Yes, Disney Will Be Changing Some Release Dates Thanks To The Disney Fox Merger

Yes, Disney Will Be Changing Some Release Dates Thanks To The Disney Fox Merger

The film world is a fascinating place right now, especially as Disney continues to acquire more assets and iconic brands. The House of Mouse's merger with 20th Century Fox recently became official, so the time has come to sort out exactly how two massive studios will end up combining. Disney acquired the rights to some very exciting properties from Fox, although it makes navigating a release schedule all the more confusing. Luckily, some answers are coming from this year's CinemaCon.

Disney already has a ton of projects coming down the pipeline, including animated blockbusters, the Star Wars franchise and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As such, acquiring 20th Century Fox is it a bit of a logistical nightmare, as that studio had a bunch of releases scheduled as well. Disney won't want to cannibalize its own box office numbers, and while presenting at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, President of Distribution Franchise Cathleen Taff mentioned the adjustments to film's releases. She said:

So much has happened this year. Of course, the biggest news in the year of big news is welcoming the Fox filmmaking team studios to Disney, greatly expanding our collection of world class brands… It’s an incredible collection of films with truly something for everyone. As you probably know, a couple of these films do share the same release date. We know some adjustments are going to need to be made, but we’ll have updates for you very soon.

Well, that seems pretty cut and dry. The House of Mouse isn't intending on shooting itself in the foot regarding the release schedule, so some changes may be made to either Fox or Disney flicks in order to avoid conflicts at the box office. Because if there's one thing the studio is good at, it's making money.

Cathleen Taff's comments from CinemaCon are sure to turn a few heads, as there are a ton of highly anticipated movies arriving in theaters over the next two years. It's perfectly logical that the release schedule might be altered, although the question is: how? Cinephiles have been eager for any and all information regarding Disney's merger with Fox, and the recent convention in Las Vegas has provided the first concrete information now that the deal's in ink.

While Disney didn't reveal which upcoming movies would be shifting their release date, they did unveil the next year or so of programing. This includes the fate of Josh Boone's The New Mutants, which seemed like it was in jeopardy before CinemaCon. Not only is the horror inspired X-Men movie still getting a theatrical release, but it'll arrive shortly after Dark Phoenix on August 2nd. That should be a relief to comic book fans, although the public will have to sit tight for a better idea regarding the scheduling adjustments.

CinemaBlend will keep you updated on Disney's' acquisition of Fox as more details become public. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

The Funny Way Aladdin’s Mena Massoud Goofed During His Introduction To Will Smith

The Funny Way Aladdin’s Mena Massoud Goofed During His Introduction To Will Smith

Getting the opportunity to meet a prominent figure in any work field is a universally intimidating experience to which we can all relate, but it’s easy to imagine that it’s particularly nerve-wracking for actors. After all, becoming a “prominent figure” in the performing arts means that they are one of the most famous people on the planet, and being around anyone with that kind of popularity and power can put a person a bit off their game. This in mind, it’s pretty easy to understand why Mena Massoud made an awkward mistake the first time he had the opportunity to meet Will Smith in the making of Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin.

So what exactly happened? To put it plainly, Massoud’s introduction to Smith wasn’t so much an introduction, as the young actor actually completely forgot to introduce himself. This is a funny story that I had the opportunity to learn this past weekend during the Los Angeles press day for Aladdin, as Massoud told me about his first time meeting the headliner of the new fantasy blockbuster:

Yeah, I definitely geeked out. The first time I met him was during prep before we started shooting, and I was so nervous I forgot to say my name when I went up and introduced myself. So really I didn't introduce myself. So I had to backtrack and go back and it was a little awkward for me. But it's a dream come true. Me and the boys would get together when we were younger and put on a Will Smith movie. So it's amazing.

So it’s not the most embarrassing situation we’ve heard about behind-the-scenes in Hollywood, but one can also picture it as a blush-inducing moment.

Mena Massoud does have a fair amount of acting experience under his belt, his first role being in a 2011 episode of the television series Nikita – but Aladdin is definitely a big deal for his career. Not only is it the first major blockbuster of which he’s been a part, but it’s also the first opportunity that he’s had to play the titular role in anything. It was also his first chance to work alongside an A-lister on the level of Will Smith, so one can fully understand why he would totally forget to say his own name during the initial introduction.

