The Russo Brothers Explain Their Decision On The Avengers: Endgame Credit Scene

The Russo Brothers Explain Their Decision On The Avengers: Endgame Credit Scene

Spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame. If you haven't seen the latest Marvel blockbuster, look away!

It's been nearly a week since Avengers: Endgame arrived in theaters, and moviegoers haven't stopped discussing and dissected every frame of the record-breaking blockbuster. The Russo Brothers brought everything imaginable to Endgame, including plenty of wild plot twists and surprise cameos. And following the film's runtime, there was one more surprise that gobsmacked the hardcore fandom.

Avengers: Endgame included an epic curtain call, which recognized just about everyone who has had a major role in the massive shared universe. Following that fitting sendoff, moviegoers stayed glued to their seats to see what the end-credits scene would tease for Phase Four. But the scene never came, a first in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Russo Brothers recently explained this unexpected decision, with Anthony Russo recently saying:

The reason why there's no end credits is because our goal on this movie was simply to bring to a conclusion the 22 movies now that comprise the MCU for these 10 years of storytelling. … I think one of the great creative upsides for Joe and I, as story tellers on this movie, was that this is the first MCU movie we got to tell where we weren't thinking about the future. We were simply thinking about the past, the journey that we've all been on together since that first Iron Man movie. And how do we bring the most epic sense of closure to that the journey that we can possibly do. So that was our goal, and that was really why we had no tag.

As if the wild events of Avengers: Endgame weren't enough of a mic drop, the Russo Brothers delivered one more shocking twist. The new release was the cumulation of 22 Marvel movies, so the brothers decided the movie deserved a proper ending. No teases, no credits scene, just the end of the Infinity Saga and the MCU as we know it.

Anthony Russo's thoughts about Endgame's ending come from a Q&A that Joe and Anthony Russo did following an Endgame screening in Washington D.C. just last night-- with CinemaBlend in attendance. Now that the movie is finally in theaters, the Russos no longer have to worry about guarding its secrets, and giving cagey answers to fans and journalists. The cat is out of the bag, so the directors can finally be open about their creative process, and the myriad bold choices made throughout the course of the expansive film.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe introduced the post-credits scene to moviegoers back with Iron Man, which featured the debut of Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury. These bonus clips have become commonplace since, teasing that's next for each franchise, and offering deeper connections to the shared universe. And considering how almost nothing is known about the MCU in Phase Four, moviegoers expected to get some idea through Avengers: Endgame's credits.

But it turns out that The Russo Brothers don't know much about the MCU's future either. While they set up a new Captain America and a path for Thor, the studio is gong to have new architects planning the next slate of movies. The Russo Brothers did masterful work with Phase Three, but it appears that Avengers: Endgame is their last entry for a while.

During the same Q&A in Washington D.C., Anthony Russo maintained just that: they couldn't tease the future of the MCU in Avengers: Endgame because they simply don't know what's coming next. As he explained:

There are people at Marvel thinking about the future of Marvel. Joe and I don't have any plans to continue with Marvel after this. We may end up doing another Marvel movie down the road if the right idea comes up that we all connect with. Because we love Marvel. We've had the most amazing experience of our careers, but on this movie, and I give a lot of credit to Kevin Feige for this because he's such a genius producer. We've always spoken to Kevin about where these stories go. On this movie, we did almost none of that talk with him.

Well, that's definitely not how Marvel fans expected things to go down. After crafting narratives that includes all of the MCU's biggest characters, they bid goodbye to the Avengers and Guardians following their pair of Avengers movies. And without speaking with Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige about the future, they had no advanced knowledge to craft a credits scene from.

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

The Russo Brothers made their debut with Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which is widely considered one of the best installments of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Following that movie's massive success, the brothers helped to craft the story of Phase Three, directing three large ensemble projects in the process. They've spent years worrying about the events of the MCU, so it stands to reason that they might want to have a break following the release (and insane success) of Endgame.

Clearly Marvel Studios is happy with what the Russo Brothers were able to accomplish within the MCU. And as such, Kevin Feige and the powers that be gave them the freedom to craft their Avengers movies, without worrying what may or may not be coming next dow the pipeline. As Anthony Russo went on to explain:

Because again, he was like leaving it to us to close the story, and that was entirely our focus. So I think that that was the goal of the movie. That opened up a lot of creative opportunities for Joe and I, in the process of making the movie. And I think part of the fact that there's no tag is testament to the fact that you were not thinking forward at all.

