Bond 25 Is Already Breaking New Ground For The Franchise

Bond 25 Is Already Breaking New Ground For The Franchise

The James Bond franchise is one of the longest running in history, but there are things even it has never done before. However, the new film, the 25th in the series, is breaking new ground by becoming the fist in the series to shoot scenes on IMAX cameras. Director Cary Fukunaga confirmed the use of the cameras designed for the large format screen via Instagram.

The comment from the director that "some days" are IMAX days confirms previous reports that only some of the new James Bond film will be shot on IMAX cameras, but that's par for the course for your average blockbuster these days. While IMAX cameras are getting used more and more, it's largely only for specific sequences that can take full advantage of the format.

If you're a fan of the IMAX format, or James Bond, and especially if you're a fan of both, this will likely be great news. Large format screens like IMAX take the normal theatrical experience and amplify it to an entirely new level. While many modern blockbuster movies can be, and are, formatted to an IMAX screen, using a camera designed for that screen makes the experience noticeably better.

While the IMAX cameras might be new for James Bond, they're not new for cinematographer Linus Sandgren. The man in charge of filming Bond 25 was also the man behind the camera of First Man, which used IMAX cameras to film the iconic moon walking scenes, which we can all agree were the best parts of that movie.

Of course, while we can now be sure that the action sequences will look amazing in the new James Bond movie, we still have no idea what any of them could be. The main cast of the new film, which will include Rami Malek as the villain, was recently confirmed, but that's nearly all we know.

The basic plot of Bond 25 will see James coming out of retirement to assist his old friend CIA agent Felix Lighter in a search for a missing scientist.

James Bond has been the home to some of the most memorable action sequences in the history of film. In the Daniel Craig era alone we have had fantastic foot chases, hand-to-hand fights, gun battles, and car chases. Each new film in the series has to try to take things to the next level and while it's not always easy, it's almost always worth watching.

I don't often go to IMAX movies but part of the reason for that is that it doesn't always seem all that necessary. However, when a movie uses IMAX cameras to shoot it usually means there's a vision for a particular sequence that requires them. If there's a reason to film in IMAX, then there's probably also a reason to view the finished product in IMAX.

Are you more likely to see Bond 25 in IMAX knowing it was filmed that way? Let us know in the poll below.

Dark Phoenix Will Have Two New Characters, One Being A Hellfire Club Nod

Dark Phoenix Will Have Two New Characters, One Being A Hellfire Club Nod

While still not officially confirmed, it’s looking like Dark Phoenix will be the end of the main X-Men film series that began in 2000. Still, this saga looks to be wrapping things up with a bang through its new adaptation of The Dark Phoenix Saga that bares little resemblance to 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand. Among the many differences in Dark Phoenix is the introduction of two new characters, Selene and Red Lotus, with Selene being a nod to the Hellfire Club, the organization that played an integral role in Jean Grey being corrupted into Dark Phoenix. Here’s what director Simon Kinberg had to say about Selene’s inclusion:

One of the characters is based on a character from the comic, and the other character is sort of an amalgam of different characters from the comic and inspired by different characters. The one that’s from the comic is Selene, which is a little bit of a nod to the Hellfire Club. It’s obviously a huge part of the original Dark Phoenix Saga in the comics, and it’s not something we really explore in this film. I wanted to have something that would at least be an homage to that, and it’s also a character I always thought was cool and cool-looking.

For those unfamiliar with X-Men comic book lore, the Hellfire Club was introduced in 1980’s Uncanny X-Men #129, and with the organization’s Inner Circle at the time consisting of Sebastian Shaw, Emma Frost, Harry Leland, Donald Pierce and Jason Wyngarde, a.k.a. Mastermind. Mastermind slowly manipulated Jean Grey into doing his bidding on behalf of the Hellfire Club, but she eventually broke free of his control and went on her infamous reign of terror, which included consuming a star. The Hellfire Club was introduced to the big screen in 2011’s X-Men: First Class, but following the death of Kevin Bacon’s Shaw, it hasn’t been seen or referenced since in that universe (presumably it collapsed). Still, Simon Kinberg decided to use Selene as a stand-in for the organization during this latest exploration of Jean’s fall from grace.

