Aladdin Actor Tries Not To Slack Off After Being Called 'Hot Jafar'

Aladdin Actor Tries Not To Slack Off After Being Called 'Hot Jafar'

A Disney remake is bound to draw reactions of all sorts when it’s announced. That being said, no one could have predicted how fans anticipating director Guy Ritchie’s big ticket blockbuster would dub actor Marwan Kenzari’s interpretation of Aladdin’s famous villain as “Hot Jafar.”

With such a title comes certain expectations, especially when you have a co-star like Will Smith busting your chops for what you wear to a premiere. Decked out for the L.A. premiere of Aladdin in a classic black tuxedo, Marwan Kenzari gave his adoring public the following message:

Thanks guys, I think of you. It’s very kind I do my best as you can see to keep [Hot Jafar] up. I cannot slack.

Marwan Kenzari has certainly lost the right to slack, as Aladdin has not only shown him what internet fandom looks like, but also what successful premiere attire looks like as well. And that is partially because of the film’s London premiere, which saw Will Smith and Guy Ritchie both making comments on Kenzari’s more subdued look for Aladdin’s regional bow, that the actor is paying more attention to his look.

For comparison, take a look at the side by side photos below, with Marwan Kenzari’s London outfit on the left, and his L.A. outfit on the right:

While ET Online started out with the question of how Marwan Kenzari’s been responding to his duties as “Hot Jafar,” a charismatic ambush from Will Smith during their red carpet interview triggered the discussion of what to wear to an event as big as the premiere of a major motion picture. While it’s important to be impartial, the tuxedo look on Kenzari is undoubtedly the killer.

As Aladdin opened to an $86 million weekend, going by the standard weekend timeframe as opposed to an extended Memorial Day weekend, the fans are still in the mood to see the Disney brand of magic make its way into a more live-action friendly context. That's something that even the villainous Jafar could smile about, when you think about where his story ends up in the animated canon.

Rest assured, should another Aladdin film find its way to a green light over at Disney, Marwan Kenzari is now fully briefed as to how he should work the red carpet in the future. And classic tuxedos are probably only the start, as any further action could see him mix it up with red and black outfits that hew closer to his infamous character’s color scheme. The sky’s the limit at this point.

Aladdin is currently in theaters now; but if you’ve already taken that trip to a whole new world, you can see what else is in store for this year with the 2019 release schedule.

Avengers: Endgame Already Has A Disney+ Release Date

Avengers: Endgame Already Has A Disney+ Release Date

It’s been nearly two full weeks since Avengers: Endgame started playing in theaters, and it’s not leaving the silver screen anytime soon. Still, there are surely a lot of people looking forward to watching Endgame in the comfort of their own home. So when will they be able to do so? While a Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD release release date hasn’t been announced yet, the movie will hit Disney+ at the end of the year.

Disney+ is launching on November 12, a little over two years after the Mouse House announced it getting in on the streaming game. There will be a lot of content available from the get-go, and while Avengers: Endgame won’t be part of that select group, Disney did announce today that it will throw the final chapter of the Infinity Saga onto its digital platform on December 11.

So that’s just a month after Disney+ is made available in the United States, and just like every other Marvel, Star Wars and any other kind of movie that hails from Disney, Disney+ will be Avengers: Endgame’s exclusive streaming home. It joins fellow MCU entry Captain Marvel, which was announced to be the first theatrically-released Disney movie to stream exclusively on Disney+.

To reiterate, Disney and Marvel have not announced when Avengers: Endgame’s home release will be, but going off the typical release date pattern for movies nowadays, I suspect it will be available digitally in mid-to-late July, and the Blu-ray/DVD copies will follow in August. So if you’d rather not buy a copy of Endgame, but do plan on subscribing to Disney+, it’ll be another four-five month-long wait to watch it on there.

Given how incredibly popular Avengers: Endgame has been, both critically and commercially, it’s a good bet that it will be a popular choice on Disney+. And whether you watch it on Disney+ or elsewhere, at over three hours long and containing numerous tributes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s history, Endgame is definitely a movie that’s worth watching with a pause button available, as there’s a lot to look out for.

