Emilia Clarke Passed On Fifty Shades Of Grey Over Nudity Concerns

Emilia Clarke Passed On Fifty Shades Of Grey Over Nudity Concerns

After portraying Daenerys Targaryen for almost a decade, Emilia Clarke is entering a new era. Although her Game of Thrones character will continue to be iconic for years to come, her upcoming roles in films such as Last Christmas and Above Suspicion will certainly seek to brush off the Mother of Dragons.

Years ago, the actress was famously considered for another huge adaptation of a series of novels. Before Dakota Johnson took on Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades of Grey, Emilia Clarke had been in talks to join the franchise. As she moves forward in her career, the actress has got candid about why Fifty Shades wasn’t the right move for her at the time. In her words:

The last time that I was naked on camera on [Game of Thrones] was a long time ago, and yet it is the only question that I ever get asked because I am a woman. And it’s annoying as hell and I’m sick and tired of it because I did it for the character — I didn’t do it so some guy could check out my tits, for God’s sake.

The downside of playing a character as loved as Daenerys is it’s going to be tough for her to shake her off. It hasn’t helped that the Game of Thrones character is quite well known for her nude scenes early on in the series. Emilia Clarke agreed to bare it all in service of Dany and the show, but it seems like it backfired a bit when it constantly became the center of conversation.

Her beautiful blues are up here! After Game of Thrones Season 3, the Mother of Dragons eased up on showing skin, but when another role revolved around nudity and sex presented itself, Clarke didn’t want much of anything do with it. She continued to The Hollywood Reporter with this:

I did a minimal amount and I'm pigeonholed for life, so me saying yes to that, where the entire thing is about sensuality and sex and being naked and all of that stuff, I was just like, ‘No way am I going to voluntarily walk into that situation and then never be able to look someone in the eye and be like, 'No, you can't keep asking me this question.'

It wasn’t only this that led Emilia Clarke to pass on Fifty Shade of Grey though. With the longevity of her Game of Thrones character, the actress is simply uninterested in doing movies with sequels attached for a while. She had previously said that she didn’t think she’d be able to take the “enormity” of the E.L. James’ series in her lap, though she was impressed by Sam-Taylor Johnson’s vision. Even after the movies’ success, the actress has no regrets about not taking it on.

Emilia Clarke wasn’t the only star to skip out on Fifty Shades of Grey and be content about it. Charlie Hunnam was also close contender for Christian Grey, but he cited his decision against it to him being a germaphobe and having scheduling conflicts, even though the actor knows full well he missed out on a fortune by turning down the role.

In the end, it was meant to be for Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson. The pair came out on the other side of the franchise thankful and with exciting careers ahead of them.

Why Watching Detective Pikachu Makes Ryan Reynolds ‘Sea Sick'

Why Watching Detective Pikachu Makes Ryan Reynolds ‘Sea Sick'

It's no secret that Ryan Reynolds' career as at an all-time high. His work on the Deadpool franchise broke new ground for the superhero genre, proving that an R-rating isn't a death sentence at the box office. But before Deadpool 3 or X-Force arrives in theaters, Reynolds is lending his signature voice and comedic chops to another iconic property: Pokemon.

Ryan Reynolds is playing the title character of Detective Pikachu, which is getting some serious buzz ahead of its official release. Reynolds is finally giving the beloved mascot a voice, and the trailers are inducing nostalgia among the generations of Poke-fans. But it turns out that seeing footage elicits a more negative experience for the actor. As he recently explained:

When I see Pikachu, I see all my micro facial expressions and the most subtle facial expressions they’ve learned how to map on to this so I have this… weird seasick feeling sometimes when I stare at Pikachu, because I’m seeing me, but not me.

Well, I didn't expect this to be his reaction. But it looks like watching the motion capture of Detective Pikachu can be a bit jarring for Ryan Reynolds. Because he's on screen, but not. Looks like Pikachu got hit with confusion attack

Ryan Reynolds' comments to Extra make a great deal of sense, because motion capture technology is really reaching the peak of its possibilities. This opens up filmmaking possibilities, especially when it comes to genre work. Avengers: Infinity War brought Josh Brolin's massive Thanos to life, while Detective Pikachu will focus on a distinctly smaller CGI protagonist.

Related: Ryan Reynolds Has A Colorful Way Of Describing His Detective Pikachu Character

The Detective Pikachu footage may give Ryan Reynolds a feeling of seasickness, but it's delighting moviegoers who are anxiously awaiting the ambitious movie's arrival in theaters. The trailers are essentially a 90's kid dream, as the pocket monsters that became a pop culture phenomenon are brought to life, and added to the real world. There's already been a ton of Pokemon shown from various generations of the games, and the world-building has been one of the aspects of Detective Pikachu that has been most celebrated from its early screenings.