Awkward as that may have been at the start, fortunately things definitely worked out well in the end. The relationship between Mena Massoud’s Aladdin and Will Smith’s character, Genie, is one of the most important in the film, and it’s also one of the best parts of the finished product. They have a great back and forth together, and you’d never guess watching the movie that things got off to a bit of an odd start when they first met.

You can watch Mena Massoud discuss his first opportunity meeting Will Smith by clicking play on the video below:

In addition to starring Mena Massoud and Will Smith, Aladdin also features Naomi Scott, Marwan Kenzari, Navid Negahban, Nasim Pedrad, Billy Magnussen, and Numan Acar, and you can see them all on the big screen this weekend as the Disney film arrives in theaters everywhere. Given that it’s the biggest release of the Memorial Day holiday you can be sure that we’ll have plenty more coverage coming your way in the next few days, so be sure to keep coming back to CinemaBlend for more.

The First Draft Of Avengers: Endgame Was Originally Very Different

The First Draft Of Avengers: Endgame Was Originally Very Different

Major spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame. Don't read on if you haven't seen it!

After a long year of waiting, Avengers: Endgame finally hit theaters this past weekend. The 22nd Marvel blockbuster has been breaking records left and right at the box office, and packed more surprises and plot twists than the rabid fandom could have anticipated. Tons of narrative threads were wrapped up, and the OG members of The Avengers were given special care for some of their final outings in the MCU.

Avengers: Endgame obviously went through a few drafts, and it turns out that the contents of the massive blockbuster could have been quite different. Writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely handled the script to both Infinity War and Endgame, and recently revealed some of the ways the story changed throughout its development. For instance, the heroes didn't originally travel back to The Avengers' Battle of New York, as McFeely explained:

In the first draft, we didn’t go back to the [original] Avengers movie. We went back to Asgard. But there’s a moment in the MCU, if you’re paying very close attention, where the Aether is there and the Tesseract is in the vault. In that iteration, we were interested in Tony going to Asgard. He had a stealth suit, so he was invisible, and he fought Heimdall, who could see him.

Avengers: Endgame's time heist is massive and extremely ambitious, as the Avengers revisit some of the MCU's most iconic moments. The biggest part of that mission is in the Battle of New York, as three of the Infinity Stones were in the city during that first epic battle. It's hard to imagine the heist going off without visiting New York, although Stephen McFeely revealed they were originally were going to leave The Avengers out of the travel itinerary. Luckily, the duo of writers ultimately changed their mind.

The Avengers has a very important role in the story in the heist, and features a ton of surprising cameos. In addition to being the place where the surviving heroes could accrue a variety of Infinity Stones, the flashback to New York featured appearances by Crossbones, and fellow Captain America: Winter Soldier characters Alexander Pierce and Agent Jasper Sitwell. None of this would have been possible if Endgame's writers decided to avoid The Battle of New York.

Related: Avengers: Endgame Fan Reportedly Hospitalized For Uncontrollable Sobbing

Heimdall related FOMO aside, it sounds like Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely made the right call regarding how the journey through time would function in the story. This isn't exclusive to the Battle of New York, as moments in the Thor and Guardian of the Galaxy franchises also became more important. Of course, there are many Idris Elba fans out there who would have loved to see Heimdall briefly return to the world of the living in Endgame.

In their same conversation with the New York Times, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely revealed the challenges of the time heist's other settings, and different iterations that were crafted. As the duo of writers said:

MARKUS: Thor had long scenes with Natalie Portman. And Morag [the planet where Peter Quill finds the Orb] was hugely complicated.

McFEELY: It was underwater! That was clever but it was just too big a set piece. What that didn’t do is allow for Thanos and his daughters to get on the trail at the right moment. So we went back to when Peter Quill was there. And we realized that when you can punch Quill in the face, it’s hilarious. I still think it’s hilarious.

Avengers: Endgame's time heist was not only tricky for the surviving heroes, but also for the writers who had to plan out the easter egg-filled act of the film. Figuring out just how the Avengers would travel back and acquire the Infinity Stones was a major task for Marcus and McFeely. While some of the teams had long sequences like the Battle of New York, Nebula and War Machine's acquisition of the Power Stone was hilariously easy. At least, until Thanos showed up and made a mess of things.