Disney+ will also be a prime destination to explore the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame. While the Loki series is reportedly set in the past, with the Asgardian God of Mischief influencing events in human history, WandaVision and Falcon and Winter Soldier will be set post-Endgame. There is also a Hawkeye series reportedly in development, as well as a confirmed What If? animated series on the way.

For now, keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more Avengers: Endgame coverage, and be sure to read our review of the movie. You can also discover what movies are arriving later in the year in our 2019 release schedule, as well find out what’s coming up next for the MCU on the silver screen with our comprehensive guide.

Why Booksmart Feels So Similar To Superbad

Why Booksmart Feels So Similar To Superbad

In the years since John Hughes arguably carved out the high school movie as its own unique genre, many have risen to the challenge of creating iconic movies to define specific eras. Superbad very much did that when it hit theaters back in 2007, and it did so by taking DNA from films like Dazed and Confused and melding it with a Judd Apatow-style comedy focusing on friendship.

Now, Olivia Wilde is doing the same with her directorial debut, Booksmart. In fact, as producer David Distenfeld explained to CinemaBlend and other outlets during a visit to the film’s set earlier this year, the comparisons to Superbad make a lot of sense because the movie focuses on a friendship set against the backdrop of a crazy evening. The producer said:

In terms of the Superbad comparison, it's that friendship. Yes, there was all that craziness going around Michael [Cera] and Jonah [Hill], but friendship is what the movie is about. As much as they go through that crazy night, the friendship of these two girls is really what sort of grounds it.

So, it sounds like we can generally expect Booksmart to go to some pretty wild places when it finally premieres. The movie is aiming to heighten reality in a very similar way that Superbad did, but it’s also going to do so while anchoring the narrative in the friendship of two lovable characters.

Viewing a project like Booksmart through that lens, producer David Distenfeld seems to think the comparison to Superbad is actually fairly apt.

Of course, Superbad is not the only film that features this type of structure or narrative style in the creation of a high school movie. Despite the similarities between Superbad and Booksmart, it’s also worth noting that films like American Graffiti and Dazed and Confused have similarly employed the one-wild-night structure in the creation of legendary high school movies.

Superbad just happens to feel like one of the most apt comparisons because it specifically focuses on a pair of awkward teens making their way through a raunchy, hard-R night.

Booksmart centers on two young, intelligent girls on their last day of high school. Upon coming to the realization that they have squandered their four years focusing on academics and not paying attention to the social scene, they set out to have one wild night before graduation.

CinemaBlend will bring you more information related to Booksmart as new details about the film are made available to us. Keep it here for more updates related to Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut, and head on over to our movie premiere guide to read up on all of the films that will hit the big screen before the end of the year.

The 9 Best Nicole Kidman Movies, Ranked

The 9 Best Nicole Kidman Movies, Ranked

Nicole Kidman is a great actress. One would be extremely hard-pressed to say otherwise. For the past three decades, Kidman has proven herself to be an exceptionally versatile and vulnerable performer, capable of astonishing range and dramatic fortitude, with projects like To Die For and Lion. There are no shortage of strong, powerful performances from Nicole Kidman, and we want to take a moment to highlight a mere few of her exceptional roles throughout her extensive career.

Whether it's comedy, drama, action, adventure, fantasy or musical, to name a few of the genres she has worked in throughout her busy career, Nicole Kidman has provided audiences everywhere with an extensive array of compelling performances, challenging herself in a variety of acclaimed and intriguing titles. While not all of them can be winners (perhaps the less said about 2005's Bewitched or 2007's The Invasion, the better...), Kidman has displayed an impressive and accomplished showcase of her talents, and we want to take this opportunity to highlight a few of our personal favorites.

Now before we ruffle any feathers, we should note some of the films that didn't make the cut. That's not because they weren't worthy of being considered, but because we only have a certain amount of time and space and we can't give every movie its fair due. For instance, after going back and forth, we decided to cut Birth, Margot at the Wedding, Lion, Australia, The Stepford Wives, Dogville, Practical Magic, To Die For, Days of Thunder and, perhaps most controversially, Moulin Rouge.

