Zac Efron Had Trouble Separating Himself From Ted Bundy In Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, And Vile

Zac Efron Had Trouble Separating Himself From Ted Bundy In Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, And Vile

Zac Efron will always be known for breaking into song as teen heartthrob Troy Bolton in the High School Musical movies, Link Larkin in Hairspray, or alongside Hugh Jackman and Zendaya in The Greatest Showman, among his other acting projects. Getting the catchy showtunes of his past out of his head was nothing compared to playing his darkest role yet, serial killer Ted Bundy.

During the recent London premiere of Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, And Vile, the actor opened up about how portraying Bundy became a challenge due to its sinister subject. In his words:

I’ve never played a role in which I really have to separate myself from [him] when I go home at night, and it was almost impossible. I’d like to say that I did it successfully, but I couldn’t.

It’s no surprise that getting into the frame of mind to play a serial killer would mess with one’s head a bit, and Zac Efron experienced this firsthand while working on his upcoming Netflix project. The drama chronicles the crimes of the infamously attractive Bundy, who later confessed to 30 homicides he committed across the United States in the ‘70s.

In Zac Efron’s interview with Daily Mail at the premiere, he talked about his initial concern with taking on the dark role and why he ultimately decided to sign on to play Ted Bundy:

I really wasn’t interested in playing a serial killer, I’m not in the business of glamorizing a horrendous person or his acts, but there is something unique about the way we went into the psyche of Ted, and his longtime girlfriend Liz. It’s a different perspective and not your run-of-the-mill serial killer cliché -- body count gets higher and higher and oh the guy you always knew did it, did it.

Looks like Zac Efron was intrigued by the Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, And Vile script and how it tells the story from the perspective of Ted Bundy’s girlfriend Liz (played by Lily Collins). The film has been criticized for glamorizing the criminal with the casting of the former Disney teen idol, but the actor has previously explained the responsibility he feels to not celebrate the killer through the role. It’s instead meant to serve as a cautionary tale to the young generation who often mistakenly trust attractive men.

The film’s director Joe Berlinger (who also recently helmed Netflix’s Conversations with a Killer: Ted Bundy Tapes) said he felt casting Zac Efron was an intentional choice geared toward the demographic crushing on actors such as Efron who may feel like he could do no wrong due to his good looks. Ted Bundy manipulated and lured women with his charm, so the film seeks to show this firsthand with Efron’s performance.

After premiering earlier this year at Sundance, the R-rated drama was purchased by Netflix for $9 million. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, And Vile will hit theaters and the streaming platform on May 3.

New DVD Releases June 2019: All The Latest Movies And TV Shows

New DVD Releases June 2019: All The Latest Movies And TV Shows

Although the summer months are geared toward plenty of outdoor activities, kids are also home from school and have plenty of free time. Which means there’s plenty of time for kids to plant themselves in front of a screen. Sure, there’s always YouTube and Netflix, but for the latest releases, look no further than this June list of titles.

This summer, we’ll see some big hits like Captain Marvel and Us finally being available in homes (the former will also be housed on Disney+). But don’t take it from me, check out the full list of the titles coming to DVD, Digital and Blu-ray below.

Early Digital releases are mentioned in the early Digital column; same day Digital releases come out when the DVD and Blu-rays do. As for DVD release, if you’re looking for May titles head here. In addition,

New DVD Releases June 4, 2019

Available currently for pre-order, this week will feature some indie hits, as well as Tyler Perry finally saying goodbye to Madea, a character that helped him to become a household name.

A Madea Family Funeral

Lost in Space: Season 1

Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Season One 

The Haunting of Sharon Tate

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote

Gloria Bell

Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

J.T. Leroy

The Kid

Woman at War

Delicious: Series 3

London Kills: Series 1

Batman (1989) - 4K Ultra HD

Batman Returns (1992) - 4K Ultra HD

Batman Forever (1995) - 4K Ultra HD

Batman & Robin (1997) - 4K Ultra HD

Early Digital Releases Week of June 4, 2019

Us

Wonder Park

New DVD Releases June 11, 2019

A big new Marvel release is usually something to celebrate, and this week will be no exception, as Marvel’s first titular female superheroine will be getting her own DVD release with Captain Marvel! In addition, there are quite a few fun TV releases out this week.