While the original version of Endgame featured a longer scene with Natalie Portman's Jane, it was ultimately Thor's mother Frigga who had the biggest impact during the Thor: The Dark World revisit. Instead, Jane was brought back through old footage of Portman, as the Oscar winning actress has left her Marvel role behind.

Christopher Marcus and Stephen McFeely's struggle with the Avengers: Endgame time heist was partly because they didn't want to pander to the audience or go over the top with fan service. Quite a few misguided plot devices were considered in this process, as the duo attempted to craft a time traveling story that left out the Battle of New York. As they put it:

MARKUS: There were entirely other trips taken. They went to the Triskelion at one point to get the [Tesseract], and then somebody was going to get into a car and drive to Doctor Strange’s house.

McFEELY: Just saying it out loud, it’s like, what are we doing?

MARKUS: It was when we were trying to avoid going to Avengers because it seemed pander-y.

If you thought that Avengers: Endgame was dizzying in theaters, imagine what it was like to create the complicated story. The writing process ultimately worked out quite well for Markus and McFeely, as their work is being universally celebrated by both critics and moviegoers alike. They somehow pulled off the impossible with Infinity War and Endgame, crating a pair of blockbusters that balanced action with character-driven plot.

Avengers: Endgame managed to largely keep its secrets, and Christopher Marcus and Stephen McFeely packed in endless surprises and long awaited payoffs throughout the Russo Brothers' massive final movie. It was the true finale of the Infinity Saga, and there's no telling what's coming next for the MCU.

Avengers: Endgame is in theaters now. Be sure to check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Dark Phoenix - What We Know So Far About The New X-Men Movie

Dark Phoenix - What We Know So Far About The New X-Men Movie

Looking back, the X-Men franchise was key in the development of the modern comic book movie genre, and 19 years after it started it's still serving up superhero shenanigans. While the Disney-Fox deal has certainly changed what the future could look like for the franchise, there are still a lot of possibilities for interesting-looking spin-offs, not to mention new takes on previously shown characters and events which the folks at Disney and Marvel are surely already working to figure out. Not to be forgotten yet, however, is the main series of films, and it's the next chapter that we're here to discuss today.

After a relatively quick production period, but lots of delays, X-Men: Dark Phoenix is now finally less than a week away from release nationwide. But what is it about? Who is making it? What characters can we expect to appear? We cover all of these questions and more in our What We Know So Far guide below, so read on and learn!

What Have We Seen From Dark Phoenix?

It's been a long road, but September 26, 2018 finally delivered the first trailer from the highly anticipated movie. While that first look went heavy on the stress caused to Jean by meeting with the Phoenix force, and the resulting toll that will take on her friends and the world around her, the final trailer (above) gave us a better sense of some of the other action. This includes cool scenes of that meeting and a lot of the space action that would have led to it.

What Is Dark Phoenix's Release Date?

While June 7, 2019 will finally see Dark Phoenix hit theaters, it was a long road to get there. In 2017, the Marvel Cinematic Universe achieved something never before seen in Hollywood: releasing three franchise titles in the span of one calendar year. Well, in 2018 the X-Men movies were ready to compete. January through June should have seen both Josh Boone's The New Mutants and David Leitch's Deadpool 2 unleashed on the world, with 20th Century Fox is saving X-Men: Dark Phoenix for the winter months, having set it to come out on November 2, 2018.

That changed with some shakeups to scheduling in January and March of 2018, though. First, The New Mutants was pushed from April 13, 2018, to February 22, 2019, then to August 2, 2019 and now it rests at April 3, 2020. Dark Phoenix retained its November release date through the first scheduling change, but late March saw the superhero film get pushed to February 2019.

But then, just two days after the first trailer was released in late September 2018, Fox did more shuffling and set Dark Phoenix down in June 2019. With the exception of Deadpool and Logan, which hit theaters in the first quarters of their respective years, the X­-Men movies have traditionally been spring and summer releases, which makes this new strategy fall more in line with what we generally see.