Selene is played by Kota Eberhardt in Dark Phoenix, and Simon Kinberg told CinemaBlend’s own Eric Eisenberg at WonderCon that although she’s a brand-new actress, he saw her audition tape and found her to be “really interesting.” Since Selene doesn’t have a lot of screen time in Dark Phoenix, the person who would play her needed to be “striking,” and Eberhardt was deemed the right woman for the job.

As for Red Lotus, he’s played by Andrew Stehlin, but don’t expect him to be an exact copy of how he is depicted in the comics. Simon Kinberg continued:

And then the other character is a character that, like I said, is sort of a combination of different mutants and an original creation. And that’s played by, actually, a guy who’s one of our stuntmen, and he was originally doing the stunt choreography and the coordination for it. And I was looking at him, and I was like, not only is he so good at doing the action, which is primarily what that character does in this film, but also he’s just very interesting-looking. And it turns out he can act as well, ‘cause he’s got a couple lines in the movie.

Simon Kinberg also noted that Red Lotus’ braids are connected to his powers, so some of the time the braids is real and other times they’re CGI. We have yet to learn how Selene and Red Lotus will be brought into the Dark Phoenix proceedings, but as you can see in the image at the top of the page, they will be affiliated with Magneto, perhaps indicating that they share his sentiment that Jean Grey is beyond saving and needs to be eliminated before she gets too out of control.

Dark Phoenix arrives in theaters on June 7, so keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates on the project. For now, check out our 2019 release schedule to learn what other movies are coming out this year.

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile Writer Explains Why The Netflix Movie Has No Actual Murder

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile Writer Explains Why The Netflix Movie Has No Actual Murder

Netflix’s Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile is centered on an infamous Ted Bundy who confessed to 30 murders across the United States before being sent to the electric chair for his crimes. If you’ve seen the film starring Zac Efron though, you know it doesn’t classify as the gory slasher one might expect from a movie tracing the serial killer’s life.

This was intentional and there’s a good reason why. Here’s how the film’s writer Michael Werwie explained that creative choice:

I was compelled by all of the mundane domestic details of his life and I thought an interesting way into a serial killer's story would be to show no serial killing at all. I wanted to explore the love story of it all. This is more of a human side of the story. It’s about the people who had an emotional connection to Ted Bundy. This is about seduction, betrayal and it’s also about the truth. The emotional side of the story is what makes the movie different than the documentary.

While many movies of this subject matter have focused on the shocking crimes themselves, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile is a study of the killer’s life outside his infamous murders. The film tells the story from the way his longtime girlfriend, Elizabeth “Liz” Kloepfer, learned of his dark psyche. They met at a bar in 1969, fell in love and lived out a happy life with her daughter for many years before news of his crimes surfaced. Some have accused the film of glamorizing the killer but it’s telling the story through the eyes of someone who loved him.

Lily Collins, who plays Liz in the film and director Joe Berlinger visited Kloepfer prior to shooting the film. Berlinger said looking through the photo albums of skiing trips, camping and birthday parties that reminded him of his own memorabilia cemented the film’s direction to be from the perspective of Bundy’s home life with Liz.

The director had recently explored all the gruesome details of Bundy’s crimes in his documentary Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes and wanted to go in another direction for the feature film. In his words to THR:

Conversations is much more of a clinical dissection of the terrible things he did. This movie is an emotional unwrapping of the level to which he was able to deceive, not just Elizabeth Kloepfer, but the American media that kind of made him into a perverse folk hero and the American judicious system.

The film also shows how the courts where Ted Bundy was being tried was lenient with him because of his clean-cut look and charisma. Bundy was allowed to represent himself as a defense attorney. He escaped from prison twice because of how careless the security was about him. Berlinger noted that if he’d been a person of color he wouldn’t have been able to get away with so much with the justice system that he did.

If the perspective was shifted to one full of violence and slaughters, the audience wouldn’t get the view of Ted Bundy everyone around him had. It’s not until the end when Liz accepts his crimes and confronts him in prison to confess to him do we see a moment of Bundy being capable of brutality on screen.

