Yes, Sonic Is An Alien In His New Movie

Yes, Sonic Is An Alien In His New Movie

This year a couple of classic fluffy ‘90s video game characters are hitting the big screen in their first live action iterations. Ahead of Detective Pikachu’s release next week, the first trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog darted its way onto the internet this morning and it looks like there are quite a few changes from the video game fans know, love … or love to hate anyway.

Besides the character’s glaring buff and blue human legs, it looks like Sonic will also be an alien in his first big-screen iteration. In the trailer, the speedster says “looks like I’m going to have to save your planet”. Followers of his games probably don’t remember the blue hedgehog being an extraterrestrial before, but looks like he will be in the upcoming movie!

Back in 2018 when the film was seeking approval to be filmed in the town of Ladysmith, British Colombia, the film’s location manager, Abraham Fraser confirmed this Sonic is not of this world when he briefly explained the film. In his words:

Sonic is a video game character, who is an alien. The story is kind of ala E.T.. In the sense of a small town coming together to help the sheriff save our alien from the bad guys, which are the government chasing them. It’s very heartwarming. And I think it’ll be a big hit.

A blue hedgehog being of this world does make a lot more sense in an animated video game world than in a live-action one, but the movie does look to be ignoring the roots of the Sega game, even if they aren’t widely known. According to the “Sonic Bible”, which contains the complete background of the character, here is the iconic video game character’s true origins:

Sonny Hedgehog was born on Earth in the early 21st century, in the town of Hardly, Nebraska, population 1,226. He and his mother and five sisters live underneath a scraggly hedge beside the local burger joint, and subsist on burger scraps, milkshakes and the occasional slug or bug that crawls their way.

How will Sonic the Hedgehog be explaining Sonic’s home world? Is there a planet somewhere full of blue hedgehogs who where running shoes and speed around all day? I’d think an origin story about the hedge they lived under being contaminated with some chemical planet might have sufficed. Take a look at the trailer below:

Sonic the Hedgehog will star Ben Schwartz as Sonic, Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik and James Marsden as a cop named Tom. The movie will center on Sonic in the rural town of Green Hills as he tries to escape from the government who are trying to catch him. Sonic hits theaters on November 8.

The John Wick Match-Up We Need To See In Chapter 4

The John Wick Match-Up We Need To See In Chapter 4

Warning! The following contains SPOILERS for John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum. Read at your own risk!

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum featured John Wick going up against some of The High Table's finest assassins, although none were good enough to take down the film's hero and eliminate him when he was excommunicado. That may be because one of the key assassins who might have been most capable wasn't one seeking to kill the famed assassin, but was on his side for a majority of the movie.

Now that they're seemingly on opposite sides and John Wick: Chapter 4 is officially a go for 2021, it may finally be time for John to take on a character who may actually stand a chance at bringing him to his knees. Even if he was unsuccessful, it would be a good fight, which is why John Wick vs. Charon, The Continental's hotel concierge, is the match-up we need to see for a number of reasons.

Why Charon Is The Underrated Assassin Of John Wick

For the first two movies of the franchise, Charon has been both seen and heard, but we don't know a whole lot about him. What we do know is he's the bodyguard of New York's Continental manager, Winston, and the overall gatekeeper of sorts to The Continental. He's calm and collected regardless of the situation, and he doesn't seem to fear much of anything.

It wasn't until John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum that we really saw Charon in action, as he helped John defend The Continental from the High Table forces that invaded the hotel. He did so as competently as John, and while he didn't have the same fatigue as his colleague, seemed to be of equal standing in terms of marksmanship.

If Charon is a capable assassin, why is he not out taking missions on behalf of the High Table? It depends on how one looks at it, but one would think being the gatekeeper to New York City's Continental is a huge honor perhaps bestowed to him for exceptional service, or maybe because he's more than capable of keeping a building of assassins in check. Whether that's true I can only speculate, but I'd wager Charon is a talented assassin.

Would Charon Fight John Wick?

Charon looked as though he could at least put up a decent fight againt John Wick if it came down to it, but would he really go toe-to-toe with him? After all, Charon has been shown to have a deep respect for John, and has gone above and beyond for him in the past without being asked. There's certainly some admiration on his end, and John seems to have that same respect for Charon.

As audiences learned in John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, however, admiration does not always keep assassins from pursuing each other. In fact, Zero (the Adjudicator's skilled assassin) seemed to be a huge fanboy of John Wick, which made him all the more eager to fight and attempt to kill him. Clearly assassins' minds work a bit differently than others.

