Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Director Has An Idea For A Prequel

Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Director Has An Idea For A Prequel

The Godzilla franchise has had a long history in theaters, dating all the way back to 1954. The behemoth title character has continued to be a pop culture icon in the decades since its debut, and the franchise returns to theaters shortly. Godzilla: King of the Monsters marks the whopping 35th installment in the property, and the blossoming MonsterVerse will presumably only continue to grow in the next few years.

Krampus director Michael Dougherty is helming King of the Monsters, which will pick up on a narrative that started with 2014's Godzilla. Dougherty had to balance a ton of god-sized titans in his upcoming Godzilla movie, as the title character dukes it out with a ton of franchise favorites. And the director's already got some ideas for another addition to the franchise: a prequel. Dougherty recently opened up about this concept, saying:

I like the idea of going back in time and telling creatures' stories from different eras. Skull Island was set in the '70s, but personally I'd like to do Godzilla B.C., go back to ancient times and really see the Ray Harryhausen-esque world where primitive humans had to try to survive with these creatures. Maybe we'd get to see the first time mankind truly encountered Godzilla, and get to see how that relationship was christened.

Well, this is an awesome idea. The Godzilla franchise may be going strong for decades, but there are still plenty of narrative possibilities for the MonserVerse to mine. And that includes an origin story for the beast in ancient times.

Michael Dougherty's comments to SFX Magazine (via JoBlo) are sure to excite the generations of Godzilla fans out there. The big green guy has battled a ton of foes throughout his time on the big screen, but we've never seen Godzilla in such early stages of mankind. It would add a unique dynamic to the dynamic between humans and the monster, and break new ground for the property as a whole.

When one thinks of Godzilla, typically moviegoers picture the title character laying waste to a city, and probably fighting another iconic kaiju. But it would be a new twist to see him back in ancient times, without any skyscrapers to destroy. Instead, Godzilla would be be given the space for his behemoth body-- one that only continues to grow in the MonsterVerse.

Related: Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Director Relates His Sequel To Aliens

It would also be fun to see how primitive humans would interact with such a creature. Rather than involving the military or the Monarch Organization, man would be left to their wits when trying to survive the kaiju's wrath. It's a new direction for the franchise to go, although it's unclear whether or not Michael Dougherty's prequel idea will ever come to fruition.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters will arrive in theaters on May 31st. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Mark Hamill Went Above And Beyond To Make Chucky Special In The New Child's Play

Mark Hamill Went Above And Beyond To Make Chucky Special In The New Child's Play

Mark Hamill may be best known for his onscreen role as the heroic Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise, but he is also a prolific voice actor who has voiced great villains over the years like Firelord Ozai in Avatar: The Last Airbender and Batman’s nemesis, the Joker, in DC’s animated movies and series. Now he is lending his voice to another iconic character, this one belonging to the horror genre, Child’s Play’s Chucky.

CinemaBlend’s own Eric Eisenberg spoke with Seth Grahame-Smith, one of the producers on the upcoming reboot/remake of Child’s Play in an exclusive interview, and he spoke about how Mark Hamill really went above and beyond to make his Chucky special. Seth said:

Not only was he into it, he really started wanting to talk to us a lot about it from a standpoint of creating a character, and he wanted to do it as an acting challenge. And when we showed up the first day and the first recording session, he had watched all seven of the original movies, and he had sort of written a whole series of notes about his progression through the character, and development of voice. And then he showed us some of the voices he was developing. It was insane. He really jumped into it like a serious acting challenge.

Wow, Mark Hamill was not messing around, he really approached Chucky with all the preparation that he would a live-action character and perhaps more so. Seth Grahame-Smith sounds as though he was both surprised and impressed at how Mark Hamill viewed the role as an acting challenge, and the level of homework that he put in to develop the voice for Chucky.

Even before he had recorded a single line of dialogue, Mark Hamill had already watched all of the films in the Child’s Play/Chucky franchise and was working on multiple voices for his iteration of the character. All of this for a killer doll; that’s what you get with a true pro voice actor like Mark Hamill.

