5 Questions We Have Before Seeing Godzilla: King Of The Monsters

5 Questions We Have Before Seeing Godzilla: King Of The Monsters

The summer movie season is underway and this week, it's Godzilla's turn to take the spotlight. The long-awaited sequel, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, arrives this weekend. The film will see Godzilla collide with other iconic kaiju like Mothra, Rodan, and Ghidorah, finally rendering these monster fights in state-of-the-art visual effects. While reviews for the sequel have been a bit middling out of the gate, King of the Monsters is still tracking for a worldwide debut of $230-$235 million.

While marketing hasn't been shy about showing off the monsters and their brawls, there are a few secrets still left to figure out. For starters, not too much is known about the plot or the human element of the film. The last thing that anyone seeing a Godzilla movie cares about are the humans, but someone needs to explain stuff in between monster fights. So, before checking out King of the Monsters this weekend, these are the five questions we still have about the sequel.

Whose Side Is Vera Farmiga On?

King of the Monsters has an all-new cast of humans, chief among them Vera Farmiga. The actress plays Emma, a scientist who has created a device that allows for communication with the Titans (ie giant monsters). While Emma is quoted in one of the trailers talking about how the Titans are the only things that can save the planet, a different trailer shows her freeing King Ghidorah from his icy prison.

Ghidorah is kind of a near limitless death machine, so that makes Emma's allegiances questionable. Is she a secret villain or did she just make a desperate decision? She also preaches for letting Godzilla loose, presumably to help clean up Ghidorah's mess, which would indicate that she's a good guy, so she's all over the map.

Also, What's Up With Charles Dance?

Speaking of questionable humans, Charles Dance looks to be set up as the human antagonist in the film. The Game of Thrones star is playing Alan Jonah, a former MI6 agent who went rogue. Apparently, he wants to use the Titans to restore the natural order. That's a pretty vague agenda, so it's not clear what he wants or why he thinks he can accomplish his goals.

Originally, fans theorized that Charles Dance's character was an older version of Tom Hiddleston's from Kong: Skull Island. However, that doesn't seem to be the case, even though it would have been a nice way to connect the MonsterVerse movies before Godzilla vs Kong. Instead he will be an all-new character and one who is evidently not on the side of humanity. It would not shock me if he's eaten before the credits roll.

Will Other Famous Godzilla Foes Appear?

Ghidorah, Mothra, and Rodan are arguable the most iconic of Godzilla's fellow monsters, but the King of Kaiju has fought plenty of more opponents in his long cinema history. However, this film is already packed with monsters, so anything more than a quick cameo is probably out of the question. There are no shortage of options for cameos and eagle-eyed Gozilla fans are sure to be looking for any detail they can find.

We do know, however, that other Titans exist in this world. The trailers make it pretty explicit that giant monsters are coming out of the woodwork, and it's not crazy to think that some of these will be recognizable to fans. If nothing else, it could offer some teases for what to expect in any potential sequels.

How Do Mothra And Rodan Factor In?

The title fight of the sequel is Godzilla vs Ghidorah, but where does that leave Mothra and Rodan? Are the two just meant to warm-up fight to get the crowd going? Are they unknown agents meant to shake things up? It's tough to see where the two fit into the picture when Godzilla has got his sights set on a certain three-headed dragon.

The two monsters have a long history in the Godzilla franchise as both allies and enemies of Godzilla. Mothra is more often than not on Godzilla's side while Rodan usually just does whatever he feels like. There's sure to be plenty of action for the two of them, but juggling their powers and entrances into the film likely wasn't an easy task.

Will There Be A King Kong Tease?

While we can only focus on what's right in front of us, we can't help but think of what this is all building to. In just one year, two of the most iconic movie monsters will fight it out in Godzilla vs Kong. King of the Monsters is the last movie before the big blockbuster, so the chances feel pretty good that there will be some king of tease for King Kong and Skull Island.

