for an intermission to run somewhere during the film. I think that's a bad idea.

While intermissions have been used for epic event movies in the past, and even most recently in The Hateful Eight's roadshow edition, it's a practice that isn't used too often. Quite frankly, the outcry for an intermission in Avengers: Endgame's theatrical exhibition is rather weird, and I don't think it's a requirement for enjoyment of the film. In fact, I firmly believe that to put a useless intermission in Avengers: Endgame is to ruin the experience of how the film will play out.

Let's jump back quickly to a film that will probably be cited quite often during this piece, which is Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight. Running at a brisk two hours and 48 minutes in its standard version, there was a 70mm “Roadshow” version that QT put out with a slightly longer running time of three hours and two minutes. Yes, that's exactly the same running time as Avengers: Endgame; however, there's a big difference between these two cases of exactly the same length – and it's all in the storytelling.

While The Hateful Eight runs the same length as the Marvel Cinematic Universe's big tentpole title, that film's use of an intermission was baked in from day one. The film was written in a style that sort of mimics a stage play, and even in how the overture and intermission are presented, it feels like a crucial part of the experience. You leave the story at the right moment, only to pick up at a time that feels like a natural place to pick back up after a short interval.

It's highly doubtful that the Russo Brothers, and their Avengers: Endgame writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, have written an intermission into the tale that will be told on the big screen this April. So including one randomly, without any particular story reason, just doesn't feel like a good idea. What it does feel like is an extended commercial break that would step on the pacing, and make the entire film feel disjointed. If an intermission was absolutely crucial to the enjoyment of Avengers: Endgame, it would have been better to hear about it sooner than a month before the film's release date.

Originally, intermissions were meant to give the theatrical projection equipment a break, either because the film was a truly epic in its length or because it was in the early days of 3D where twin film projectors were being used. While seeing something like Lawrence of Arabia, It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, or The Sound of Music in your local movie theater required a break in the extended action, it also helped that those films were of the proper length and structure in order to use an intermission to their advantage.

Then, as the intermission began to be removed from theatrical releases, films learned to get along without having to use them. The Godfather trilogy, and even The Lord of The Rings trilogy never ran with an intermission in their over three-hour running times; and those were films dense enough that they could possibly have used such a break. Yet, audiences were able to enjoy them without such an interruption, because they evolved with the disappearance of the practice.

Plus, the greatest argument against an intermission in Avengers: Endgame is rooted right in the very aspect where the demand for one started: its running time. Consider this: Avengers: Infinity War ran for 2 hours and 29 minutes when it hit theaters last May. As we learned today, Avengers: Endgame is clocking in at 3 hours and 2 minutes of emotional sobbing/ass-kicking action. Comparing the runtimes between the two films, that's only a 33 minutes increase in showtime that folks will need to be in their seats for. Right now, I don't feel that's nearly enough to warrant an intermission in this scenario.

Now if you were to run Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame back-to-back in a seamless, almost six-hour mega epic, that's a situation that most definitely would call for a break in the middle. In fact, you could probably run that event for the first week, and people would volunteer in a heartbeat to witness it. But Endgame as a solo film is an occasion that just doesn't require a short five-minute suspension of plot and action in order for the audience to either take a break or decompress from what they've seen. Again, unless the inclusion of an intermission is organically written into Avengers: Endgame's story, I don't believe throwing one in for the sake of having one isn't going to do the audience any favors.

We are currently in a culture that binge-watches shows and movies for hours on end without getting up, even while being in the comfort of our own homes and able to pause on demand. Also, moviegoers have gotten used to grand spectacles that run without intermissions, and at lengths longer or similar to what Avengers: Endgame will be approaching. So, the sudden demand for one into this latest Marvel Cinematic Universe product is rather surprising, and at least in my eyes, a frivolous demand.

