Fifty Shades Of Grey’s Jamie Dornan Reveals Why He Does Push Ups Between Takes

Fifty Shades Of Grey’s Jamie Dornan Reveals Why He Does Push Ups Between Takes

Fifty Shades of Grey actor Jamie Dornan is known for going shirtless in a lot of scenes. Previously, his co-star Dakota Johnson revealed he liked to do push ups – or press ups as people in the U.K. say – before sex scene takes.

Now, however, the actor has spoken out about why he does push ups between takes, and apparently, it’s not just for sex scenes. Although, he did tell Out To Lunch with Jay Raynor he definitely does push ups before his abs are on display, He starts out admitting he does a lot of exercise between takes before noting why,

Oh yeah, Jesus, yeah, yeah, yeah [I do a lot of push ups]. I’ve done that for various reasons. I’ve done that for reasons of I’m about to have my top off, and everything they film is committed to celluloid forever. Why not try to look as good as I can in that moment?

So, yes, Jamie Dornan does put effort into moments such as those that crop up time and time again in the Fifty Shades movies. He also worked to get more and more into shape as the franchise wore on, particularly for the second two movies, which filmed back-to-back.

In addition, apparently Jamie Dornan also does push ups for other reasons. He spoke out about doing push ups when he was tired during his TV series The Fall, for example. He also says he practices press ups when he is bored on set and scenes aren’t moving swiftly.

I’ve also done it sometimes when I’m particularly spent and exhausted after a scene where I’m running in The Fall or whatever. Sometimes I do it because I sometimes just have a lot of energy and I don’t know what to do with it. They’re fucking hanging around, ‘Oh, I just gotta fix this light, sorry Jamie.’ I’m good to go, champing at the bit to get rid of some of this energy, so I’ll drop and just do press ups just for something to do.

All in all, his press up habits mean that he can do quite a bit of push ups at a time. He told Jay Raynor that he doesn’t do “that many,” revealing that he can do 100 push ups.

Not that many… right.

Regardless of how many push ups he does on the average day, Jamie Dornan was really fit for the final flick in the franchise Fifty Shades Freed and he doesn’t seem to be slowing down in the fitness realm these days. Which is good, because we'll be seeing him onscreen quite a bit more coming up. For example, the actor has a Drake Doremus movie and Synchronic opposite Anthony Mackie coming out in 2019.

If you’d like to learn more about Jamie Dornan’s comments to Jay Raynor, we have you covered. Of course, if you're more interested in what is heading into theaters in the near future, take a look at our CinemaBlend's 2019 movies schedule.

Dark Phoenix Won’t Have A Stan Lee Cameo, But It Will Have A Tribute

Dark Phoenix Won’t Have A Stan Lee Cameo, But It Will Have A Tribute

As many exciting developments and projects we’ve heard about and seen in the world of comics and comic book movies over the last few months, there is still a persistent feeling of mourning in the community. Stan Lee, one of the great icons of the industry, passed away in mid-November of last year, and since then there has been a constant outpouring of love and appreciation for his legacy.

This most definitely extends to his legendary string of cameos in big screen Marvel projects - which has emotionally continued posthumously. Since November we’ve seen him with pop up roles in Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse and Captain Marvel, and it’s been reported that there are still a few left that we haven’t seen. Now we can confirm, however, that one of them isn’t featured in Simon Kinberg’s Dark Phoenix.

This weekend I had the opportunity to sit down with Kinberg and producer Hutch Parker at WonderCon in Anaheim, California, and it was at the end of the interview that I asked about the presence of Stan Lee in the upcoming blockbuster. In deference for the Marvel legend, the director didn’t play coy with his answer, opting to admit that there isn’t a cameo in Dark Phoenix, but he added that Lee’s presence will be felt when audiences see the film this summer. Said Kinberg,

We don't have a cameo. I'd rather say that than then keep it mysterious, out of respect for Stan. We do have some tribute to him, and it's something that obviously we weren't thinking about when we were making the movie because he was still very much alive. And he's been such a huge part of making these films over the years. He's had cameos; he's had input into the process of making them.

