Terminator: Dark Fate's Gabriel Luna Prepared By Staring Into The Mirror A Lot

Terminator: Dark Fate's Gabriel Luna Prepared By Staring Into The Mirror A Lot

“I’ll be back.” It’s the most famous line in the Terminator franchise and has proven prophetic once again, because the franchise is returning this year with Terminator: Dark Fate. The reboot-quel from director Tim Miller brings back Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800 and Linda Hamilton’s iconic Sarah Connor. They return alongside a host of new faces, including Gabriel Luna, who plays the new Terminator in the film.

Details about the plot and Gabriel Luna’s Terminator are still relatively scarce, but the actor has spoken about what he’s bringing to the role and the interesting way he prepared. He said:

It's really hard to describe, because for me when I first got the part there was no script. So I spent a lot of time - more time than I should divulge - just standing in front of a mirror, just trying to develop the physical vocabulary of what he is, what's important. The head pitched forward in pursuit; the fluidity and the points of focus and all these things. And that's all I could work on, you know? So am sitting there, like, 'What is a Terminator to me?' and I'm breaking it down and building it up from the ground.

When Gabriel Luna landed the role of the new Terminator in Terminator: Dark Fate, there was no script for him to prepare with, but he didn’t just chill and wait for it. He got to work doing what he could by coming up with a take on how he would approach the character. As he told Comicbook.com, that meant just staring in the mirror for an uncomfortable amount of time to work out what that looked like.

It sounds strange and very ‘actor-y’ to hear about an actor just staring in a mirror for hours on end, doing different things with his face and head to work on his character, but it makes sense, especially in lieu of a script. Although a Terminator is a robot and generally unfeeling, an actor can’t just ‘do the robot’ and be good to go. There may not be emotion in the way there is for a human character but there is an intensity and purpose that must be present in the performance.

So Gabriel Luna had to suss out how he viewed Terminators and how he could physcially convey what he needed to convey. For him, that partially meant tilting his head forward, representing the dogged nature with which these hunter/killers pursue their targets. The ‘fluidity’ bit is also interesting and we know that Gabriel Luna’s Terminator will have the liquid properties and less mechanical movement of either a T-1000 or later model.

I also liked what he said about the points of focus. That’s something you’ve seen in previous performances by other Terminators; they aren’t taking in the scenery, they have tunnel vision-like focus, giving attention only to their target and the obstacles that stand in the way of that target.

No matter how weird his process might seem, it’s cool that Gabriel Luna is bringing such a dedication to this role to get the character right in what is hopefully a return to form for the franchise. He is presumably one of the main villains of this film, and he carries on the tradition of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800, Robert Patrick’s T-1000 and Kristanna Loken’s T-X (although Dark Fate is ignoring Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines).

Terminators are ultimately horror villains; unfeeling killers that are nearly impossible to escape. Gabriel Luna has already shown his abilities in this area as Ghost Rider Robbie Reyes in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. That character was more emotional than a Terminator, but definitely had that stalking intensity down. And with Gabriel Luna’s Terminator possessing the ability to duplicate himself, it will be quite the nightmare for Sarah Connor and Co.

Terminator: Dark Fate arrives in theaters on November 1. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all of this year’s biggest movies, and keep it locked to CinemaBlend for all your movie news.

5 Facts You Didn't Know About The Original Aladdin Movie

5 Facts You Didn't Know About The Original Aladdin Movie

Before it was announced, it seemed inevitable that Walt Disney Pictures would add its Aladdin movie to its dossier of live-action updates. On May 24th, audiences will bear witness to Guy Ritchie’s new vision of the magical rags-to-riches story featuring a big, blue Will Smith assuming the iconic role of Genie.

The beloved, 1992 original animated hit is regarded by many fans as untouchable, especially due to its Academy Award-winning music by Alan Menken and Robin Williams’ incomparable performance as the voice of Genie.

While fans are entitled to their opinions regarding a remake to such a lightning-in-a-bottle movie, the classic still clearly holds up. But how well do you really know  know the original Aladdin movie?