Plus, for all the admiration that Charon has for John, he's Winston's employee. Protecting his boss appears to be his priority above all else, and if John is coming for Winston, then it looks like Charon is going to be standing in the way. Even if he's sure it will end in his death, Charon doesn't seem like the type to break his loyalty to his employer.

Could Charon Defeat John Wick In A Fight?

This is a tough question to answer, as it's hard to ever discount John Wick in a fight after these past three movies. He is the title character after all, and has escaped certain death plenty of times. Does Charon really stand a chance against one of the most notable assassins in the High Table's history?

Charon has one big advantage after the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum. To start, he's aligned with Winston, who got back into the High Table's good graces at the end of the movie. With John still possibly being hunted, it's safe to say that if he is coming for Winston, and he'll run into quite a few High Table cronies on the road. That means he could be somewhat fatigued by the time the two meet, which gives Charon an advantage.

Additionally, one would reckon that neither Winston or Charon have any reason to leave The Continental now that Winston's name has been cleared. John is likely familiar with the facility, but it's doubtful he knows the grounds as well as Charon. Knowledge of a location is a huge tactical advantage in most battle situations, so John could be in a very precarious position if he's forced to take on Charon inside the hotel.

Will Charon And John Wick Fight In Chapter 4?

The ending of John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum is somewhat strange, as Winston's betrayal seemed to come out of nowhere. Was it really an on the spot decision for Winston to turn the tables on John, or was it an elaborate scheme the two concocted that will further an agenda to usurp the High Table?

If there was some plan like that in play, it doesn't seem as though John was in on it. He arrived before the Bowery King broken and, in his words, pissed off. Getting shot off of a building is liable to piss anyone off, but is John mad about that, or that Winston tried to kill him when John defied the High Table's order to kill The Continental manager? He can be mad at both things, right?

It's possible Winston thought on his toes and ensured John was initially believed to be dead knowing he wasn't in an effort to protect him. Unfortunately, he probably won't have a way of convincing John of that anytime soon, which means Charon may be forced to defend Winston even though he understands the move was made to protect John. Oof, wouldn't that be a tragic end to one of the franchise's more interesting characters?

John Wick Kill Count: All The Kills In All 3 Movies

We'll get to see if Charon and John go toe to toe In John Wick: Chapter 4 when the film is in theaters Friday, May 21, 2021. Stick with CinemaBlend until then for more updates on its development, as well as the latest news in movies, television and pop culture.

Chris Hemsworth Is Open To Returning To Thor After Avengers: Endgame

Chris Hemsworth Is Open To Returning To Thor After Avengers: Endgame

Avengers: Endgame has been teased as a finale. The film will close the book on 11 years of storytelling, and that finality extends to the characters. The original six Avengers (plus some surviving friends) are on a collision course and not everyone is going to make it out alive. While we can only speculate as to who may be leaving the MCU, Chris Hemsworth has decided to leave the door open for himself.

I’d play this character for as long as anyone would let me. I’ve loved it so much. But the combination of this many characters in this Phase Three, as Marvel calls it, you’ll never have this interaction with this many people again. Who knows what the future holds and whether they do prequels and sequels or whatever, I’d be open to anything. But right now, this is where we finish up.

It's no secret that Chris Hemsworth wasn't entirely pleased with playing Thor before Thor: Ragnarok came around. The actor has admitted in the past that he was feeling frustrated in the role and that the films have never quite found the right tone, with Thor: The Dark World as a perfect example.

But then Taika Waititi came along to direct Ragnarok, creating one of Marvel's funniest and most entertaining films. It was just the revitalization that Chris Hemsworth needed, and now with Endgame fast approaching, the actor is happy to return should he get the call.

In an interview with Yahoo Movies UK, Chris Hemsworth spoke on his feelings playing Thor changing after Ragnarok, and what an experience it has been to play the character for a decade. It sounds like Hemsworth is not entirely ready to put the hammer down for good, and he would love to play the character again if it was ever needed. (Darryl needs you, man.)

While it's rumored that Chris Hemsworth's contract is complete after Endgame, the future of Marvel is fairly unclear. While we do know of plenty of projects in development -- like Black Widow, Shang-Chi, and The Eternals -- none have technically been officially confirmed. There's plenty of room in Marvel's slate for a Thor 4 if it wants it.

It's good to hear that Chris Hemsworth is down for more Thor. The character just found his stride, so why call it quits now?