But, of course, should the public raise enough of a demand for such a device's inclusion, it may possibly find its way into the film somehow. In which case, I politely suggest that the intermission be placed before any hypothetically gigantic 40-minute sequence where every Avenger runs Thanos into their own individual car of the collective pain train. If there's any moment that requires preparing one's body, soul, and snack supply for the show stopping action this film is promising, then that would undoubtedly be it.

Avengers:Endgame will do whatever it takes to close out The Infinity Saga on April 26th.

Shazam's Editor Reveals The Scene That Was The Toughest To Get Right

Shazam's Editor Reveals The Scene That Was The Toughest To Get Right

Warning: SPOILERS for Shazam! are ahead!

As one expects from a superhero movie, Shazam! was packed with a lot of action-packed moments, all of which came with their own unique challenges to pull off. As a result, just because a scene or sequence was envisioned in a particular way on script or while shooting doesn’t mean it came together looking exactly like that when finally assembled.

One of those sequences was the final battle between the eponymous protagonist and the Seven Deadly Sins-powered Doctor Sivana, which led to Billy sharing his power with his adoptive siblings so they too could become adult superheroes. I learned this when I recently spoke with the editor of Shazam!, Michel Aller, as this was her response when I asked what scenes changed the most from how they were initially shot to how they were edited together:

The end battle, really, was the biggest one that evolved. It had so many moving pieces that we had to work with and figure out, showing these new characters, the adult family, and giving them enough screen time, and still having the screen time between Sivana and Shazam. That end sequence, I wouldn’t say it’s just one scene, but the whole end battle was the one evolved the most.

There’s definitely a lot going on in that final Shazam! battle. It would be one thing if it had just been a straightforward fight between Shazam and Sivana, but not only did Mary, Freddy, Eugene, Darla and Pedro joining the fray widen the scope, but there was also the fact that the Seven Deadly Sins were able to separate from Sivana and go their own ways. So there were numerous things to keep track of within that carnival battleground.

As a result, not only was the final Shazam! battle the sequence that evolved the most during the editing phase, it was also the hardest one to cut together. In Michel Aller’s words:

It was probably the hardest, because you want to balance all these characters, telling everyone what’s going on, where they’re at, and keeping them interested and keeping the story moving forward. It was definitely the end battle. You have a lot of moving pieces to work with.

Even with all those moving pieces to track, ultimately the battle culminated with the showdown between Shazam and Sivana, adversaries that have been fighting on the printed page and in other media for eight decades. Remembering that main antagonist loses his powers if all of the Sins are out of his body, the superpowered Billy Batson managed to goad Envy out of Sivana, leaving the chrome-domed baddy helpless. Upon taking the Eye of Sin from Sivana, Billy imprisoned all of the Sins back within it, and the Shazam family redeposited the artifact back at the Rock of Eternity.

While this sequence had to go into the Shazam! final cut no matter what, there were 20-24 minutes of scenes that were taken out. However, Michel Aller expects you’ll be able to watch most of these when Shazam! comes out on Blu-ray and DVD later this year, with some of these excised scenes possibly including one where Mary confronts Billy as he’s sneaking out of the Vasquez house and the original version of Sivana’s murder spree. For now, catch Shazam! in theaters while you can, as the next DCEU movie isn’t coming out until next February (although Joker is holding down the overall DC fort in October).

Be sure to read CinemaBlend’s review of Shazam! and stay tuned for updates on how Shazam! 2 is coming along. Those of you interested in learning what other DC movies are in development can find that information in our handy guide, or you can look through our 2019 release schedule to plan when you’ll be going to the movie theater later this year.

Admiral Ackbar Actor Calls His Death In Star Wars: The Last Jedi A Huge Disappointment

Admiral Ackbar Actor Calls His Death In Star Wars: The Last Jedi A Huge Disappointment

The past few years have been very kind to Star Wars fans. Once Disney acquired Lucasfilm, there's been a variety of new and exciting projects hitting theaters, expanding the galaxy far, far away in the process. Standalone films and the upcoming Mandalorian TV series broke new ground for the property, although the main focus on the generations of fans is on the main franchise.

