How Spider-Man: Far From Home Can Wrap Up Marvel's Phase Three

How Spider-Man: Far From Home Can Wrap Up Marvel's Phase Three

The conclusion of Avengers: Endgame really did feel like the end of an era. The Marvel epic provided fitting closure for two of its core characters, it featured a massive battle sequence with just about every MCU character yet (hell, even Howard the Duck showed up) and could quite possibly become the highest grossing movie of all time. But Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has stood his ground on the fact that Spider-Man: Far From Home is the last film in MCU Phase 3, not Avengers: Endgame.

It doesn’t make sense, does it? What’s our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man doing – coming in, swinging past the small ocean of nerd tears Avengers: Endgame poetically manifested in us with its ending and closing this chapter of MCU history with his own movie? But after a look at the new spoiler-y trailer for Far From Home that came out this week, it’s starting to become more clear. There are some loose ends that Endgame didn’t tie up that the next Spider-Man movie will address, thus closing out Phase 3 and the Infinity Saga. Here’s why it makes sense for the summer release to end this chapter:

The Impact of Endgame

Avengers: Endgame was so focused on Earth's Mightiest Heroes undoing Thanos’ snap and bringing closure to the stories of Tony Stark and Captain America that it glazed over one important impact of the whole situation: what’s next after the giant upheaval that killed off half the population of the universe and then brought them back? While part of living creatures will be dealing with a world back at maximum population after mourning and picking up the pieces for five years, others will be coping with the time they’ve lost and the changes to the world since they were snapped out of existence.

Spider-Man: Far From Home will need to address the situation a bit before Phase 4 can begin and framing the last MCU film through the hero’s world is a clever way for the studio to do this. As Jon Watts recently explained to Fandango, Peter Parker has the “ground-level perspective” into daily life that other heroes such as Thor or Hawkeye would have. He may be rolling with the Avengers now, but under the suit he’s just a normal kid. He still needs to go to high school… which means his movie needs to deal with the shift in dynamic of that post-Endgame.

Spider-Man: Far From Home makes sense as a Phase 3 movie because it should answer a bit of our curiosities about a changed world after the Avengers’ fiercest battle yet. Although it seems like most of Peter’s immediate friends (Ned, MJ, Flash, Betty) and Aunt May are dealing with the side of being snapped and coming back, they will come in from that unique perspective of what it’s like to come back to a world you were dusted from, whereas Endgame dealt with the people who were left alive. As audiences, we need both of those sides for the storyline to find balance about the events.

The Death of Iron Man

Since the MCU started with Iron Man, the franchise has always been rooted in Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark. Avengers: Endgame didn’t answer the question about how the franchise will move on sans Iron Man. Spider-Man: Far From Home is the perfect opportunity for the MCU to explore this, especially since Tony was established in Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming as Peter’s mentor and Avengers father-figure. While as an audience we feel a bit lost about what’s next for the franchise without our favorite playboy, billionaire, philanthropist, so will Spidey.

In fact, it looks like the theme of the movie will revolve around Peter coming to terms with Tony’s great sacrifice and finding his place in the world without him being there to call up, bail him out or give him a pep talk. The trailer threw around “the new Iron Man” a couple times and will explore the hero as he tries to ignore his “great responsibility” to be a normal teenager. He can send him to voicemail, but he can’t run from Nick Fury’s call to a big mission involving the Elementals and the Multiverse.

Spider-Man: Far From Home will answer one question that Avengers: Endgame just didn’t have the time for: what’s next for the Avengers Initiative? How does it look like now? Nick Fury is calling on Spider-Man this time around, so does that mean he will be a prominent figure in the MCU now? Will he be the new Iron Man? Maybe a new dynamic all together will form within the confines of Far From Home that will wrap up and bring closure to what started with Iron Man in 2008 and give us a hint about how we move forward.

The Next MCU Saga

Another aspect of Avengers: Endgame that doesn’t make it feel like the definitive end to Phase 3 is there’s still a lot up in the air where exactly the MCU is going next. The team may have assembled and taken down their ultimate enemy when they stopped Thanos from using the Infinity Gauntlet the second time, but we don’t know enough about how that’s changed things enough to know how it will mold into the next saga. Spider-Man: Far From Home for example seems to already be giving us a hint about just why we need it to clue us in.

The latest trailer sets up the Multiverse when Nick Fury explains that the snap (although it’s unclear which one) tore a hole in our dimension and Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio is from one of the alternative worlds. This new detail made it especially clear to me why Spider-Man: Far From Home is an MCU bookend. The movie is building off the events of the MCU thus far, so it can be placed in the Infinity Saga category, but it’s also opening up a portal (quite literally) into the potential of what could be to come. Will the next phase revolve around the Multiverse? The set-up for Far From Home certainly seems to hint at it.