On top of feeling seasick, Ryan Reynolds might not be able to fully enjoy the nostalgic appeal of Detective Pikachu. In the same interview with Extra, he revealed the film helped introduced him to the property, saying:

Then I was first approached by them, I admittedly didn’t know much about Pokémon… they sent me a fully rendered Pikachu paired to my voice — they used some dialogue from Deadpool 1 — That sold me, I said yes. I read the script. It was amazing, it was this great mystery wrapped in kind of the universal themes of love and loss and home and family.

Indeed, it looks like Ryan Reynolds is bringing the same wise cracking energy from Deadpool, and applying to his role in Detective Pikachu. Reynolds' comedic chops have been on display for his entire career, and it should be interesting to see him reel things back and keep Detective Pikachu family friendly. But he managed to make Deadpool 2 PG-13 through Once Upon A Deadpool, so just about anything is possible.

Detective Pikachu will arrive in theaters on May 10, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Watch Chris Evans And The Avengers Cast Turn Infinity War Into A Cute Children’s Story

Watch Chris Evans And The Avengers Cast Turn Infinity War Into A Cute Children’s Story

Avengers: Infinity War may have been a movie full of comic book superheroes that kids love, but that doesn't mean it was a film suitable for all ages. Jimmy Kimmel apparently felt that small children needed a version of the story they could handle, and so a Jimmy Kimmel Live children's storybook has been created, and the Avengers themselves took time to read it to your little ones last night. Check it out in the video below.

The story of Avengers: Infinity War and the extermination of half the universe certainly sounds less terrible when it's spoken of in rhyming verse and accompanied by colorful pictures. Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, and Don Cheadle are all on hand to tell parts of the story. It still ends the same way, which is probably going to make some children sad, but it leaves hope at the end teasing that Avengers: Endgame is coming to finish the story very soon.

There are some truly hilarious parts of the video. Everybody giving Thor a hard time for not going for Thanos' head is great, and something that Chris Hemsworth has certainly heard before. Hemsworth, for his part, has a pretty decent rebuttal, that at least Thor actually did some damage to Thanos and came close to succeeding, which none of the rest of the team really did.

Of course, Hemsworth himself has plenty of blame to throw around. He calls out Star-Lord for ruining the plan to get the Infinity Gauntlet off Thanos' arm, which we've certainly also heard before.

The highlight of storytime, however, may be when every reader stops reading and calls out whoever wrote the verse of the book for trying to rhyme Groot with soot. Needless to say, it doesn't scan. Most of the team ends up mispronouncing soot to rhyme with Groot, but nobody is happy about it. There were plenty of other characters whose names could have been used if you can't find a suitable rhyme for Groot.

Jimmy Kimmel is certainly right in his introduction to the piece that it's no fun to see Spider-Man die. The end of Avengers: Infinity War, while being somewhat predictable for fans who were familiar with the source material, was no less shocking, even to them. The fact that a major Marvel Cinematic Universe movie ended with half of our favorite heroes turning to dust was still the sort of moment that blew people away.

What comes next, we're all still only guessing about. While we fully expect our heroes to win in the end, exactly how that will happen, or who will still be standing when it does, is fueling endless speculation. There's certainly no guarantee that if Avengers: Endgame becomes its own children's' book, that it will have any happier an ending.

We'll find out when Avengers: Endgame hits theaters April 26.

Full Toy Story 4 Trailer Brings Back Bo Peep And Even Andy

Full Toy Story 4 Trailer Brings Back Bo Peep And Even Andy

After being introduced to a handful of new characters for the upcoming Toy Story 4, the only question remaining was exactly how they were all going to fit into whatever story the new movie was planning to tell. Now, with the first full trailer, we have our answers. We know how Woody and Bo Peep get reunited, and what the broader themes of the story will be. We meet even more new characters, and even get to see some old friends we didn't expect, like Andy himself. Check it out.

The trailer allows us to get to get to know the odd new toy of Forky a lot better. He's at the center of the story as Woody decides the craft project needs protection as Bonnie's favorite new toy. However, Forky doesn't feel like a toy and attempts to run away, which results in he and Woody getting separated from the rest of the group. From there we see Woody and Forky meet Bo Peep, and a collection of other interesting toys, while trying to get back to Bonnie.

Bo Peep appears to be found inside some sort of antique shop. Woody and Forky walk past her lamp and Woody instantly recognizes it. Although, the pawn shop is apparently the toy equivalent to a haunted hose, as the others toys inside it seem to be as scary as anything found inside Sid's house. Gabby Gabby is the name of the doll, voiced by Christina Hendricks. She appears to command a small army of ventriloquist dummies, which is just creepy.