It was actually for the X-Men franchise that Stan Lee did his first ever cameo in a big screen superhero movie, playing a hot dog vendor on a beach who watches Senator Kelly (Bruce Davison) emerge from the ocean in 2000’s X-Men. That was followed by appearances in Spider-Man, Daredevil, Hulk, Spider-Man 2, 2005's Fantastic Four, and more, but he did eventually return to appear alongside some of his mutant creations in X-Men: The Last Stand, Deadpool, and X-Men: Apocalypse.

Simon Kinberg actually specifically cited the X-Men: Apocalypse cameo during the interview, highlighting it as one that was particularly significant for Stan Lee. As while we’ve seen him in all kinds of crazy situations and contexts over the years, his appearance in the 2016 comic book movie was the only one to A) take place at Lee’s actual house, and B) co-star his wife, Joan Lee - who passed away about a year after the film was released. The director told me,

I've spent a lot of time with him. I've been lucky enough to spend a lot of time with him. We went to his house for his cameo in Apocalypse, with him and his wife - which was a really special one because it was with his wife. They were so close, and they were together for, I mean, I think most of their adult lives.

Stan and Joan Lee were actually married for 70 years – betrothed since 1947 – which by itself is really remarkable.

Of the movies in which Stan Lee cameoed, Simon Kinberg was a part of three as a producer and/or writer, and it was clearly an emotional subject for the filmmaker to discuss. He added that he really thinks that all of the feelings surrounding Lee’s death will also ultimately have an impact on the way that audiences view the film – if not partially because of the very real pride that Lee felt in regards to the team of mutant heroes that he created. Kinberg continued,

It was something that we all feel now, and we felt when we were in post-production on this movie. So it already felt like a special film for the X-Men, because it is the culmination of all of these movies in so many ways, and because Dark Phoenix is the ultimate X-Men run. But I think even more so, Stan Lee's passing gives even more weight to this film for us, because X-Men, to me, and I think to a lot of fans, and to Stan in some ways, was his sort of ultimate achievement.

So while we may not get to see Stan Lee in some kind of goofy, weird or even heroic situation in Dark Phoenix, it should still be recognized that the deep love for him is still in the DNA – and surely there will be a wave of chills felt when we get to see the aforementioned tribute that the film has planned.

You can see more of my interview with Simon Kinberg and Hutch Parker, as well as parts from my interviews with Dark Phoenix stars Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Evan Peters, Alexandra Shipp, and Kodi Smit-McPhee, by clicking play on the video below!

The directorial debut of Simon Kinberg, Dark Phoenix takes audiences back to the 1990s, and sees the X-Men, led by Professor X (James McAvoy), in a situation we’ve never seen before: recognized worldwide as true heroes. The mutants are experienced working as a team, called on by governments and large organizations in times of crisis, and they are beloved. When their first mission in outer space winds up going sideways, though, they are left with a perilous situation they never saw coming – specifically Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) getting more and more powerful, and less willing to control her darker impulses. As she gets more dangerous, and people start to get seriously hurt, choices have to be made – choices that risk dividing the team.

Also starring Michael Fassbender, Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Lawrence, and Nicholas Hoult, Dark Phoenix will be hitting theaters everywhere on June 7th – and not only will we have more from my interviews with the cast and filmmakers coming your way here on CinemaBlend, but also a whole lot more of my coverage from WonderCon 2019.

James Marsden Reveals Dark Phoenix's Cyclops Actor Sent Him A Lovely Letter When He Took Over

James Marsden Reveals Dark Phoenix's Cyclops Actor Sent Him A Lovely Letter When He Took Over

It's no secret that superhero movie are everywhere. Over the past few years, the comic book genre has become the most profitable of the film world, with various studios creating shared universes in an attempt to cash in. But before the MCU introduced serialized storytelling to the masses, there was Fox's X-Men franchise. Hitting theaters back beginning in 2000, a trio of movies was released in theaters before a new class of actors was introduced to reboot the property.

James Marsden was the first actor to bring Scott Summers/Cyclops to life in live-action, and played the character in the original X-Men trilogy (in addition to a quick cameo in Days of Future Past). Since then, two other actors have played younger version of the mutant, with Ready Player One's Tye Sheridan reprising his role in Dark Phoenix. And it turns out that Sheridan wrote his predecessor a sweet message when he was cast. As Marsden recently revealed:

He wrote me a handwritten letter when he took over the role. A lovely young man. They’re giving [the storyline] the justice it deserves.

