Bill Murray Is Down To Return For The New Ghostbusters Movie

Bill Murray Is Down To Return For The New Ghostbusters Movie

For a long time, the lack of interest from Bill Murray was one of the impediments to a continuation of the beloved Ghostbusters franchise actually happening, before the actor finally relented and had a cameo in the 2016 reboot of the property. But with a secretive new movie set in the continuity of the first two Ghostbusters films on the way, we are again left to wonder if Murray’s Dr. Peter Venkman will return. Addressing why he came back for the reboot, Bill Murray provided some hope on the matter when he said:

I was in that movie just because they asked me, and I knew if I said no, I was saying I didn’t support that movie. I felt like, OK, I’m going to support them because I support them as people. So I did that one and I would do this next one.

Bill Murray’s friendship with fellow SNL alums Kate McKinnon and Melissa McCarthy is what compelled him to finally return to the Ghostbusters franchise. He wanted to support his friends and the biggest support and vote of confidence he could give them was to be in the Ghostbusters reboot when he was asked. Yet, even though the new Ghostbusters movie will not feature those actors, Bill Murray is still down to return, as he told IndieWire at the Cannes Film Festival.

You hear that Jason Reitman? That’s the sound of legions of Ghostbusters fans telling you to pick up the phone and call Bill Murray. The actor broke the seal with his appearance in Paul Feig’s reboot and isn’t as staunchly against participating in the franchise as he once was. On the contrary, he seems quite open to the possibility of returning for the secretive continuation of the series from original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman’s son Jason.

It’s an encouraging response because Bill Murray could have easily just said that he wasn’t interested or equivocated on the topic, but instead he said quite plainly that he would be willing to do the next Ghostbusters movie. Maybe all he needs is to be asked and to see a good script.

Despite Bill Murray’s aversion to working with Sony and in big Hollywood studio movies, likely contributors to his longstanding reticence to return, he still has great affection for the Ghostbusters franchise, as he explained:

This franchise paid for my son’s college. We made this thing. We are the caretakers of it. It’s a great thing and it was a really fun movie to make. It’s a real movie with some really funny stuff in it.

Bill Murray knows how important Ghostbusters was to his career and it’s something that he had a good time making. He also has an appreciation for the enduring nature of the franchise and how important it is to people. The actor also seems to feel some responsibility as a steward of the franchise to take care of it and perhaps that is part of why he has no problem returning for this new movie.

Bill Murray isn’t the only one of the original Ghostbusters willing to be a part of the 2020 film either. Although Harold Ramis sadly passed away in 2014, both Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson have expressed excitement about the new film and presumably a willingness to participate.

We’ll have to wait and see if any of the original Ghostbusters do return. If they do, they’ll be joined by the new actors who have already been cast, including McKenna Grace, Carrie Coon and hitting for a nostalgia trifecta, Stranger Things and IT actor Finn Wolfhard.

Plot details are nonexistent at this point, but this new, untitled Ghostbusters movie will be set in the same continuity as the original 80s movies. So here’s hoping that Bill Murray and the rest of the OG team return in some capacity for a movie that comes as close as possible to the untouchable original.

The untitled Ghostbusters movie hits theaters on July 10, 2020. For movies arriving just a bit sooner, check out our 2019 Release Schedule.

Avengers: Endgame’s Writers Have Characters They Wish Got More Screen Time

Avengers: Endgame’s Writers Have Characters They Wish Got More Screen Time

Spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame. If you haven't seen it in theaters, look away!

Avengers: Endgame has been in theaters for two weekends, and continues to break box office records and make an outstanding amount of money. The Russo Brothers crafted a complicated and epic story, and the movie is so dense that it warrants a re-watch or two. Writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely were tasked with writing the project and balancing out its large ensemble of characters, and did so masterfully.

Given Endgame's massive critical and financial success, you could definitely says that Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely accomplished their goals. But it turns out that the writers still wish certain characters got more time together. McFeely recently opened up about those missed opportunities, saying:

Steve and Bucky would've been good. Rocket and Groot could've had another moment. [Black] Panther and Okoye, even Hope and Scott Lang. Lang in many ways is the driving force of this story. He didn't get time to really have a moment with Hope.