As for where Thor could show up again, it's not hard to see him popping up as a side character in other cosmic franchises like The Eternals or Captain Marvel. Also, it would be really fun if Thor had a cameo in the Loki series over on Disney+.

We'll be able to better judge what fate has in store for Thor after seeing Avengers: Endgame, which is out in theaters in less than one week on April 26. To learn more about the film, here's what we know so far.

This Rotten Week: Predicting Breakthrough, Penguins, And The Curse Of La Llorona Reviews

This Rotten Week: Predicting Breakthrough, Penguins, And The Curse Of La Llorona Reviews

Hollywood is getting ready to ramp things up in a big way for the summer blockbuster season, but we still have a bit of spring to get through. A nice mix of titles are coming out this week, including a religious drama, a nature documentary, and the latest chapter of The Conjuring Universe. Get ready for Breakthrough, Penguins and The Curse of La Llorona.

Just remember, I'm not reviewing these movies, but rather predicting where they'll end up on the Tomatometer. Let's take a look at This Rotten Week has to offer.

Based on the book The Impossible, Breakthrough tells the story of a teenager who falls through the ice and is trapped underwater for about 15 minutes. He's ultimately rescued and his family is told that his chances of survival are limited, but with the support of the community incredible things happen. It's a new drama with a heavy religious bent, but it looks like one of the rare examples of its type that could wind up with a "Fresh" score.

Director Roxann Dawson has a number of well-received television credits, but this is her first big screen release. Early reviews for Breakthrough are coming in on the positive side of things so far, which is pretty impressive all by itself considering these kinds of titles rarely screen in advance for critics. Some writers so far cite the movie's lack of heavy handedness when it comes to the Christian elements, and that could mean it will appeal to a broader crowd. I think the score dips a little over the course of the week, but not by much.

DisneyNature Films has had incredible critical success with their movies. The last five credits from the studio are Born In China (84%), Monkey Kingdom (92%), Chimpanzee (75%), Bears (91%), and Oceans (81%). Their strategy clearly works, which is to say using the best documentary visuals you’ll see on the big screen to carve out a narrative with a collection of super cool/cute animals . It does kind of seem like it’s an easy game, but who can argue with the results?

Penguins is now continuing the tradition, following around a flightless bird named Steve as he survives in the Antarctic and coexists with his waddle (the term for a group of penguins on land). The movie’s creators appear to offer plenty of antagonists to the fray, namely the other animals trying to kill Steve, but that's all just good drama. So far, critics love it. It’s sitting at 92% with 12 reviews posted, and I don't see the score going much lower. It might tick down a bit, more into the range of the other DisneyNature films mentioned above, but it’s clearly going to be another winner.

As I’ve said many times in this column in the past, it often feels like the protagonists in horror movies are kind of just asking for it. For instance, if you are walking around a house and a door creepily opens behind you, if some kind of ghoul/terror was then revealed would you spend more than 1.5 seconds remaining in said house? Of course not, but these dopes do and that’s usually what drives the next 90 minutes of horror action. Sadly, it looks like the adventure featured in The Curse of La Llorona is the most recent example of this kind of fare.

From director Michael Chaves, The Curse of La Llorona tells the story of a social worker (Linda Cardellini) who gets caught up in some evil happenings because she’s a do-gooder who just can’t leave well enough alone. The movie is part of The Conjuring Universe, which has had it’s share of ups, such as The Conjuring (86%), and downs, with titles like The Nun (29%), when it comes to critical reception. If early reviews are any indication (42% on the Tomatometer) this will fall into the latter group.

Well, last week was interesting to say the least. I had two movies that were clear wins, one near-ish miss, and a rather epic fail that ranks among my worst predictions ever. Let’s start with the worst first. Hellboy (Predicted: 68% Actual: 15%) bombed in almost hilarious fashion. It totally missed the mark, and was nearly universally panned by critics. Writers hated the ultra-violence, lack of story, unevenness of the plot, and came up with new and creative ways to call the movie a piece of garbage.

The two wins were Missing Link (Predicted: 82% Actual: 89%) and After (Predicted: 14% Actual: 13%). The former was a rather easy prediction to make thanks to some early reviews and the previous success of Laika Studios. Critics loved the visuals and the story equally, and this goes down as yet another victory (at least in terms of reception).