What's potentially more interesting than some of the movie's new friends, is the return of a very special old one. The trailer contains a pair of flashback sequences that show Andy once again. One replays the moment from the end of Toy Story 3 where Andy gave his toys to Bonnie, but the other shows a scene of an even younger Andy playing with his toys. It's hard to tell if this part of a significant flashback sequence in Toy Story 4, but if it is, we might get to actually see some earlier events in the story that we never saw, like the loss of Bo Peep.

It wouldn't be a Pixar movie if it didn't bring the emotion and even this brief trailer has the potential to get you to feel something inside. The shot where Bonnie discovers her toys gone is already heartbreaking. I can't even imagine how I'm going to feel watching the entire film.

In addition to the new trailer, Toy Story 4 also released a new poster which brings all the characters, new and old, together. Check it out.

Ultimately, Toy Story 4 is a movie about self discovery. Forky doesn't understand what he is. He's a toy, but he feels like he's supposed to be something else. Bo Peep has been abandoned for years and no longer needs a child to define her purpose. Woody, it seems, will begin to question the things he's always believed about his own existence.

Many have questioned the decision to even make a Toy Story 4, with the ending of the third film being viewed by so many as a perfect cap on the trilogy. One really has to wonder just how Pixar believed it could top that. It apparently wasn't easy. There are certainly some directions this story could go that have the potential to be as emotionally impactful as Toy Story 3, though I'm not sure I want to think about them. It's too painful.

Has Anyone Seen The Ending To Avengers: Endgame Yet? Here's What The Russos Say

Has Anyone Seen The Ending To Avengers: Endgame Yet? Here's What The Russos Say

When Avengers: Endgame comes to an end, it will mark not just the ending of a 3-hour film, it will also complete the fight began in Avengers: Infinity War, close out Phase 3 and conclude the 11-year, 22-film Infinity Saga. Needless to say, this is a highly anticipated ending, and that hype is matched only by the secrecy surrounding it. However, some people have already seen the ending to Avengers: Endgame, as the Russo Brothers explained:

Joe Russo: We haven’t told anyone. Certainly people have seen it. We have a lot of technicians who are working on the movie at the end there. There’s a couple of hundred people who have seen the film.

Anthony Russo: But it’s important – look we wouldn’t want to spoil the film for anybody. We love the experience in the theater, you know, and the sense of discovery you have as the movie unfolds. We just try to provide for others what we want for ourselves.

The Russo Brothers are trying to keep the film’s secrets as best as possible, and although they haven’t told anyone the ending to Avengers: Endgame, they are far from the only ones that have seen it. This is to be expected. The Russo Brothers are the directors, but there are a ton of people that need to work on a film, especially one of this magnitude, after the cameras stop rolling.

So while secrecy is paramount, those production realities, especially with the movie so close to its theatrical release, necessitate that other people see the ending to Avengers: Endgame. As Joe Russo told Digital Spy, there are a couple hundred people who have seen the ending to Endgame at this point; a couple hundred people that know how the dusted characters return and who sacrifices themselves to ensure that victory.

That might sound like a lot, but there is no way for this film to be complete and have an ending without some people working on that ending. Those lucky technicians putting the finishing touches on the ending also had the pleasure of seeing that much speculated and theorized-about conclusion before any of us. That early look seems like a fair trade off for their hard work and secrecy.

Nevertheless, as Anthony Russo added, the directors really want audiences to go in and enjoy Avengers: Endgame unspoiled. The Russo Brothers love sitting in a theater and being surprised like the rest of us and they want to preserve that pure experience for audiences as much as possible. It’s important to them that this movie, that they have worked so hard on for so long, is able to surprise and thrill audiences in the way it was meant to.

Therefore, I imagine Marvel and the Russos have kept the circle of trust as small as they could, which I expect means that Tom Holland and Mark Ruffalo have not yet had the privilege of seeing Avengers: Endgame. But even the secrets that the actors do know have been quite stressful to keep, as Scarlett Johansson recently lamented. It’s one thing to keep a secret between friends, it's another entirely for a massive film with a budget in the hundreds of millions and people constantly asking and trying to trick you into revealing its mysteries.

You can find out for yourself how Avengers: Endgame ends when it opens on April 26. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to see this and all the biggest movies headed your way this year.

Sorry, Kevin Conroy Isn't Voicing Batman For Shazam!

Sorry, Kevin Conroy Isn't Voicing Batman For Shazam!

The long awaited second trailer for Shazam! debuted last week, and in it there is a fun moment where Shazam throws a large Batman doll at Mark Strong’s Doctor Sivana. The toy delivers the Dark Knight’s trademark line “I’m Batman!”, and some fans excitedly thought that it was Batman: The Animated Series actor Kevin Conroy whose voice they were hearing. Sorry, but sadly, that is not the case, as director David F. Sandberg explained:

I hate to disappoint but it’s sound designer/supervisor Bill Dean getting to live out his dream of being Batman.