I guess it should be unsurprising he puts this much thought into his characters given how vocal he has been about the direction of Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy. He isn't just reading a script, he has an idea in his head of who his characters are and what their story should be. All that hard work paid off too, as Seth Grahame-Smith continued:

And we're still actually doing the last little records right around now, and I'm star-struck every time I'm in his presence. I can't believe that I'm in a recording booth with Mark Hamill. But that goes away really quickly when he starts to do the Chucky voice and match to picture. He becomes that character. And I think that like everything we're trying to do, there's a difference, right? You're not imitating Brad [Dourif]. That would be insane, and not respectful. I think cast-wise, voice-wise, we couldn't have done better in terms of the people that we attracted to the movie.

It sounds like Mark Hamill knew that he had the unenviable task of taking on an iconic character that already has a signature voice. Mark Hamill obviously wasn’t going to try and imitate Brad Dourif who has voiced Chucky in all the previous films and is the voice of Chucky to this point.

With that in mind, Mark Hamill really wanted to put his own spin on Chucky and work hard to make sure that this new Chucky was memorable and unique and that he sounded the way he does for a reason that is informed by his character.

This makes sense too considering that the Chucky in the new Child’s Play isn’t a doll with the spirit of a serial killer in him. This new Chucky is more a Black Mirror-esque killer A.I. that turns smart home products into tools to kill. So he should have his own unique voice and Mark Hamill took that responsibility very seriously.

We haven’t heard (or seen) much from Mark Hamill’s Chucky in the trailers so far, and they seem to be really building him up. If Seth Grahame-Smith’s comments are anything to go by, the famous actor disappeared and really became Chucky for Child's Play. And given Mark Hamill’s track record, we have no reason to doubt that he will be a worthy torchbearer for this horror icon.

Child’s Play slashes its way into theaters on June 21. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to see all the movies headed your way as we enter the summer movie season.

Watch Robert Downey Jr. Wrap On Avengers: Endgame

Watch Robert Downey Jr. Wrap On Avengers: Endgame

If the conclusion of Avengers: Endgame had us all kinds of emotional, imagine how the cast felt experiencing these scenes firsthand and saying their goodbyes to an end of an era. That's especially the case with Robert Downey Jr. He kicked off this whole saga eleven years ago with Iron Man and was able to explore Tony Stark in nine other appearances in Marvel films right up to the end.

Though he doesn’t find the words to express it, RDJ took to Instagram to be a bit sentimental and share the day he wrapped his Iron Man role for Endgame. Check it out below:

I love this 3000. While Robert Downey Jr. admits he’s “got a lot of feelings” about the milestone while at the set at Pinewood Studios in Atlanta, instead of going into a speech about it, he took a note from his co-star Chris Evans and said he’d save it for social media. The massive crew cheered as Downey reached for hugs for some of them, including Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, Marvel producer Trinh Tran and directors Joe and Anthony Russo.

Katherine Langford and Tom Holland were also among the crowd in the wrap video. Langford was cast in the film as an older version of Tony’s daughter Morgan in a cut Endgame scene. When the hero snaps using the Infinity Gauntlet at the end of the film, he was originally going to enter the metaphysical way station that Thanos enters in Infinity War to reunite with Gamora, only Tony would see the older version of Morgan.

The scene didn’t make it into the film because test audiences didn’t resonate with it as much as the Russos had envisioned. Considering Katherine Langford’s attendance, perhaps it was one of the last scenes Robert Downey Jr shot? Tom Holland’s presence also could mean the Iron Man actor shared a scene or two with Spider-Man before wrapping the role. Perhaps it was of this emotional hug he also released on his social media a few days ago.

While this is the wrap video, this moment probably wasn’t Robert Downey Jr’s official last hurrah as the hero. The actor returned for reshoots, which included adding his big line in the film “I am Iron Man.” The memorable scene almost didn’t happen because Downey originally didn’t want to say it. He was thankfully talked into it and it rounded out his storyline nicely.