J.J. Abrams' kickstarted the story back up with The Force Awakens, which saw plenty of familiar faces return to the big screen. This includes the always meme-worthy Admiral Ackbar. But the iconic rebel met a swift end in The Last Jedi, and that's a decision that seriously upset the puppeteer who brought him to life over the years. Tim Rose is the man behind Ackbar, and recently expressed his disappointment about the character's handling in the sequel trilogy. He said:

After The Force Awakens -- for whatever reason, length of picture, whatever -- it all got cut out. So after waiting 30 years to reprise Ackbar I was a little disappointed with Ackbar's role in that picture. So in The Last Jedi, I was quite looking forward to maybe them giving him something more juicy. We were only given the script on the day when we were shooting that piece of script, so each day I would come to work going, ‘Is today the day when Ackbar gets something a bit more involving?’ And I looked at my script and I went, ‘Oh, Ackbar's going out of the window. Well, that's that then!’ I wasn’t quite dead yet.

Yikes. It turns out that Admiral Ackbar had a larger role in The Force Awakens, but it ultimately landed on the cutting room floor. There was a decent amount of world building to get through in Episode VII, so Tim Rose understood. At least, until he was killed off in The Last Jedi's opening sequence.

Admiral Ackbar might not have been as popular as franchise favorites like Han Solo or General Leia, but his role in the Star Wars franchise goes back to 1983's Return of the Jedi. As such, Tim Rose was hoping he'd have a meaty role once the sequel trilogy finally happened. Unfortunately, Ackbar's presence was mostly tertiary, and he got an unceremonious death scene.

Related: All The Major Star Wars: The Last Jedi Character Deaths

Ackbar was killed along with the rest of The Resistance Leaders when the First Order attacked the fleet, and a TIE fighter blew up the commanding ship's bridge. Leia was able to use her dormant Force Abilities to save herself, but the rest of the leadership wasn't so lucky.

In his same conversation with Jamie Stangroom, Tim Rose described how salt was rubbed in his wound on the set of The Last Jedi, saying:

We finished all of our bits and they asked me to come down to camera. And I thought, ‘Oh well, maybe they’re going to say thank you for being one of the heritage characters and giving 30 years and all that.’ But what they did was, they gave me a Millennium Falcon sign that had the day and the date on it, the scene number, and they said, ‘Can you look at camera and say "It's a wrap?" Because that would be really funny.’ … I was actually in tears in the suit because I thought - after everything, after hoping there’d be something, after knowing there wasn't going to be anything else, Ackbar's final moment before he went in to the box was a big joke about ‘It's a wrap.’ They just thought ‘Wouldn’t it be funny?’ And that was the sum total of my life as Ackbar.

Ouch. While the Resistance Leaders were killed off in The Last Jedi in order to move the story forward, Tim Rose's feelings were hurt in the process. And when he was asked to film some B-roll for special features/sizzle reels, there was an extra level of betrayal for the puppeteer.

As a reminder, you can check out the scene below. Ackbar isn't featured, but can be seen behind Leia before the bridge is destroyed.

Aside from his onscreen appearances, Admiral Ackbar has had a life on the page and small screen. Plus, his iconic "It's a trap!" line from Return of The Jedi has been meme-d more times than one can count. So while Tim Rose might have been disappointed with his tenure as the character, Ackbar will still live on forever with the generations of Star Wars fans.

The next installment in the Star Wars franchise is The Rise of Skywalker on December 20th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

How The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter Creates Harry's Patronus In The Sky

How The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter Creates Harry's Patronus In The Sky

Earlier this year, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood debuted a new nighttime show called Dark Arts at Hogwarts Castle. The 8-minute show uses projection mapping onto the castle to tell a story dedicated to the darker side of magic, the kind they won’t teach you at Hogwarts. The grand finale of the show sees Harry Potter’s stag Patronus light up the night sky in a beautiful display that seems like magic.