Meanwhile, After was such an easy call considering the source material and absolutely ridiculous trailer. The movie looked like a schlocky mess and it delivered as exactly that. I thought about going even lower on the score because of how bad it looked, but I am glad I stopped where I did.

Finally, Little (Predicted: 63% Actual: 49%) finished just out of range. I was probably just a tad too bullish on this movie’s critical prospects considering it was just a body-switch comedy. Going more towards 50% was clearly the right play, and something I should have considered more strongly in the moment.

Next time around we’ve got the big one with Avengers: Endgame. It’s gonna be a Rotten Week!

Captain Marvel's Nick Fury Almost Lost His Eye In A Fight With The Skrulls

Captain Marvel's Nick Fury Almost Lost His Eye In A Fight With The Skrulls

Warning: spoilers for Captain Marvel are in play. If you still haven’t seen the film, you may want to come back once you’re current.

Acting as the ‘90s throwback that it was set up to be, Captain Marvel set the table for a lot of different things that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has -- and will -- engage in during its thematic course of events. One such moment was, naturally, how Nick Fury lost vision in one of his eyes, something that had been alluded to previously but never explicitly shown onscreen before Captain Marvel.

While Captain Marvel gave us a definitive answer, we almost got an entirely different scenario altogether. One that would have seen Nick Fury losing an eye during a fight with some angry Skrulls.

During a recent interview for the home video release of Captain Marvel, directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck were on hand to provide some insight into their big ticket MCU hit. And when it came to how Fury’s accident originally happened, Fleck provided the following commentary on how it was originally supposed to happen:

There were definitely a lot of discussions and that was not the first idea on the table. You're probably going to ask me what some of the other ideas were and I don't know if I can tell you that, not because I'm hiding anything, but because there were just so many absurd ideas we had. There was a strong contender for a while that a fight with the Skrulls seemed like the most obvious choice, but then the more we thought about it, it just became too obvious.

The scenario that the Captain Marvel team eventually landed on was not only a surprising turn of events, but also the most Samuel L. Jackson moment the Marvel Cinematic Universe has ever included. During the action of the film’s third act finale, Fury casually gets his eye scratched by Goose, the cat co-star of Captain Marvel that has stolen the hearts of the world. This leads to him shouting a very PG-13 friendly, “Mother-Flerkin!”

It’s certainly that elusive surprise that Ryan Fleck seemed to be looking for when talking out the thought process behind plotting Captain Marvel’s reveal of just how Nick Fury got his memorable look. He continued to discuss that point in greater detail during his interview alongside Anna Boden for CBM:

Since this is just as much Nick Fury's origin story as Captain Marvel's, we thought that it would be a fun piece of his backstory that moving forward, he was creative a new narrative for himself that he didn't really talk about but he was fine with people wanting to muse about a potentially more serious way he could have lost his eye.

No one can blame Nick Fury for not wanting to talk about losing his eye to an intergalactic creature that had taken the form of a cat. It’s not an easy story that you could tell to just anyone, as there are a lot of other details that’d need to be involved in the telling. But losing an eye to mysterious circumstances involving the last person you trusted? That’s a total super-spy story, and that would probably get you at least one round on the house when going out for drinks.

Keeping the Marvel Cinematic Universe fresh is something that definitely takes a lot of work, and outside-the-box thinking. Changing Nick Fury’s pivotal, eye-destroying moment was one of those instances where the process worked out in everyone’s favor.

As we move into the future of the MCU, it’s that type of thinking that should propel the series into its next story arc. So if you see a cute animal on screen at any point in the future, think twice before holding it too close to your face.

Captain Marvel may still be in your local theater. If it isn’t, you’ll be able to take the film home either on Digital HD as of May 28th, or 4K UHD/Blu-ray/DVD on June 11th.

The Disney and Fox Merger Finally Has A Closing Date

The Disney and Fox Merger Finally Has A Closing Date

The Disney/Fox merger has been drawing nearer, but it’s finally come time for one giant studio to swallow another. Disney has officially announced that its $71.3 billion purchase of 21st Century Fox will close on March 20. Jiminy Crickets!

After the House of Mouse received its last major approval from regulators in Mexico, the company announced the formal date for the closing process, per Variety. The deal between the two major studios is certainly a huge game-changer for the entire media landscape and will officially start taking shape next Wednesday.

Walt Disney Studios will soon have control over Fox’s film, television studios and cable channels, including National Geographic and FX. Disney will also obtain Fox’s 30% holdings in Hulu, in addition to its own 30%, giving the studio a 60% majority share and own 39% in European satellite company, Sky. However, Disney was not approved by government regulators to take over Fox’s regional sports channels since it already owns ESPN.