Well, this is heart warming. While some actors might have a hard time seeing young talent take on their iconic roles, it seems that James Marsden is happy to see Tye Sheridan playing Cyclops in the silver screen. And that may be partly because the 22 year-old reached out to his predecessor in such a way.

The X-Men franchise is fascinating, thanks to its multiple timelines and just how many decades the property has covered. X-Men: The Last Stand was the finale of the original trilogy-- at least until Days of Future Past brought both generations of mutants together into one ambitious crossover movie. So when the character was eventually recast for movies like X-Men: Apocalypse, it's not like James Marsden was still that connected to the role.

Related: Does Marvel's 5-Year Plan Include The X-Men? Here's What Kevin Feige Says

Rather than being recast just to get a bigger name, Tye Sheridan's time as Cyclops is simply due to how time is being utilized in the franchise. The new Cyclops entered the narrative in X-Men: Apocalypse, as mutant who was new to both Xavier's School and superheroics. He ultimately stepped up to battle Oscar Isaac's title character, and audiences will catch up with a more experienced version of the hero in Dark Phoenix.

In his same conversation with Variety, James Marsden addressed Dark Phoenix's upcoming release, and expressed how excited he is to see that beloved comic book plot be adapted for the silver screen. As he put it:

I obviously know the Dark Phoenix story — the saga was close to me because my character is closest with Jean. It’s cool to see Sophie Turner up there kicking ass as the young version of Jean.

What a class act. Despite leaving the role of Cyclops behind years ago, James Marsden is still a fan of the X-Men, and eager to see the iconic Jean Grey plot line on the silver screen in Dark Phoenix. And he's not the only one.

Tye Sheridan made a strong first outing as Scott Summers in X-Men: Apocalypse. Audiences watched as he blossomed with his abilities, and saw he and Sophie Turner's Jean Grey fall in love as young students. Scott didn't get his signature visor until Apocalypse's coda in the Danger Room, so we should expect Cyclops to be a much more capable fighter when he pops back up in Dark Phoenix.

While Cyclops was a supporting character in Apocalypse, it looks like the fan favorite mutant will have a larger focus when Dark Phoenix finally arrives in theaters. Once Jean goes out of control thanks the Phoenix Force, the other characters will be split regarding what they should do. But Scott should presumably always be on Jean's side, and will no doubt help fight for her humanity.

Tye Sheridan's letter to James Marsden seem to have went over really well for the Westworld actor, but not all of the new class of X-Men were quite so lucky. Alexandra Shipp took on the role of Storm in Apocalypse, and reached out to Halle Berry ahead of her debut. But her e-mail might have made her seem a bit too eager, and it doesn't look like Berry actually responded. Halle Berry is still hoping the character will someday get a spinoff, so perhaps the Oscar winner is hoping her Storm-ing days aren't over.

Dark Phoenix has a ton of pressure associated with it, as it may be the final installment of the X-Men franchise as we know it. Aside from capping off the last four movies' overarching narrative, the movie will also be the second attempt at adapting the beloved Dark Phoenix saga onto film. While the comic book story is far more complicated and involves the Hellfire Club, the fans are anxiously awaiting to see if 20th Century Fox got it right the second time.

X-Men: The Last Stand was the first live-action go at the Dark Phoenix Saga, and it left much to be desired. Jean's powers didn't come from the cosmic Phoenix Force, but were dormant in her from childhood. She rose from her watery grave at Alkali Lake, and unceremoniously kills off James Marsden's Cyclops and Professor X. She was ultimately manipulated by Magneto, before being killed by Wolverine in the film's final battle.

The Dark Phoenix trailers seems to tease a more comic book accurate version of the plot line, although the movie's various delays have given the fandom some pause. What's more, the upcoming blockbuster has the added pressure of being the grande finale in the larger franchise, as 20th Century Fox was officially acquired by Disney. So the pressure is certainly on to bring a satisfying conclusion to the larger narrative, as well as service Jean's story in a proper way.

Cyclops will return to the big screen when Dark Phoenix arrives in theaters on June 7th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Captain Marvel Has A Cute Moment With Thor In The New Avengers: Endgame Trailer

Captain Marvel Has A Cute Moment With Thor In The New Avengers: Endgame Trailer

Brief spoilers for Captain Marvel can be found in this article.