Since the spoiler ban was lifted by the Russos last week, many of the Avengers: Endgame actors have also taken to social media to share their “illegal videos” on the set of the movie during its most iconic moments. It brought just about everyone in the cast together in a culmination that won’t happen the same way again.

Avengers: Endgame is currently in theaters, approaching its fourth weekend at the box office and has yet to be dethroned for the top weekend spot.

What's The Deal With Peggy Carter In Avengers: Endgame?

What's The Deal With Peggy Carter In Avengers: Endgame?

Avengers: Endgame has been said to be a culmination of the MCU thus far, particularly for Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man and Chris Evans’ Captain America, and because of this fans are likely expecting to gain some closure for the heroes. (Especially if and as they exit the franchise and hand off Avengers leadership to Captain Marvel). The most recent trailer for the highly-anticipated MCU Phase Three flick highlights these heroes, even giving us nostalgic black-and-white flashbacks to their pasts. Which, yes, even means Peggy Carter was brought into the fold.

The attention to Tony Stark in the Avengers: Endgame trailer was unsurprising since we knew from previous footage he will be sending a heartfelt message to Pepper Potts as his oxygen runs low in space. In the latest look, when it came to the segment devoted to Steve Rogers, his tragic love story with the late Peggy Carter was the focus, even featuring a voiceover from her from Captain America: Winter Soldier saying these words as a flashback of Cap holding up her casket was shown onscreen. Here's the quote in question:

The world hasn’t changed. None of us can go back. All we can do is our best and sometimes the best we can do is to start over.

Peggy told Steve this in another time of uncertainty, but it may resonate with the hero more than ever. Following the events of Infinity War, he is certainly dealing with a longing to go back and save the half of the universe turned to dust thanks to Thanos’ snap. Peggy’s voice is telling Steve he can’t go back, that it’s time to start over. This time around it reads as less of a longing for the past as it does foreshadowing for the future.

In the first trailer for Endgame, the picture of Peggy that Steve Rogers had when he crashed the Hydra bomber back in the ‘40s is shown in a moment in the upcoming film when Cap looks back at it and Black Widow stands beside him, right before the pair discuss their "plan," a plan they hope will work. Why does Peggy have such a prominent focus in setup for Endgame? Will we see her again as Captain America’s story wraps up or is Marvel tugging our heartstrings without the payoff these characters deserve?

Peggy Carter was introduced in 2011’s First Avenger as Steve Rogers’ love interest, but had to leave her behind when he was chilling in some ice for 70 years. In Winter Soldier, Cap gets to visit her in her elder years, when she says those recently referenced lines, again in Age of Ultron when Cap sees an illusion of her and referenced in Civil War when she passes. Peggy is also featured in the opening scene of Ant-Man and on ABC’s Marvel television series Agent Carter and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

She is really important to Cap’s character arc. Peggy symbolizes the life he could have had and lost because of taking up the mantle of Captain America. He’s never quite felt like he could really move forward because the life he wanted was taken from him, which also plays into his story arc with Bucky Barnes. He’s been displaced by time but what if he could go back? The popular theory for Avengers: Endgame is that the Avengers will travel back in time and reverse what’s been done by Thanos, so if that’s possible, a reunion with Peggy would also be.

With Cap always going back to Peggy in his mind, she really is the last loose end for the character to move on and wrap up his eight-year storyline. Since the teasers for the film are taking the time to touch on their tragic story, one would think we haven’t seen the last of Peggy or that she will fact in somehow during Endgame. There are a few ways this could go down.

Time travel through the Quantum Realm is certainly on the table here and depending where the Avengers land, Peggy could be alive in the timeline. A reunion with Peggy back in the ‘40s could also be a favor Ant-Man drums up for Cap after they save the universe. Guys. Just imagine if Steve Rogers’ story ended with him getting to keep that date with Peggy. I would never get over it. The hero certainly deserves a happy ending or a brief moment like this if he’s going to go out, given all he’s been through in the MCU.