While February is no longer a stranger to comic book blockbusters in the modern era, thanks to the aforementioned Deadpool and the recent, completely massive success of Black Panther, this release makes a lot more sense for the film. Rumors on the date change have suggested that the studio believes X-Men: Dark Phoenix will simply perform better then, especially in China, which went crazy for the trailer after it came out.

What Is Dark Phoenix's Rating?

Unlike the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe, the X-Men franchise has been a bit more experimental when it comes to the ratings of their comic book movies -- and it's resulted in some incredible success. Even though audiences under 18 couldn't see them without a parent or guardian, the aforementioned Deadpool and Logan both managed to bring in tons of cash appealing to more mature audiences. Because of these wins, there are now ratings conversations to be had about many developing superhero titles, but you can bet that X-Men: Dark Phoenix won't be rocking the boat.

To date, all of the main X-Men titles -- including X-Men, X2: X-Men United, X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse -- have all been PG-13, and that trend will continue with X-Men: Dark Phoenix. It surely will have (mostly bloodless) violence and thrilling sequences that might be too much for young viewers, but don't expect tons of gore, nudity or profanity.

Who Is Directing Dark Phoenix?

Simon Kinberg has been an important part of the X-Men world for years. He first became involved back in 2006 when he was hired to write the script for Brett Ratner's X-Men: The Last Stand, but has really been a key player ever since X-Men: First Class. Starting with that 2011 movie he has produced all of the franchises' features, and he is also a credited co-writer on X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse. He's also done script work on Dark Phoenix, but the bigger story is the fact that he's making the film as his directorial debut.

It's not often that you see a filmmaker dipping his toe into directing with a major superhero blockbuster, but he does have a good amount of experience within the industry in the last 15 years. We can't say much for the style we expect him to bring to X-Men: Dark Phoenix, but that's just another part of what we're anticipating when we head to the theater.

What Is Dark Phoenix About?

The Dark Phoenix Saga is one of the most famous storylines in the history of Marvel Comics - which fully explains why this movie will actually be the second big screen attempt at adapting it. The franchise tried to put its own spin on the familiar narrative with X-Men: The Last Stand in 2006, but it's widely agreed that the job was botched. Following the continuity-changing events of X-Men: Days of Future Past, the movies saw an opportunity to try and tell the story again, and that's what we're getting in Simon Kinberg's X-Men: Dark Phoenix.

Set a decade after the events of X-Men: Apocalypse (following a pattern set up by the previous two movies), Dark Phoenix is set in the early 1990s, and is set in a world that has changed quite a lot. In the 1980s people everywhere knew about the existence of mutants, but now the X-Men are basically rock stars. Under the leadership of Professor X (James McAvoy), the team is known worldwide for their heroics, and celebrated for them.

All good streaks come to an end, however, and the X-Men find theirs come to a conclusion in outer space. During a cosmic mission, an accident occurs involving what they believe to be a solar flare, but this energy merges with Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) in the process. It's found it greatly enhances her powers, but the team begins to witness some serious changes in her personality, and her lack of control over her new powers.

Those familiar with the Dark Phoenix Saga from the comics -- which is an arc big enough to span two feature films -- will recognize that this doesn't exactly match up with the source material, but it certainly is a hell of a lot closer than what X-Men: The Last Stand delivered. There is still a lot that we don't know about the story take and the adaptation, but we obviously don't have long until we can learn more.

Jean Grey

Jean Grey has been an important character in the X-Men movies from the very beginning, originally played by Famke Janssen, but now she is in her second generation. While Jean was initially introduced as a teacher at Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters, X-Men: Apocalypse was the first film in the canon to show her as a student, brought to life by Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner.

Like many of her fellow X-Men in that film, the young telepath/telekinetic was only just starting to get a handle on her special mutation when she was doing battle with Apocalypse -- but, all the same, still demonstrated some incredible power. We can assume that her abilities and her control over said abilities will be much better at the start of X-Men: Dark Phoenix (there's a lot Professor X can teach in a decade), but even those practiced strengths will be nothing compared to what she is able to do when imbued with the Phoenix Force.