In its latest trailer for Avengers: Endgame, Marvel gave us a lot of satisfying moments and ideas to chew on, including but not limited to Tony making it home or new suits for the remaining Avengers. In fact, especially if you haven’t caught Captain Marvel yet, the new Avengers: Endgame trailer introduces Captain Marvel to Thor with a cute scene that even has her briefly interacting with Stormbreaker. Take a look.

After quickly grabbing his weapon from just under Captain Marvel’s nose, Thor simply declares he “like[s] this one,” adding a little levity into the mix. Overall, the final Avengers: Endgame trailer is pretty serious given the subject matter, but what I like most about the moment between Thor and Captain Marvel is that it is lighthearted and it ends the trailer on a fun note rather than a somber one.

It’s sort of similar to how in the last trailer we got a lot of serious moments and then Ant-Man inexplicably showed up to add a little humor in and mix things up. (I say inexplicably given what happened at the end of Ant-Man and the Wasp.)

We’ve known for a while Captain Marvel would get her day in the sun. Her solo movie finally hit theaters this past weekend and included a post-credits tease at the upcoming Avengers: Endgame during which Carol Danvers showed up literally at the remaining Avengers’ doorstep. However, if you haven’t caught Captain Marvel yet, seeing Marvel casually throw Brie Larson into the mix was likely a bit of a shock and hopefully a fun one.

There’s a ton of other stuff to peruse in the final Avengers: Endgame trailer as we head into the home stretch before release. If you haven’t caught the full thing, please find a way to watch right meow.

We learned a few days ago that Captain Marvel almost tied in to Thor: Ragnarok back in 2017 with a scene that would have included Jude Law and a Devil’s Anus. That probably would have made a moment between Captain Marvel and Thor meeting in the flesh come full circle, but it’s fun either way.

Be sure to catch Avengers: Endgame when it finally hits theaters on April 26. In addition, take a look at what we know about the upcoming flick ahead of its release.

Dumbo Box Office: The Baby Elephant Doesn't Quite Soar

Dumbo Box Office: The Baby Elephant Doesn't Quite Soar

Disney has pretty much every one of its major brands in operation this year - with Marvel, Pixar, and Walt Disney Animation all putting out big titles - but one area where the studio is really going all-in this year is with its live-action remakes of animated classics. There are a total of four titles being released between now and the end of December, with movies including The Lion King, Aladdin, and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, but after this past weekend one wonders if there might be some concern growing. Because while Tim Burton's Dumbo did nab the top spot at the box office, it's numbers aren't exactly spectacular. Check out the Top 10 below, and join me after for analysis!

Overall this was a strong weekend at the box office, and Disney is seeing cash rolling in from two of the top three movies in the country, but the studio certainly must have had higher expectations for Dumbo. Prognostications from earlier this month estimated that the three day haul for the elephant-centric family feature would be around $50 million, and it's not wonderful that the film fell $5 million short of that bar. It's worse when you consider that the first predictions suggested a high end of $65 million.

Those estimates were proven to be too high, but when you look at the numbers, it's not hard to figure out why the pros were a bit off. Disney has been having a tremendous amount of success in recent years with their live-action remakes of animated classics, and with the exception of the 2016 sequel Alice Through the Looking Glass they all arrived with strong openings. Prior to the release of Dumbo, the lowest first weekend total was Kenneth Branagh's Cinderella, which made $67.9 million back in March 2015. That film wound up making over $200 million domestically - but at this point it doesn't look like the 2019 release will be crossing that particular milestone.

It's definitely all far from doom and gloom, however, thanks to a few positive factors. For starters, while Dumbo received a mostly tepid response from critics, those who went to go see it seem to be digging it, and delivered it an "A-" on CinemaScore. As for the numbers, the film is also obviously going to get a big boost from international ticket sales. It has already made over $70 million from foreign markets. So while it won't be the billion dollar hit that Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland was back in 2010 (arguably the release that fueled this entire trend), it still will be a profitable release for Disney.