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile is available to stream on Netflix now, along with these new titles coming to the platform this month.

Avengers: Endgame Writer Is Teasing Big Changes After Phase Three

Avengers: Endgame Writer Is Teasing Big Changes After Phase Three

While Avengers: Endgame is barely over a month away, we still have no idea what's going to happen to the Marvel Cinematic Universe after it's over. Yes, we're going to get a Spider-Man movie, but how will the events of Endgame change the characters and stories we're going to get in Phase Four of the MCU? We don't really know the answer yet, but one of Avengers: Endgame's writers wants us all to know those changes are going to be real and they're going to be big. According to Christopher Markus...

The MCU continues to exist. What happens to be in it is a fluid and evolving thing where, because it's all connected, you can't reboot one. All the parts have to work together. Things continue, but like life, losses are real, and change is real.

We have some expectations of what some of the big changes that are coming will be. Certain actors are set to leave the MCU and as such those characters may die or be written off in some other way. Maybe the hero and the costume will live on being worn by another, maybe not. However, if you were expecting things to largely go back to something resembling "normal" once these few changes happen, Christopher Markus' statement would seem to discount that idea.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe was an attempt to take the long term continuity and crossover aspects of the comic book world into the cinema. In the comics, while each character is largely left to their own devices most of the time, things do happen in one part of the world that can have repercussions on others. The MCU, because there are far fewer movies than there are issues of comic books, feels these changes in a much greater way.

However, Markus' comments to Empire would seem to spotlight one major place where the MCU and comics differ. It's an area I had wondered about myself previously. In the comics, while things do go through major upheaval from time to time, the world always returns to the status quo eventually. Steve Rogers has died and lost his powers at different points and others have taken up the shield, but eventually Steve Rogers is Captain America once again. That's not going to happen in the MCU.

Whatever changes we see at the end of Phase Three, as Christopher Markus says, will be real. If Steve Rogers dies in Avengers: Endgame, he's almost certainly going to stay dead. If Robert Downey Jr. is too expensive to keep in the MCU now, that's not going to change in the future. And at some point these actors will simply not want to return to these roles, even if they're offered all the money in the world. Eventually, these characters will change for good and there will be no return to the status quo.

While this is, on the one hand, going to be frustrating for those that lose their favorite heroes, it's also incredibly exciting. Major, real change in a persistent universe is something that Marvel has never really tried in the comics. How well will it all work? What new exciting characters or major changes to existing ones could happen that will take stories in entirely new directions? We'll begin to find out very soon.

Marvel's The Eternals Is Adding Angelina Jolie

Marvel's The Eternals Is Adding Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie is no stranger to big action movie roles, with Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Wanted being some of the most significant titles on her resume, and it looks like she is now ready to join her first superhero franchise - specifically the Marvel Cinematic Universe. According to new reports, the actress is now in talks to join the cast of The Eternals, albeit in an unknown role.

This news comes to us from The Hollywood Reporter, which sadly doesn't have a ton of info about the film beyond the fact that Angelina Jolie is now signing up to be a part of it. The project is set up to be directed by Chloe Zhao (The Rider), and it is said that the story will be a centuries-spanning romance that centers on the titular near-immortal beings and their monstrous genetic relatives, the Deviants. The two lead characters will be the cosmic energy-powered Ikaris, and the powerful sorceress Sersi - though it's unclear if either of these roles will ultimately belong to Jolie.

Given her stature in the movie industry both as an actor and as a director, rumors have been swirling around for years connecting Angelina Jolie to superhero film projects. One of the most prominent stories that stuck around for a while was the idea that she was on the short list to potentially helm Captain Marvel, but obviously that gig wound up going to Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. We'll just have to wait and see what it was about The Eternals that made Jolie want to be a part of the franchise.

What adds yet another layer of mystique to this development is the fact that Angelina Jolie doesn't really do a ton of live-action performing anymore. Later this year we will get to see her back up on the big screen in the sequel Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil, but it will be the first time we've seen her in the medium since 2015's By The Sea. Her career has been much more focused on the directing side of things, so it makes one wonder about the particular allure of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (assuming that it's more than money). She does have six children between the ages of 10 and 17, so it's entirely possible that The Eternals is a film she wants to make because her kids are fans of the brand.