As powerful as Jean is naturally, her abilities intensely escalate when she is transformed into Phoenix, to the point where she becomes one of the most powerful beings in the universe. Opening stargates, destroying matter at the subatomic level, and generating cosmic fire are only a few of the scary skills in her arsenal, but also certainly not helpful is the way that the power tends to corrupt the user.

Charles Xavier a.k.a. Professor X

Going back to X-Men: First Class, we've watched Charles Xavier a.k.a. Professor X come a long way. He earned his doctorate at the age of 30, shortly thereafter establishing Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters, and through X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse we've watched him evolve into the legendary leader we've always known that he would become.

By the time we catch up with him in Dark Phoenix, Professor X will have 30 years of leadership under his belt, but evidently he somewhat becomes a victim of his own bravado. He is very proud of the students that he has taught, and blissful with the reputation and popularity that the X-Men have received. There are obvious positive sides to this, but, unfortunately, the confidence also leads him to send his team into outer space for a mission that they aren't prepared for, leading to Jean Grey's accident.

As a leader and a teacher, Professor X has a very important responsibility when it comes to the X-Men, and one can imagine this mistake having a crucial impact on his arc in X-Men: Dark Phoenix. That said, he shouldn't have a ton of time to devote to self-reflection and self-flagellation if he's properly responding to the threat that the titular force represents.

Scott Summers a.k.a. Cyclops

It's no secret that the X-Men movies don't have a great track record of doing right by Scott Summers a.k.a. Cyclops. The character has been a fan favorite in the comics for decades, but on the big screen he was totally sidelined by a Wolverine-centric approach that painted him plainly as a romantic competitor for the heart of Jean Grey. It's partially because of this shortcoming that the franchise hit the restart button on Cyclops in X-Men: Apocalypse, and now they'll have the chance to properly explore the character in X-Men: Dark Phoenix, portrayed by Tye Sheridan.

Cyclops was only shown wearing his famous visor in the final moments of X-Men: Apocalypse, still learning how to control his optic blasts, but he should be a seasoned veteran with the equipment when we catch up with him. His specific role in the Dark Phoenix storyline still seems to be based on Scott's romantic bond with Jean Grey, with him trying to convince everyone she can be saved when she seems too far gone and dangerous to be allowed to live.

Ororo Munroe a.k.a. Storm

Within the post-X-Men: Days of Future Past continuity, we don't have much experience watching Ororo Munroe a.k.a. Storm as a hero. Portrayed by Alexandra Shipp in X-Men: Apocalypse, we got a glimpse of her upbringing in Egypt, but the titular villain was able to get to her far faster than Professor X. She was enlisted as one of the Four Horsemen, but the all-powerful blue mutant's Svengali-like hold over her was shattered when she saw her hero, Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) in battle. Following her change of heart, Storm started fighting alongside the X-Men, and at the end of the movie we saw her suited up as a full-fledged member of the team.

Unfortunately, that's basically where details stop in regards to what we can expect from Storm in X-Men: Dark Phoenix. Like everyone else, she will be 10 years older and wiser, and have much greater control over her abilities to control the weather, but we don't really know much more than that. Given how limited the character's time on screen has classically been -- going back to the Halle Berry era -- hopefully a nice chunk of narrative will be devoted to her.

Kurt Wagner a.k.a. Nightcrawler

We first got to see the fan-favorite teleporting mutant known as Nightcrawler up on the big screen in X2: X-Men United... but his run didn't exactly last long. Despite putting on a fantastic performance, Alan Cumming didn't return to reprise the part in X-Men: The Last Stand, and in the movie world Nightcrawler was ultimately put on ice for 13 years. That unfortunate trend ended in 2016 with Kodi Smit-McPhee playing a younger version of the character in X-Men: Apocalypse, and next we'll get to see him perform his advanced circus-like antics in Dark Phoenix.

In X-Men: Apocalypse, Nightcrawler was basically used to demonstrate that the world was accepting of his odd appearance -- but we didn't really get to learn much about him. Hopefully Simon Kinberg is able to successfully balance X-Men: Dark Phoenix as a true ensemble, and give Kurt Wagner the proper moments to shine that fans want to see, and that his legacy deserves.