The question is: What kind of tease? Will it just be a name drop or a glimpse at some clearly labeled "Skull Island" files? Better yet, will Kong actually show up onscreen, most likely in a post credits scene? Kong hasn't been seen since Kong: Skull Island, and you better believe that the studio wants you to remember that movie as we start making our way to Godzilla vs Kong.

Based on the reviews for King of the Monsters, the plot is the main problem with this movie, and fans might not want to get obsessed with it. However, that's not exactly surprising. People don't typically go to a Godzilla movie to find out what the humans are up. They just want to see Godzilla square off against the latest threat to his kingdom, and by the sounds of it, this sequel delivers on that front. As movie fans, we just can't help wondering about the finer details, and while I'm totally there to see Godzilla blast a molten pterodactyl or a big moth or whatever, I also wouldn't mind knowing a bit more about what happens in the quieter moments.

Thankfully, we don't have to wait very long at all to find out the answer to these questions. Godzilla: King of the Monsters premieres tonight and will be available for your viewing pleasure all weekend. Stick with CinemaBlend and we'll be sure to keep you updated on everything about the movie and how it performs during its opening weekend.

What Deadpool Would Think Of Ryan Reynolds Doing A Pokemon: Detective Pikachu Movie

What Deadpool Would Think Of Ryan Reynolds Doing A Pokemon: Detective Pikachu Movie

Next week, the very first live-action Pokemon movie, Detective Pikachu, will arrive in theaters. Ryan Reynolds is lending his voice to the title role, and the actor is, of course, known for another popular character: Deadpool. Which begs the question of what the often fourth-wall-breaking Deadpool would think of his actor being the star of a Pokemon movie. According to Ryan Reynolds, Deadpool would be cool with it.

He’d probably have a real problem with the absolute lack of four-letter words in the movie. But overall, Deadpool’s actually like a real softie. Deadpool likes the soft stuff… I could see him just losing himself into an episode of My Little Pony, so I think he would love Detective Pikachu.

You heard it here first: Pikachu never says a word that's exactly four letters.

Obviously, Ryan Reynolds is talking about a certain curse word here, and while I'm sure adult Pokemon fans are more than ready to hear Pikachu drop f-bombs all the live long day, I don't think that would play well with the younger crowds. People had a hard enough time learning that Pikachu was going to say "hell" in the movie.

But all-in-all, Deadpool would be totally okay with Ryan Reynolds going off to do a Pokemon movie. In fact, Reynolds told Jake Hamilton Deadpool would love Detective Pikachu. Deadpool may murder people for a living, but he has his softer side. Let's not forget that Deadpool is a big fan of unicorns.

Seeing as how the Deadpool movies love to make fun of Ryan Reynolds' career, I wonder if the next Deadpool movie will reference Detective Pikachu at all. Considering how much Green Lantern is torn apart, it would make sense for Deadpool to reference one of the most high-profile Ryan Reynolds movies. Pikachu sounds almost the exact same as Deadpool anyway, so there's your joke right there!

We don't know when the next Deadpool movie will be now that the franchise is firmly within Disney's grasp, but at least we don't have to wait very long for Detective Pikachu. The film follows Tim Goodman (Justice Smith), who must team-up with a sleuthing Pikachu that only he can understand to find his missing father. The film has lots of positive buzz, though reviews have pointed out the film might only really be enjoyable to Pokemon fans.

Regardless, you can see Detective Pikachu in theaters on May 10. There are lots of other big blockbuster movies coming soon, so for everything else coming to theaters this year, be sure to check out our 2019 movie release guide. For more movie news and updates, be sure to keep it right here at CinemaBlend and we'll keep you updated with new information as soon as it's available.

See The Lion King Actors Alongside Their New Characters

See The Lion King Actors Alongside Their New Characters

Can you believe we're only 50 days out from The Lion King's big 'live-action' debut? Director Jon Favreau, armed with one of Disney's biggest animated hits of all time and a couple surprises up his sleeve, is about to test that Mouse House magic once again with a remake of this famed film from the '90s.