The stakes were extremely high for Infinity War and Endgame, so it's surprising to see how hands off the larger studio was regarding The Russo Brothers' narrative choices. But that relationship also functioned as a two-way street, because Anthony and Joe didn't look to the future or ask for details regarding what's next. So it looks like they'll be able to enjoy future Marvel movies just like the rest of us.

The future of the MCU remains a total mystery, in part thanks to the lack of an Avengers: Endgame post-credits scene. Smart money says the studio may keep their cards close to the chest at least until Spider-Man: Far From Home arrives in a few months.

Avengers: Endgame is in theaters now, and the MCU will pick back up when Spider-Man: Far From Home arrives on July 2nd. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Lady In The Tramp’s Controversial Song Is Getting Changed For The Remake

Lady In The Tramp’s Controversial Song Is Getting Changed For The Remake

Out of all the classic Disney songs still stuck in your head since childhood, there’s one we’re okay with forgetting: "The Siamese Cat Song." It’s racist and it’s annoying! Thankfully, Disney’s upcoming Lady and the Tramp live-action remake will not be including the song in the soundtrack. Instead, pop sensation Janelle Monáe will be replacing it by penning an original new track.

The Grammy-nominated musician will be lending her talent to the Disney+ movie to refresh the problematic track with her artist collective Wondaland. She will also be adding her own take on “He’s a Tramp” from the original 1955 film and voice a Pekingese dog named Peg, per EW.

“The Siamese Cat Song” isn’t just being changed; there won’t be any trace of it, as the cat breed will not have a presence in the remake. It’s a crucial move for the studio to excise the Asian stereotypes portrayed in the original film that make the animated film dated, and Disney’s decision to enlist the woman behind 2018’s Grammy-nominated Album of the Year Dirty Computer is also a juicy meatball on top.

Among Disney’s many beloved animated films, Lady and the Tramp hasn’t remained as relevant, except for the signature “Bella Notte” scene. Perhaps the remake will breathe some new light into the tale. The movie stars Tessa Thompson (Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok) and Justin Theroux (The Leftovers) as the titular star-crossed doggos. The film also features Sam Elliott as Trusty, Benedict Wong as Bull and Ashley Jensen as a female version of the Scotty dog named Jock.

Thomas Mann from Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and Kong: Skull Island will be Lady’s human owner Jim Dear. Kiersey Clemons, who previously starred in Flatliners and Hearts Beat Loud, will play his wife Darling. The movie is directed by Charlie Bean, who helmed The LEGO Ninjago Movie and Disney Channel’s Tron: Uprising series.

The Lady and the Tramp remake will be the first Disney film to be released exclusively for its new streaming platform launching in November. It was recently announced the movie will be available to stream on the first day Disney+ comes out. Among the other new content on Disney+ to look forward to at launch is Jon Favreau’s Mandalorian television series and a show called The World According to Jeff Goldblum.

Disney+ will launch on November 12 at the impressive price of $6.99, making the price of Lady and the Tramp alone half the price of a movie ticket if you forget all the other options to be found on the streaming service. The addition of Janelle Monáe and Wondaland’s musical tastes to the film certainly looks to bring something new to the movie and reimagining some dated memorable moments from the classic film.

Jumanji 3 Is Finally Finished Filming, And The Rock Shared A Fitting Tribute

Jumanji 3 Is Finally Finished Filming, And The Rock Shared A Fitting Tribute

From the jungle to the mountains to the desert, Jumanji 3 is finally finished filming! Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has been keeping fans updated every step of the way through the Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle sequel. Filming started in late January, and wrapped its Atlanta section last month before continuing to other more extreme locations than we saw in Welcome to the Jungle.

The Rock honored the final end of filming for the cast with a perfect shot of the four main stars walking off into the sunset.

I wonder if that walk into the sunset means this is OVER over, as in no Jumanji 4. Too soon to say. Kevin Hart commented on the photo with this tease:

The people have no idea what we have in store for them....Operation blow people away is officially in session.