Just when you thought that Avengers: Endgame included everything possibly could, it turns out that the writers would have liked to add a few more reunion scenes during the movie's final battle. And after looking at their list of scenes, the fans might actually agree.

Stephen McFeely's comments to the LA Times might have originally surprised moviegoers, but they make a great deal of sense. After the surviving heroes finish their Time Heist and acquire the Infinity Stones, Thanos from the past arrives and lays waste to the Avengers Compound. All seems lost, until the dusted characters arrive in droves, and the most ambitious MCU battle begins.

During this sequence, there are plenty of reunions and interesting character pairings occurred, as the heroes who were absent from the last few hours got their time to shine. But some of them got cut for time, and they're even more noticeable after hearing the writers point them out. Most of these relationships will continue in future movies, although Steve and Bucky are presumably the exception.

Related: How Anthony Mackie Learned About Avengers: Endgame's Captain America Twist

Thanos' victory in Infinity War accompanied a gut-punch of a scene, where audience was left to watch in horror as countless characters faded to dust. It was heartbreaking to watch Rocket lose Groot, and Bucky was the first hero to fall. Those characters reunions might have deserved a bigger spotlight, although Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus had to edit down all of their original idea for the battle.

Even for being dusted, Bucky wasn't given a ton to do in Avengers: Endgame. He didn't take on the mantle of Captain America, and didn't get a huge reunion with Steve Rogers before the latter eventually time travelled again. The future of the MCU is largely a mystery, so it should be interesting to see how the characters are serviced in a post-Endgame world.

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

The Flash’s Ezra Miller Is Now Working On The Script With A DC Comics Heavyweight

The Flash’s Ezra Miller Is Now Working On The Script With A DC Comics Heavyweight

Despite being one of the first DC Extended Universe projects to be announced, The Flash has faced numerous obstacles over the years. Ezra Miller first cameoed as Barry Allen in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, and later made his full debut as the Scarlet Speedster in Justice League, but the Flash movie itself has continually been delayed due to director departures, script changes, scheduling issues, etc. Now Miller is reportedly tackling writing duties on The Flash as well, but he’s not alone, as longtime DC Comics writer Grant Morrison is helping him out.

According to THR, this latest development on the script front comes as a result of conflicting creative visions between Ezra Miller and The Flash directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. The duo, who were tapped to helm The Flash early last year, want to go in a lighthearted direction with the movie, similar to what’s been done with Aquaman, which has grossed over $1.1 billion worldwide, and Shazam!, which is getting positive early buzz. Miller, on the other hand, wants The Flash to be darker, and he subsequently took the initiative to work on the script with Grant Morrison, whose DC Comics credits include runs on Batman, Justice League of America, Doom Patrol and, especially fitting here, The Flash, not to mention miniseries like All-Star Superman, Final Crisis and The Multiversity.

Needless to say that Ezra Miller working on The Flash’s script is going the extra mile, and the report notes that the actor is “deeply committed to the character.” That said, depending on how this all works out, it could affect Miller’s future as The Fastest Man Alive. If Warner Bros decides it doesn’t like Miller’s take on The Flash, then the actor might leave the project. Miller’s holding deal on The Flash also apparently expires in May, so the involved parties will, ironically, need to work fast to settle all this if the actor is going to stay on board. This new script could be turned into the studio as early as next week.

It should be noted that even if Ezra Miller were to depart from The Flash, it wouldn’t mark the end of his relationship with Warner Bros. He’s still attached to reprise Credence Barebone in Fantastic Beasts 3, which begins shooting this fall. Nevertheless, the prospect of Ezra Miller leaving Flash behind if he can’t reach an understanding with the studio would be a big shakeup, although that wouldn’t be the only DC superhero recasting in the DCEU. In January, Ben Affleck confirmed in January he won’t play Batman again, and a younger actor is being looked for to play the Caped Crusader in Matt Reeves’ The Batman.

We’ll have to wait and see what creative direction The Flash ultimately ends up going and whether Ezra Miller will be a part of it, but at least the actor has a comic book veteran in his corner to help him hash out the story he has in mind. When we last saw Miller’s Barry Allen at the end of Justice League, he had been hired by the Central City Police Department and was continuing his superhero activities. At one point the Flash movie was going to be an adaptation of 2011’s Flashpoint, and while that no longer appears to be happening, it is one of the darker Flash comic book storylines, so maybe the script Miller and Grant Morrison are working on could draw inspiration from it.

Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for any updates on The Flash’s progress, but in the meantime, look through our DC movies guide to learn what else is in development for this superhero franchise.

We Saw New Avengers: Endgame Footage And It Revealed The Heroes' Plan To Take On Thanos

We Saw New Avengers: Endgame Footage And It Revealed The Heroes' Plan To Take On Thanos

We’re going to get into a spoilery-ish scene we screened from Avengers: Endgame today in this piece. If you want to go into the upcoming Marvel movie fresh – and I totally don’t blame you – please hop out now and check out one of our other lovely articles. If you love reading everything you can about the movie, forage on!

We’re so close to Avengers: Endgame I can taste it. In fact I got a taste of it today at CinemaCon 2019 when Disney shared a lot of brand new footage and other content from its upcoming 2019 slate of films. (No Star Wars Episode IX though, sorry.) Among these moments was an extended scene from Avengers: Endgame that captured more of Captain Marvel interacting with some of the other Avengers as well as revealed a little bit about the heroes’ plan to take on Thanos.

First and foremost, the scene opens with some footage we’ve seen snippets of in the trailers so far. Cap, Rhodey and some of the other Avengers are strategizing about when and how to take down Thanos. Captain Marvel really feels like it’s her fight, but the other Avengers assert “it’s our fight too.”

As it turns out, it’s also Nebula’s fight. We’ve known for a while now that Nebula would play a key role in Avengers: Endgame. In fact, actress Karen Gillan previously revealed she believes Nebula will sway the audience in a different way this time around noting:

She's evolved from a villain to someone we've developed empathy towards. I think she's going to be a character we're all rooting for.

In the new clip, Nebula reveals that while she was busy attempting to earn Thanos’ approval and please him, he always talked about wanting to go to The Garden. (Hilariously, Rhodey quips that’s it’s just peachy Thanos “has a retirement plan.”) The Avengers use some fancy technology to track an energy signature that seems to be a second use of the stones. Assumedly that’s a tie-in to Thanos terraforming the planet.

The team then spends the next few minutes deciding they’ll need to go into space, find the planet, take on Thanos, and then use the stones to undo what happened prior during Avengers: Infinity War.

There’s a little bit of a debate about what will be different this time around. Captain Marvel quietly and effectively says "me," but it seems there may still be some skeptics among the other heroes. I'm assuming they don't know the whole breadth of what the character can do or they wouldn't rib her so much, but it's hard to tell given the context.

You’ve seen part of this clip in a recent trailer for Marvel's Avengers: Endgame, in which Thor stands up, retrieves Stormbreaker and declares about Carol Danvers, “I like her.”

This whole scene fits in line with recent footage we’ve seen. In the last trailer, Thanos noted:

You could not live with your own failure. Where did that bring you? Back to me.

That seemingly implied at the time the Avengers were the ones tracking down Thanos in order to restore balance to the universe and eventually found him, but now we know how they get started. The clip ends with a shot of plenty of Avengers in a space ship: Captain Marvel, Bruce Banner, Captain America, Black Widow, Thor, Nebula, Rhodey and Rocket. That’s footage, too, that was confirmed in a recent trailer.

Still, seeing an extended moment confirmed a little bit more of the plan, it got me even more pumped to get into the nitty gritty of what happens and it reminds me that although a lot of the marketing for Avengers: Endgame has been serious, this movie is going to have some new team-ups among the heroes. In addition, the clip confirmed it’s going to be fun to have Captain Marvel be “the new kid” in the gang, and the convos she has with the other heroes are pretty amusing.

We won’t have much longer to wait to see how this whole story plays out. Avengers: Endgame is finally out on April 26 and if you don't have tickets yet for opening weekend, they seem to be selling quickly.

All The Avengers Are Getting New Suits In Avengers: Endgame

All The Avengers Are Getting New Suits In Avengers: Endgame

Just as Captain Marvel mania has the world primed for the ultimate event in Marvel Cinematic history, we’ve gotten one final trailer for Avengers: Endgame. It has action, it has emotion, and… wait a minute?! Everyone’s got new, matching suits at the end of this trailer! This requires some serious breakdown, but in the meantime, take a look at the photos above and below.