Right now the state of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's future is a bit hazy, as Marvel Studios isn't announcing any official plans until this summer. That being said, it's been reported that The Eternals could be going into production some time later this year, meaning that it could wind up with one of the three 2020 release dates that the franchise currently has carved out. If that's the case, it's very likely that we will be hearing more casting reports soon, so stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for all the latest updates.

Avatar 2 Cast List: All The Confirmed Heroes And Villains

Avatar 2 Cast List: All The Confirmed Heroes And Villains

For the longest time, it seemed as if those Avatar sequels were going to be the sorts of movies that languished in development hell forever. However, over the last few months the wheels have begun to actually turn, and now it appears that these movies may actually happen.

Part of the reason this now seems real is because of all the actors that have signed on to the project. Several members of the first film's cast are returning, and even more new characters have also been announced by director James Cameron and his producers. Where do we currently stand? Here's a look at everybody who has a confirmed appearance in Avatar 2. On to Pandora!

Sigourney Weaver/Dr. Grace Augustine

It's not exactly clear how Sigourney Weaver will appear in Avatar 2, as her character of Dr. Grace Augustine died during the events of the first film. Whether Grace will somehow come back, likely in her Na'vi avatar body, or will exist as some other entity isn't entirely clear. Her consciousness may still exist inside the Tree of Souls, even though we were led to believe that process failed. However it will work, Weaver has been attached to this one since back when we still weren't sure if this movie was going to happen.

Sam Worthington/Jake Sully

Once upon a time, Sam Worthington looked to be the next big thing in action movies with roles in films like Terminator Salvation and the Clash of the Titans remake. While those franchises have faded away, Avatar is still here, and thus, Worthington will be back on the big screen in a big way. Once human, but now existing entirely inside his Na'vi Avatar, every indication is that Jake Sully will be our lead character once again. While the plot of the new film is still mostly unknown, we know that Avatar 2 will see Sully and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) with children.

Zoe Saldana/Neytiri

Neytiri was the primary member of the Na'vi that the first Avatar focused on. She became the love interest for Jake and was the one responsible for showing him the ways of the Na'vi. Saldana's star was on the rise when the first Avatar came out, much like Worthington, but unlike him, she has become a serious movie star in the ensuing years. Still, Saldana clearly loves her work on Avatar and seems to be excited to be going back for the sequel. Much like Sigourney Weaver, she's been talking about going back ever since the sequels were first rumored.

Stephen Lang/Colonel Miles Quaritch

Another member of the "dead, but apparently not" club. Stephen Lang's Colonel Miles Quaritch seemingly perished in the battle of Pandora at the end of the first film, and yet, he's apparently set to be the primary antagonist of the story going forward, as the word is he will be in all the forthcoming sequels. All. Of. Them. Lang is a great actor and so we don't really have a problem with his return, as long as it makes some sort of justifiable sense. Apparently, even Lang didn't originally believe James Cameron's concept for bringing him back

Kate Winslet/Ronal

The most recent addition to the Avatar 2 cast is a name familiar to James Cameron fans, as he'll be reuniting with Kate Winslet (Titanic) for at least one movie. We know the name of her character is Ronal, but that's about the extent of it. Whether she plays a human or Na'vi, or whether that Na'vi is from the jungle or the reef, is unknown. Still, we're certainly looking forward to seeing these two Hollywood greats work together again.

Joel David Moore/Norm Spellman

Joel David Moore played the role of Norm Spellman, who became Jake Sully's friend, after previously being friends with his deceased twin brother Tom, and who ended up fighting alongside Jake in an Avatar at the end of the film. Eventually, Spellman lost the link to his Avatar but was allowed to stay on Pandora after all the other humans were kicked off the planet. This possibly makes him one of the few 100% human characters who will even be in this movie, as most everybody else who is confirmed is going to be big and blue.