The Good Doctor: The Complete Second Season (June 10)

Captain Marvel (Digital out May 28)

Captive State

Orange Is The New Black: Season Six

Five Feet Apart

I Am The Night

The Blacklist: The Complete Sixth Season (June 13)

Early Digital Releases Week of June 11, 2019

High Life

The Aftermath

Hotel Mumbai

New DVD Releases June 18, 2019

Following a successful run at the box office, Jordan Peele's latest horror flick Us is making its way onto DVD and Blu-ray this week. It's one of several high profile releases coming out, although some fared better at the box office than others. Take a look.

Us

Wonder Park

The Beach Bum

Hotel Mumbai

Will & Grace (The Revival) Season Two

Patrick Melrose

Killing Eve: Season Two

Suits: The Complete Season 8

Slaughterhouse Rulez

Lords of Chaos

New DVD Releases June 25, 2019

So far, there are fewer new releases this week than I’ve seen in some time. Of these, the highest profile release is probably The Aftermath, a period drama starring Kiera Knightley. When Knightley was doing press for the movie, she revealed why she’s not longer excited about doing nude scenes.

The Aftermath

The Hummingbird Project

Maze

The Twilight Franchise Had The Perfect Response To Robert Pattinson’s Possible Batman Role

The Twilight Franchise Had The Perfect Response To Robert Pattinson’s Possible Batman Role

Robert Pattinson… we know who you are. Alright, I’ll say it out loud. He’s Batman! The 32-year-old actor best known for his role as Edward Cullen in the Twilight films is reportedly closing a deal with Warner Bros to play the next Dark Knight in Matt Reeves’ The Batman. Meaning it's time to dust off those coffin cobwebs and get out all those Twilight related references. Even the Twilight Saga itself couldn’t resist commenting on social media. Take a look:

Good one! Since the series of films centered on Bella Swan’s love triangle between a sparkly vampire and a shirtless sometimes-werewolf, the fandom was always divided between Team Edward and Team Jacob respectively. With this casting news, the franchise is showing its support for Robert Pattinson’s new high-profile role on Twitter.

The actor has been rumored as one of potential Bruce Wayne’s for the upcoming DC film for a few months following Ben Affleck officially stepping down from the role at the beginning of the year. It should be noted that Warner Bros has not officially announced Robert Pattinson as the next Batman, and other reports name Nicholas Hoult also among the shortlist for the role, but the studio hasn’t denied the news since it broke on Thursday evening.

Robert Pattinson’s fame may have kicked off with a franchise heavily criticized and loathed by the public, he has since showed off his acting chops in indie projects including Good Time, High Life and The Lost City of Z. Not everyone is willing to see past his early work, as a petition for his casting has already made its way on the internet. An insignificant number of people have signed it so far and are based off passing judgements that dismiss the vision of Matt Reeves.

The filmmaker is behind the last two Planet of the Apes films and is currently polishing the final draft of the script for The Batman. He’ll also direct the superhero flick that is said to embrace the noir elements of the comics and see the Caped Crusader really utilize his detective skills. The Batman will also reportedly feature a rogues gallery of villains, with the Penguin reportedly at the forefront of them.

Robert Pattinson has said he’s “been a little wary of doing big movies for years and years,” but then Christopher Nolan’s upcoming movie came his way. Pattinson is set to star in the Dark Knight filmmaker’s action blockbuster in 2020 with Elizabeth Debicki and John David Washington. Maybe he figured he’s doing a big movie already, why not go for another? What if Nolan himself played a part in endorsing or convincing the actor to take on the Bat!

The Batman is expected to begin filming within the year and arrive to theaters on June 25, 2021. Are you Team Bruce after this casting news? Let us know in the comments below.

Disney+: Everything We Know About The New Streaming Service

Disney+: Everything We Know About The New Streaming Service

More and more, people are getting their TV and movie content exclusively from streaming sources. While Netflix is clearly the undisputed king of the various streaming services, several companies have begun to take their slice of the pie and one of the most promising of those is the new service coming from the Walt Disney Company, simply titled Disney+.