Gotta start with Captain America on this one, because he’s the first one we see in the suit, and it’s all for a good reason. The de-facto leader of The Avengers, he’s going to have the most pressure on him during Avengers: Endgameto deliver in this conflict to end all MCU conflicts. Sporting this new suit, which has a color scheme that uses white as its primary note and a crimson red as an accent color, he certainly looks quite authoritative. But check out the rest of the team in these threads!

Here we've got Paul Rudd's Scott Lang / Ant-Man front and center in this frame, with Karen Gillan's Nebula and Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye flanking him in this walking shot. If you had any doubts about this previously goofy superhero taking his place on this team, let this image put them to rest forever... before Nebula and Hawkeye do it for you.

Seeing Don Cheadle's Col. Rhodes / War Machine, as well as the returning Hawkeye, standing side by side ups the ass-kicking potential here. Both men have a look on their faces that indicates great loss, and an even greater motivation to strike back at Thanos for what he's done to the universe. The Decimation took its fair share of victims, and losses are felt on all sides; but these two look the deadliest when it comes to their intentions.

Last, but not least, you've got this prime shot featuring Nebula a second time, alongside Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow, and Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark joining the fray. Between Natasha going back to her crimson-hued hair, and Tony actually being back on Earth, alive, and ready to fight, there's a lot we're trying to unpack in this image. But one thing is for certain, these new suits aren't just here to look pretty. In fact, they probably have a very specific purpose to them, which is revealed as you break them down visually and pair them with some of the rumors flying around Avengers: Endgame's potential plot.

The two big plot components that might explain these new Avengers: Endgame suits are the alleged usage of time travel, and the potential meeting between Ant-Man's Scott Lang and Hank Pym in 1983. Looking closely at these new suits, they look similar in design to Scott's Ant-Man suit; and the usage of the particular hue of red in those suits just ties it all together. So if The Avengers are going to go time traveling together, it looks like everyone is ready with the right duds for a trip through some quantum realm time vortexes.

Of course, one has to expect that there will be a helmet piece to these new suits in Avengers: Endgame, as not only will everyone need to pressurize their suits and protect their heads during any ensuing battles; but they also might have to keep their faces shielded during the action. While each suit does have the Avengers' insignia on them, this is discreet enough that they won't be able to be identified at long distances. At the same time, teammates will know who's fighting with them, so it works that way as well.

Keep those theories in mind, as you watch the Avengers: Endgame trailer again. Because, you know you're totally going to click the video below and do just that. Don't fight it, folks.

These new suits look ready for travel through space, time, and anything that could be thrown at The Avengers. And they're certainly going to need all the help they can get, with Thanos already causing tons of devastation, and promising to unleash even more before all is said and done. Avengers: Endgame heads to theaters on April 26, 2019.

Wonder Park's Opening Beat Expectations But It Could Still Lose A Lot Of Money

Wonder Park's Opening Beat Expectations But It Could Still Lose A Lot Of Money

Wonder Park just opened in theaters with no credited director. It took five years to get it to the big screen. It reportedly cost close to $100 million even before marketing and distribution. Critics ripped it, and moviegoers seemed to think it was just OK.

But at least they watched it!

Wonder Park was initially expected to make around $10 million for its opening weekend, per THR. Instead, it opened to $16 million. That's not one of the world's great success stories, but the PG film overperformed from projections.

Wonder Park made $16 million at the domestic box office and another $4.3 million in 19 international markets. So the current worldwide total is $20.3 million. The film clearly has a long way to go to recoup the $80M-$100M it reportedly cost to make the movie even before distribution. But it could've been worse! Just saying. Find those silver linings where you can.

Wonder Park managed to take second place at the March 15-17 box office, behind repeat winner Captain Marvel but ahead of fellow newcomer Five Feet Apart.

In other good news, Wonder Park has a B+ CinemaScore from moviegoers polled on opening night. In less good news, Wonder Park currently has a 30% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 42% rating from the audience. That 30% from critics is even lower than our own CinemaBlend projection.