Maybe Cap stays in the ‘40s or another point in the past. Then again we’ve all seen Back to the Future and changing things in the past can completely change the future and there would be consequences there. In fact, Peggy Carter is pretty important to the formation of S.H.I.E.L.D., which likely wouldn't be possible if she becomes a '40s era housewife. Plus, considering many have theorized Captain America will die in Avengers: Endgame, maybe self-sacrifice will be the character’s ticket to his love and he’ll have a sequence with her in the Soulworld, as Thanos had with young Gamora at the end of Infinity War.

If Hayley Atwell is in fact returning to the MCU for Endgame, she’s great at playing coy about it -- unlike some other MCU spoiler personalities out there. There has been zero word about her joining the cast on set. Still, almost a year ago she said “I wouldn’t rule it out” when asked if she might return to the franchise. Her comments hint at the possibility, but I’d hate to sound too hopeful when it may not happen. The past could stay in the past as far as Peggy goes. And the nods to Peggy could always be part of that extra footage The Russo Brothers have admitted adding to the trailers.

Marvel could be implementing Cap’s lost love in the set up for Endgame to just get us nostalgic for Cap’s emotional story arc. Peggy could simply be symbolism for all that Cap has lost or to remember the mantra she’s told him. While it’s tempting to manipulate time travel for his personal happiness, that may not really be in Cap’s wheelhouse. He’s pretty idealistic in his decision-making and I doubt he want be a staunch advocator of disrupting the time continuum and such.

There are tons of possibilities for the end of Captain America’s time in the MCU, but we hope it includes Peggy Carter. What do you think? Will she pop up in Avengers: Endgame and how do you think it will happen? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

11 Major Ways Avengers: Endgame Has Changed The Marvel Universe Moving Forward

11 Major Ways Avengers: Endgame Has Changed The Marvel Universe Moving Forward

It goes without saying, but there are MAJOR SPOILERS for Avengers: Endgame ahead! You've been warned.

Although each Marvel Cinematic Universe story has helped the franchise move forward, some movies have obviously been more important than others. Avengers: Endgame can definitely count itself among this group, if not outright take the #1 spot, as the final installment of the Infinity Saga shifted the MCU status quo several times over by the time those three hours and two minutes were over.

Needless to say there was a lot to absorb in Avengers: Endgame, but as far as where the movie leaves thing off, here are all the ways it changed the MCU, some of which we can expect to be followed up on in the future.

Black Widow Is Dead

Natasha Romanoff, who’s been in the MCU since Iron Man 2 and was one of the founding Avengers, was the first notable casualty of Avengers: Endgame. She and Hawkeye traveled to Vormir to collect the Soul Stone, and when Red Skull, a.k.a. the Stonekeeper, informed them a soul needed to be exchanged for the orange rock, the longtime friends fought over who would give up their life.

In the end, Black Widow won out, willingly falling from that cliff so that the family she’d become a part of would finally be whole again (meaning that the reports of her upcoming standalone movie being a prequel were true). Her sacrifice wasn’t in vain, as by the end of Avengers: Endgame, all of her loved ones were back together again… well, with one big exception.

Iron Man Is Dead

Tony Stark kicked off the MCU in 2008, and 11 years later, he delivered the killing blow against past Thanos and his forces by sacrificing his life. Although it looked as though the Thanos from 2014 would get the six Infinity Stones and remake the universe from scratch, Tony managed to steal the Stones from Thanos’ gauntlet, insert them into the nanotech gauntlet Hulk used earlier and turn Thanos and his minions to dust.

Sadly, the power of the six Infinity Stones is too much for any normal human to control, and after bidding goodbye to War Machine, Spider-Man and Pepper Potts, Iron Man died. His time in the MCU is over, but his legacy won’t fade away. Tony is also survived by his young daughter Morgan, who could potentially become a more important player in this franchise years from now.

Captain America Is An Old Man

After Tony Stark’s funeral, Captain America volunteered to return the Infinity Stones back to their proper places in time. From the perspective of Hulk, Falcon and Winter Soldier, who supervised Cap’s latest journey through the Quantum Realm, he should only have been gone for several seconds, but he was nowhere to be seen. At least, not as they remembered him.