To celebrate this occasion, the studio has issued brand new posters of the new photo-realistic versions of your favorite characters from The Lion King. And in an interesting exercise, we placed those new character renderings next to their respective voice actors for comparison. See how the circle of life has spun its magic as we work through the list, starting with Simba himself.

Simba – Donald Glover

First off, let it be said that the family resemblance between older Simba and Mufasa is pitch perfect in terms of their new photo-real lion forms. Keep that in mind when you get to Mufasa further down the line, but for now let's get back to the future king. Donald Glover has assumed the vocal responsibilities for the new version of The Lion King, and if they can animate a smile that matches half of his charming grin onto that new form, it'll be a historic achievement.

Nala – Beyonce Knowles-Carter

While The Lion King's cast is definitely supposed to resemble a sort of hybrid between actor and animal, Beyonce and Nala are a pretty fine character match. Both have that regal air about them, and we wouldn't be surprised if after all is said and done, Nala starts to take after her real life counterpart by ruling with firm formation.

Mufasa – James Earl Jones

As the only returning cast member from the original Lion King cast, James Earl Jones will once again play Mufasa. But don't let the translation of Mufasa's looks into a more standard lion form fool you, Jones has indeed recorded all brand new vocals for the remake; even if the material is pretty close to what he had back in 1994. So that warm, authoritative voice will have a brand new animated face to speak out of, with new pearls of wisdom to boot.

Sarabi – Alfre Woodard

As the matriarch of the Pride Rock royal family, Sarabi is played in the modern Lion King cast by none other than legendary actor Alfre Woodard. Looking at both Woodard and Sarabi, there's definitely a similarity between the actor's face and the characters. But strangely enough, a case could be made to say that Simba's grown form gets his eyes from his father, but his finer facial features from his mother.

Scar – Chiwetel Ejiofor

Now here's where we run into a big point of push back between the fans and the animators. With the stellar casting of Chiwetel Ejiofor suiting the role of Simba's evil uncle Scar to a tee, there are some arguments as to whether or not the live-action rendering of this Lion King baddie does the original justice. Sure, he has the characteristically pronounced scar on his face, but depending on if you're a purist or not, the lack of a black mane or sparkling green eyes will have some prepared to accept and others to reject this variant.

Timon – Billy Eichner

Looking at the full poster for Timon's new Lion King makeover, it's comical how his character is proportioned on his one-sheet versus the rest of the cast. While most others have close ups that span between the title block and the character credit at the top, Billy Eichner's neurotic guru of the jungle is not so lucky, what with meerkats being of smaller stature than most of the other characters on display. Though, to be fair, that just lends to his credibility as an adorable singing dispensary of wisdom.

Pumbaa – Seth Rogen

The folks at Disney are really nailing it with Seth Rogen's Pumbaa, as The Lion King's better half to Billy Eichner's Timon looks like another one of those renderings that captures the spirt of character and performance perfectly. What's even funnier is the fact that when it comes to Rogen's smile, as well as the texture of his hair, Pumbaa seems to be a spiritual match, which will probably make him even more emotional about taking his place in Disney history.

Zazu – John Oliver

While you can't make a Hornbill look perfectly like John Oliver, at least not without some serious explaining to do, Zazu's new look in The Lion King is exactly what you'd expect when it comes to the king's majordomo. An air of informative wisdom and self-serious behavior show in both Oliver and his animated avatar, which has us thinking that if HBO and Disney could be the best of friends for one night, we could get an episode of Last Week Tonight in Pride Rock with Zazu.

Rafiki – John Kani

Wise counsel to Mufasa, and later Simba, in matters of Pride Rock, Rafiki's life lessons and blessings unify the royal family in their fates, and bring Simba back to his homeland when it needs him the most. Black Panther's John Kani plays the role of the shrewd baboon, who's always ready to literally knock some sense into someone in their darkest hour. Honestly, out of all of the characters we've seen so far, the resemblance between Kani and Rafiki is so close it's awe inspiring.