Peter Maximoff a.k.a. Quicksilver

The last seventeen years have brought us an endless list of ridiculously awesome big screen superhero moments, but the usage of Evan Peters' Peter Maximoff a.k.a. Quicksilver in both X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse are certainly near the top. Bryan Singer made impressive use of modern filmmaking technology to craft sequences unlike anything we've ever seen with a speedster character, and in doing so also happened to create two of the most memorable movie music moments of the young century. He's an exciting presence in this franchise, which is why we're stoked that he will be back in X-Men: Dark Phoenix.

The full details regarding Quicksilver's development as a character have not yet been revealed, but we can probably take a few guesses regarding where he is at. Given his personality type, one can imagine that he is absolutely loving the celebrity status that the X-Men have earned, and is happy to take advantage of it every moment that he can -- which is pretty often given the way he moves.

We'll have to wait and see if he winds up reaching out to Magneto to reveal that he is his son (if that hasn't already happened in the last decade), but that situation is made tricky given the status of Magneto at the start of Dark Phoenix, which we'll get into a bit later.

Hank McCoy a.k.a. Beast

Fans were initially disappointed when Hank McCoy a.k.a. Beast didn't make the roster for Bryan Singer's first X-Men movie, but ever since X-Men: First Class he has been a key player. Portrayed by Nicholas Hoult, we have watched the character undergo some serious change -- some quite literally -- but he's certainly developed into the hero that Marvel readers have loved for decades.

Beast will once again be back fighting the good fight in X-Men: Dark Phoenix, serving alongside Jean Grey, Cyclops, Storm, Nightcrawler, Quicksilver, and Mystique under the guidance of Professor X. Hank still seems to have control over his appearance, but we do get a lot of him totally blue and furry during the trailer, so we'll probably be treated to his natural state a lot of time, especially during the action scenes.

Raven Darkhölme a.k.a. Mystique

Similar to Wolverine, Raven Darkhölme a.k.a. Mystique wasn't always a core member of the X-Men character lineup in the comics, but the films have certainly treated her that way. Rebecca Romijn was very memorable in the original X-Men trilogy, but the fact that she has been played by A-lister Jennifer Lawrence since X-Men: First Class has kept her in the franchise's spotlight. At the end of X-Men: Apocalypse she was firmly established as one of the good guys, and apparently that's exactly where she starts at the beginning of Dark Phoenix as well.

Mystique has classically been an enemy of the X-Men, but now that she's a part of the titular team, we'll see her take on a leadership position because she's older and has been fighting longer than most of the other X-Men. It also looks like she'll handle Jean Grey's transformation into the Phoenix by pointing out some important truths to Charles, and by being a true leader and trying to help Jean even though she knows how dangerous she's become.

Erik Lehnsherr a.k.a. Magneto

At the end of X-Men: Apocalypse Michael Fassbender's Erik Lehnsherr a.k.a. Magneto aided in the reconstruction of Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters, but he made the decision not to stick around. Having lost his wife and daughter, and nearly aiding in the destruction of the planet, he decided that it was best that he leave and start a life for himself elsewhere in the world. It's noteworthy that X-Men: Dark Phoenix will address the question of "Where?" and it turns out the answer is super interesting: the island of Genosha.

While Genosha has a bit of a spotty history in Marvel Comics, in Dark Phoenix it will be portrayed as a safe haven for mutants who can't find a home anywhere else in the world -- and it's where Magneto has worked to try and rebalance his life. He finds himself involved with the main narrative because Jean Grey seeks him out for guidance in the midst of his transformation.

The Mysterious Villain

Yes, that's a super vague heading, but the reality is that we don't have much to work with in this area. It's been confirmed that Jessica Chastain will be playing the central villain in X-Men: Dark Phoenix, but in a move that seriously increases our curiosity, the folks behind the film will not identify her character. It has been said that she is an "otherworldly shapeshifter" who is out to control the power of the Phoenix, but nothing else is known beyond that.

We just have a few day now until X-Men: Dark Phoenix is in theaters, so be sure to head out and get the rest of the answers to what this movie has in store for audiences for yourself!

John Wick Director Says He Could Make More Sequels For The Rest Of His Career

John Wick Director Says He Could Make More Sequels For The Rest Of His Career

The John Wick film franchise has only been growing in popularity as it has progressed, and while many might have thought that John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum was looking to wrap up a solid trilogy, the truth is that sequels are still very much a possibility. Franchise director Chad Stahelski says that he could potentially end up just making these movies for the rest of his carrer, and if that, happened, that'd be ok. According to Stahelski...