Nice! As you can see, that's Kevin Hart on the far left as game avatar Franklin Finbar, next to The Rock as avatar Dr. Smolder Bravestone, with Jack Black as Professor Sheldon Oberon, and Karen Gillan as Ruby Roundhouse. We see them in their familiar costumes from Welcome to the Jungle, although we know there will be some new costumes in this movie, which makes sense since they have to go into icy climates this time too.

We don't know much yet about the plot of the Jumanji sequel. Kevin Hart recently said Jumanji 3 has "a much more risky adventure" than the previous film, and "The stakes have been elevated and raised." Jack Black also hinted that Karen Gillan's Ruby has a kickass role in Jumanji 3 that is more evolved than what she had in Welcome to the Jungle.

It was something of a surprise, though, to hear that the four high school kids from Welcome to the Jungle would be back after what happened in the previous movie (which included nods to the original Robin Williams film). But those four characters will return, as well as Nick Jonas' Jefferson/Seaplane, and we have several interesting newcomers to look out for. Danny DeVito, Awkwafina, Danny Glover, and Dania Ramirez were cast for this movie. Are they the four new players? No details have been shared at this point about their characters.

What we do know is that, in addition to new costumes and locations, we get to see Kevin Hart riding a camel. That's already funny just from the set videos. The Rock and Kevin Hart have been playing up their banter on social media, and they should be fun to watch together again:

Interestingly enough, Ryan Reynolds got in on the action with a comment on The Rock's most recent Jumanji 3 desert photo, before filming wrapped:

Deadpool! He should cameo in this movie.

Jumanji 3 needs an official title, which may be announced when we get more plot details on the movie, official photos, and eventually a trailer. This thing is getting a pretty quick turnaround. It's scheduled to open this December 13, 2019, right before Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Opening around Star Wars worked for Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and they are hoping for that lightning to strike twice.

So now director Jake Kasdan and company have to get busy-busy-busy in post-production to make Jumanji 3 ready for screens this December 13.

Sylvester Stallone Has Thoughts On The New Cliffhanger Remake Plans

Sylvester Stallone Has Thoughts On The New Cliffhanger Remake Plans

Did you know they're making another Cliffhanger movie? Sylvester Stallone starred in and co-wrote the screenplay for the 1993 movie directed by Renny Harlin. New reports say Ana Lily Amirpour will be directing the reboot/remake, with Aquaman himself Jason Momoa in talks for a key cameo and the lead played by an actress they are now casting.

We've been talking about a Cliffhanger sequel for over a decade, and a remake for at least five years. Apparently there was a long tug-of-war to get the rights from StudioCanal, and now Fast and The Furious franchise producer Neal Moritz will produce, with the first draft of a new script by Sascha Penn (Creed II) expected in a few weeks.

That's the word from Deadline, and it sounds like Sylvester Stallone is excited about the new film and wishes the team well:

Hang in there, he says! Since he was already talking about Cliffhanger, Sylvester Stallone dug up some old photos and shared a little bit more about how that sausage was made:

It doesn't sound like it was the easiest film to make, and there were some struggles in post-production too. Back in 2006, Sylvester Stallone answered a fan's question on whether there were plans for a director's cut release of the film, since the theatrical and DVD versions were supposedly "very cut." Here's Sly's response, via Ain't It Cool News:

No, actually the director’s cut was met with a lot of disapproval at the screening and received some alarmingly low scores. Mainly because the stunts were absurdly overblown. For example, the average man can jump maybe twelve feet across a gorge, and the stunts had me leaping maybe three hundred feet or more, so situations like that had to be pared down and still then were fairly extreme… so you’re probably better off with this cut. By the way, the 2nd unit crew that filmed the majority of the action was extraordinary.

No offense, Renny Harlin? The 1993 Cliffhanger made $255,000,211 worldwide off a reported production budget of $70 million, per Box Office Mojo. Not too shabby.

According to the Guinness World Records, Cliffhanger had stuntman Simon Crane perform the most expensive film stunt in air. It was performed just once, and his trick of moving between two jets at an altitude of 15,000 feet cost $1 million. Sylvester Stallone is said to have offered to reduce his salary by $1 million to make sure the stunt happened.

Sylvester Stallone is pretty good about sharing behind-the-scenes details. He just noted that he would be going to the Cannes Film Festival for a career retrospective and to show portions of Rambo V: Last Blood, which opens in theaters on September 20.

