Chewbacca Actor Peter Mayhew Is Dead At 74

Chewbacca Actor Peter Mayhew Is Dead At 74

When you think of the original cast of Star Wars characters, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford are likely the first names that come to mind. But there were others who were alongside that trio, like Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca. Sadly, it’s been announced that Mayhew recently passed away just shy of his 75th birthday.

As revealed by his family via his Twitter page, Peter Mayhew died on the evening of Tuesday, April 30 in his North Texas home surrounded by his loved ones. He is survived by his wife Angie and three children.

No cause of death was revealed in the press release, but Peter Mayhew's family told ABC News he suffered a heart attack. It's also worth noting that Mayhew had undergone a spinal surgery to improve his mobility, and he had been recovering from that procedure. There will be a memorial service held for family and friends on June 29, and a memorial will be set up at Empire Con LA this December for fans to check out that Mayhew’s family will attend, as well as feature some of the actor’s “personal effects” and “collection.”

Born on May 19, 1944, Peter Mayhew kicked off his film career when he was cast in the uncredited role of Minoton in 1977’s Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger. Shortly thereafter, George Lucas discovered Mayhew and felt he was the perfect height to play Chewbacca in the first Star Wars movie, a.k.a. A New Hope.

Along with reprising Han Solo’s Wookiee partner in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Peter Mayhew also donned the Chewbacca suit during the Original Trilogy era for Donny & Marie, the Star Wars Holiday Special and The Muppet Show. Years later, Mayhew returned to the big screen side of the Star Wars franchise for the final installment of the Prequel Trilogy, Revenge of the Sith. He also voiced Chewbacca for an episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Peter Mayhew made his final Star Wars appearance in The Force Awakens, where he shared the Chewbacca role with Joonas Suotamo. Afterward, he retired from playing the character due to health issues, and Suotamo took over the role fully, but Mayhew did still consult on Chewbacca for The Last Jedi.

Outside of the Star Wars franchise, Peter Mayhew is also notable for playing The Tall Knight in the 1981 series Dark Towers, voicing Susha in the English dub of Dragon Ball GT: A Hero’s Legacy and playing himself Comic Book: The Movie. He also attended numerous fan conventions and established the Peter Mayhew Foundation, which aids in a variety of charitable causes.

We here at CinemaBlend offer our condolences to Peter Mayhew’s loved ones. Feel free to share your thoughts about the Star Wars icon in the comments below.

John Wick 4? Keanu Reeves Will Continue 'As Far As The Audience Wants To Go'

John Wick 4? Keanu Reeves Will Continue 'As Far As The Audience Wants To Go'

How many times is John Wick thinkin' he's back? Mr. Wick is in an extremely tight spot in the upcoming John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, but it sounds like he probably makes it out alive. Is that a spoiler alert or pretty much a given? Maybe it's a misdirect. We won't know until the movie opens in May, but Keanu Reeves said he's up for making as many more John Wick movies as you want:

As far as my legs can take me. As far as the audience wants to go.

So this is up to YOU, dear ticket-buyer. Keanu Reeves' John Wick 3 co-star Ian McShane recently said he could see John Wick continuing for another 10 years. So, yeah, that sounds like a good sign for John Wick 4. There's also that TV show following The Continental supposedly coming to Starz, but it's been a while since we got any solid updates.

Keanu Reeves shared his "as far as the audience wants to go" quotes with GQ, in the same interview where he talked about being put in movie jail after rejecting Speed 2. (He deserved a medal for that decision.)

Keanu also recently recapped the previous two John Wick movies, in case you're not up-to-speed on the wife-and-puppy love that brought his hitman out of retirement, and the global contract out on his life that currently has him on the run. Reeves explained the existential crisis at work in John Wick:

He's got this beautiful, tragic conundrum - these two selves. The John who was married, and John Wick, the assassin. John wants to be free. But the only way he knows how is through John Wick. And John Wick keeps fucking killing people and breaking rules. We're really watching a person fight for their life and their soul.