Young Simba – JD McCrary

We close out our cast rundown from The Lion King with the youngest characters in the main cast, young Simba and Nala. In the case of the young cat who wants to be king, recording artist and actor JD McCrary is the guy with the skills to bring Simba's cub days to life. And much like that little lion who will ascend to the throne, Mr. McCrary matches the light, eager energy that we know Simba to radiate in this part of his journey.

Young Nala – Shahadi Wright Joseph

Simba and Nala: a pair as iconic as any you could dream of from Disney storytelling. Just as it's important to see Simba go from wild eyed wander to restless voyager, we need to see Nala go from partner-in-crime to a stalwart supporter against Scar's legion. You can see both in the expression of the lion component of Nala, and you'll surely be able to hear it in not only Beyonce's adult version of the character, but also in Us star Shahadi Wright Joseph's performance as young Nala.

Remaking The Lion King is a task that could go either wonderfully right or horribly wrong. From the looks of the characters we're seeing come to the screen in these images, it looks like things are trending towards the better. If that's not Disney magic, then we don't know what is.

The Lion King graces Pride Rock with its presence, and that modern Disney magic, on July 19.

Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Production Designer Really Doesn't Want To F-Up The Monsters

Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Production Designer Really Doesn't Want To F-Up The Monsters

Although it is perhaps for the best, there are sadly no real titans that can be trained to battle for our cinematic enjoyment. That means that a whole lot of people need to put in a lot of work to bring these kaiju to life on the big screen for a movie like Godzilla: King of the Monsters. One of those people is production designer Scott Chambliss, who spoke about his role on the film and the guiding principle to not screw things up, saying:

It’s one of the interesting things for me in my career. It’s, of course, creating the environments for the story of the movie, but also I was hired to be the ringleader of the design team that we brought on to collaborate on the updating of the monsters themselves and, to me, is very exciting ... As part of a design team, none of us wanna fuck it up.

Not wanting to fuck it up is probably a pretty good objective to have in any creative endeavor, but especially one like Godzilla: King of the Monsters, where the potential to do just that is so high. Scott Chambliss wasn’t just in charge of creating the world of the film as production designer, he also had the responsibility of shepherding the design team through the process of updating the look of the monsters.

As Scott Chambliss told Forbes, updating and designing these awesome monsters that are what people pay to see was really exciting-- but it also carries with it a huge degree of responsibility. Neither he nor the rest of the design team wanted to fuck it up and that is not as easy as it sounds, as he explained:

The challenge of trying to remain true at our core to the designs of these original monsters that people really hold dear in their hearts, but also bringing them up to date in a way that honors their past, but feels much more contemporary, not only technologically, but in terms of how monsters function in movies as characters. We focused a lot of design attention on what the environment in terms of how all the monsters are affecting it, whether they’re directly or indirectly affecting it and what, visually, their place is in [the] world and what sort of natural elements they represent.

It’s one thing to design a new character, but another entirely to depict an iconic one that audiences have known for decades in a new way. That’s why things like the casting for the next James Bond or the design of superhero costumes are subject to such scrutiny. People have very high and specific expectations that must be met and that holds true for the monsters of Godzilla 2, some of which have existed since the 1950s.

The creatures in Godzilla: King of the Monsters couldn’t look totally different than their previous iterations, because fans of the property already have basic ideas in their heads of what Mothra, Rodan and Ghidorah look like. So Ghidorah can’t have 1 head or 8 and Mothra can’t have bat wings. They need to stay true to the things that made them iconic in the first place.

But these giant monsters had to be designed to fit within the world and aesthetic of the current iteration of the franchise and also be updated to appeal to modern sensibilities. Scott Chambliss previously spoke to CinemaBlend about this topic and how difficult it was to design Mothra for Godzilla: King of the Monsters. They wanted to make her truly feminine and graceful, but also frightening and powerful and it is quite a challenge to find the design that fits that balance.