With one of the most extensive catalogs of content, dating back almost 100 years, Disney has the potential to bring a lot of muscle to its new streaming service. Is it going to be worth it for you to add it to your existing options, or possibly even replace another service with it? Here's everything we know about Disney+ to help you make that decision.

When Will Disney+ Launch And What Will It Cost?

Back in August of 2017 we first learned that Disney was planning to launch its own streaming service. From day one we knew that Disney was expecting a 2019 launch and as we moved closer to that date, we were told the service would come near the end of the calendar year. The service was also given an official name at the end of 2018, Disney+, a name that made sense considering that Disney's ESPN SVOD service used the same nomenclature. That was as far as we knew until a special Disney Investor's Day event in April of 2019, which finally gave us two key pieces of information.

Disney+ will launch in the U.S. on November 12, 2019. Disney seemed to use U.S. and North America interchangeably during the announcement so it looks like Canada will be getting the service at the same time.

Western Europe will get Disney+ during a roll out that will start at the end of 2019 and go into early 2020. The Asia Pacific region will see Disney+ starting at the end of this year, but is expected to take into 2020 to fully complete. Eastern Europe and Latin America will begin to see Disney+ near the end of 2020.

The most exciting piece of information about Disney+ is the price. It will go for $6.99 a month, with an option to purchase a full year in advance for $69.99. That will make Disney+ about half the price of what Netflix now goes for, and it will be only one dollar more a month than what Hulu costs with ad support, and Disney+ will be ad free.

It also seems highly likely that an option to bundle Disney+ with ESPN+ and Hulu will come at some point. Disney made it clear the company is interested in the bundle option, but it will require approval of the Hulu board. While Disney is now the majority shareholder of Hulu following the purchase of Fox, it's not the only company that gets to make the decision, as Comcast/Universal is still a significant shareholder. We could still see an official bundle announced before November, but it could also come later.

How Can I Watch Disney+?

During Disney's Investor Day, the company made it clear that it wants Disney+ to have as wide a device footprint as possible, so that people using the service will have access to it on whatever device they want to use. The image above was used during the presentation and makes it clear that whether you have a Smart TV, a game console, or any other video streaming device, Disney wants the new service available on it.

However, at the event, Disney confirmed that, as of now, only two devices, Roku TV, and Sony's PlayStation 4, are currently set to have the app at launch. Although, with several months to go before Disney+ is available, there are likely to be many more partnerships made with TV manufacturers, game console makers and other streaming devices before day one.

Of course, you'll also be able to watch on your home computer, and tablets and smartphones are virtually certain to have Disney+ in their app stores on day one.

How Will Disney+ Work?

If you're familiar with most existing streaming video apps, Disney+ doesn't look all that different. The app divides the content into five main categories, Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic. You can select any one of them to be able to see a wider section of options in that category, but you can also view by genre or search for a specific title in order to find what you're looking for.

Overtime, the service will learn your preferences based on what you watch, and so it will automatically recommend movies and shows you might want to see. To that end, multiple profiles can be created by different family members, which means each person will get their own set of recommendations.

On the technical side, content will be available in 4K HDR for those with compatible screens for viewing.

Another very cool feature is that the entire library of content will be available to download to your mobile device with no restrictions or limitations. This means if you're jumping on a plane or are going to be someplace else where you won't have wi-fi, you can download everything you need to keep watching while you're offline.

What Can I Watch On Disney+?

The short answer to that question is, a lot. With almost 100 years of material to draw from across multiple divisions, in movies and on television, Disney+ promises to launch with an incredible amount of timeless content, and continue adding to that as time goes on. Here's a breakdown of what we know is coming to the service.

Walt Disney Animation Studios

Walt Disney released the studios first hand drawn animated feature in 1937, and ever since then, Disney has defined theatrical animation for generations. With the upcoming Frozen II, Disney will release its 58th theatrically animated film, and 39 of those films will be available to watch on Disney+ on day one. This includes every movie in the "Disney vault," films that see their home releases routinely pulled from circulation before re-releasing them a few years later.