The reasons vary between personal preference, differing opinions and some critical blind spots in my viewing habits. Nobody is perfect, after all, and I can't say I've seen every movie on Nicole Kidman's resume — though I should definitely make a point on catching up on a few. In any case, keep all that in mind. Now, without further ado, here's how we would rank some of the best of Nicole Kidman's movies.

The Beguiled

Sofia Coppola's 2017 film, The Beguiled, is certainly one that lives up to that title. Filled with intrigue and spellbinding visuals, it's a captivating film. And part of that reason is because Nicole Kidman's subtle, dependable performance carries the film through its soft presentation.

Commanding as ever as the woman who runs a girl school in Virginia in the midst of the Civil War, Nicole Kidman's performance is certainly one that demands respect. In just one glance, she channels so much intensity and ferocity, and for an actress as great and commendable as Kidman, it's great that she is capable of providing so much in such a simple gesture. This movie doesn't get as much attention and notoriety as some of the other films on Nicole Kidman's resume, but it's certainly one that's worth checking out if you are a fan.

Stoker

Park Chan-Wook's English-language debut, Stoker, is certainly a hard film to describe. A psychological thriller written by Wentworth Miller and brought to the same sort of chilling conclusion as some of Chan-Wook's other noteworthy films, it is probably best to leave the details of the plot a mystery if you haven't had a chance to see the film for yourself. But if you're looking for a good reason to see Stoker, one would certainly be Nicole Kidman's performance.

The actress once again displays the ruthless energy that is found in her best work, displaying a commendable sense of conviction and devastation in even a single utterance of a well-written sentence. The result is a ferocious performance that also contains the tenderness found inside her best work.

The Others

Nicole Kidman has found herself inside the horror genre more times than one would assume, as displayed in this article. But to date, one of her most memorable genre exercises remains the tense, twisty tale of The Others. Allowing the actress to display her strengths in a genre that — at the time — was not at one of its peaks, the result is another compelling performance in a role that once again allows the actress to flourish.

To reveal too much more would probably be unkind, since the film relies quite heavily on its twists, but The Others has become in one of the actress' most popular films. And while the horror genre doesn't always garner the best reviews — often unjustly — this film remains one of the most celebrated and acclaimed films on her resume, which is certainly saying something, considering the number of high-grade movies she has starred in.

Paddington

Who can hate sweet, dear Paddington? The formal, well-spoken and immensely polite little British bear is one of the kindest, sweetest souls to make his way to the big screen in quite some time. And while the trailers for 2015's film adaptation, the appropriately-titled Paddington, were dire, the film turned out to be a ravenous surprise, filled with great bouts of wit, charm and flights of whimsy. It's hard not to fall instantly in love with Paddington.

With that said, Nicole Kidman really had her work cut out for her in this family-friendly romp. As the villain of the movie, she had to do something damn near impossible: be antagonistic to that lovely English cub. Nevertheless, it's a major credit to her acting talents that she not only pulled it off, but pulled it off so convincingly. As if audience members needed more reasons to root for Paddington, Nicole Kidman provided them plentifully here. And while it's easily among Nicole Kidman's most well-liked and well-reviewed movies, it's not entirely fair to call it a "Nicole Kidman movie." Hence, why it is a little lower in this ranking than it would've otherwise been.

Cold Mountain

Though it doesn't get remarked upon quite as often now as it did in the decade prior, Cold Mountain is a commendable, richly textured tale. And it's made even stronger by its three central performances from Jude Law, Nicole Kidman and Oscar-winner Renee Zellweger. The film demands a lot out of its viewer through its two-and-a-half hour runtime. And it does like to take its time in slow, contemplative measures. Yet, through the compelling, mindful performances of our lead actors, the journey is worth the trail.

While Renee Zellwegger got the most attention and accolades for her performance, Nicole Kidman is also quite commendable in her role. As a woman hoping to keep things together during the troubles of the Civil War, she displays her talents for showcasing strength and vulnerability in equal measures. It's a strong performance, and one that doesn't often get as much consideration as it should in Nicole Kidman's strong-filled career.

