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Thursday, August 15, 2019

Why Chris Hemsworth Wants Thor To Have More Scenes With Black Panther

Why Chris Hemsworth Wants Thor To Have More Scenes With Black Panther
Chris Hemsworth in Thor: Ragnarok

As fans gear up for Avengers: Endgame in a couple weeks, they can expect more fun match-ups between the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, and more recently introduced MCU characters. Throughout Chris Hemsworth’s time as Thor, over eight years, he’s had tons of memorable moments playing off other characters in the universe. But if he had to choose one to work alongside with, it would be the King of Wakanda:



I'd say Black Panther Chadwick Boseman. I don't think Thor and him have hung out before and I think they'd get along. I think they'd have some fun. Maybe it would be fun for us to go and do something completely different. He's just a great guy, and very kind, and a lot of fun to work with. We'd do something different, yeah.



Marvel, are you listening? Because we need this to happen! The God of Thunder and T’Challa teaming up is a great choice from Hemsworth, from his an interview with MTV, and we hope they’ll get to share the screen in the MCU at some point. When Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther was introduced during Captain America: Civil War, Thor was notably absent. In Infinity War, Thor spent much of his time with Rocket and Peter Dinklage’s Eitri before wreaking havoc in the Wakanda battle, though he didn’t have much (if any) screen time alongside Black Panther.




We have no idea whether Thor and Black Panther will be sharing scenes in Endgame because T’Challa was one of the dusted Avengers. When asked about his return to the MCU, Chadwick Boseman recently went viral with his blunt "I’m dead" responses. However, the character is set to return in Black Panther 2, coming up in Phase Four, so there may be more opportunities for the two characters to interact… that is, if Thor makes it out of Endgame alive.


Since the film is the culmination of the MCU thus far, fans are bracing themselves for some potentially sad goodbyes – most looking to the original six Avengers. Chris Hemsworth seems game to keep going with the MCU, recently even stating his interest in doing a Disney+ series with Thor's Australian roommate Darryl, his co-star for a few funny Marvel shorts.


Per an Endgame scene from the trailers that has Thor interacting with Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel, some fans have speculated the two heroes may have a romantic storyline together. The first MCU leading lady was purposefully not given a love interest in Captain Marvel to best serve her individual storyline. Instead, fan art started to emerge of Carol and Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie.




There’s tons of possibilities as far as the MCU is concerned, and with Chris Hemsworth’s sharp humor and fun Thor character, we hope he stays on for more MCU films and gets some moments with T’Challa someday. Who knows? Maybe he’ll have a scene with him in Endgame when it hits theaters on April 26.

Robert Downey Jr. Shares Video Of Tony’s Emotional Endgame Reunion

Robert Downey Jr. Shares Video Of Tony’s Emotional Endgame Reunion
Tony hugging Peter

Spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame!


It's been three weeks since Avengers: Endgame finally arrived in theaters, and conversation about the blockbuster is showing no signs of slowing down. The Russo Brothers crammed a ton of exciting content into the movie, so each frame has been dissected and discussed by the rabid fanbase. Endgame succeeded in many ways, but it really did justice to OG Avengers like Tony Stark.


Iron Man was given quite the arc in Avengers: Endgame, one that was deeply reflective on everything he'd gained and lost since Thanos snapped his fingers and wiped out half of all life. After the time jump, Tony was shown living a happy life with Pepper Potts and their daughter Morgan. But he was haunted by his failures, especially Peter Parker's dusting during Infinity War. Iron Man's eventual reunion with Spider-Man was super emotional, and now Robert Downey Jr. has shared a video filming that scene. Check it out below.




I'm not crying, you're crying. It looks like Tony and Peter's brief scene on the battlefield went through some variations, including different lines of dialogue. And they're likely all emotional gut punches.


This video comes to us from Robert Downey Jr's official Instagram page. With the spoiler ban for Endgame officially lifted by the Russo Brothers, the film's cast and crew has been able to get more chatty about their experience. Plenty of actors have been posting footage from Endgame's set, revealing potentially illegal videos they took working on the massive blockbuster.