CCH Pounder/Mo'at

Mo'at was the Na'vi spiritual leader in the first Avatar and was one of the key characters in Na'vi society that we met along with Neytiri's father who was the village chief. As the keeper of the Tree of Souls, Mo'at will probably have plenty to do, what with all the dead people who somehow still have roles in this movie. Since everything we know says the sequel will take us to new places on the planet, there's a good chance Mo'at's knowledge will lead the way. CCH Pounder was perfectly cast in the role before so it's great to know she's coming back.

Jamie Flatters/Neteyam

Jamie Flatters is one of a whole collection of young actors who will be bringing entirely new characters to life in Avatar 2, and, one assumes, all the sequels. Flatters will play Neteyam, the firstborn son of Jake and Neytiri. At this point, that's about all we know about the character, but the fact that Neteyam is the oldest of several children of the pair shows that quite some time will have passed since the first film when Avatar 2 picks up. The fact that so many young actors will be in the movie at all tells us they'll likely be important.

Britain Dalton/Lo'ak

Jake and Neytiri's second child is named Lo'ak and will be played by the young Britain Dalton. Dalton will be known to viewers of the Amazon series Goliath, starring Billy Bob Thornton, but he may also sound familiar to fans of the Uncharted video game series as he voiced the young Nathan Drake in the most recent title, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. We have no details about this character beyond his birth order and his name. While Lo'ak is the second of three children, he is the youngest son.

Trinity Bliss/Tuktirey

Jake and Neytiri's youngest child is their only daughter, Tuktirey. Tuk (as she is often called) will be played by Trinity Bliss. Bliss will be making her screen debut in Avatar 2, which means that we know more about the character she'll be playing than we do the actress herself. Of course, "youngest child of the Sully family" is all we know about the character, so we're at a loss either way. Tuk is one of only two girls among the currently announced child actors, which could indicate a bond between her and the other one.

Cliff Curtis/Tonowari

The first big name added to the cast of Avatar 2 and its following sequels was Fear the Walking Dead's Cliff Curtis. He will play the role of Tonowari, the leader of Pandora's reef people. Pandora's oceans are expected to play a major part in the new film, though whether the reef people, called the Metkayina, are entirely friend or foe is not clear. Curtis is reportedly signed for all the sequels, so we're guessing they'll be allies eventually joining forces against Colonel Quaritch. Tonowari and Jake Sully will have some things in common as they both have kids in this movie.

Filip Geljo/Aonung

The Metkayina people have a collection of young actors joining their cast as well. Those with small children might recognize Filip Gejio as a member of the PBS children's series The Odd Squad, but in Avatar 2 he'll take the role of Aonung, a young hunter and free diver, and also the son of the Metkayina clan leader, which would seem to make him the son of Cliff Curtis' Tonowari, unless there's more than one clan among the reef people of Pandora. We'd expect Aonung will probably interact a lot with the Sully kids, as they all have fairly important parents.

Bailey Bass/Tsireya

The next actor joining the cast as a young member of the Metkayina is Bailey Bass (front and center in the image above), in the role of Tsireya. Reya, as she'll apparently be known, is described as a graceful and strong free diver, a skill which seems to be key to the Metkayina way of life, as every young actor who has been cast has the same skill. This will only be Bass' second film role to date, so she's made quite a leap from relative obscurity to one of the biggest film franchises ever.

Duane Evans Jr./Roxto

Duane Evans Jr. will play, the last of our six new roles, another young hunter and free diver of the Metkayina, named Roxto. Evans will be recognizable to residents of New Zealand for his recurring role on the primetime soap opera Shortland Street, but this will most certainly be his debut to the rest of the world. Beyond Roxto's skills as a hunter and diver, we don't know much about him. But there's plenty of time to discover who all these kids are before the film comes out.

Matt Gerald/Corporal Lyle Wainfleet

And then there's the third actor who's character died in the first Avatar and yet will somehow return for all the sequels. You'd be forgiven for not remembering Corporal Lyle Wainfleet from the first movie. He wasn't given a great deal of focus the first time around, until he was trampled to death by native Pandoran wildlife. And yet, somehow, he'll be back. We're sure whatever method allows him to be alive is similar to how everybody else will return who was once dead. If only we knew what that was.