Rabbit Hole

Emotionally authentic yet dramatically challenging, Rabbit Hole continues to be one of Nicole Kidman's finest performances to date. Given the fantastic material from playwright David Lindsay-Abaire, who adapted his play of the same name, and compelled by the sensitive, yet impactful, direction of the great John Cameron Mitchell, Rabbit Hole is a tragedy, filled with sorrow and pathos at every scene. But it never falls into misery, thanks largely to the incredible performances from Aaron Eckhart, Dianne Wiest and a pre-fame Miles Teller. But Kidman, in particular, stands out.

As a mother who is grieving from the death of her young son, Nicole Kidman delivers a commanding, yet deeply vulnerable, performance, filled with emotional intensity and dramatic nuance. It's a tremendous showcase for her dramatic versatility, showcasing the wide range of troubled emotions that come to a person when something this tragic, traumatic and heartbreaking is unfortunately found in someone's lives. The result is a beautifully-realized, delicately somber tale filled with sadness and tenderness in each measures. Kidman was also rightfully nominated for an Oscar for this role.

The Killing Of A Sacred Deer

Before Yorgos Lanthimos won awards voters' affections with last year's wickedly entertaining The Favourite, the Greek filmmakers alienated more than a few viewers with his divisive dark psychological horror flick, The Killing of a Sacred Deer. The film, which follows a cardiac surgeon (Colin Farrell) who makes the sullen company of a strange teenager (Barry Keoghan) who begins to torment the medical expert's family before the surgeon's past sins, is definitely not one that can be enjoyed by a wide audience. It's a moody, bleak, ruthlessly oppressive film, and that is at its kindest moments. But if you're someone who likes their movies a little more bitter than most, The Killing of a Sacred Deer is one that's most certainly worth your while.

And one of the film's greatest strengths is Nicole Kidman. The actress plays Colin Farrell's romantic partner in the movie, and through her commanding, often chilling performance, she helps to capture the unsettling in the everyday mundanities of white collar suburban living. It is most certainly a supporting turn in the film, but Kidman's presence is still welcomed nonetheless, and she helps capture the darkened mood perfectly. Come to think of it, The Killing of a Sacred Deer would make a strange, yet sort of perfect double feature with the next film on this particular ranking.

Eyes Wide Shut

Stanley Kubrick's final picture, 1999's moody, mysterious Eyes Wide Shut, is a confounding conclusion to some, and a melodic, poetic final brush stroke for others. I can't speak for everyone, but I'm definitely in the latter category. Kubrick's swan song doesn't quite reach the same heights as a few of his other masterpieces, but this bizarre, yet alluring, cult film (in more ways than one) is, nonetheless, benefitted enormously by Nicole Kidman.

As carefully constructed as every movie from Stanley Kubrick's filmography, Eyes Wide Shut can often seem haphazard and indecisive as you watch it. But it's one that definitely sticks with you and one that matches the obsessive compulsion that is found in our bewitched main character, played by Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman's real-life husband at the time. Although the couple on-screen share a real, intimate relationship together, one that feels real for that very reason, they don't have quite the same radiant chemistry —intentionally so — that you would expect from your Hollywood A-listers. It is a credit to Kidman, though, that she often sells the humanity and the mystery that is so crucial to this story. And for what it's worth, there are only a few stars who have dropped the f-bomb as well as Kidman does here.

The Hours

In what might remain her most transformative performance to date, The Hours was the film that finally won Nicole Kidman her Oscar back in 2003, and it's not hard to see why. The actress disappears into the role, physically as well as emotionally, in her memorable, stunning portrayal of Virginia Woolf. And that's certainly not a role that an actress can play lightly, particularly with the emotional tribulations that her character goes through here.

Portraying the mental illness that is found in the literary figure, Nicole Kidman dives deep into the role, capturing the emotional highs-and-lows of this character through her acting prowess. The result is widely considered one of her strongest performances to date, and the role is well-accoladed for that particular reason. If you have a chance to check it out, you should do so.