It is obviously (and sadly) not real magic though. It is actually achieved thanks to the magic of technology, specifically dozens of drones that emit the bright lights that makeup Harry’s brilliant stag Patronus. According to Forbes, Universal Studios Hollywood partnered with the Intel Drone Group, which had experience putting on drone light shows, with the express purpose of lighting up the sky with the stag Patronus that Harry Potter shared with his father James.

You can’t just go to the local electronics store, buy a bunch of drones and hope you can make them form a pattern in the sky though, and that’s why Universal Studios reached out to Intel in the first place. There are a lot of variables and calculations that have to be made to get the desired effect and have it be as magical as possible.

In addition to getting approval to use the airspace where the drones would be flying, Intel Drone Group also needed to account for the environment, where the drones would launch from and what the animation is that they would have to perform. It’s an involved process that can take months to realize and undoubtedly part of why Dark Arts at Hogwarts Castle was in development for over two years.

Universal Studios Hollywood’s Senior Director of Entertainment Production Stephen Siercks wouldn’t divulge the specifics of exactly how they pull off the show’s phenomenal Patronus finale, but did say that it is a “really complex program that blends both technology and choreography.”

While the technical side of such spectacles is always fascinating, it is sometimes cool to not know how it works and just suspend your disbelief as much as possible and allow yourself to be immersed in a fantastical world. Although I imagine a video doesn’t do this justice, you can check out Harry’s Patronus in the sky in the video below.

Dark Arts at Hogwarts Castle ran for 15 days earlier this year and returned to the Wizarding World at Universal Studios Hollywood for Memorial Day weekend. The show next returns to the park on June 22 and will run through August 11. Dark Arts at Hogwarts Castle is also coming to Universal Studios Orlando, but dates have not yet been announced.

Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to see what movies will be creating magic on the big screen this year and let us know what your Patronus is in the comments below.

There’s A Wild Star Wars Rumor About Rey’s Parents

There’s A Wild Star Wars Rumor About Rey’s Parents

The last few years have been very kind for Star Wars fans, as new and exciting properties have been introduced to help expand the galaxy far, far away. Standalone films broke new ground for the property, while The Mandalorian will be the first live-action TV series set in the galaxy. But the true attention of the fandom is one the main franchise, as The Rise of Skywalker is only months away.

J.J. Abrams will return to the director's chair for Episode IX, which will be in the final chapter in the Skywalker Saga. The movie will also wrap up the narrative that Abrams started with The Force Awakens. Rian Johnson revealed in The Last Jedi that Rey's parents were nobodies who abandoned her on Jakku, but some fans thought this might be red herring. Now a new rumor has been swirling, claiming that her father is none other than Harrison Ford's Han Solo.

This new rumor comes to us from Making Star Wars' Patreon podcast. The publication is a go-to source for all thing Star Wars, and touched on the new theory that Han is actually Rey's true father. The story is that when Leia was busy training with Luke in the wake of Return of the Jedi, Harrison Ford's smuggler had an affair--leading to the birth of the sequel trilogy's hero.

If this rumor comes to fruition, it would truly blow the minds of the generations of Star Wars fans. Rey's parentage has been a major point of conversation with the sequel trilogy, with endless theories arising in the years between The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. But the latter movie consistently subverted fan expectations, and that includes Rey's bloodline.

If Han Solo were Rey's father, it would make a great deal of sense. He served as a mentor and father figure in The Force Awakens, and the two characters hit it off quickly. What's more, Rey's piloting of the Millennium Falcon came extremely easy to the emerging Jedi. She's still the person in possession of the iconic vessel, and has a close relationship with Chewbacca as well.

Related: All The Major Theories About Rey's Parents

When J.J. Abrams signed on to direct The Rise of Skywalker following the departure of Colin Trevorrow, fans were excited to see how Abrams will wrap up the story that he began with The Force Awakens. And if he didn't agree with Rian Johnson's creative choice regarding Rey's lineage, then perhaps the director will retcon that out of the canon, and reveal a larger twist.