In the above clip, you can see Robert Downey Jr. working alongside Tom Holland. The latter actor is wearing his signature motion capture pajamas, and strikes a pose before limping onto the set and catching up with his onscreen Marvel mentor. Those who remember the emotional reunion in Avengers: Endgame will notice that the actors are saying different lines. It almost seems improvised, so perhaps they were given freedom to play, and not necessarily parrot the same words from the script.




Personally, I love how Peter asked Tony what all the "grey stuff" in his beard was. RDJ brilliantly delivers his response, revealing they're just grey hairs. It's a great comedic beat, although the theatrical cut included Peter discussing his return from the dead, and Doctor Strange's magical abilities.


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


Another change in the scene was how Tony embraced his superheroic protegee. He hugs Peter for much longer than what we saw in Avengers: Endgame, even giving the young hero a kiss on the cheek in the process. Peter and Tony's relationship with hugging has spanned multiple movies, as their connection grew deeper in Spider-Man: Far From Home and Avengers: Infinity War.




Peter Parker's relationship with Tony should be a major plot line in Spider-Man: Far From Home, as the new trailer teased a protagonist that was deeply in mourning. The adventure will also pair Peter with Nick Fury, Maria Hill and Happy Hogan, allowing RDJ's signature character to still have a presence, despite his epic death scene.


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

Ghostbusters 3 Has Cast Its Lead Actress

Ghostbusters 3 Has Cast Its Lead Actress
Ghostbusters 3

After years of waiting and development hell, it seemed like there would never be another sequel in the original Ghostbusters franchise. But, as if rising from the grave like a specter, Ghostbusters 3 is officially happening. Jason Reitman, the son of the original Ghostbusters director, is on board as director, but not a lot about the film is known. We do know that it will feature several new characters who will strap on proton packs, and it looks like the lead actor has been found. McKenna Grace ain't 'fraid of no ghosts!


While technically a sequel to the comedy classic that starred Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson, there's no word on if any of those characters will return. Instead, four teenagers -- an older set and a younger set -- are taking over as our main characters, and it sounds like they will be led by Mckenna Grace.


According to The Hollywood Reporter, Mckenna Grace has been cast in the new Ghostbusters film. The report even goes as far as to say that Grace might be in the starring role, which would be a major get for the rising star. Grace joins the already cast Finn Wolfhard and Carrie Coon. Wolfhard will play her brother while Coon is their single mother.




Mckenna Grace should be a familiar face to many. She recently played the younger version of Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel, which went on to break numerous records at the box office. Playing younger versions of a main character has become something of a specialty for Grace, having also done it in The Haunting of Hillhouse, I, Tonya, and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. The young actor also starred alongside Chris Evans in the drama Gifted.


Jason Reitman's Ghostbusters has been the subject of some debate ever since it was announced. Some saw it as a response to the sexist backlash that plagued the all-female Ghostbusters reboot, and this wasn't helped by the director's poor choice of words that they were giving the franchise "back to fans."


However, the casting of Mckenna Grace as the ostensible lead and the focus of an all-new, younger cast seems to put those criticisms to bed. After all, you don't make the lead of your legacyquel a 12-year-old girl if you are trying to appease the "Ghost Bros" who trolled an all female Ghostbusters movie.




All in all, the new Ghostbusters is shaping up with a really promising cast. Mckenna Grace and Finn Wolfhard are rising stars and Carrie Coon is amazing in everything she's ever done her whole entire life. (I'm a big Leftovers fan). I'm curious to see who they will cast to play the other two teenagers or how involved the original cast will be. Until then, enjoy this tweet from Reitman celebrating his newly casted family.


There's no release date for this movie just yet, but be sure to keep checking in with CinemaBlend and we'll keep you updated.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Wait, Does Spider-Man’s Endgame Fate Connect To Captain Marvel?

Wait, Does Spider-Man’s Endgame Fate Connect To Captain Marvel?
Spider-Man in Far From Home

Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS for Avengers: Endgame are ahead!