So that's our lineup of the best Nicole Kidman movies, but what do you think? Let us know what's your favorite among the actress' filmography in the comments below.

Kevin Feige Says There Will Be No Time To Pee During Avengers: Endgame

Kevin Feige Says There Will Be No Time To Pee During Avengers: Endgame

After Avengers: Endgame was officially announced as a three hour and two minute epic, one particular question came up that hasn’t really been raised with any other Marvel Studios film: Will there be time to pee? Sure, three hours sounds intimidating, but with so many other films before it running close to that length in the MCU, is it really that big of a question? Well if it’s an issue close to your heart, producer/mastermind Kevin Feige has given an answer as to when is the best time to pee during Avengers: Endgame. Unfortunately for those with small bladders, that answer is never.

What I’ve always said is a movie is as long as it should be. And we are not fans of overindulging movies. We are not fans of laborious lengths for no reason. We are fans of movies that you wish didn’t end. Movies that you want to see again as soon as it’s over. And movies that you just don’t ever find a good time to run out to the bathroom. That’s when a movie’s working. And if a movie doesn’t feel like that to us we continue to trim, we continue to shape, we continue to bring that time down. That happened to a certain extent on this movie. But we got to a point where it feels very exciting and goes by very quickly and in the end is the perfect length. And everybody that saw the movie felt the same way.

This particular subject was raised at this weekend’s press junket for the Infinity Saga’s swan song, and Feige explained that they tweaked the movie until they got to the point where there was no downtime in the film.

So, rather than being a sadistic response to a rather public issue, Kevin Feige is saying that Avengers: Endgame is such a well-woven story that every second of screen time is earned in the eyes of the creators. If that claim holds up, and everything we’ve seen come out of the film’s marketing indicates such a scenario may be likely, you’re definitely going to want to go to the bathroom before taking the trip to defeat Thanos and not whilst in the middle of it.

You could pretty much expect this piece of information Kevin Feige told io9 to spark up the debate of whether or not an intermission is required during Avengers: Endgame, and for sure this information changes the terms of that discussion. If the plot to this particular film is so hypothetically dense there’s little-to-no period of time the audience can be absent, then even those who feel that a film of this stature doesn’t require a breather might be persuaded to change their tune. This only makes the claim that the second half of the film is apparently mind-blowing all the more intriguing.

Of course, this is coming from Kevin Feige, and to say he’s biased towards Avengers: Endgame, or any of the MCU films, is an understatement. What may be an invaluable moment of Ant-Man joking about defeating Thanos through the worst re-enactment of Fantastic Voyage ever for some, might be another audience member’s perfect time to purge the soft drinks he or she consumed earlier.

Avengers: Endgame will be in theaters on April 26th, but if you’re seriously concerned about bladder-pacing issues, you might want to wait a little while for some public feedback to see whether or not this film will give you a problem. Which gives you a little more time to study our feature on what order you should experience the MCU prior to Avengers: Endgame.

Disney’s New Aladdin Has Cast Its Iago

Disney’s New Aladdin Has Cast Its Iago

Just after we were granted the first full length trailer for Disney’s live-action Aladdin, here’s another long overdue detail – it looks like Doom Patrol star Alan Tudyk will be playing the hilarious parrot on Jafar’s shoulder, Iago. The actor has voiced characters apt with offering comedic relief in many recent Disney movies, such as Heihei in Moana and K-2SO the droid in Rogue One.

Alan Tudyk was also King Candy in Wreck-It Ralph, Knowsmore in Ralph Breaks the Internet, the Duke of Weselton in Frozen and Duke Weaselton in Zootopia. That must be some sort of Disney record?! Insert the line “I think I’m gonna have a heart attack and die from not surprise!” from the original Iago on this casting news from The Hollywood Reporter.

The latest addition to Aladdin’s cast is an exciting one. The actor has been used again and again by Disney for a reason, as he’s an expert character voice actor and will undoubtedly bring some new memorable moments to the live-action movie, just as he has to his other Disney supporting characters.