Therefore it wasn’t as simple as a technological facelift using current CGI technology. For Scott Chambliss, that was the needle that had to be thread with the monster designs for Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

I also found it interesting that he wanted look at the monsters as characters and having visual representation of how they interact with their environment and what elements they represent. In the trailers, Mothra has this ethereal glow to her and King Ghidorah has this charged electricity around him, so perhaps those traits are a reflection of those efforts.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is tracking to make between $40 million and $60 million opening weekend and if the early reactions to the film are any indication, they didn’t fuck it up. Godzilla: King of the Monsters opens in theaters on May 31. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule for all of this summers biggest movies.

The Original Scooby Doo Actors Had A Mixed Reaction To The New Cast

The Original Scooby Doo Actors Had A Mixed Reaction To The New Cast

No pop culture property is going to remain dormant for too long when Hollywood has the opportunity to use it. It's been 15 years since popular 1970s animated character Scooby-Doo and his mystery solving buddies were on the big screen, and that's more enough time to justify a reboot. A new animated film is on the way, and some of the actors from the early-2000s live-action version have feelings. Matthew Lillard, who played Shaggy, is more than a little upset to discover that he's being replaced, and also annoyed he didn't get any sort of a heads up.

Last week it was announced that a new animated Scooby-Doo movie was being produced with names like Will Forte and Gina Rodriguez attached to voice the familiar characters that we all remember from the various versions of the cartoon show that started in 1969 and has existed in one form or another ever since.

Of course, for fans of a certain age, the most well-known version of these characters may have come from a pair of live-action movies. The first was released in 2002 and, while it wasn't exactly a critical darling, it ended up grossing over $270 million around the world. That was good enough to spawn the sequel, 2004's Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.

While it seemed highly unlikely that we were ever going to get another live-action Scooby-Doo at this point, at least with the same cast, it wouldn't be the first time that a franchise was brought back after a long hiatus. The one thing a reboot does do is seemingly make that even less likely as we rarely see a franchise go backwards, though that can happen too.

As with any reboot scenario, there are fans that are less than thrilled to learn of it. There's often a feeling that a reboot, simply by existing, is a slight to whatever came before.

Not everybody, however, seems to be too bent out of shape over the reboot. Freddie Prinze Jr. who played Fred in the live-action film, alongside wife Sarah Michelle Geller as Daphne, seems to be taking it all in stride. He's glad Scooby-Doo is making it to the screen in some form for a new generation to enjoy.

While the new movie won't have any connection to the live-action films, it will be connected to the animated characters. Frank Welker has been the voice of Scooby-Doo himself since 2002, and he'll reprise his role in the new film, so this new movie isn't entirely without pedigree.

While the main cast of the new film has been revealed, maybe the previously actors could get voice cameos as a nice nod to their previous work. We'll have to wait and see. The new Scooby-Doo and company is set to bow in May of 2020.

Detective Pikachu Cinematographer ‘Is So Glad’ He Turned Down Sonic The Hedgehog

Detective Pikachu Cinematographer ‘Is So Glad’ He Turned Down Sonic The Hedgehog

If you logged on to the internet in the past few days or glanced at the image above, then you’ve likely witnessed some of the anxieties many fans have dealt with about the upcoming live-action Sonic the Hedgehog release. The first trailer for the video game adaptation was packed with odd moments, between the use of Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” to soundtrack the introduction, to the iconic blue hedgehog having human-like teeth and being an alien now.

At least one person out there gave one big sigh of relief upon witnessing the early look at Sonic the Hedgehog in all its glory: Detective Pikachu cinematographer, John Mathieson. Here’s what he had to say:

Funny enough, I was offered [Sonic the Hedgehog] and after watching the trailer I thought I’m so glad we don’t look like that.

That’s some shade! Mathieson is an experienced cinematographer who has worked on fan favorites such as Logan and X-Men: First Class, and has earned Oscars nominations for his photography on The Phantom of the Opera and Gladiator. The filmmaker is certainly feeling like he dodged a bullet right about now. He attributes the difference between his video game adaptation of Pokemon and Sonic by the fact that he opted to shoot the former on traditional film. Check out more of his words to Newsweek below:

If all we’re talking about is how these two films look, our film is better than Sonic the Hedgehog and I’m sorry, I don’t care who I upset by saying that, but I think it looks better. There’s no reason why you can’t shoot a film like [Detective Pikachu] or Sonic the Hedgehog on film. If you had, [Sonic the Hedgehog] would look more realistic. I look at Sonic the Hedgehog and I just go ‘yeah whatever.’