Sticking with the Mouse House for a minute, while Dumbo may not wind up being a member of the three comma club, Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's Captain Marvel absolutely will. And while the film didn't quite get there this weekend, it most definitely will be happening in the next few days. The ticket sales abroad over the last three days, as well as the $20.5 million it made here at home, have now brought its global total to $990.6 million. To put that in some perspective, that means it is now the seventh most successful Marvel Cinematic Universe film, having passed the $880.2 million that Spider-Man: Homecoming made in 2017. What's more, it's not entirely out of the question that it could wind up beating Captain America: Civil War as well, which made $1.2 billion three years ago. That's one hell of a launch for a hero expected to play a massive role in the franchise going forward.

Jumping back to the number two slot, Jordan Peele's Us had a solid, if not unspectacular second weekend, dropping about 52 percent and adding $33.6 million to its domestic total. Not only was the money more than enough to push the film across the $100 million mark, but it also now looks like it is indeed on pace to make more money at the box office than Peele's Get Out did in 2017. The director's sophomore effort did have a budget four times the size of its predecessor - $20 million vs. $4.5 million - but that's basically negligible when you consider the numbers that the release is ultimately looking at. Factoring in the money from outside North America, it's already gone north of $174 million, and one nice trick it has in its back pocket is that it's a feature that begs to be seen more than once. There is no questioning Peele's status as a blockbuster director at this point, and expectations are only going to get higher for whatever he does next.

What's also helping take a bit of heat off of Dumbo is the disappointing release of Harmony Korine's The Beach Bum - which sadly now exists as the worst opening of Matthew McConaughey's career, and is the second big disappointment for the Oscar winner this year following the release of Serenity back in January. The movie had a much smaller release than most titles found in this weekend's Top 10, only showing in 1,100 theaters nationwide, but it doesn't exactly have a high per screen average either. It's not all-together unexpected, as the film got a fairly tepid response when it premiered a few weeks ago at SXSW, and that buzz has been consistent since. Still, it won't look good in the history books next to Korine's last feature, Spring Breakers, which made a surprising $31.7 million in its worldwide theatrical run back in 2013.

Looking ahead, we should see some major shake ups in the Top Five this week, as we are about to see some anticipated features arrive in wide release. The first is another dose of kick-ass superhero action, this time arriving in the form of David F. Sandberg's Shazam! (which is looking at a three day total between $40 and $45 million, and is expected to become the new number one movie in America). Also arriving, though, is the latest Stephen King adaptation: Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer's Pet Sematary - which could not only steal some attention from the new DC Extended Universe feature, but also Us. How will things shake out? You'll have to come back next Sunday for our box office column to find out.

How Terminator: Dark Fate Might Be Setting Up The Next John Connor

How Terminator: Dark Fate Might Be Setting Up The Next John Connor

The practice of time travel can be a bit confusing, especially when you’re trying to maintain the status quo over several divergent sequels. Terminator: Dark Fate seems to have learned that lesson pretty handily, as the film not only deftly ignores any sequels past Terminator 2: Judgement Day, it also seems to set up a new twist right in its first trailer.

Namely, it looks like Terminator: Dark Fate is going to give the world the next John Connor, and we don’t mean a new actor stepping into the role. We’re talking an entirely new savior that’ll lead humanity into victory against the machines. Before we go any further, take a look at the Terminator: Dark Fate trailer below, and get a look at the future of the Terminator franchise.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s dig in to see what Terminator: Dark Fate could be trying to tell us about the series’ next steps.

What The Terminator: Dark Fate Trailer Tells Us

In the trailer to Terminator: Dark Fate, we see two characters trying to protect the new character of Dani Ramos, played by Natalia Reyes. As the trailer begins, we see her palling around with Mackenzie Davis’ Grace, who looks to be either a Terminator that’s doing a really good job of pretending its human, or a human/machine hybrid. But as things progress, a familiar face comes out of the smoke: Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor.

Both of these characters have knowledge of the future, but with Terminator: Dark Fate ignoring everything past Terminator 2: Judgement Day, there’s the problem of Sarah’s vision of the future being different from Grace’s. So we don’t know how this new future is going to pan out, save for the fact that we’re still fighting Skynet. As such, the two have questions for each other, as seen in the trailer. In particular, we see Grace asking why Sarah Connor would be so fixated on protecting Dani.

Which leads to a couple of key lines that stand out, each pointing to a different scenario than that of what we’ve seen in the Terminator saga. And both of those lines center around Dani and her implied role in the future war against Skynet and its legion of robots. The lines are from those very characters sworn to protect her, with each one suggesting a different possibility. We’ll start with the first scenario, in which Dani Ramos could be the new savior of humanity after Terminator: Dark Fate.