From here, Spider-Man: Far From Home looks to be a fitting last film in Phase 3. It does seem like a lot to cover in a Spider-Man sequel, but the new trailer seems to deliver on just about every front of touching on these unanswered questions that I didn’t think it was capable of doing before, so I’m confident it will fittingly be the end of the Infinity Saga and mark the impending beginning of a new one.

Spider-Man: Far From Home will spin its web in theaters on July 2, so be sure to keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more coverage.

New Chucky Will Make A Major Change From The Original Child's Play Chucky

New Chucky Will Make A Major Change From The Original Child's Play Chucky

Sure, Game of Thrones coined the phrase, “What is dead may never die.” But that concept can also apply to just about every major horror franchise, as classic killers from Freddy to Jason appear to die, but always figure out how to return to create chaos. This is fine. Audiences WANT to spend more time with these terrifying threats. But it means that storytellers have to find fresh ways to bring the beloved horror threats back, and Child’s Play thinks it figured something out.

We are getting a new Child’s Play movie on June 21, from producers Seth Grahame-Smith and David Katzenberg. The new movie will serve as both a remake and a reboot of the classic Child’s Play franchise, which followed a doll named Chucky who was possessed by the spirit of deranged serial killer Charles Lee Ray. In the new movie, the team found a new way to revive Chucky, and detoured away from the serial-killer spirit inside of the doll.

It’s a major switch to the doll’s origin, and at a recent press event for the film, producer Grahame-Smith told CinemaBlend:

We sort of lean into more of the AI/Kaslan story and hint at a Chucky that is driven by something different than he is in the original series, when he's Charles Lee Ray and he's just a truly psychopathic killer in the body of a doll. [Also, there is] the mother/son story, the emotional component of the movie, which I feel like the movie really delivers. And then above all that, just the intensity, the gore, the fact that the movie is rated R, that it really does go there when it goes there. I think the movie looks big, is much bigger than a lot of movies that are our size - very affordable movie, we are. But we had big ambitions. Those are, I'd say, the primary things we're going for.

As the conversation continued – and also, as is made evident in the recent Child’s Play trailer that we are including below – the new Chucky is driven more by demonic Artificial Intelligence, and not by the spirit of a serial killer. This appears to give Chucky the ability to control more technology, as the new trailer appears to show him taking over drones, controlling power tools, and more.

Child’s Play producer Seth Grahame-Smith elaborated to CinemaBlend on the origin angle of Chucky in the new movie, explaining:

You're getting at the heart of, I think, what a lot of people are inherently skeeved out about AI. Does it have its own agency, or is it just a series of processes and commands and executions? The truthful answer is by the time the movie's over, I don't know. I think at the beginning of the movie, you'll see sort of briefly why this particular doll is the way that he is, and it's not every one of these dolls, right? So why is our Chucky special. And then it's going at that inherent need to make his child happy no matter what, right? To bond with him, to be with him. It starts out like you saw in the clip, very sweet. It's two characters in Chucky and in Andy that both in their own ways at that point in the movie been rejected. Andy is certainly in need of a friend, and finds one in Chucky. So that's the reason we showed you that clip, because we wanted to sort of lean into that this is a relationship that is genuine that goes off the rails in a big way. It's not just brooding, and it's not sinister from the jump. It gets there, for sure, but that I think just gets to the heart of what we're trying to do here, and why we felt like there was a why and a cultural relevance to doing a different version of this classic series.

As the conversation played out, CinemaBlend learned that Child’s Play isn’t just changing Chucky, at his core. It’s also making changes to the boy who befriends Chucky, thereby changing their relationship. Andy in this new movie is older than he was in the 1988 Child’s Play, which kind of means that he’s past the point of playing with dolls. Seth Grahame-Smith assures fans that the movie will address that immediately, and goes on to say:

He's not necessarily like super excited about this gift when he gets it. But once he realizes that this thing has his interest in his heart and mind, they grow on each other. We knew that one of the differences we wanted to do here was to ultimately put more pressure on kids having to do this than in the original movie where it's Karen and Detective Mike, primarily Detective Mike, hunting this [doll] down. And now Detective Mike is a big part of the movie. Brian Tyree [Henry] is amazing in the movie, and obviously Karen - Aubrey [Plaza] - is amazing in the movie. But that really helped us give Andy sort of a life away from mom that we could exploit for different things.