The John Wick films are directed by Chad Stahelski, who first met Keanu when working as the actor's stunt double in The Matrix movies. Stahelski praised 54-year-old Reeves' commitment to his roles:

I don't know anyone that puts more into the game, collaboratively, physically, intellectually. I've never experienced anyone that could have survived [The Matrix]. It just took a different type of person. To be open to that. To allow yourself to be constantly soaking wet, sore, tired, beaten up, for years. [...] Now fast-forward to 20 years later, and you've got your former stunt double directing you. So he knows what you're capable of. And his expectations are even more psychotic than the last decade and a half of directors you've worked for. I can say, I know you have more. Don't lie to me. Get up. And Keanu, 20 years later, is holding that up! That's not just physical. That's mental. That's a certain kind of mental fortitude.

I can see Keanu Reeves continuing that mental fortitude through more John Wick movies, but the box office and reception for John Wick 3 will certainly play a role. The early opening weekend estimates aren't too shabby, but I think they're too low. We'll see.

For now, you can watch a full scene from John Wick 3, with John trying to keep his new dog safe at The Continental hotel while John continues to run for his own life. Keanu Reeves previously said he wanted two specific things to be in Parabellum, and he got them both. He also apparently got a lot of rain, since the New York clips are just drenched. But we will get to see John Wick dry out in the desert with Halle Berry's Sofia.

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (let Keanu explain the title) opens in theaters May 17 as one of the many films worth keeping track of with our handy 2019 movie release date schedule.

Aladdin's Mena Massoud Reveals An All-Improv Scene He Performs With Will Smith

Aladdin's Mena Massoud Reveals An All-Improv Scene He Performs With Will Smith

Being a live-action remake of the beloved 1992 original, Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin will definitely a have more than a few familiar scenes. After all, there are a number of iconic moments in the animated version, and there are certain expectations that audiences will have going in. That being said, the film will also do what it can to set itself apart from anything fans have seen before, and according to star Mena Massoud, part of that effort resulted in a sequence that’s entirely improvised.

In celebration of Aladdin tickets going on sale, I had the chance to sit down with Mena Massoud on the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank, California, and it was during a conversation about his collaboration with Will Smith that I learned about the sequence exclusively built from improv in the blockbuster. I asked the actor if there was any part of the movie that particularly stood out to him as a favorite, and he described it as so:

I do [have a favorite scene], yes. There's one scene where we kind of improved the whole scene - and it's in the film, so you'll get to see it. It's the first time that the genie and Prince Ali get to meet the royal family, so it's quite a fun, fun sequence. And getting to improv with Will Smith? That's a dream come true.

If you’re familiar with the story of Aladdin, it’s pretty easy to place where this scene will be in the movie – namely toward the end of the first act. While we don’t know right now just how much will be added to the story in the new version, this bit will presumably come after Aladdin has met an in-disguise Princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott) on the streets of Agrabah, and been enlisted by Jafar (Marwan Kenzari) to enter the Cave of Wonders to steal the genie’s lamp. As Prince Ali, Aladdin will be trying to make the best first impression that he can with the Sultan (Navid Negahban), hoping to be seen as an appropriate suitor for Jasmine, and we’ll have to wait and see what kind of impression the improv session leaves.

As I followed up about the sequence, I learned that part of the reason why Mena Massoud feels the scene was special is because improvisation wasn’t really an everyday thing on the set of Aladdin. While he was able to throw in the occasional line here and there, working with Guy Ritchie meant primarily sticking to the script. However, when he had his chance to have some extra creative freedom, he excitedly grabbed at it. Said Massoud,

A little bit here and there, but this sequence was definitely a big improv sequence from top to finish basically. Will does a good job of improvising throughout the film, but that scene in particular is a standout for me.

You can watch more from my interview with Aladdin star Mena Massoud below!

It won’t be long until fans will be able to see the scene for themselves, as Aladdin – which co-stars Nasim Pedrad, Billy Magnussen, Numan Acar, Frank Welker, and Alan Tudyk – will be in theaters on May 24th. If the excitement is become too much for you, the good news is that you can now at least partially abate those feelings by buying your ticket for opening weekend early.

Between now and the release date, be sure to stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more updates about Aladdin.