Tudyk will follow Gilbert Gottfried, who voiced the role in the 1992 animated film, which is still among the comedian’s most iconic roles to date. While there has been some brief sightings of Iago’s presence in a few sneak peaks for the live-action Aladdin, we have yet to hear the parrot talk, and Alan Tudyk being on board is evidence the character will.

Disney might have decided to muzzle up the character for a more realistic take on the world surrounding the animated Aladdin, but following the latest look of the upcoming release, it looks to be heavily recreating the beloved ‘90s flick. What would a remake like this be without the sassy back and forth between Iago and Jafar?

Jafar in this Aladdin will be played by Marwan Kenzari, alongside Will Smith’s Genie, Mena Massoud’s Aladdin, Naomi Scott’s Jasmine, Navid Negahban’s Sultan and Nasim Pedrad in a new role as Jasmine’s handmaid/friend. The movie will be a musical as the classic was and feature two new songs from La La Land and Greatest Showman songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

Before the latest look at Aladdin, a previous teaser trailer went viral when a disturbing look at the blue genie went viral last month. Disney’s full length trailer shows a much more finished look at Will Smith’s Genie that may ease fans, along with showing a closer look at the movie’s song and dance numbers as well.

Alan Tudyk’s casting perhaps shows the film is using one of its tried and true animated voices to give the film a feel closer to the original, though we have yet to see the actor’s take on the character. Aladdin comes to theaters on May 24, following another Disney live-action take on Dumbo coming on March 29.

Fantastic Four Director Just Keeps Trashing His Movie

Fantastic Four Director Just Keeps Trashing His Movie

Sometimes a reboot manages to successfully bring a superhero back onto the big screen and portray them in a new light while still staying true to the source material. And then there’s Fantastic Four, which was a critical and commercial bomb to the point that it killed 20th Century Fox’s future plans for this iteration of Marvel’s First Family. Four years after Fantastic Four’s release, director Josh Trank has no issue with trashing his own movie, as evidenced by this latest tweet.

This past weekend saw the release of Jordan Peele’s Us, and like many moviegoers, Josh Trank decided to check it out. Unlike most moviegoers, though, Trank has a movie that was not well-received by the public, and evidently the passage of time has allowed him to poke fun at his time helming Fantastic Four, as he’s quite comfortable declaring on Twitter that Us is the complete opposite of his 2015 movie. That’s not saying much, although Us has indeed been met with critical acclaim and made over $174 million worldwide so far. If you have a choice of watching one of these two movies, it’s pretty clear which one you should pick.

This comment follows a couple of weeks after Josh Trank responded “hold my beer” to a tweet declaring that no superhero movie fails. It is true that for the most part nowadays, superhero movies are usually at least commercially successful, with a good portion of them also doing well among critics. Fantastic Four was not one of those movies, and while much of the blame was placed at Trank’s feet for its poor performance, the director wrote in a tweet deleted shortly thereafter that the final cut of the movie was not the one he’d planned on giving to audiences, indicating studio interference. In any case, Trank appears to have made peace with Fantastic Four and doesn't have a problem making fun of himself for it, though it doesn’t sound like we should expect more self-deprecating comments from him anytime soon.

Originally the plan was for Fantastic Four to kick off a new film series, with the sequel coming out in June 2017. However, following the movie’s disappointing performance, Fantastic Four 2 was later removed from the calendar and eventually cancelled. While Fargo showrunner Noah Hawley has been working on a Doctor Doom movie, with Fox now under the Disney banner, it’s unclear if that project will still move forward or if Marvel will put its own Fantastic Four movie into development that better fits within the Marvel Cinematic Universe mythology. As for Josh Trank, his next movie is Fonzo, which stars Tom Hardy as Al Capone as he wrestles with dementia following his stint in prison.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for any major updates concerning the next chapter of the Fantastic Four film franchise, but in the meantime, you can look through our Marvel movies guide to learn what’s coming down the pipeline in Phase 4, as well as our 2019 release schedule to plan your trips to the theater later this year accordingly.