In addition to the films that will be available on day one, more will be added over time, including Frozen II which was confirmed to hit the service in the summer of 2020.

Here's the complete list of confirmed Disney animated features set for Disney+.

101 Dalmatians

Aladdin

Alice in Wonderland

Aristocats

Bambi

Beauty and the Beast

Big Hero 6

Bolt

Chicken Little

Cinderella

Dinosaur

Dumbo

The Emperor’s New Groove

Fantasia

Fantasia 2000

Fox and the Hound

Frozen

The Great Mouse Detective

Hercules

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Jungle Book

Lady and the Tramp

Lilo and Stitch

The Lion King

The Little Mermaid

Meet the Robinsons

Moana

Mulan

Peter Pan

Pinocchio

Pocahontas

The Princess and the Frog

Sleeping Beauty

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

The Sword in the Stone

Tangled

Winnie the Pooh

Wreck-It Ralph

Zootopia

Frozen II (Summer 2020)

In addition to the theatrically animated movies, a selection in the Disney+ app demonstration shown included an option to watch Mickey Mouse short films. Many of Disney's shorts will likely be included in the service, though we don't know what will be available day one and what will be coming later.

Finally, one brand new series related to Disney animation will be a documentary series titled Into the Unknown: Making Frozen II. No specific date was given for the series, but it was seen as part of the "Coming Soon" portion of the Disney app, which means it likely won't be a day one product. Though, since Frozen II is set to release shortly after Disney+ launches, we probably won't have too long to wait.

Pixar

Pixar is a much younger company that Walt Disney Animation, but they're just as loved by fans. Toy Story 4 will mark the 21st Pixar animated feature. Pixar CCO Pete Doctor confirmed that the first 18 Pixar films will be day one releases for Disney+. Only Coco, Incredibles 2 and Toy Story 4 won't be available to view when Disney+ launches, but all three will be available by the end of the service's first year.

In addition to theatrical films, many of Pixar's shorts will also be available on the service. It appears that all of Pixar's theatrically released shorts, along with Red's Dream, The Adventures of Andre and Wally B. and Tin Toy, which were never put in theaters, will all be on the service on day one.

Several brand new Pixar projects were also announced for Disney+. Forky Asks a Question will see the newest member of the Toy Story crew, Forky, voiced by Tony Hale, coming to terms with his new existence as a toy. Each episode will see Forky ask the other toys in Bonnie's room about life's most difficult questions, such as, What is love? What is Time? and What is Cheese? Ten short episodes have been created and the series will be a day one addition to Disney+.

Bo Peep, the Toy Story character who returns to the fold in Toy Story 4 will be getting a Disney+ original short film. Lamp Life will tell the story of what happened to the character prior to the events of Toy Story 4.

Monsters at Work will be a new series dedicated to the world of Monsters Inc. Both Billy Crystal and John Goodman will reprise their roles as Mike and Sully for the show. The series will follow the new Monsters Inc. after the events of the original film, as the monsters continue to gather their power needs by utilizing the Laugh Floor.

Finally, an unscripted series that takes a look behind the scenes of Pixar was also announced. It sounds to be a similar documentary project to the Frozen II series. No official title was given, but episodes will begin to arrive sometime in the first year and are expected to continue to be released into the future.

Marvel Studios

One of the most exciting things about Disney+ might be the idea that the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe might be available in one place. Being able to watch the entire story from Iron Man through Avengers: Endgame is the cinematic equivalent of spending your weekend reading comic books and drinking soda. However, it looks like the MCU won't be complete on Disney+, at least not early on.

Through the end of 2019 there will be a total of 24 movies that make up the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Of those 24, only four will be available on day one, and only eight more are currently scheduled to be added within the first year. Here's the complete list...