Dumbo Has A Bunch Of Fun Disneyland Nods

Dumbo Has A Bunch Of Fun Disneyland Nods

The following contains SPOILERS for the new live-action Dumbo.

A great deal of Disney's new Dumbo takes place inside a theme park. While the one in the movie technically predates Disney's first park by over 30 years, you can't have a Disney movie that includes a theme park and not have audiences thinking about the fact that a large part of Disney's global popularity comes from its theme park division.

This makes it really not much of a shock to discover that V.A. Vandevere's Dreamland includes more than a few references to Walt Disney World and Disneyland. Some are obvious, some are a bit obscure, some might not even have been intentional, and at least one is absolutely brazen, but they were all there nonetheless. Here are a few of Dumbo's theme park shout-outs.

Carousel Of Progress

We don't get to see too many of the attractions inside V.A. Vandevere's theme park beyond the Coliseum where Dumbo performs. However, one that we do see is called Wonders of Science. Milly Ferrier remarks upon it when she sees it upon first arriving at the park. Later we get to see inside it and realize just how much it owes to a classic Disneyland and Walt Disney World attraction, the Carousel of Progress.

The first Carousel of Progress was created for the New York World's Fair in 1964. After the fair closed, the attraction was moved to Disneyland, where it operated until 1973. Following that, it was moved to Walt Disney World, where it still exists today, though it has been updated several times. The attraction contains a series of vignettes where animatronic characters show us how technology has changed over the decades. The version in Dreamland appears to be a walk through-style attraction, rather than the rotating theater design of the Disney version, but it still includes segments where basic animatronics show us how different things will be in the future. Like the Disney versions of the past, accuracy leaves a little something to be desired.

Rocket To The Moon

At one point in the new Dumbo, Alan Arkin's character, J. Griffin Remington, references the idea that one day man will travel to the moon. While it wouldn't happen for about a half century, space travel was a frequent topic of fiction in the early twentieth century. This is best exemplified by an attraction at the Dreamland theme park called To The Moon.

While the To The Moon attraction appears to be some sort of roller coaster or possibly something akin to the Astro Orbiter, we never really get much of a look at it. It has a very similar name to Rocket to the Moon, an attraction that arrived shortly after Disneyland first opened in 1955. Rocket to the Moon was an early motion simulator experience, an ancestor to something like Star Tours today, though very simple. The attraction hung around until 1975 when it was updated to become Mission to Mars, since man had already been to the moon by then.

Dumbo's Circus Land/The Mickey Mouse Club Circus

Disneyland was conceived by Walt Disney in large part because of the problems he had with the then modern circus. He didn't think it was the best atmosphere for family entertainment. Having said that, he still loved the concept of the circus, and so the idea of putting a traditional circus inside a theme park, as we see in Dumbo, is something that Disney himself had also done.

The Mickey Mouse Club Circus was a very traditional circus, with both human and animal performers that opened shortly after Disneyland did, in the fall of 1955. The big top was put up approximately where the Matterhorn exists today. It didn't last long, but the circus theme very nearly came back with Dumbo's Circus Land, a land that would have put several of Disney's animal characters, including those from The Jungle Book, in a traditional circus atmosphere. The land never happened, but it shows how the link between theme park and circus has never really disappeared.

Actual Disneyland Merchandise

There may be no company in the world better at merchandising that Disney. Nearly every theme park attraction has you exit through a gift shop, and you can be sure with every new movie release there will be a host of toys and other cool stuff available for fans to buy. However, Dumbo actually takes this in a slightly different direction. Why create new merch for the new movie when you can just literally promote the stuff you already have in the film?

At a couple of points during Dumbo, we see shots of kids buying cute little plush dolls of Dumbo from a concession stand. Since it is a theme park, that's not exactly going to shock anybody. However, the twist here is that the stuffed animals the kids are walking away with are literally the same one that you can buy at Disney theme parks right now. Disney just stocked the shot with the toys that were already on hand.

Dreamland

The name of the theme park in the new Dumbo is pretty simple. It's called Dreamland. A perfectly reasonable, if not particularly creative, name for a theme park. At first, it might seem like it's a generic name that doesn't mean all that much. It's certainly got a similar name to Disneyland, but beyond that, it's probably just the first thing that came to mind. However, the name Dreamland is more connected to the name Disney than you might realize.