After fulfilling his task, Steve Rogers decided to use the Pym Particles one last time to travel back to the 1940s, reunite with Peggy Carter and live that happy life Tony had told him to get. Thanks to a combination of good genes and the Super Soldier Serum, the now 106-114-year old Steve was sitting on a bench near where his younger self had departed, and he had one last deed to accomplish.

Falcon Is The New Captain America

Ever since he was introduced in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Sam Wilson, a.k.a. Falcon, has been one of Steve Rogers’ closest allies, so needless to say it was great to see him return alongside everyone else who was un-dusted in Avengers: Endgame’s climax. And while Steve’s superhero journey is finished, Sam’s is turning to a new chapter.

Although Captain America’s shield was destroyed by Thanos in Avengers: Endgame, while he was living in the past, Steve Rogers somehow obtained an undamaged version of his trademark weapon. By giving the shield to Sam, the elderly Steve bestowed the Captain America mantle onto him, and while Sam was initially hesitant to fill his friend’s shoes, he graciously accepted and said he’d do his best. Count on the upcoming Falcon and Winter Soldier series on Disney+ to explore this new status quo further.

Thor Is With The Guardians Of The Galaxy

Avengers: Endgame may have closed the book on Tony Stark and Steve Rogers’ stories, but not Thor’s. The God of Thunder was hit especially hard by half the universe being dusted and spent the next five years in a funk. Fortunately, he was convinced to participate in the Time Heist, and when the climactic battle was over and the un-dusted were back, Thor finally seemed like his old self again. However, even a long-lived Asgardian needs to switch things up.

Rather than continue leading the people of New Asgard in Tønsberg, Norway, Thor appointed someone new to look after the community (more on them later) and he hitched a ride back into the cosmos with the Guardians of the Galaxy. It remains to be seen if Thor will be sticking around with the team for a while or he’s only spending short amount of time with them; if it’s the former, then that bodes well for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

It’s 2023 In The Present Day MCU

As many had speculated, time travel did indeed play a big role in Avengers: Endgame. However, rather than overwrite the events of Avengers: Infinity War entirely, Endgame instead had its heroes bring the Infinity Stones back to the present to return the dusted back to life without rewriting the last five years.

So now as far as the MCU is concerned, the ‘present day’ is 2023, and those who survived the dusting back in 2018 still have all those experiences and memories of the past five years. In other words, they’re not exactly the same as they were as when they lost their loved ones to the Thanos snap. That’ll surely provide an interesting ‘separation’ of sorts between those who lived and those who were dusted. And speaking of the people who returned to life…

The Dusted Are Now Five Years Younger Than Everyone Else

Five years passed for those who survived Thanos’ genocide, but for the people who were resurrected when Hulk channeled the power of the Infinity Stones, no time had passed at all. This was made clear when Spider-Man told Iron Man how it’d just felt like he’d passed out after getting “dusty,” unaware that it’d been half a decade since Tony Stark last saw him.

Peter Parker and those who came back to life now have to life in a universe where half the population did its best to move on. One would think this will be touched upon later this summer in Spider-Man: Far From Home, because even though it’s now 2023, Peter is still in high school with Ned, Flash Thompson and Betty Brant.

An Even Younger Gamora Is Running Around

Gamora met her demise during Avengers: Infinity War when Thanos threw her off a cliff on Vormir to obtain the Soul Stone, and that version of her remains dead. But thanks the Avengers: Endgame’s time travel shenanigans, a younger version of Gamora from the Guardians of the Galaxy era is now in the present day MCU. In other words, she’s nine years younger than she would have been if she’d survived Infinity War and live on into Endgame.

Like her original iteration, the younger Gamora turned to the light and fought against her “father” when push came to shove. However, this Gamora also doesn’t have any connection to the Guardians of the Galaxy, so once the battle was over, she bailed on everyone else. It’s likely then that part of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will see Star-Lord and the gang trying to find Gamora and convince her that she belongs with them.