Day One Releases

Captain Marvel

Iron Man

Iron Man 3

Thor: The Dark World

Year One Releases

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Avengers: Endgame

Avengers: Infinity War

Black Panther

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Guardians of the Galaxy

Iron Man 2

Thor: Ragnarok

If this is truly the entire list of MCU films set for the first year, it leaves half of the films out for the first year. There may be existing licensing deals in place that will keep the films off Disney+, though it's always possible the company might continue working to make these movies available sooner than is currently announced. One also wonders if the two Spider-Man films will ever appear on Disney+, considering that they're actually Sony movies.

Several exclusive Marvel shows have also been confirmed for the service. Marvel Hero Project will follow young people who are trying to be real life heroes by affecting positive change in their communities. Marvel's 616 is an anthology documentary series that will explore Marvel's history of superhero characters and the historical, cultural, and societal context in which those heroes were created.

While several TV shows have been created over the years that had ties to the MCU, Disney+ will be the home of the first series specifically designed to extend the the story of several characters from the films. Three series have been officially announced. WandaVision will star Elizabeth Olson and Paul Bettany and follow the story of Wanda Maximoff and The Vision. Falcon and the Winter Solder will see Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes team up. The third confirmed series will center on Loki, who will be played by a returning Tom Hiddleston.

Another MCU related series will be What If. This new animated series will explore how the MCU could have turned out differently if events had played out in different ways. The first episode has been confirmed to explore what would have happened if Peggy Carter had been given the Super Soldier Serum, and Steve Rogers had instead fought in World War II inside an armored suit created by Howard Stark. It sounds like in most, if not all cases, the MCU actor will return to voice their animated counterparts.

None of these new projects were given specific launch windows, making them all likely to be year one series at the very soonest.

Star Wars

While the Star Wars film franchise predates Marvel movies by several decades, it was much slower to grow, and as such, the brand doesn't have quite as much legacy content to go on Disney+, the good news, however, is basically all of it will be on Disney+ within the first year. The original trilogy, the prequel trilogy, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will all be day one releases. The other three films, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Solo: A Star Wars Story, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, will all be on Disney+ by the end of the first year.

Two original Star Wars series have been announced for Disney+ as well. The Mandalorian will be a day one series which will star Pedro Pascal as a gun for hire in a period about five years after the events of Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi. Another, as yet untitled, series will act as a prequel to Rogue One and star Diego Luna, reprising his role of Cassian Andor, along with the voice of Alan Tudyk returning to give life to K-2SO.

The animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars will debut a brand new season on Disney+. All previous seasons, as well as Lucasfilm's other animated series Star Wars Rebels are also confirmed for the platform, via icons seen in the Disney+ app demo, but exactly when they'll arrive has not been announced.

Several nonfiction Star Wars series will also be coming to Disney+, and will, apparently, focus on the people who have helped bring the galaxy far, far away to life, such as those responsible for creating the sets and props.

Disney Live Action

Disney may have gotten its start as an animation studio but the company's live-action history is just as distinguished. Whether you're a fan of Disney's classic era or more focused on the more recent family adventures, a slate of over 30 live-action films were confirmed for Disney+ launch, with several more, including some of this year's theatrical releases, set for the first year of the service.

There are classics here like Mary Poppins but there are also some less than blockbuster flicks. It's almost nice to see The Haunted Mansion and Muppets Most Wanted on here. They might not be everybody's favorite, but they're probably somebody's favorite, and it's good that Disney isn't trying to bury them. Here's everything that was confirmed.

Day One Releases

101 Dalmatians

102 Dalmatians

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Alice in Wonderland

Bedknobs and Broomsticks

Dumbo

Freaky Friday (2003)

The Haunted Mansion

Hocus Pocus

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids

Mary Poppins

Miracle

The Muppets

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets

Newsies

Old Yeller

The Parent Trap (1961)

The Parent Trap (1998)

Pete's Dragon (1977)

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men's Chest

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

The Princess Diaries

The Princess Diaries II: Royal Engagement

Remember the Titans

Rocketeer

The Santa Clause

The Santa Clause 2

The Santa Clause 3

Saving Mr. Banks

Secretariat

Treasure Island

Tron

Tron: Legacy

Year One Releases

Aladdin

Alice Through The Looking Glass

Beauty and the Beast

Christopher Robin

Cinderella

Enchanted

The Lion King

Maleficent

Muppets Most Wanted

The Mighty Ducks

National Treasure

In addition to the back catalog, several DIsney+ original live-action movies were confirmed for the first year of the service. Noelle will star Anna Kendrick as the daughter of Santa Claus. When her brother, the heir to Santa, goes missing, she'll go into the real world to find him. The movie is confirmed for "soon" after the launch of Disney+, and considering it's a holiday movie, may be the first addition to the launch lineup.