Even though Marvel remained quiet about whether or not the characters who were turned to dust at the end of Avengers: Infinity War would in Avengers: Endgame, it was generally assumed that some, if not all of these casualties would be brought back to the land of the living. At the very least, Spider-Man would definitely be back, as his next movie, Far From Home, is coming out this summer.


Sure enough, Spider-Man is among the many Marvel Cinematic Universe heroes back in play, and although within the franchise’s timeline it’s been five years since The Decimation, Peter is the same age as he was when he disappeared, so it’s back to high school he goes. And strangely enough, it’s now being speculated that Peter Parker’s school now has a character we met in Captain Marvel hanging around there: the Skrull known as Talos.




One of the final scenes in Avengers: Endgame showed Peter Parker reuniting with his best friend Ned at school, but before that happens, if you look closely in the background (via Imgur), you’ll see a teacher in the background high-fiving some of the students coming in. Although this man is far away, he bares a resemblance to the human guise that Ben Mendelsohn’s Talos took during Captain Marvel, which includes him rocking a grey suit.


In case you didn’t see Captain Marvel earlier this year or need a refresher, like most other Skrulls, Talos is a shapeshifter, so it was easy enough for him to blend in when he landed on Earth in 1995. He primarily disguised himself as Keller, Nick Fury’s boss at S.H.I.E.L.D. Avengers: Endgame takes place nearly three decades after Carol Danvers’ origin story, so it would be unusual for Talos to being using the same guise after all this time, although if the real Keller has since passed away, it’s not like that would cause any major problems.


Avengers: Endgame included a lot of MCU cameos, but Ben Mendelsohn was not among the credited actors, so it’d be strange if he showed up and wasn’t mentioned alongside everyone else. What would be the point in keeping that a secret given all the other bombshells this movie dropped?




Plus, the last time we saw Talos, he, his family and the rest of the Skrull refugees left to find a new homeworld with Captain Marvel. His work on Earth was already accomplished, so what reason would he have to return decades later, and as a high school teacher no less?


I’m guessing that this teacher at Peter Parker’s school just looks similar to Ben Mendelsohn, and is not in fact a disguised Skrull who’s keen on teaching gifted adolescents about science, math, literature, etc. That’s not to say that Mendelsohn couldn’t return to the MCU someday, but it’s likelier he’d show up in Captain Marvel 2.


As for Peter Parker, his next movie, Spider-Man: Far From Home, will serve as the final installment of Phase 3 and see he and his classmates going on a trip to Europe, where Peter will be recruited by Nick Fury to team up with Mysterio to fight the Elementals. Presumably Far From Home will explore how Peter is coping with the post-Endgame status quo, namely with how five years have passed since he disappeared and his mentor, Tony Stark, dying.




Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on the MCU as they come in. For now, you can learn what’s currently in the works for the superhero franchise by looking through our Marvel movies guide.

Robert Rodriguez Rewrote Alita: Battle Angel For Free Before James Cameron Let Him Direct

Robert Rodriguez Rewrote Alita: Battle Angel For Free Before James Cameron Let Him Direct
Alita preparing for battle

Avatar and Titanic director James Cameron was talking about doing a feature film adaptation of the Battle Angel Alita manga since the early 2000s, but he never got around to it. Now, roughly two decades later, Alita: Battle Angel is finally in theaters; but James Cameron only produced the film, while Robert Rodriguez directed it. James Cameron didn’t just give up the reins to his passion project easily though, Robert Rodriguez had to work for it, as the latter explained:



Jim would rather put something in a drawer and not do it at all than do it incorrectly with the wrong director. I saw his original drawings and they took my breath away. The main character had porcelain arms and huge manga eyes, and I thought, Wow, he’s going full manga with this. And he trusted me with the version that was in his head, and he said: if you fix the script for me, you can direct. So a month later I come back and say: here you go, free of charge. And he said: all right, it’s yours.