Let’s revisit the kingdom of Agrabah and take a deeper look behind the bright-colored veil to uncover a few facts about Aladdin that you may not have known before.

Robin Williams Recorded Enough Material As Genie For More Movies

The Genie in Aladdin is considered by many as the greatest of Disney’s classic animated characters. Much of the credit goes to future Academy Award-winner Robin Williams, whom the filmmakers allowed to go hog wild with the role, given that they had already written the character with him in mind.

Williams went much deeper into the role than the rest of the Aladdin cast, and so much that his time spent in the recording studio ended up resulting in almost 16 hours of potentially usable material, although a clause in his will says Disney can't use it until 25 years after his death. Aladdin is a mere 90 minutes. Imagine trying to cut down a gold mine to just one brick!

Additionally, Robin Williams’ improvisational performance style when voicing Genie actually proved somewhat problematic to the film’s Oscar potential. So much of his dialogue was ad-libbed that it cost Aladdin an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Thankfully, Alan Menken’s original score and song “A Whole New World” saved the Aladdin movie from leaving awards season empty-handed.

The Real Deal With The Street Peddler Who Introduces Aladdin

Aladdin begins with the now-controversial song “Arabian Nights” (more on that later) sung by a character known as The Peddler. The Peddler struggles to sell his merchandise to the audience, until he presents a lamp that he claims is nothing ordinary.

He uses the lamp as a segue into the main story of the Aladdin movie. Then, for the rest of the film, he is never seen or mentioned again. So, what was his point to the story anyway, other than providing an introduction?

Considering the Peddler was voiced by Robin Williams, fans have speculated  the character is actually a post-freedom Genie in disguise. In a 2015 interview to promote the Aladdin Blu-ray release, co-director Ron Clements revealed the truth behind the fan theory stating:

That's true! That was the whole intention, originally. We even had that at the end of the movie, where he would reveal himself to be the Genie, and of course Robin did the voice of The Peddler. Just through story changes and some editing, we lost the reveal at the end. So, that's an urban legend that actually is true.

Huzzah! A Disney animated movie fan theory finally confirmed! Now, I’ll just wait patiently for someone to admit that Aladdin really does tell Jasmine’s tiger to take its clothes off.

Jafar Almost Sounded Like A Certain Star Trek Character

Aladdin’s ruthless, power-hungry villain (and one of the best Disney movie villains ever) Jafar was voiced by Jonathan Freeman.

Jonathan Freeman is one of the few members of the Aladdin cast to reprise his original role in multiple spin-off projects, including a Broadway rendition of the film. His unforgettable portrayal has remained one of the most endurable aspects of the film. But can you imagine Jafar in the voice of, say, Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Captain Jean-Luc Picard?

One of Disney’s first choices for the voice of Jafar was world-renowned actor Patrick Stewart. Unfortunately, due to scheduling conflicts with his role on Star Trek, he was forced to turn the role down. Following the Aladdin movie’s $504 million international success story, Stewart has gone onto state in interviews that turning down Jafar is one of the greatest regrets of his career.

I imagine he would have been dynamite for that Broadway show, too.

Princess Jasmine Was Almost Completely Different

Jasmine, the royal romantic interest of Aladdin’s title character played by Linda Larkin, is arguably one of the better female role models among Disney’s animated character creations. However, her character's original concept is nothing like what Aladdin movie fans remember, for better or for worse.

For one, Jasmine was initially meant to have a more active role in the story.

Instead of breaking down and crying over her forced engagement to Jafar, she was supposed to angrily confront her father: a sequence that got nixed to save time on animation designs. Instead of needing Aladdin to rescue her from Jafar’s giant hourglass, she was originally going to free herself using a jewel in her headpiece.

I would call these missed opportunities, but they are ultimately forgiven by Disney’s decision to not go with Jasmine’s original personality design.

Instead of the bored, kindhearted princess longing for a more normal life, Jasmine was going to be a total brat who only wanted to marry the richest prince available. A song was written, intended to be her defining theme, called “Call Me a Princess.” Only when she falls in love with Aladdin would she learn humility and change into a sweeter version of herself.