I enjoy making these movies because there’s no limit. We create our own mythology, and we have a studio (Lionsgate) that both stays out of our way and supports us on the wacky decisions. If people go see the movie, and it makes money, and they came back to us, Keanu and I have ideas for days. It’s a fun world. I could live here for the rest of my career. If people like it and want to watch more, I could think of way worse ways to spend your career. We’ll let the audience figure that out.

While we don't need to dive too deep into spoiler territory, it seems quite likely that John Wick: Chapter 4 is a strong possibility, and the new movie looks to have even set the stage for a spinoff film. The franchise is only growing from here, but Chad Stahelski tells EW that he's cool with that.

The director says he was far from this confident when the series began. He felt the first John Wick would bomb and end his directing career before it ever got started. Instead, the film was a solid success that has since spawned two sequels, each a bigger box office hit than the last. While we're only at the first weekend for the newest film, it had a bigger opening than either of the two previous movies.

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum made more money at the domestic box office this past weekend than the original; movie did in its entire domestic run. The same was true globally. John Wick: Chapter 4 hasn't been officially confirmed, but it seems to be an almost foregone conclusion. Pencil it in for May 2021.

Based on the franchise's success, the biggest hurdle to getting lots more John Wick movies is probably not going to be the studio. Lionsgate will almost certainly want to keep this train rolling. If the creatives behind the series were getting tired of it, that would be an issue, but by all accounts, they're not.

In addition to Chad Stahelski saying he's willing to keep making the movies, Keanu Reeves as also said he'll keep making them as long as the audience is interested. With both the lead actor and the director willing to keep making these movies it seems quite likely we'll keep getting them, which, if the quality level remains as high as it has been, will make a lot of fans very happy.

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum is in theaters now.

Sylvester Stallone Explains How Rambo V: Last Blood Is Totally Different Than Other Rambo Movies

Sylvester Stallone Explains How Rambo V: Last Blood Is Totally Different Than Other Rambo Movies

The landslide winner for this year’s coolest movie title, Rambo V: Last Blood, continues the story of Sylvester Stallone’s Vietnam War vet that began in 1982’s First Blood. For a franchise that has been around as long as this one, we generally know what to expect with a Rambo film. However, Rambo V will be totally different than what came before in terms of how it picks up the story, as Sylvester Stallone explained:

In every film, Rambo never goes home, he goes out to the jungle or Afghanistan. In the new one, he does come home, but in a way he never arrives. He’s there, but he’s not. That’s what the whole story is built around. As soon as he walks outside his door, he has no more control. The world controls you.

As reported by Deadline, while speaking about the film at the Cannes Film Festival, Sylvester Stallone explained that Rambo V: Last Blood sets itself apart from the rest of the series by picking up Rambo’s story in a place we’ve never really seen him: his home. It provides a unique lens through which to view the warrior because we have never seen him in that context.

The previous Rambo movies have found the Special Forces soldier in places like Thailand or Afghanistan, and even when he was in the U.S. like in the first movie, he wasn’t home. At the end of the fourth film Rambo, the character finally returns to his father’s ranch in Arizona. But you can’t go home again, not really.

Seeing Rambo at home in Last Blood is a fascinating setup because it gives us some real insight into Rambo’s psychology and the mental cost of a lifetime of war. He may be home, but he’s not settled. He’s been in a state of perpetual war for so long that being home doesn’t feel like home. There’s no real comfort in it; his body is there, but his mind isn’t.

Rambo sadly finds that life is its own kind of fight and despite being home and not in some far off land, he is still at the mercy of events beyond his control. Those events start right away in the movie and they elucidate the toll his battles have exacted, as Sylvester Stallone continued:

We pick it up, he’s out in this storm, a horrible storm. He’s trying to rescue people. There’s a flash flood. One guy goes up by horseback, he volunteers to save people. He’s still dealing with survivor guilt, b/c he could save his friends in Vietnam. A result of PTSD. He has a hard time. He has a beautiful ranch, but he lives underground. This is how he deals with his dilemma. There’s something subterranean in Vietnam. He has an adopted family there. His father has passed on. The housekeeper who is 70 has a granddaughter. He’s her surrogate father. [The girl finds her real father in Mexico and heads there.] Bad things happen. There’s going to be some serious vengeance in this movie. A lot of people getting hurt.