All in all, it’s sounding like the team behind the new Child’s Play went above and beyond to make their story stand apart from previous versions of the Chucky story, hoping to make improvements while also luring a fresh audience into this world. Remakes and reboots aren’t always guaranteed successes, but it sure is looking like the new Child’s Play has updated the look and feel of Chucky, as evidenced by this most recent trailer.

Child’s Play will hack and slash its way into a competitive summer blockbuster frame, arriving on June 21 where it will go toe-to-AI-toe with Toy Story 4 (a totally different story about toys with emotions), and the pending Annabelle Comes Home. The competition for the horror dollar will be intense, but because of the major changes introduced into this new Child’s Play take, we think it looks interesting enough to lure both fans of the original franchise, and newcomers looking for creative, never before seen thrills.

What do you think of the changes made to the new Child’s Play? Does it make you excited to see it? Weigh in down below in the comments section. Maybe you’ll make a new best friend while you are down there.

Jumanji's Karen Gillan Says She's Been In 'Actual Pain' From Laughing On Set

Jumanji's Karen Gillan Says She's Been In 'Actual Pain' From Laughing On Set

Anecdotally, I don’t think expectations were that high for Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, a reboot-quel of the nostalgic 1995 Robin Williams film. The 2017 movie went on to become a major critical and commercial success, surprising everyone and ensuring that no one will be sleeping on Jumanji 3. Expectations will be high this time around. Fortunately, if Karen Gillan’s experience on set is any indication, we’re in for another hilarious adventure. Check it out:

If laughter-induced pain isn’t the perfect endorsement for the comedic adventure of Jumanji 3 (or is it Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle 2?), I don’t know what is. We’ve all been there, where you laugh to the point you can barely breathe, your stomach hurts and you have tears in your eyes, and it’s completely worth it. I have no doubt that working with The Rock, Kevin Hart and Jack Black on a daily basis could have that effect.

The actress clearly had a great time filming this movie, which involved shooting in lots of different environments and watching the performances of her very funny co-stars. Just hearing about her experience makes us want to be in on the joke and know what had the actress who plays the Killer of Men, Ruby Roundhouse, and the stoic Nebula in Avengers: Endgame, in such hysterics.

In the past, we’ve seen behind-the-scenes looks at the ridiculous back and forth between Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart on the set of the Jumanji movies and I’m sure there was more of that here. The blooper reel on the eventual home video release is bound to be a must-see.

But beyond the pranks, Karen Gillan is talking about the performances and that is part of the novelty of the Jumanji conceit. Because the actors are playing video game avatars, they can both play to their strengths and against type in delightful fashion.

As she commemorated wrapping filming on Jumanji 3, Karen Gillan also proved what a savvy saleswoman she is, perhaps taking some social media mastery classes from co-star Dwayne Johnson. She makes sure to let everyone know that the next Jumanji movie is out this Christmas and delivers a quote in her Instagram post that should be blurbed on every poster and in every trailer for the movie “A pain you’ll want to pay for.”

That is simply brilliant, and if this movie is even half as funny as her set experience made it out to be, we’re in for a great, gut-busting theatrical experience this December.

Jumanji 3, for which we’re still waiting for the official title and first trailer, opens in theaters on December 13. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to see everything coming to the big screen this year and for all the latest movie news, stay tuned to CinemaBlend.

New Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Video Unleashes Rodan Onto The World

New Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Video Unleashes Rodan Onto The World

One of the new Titans being introduced in this month’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters is Rodan, and judging by the previews for the next MonsterVerse entry, like King Ghidorah and possibly Mothra, he’s aiming to knock Godzilla down as the #1 Titan. In case you haven’t seen as much of Rodan in the King of the Monsters marketing as you’d like, a new video has come out showing the winged beast emerging from his volcano lair and setting forth to wreak havoc on the world.

Rodan is almost as old as Godzilla, as he was introduced in his own 1956 movie and has been a recurring Toho monster in the decades since. Godzilla: King of the Monsters, however, marks his first appearance in an American blockbuster, and since he’s sharing screen time two other “new” Titans, it’s important this movie effectively show off why he’s a threat.

The main connective thread through the MonsterVerse is Monarch, the scientific organization that’s been studying the Titans since the end of World War II. The general public might not be aware of Monarch’s existence, but its resources are vast, and the above video shows that the organization has been keeping tabs on the island of Isla de Mara off the coast of Mexico, where Rodan has laid dormant.