Timmy Failure is a new movie based on a series of children's books that's being directed by Spotlight director Tom McCarthy. Stargirl is based on a New York Times best selling YA novel that will star America's Got Talent winner Grace VanderWaal. Neither of these films was given a launch window, so they may be a ways out.

Togo will follow the Alaskan diptheria outbreak of the 1920s and the chain of sled dogs that raced medication to the effected area. Disney Studios President Sean Bailey said this one was set for "a little after launch." Willem Dafoe stars.

The latest Disney live-action remake will be Lady and the Tramp. Using live actors combined with the same CGI animation that is bringing the new Lion King to life, this one promises to be special for Disney fans. The film will be available at launch.

Encore! will be executive produced by Kristen Bell and will be an unscripted series where she helps reunite old classmates who used to perform together in high school. The Imagineering Story will be a documentary series from Leslie Iwerks, the granddaughter of Disney Legend Ub Iwerks, which looks at the people who help bring Disney theme park attractions to life. Its first episode will debut on day one.

National Geographic

National Geographic has a history that actually predates Disney, but with the acquisition of Fox, the brand is now the property of the Walt Disney Company, and with it comes hundreds of hours of material to bolster Disney+.

There's an extensive list of National Geographic content coming to the service. Exactly which of these series and films will be available day one was not made clear, but all of these are expected within the first year.

Amazing Planet

Gordon Ramsey Uncharted

Photoark

Drain the Oceans

Dr. K's Exotic Animal ER

Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet

Earth Live

Free Solo

Great Migrations

Howie Mandel's Animals Doing Things

The Incredible Dr. Pol

Into the Okavango

Life Below Zero

Science Fair

Cosmos

Rise of the Black Panther

Rocky Mountain Animal Rescue

One Strange Rock

Unlikely Animal Friends

Wicked Tuna

Wild Yellowstone

Brain Games

Jane

Dog Whisperer

Running Wild with Bear Grylls

In addition, two brand new Disney+ original shows were confirmed. The World According to Jeff Goldblum will follow the insatiably curious actor as he investigates seemingly mundane objects to find the history and science behind them. It will debut on Disney+ on day one. The second series is titled Magic of the Animal Kingdom, and it will follow the biologists, veterinarians, and other animal care experts who work at Disney's Animal Kingdom at the Sea Base Aquarium at Epcot.

The Disney Channel

The Disney Channel has been around for over 30 years and in that time it has created an impressive number of original series and movies. At launch, it may be largest single segment of content on the site, as over 5,000 episodes of series and over 100 original movies will debut on Disney+. Here's what's confirmed:

Andi Mack

Cadet Kelly

Camp Rock

The Cheetah Girls

Descendants

Ducktales (2017-)

Even Stevens

Good Luck Charlie

Gravity Falls

Halloweentown

Handy Manny

Hannah Montana

High School Musical

High School Musical 2

Jake and the Neverland Pirates

Jesse

Jonas L.A.

Kim Possible

Little Einsteins

Lizzy McGuire

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

Phineas and Ferb

Princess Protection Program

The Proud Family

The Suite Life of Zack and Cody

Tangled: The Series

Teen Beach Movie

That's So Raven

Wizards of Waverly Place

Zombies

In addition to seeing every episode of the Phineas and Ferb animated series on day one, a brand new Phineas and Ferb movie was also announced. It will see the brothers attempt to rescue their sister Candice, who has been abducted by space aliens.