We’ve seen images of Sylvester Stallone’s John Rambo in cowboy attire in a storm and now we know that this is how the film starts, with him helping people as he can’t help himself but do. It’s not a savior complex, but survivor’s guilt as Sylvester Stallone explained. He feels he has to basically make up for it and save as many people as he can.

Rambo has seen so much death and dealt so much of it himself that he has PTSD and can’t live a quiet and untroubled existence on his ranch. It’s a premise that adds a great deal of complexity and realism to the John Rambo character. He isn’t John Wick, so the blood on his hands shouldn’t be easily washed off.

Sylvester Stallone also explained the premise of Last Blood, which shows that war always finds John Rambo, even if he isn’t seeking it. The vet’s family is gone, but he has something of a new family with his housekeeper and her granddaughter. But because this is a Rambo movie, something bad happens to the granddaughter in Mexico.

Rambo has to make this right, not just because of his survivor's guilt, but because it is personal. Naturally, many bad guys will feel Rambo’s wrath along the way because while he may be restless and uncomfortable at home, the battlefield is what he knows and where he operates best, even if he doesn't like it.

Rambo V: Last Blood opens in theaters on September 20. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all of the big movies headed your way this year.

Idris Elba Has A Flamethrower In New Hobbs And Shaw Image

Idris Elba Has A Flamethrower In New Hobbs And Shaw Image

The life of the Fast and the Furious franchise has been fascinating. What started as car racing movies has become one of the biggest action franchises in the world, consistently making a ton of money at the box office. And it's showing no signs of slowing down, with a variety of different projects coming down the line. The franchise is breaking new ground with Hobbs & Shaw, the property's first spinoff starring The Rock and Jason Statham.

The many Fast and the Furious fans are eager to see the franchise branch out, especially as Hobbs & Shaw will focus on a pair of fan favorite badasses. There's some serious talent attached to join the duo of actors, with the most notable being Idris Elba as the superpowered villain Brixton Lore. Brixton has been genetically engineered to have superpowers, and that's not going to be the end of his badassery. Because a new image just dropped featuring Elba with a massive flamethrower. Check it out.

What. A. Badass. This image reiterates that Hobbs & Shaw is leaning into the over the top action that the larger franchise has become known for. And the title characters have one seriously tough enemy to unite against when the spinoff arrives in theaters.

This new image comes to us from producer Hiram Garcia's personally Twitter page. While the Fast and the Furious franchise is known for being larger than life, Idris Elba is taking things to another level as Brixton Lore in Hobbs & Shaw. The villain's superpowers is a game changer, and arguably taking the franchise farther from reality than ever before. Rather than trying to ground the character in other ways, he's going to be even bigger. Like giant flamethrower big.

Idris Elba's latest photo as Brixton is undeniably badass, and will likely add more fuel to the rumors about his possible involvement in the James Bond franchise. With Daniel Craig leaving the role of 007 after Bond 25, the franchise will soon have to find a replacement to take on the mantle. Fan lists have been happening for years, and Elba is usually toward the top. While the actor has shut down these reports, seeing him with a flamethrower is sure to cause endless more rumors.

Idris Elba's starpower has been steadily building over the past few years, so it's a great time to play the central villain in a Fast and the Furious movie. The franchise is insanely popular, and there will be a mass of moviegoers who shell out cash to see all the action on the big screen. Aside from fans of the franchise, Elba was also recently named the Sexiest Man Alive, which should excite more casual moviegoers.

Aside from Hobbs & Shaw, Idris Elba has another big blockbuster coming in the form of James Gunn's The Suicide Squad. Elba will be playing the role of Deadshot, the character played by Will Smith in the original film. He also recently wrapped up his tenure as Heimdall in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, playing the Asgardian in all three Thor movies and two Avengers appearances.

Hobbs & Shaw will arrive in theaters on August 2nd, complete with Idris Elba's flamethrower-toting villain. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.