Dani Ramos Is The New Savior Of Humanity

Part of the Terminator: Dark Fate trailer sees our three leads, Grace, Sarah, and Dani all riding on the roof of a train, with Dani asking the question, “How do we win?” This is more than likely a reference to the future rise of the machines, and the war that will put humanity back on the map.

Mackenzie Davis’ Grace responds to this question very simply, by saying, “We win by keeping you alive.” Automatically, the John Connor scenario feels fresh and new, as Dani Ramos is now the most important human to keep alive. Quite possibly, she’s the new savior of humanity, with the events of Terminator 2: Judgement Day rounding off the importance of the Connor family line in the franchise.

Again, the future that would have happened post-T2 is now obsolete, so there’s a good chance that John Connor might not be as important as he used to be. This hypothesis is only supported by the suggestion that Terminator: Dark Fate will set up Dani as the character to hold down the Terminator franchise, should there be future films past this one. Of course, there’s another possibility that puts Dani at the center of it all; a more traditional scenario that might bring things back to a more familiar set of stakes.

The New Savior Will Be Dani Ramos’ Child

The other line of dialogue that seems to stick out quite prominently in Terminator: Dark Fate so far comes from when Linda Hamilton’ Sarah Connor is asked by Grace why she cares about Dani Ramos’ fate. Sarah, being the ever conscientious bad ass, replies in one simple, poignant statement: “Because I was her.”

Outside of the whole scenario involving killing machines from the future trying to kill her (and a protector of humanity trying to save her), this could mean that Dani is carrying the child that will win the war on Skynet-- much like Sarah Connor did at the end of The Terminator. Seeing this situation for herself, and remembering how Kyle Reese saved her in 1985, would only endear Sarah to Dani and make her swear to protect the new mother of humanity’s last hope.

Both this scenario, and the one where Dani is the new savior of humanity, could use a little more evidence to boost their cases. But there’s another potential solution, one that might keep John Connor in the picture as well as make Dani Ramos a new person of importance.

One Of John Connor’s Lieutenants Could Be Dani Ramos

If Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines should be credited for anything, it’s two things. First is the surprise ending where Judgement Day is actually proven to be inevitable. Additionally, there was the strategy of killing John Connor’s future lieutenants in the human resistance, before taking him out as the ultimate insurance policy. And one of those very plot lines might make its way into Terminator: Dark Fate, as Dani Ramos could be an important part to John’s war strategy.

This scenario works if the Terminator series is still dependent on John Connor being a crucial part of the story. Though considering the places his character has been taken in previous (now non-canonical entries) it wouldn’t be a surprise if the character was dumped; there’s very little that can be done and still be considered new regarding John.

Should John Connor still very much be a part of the Terminator mythos, bringing in the people that would be vital to keeping our future safe is a good idea that hasn’t seen a lot of play in the universe. So it could easily be brought back to the table to keep things fresh, and give Dani an important role to play in an expansion of the classic franchise in Terminator: Dark Fate.

It’s going to be a while before we can confirm any of these theories to be true. But what we can say at the moment is that Terminator: Dark Fate is most definitely looking to take the franchise in a fresh direction, and the wait to see if any of these guesses pan out will hopefully be time well spent. Time will tell, but for now, we’ll keep our eyes and ears open to see what new clues surface on the horizon, as we puzzle out the dark fate that the Terminator franchise seems to be suggesting.

Terminator: Dark Fate creates the new fate of the Terminator franchise on November 1.

Viola Davis Officially Returning As Waller For The Suicide Squad

Viola Davis Officially Returning As Waller For The Suicide Squad

DC's live-action universe has had a fascinating tenure in theaters, with plenty of twists and turns accompanying each blockbuster. During the DCEU's early stages, Warner Bros. failed to acquire a true critical and box office darling. Batman v Superman, Justice League, and Suicide Squad all failed to live up to their expectations, and it seemed like the behemoth franchise was in jeopardy. But DC seems to have course correct, focusing less on crossovers and serialized storytelling and more on individual director-driven blockbusters.