Sly had previously mentioned that Rambo 5, unlike some past films, was going "beautifully" in the editing process. He also recently plugged the upcoming 40 Years Of Rocky documentary, which he narrates himself. It was also just announced that Stallone's Escape Plan: The Extractors -- co-starring Dave Bautista and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson -- will be released on Digital, Blu-ray, and DVD on July 2.

And we're still waiting on more updates for The Expendables 4, which will hopefully bring back the whole gang. If Sylvester Stallone is into the idea for this Cliffhanger remake, maybe he'd even be up for a cameo? We'll have to see how this plays out as the new movie moves forward. Keep up with everything that already has a 2019 date attached with our handy movie schedule.

Agent Coulson Was Originally Going To Have A Way Smaller Part In Iron Man, According To Clark Gregg

Agent Coulson Was Originally Going To Have A Way Smaller Part In Iron Man, According To Clark Gregg

Agent Phil Coulson will long be remembered as one of the most important lynchpins of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. When the franchise was first starting up, he was utilized as the character bringing everything together and one could easily argue that the movies wouldn’t be the same without him. Which makes it all the more amazing that his initial part in Jon Favreau’s Iron Man was much smaller than what we all saw in the finished cut of the film.

After about seven years away, Clark Gregg is now back on the big screen as Phil Coulson in Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck’s Captain Marvel, and it was during the movie’s recent Los Angeles press day that I learned just how tiny the character’s role initially was in the first Iron Man. During our interview I steered the conversation towards a reflection on his start in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Gregg explained that Coulson in the script didn’t have anywhere near the impact on the movie that he ultimately does:

Agent Coulson was a small role, was two scenes, if anything. And they liked something about that repartee. They liked something about having the S.H.I.E.L.D. presence being there, and all of a sudden they added seven more scenes! Next thing I know Pepper Potts is going, 'Thank you, Agent Coulson.' And I was like, 'I've got a name now; this is cool.'

That’s right – apparently Clark Gregg’s character wasn’t even named Agent Coulson before an appreciation of the actor’s contribution on set led to an expanded part. And that expanded part, of course, led to future roles in Iron Man 2, Thor, The Avengers, and the still-running television series Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. He has been at the center at some of the most crucial moments in the history of the franchise.

It’s also worth noting that the impact isn’t limited to the big and small screen. Phil Coulson made his debut in the pages of Marvel Comics in January 2012, palling around with Captain America, the Avengers, and even Deadpool. And none of that would have happened if the character’s part in Iron Man was as big as it was in the script.

Obviously it’s led to great things for Clark Gregg, but the actor also sees the whole situation very much reflecting why it is that Marvel Studios has been so incredibly successful in the last 11 years. As protective as they may want to be with the material, there is still a certain openness to new ideas that allows spontaneous greatness to be generated. Said Gregg,

But I've always thought to myself that there's a secret there, which is that even in those early days there was a trust of the filmmakers, a trust of what they were seeing. If something feels like it's working, they would go with that. There's a kind of flexibility that I think has as much to do with the longevity of this as anything else.

Captain Marvel, which is the 21st film from Marvel Studios, is further example of the company’s pop culture dominance, debuting this weekend with a $153 million three-day start. The blockbuster, which stars Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Jude Law and Annette Bening in addition to Clark Gregg, is now playing in theaters everywhere – and we’ll have plenty more content about the film coming your way in the next few days.

Angel Has Fallen Trailer: Morgan Freeman And Gerard Butler Are Back For Olympus Has Fallen Three-quel

Angel Has Fallen Trailer: Morgan Freeman And Gerard Butler Are Back For Olympus Has Fallen Three-quel

Through the events of Olympus Has Fallen, and subsequently London Has Fallen, Secret Service agent Mike Banning has gone through hell and back to protect the most important people in the United States’ government. But in the next chapter of his story, titled Angel Has Fallen, that job is about to get a lot harder. As Banning himself is framed with trying to do the one thing he’s sworn to prevent: the death of the President.

Check out the trailer for yourself, below:

Coming in after the events of London Has Fallen, Angel Has Fallen also sees a change in who exactly is the Commander In Chief, as Morgan Freeman’s Allan Trumbull has made it into the White House this time around. Of course, that surprise is short-lived, as the film’s trailer sees a huge drone attack take out President Trumbull’s security detail, leaving Mike Banning the prime suspect behind the event.