While we don’t know the specific circumstances in which Rodan will awaken in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, once he does break free from his volcanic confinement, humanity will be in trouble. Along with the general perks of being a gigantic, flying monster, Rodan is also capable of generating sonic thunderclaps with his wings that can level cities. The King of the Monsters trailers make it clear that Rodan is responsible for a lot of the destruction that will unfold.

What isn’t quite clear about Godzilla: King of the Monsters yet is what Rodan and Godzilla’s ultimate dynamic will be like. Obviously there’s a strong chance those two will duke it out once or twice, but the movie’s main villain is King Ghidorah. So will Rodan keep troubling Godzilla even as the giant reptile is fighting his three-headed arch-enemy, or will Rodan end up teaming up with Godzilla and perhaps even Mothra to bring King Ghidorah down? We have a few more weeks until that question is answered.

Obviously the main appeal of monster movies is… well, the monsters, but just like the previous MonsterVerse movies, there will be plenty of human characters to follow along with in Godzilla: King of the Monsters. The main cast includes Millie Bobby Brown, Vera Farmiga, Kyle Chandler, Bradley Whitford, Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, Charles Dance, Thomas Middleditch and O’Shea Jackson Jr. There’s no word yet on which of those individuals have direct contact with Rodan during the movie.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters hits theaters on May 31, so keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates. In the meantime, you can browse through our 2019 release schedule to learn what other movies are opening later this year.

Avengers Endgame Box Office: Iron Man, Cap And Friends Do 10X Their Nearest Competitor

Avengers Endgame Box Office: Iron Man, Cap And Friends Do 10X Their Nearest Competitor

Well, we all knew Avengers: Endgame was going to have a good weekend. You can't mix this much hype with really good reviews and spectacular word of mouth and expect the buzz to die down after one weekend. Avengers: Endgame was winning this weekend. The question was just by how much. Well, the results are in, and the answer is by a lot. Avengers: Endgame did more than 10X the business of its nearest competitor The Intruder which came in a very, very distant second.

You can check out the full results of the weekend box office below, including how newcomers Longshot, UglyDolls and The Intruder stacked up...

So, let's finish out the Avengers conversation before we move on. The film is on pace to surpass $2 billion at the worldwide box office by the end of this weekend. That's absolutely incredible, and everyone involved with the MCU, especially the Russo Brothers who are on this week's ReelBlend, and this movie in particular should applaud themselves. Not only did they create a movie that's playing really well with fans, they somehow created one that's surpassing the crazy numbers put up by Infinity War. Spectacular. Hard stop.

Now, the key here is following Endgame, observers need to adjust their expectations for future Marvel movies. This was, in my ways, the end of an era. There are numerous characters in the MCU that we'll almost certainly never see again. It took a decade of churning out a lot of really good movies that built on top of each other in order to generate this excitement. Now, it's not like the MCU is starting from scratch, but the engine really needs to be restarted and the momentum needs to go in a new direction. So, expectations will continue to be very high, but we should be comparing those future movies against some of Marvel's other offerings... not against Endgame.

After Endgame, it was basically a three way fight for second place among the week's newest movies. To be honest, I probably wouldn't have predicted The Intruder to come out on top, but with disappointing openings from the Seth Rogen/ Charlize Theron comedy Long Shot, as well as the new animated feature UglyDolls, that second place was wide open for the taking. I'm not sure we'll really learn anything from this Long Shot result. The comedy romance is a bit of a departure from what we're used to from both lead actors. As such, we'll probably see both return toward what's comfortable, and given this will likely do well streaming and probably didn't cost that much to make, it's kind of a net neutral. As for UglyDolls, it was relatively cheap to make for an animated movie ($45M), but it's going to be a long road to get to profitability here. Consequently, we may see STX hold off on any animated features in the near future.

Finally, quick shoutouts are in order to both Little and Breakthrough, which just keep rolling. Both films are clearly filling voids in what's being offered right now, and we'll likely continue to see productions like these pop up in order to fill those gaps. Not everyone wants to see the same stuff, and the wider variety as an audience we can get, the healthier the movie industry will be.

The Guardians Of The Galaxy Cameo You Probably Missed In Avengers: Endgame

The Guardians Of The Galaxy Cameo You Probably Missed In Avengers: Endgame

Warning! The following contains spoilers for Avengers: Endgame. Read at your own risk!

Avengers: Endgame's battle sequence at the end was massive. So massive, that if an unexpected character happened to help out, many in the audience may have missed it. Fortunately there were some who happened to catch an entirely unexpected Guardians of the Galaxy cameo, as a character from the movie popped in to lend a hand in the Avengers' time of need. Howard the Duck, of all people, showed up to fight for the world alongside the universe's mightiest heroes.