There was certain doubt about Rey's parent reveal in The Last Jedi basically as soon as the movie arrived in theaters. It was Kylo Ren who revealed that Rey came from a pair of unremarkable parents. But could he have been lying in an attempt to bring Rey to her side and rule the galaxy together? It doesn't seem out of the question.

You can check out the scene in question below.

As you can see, Adam Driver's villainous Ben Solo doesn't reveal how he knows about Rey's parents. Instead, he prays on Rey's biggest insecurities, and simply fills in the blanks after she admits she came from nothing. So it would be pretty easy for J.J. Abrams to do an aboutface, and give her a more epic family tree.

All will be revealed when Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters on December 20th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Wait, Did Vin Diesel Join The Avatar Sequels?

Wait, Did Vin Diesel Join The Avatar Sequels?

Right now, under the strictest measures of security, writer/director James Cameron is making the sequels to his record breaking opus Avatar, in anticipation of the releasing the first follow up at the end of next year. And while taking a break from the rigors of that gargantuan task, Cameron decided to record a short video on set with a new friend, Fast and Furious lead and celebrity uber-nerd Vin Diesel. But, wait a second, could this mean that Diesel has joined the ranks of the cast for this big ticket event franchise?

This prospect seems to be pretty likely from where we’re standing, as this feels like one of the only reasons that the stereotypically cryptic James Cameron would even let Vin Diesel glimpse at what he considers top secret materials of a sensitive nature. Sure, there’s a possibility that Diesel and Cameron are mutual fans of each others’ work and just wanted to hang out, but this doesn’t seem like the kind of place to do that unless some sort of Avatar business was involved.

In addition to that speculation, and between the lighthearted joking and friendly patter shown on display between the two titans, there were some choice remarks made by Vin Diesel that have us questioning if some sort of big announcement is coming our way in the future.

Specifically, Diesel said the following, which set off alarm bells in our heads:

It’s long overdue. There is one person in Hollywood I’ve always wanted to work with, and learn from. … All things come, I guess, to those who wait.

Cue some shenanigans with funny voices and references to Kung Fu, and you’ve got a perfect recipe for a cute viral video that could lead to a lot more if the implications are correct. But there’s another interesting point to make, as this Instagram post’s contents snuck in one more potential bit of news.

Right at the beginning of the video, James Cameron announced that he and Vin Diesel were on the set of “Avatars 2, 3, 4, & 5,” which is interesting considering those last two sequels don't have an official green light just yet. While this doesn’t particularly mean anything, seeing as how Cameron is probably more than optimistic he’ll get those last two films off the ground, it wouldn’t be surprising if that was another featured bit of news coming down the pike in the near future.

With the Disney/Fox merger now complete, and the Aliens filmmaker more than entrenched with both halves of that corporate cookie, this new alliance could be the moment everyone was waiting for before pulling the trigger on Jake Sully’s continuing adventures. And with new sequels come new cast members to help flesh out the 5 film story James Cameron has planned.

You can parse out the action for yourself, as we’re providing the entire video for your viewing pleasure below:

Now we must remind you dear Avatar fans that this isn’t an official announcement of any sort of partnership or deal for Vin Diesel to join on for Avatar 2-5, or that the entries 4 and 5 are confirmed to be officially in the works. Hell, we can’t even tell you if the titles that supposedly leaked are legit or not. All we can say is that Diesel has been spotted on the set with James Cameron, and it really sounds like the two are thick as thieves, plotting an otherworldly adventure that could change the movie world again.

What we can tell also you, among other things, is that Avatar 2 is scheduled for release on December 18, 2020; and that you can visit the attraction Pandora – The World of Avatar at Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom. Which will probably be super easy to access once that other big Disney Parks attraction opens at various periods this year.