It is unlikely that shooting on film instead of digital would have made a difference regarding fans’ most popular gripe with Sonic the Hedgehog: the character design of the ‘90s icon. Some artists have even gone so far as to take matters into their own hands and rework some of the images. Take a look this one from Twitter user @EdwardPun1:

John Mathieson said the contrast in colors between Detective Pikachu and Sonic the Hedgehog makes a difference, especially since shooting a movie on digital film doesn’t capture colors such as blues and reds as well. The look of Pikachu is certainly more stylized and true to the character fans know and love. Just look at this fluffy pika-pika voiced by Ryan Reynolds:

Detective Pikachu has screened for critics ahead of its release on May 10 and the response has been positive, but before that, the movie had also been marketed in a way that has drummed up positive buzz with its first trailer. At this point, Sonic the Hedgehog won’t likely go down the same road when it hits theaters on November 8.

Tim Allen Warned Tom Hanks About Toy Story 4's Emotional Ending

Tim Allen Warned Tom Hanks About Toy Story 4's Emotional Ending

At this point, it is basically a given that Pixar movies are going to make you cry. The tear-jerking nature of these films is so well established that a box of tissues could replace Luxo Jr. as the company’s mascot. This holds especially true for Pixar’s Toy Story franchise, and I think most of us expected this summer’s Toy Story 4 to continue this trend, but it may be even worse than we feared.

Toy Story 4’s voice actors didn’t record their dialogue together at the same time, so some actors got to the end before their co-stars. That resulted in Buzz Lightyear actor Tim Allen actually warning Tom Hanks about the film’s emotional ending, as the Woody actor explained:

This is the end of the series and I had gotten some texts from Tim Allen. These texts that say, ‘Have you recorded yet? Have you been in? Have you had a session yet?’ I said, 'No, not yet.’ [Allen says] ‘Wait until you see those last pages. Tough one, tough one.’

That, folks, is not a good sign if you were hoping to leave the theater dry-eyed come this June. As Tom Hanks told Ellen on The Ellen Show, Tim Allen actually texted him to see if he had recorded yet, presumably to gauge his reaction. When he found out that he hadn’t, he warned Tom Hanks about the script’s last pages, to help prepare his co-star for the film’s emotional ending.

The fact that the ending was so emotional that Tim Allen felt compelled to see what his co-star thought and then warned him about it means that it must be a doozy. I also like how Tim Allen’s warning of the ending amounts to “Tough one.” The terse response is fitting for the actor, and although I expect his diction wildly undersells it, this is probably Tim Allen’s way of saying that the ending is heart wrenching.

Tom Hanks went on to concur with Tim Allen’s sentiment once he reached those last pages. Those final recording sessions were particularly emotional, as the actor went on to say:

We’re saying goodbye to Woody and Buzz and Bonnie’s room and Andy and everybody. It was emotional.

Come on, Tom, let us at least go into the theater without tears in our eyes. The way Tom Hanks describes the experience of finishing up the film definitely makes it seem like this could be the final Toy Story movie and the end of the series. That would mean saying goodbye to a series and characters that many of us grew up with and have known for over two decades.

We once thought that Toy Story 3 was the end, and as such that ending was like a punch to the face. If Toy Story 4 is indeed the end or at least feels like it, as it apparently did for Tom Hanks, I expect its ending to be just as brutal.

Of course, as I said, we once thought that Toy Story 3 was the end of the series, even if those at Pixar didn’t. We’ve heard that the ending of Toy Story 4 would be a satisfying conclusion if it is the final Toy Story film. And given that Toy Story 4 will be Pixar’s last sequel for a while, it could still feel like the end, even if we find out years from now that it’s not.

Join the rest of the masochists when Toy Story 4 opens in theaters on June 21. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all the big movies headed your way this summer.