It sounds like Robert Rodriguez basically had to prove himself to James Cameron to take on a project that was so important to the Aliens director. That test required Robert Rodriguez working on the script for Alita: Battle Angel and fixing its issues, thereby not only proving himself capable, but also proving that he had a grasp on the material. He understood how it should be adapted, and was clearly the right fit to direct.





It’s quite a vote of confidence because, as Robert Rodriguez told The Irish Times, James Cameron has no problem shelving a project he has the rights to indefinitely rather than see it done poorly. That’s an admirable trait, but with the can getting perpetually kicked further down the road thanks to the priority of his multiple Avatar sequels, it risked never happening if he didn’t pass it off to someone else.


As we’ve heard, Robert Rodriguez wanted to see James Cameron’s Alita: Battle Angel and since James Cameron wasn’t going to make it, he did and endeavored to make it feel like a James Cameron movie. Fortunately, James Cameron was still involved and gave him a great starting point.


Robert Rodriguez didn’t have to start from scratch, because James Cameron had already laid out his vision for Alita: Battle Angel in 600 pages of notes and drawings. And we’ve previously heared how Cameron introduced Rodriguez to Alita with a 15-minute presentation complete with narration, artwork and story concepts.





That all made it clear that James Cameron indeed wanted to make a manga movie that felt like the source material, retaining the weirder elements less familiar to Western audiences, like Alita’s giant eyes. So the movie was all there, Robert Rodriguez just had to fix the 186-page screenplay and it was his. He did just that and it sounds like he did it with style too, taking only a month and doing it for free.


Now Alita: Battle Angel is finally in theaters and despite mixed reviews, it has gotten a positive audience response and recently crossed $350 million at the worldwide box office. Although it still has a ways to go to become profitable and hopefully get a sequel greenlit.


Alita: Battle Angel is now playing. Check out our 2019 release schedule to keep track of all the year’s biggest releases and for all your movie news, stay tuned to CinemaBlend.




Toy Story 4’s Poster Has An Up Easter Egg

Toy Story 4’s Poster Has An Up Easter Egg

Pixar is notorious for hiding in easter eggs and references from their other heartwarming family flicks into the fabric of the animation, such as a Pizza Planet truck zooming past Miguel in Coco. There are usually tons more clever tie-ins hidden in plain sight or tucked away in Pixar movies then moviegoers can attempt to spot. In anticipation for Toy Story 4, fans have already spotted a few within the film’s marketing including this one from 2009’s Up on the new poster. Take a look:


Do you see it? The amazing find from @CultureCrave on Twitter points to a painted on the wall on the left that spoofs the famous Dogs Playing Poker painting, but with the gang of hounds from Up, including Dug on the right and the movie’s villain, Charles Muntz on the left.


I personally wouldn’t have even thought about playing “I, Spy” with this movie poster! The center of the image already has a lot to unpack including Bo Peep’s new look (and the mini toy on her shoulder), Forky looking to be having an identity crisis, Key and Peele’s carnival animal characters, Christina Hendrick’s creepy Gabby Gabby character and dummy friends. Oh, and that high-flying motorcyclist up top.





The easter egg on the side of the poster is a brilliant nod to another one of Pixar’s releases, and certainly has us excited for more references to look closely for when the movie comes out. A couple days ago another easter egg was found within the most recent Toy Story 4 trailer. In the background of the shot where Bonnie is making Forky in class, Boo from Monsters’ Inc can be seen. Take a look:


Boo is that blurry figure to Bonnie’s right! These are so fun, and major props to the fans who have already found some Pixar easter eggs ahead of Toy Story 4’s release. Since the latest trailer for the movie, fans have also been theorizing about Andy’s potential role in the movie and if there will be a time jump in order to conclude the 24-year-old saga.


Toy Story 4 will follow Woody, Buzz and the gang as Bonnie and her family go on a summer road trip with her new toy, Forky – a craft project who is set on leaving her behind because he’s not meant to be a toy. Woody enlists himself to bring Forky back to Bonnie, though when he reunites with his lost love Bo Peep, he starts to change his mind about staying Bonnie’s toy too.