Just look at The Suicide Squad, which will be written and directed by Guardians of the Galaxy visionary James Gunn. Gunn will take on the titular team of villains from David Ayer, who helmed the somewhat disappointing first film. Gunn has been focused on bringing his cast together, featuring both newcomers and returning players from Suicide Squad. And now another returning face has joined the new project, as Viola Davis will reportedly reprise her role as Amanda Waller.

This news comes to us from The Wrap, as the publication has contacts with someone close to production. While Viola Davis' involvement hasn't been officially confirmed by the studio, it's a development that should get DC fans very excited. Because while not every aspect of the first Suicide Squad was successful, Davis brought a tenacity and ruthlessness to Amanda Waller that the next movie would be remiss to exclude.

If the report is to be believed, Viola Davis is the second Suicide Squad actor to officially sign on for James Gunn's developing movie. She joins Jai Courtney, who played the rowdy Captain Boomerang in the first film. It's also widely believed that Margot Robbie will return to play Harley Quinn for the third time, although that hasn't been officially confirmed by the studio yet.

Viola Davis returning as Amanda Waller potentially provides The Suicide Squad with an enemy for the titular team of villains to face off again. David Ayer's Oscar winning movie showed what Waller was calculating, manipulative, and steadfast in her beliefs. She was willing to kill the Squad as well as her own team in order to accomplish her goals, and make it out of the conflict with The Enchantress alive.

Suicide Squad's post-credits scene also saw Amanda Waller come face to face with Ben Affleck's Batman. What's more, she knew his true identity as Bruce Wayne. But with Affleck officially hanging up his cowl and cape, we probably won't see this plot line come to fruition. But at least Oscar and Emmy winner Viola Davis is returning to bring life to Waller once more.

It should be interesting to see who else returns for The Suicide Squad. Idris Elba is taking on the role of Deadshot, while it's also been reported that James Gunn is bringing new characters into the team. We'll just have to wait and see.

Viola Davis' potential involvement in The Suicide Squad is fascinating, and might tease what James Gunn has in store for his upcoming DC debut. The writer/director reportedly wants to approach the blockbuster more like a reboot than a sequel, not necessarily picking up the narrative after the first film. This seems like a great idea considering the movie's disappointment performance, and would allow Gunn to do some world-building and assemble a motley crew of comic book characters.

James Gunn's reported commitment to a full reboot gained steam with Idris Elba's casting as Deadshot. Will Smith's performance as the character was one of Suicide Squad's stronger points, so having him return to the role seems like a no brainer. But he ultimately tapped out, leaving room for Elba to take on the mantle. Since then, DC fans waited to see what other characters could be recast.

But so far Deadshot is the only character who will be played by a new actor. What's more, James Gunn is reportedly bringing back a variety of characters from the first film for The Suicide Squad, including Captain Boomerang and Amanda Waller. Margot Robbie's Harley seems like an obvious choice to help roundup the cast, although she'll first appear in Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn).

Amanda Waller's inclusion in The Suicide Squad also makes a great deal of sense, as the Viola Davis' character didn't actually change much throughout the course of the first movie. When Enchantress is taken down by the motley crew of characters, Waller seems just as dedicated to her cause. And while the titular team was given a decade off their sentences and some special privileges, they were all promptly sent back to Belle Reve at Waller's behest.

If The Suicide Squad's narrative is at all influenced by the events of the first movie, Amanda Waller should be floating on her success. The concept of the Squad worked out in the end, even if her treatment of Enchantress was also the cause of the conflict. Since then, there have been even more superheroic events from Justice League, Aquaman, and even Shazam! It seems the DCEU needs Waller's team of villains more than ever. At least, that's what she'd want the authorities to think.

James Gunn signed onto The Suicide Squad before Disney welcomed him back to the fold for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. As such, his DC movie should come to theaters before the Guardians get their eventual threequel. And he seems like an inspired choice to take on the franchise, as he's clearly demonstrated a knack for ensemble comic book movies with a motley crew of underdogs. So perhaps he'll be able to bring the Suicide Squad to where the team deserves.

The first trailer for David Ayer's Suicide Squad was hot fire, as "Bohemian Rhapsody" played to accompany the wild characters and action shots. Unfortunately, that same energy failed to transfer to the final cut, although the movie still made great money, won an Oscar for makeup, and kickstarted a spinoff and eventual sequel.

The Suicide Squad is currently set to arrive in theaters on August 6th, 2021. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.