Pursuing Gerard Butler’s Mike through this new film is Jada Pinkett Smith’s FBI agent Thompson, a new character introduced in Angel Has Fallen. Her character not only has the job of giving Mike Banning the bad news that he’s being investigated for attempted assassination, but also trying to find him once he’s gotten loose. If you didn’t think he was going to get loose, then you’re probably thinking of some other hypothetical sequel to a White House-themed Die Hard homage.

So naturally, with his back against the wall, and seemingly nowhere to escape this shadowy conspiracy, Mike Banning needs to find someone he can trust to keep him alive, and help him protect the president. Who better than his own father, Clay? (By the way, Clay's played by future Star Wars TV star Nick Nolte, who looks like he’s the type of person who believes in survival off the grid.) Seeing as Mike’s pretty resourceful in these sorts of situations, Angel Has Fallen sees the two reunited, and ready to bring the fight to whoever wants it.

Co-starring Lance Reddick, Piper Perabo, and Danny Houston as who looks to be one of the film’s main antagonists, Angel Has Fallen looks like more of a personal war between Mike Banning and the forces of villainy. This third tour of duty in the series that started with director Antoine Fuqua’s Olympus Has Fallen has him square in the crosshairs of those who would do the country, and its leader, harm. Though that only makes this latest entry that much more dangerous.

The explosions and gunfire come fast and furious in this trailer for director Ric Roman Waugh’s latest action spectacular. Coming from a stunt background, much like John Wick directors David Leitch and Chad Stahelski, it’s exciting to think of the amazing thrills that Angel Has Fallen hasn’t shown us in this first look.

It’ll be a little while before we get to see those thrills, as Angel Has Fallen lands in theaters on August 23rd. But if you’re looking for something action-packed in a theater near you, the 2019 release schedule is practically an armory for your moviegoing dollar.

Jordan Peele Reveals His Favorite Horror Villain

Jordan Peele Reveals His Favorite Horror Villain

In recent years, the horror genre has entered a renaissance, and Jordan Peele’s stunning directorial debut, 2017’s Get Out, certainly played a part in getting audiences captivated to see more terrors and frights on screen. The sketch comedian-turned-critically acclaimed filmmaker is a huge horror fan, who recently revealed one icon he sees as the scariest villain. Here’s what he said:

I'm gonna say Michael Myers. He's not even evil, he's just curious. You know you can't talk him out of whatever he wants to do and he'd always do that thing where he'd stab somebody and he's sort of turn his head like that, which is the international symbol for 'fascinating.'

It looks like the star of the Halloween franchise, Michael Myers (a.k.a. The Shape), caught Jordan Peele’s eyes as the creepiest horror antagonist of them all, per a WSJ Magazine interview. It’s for a good reason too – his motivations behind that his wrongdoings seem to simply stem from curiosity above anything else. Cue the chills!

Jordan Peele brings up a good point here. While many villains have evil intentions because of their nature (maybe they’re a demon or a wicked doll) or are inspired by power or revenge, the Halloween villain is purely kills out of fascination and enjoyment of the chase. When a killer such as Michael Myers is getting pleasure out of murder, ­there is no changing their mind. It's truly horrifying!

The Halloween films has had 40 years of staying power, as eleven films have been made starring Jordan Peele’s pick for favorite villain. Michael Myers recently saw a comeback with the 2018 direct sequel to the original Halloween starring Jamie Lee Curtis back as Laurie Strode. 2018’s Halloween made over $253 million worldwide at the box office, becoming one of the most successful films for the franchise.

The Get Out writer and director certainly brought a new definition of “horror” to the big screen when its exploration of liberal racism in America today was the centerpiece jump scare. Get Out went on to be nominated for four Oscars and score one win for Jordan Peele’s original screenplay.

Jordan Peele is gearing up for the release of his second film Us this month, which will be full-on horror and promises to be way scarier than Get Out. The upcoming movie is about a family of four (played by Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph and Evan Alex) who become terrorized by doppelgängers of themselves during a summer getaway. Us also stars Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.

Us will premiere at SXSW in Austin, Texas on Friday, March 8 and hit theaters on March 22, with early tracking at a $35 million opening weekend. The movie’s monsters seem to be about ourselves being our worst enemies… I’d say that’s up there as far as scary premises.