Following the opening of Disneyland in the 1955, a Japanese businessman named Kunizo Matsuo visited the park. He loved it and wanted to build a similar location in Japan, specifically in the nation's former capital of Nara. He worked directly with Walt Disney on the project, who was very interested in a foreign location and a park designed in the same hub and spoke pattern, with many of the same Disneyland attractions, including Sleeping Beauty's castle, spinning tea cups, and more, was constructed. However, a disagreement between Matsuo and Disney over licensing fees eventually caused Walt to pull support for the park. Everything was reworked to remove the Disney branding, and the park, which was going to be called Nara Disneyland, was renamed Nara Dreamland. The park was actually quite successful for a number of years, until the early 1980s when an actual Disneyland was built in Tokyo, at which point attendance died off and the park eventually closed.

Dumbo's history with theme parks goes back to the earliest days of Disneyland when the Casey Jr. Circus Train was an opening day attraction, and Dumbo the Flying Elephant came shortly thereafter. For Disneyland fans the rides may be more iconic that the movie that they're based on.

Disney+ Is Launching In November And The Price Is Incredible

Disney+ Is Launching In November And The Price Is Incredible

Disney's planned streaming service, Disney+, is one of the most hotly anticipated additions to the growing streaming marketplace. However, beyond the fact that the service was set to launch later this year, details have been lacking. Today, The Walt Disney Company hosted an Investor's Day where they had previously promised to reveal more about Disney+. The company did not disappoint. It's now confirmed that Disney+ will launch in the United States November 12, 2019 and a subscription price of 6.99 per month. Year long subscriptions will be available for $69.99

Bob Iger had previously said Disney+ would cost less than Netflix at launch, but I'm not sure anybody expected it to hit at about half the price. That's an incredibly aggressive move, especially considering the content that will be part of it.

Disney+ is fully expected to be a major player in the streaming game basically from day one. While other studios are planning their own streaming services as well, Disney is a different animal. The phrase "Disney movie" includes connotations that other studios simply can't match. Subscribers already know what they're getting from a Disney streaming service without having to look into it. It will be content suitable for the entire family, including some of the most popular movies ever made.

It was officially confirmed that Disney+ will be an ad free service. Also, Disney+ will allow all content on the app to be downloadable to view offline. In addition to streaming on tablets, computers and phones, the service is already confirmed to launch on Roku devices and the PlayStation 4. Disney is looking to have even more devices signed in time for launch.

Jennifer Lee, in discussing the Walt Disney Animation Studios films that will be on the service, mentioned that Frozen II will be on the service by the summer of 2020, which means films should be hitting the service six to eight months after they get released in theaters.

A lot of rumored original content from Marvel, Lucasfilm, and Pixar was confirmed. In addition a lot of back catalog material was confirmed. Most of the Star Wars movies and many MCU films will be on the service on day one, though not quite everything will be there at launch. Most of the major films that won't be there on day one were confirmed to arrive within the first year.

Needless to say, Disney+ is going to have an impressive library of content on day one, and an even more incredible amount of content in the first year. While other streaming services like Netflix may have Disney beat in quantity, it's hard to argue Disney won't have the edge in quality. It will be interesting to see how Disney+ changes the streaming game.

Chris Hemsworth Is The Latest Actor To Throw His Hat Into The Ring To Play James Bond

Chris Hemsworth Is The Latest Actor To Throw His Hat Into The Ring To Play James Bond

While Daniel Craig will be returning for one more go-round as super spy James Bond, the 25th Bond film will almost certainly be the last for Craig, and just as certainly won't be the final James Bond movie. Many names have been thrown around as potential new James Bonds, and now Chris Hemsworth is adding his to the growing list. The actor is surprisingly open about the fact that he'd love to play James Bond.

While many might only know Hemsworth as Thor, a role that's certainly a far cry from James Bond, the actor previously played another ultra-suave Englishman when he portrayed race car driver James Hunt in Ron Howard's Rush. It was apparently first suggested to Hemsworth back then that if he could play Hunt, he could play Bond, and Hemsworth is all-in on on the idea. According to the actor...