The most meta new series coming to Disney+ has to be High School Musical: The Musical - The Series. Rather than being a sequel or a straight remake of the original High School Musical, the new series will follow kids at the high school where the High School Musical movies were filmed, as they attempt to put on a performance of High School Musical: The Musical. It hopes to bring together fans of the original films and new fans as well. The first episode will hit Disney+ on day one.

Fox

While not being a separate section of the Disney+ app, Several TV series and movies that were purchased along with 21st Century Fox are also confirmed for the service. It would seem these will all be considered Disney shows and movies going forward, at least as far as the app menu is concerned.

The biggest announcement was the fact that 30 seasons of The Simpsons will be viewable on Disney+ on day one. The complete list of first year confirmed titles of both TV and movies is:

Bend It Like Beckham

Breaking Away

Dr. Doolittle (1998)

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Far From Home

Garfield: The Movie

The Gods Must Be Crazy

Hello Dolly

Home Alone 3

Horton Hears A Who

Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)

Malcolm in the Middle

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium

The Princess Bride

Rookie of the Year

The Simpsons

The Sound of Music

By the end of the first year Disney+ expects to have 7,500 episodes of current and library television and over 500 theatrically released films, in addition to all the original content being made for the service. That means there's a lot more on the way than what has been confirmed so far. While that's still a far cry from the size of the library that a competitor like Netflix has, Disney+ looks to have a level of quality in that library that may be impossible to beat.

Be sure to bookmark this guide, as we'll be keeping it updated with new information about Disney+ as it becomes available!

Mark Hamill Had The Best Response To Fake Star Wars Toy

Mark Hamill Had The Best Response To Fake Star Wars Toy

You gotta hand it to Mark Hamill when it comes to bad Star Wars puns. He keeps his dad joke A-game in peak condition -- see the Star Wars: Episode IX "trailer" he posted. But he didn't like that the joke was on Luke Skywalker with a Lego Star Wars toy featuring his missing hand.

Here's what Mark Hamill dubbed the #WorstToyEVER:

Of course he couldn't resist adding another hand pun with #LegoOfMyHand.

Plenty of people told Mark Hamill it wasn't a real toy -- apparently all you had to do was look up the Lego number -- but at least one fan disagreed that it was the worst toy. That fan was treated to a classic Star Wars reply from Luke himself:

See? Luke did listen to Obi-Wan on occasion.

A few fans replied with other fake Star Wars toys out there, and some of them are just so wonderfully wrong you have to wish Lucasfilm really did sell them:

I love this look at George Lucas and all of his money:

Star Wars fans would buy all of that, even just as gag gifts.

Mark Hamill does have a great sense of humor and heart about all things Star Wars. Without Carrie Fisher, and without Harrison Ford's Han Solo after Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Hamill is pretty much carrying the entire old school load himself. He still has Anthony Daniels as C-3PO in Star Wars: Episode IX and he'll get an assist from Billy Dee Williams as Lando in the 2019 movie too. But we're all sad that Luke, Leia, and Han won't really get to be together on screen again.

J.J. Abrams is keeping a tight lock on Star Wars: Episode IX secrets, but that trailer is probably coming very soon. The film's title and trailer may even come our way as soon as this week through Star Wars Celebration 2019, which is being held April 11-15 in Chicago.

Star Wars: Episode IX opens in theaters December 20, 2019 as one of the many films worth keeping an eye on through our 2019 movie release date schedule.

John Wick 3 Will Hit A Box Office Milestone Over Memorial Day Weekend

John Wick 3 Will Hit A Box Office Milestone Over Memorial Day Weekend

This Memorial Day weekend will see the release of three new movies, but being outnumbered has never seemed to be a concern for John Wick. Despite the heavy competition, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum is open to all challengers, and while the film won't be No.1, it will still hit a milestone at the box office. The holiday weekend will push the third film in the action franchise to exceed $100 million domestically.

Last weekend, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum opened at No. 1, finally toppling Avengers: Endgame. The action movie opened to $56.8 million domestically, the highest debut for the entire series. Currently, the film has grossed $83.2 million at the domestic North American box office, with a worldwide total of $119.7 million.