Valkyrie Is Queen Of New Asgard

Valkyrie made her debut less than two years ago in Thor: Ragnarok and quickly became a fan favorite. She wasn’t anywhere to be seen in Avengers: Infinity War, but it was confirmed earlier this year that she did survive the snap. Sure enough, Valkyrie retuned for Avengers: Endgame alongside Korg and Miek, but unlike those two, she got a promotion at the end of the movie.

With Thor heading back into space following Thanos’ defeat, he appointed Valkyrie the Queen of New Asgard. She’s definitely qualified to lead the Asgardian survivors in the God of Thunder’s absence, but there’s no word yet on if/when we’ll see how she’s doing in this position, whether it’s in Thor 4, a Valkyrie series for Disney+ or elsewhere.

Professor Hulk Is Here To Stay

It’s been said for years that Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame would form a special trilogy for the Hulk, and Endgame finally delivered the resolution that many had expected. After years of Bruce Banner and Hulk fighting for control, the two merged together sometime in the five years after Infinity War. The brawn of the Hulk now lives simultaneous with the mind of Bruce. Welcome, Professor Hulk!

Avengers: Endgame also left the door open for Hulk to return to the MCU down the line, and Mark Ruffalo has at least one movie left on his six-picture deal. As of yet, it hasn’t been announced if/when Hulk will return, but it’d be nice to see more of Professor Hulk down the line in a less explosive story. Just don’t get your hopes up about another solo Hulk movie, as that appears to still be off the table.

Loki Is Still Alive In An Alternate Timeline

Loki was murdered by Thanos at the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War, and as far as the main MCU timeline is concerned, the Asgardian God of Mischief is still dead. In an alternate timeline, however, he’s not only still alive, but on the loose. Some complications arose while Tony Stark was trying to retrieve the Tesseract in 2012, and it led to the freshly-captured Loki seizing the cube-encased Space Stone again and escaping from his captors.

While there is a Loki series confirmed to be airing on Disney+, it’s not clear if this alternate timeline Loki will factor into it. It’s been reported the show will involve Loki influencing various events in human history, so it’d be easy enough to have that function as a straightforward prequel without bringing in the alternate Loki. Still, at least now there’s the option to pluck this other Loki into the main MCU timeline should those in charge want to throw the character properly back into the mix.

Be sure to let us know in the comments which of these Avengers: Endgame changes to the MCU was your favorite, and stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on the future of this superhero franchise. You can learn what movies are already in development with our handy guide.

What Happened When Alexander Skarsgard Shaved Half His Head For A Movie Role

What Happened When Alexander Skarsgard Shaved Half His Head For A Movie Role

Alexander Skarsgård is a good-looking guy. In fact he’s built a career around playing handsome dudes on the big and small screen. However, he threw it all away for a recent role, after shaving his head for The Hummingbird Project.

During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Alexander Skarsgård recalled the paparazzi giving him sympathy after seeing him with an unfortunately shaved head at an event while the movie in question was still filming. He said,

The great thing was, when I stepped out of the car and there was this press line, with photographers. I stepped out and I’ll never forget the sound when they all saw me, because they all went, ‘Awww.’ Someone was like, ‘Is he OK?’ They thought I had a meltdown.

Obviously, the intent was not to freak out the paparazzi, but Skarsgard did say he’ll never forgot what happened the one time he left the set in the three months he was shooting The Hummingbird Project as a balding man. But he was adamant with his stylists that he was unwilling to be a hat guy at an event. The rest is history.

So, why not just use a bald cap in the first place for the movie? Luckily, Alexander Skarsgård actually revealed to Jimmy Fallon how the whole thing came about.

I wanted to be bald and I thought for some reason it would look more natural, instead of doing a bald cap to just really shave it. I didn’t realize that it doesn’t quite look real, natural – see, the hairline doesn’t work.

If you look at the image at the top of this story or check out the original paparazzi event, you can see how Alexander Skarsgård's "balding" doesn't totally look like he's actually balding. The lines are kind of funny, but regardless of their complete authenticity, the look certainly does change the actor's face quite a bit.