Oona Chaplain/Varang

Game of Thrones fans will recognize Oona Chaplain as the wife of Rob Stark, but for her next big role, she'll probably live longer, as the actress has been cast in the role of Varang in all of the Avatar sequels. Who is Varang? She's a "strong and vibrant central character" according to sources, but who the heck knows what that means. The fact that she only has one name would indicate she'll be Na'vi, but beyond that? The wife of the Metkayina chief perhaps? Hopefully, she won't attend any weddings.

Jack Champion/Javier 'Spider' Socorro

Finally, we have the last of our young actors, Jack Champion in the role of Javier 'Spider' Socorro. Champion's role is unique for several reasons. Not the least of which being that he plays a human being. He plays a human born at Hell's Gate, but one who prefers his time spent in the rainforests of Pandora. At this point, Spider is the only new human character that we have entirely confirmed, which at least promises that there will be some in the new film.

Jemaine Clement/Dr. Ian Garvin

In May of 2019 the newest addition to the cast of the Avatar sequels was announced. Flight of the Conchords' Jemaine Clement was revealed to be playing a character by the name of Dr. Ian Garvin. Garvin is a marine biologist, which makes sense since we know that Avatar 2 is a movie that will focus on the oceans of the alien planet. It also appears, based on the phrasing of the announcement, that Clement will be around for all of the sequels as well.

How Godzilla: King Of Monsters Is Different Than Other Movies In The Franchise

How Godzilla: King Of Monsters Is Different Than Other Movies In The Franchise

After traveling back to 1973 to tell King Kong’s take in Kong: Skull Island, the MonsterVerse is jumping back to the present day this summer for Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Due to the events of 2014’s Godzilla, the public now aware of the Titans’ existence, and King of the Monsters will see more of these giant beasts awakening to wreak havoc on the world. But monsters are just one half of the equation in these kaiju movies. There are also the human players directly involved, and according to King of the Monsters star Vera Farmiga, a big way this sequel distinguishes itself from its predecessors is that it places a mother/daughter relationship front and center. In Farmiga’s words:

The previous Godzilla really focused on the relationship of a father and a son. At the heart of our film is this relationship between a mother and daughter.

Obviously the main draw of these types of movies is to see monsters battling one another, but the human stories also help keep the narrative grounded, so to speak. In Godzilla, the relationship between Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Ford Brody and his father Joe, played by Bryan Cranston, was explored during the first half of the movie, and for the sequel, we get to see Vera Farmiga’s Dr. Emma Russell interacting with her daughter Madison, played by Millie Bobby Brown. Emma’s ex-husband and Madison’s father, Kyle Chandler’s Dr. Mark Russell, will also appear in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, but as Farmiga told Syfy Wire, it’s Emma and Madison’s relationship will get a lot of attention.

Godzilla didn’t have much time to focus on Ford and Joe Brody’s dynamic since Joe died after the awakening of the first MUTO, but it doesn’t look like Godzilla: King of the Monsters will repeat that formula. The sequel sees Emma and Madison Russell being kidnapped by a mysterious organization, presumably due to Emma’s work on communicating with and possibly controlling the Titans. Strangely, though, the first King of the Monsters trailer framed Emma as a seemingly willing participant in whatever this group has planned, and both Madison and Mark expressing disappointment and disgust at her actions, although admittedly, it could just look that way thanks to how the preview was edited.

Either way, Emma and Madison will be among the main human characters getting the spotlight in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and since the previous MonsterVerse movies, let alone most monsters movies, don’t highlighted mother/daughter relationships, this makes for a nice change of pace. That said, while both Millie Bobby Brown and Kyle Chandler are confirmed to appear in Godzilla vs. Kong, Vera Farmiga has not been announced as part of that cast. It’s possible that Farmiga’s involvement either hasn’t been cemented or she’ll have a smaller role in the fourth MonsterVerse entry, but perhaps, just like how Ford Brody lost his father, Madison will lose her mother during King of the Monsters. That’d be tragic, but in the MonsterVerse, tragedy comes in large supply.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters rampages into theaters on May 31, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for continuing coverage. Don’t forget to look through our 2019 release schedule to learn what other movies are coming out this year.