When we were shooting Rush someone had said that and I thought, ‘Cool, if this is my audition tape, then great.’I don’t think you’ll ever meet anyone who doesn’t want to have a crack at James Bond. I’d love to do it.

Back before Daniel Craig had agreed to reprise his role as James Bond the question of who would take on the role was one of the most debated questions around. Everybody from Tom Hiddelston to Tom Hardy was suggested, and it seems several people were seriously considered as potential replacements.

Rush was a criminally under seen movie that saw Hemsworth as a Formula 1 race car driver. It may not be the perfect comparison to James Bond, but it's certainly closer to that than Hemsworth's role as Thor. It was one of the first films that showed the actor had more range than what the Marvel movies required him to show. A scene like the one below, could easily work if Hemsworth was playing a somewhat laid back version of James Bond.

Of course, while Chris Hemsworth says he'd love to play Bond, he knows it's far from that easy. As he tells Balance, there are many other people he would need to impress in order to make the short list for such a coveted role, including James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli...

But that’s up to so many elements and is way beyond myself; it’s not one you can pitch yourself on to either. It’s something that the community of Bond fans, Barbara Broccoli and the whole crew there agree on, and it has to be a very organic decision from them. There have been a lot of names thrown out there and a lot of brilliant people can tackle that one.

For what it's worth, Chris Hemsworth wouldn't be the first Australian to tackle the role of James Bond. George Lazenby, who played the role in a single film, was also Australian, so that precedent has already been set.

It will likely be years before a new James Bond is actually cast. No public decisions will be made until the newest film has been released and made its money, and maybe Daniel Craig can be talked into coming back yet again. If not, maybe Chris Hemsworth will find himself with an all new franchise.

Apparently Avengers: Endgame's Second Half Is Mind-Blowing

Apparently Avengers: Endgame's Second Half Is Mind-Blowing

Thanks to the intense secrecy of Avengers: Endgame, fans know very little of what to expect when they eventually sit down to watch the film later this month. Spectacle and tears have been assured by the filmmakers and cast, but specific plot details are locked in the vault. We still only have broad statements to work off of, but fans are apparently in for a treat, because a source claims that the second half of Endgame is "mind-blowing."

In Avengers: Endgame, the surviving members of the team must band together and find a way to reverse the damage done to the universe by Thanos -- or at least get revenge on the Mad Titan. That's already one epic logline that promises drama and action, and fan theories have risen up to try and plug the various holes. People have pitched everything from time travel to Ant-Man jumping up Thanos' butt, but whatever it ends up being, it will be absolutely wild.

Endgame is projected to have a record-breaking domestic opening that could earn as high as $300 million. As we get closer to the release date, that number could change depending on the reviews of the film. While a bad review can hurt box office performance, Deadline doesn't think Endgame has to worry about bad reviews. A reliable source who has seen the movie told the publication that the second half of Endgame is mind-blowing.

Deadline doesn't go any more specific than that, but mind-blowing feels like it's an accurate word for Endgame based on what we know already. Marvel has been hyping that it pulled off all the stops for this one, and while I think being overhyped is generally a bad thing, all evidence so far suggests Endgame will be a movie to remember.

And it's not just shadowy industry insiders who like the film. Test audiences apparently loved it, too! Per co-director Joe Russo during an interview with BoxOfficePro, Endgame had one of the highest test scores of any Marvel movie.

We’re vigilant about using test audiences to tell us whether we’re on the right track or we’re making bad decisions. With Endgame, it had one of the most incredible audience responses in Marvel history. Irrespective of the length, it’s been consistently embraced by the test audiences.

Butts likely won't be leaving seats during Endgame's wild runtime of three hours. Expect a lot more hype over these next coming weeks and be careful of the leaks that will inevitable arrive online. Something tells me going in as dry as possible will yield the best experience for everyone.

We'll finally have all of our questions answered when Avengers: Endgame arrives in theaters on April 26. To learn all the information that we do know, here's our helpful guide.