Disney will also assume over $13 billion in net debt from Fox ,and the merger is expected to prompt as many as 4000 layoffs in positions that overlap between the two companies. The inception of a new entity of the Fox Corporation that will include the assets that will not be part of the Disney deal will also launch in line with the closing date of the Disney/Fox merger.

The closing of the deal could be good news for Marvel fans excited for the X-Men and the Fantastic Four to potentially be part of the same family as Disney’s MCU. Some of Fox’s major franchises such as the Alien, Predator, Kingsman, Die Hard and Night of the Museum would also be under Disney’s new umbrella and could potentially have a presence in Disney’s theme parks in the future.

Fox joins Disney’s holdings just as the company gears up for the launch of its own streaming service, Disney+, later this year, which is set to include every film in the Disney library along, as well original movies and television shows from the Star Wars, the Marvel universe and more.

Disney CEO and Chairman Bob Iger has reportedly taken a pay cut in light of the merger, as a $500,000 annual increase to his base salary and $8 million increase in bonus was agreed to be eliminated from his paycheck – though his approximately $15 million salary still stands as one of the highest salaries for a media executive.

Disney is heading into perhaps one of its biggest years ever as three big live-action remakes, three MCU films (including an impressive $455 worldwide opening start for Captain Marvel over the weekend), two huge animated sequels and Star Wars: Episode IX are coming out, along with the opening of Galaxy’s Edge in the parks. The closing of the Fox deal only expands this. Mickey Mouse means business… and perhaps world domination?

Apparently The Suicide Squad Is Bringing Back Jai Courtney’s Captain Boomerang

Apparently The Suicide Squad Is Bringing Back Jai Courtney’s Captain Boomerang

While not a hit on the critical spectrum, 2016’s Suicide Squad was quite the commercial success for the DC Extended Universe, taking in nearly $747 million worldwide. With a financial performance like that, it’s no wonder that Warner Bros gave the green light to a sequel, although now that James Gunn is writing and directing The Suicide Squad, the project has been described as more of a reboot. However, it can’t be fully classified as such, as we’ll apparently be reuniting with some familiar faces, including Jai Courtney’s Captain Boomerang. The actor confirmed his involvement in The Suicide Squad thusly:

We're getting ready to shoot in a few months' time. There's not much else I can reveal about it but, yeah, you'll be seeing Boomerang back for sure.

Like his comic book counterpart, Captain Boomerang, real name Digger Harkness, was one of the original members of the DCEU’s Suicide Squad, and while he was definitely the most cowardly of them, he managed to survive their first mission against Enchantress and Incubus. Evidently Amanda Waller or whoever is currently heading up Task Force X still sees value in him, as Jai Courtney confirmed to Business Insider that he’ll be present for The Suicide Squad, also saying that though the movie will be a “different” experience, it will also be “great.”

Assuming the report that Margot Robbie will reprise Harley Quinn in The Suicide Squad is also correct, that makes two Suicide Squad actors who are back for the sequel/relaunch. Deadshot will also return, but due to scheduling conflicts, Will Smith has vacated the role and Idris Elba is succeeding him as Floyd Lawton. There’s still no word if Viola Davis will reprise Amanda Waller, but Joel Kinnaman reportedly won’t reprise Rick Flagg. Beyond that, it’s been said that The Suicide Squad will primarily consist of brand-new characters, but Courtney and Robbie returning, as well as Deadshot still being present, provides some connective tissue to the first Suicide Squad movie, thus ensuring The Suicide Squad isn’t an actual reboot akin to Batman Begins or The Amazing Spider-Man.

Although Jai Courtney is the second actor to play Captain Boomerang in live action (the first being Nick Tarabay on Arrow), Courtney’s version is definitely the version more well-known to audiences, with a lot of folks probably learning about the character’s existence in Suicide Squad. Given that Courtney also has some star power on his side, it makes sense why he’s being brought back for this follow-up. We might not ever see Boomerang clash with The Flash again, but at least he can still lend his unique talents to this black ops team in exchange for a reduced prison sentence… provided his antics don’t compromise the mission.

The Suicide Squad charges into theaters on August 6, 2021. Don’t forget to look through our DC movies guide to learn what else is coming down this superhero franchise pipeline, as well as our 2019 release schedule to plan your silver screen experiences this year accordingly.