While Jesse Eisenberg got to keep his hair for The Hummingbird Project, Alexander Skarsgård was certainly not his usual handsome self. Instead, he plays Anton, one of two cousins (the other is played by Jesse Eisenberg) who quit their day jobs to try and build a competitive fibre optic cable across half of the continental United States. Anton is awkward, a programmer who generally goes along with his cousin's insistence. It's a role far removed from the True Blood gig that made him famous, or a lot of his more recent movie roles.

The Hummingbird Project isn't the first time the actor has changed his hair in Hollywood. It was big news when he added a mustache back in 2017 after appearing on HBO's Big Little Lies.

In addition, if you haven’t caught Alexander Skarsgård full visit to The Tonight Show, you can watch the full video below.

The good news, these days his full head of hair is back, particularly in this weekend’s Long Shot, in which he plays Canada’s Prime Minister opposite Charlize Theron’s Secretary of State character. He's recognizable in that movie, although there is one other actor in a lot of makeup you may not recognize.

Long Shot hits theaters today.

This Rotten Week: Predicting Avengers: Endgame Reviews

This Rotten Week: Predicting Avengers: Endgame Reviews

It isn't often we get a movie with as much hype and star power as the one that comes out this week. It's the end of an era with the heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe getting one last chance to save the universe from the awful might of Thanos. Get ready for Avengers: Endgame.

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

Ever since the snap heard around the universe in Avengers: Infinity War, fans have been waiting to see how exactly this quest by Thanos would ultimately play itself out. Everyone knew immediately that the disintegration of half the Avengers into a fractal mist wouldn’t be the end of the story, but it has remained a mystery exactly how the titular team would solve the devastating crisis. Now it’s up to Captain America, Hulk, Black Widow, Thor, Hawkeye, Captain Marvel, Iron Man and a few others to right the wrongs by the Mad Titan, bring back their friends, and wrap up this era of the franchise. It looks awesome.

Rarely has a movie been met with so much anticipation, but this is a finale more than ten years in the making. Twenty-one movies after the release of the first Iron Man we get this spectacle, which looks to be a full realization of the vision Kevin Feige and company planned from the very start. It looks like it is set to be the franchise's biggest release yet, and if history is any indication, it should wind up doing quite well with critics.

Joe and Anthony Russo are back at the helm for Avengers: Endgame after previously directing Captain America: Winter Soldier (90%), Captain America: Civil War (91%), and Avengers: Infinity War (85%). It goes without saying that there's been a great number of fantastic directors helming Marvel Cinematic Universe features, but few if any have inspired the kind of awe and created the kind of spectacle that the Russos have.

Expanding to the rest of the franchise, the average Tomatometer score for the previous 21 releases is 83.9%. That in mind, I'm going to play the numbers and say that Avengers: Endgame winds up with an 84% - while at the same time expecting that the final score will actually be significantly higher.

What a week for the Rotten Watch. There were three movies in wind release, and I missed the Tomatometer score by a combined eight percent across all the projections. This is me patting myself on the back.

Penguins (Predicted: 89% Actual: 90%) may end up a direct hit when it’s all said and done. This was another big critical win for the DisneyNature franchise that just continues to pump out winners. Like I said last week, they just have a winning formula of super cute animals and stunning visuals.

Meanwhile, Breakthrough (Predicted: 61% Actual: 64%) is one of the rare, Christian-heavy films that actually ended up on the positive side with critics. Often the religious bent is just too heavy-handed to garner much critical support, but this is something of an outlier.

Finally, The Curse Of La Llorona (Predicted: 36% Actual: 32%) sucked as predicted. One could tell from the trailer that this latest chapter from in The Conjuring Universe just wasn’t bringing anything new to the table, and it seems that critics at large agreed.

Next time around we’ve got another interesting week with El Chicano, The Intruder, Long Shot, and Uglydolls. It’s gonna be a Rotten Week!