Parabellum is likely to gross $24 million at the domestic box office from Friday to Sunday, according to Box Office Mojo. This is a 58% drop from last week, which is higher than the previous two films. (44.5% for the first John Wick and 46.7% for John Wick: Chapter 2). Overall, the four-day weekend is expected to push its domestic total to about $109 million, which is a nice milestone for the film. John Wick: Chapter 2 grossed $171.5 million worldwide when all was said and done, so we will see if Parabellum can beat that score.

It's not too surprising to see Parabellum is another success. The John Wick films are pretty well loved, scoring positive reviews from critics and moviegoers. Most importantly, the films have some of the best choreographed action sequences that you can find these days. It's straight up action porn.

Parabellum is expected to hold second place this weekend, as three new movies open in theaters. The major release in theaters is the live-action remake of Aladdin, and it will be joined by newcomers Brightburn and Booksmart. The latter has earned rave reviews from critics, while the other two movies have received a mixed reception.

Despite the initially negative reception thanks to some early trailers, Aladdin will take the No. 1 spot. The remake is looking at an opening of more than $100 million domestically after an estimated $31 million on Friday.

Meanwhile, Brightburn is expected to earn around $10 million while Booksmart is looking at $6.5-$8 million. These are smaller scale movies when compared to Aladdin or Parabellum, so this is within expectations. Avengers: Endgame will hang on to third place while Detective Pikachu is bumped to fourth.

Moviegoers have no shortage of options this holiday weekend, so you might as well see as much as you can! John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum is in theaters right now if you want to give it some extra love. To learn everything else that will be coming to theaters over the course of the next few months, be sure to check out our 2019 movie release guide.

Martin Lawrence Celebrated Bad Boys For Life Wrapping Production With Photo From The Set

Martin Lawrence Celebrated Bad Boys For Life Wrapping Production With Photo From The Set

Development hell is a realm that any film worth its salt is lucky to escape. Projects in this land of the damned were once promising, until the point where they become an empty promise. But every now and then, a movie is powerful enough to escape this demon pit, and make it to the finish line, and Bad Boys For Life is one such film to earn such an honor.

This calls for a celebration, and leave it to Martin Lawrence to commemorate the occasion with a photo on the day Bad Boys For Life wrapped production. Check out that photo for yourself below:

It wasn’t too long ago that Will Smith was commemorating the start of production for Bad Boys For Life, so it’s fitting that Martin Lawrence back his partner’s call with a similar gesture during the long awaited film’s final moments of filming. Considering the history of this film’s production, we can’t blame them for celebrating that Bad Boys For Life actually exists, and is about to have the finishing touches bestowed upon it for a run in theaters next year.

Several years past 2003’s release of Bad Boys II, rumors about a third installment in director Michael Bay’s buddy cop franchise ran rampant up until 2015 when there was an official announcement of not one, but two sequels, set to debut in 2017 and 2019. While there was a fair amount of optimism that this plan would come to fruition, it eventually was derailed, despite promising developments along the way.

If Bad Boys For Life’s original incarnation stuck, we’d have seen a film written and directed by Joe Carnahan, the mind that brought us films like Smokin’ Aces, The Grey, and the upcoming film, Boss Level. But eventually, the setbacks that continued to delay this third film saw Carnahan leave the project, paving the way for a new pair of directors and a new lease on life.

The current lineup for Bad Boys For Life does see Will Smith and Martin Lawrence return to their respective roles of detectives Mike Lowry and Marcus Burnett, as seen in this commemorative photo on Lawrence’s Twitter feed. But this time out, young directors Adil El Arbi and Bilal Fallah will be shepherding the destruction and excitement that follow this legendary pair, with a particularly interesting rumored plot involving the break up (and eventual make up) of Lowry and Burnett.

It all brings us to this very real moment, where Martin Lawrence, Will Smith, and everyone else behind Bad Boys For Life have completed their task. Now, all that stands between this hotly anticipated film and its potential audience is the post-production process. Looking at everything this film went through to get here, that’ll probably be the easiest part of the whole process.

Bad Boys For Life will finally have its day in theaters on January 17, 2020; unless it gets a bump into a summer release date more worthy of movies sporting gun fights and car chases.