For those attending another showing in the near future, Howard can be spotted amongst the many warriors showing up when Doctor Strange, Wong, and the rest of the sorcerers start opening portals. When Hope Van Dyne is spotted, viewers should move their eyes to the blueish alien to her right, and then follow that character's gun downward. There's Howard, in the distance, looking a lot like he did in his cameo scene following Guardians of the Galaxy.

Howard's packing heat in lieu of a drink this time around, and he's looking poised to kick some Earth invader ass when the signal is given. His contributions beyond that are unknown, as he doesn't get a big action sequence to show what he's up to like other key characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Apparently, the Russos didn't find it pertinent to zero in on what one of the MCU's most bizarre characters was up to.

Here's the good news: There's still a chance we may learn what role Howard played in the battle. That's all thanks to an upcoming Howard The Duck television series which will feature the Marvel hero trapped on Earth. Provided this series takes place post-Avengers: Endgame, there's certainly an opportunity for the series to show that scene from Howard's perspective, or have him recall something from the event. Hell, this may even be the event that strands him on earth!

Whatever the case regarding the future series, it's been known that the Russos have wanted to include Howard in the action since Avengers: Infinity War. According to Joe Russo, the original idea was to have Peter Quill go to Howard and ask him about the whereabouts of an Infinity Stone while he was in the midst of a poker game. That would've been great to see, although one could argue this is better.

The real question now is, what was Howard The Duck up to before his arrival? The Russos confirmed he survived the snap, so there could be some deleted scene or one shot in the future that outlines what Howard was up to in the time between Infinity War and Endgame. If not, at least it's good to see him alongside the rest of the good guys, and possibly making a case to become a future Avenger?

Stick with CinemaBlend for more Avengers: Endgame analysis, and news on what is becoming a monumental box office run.

Ben Affleck Was Amused By Zack Snyder's Response To His Batman Exit

Ben Affleck Was Amused By Zack Snyder's Response To His Batman Exit

After a cloud of uncertainty hung over the DCEU’s The Batman for years, Ben Affleck finally confirmed his departure from the role last month. The Matt Reeves project now moves forward with an official release date: June 25, 2021. Following the news, Zack Snyder posted a heartfelt goodbye to Affleck’s Batman with these words:

There was a time above.. A time before… there were perfect things… diamond absolutes. But things fall.. Things on earth. And what falls… is fallen. In the dream, it took me to the light. A beautiful lie, Best Batman ever. Thank you my friend for blessing me with that fucking glorious chin and an amazing heart.

How poetic! Ben Affleck was recently asked for a reaction to the Zack Snyder quote -- specifically the part about his chin -- while he was doing press for action drama Triple Frontier alongside co-star Oscar Isaac. Here’s what they said to Associated Press:

Ben Affleck: Zack's a funny guy, what can I say? [laughs]

Oscar Isaac: He's got a good chin too, doesn't he?

Ben Affleck: He does have a very nice chin! He shouldn't sell himself short.

You get a glorious chin and you get a glorious chin! Ben Affleck was tickled by Zack Snyder’s love letter to the actor’s superhero role, and Oscar Isaac also weighed in, observing the DCEU filmmaker’s also chiseled chin. I’d like to think Isaac is subtly campaigning to take over the role of Bruce Wayne by contributing to the flattery… he was rumored to be considered for a Batman role.

Ben Affleck and Zack Snyder worked closely together to bring a new Batman back to screen in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad and Justice League. After some initial backlash to Affleck’s casting, many fans embraced the actor as the Dark Knight, though some still voiced other issues with the direction of the DCEU.

After the overall negative reception to 2017’s Justice League, plans to continue making movies about the interconnected stories of the superhero team seemed to shift. That shift came just as Ben Affleck’s original plans to direct, produce, and star in a standalone Batman movie fell apart. Now War for the Planet of the Apes’ writer/director Matt Reeves is directing and writing The Batman script, and he's looking for a new star.

As the DCEU moves forward, the focus is on standalone origin stories and less on Zack Snyder’s vision -- with Shazam!, Joker and Birds of Prey on the way. Matt Reeves’ The Batman is said to be a "noir" Batman tale that will have the hero using his detective skills and featuring a Rogue’s Gallery of villains, though a new Bruce Wayne has not yet been cast.

Ben Affleck stars next in Netflix’s Triple Frontier, coming to the streaming service on March 13. The movie is about five former Special Forces operatives who reunite to plan a heist in South America; it also stars Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund, and Pedro Pascal.