In his response to a fan’s query on Reddit, David F. Sandberg cleared up the issue of who is voicing the Batman doll in the Shazam! trailer, revealing that despite fan speculation, it is not Kevin Conroy, the iconic voice of the Caped Crusader throughout numerous television shows, animated movies and video games. Instead, Shazam! sound designer and supervising sound editor Bill R. Dean got to lend his own dulcet tones to the character.

By the sound of it, Bill Dean has long dreamt of being Batman (who hasn’t?), and this gave him the opportunity to forever have his voice attached to the superhero, albeit a toy version of him. It is also perhaps the highest compliment you could give someone doing a Batman voice to mistake them for Kevin Conroy.

So on top of living out his dream of being Batman in this small way, Bill Dean should be quite proud of himself, knowing that his “I’m Batman!” sounded like the most iconic voice ever attached to the character. It’s also quite cool of David F. Sandberg to let him have some fun and deliver this line.

Admittedly, it would have been awesome to have Kevin Conroy lend his voice to the Batman toy as a fun Easter egg in Shazam!, but this is presumably the only time the Batman voice is used in the film, so it would have been unnecessary.

Although, it’s a pity that Matt Reeves hasn’t cast his Batman yet, because one fun idea would have been to have the new actor playing Batman in his film say the iconic line and let audiences spend the next couple of years trying to figure out who it was.

While Kevin Conroy isn’t voicing the Batman toy in Shazam!, you can still hear his Bruce Wayne in a movie this year. Justice League vs The Fatal Five is the latest DC animated universe film and it reunites Kevin Conroy’s Caped Crusader with some other voices from the beloved Justice League animated series, George Newbern’s Superman and Susan Eisenberg’s Wonder Woman. Justice League vs The Fatal Five releases digitally on March 30 and on home video on April 16.

Shazam! bolts into theaters on April 5 and the early reactions to the film are very positive. Check out our 2019 release schedule to keep track of all the biggest movies headed to theaters this year.

How Triple Frontier’s Action Scenes Differ From The Norm, According To Ben Affleck

How Triple Frontier’s Action Scenes Differ From The Norm, According To Ben Affleck

When considering a film like Netflix’s latest action drama Triple Frontier, you can begin to form a picture of what you’d expect the film to do pretty easily. But believe it or not, writer/director J.C. Chandor’s film defies expectations, as it’s both a riveting character study as well as a vehicle for kick-ass action. And it’s the line between the two that makes this film's more active scenes really sing, as Ben Affleck explained to CinemaBlend in an interview during the film’s press day. Affleck’s thoughts were as follows:

One of the nice things about J.C. [Chandor], in his directing, is that it’s always really based in sort of the characters and what they would do. So it never felt to me like it veered into experiences I’ve had where it became really compartmentalized, just about where you’re holding the gun and where’s the explosion and stuff. He managed to do, I thought, really gripping, compelling kinds of action scenes out of stuff where you’re always rooted in what the character’s thinking, what they want to do, what their conflict is. That was really a new way of doing it for me, and I really liked it.

Ben Affleck is certainly no stranger to action, as his career has taken him through several stunt-laden films; most recently seeing him as the DCEU’s former Batman in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League. So hearing his take on how the action of Triple Frontier differs from that of a big budget comic book movie is quite enlightening.

In particular, Ben Affleck’s response has the potential to really make the audience think about what they’re watching in Triple Frontier. When one would expect merely an adrenaline soaked action explosion, what results is a film that bursts with action but then turns the flame down to a slow burn, reveling in the fallout. So naturally, the action and the drama need to blend well together, and in order to really do that, there has to be a common thread.

That thread is the character’s purpose, something that Triple Frontier never loses sight of. So to have action scenes that root each actor within their character’s purpose at all times really binds the film as tightly as the actors did during the filming process. The result is a film that takes on a satisfying amount of depth when telling its story.

Listening to Ben Affleck talk about how the action in J.C. Chandor’s Netflix blockbuster differs from that of a stock action film is pretty damned exciting. As you can see in the video below, discussing Chandor’s approach to the material appeals to not only his skills as an actor, but also that of a fellow writer/director. The resulting discussion is nothing short of impressive:

Action films obviously don’t need to lack drama to work, and drama films can also have enough action in them in order to keep things exciting. That’s the attitude of Triple Frontier and all involved, and the film is a rewarding experience because of it. If you’re interested in experiencing it for yourself, you can see the film in theaters now, or you can catch it on Netflix streaming on March 13th.