You can look out for more easter eggs when latest Pixar film hits theaters on June 21, 2019.

Every X-Men Movie Ranked, Including Deadpool 2

Every X-Men Movie Ranked, Including Deadpool 2
Masked Wade Wilson in Deadpool 2

The X-Men franchise is starting to wind down… well, at least in its current form. 2017 delivered Logan, Hugh Jackman’s final outing as Wolverine, and 2018 gave us Deadpool 2, another successful outing of Ryan Reynolds as a proper, fourth wall-breaking Wade Wilson. Looking to the future, Dark Phoenix will wrap up the main X-Men film series soon, and following numerous delays, The New Mutants is finally set for release on April 3, 2020, although it’s entirely possible it could be moved again.


With the X-Men property now under the Disney banner following the company’s purchase of 21st Century Fox, it’s only a matter of time before Marvel’s mutants are eventually going to be incorporated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe mythology, though that’s a long way off. In any case, the current X-Men franchise has unquestionably been a major cornerstone for the superhero movie genre’s rise in popularity in the last two decades.


So as we prepare for Dark Phoenix and The New Mutants to bring an end to this iteration of the current X-Men franchise, here's our ranking of all the X-Men movies up to this latest installment, from worst to best. Let's kick off with the one that most of you likely look at with contempt and sadness.




X-Men Origins: Wolverine


X-Men Origins: Wolverine promised to tell the epic tale of how Wolverine's skeleton was bonded with adamantium and how he lost his memories. Well, at least we got the origin part. With the exception of Hugh Jackman delivering a satisfiable Wolverine performance, Liev Schrieber's improved Sabretooth and the amazing opening credits, nothing about this movie screamed excellence.


Origins felt like a weird offshoot of a regular X-Men movie than a true Wolverine story. In some ways it actually made Wolverine seem less interesting. It's for the best this movie was wiped from continuity after X-Men: Days of Future Past.


X-Men: The Last Stand


X-Men: The Last Stand is a perfect example of a movie that juggles too many plots and characters. Instead of following both Jean Grey's transformation into Dark Phoenix and the creation of a mutant "cure," the third X-Men entry should have dedicated full attention to just one of these narratives. Even if that had been the case, that may not have been enough to shift The Last Stand from a mere action-fest to something compelling.




The treatment of certain fan favorite characters (I'm looking at you, Cyclops and Juggernaut) certainly didn't help matters. The Last Stand did have a few bright spots, like Kelsey Grammer's Beast, but overall, it was an underwhelming conclusion to the original X-Men trilogy, making us all the more glad the series didn't end with that.


X-Men: Apocalypse


If X-Men: Apocalypse had come out 10-15 years earlier, then maybe it would have earned better reception. The problem with this installment is not only did it hit on many of the same beats we've seen in previous X-Men movies, but the story just felt incredibly generic. It takes more for a superhero movie to be successful nowadays than just showing the hero(es) preventing the bad guy(s) from taking over the world, unleashing destruction, etc.


Apocalypse barely brought anything special to the table plot-wise, especially with the main villain. So while it's an okay movie overall, there's nothing particularly exceptional about it. Except for that Quicksilver sequence. That's a delight to watch.




The Wolverine


Four years after X-Men Origins: Wolverine failed to satisfy critically, The Wolverine managed to find some solo story redemption for the clawed mutant by taking him to Japan, a location near and dear to his comic book counterpart. The first two-thirds of the movie were a blast, as we saw Wolverine fighting the Yakuza while he dealt with his malfunctioning healing factor.


The movie also arguably showed Wolverine at his highest level of ferocity up to that point in the franchise. Unfortunately, The Wolverine's clunky third act was a little too weighed down in the more fantastical comic book elements, but in the end, it was a decent adventure for Logan.


X-Men


It's the movie that started it all, and even though Blade preceded X-Men by two years, many will argue that the latter helped kick off the modern superhero movie craze. Introducing folks who didn't read the comics or watch the '90s animated series to the world of mutants, X-Men was an action-packed romp that also explored how discrimination has affected those born with extraordinary abilities.