In January 2018, when Wonder Park was still called Amusement Park, director Dylan Brown was fired from the movie. Multiple women accused him of "inappropriate and unwanted conduct" in the workplace. Paramount responded by saying they conducted a thorough investigation and Brown was no longer employed by the company.

No one else was hired as a director so the film opened on March 15, 2019 with no credited director.

Wonder Park features the all-star voice cast of Jennifer Garner, Matthew Broderick, John Oliver, Mila Kunis, Kenan Thompson, Ken Jeong, and more. In the movie, a young girl named June (Brianna Denski) and her mother (Garner) dream up a magical amusement park run by animals, called Wonderland. June ends up transported from her room to a life-size version of the park.

André Nemec, a screenwriter and producer on the film, told EW about the plan for making the movie:

We thought it would be really fascinating to have that amusement park be a product of the girl’s imagination, to see when children are freed from the constraints of the everyday world around them and they get this opportunity to create and design. There’s this beautiful freedom to this idea that an amusement park on a life-size scale could be built in the image of a girl whose buildings blocks are the things we find at home, in the way that kids learn how to build.

Wonder Park is now playing in theaters as one of the many movies packing theaters in 2019. A Wonder Park television series based on the film is still expected on Nickelodeon in 2019.

Aladdin Has Screened, See What People Are Saying

Aladdin Has Screened, See What People Are Saying

Disney's animated features are some of the most well loved movies ever made. Many of the recent live-action remakes, while not necessarily hitting that level, have been incredibly successful with fans. The second of three remakes hitting theaters this year is Aladdin and while the movie won't be released here for a couple more weeks, the film has screened for some audiences and the first reactions are now hitting social media.

Overall, the response has been largely positive, though there have been a few caveats in that. One of the big questions that had fans worried was the CGI that turned Will Smith into the big blue Genie. It didn't look all that great in the eyes of many and Digital Spy says that while overall Will Smith is great, the CGI doesn't work. Although, that might not be the worst part of the movie. According to them...

A lavish and enjoyable retelling, but not enough of A Whole New World to fully succeed. Mena Massoud/Naomi Scott are great, while Will Smith brings a fun energy to his take on the Genie, even if the CGI lets him down. The less said about Jafar, the better.

Since they don't say anymore, we don't really know what the issue with Jafar is, but clearly the feeling is he doesn't work in some way.

While Digital Spy isn't in love with Will Smith's CGI Genie, they're one of the few responses to the movie that really calls it out. Most of the reactions on social media are complementary of Smith overall. Joe.ie's Rory Cashin seems to agree that the CGI is a weak link, but he thinks that the movie is otherwise so strong that audiences won't care.

Can confirm that the majority of your concerns about Aladdin, especially anything Will Smith-related, will vanish once that first big song kicks in, but my pick for MVP has got to be Billy Magnussen! He might just be a comedy genius in waiting.

The word that Billy Magnussen is a highlight of the film is certainly interesting news. We know he's playing a brand new character named Prince Anders, but beyond that, we don't really know who the character is or how he fits into the story.

From everything that we've seen, this new version of Aladdin is going to follow all the same beats as the animated original. It's even a full musical, in the same way that the Beauty and the Beast remake was. If that film is any indication, Aladdin could be a massive hit.

If Andrew Jones is to be believed, that's even more possible, as he thinks Aladdin is actually one of the better remakes that Disney has produced, even if it is a little on the long side. According to Jones...

So Aladdin is Disney's second-best recent remake, after Pete's Dragon. Proudly a musical fantasy adventure, the jokes are strong, Smith's Genie is a lot of fun, the human leads work well. It's 20 minutes too long, but works a charm for the entire run.

The most stirring praise, however, may come from the BBC's Haroon Rashid, who compares Aladdin to a great Bollywood movie...

I just watched the new Aladdin movie and it is amazing! It was so good that I forgot my roza had opened. Also if Sanjay Leela Bhansali ever made a Disney film, it would be this! I felt like I was watching a cross between Ram Leela/Bajirao Mastani but without people dying.

The early word seems largely good, and a few hiccups in the CGI likely won't dissuade too many fans if everything else about Aladdin works. We'll find out for ourselves when the movie hits theaters May 24.