At a time when a lot of superhero movies weren't taking themselves seriously, X-Men was a welcome break since it didn't seek to make light of the source material. Sure, X-Men didn't fully embrace its comic book roots (as evidenced by those black leather costumes), but we'll forever be grateful for its captivating story and what it did for the superhero movie genre.


Deadpool 2


There was a lot riding on Deadpool 2 to come close to matching its predecessor’s excellent blend of action and wackiness, and while it might not entirely measure up, the sequel is definitely still enjoyable. Along with delivering more of the elements we enjoyed in Deadpool, Deadpool 2 explored the concept of family and Deadpool ultimately finding a place where he belongs.


The movie also introduced us to Josh Brolin’s Cable and Zazie Beetz’s Domino, and while it remains to be seen whether we’ll ever see this incarnation of the X-Force again, at least these versions of the characters had one movie to shine in. It should also be noted that along with the theatrical cut, fans can also watch Deadpool 2 unfold differently in the Super Duper extended cut and the PG-13 cut known as Once Upon a Deadpool.




X-Men: First Class


Taking a cue from X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the main X-Men series decided to wind the clock back to the early 1960s to show how Professor X and Magneto first met each other, and how the very first team of mutant heroes formed. It's a good thing the franchise went in this direction, because thanks to X-Men: First Class, the series was revitalized.


With a story that mixed superheroes flair with spy adventures, good performances from most of the main cast and great dialogue, X-Men: First Class benefitted from getting distance from its predecessors, and the end result was a movie that was both exciting and intelligent.


Deadpool


Deadpool is very much the black sheep of the X-Men franchise, in that it doesn't feel like an X-Men movie at all. Hence why it's not in the top 3 on this list. Nevertheless, given Deadpool's connection to the X-Men universe, as well as the movie include Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Colossus, we must include it! That's perfectly fine, because Deadpool was unlike any X-Men or superhero movie that came before.




With zany humor, fourth wall breaking and over-the-top violence, Deadpool is a great example of what happens when you take a risk with a property and it pays off big time. We should all be thankful to whoever leaked that animated test footage and forced Deadpool out of development hell.


X-Men: Days of Future Past


Loosely adapting the original 1981 Days of Future Past comic arc, X-Men: Days of Future Past was the movie that brought the old and new X-Men generations together through time travel. As both a continuation of the original trilogy and the next entry of the "First Class" trilogy, this movie managed to combine the best of both worlds for an epic and entertaining tale that spanned across decades.


A great bonus that came from the temporal shenanigans is that much of the X-Men franchise's continuity issues (and mistakes) were wiped away when the timeline was changed, leaving the franchise a relatively clean slate to work with for future entries.




Logan


Like Deadpool, Logan was unlike any other superhero movie that came before. In this case, Wolverine's third movie felt more like a modern Western, and it is arguably the maturest of the X-Men movies. While the cinematic Wolverine has usually been a captivating protagonist to watch, Logan cut to his core and arguably spotlighted him when he was most "human."


By eschewing many of the comic book-y elements in favor of character study and putting both Wolverine and Professor X in their most vulnerable states, Logan served as a remarkable conclusion to both Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart's time with this franchise, and will forever be known as one of the most unique tales in this genre.


X2: X-Men United


Obviously the rankings on this list are subject to debate, but there's no denying that X2: X-Men United is the movie from this selection that best melded the X-Men mythology with a story appealing for all kinds of moviegoers. Even though Wolverine was once again front and center as he encountered a figure from his past, all of the major characters were able to shine at one point or another.




While the action was as dazzling as ever, it was also great to see X2 hit even harder on those outcast themes. This was one of those rare sequels that improved upon its predecessor and then some. While it's a shame that X2's immediate successors failed to measure up, they can't take away from how fantastic this installment is, and it still reigns supreme as one of the most acclaimed superhero movies ever.

 

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