Disney, believing audiences would not like that interpretation of her, decided to change Jasmine into the humble character she is admired as today. Good thing the creative team was able to make the change before Aladdin’s theatrical movie release, unlike a different mistake.

One Aladdin Song Sparked Controversy

The opening song of Aladdin is "Arabian Nights," sang by Bruce Adler, who served as The Peddler’s singing voice. The song is meant to set the tone of the story and inform the audience of its setting.

Among Alan Menken’s many memorable, award-winning songs in Aladdin, “Arabian Nights” is not one that has gotten much love. Those who saw the film in its initial theatrical run may understand why.

There is a lyric right before the line, “It’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home,” that says, “Where it’s flat and immense and the heat is intense.” Those are not the original words, however. The original lyric said, “Where they cut off your ear if they don't like your face.”

This sparked major controversy from Arab-American groups who claimed the mention of cutting off ears was racist. Disney and Alan Menken agreed to change the lines for Aladdin’s home video release.

What do you think of our Aladdin facts? Do they make "a whole new world" of difference? Catch the live action version of the movie when it hits theaters this weekend, and be sure to check out more of what's coming this summer with our full schedule.

Avengers: Endgame Is Passing Avatar At The Domestic Box Office This Weekend

Avengers: Endgame Is Passing Avatar At The Domestic Box Office This Weekend

Now in its fourth week of release, Avengers: Endgame continues on its journey to become the highest-grossing film of all time. The superhero film has already made its mark on cinema history by breaking a ton of box office records and surpassing Titanic to become the second highest-grossing movie ever. Avatar is the last film standing, and while Endgame still needs a push to surpass that worldwide total, it'll at least beat Avatar domestically this weekend.

Avengers: Endgame has been the No. 1 movie domestically since it opened, with last week's top contender, Detective Pikachu, falling short of knocking the superhero film off its throne. However, this looks to be the week that Endgame takes second place, and it's only fitting that headshot master John Wick is the man who does it.

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum is projected to open at anywhere from $45-55 million while Endgame will finish the weekend just shy of $30 million. While Endgame might not be taking the crown for the fifth consecutive week, it will still be passing another milestone this weekend. The superhero epic will become the second highest-grossing domestically, officially passing Avatar.

Endgame is likely to earn $29.7 million this weekend, according to Box Office Mojo. This would push Endgame's domestic total to $771.1 million, dethroning Avatar. James Cameron's sci-fi flick currently sits at $760.5 million domestic, a position it's comfortably held since about 2010.

The record that fans really seem to care about is the worldwide total, but Endgame still has a bit to go before we can say that the reign of Avatar is over. However, perhaps the domestic record is a sign of things to come.

However, it's unlikely that Endgame will be able to secure the all-time No. 1 domestic release spot. That title belongs to Star: Wars: The Force Awakens with a whopping $936.6 million. Even if Endgame has some serious legs, it seems impossible that it could topple this particular record. The Force Awakens was a tidal wave when it premiered back in 2015, and it played like gangbusters domestically.

But there's nothing wrong with second place! Endgame will have left its mark on history when all is said and done, and it'll be interesting to see what its total gross is when the summer ends. Avatar's longstanding worldwide total of $2,787,965,087 is within sight, but Endgame still has to deal with contenders like Toy Story 4 and Lion King.

We'll be watching all this as it progresses, so be sure to keep checking in with CinemaBlend for all the latest updates. In the meantime, you can go see Avengers: Endgame for the fourth time in theaters. If your looking for something else to enjoy in the theater, here are all the major releases heading your way this year.

There's A Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Easter Egg No One Is Talking About

There's A Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Easter Egg No One Is Talking About

Warning: SPOILERS for Godzilla: King of the Monsters below!

Even before the release of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, it was clear that director Michael Dougherty and the people involved in the sequel were fans of the property themselves and wanted to do it justice and honor it in the new film. This has been apparent from the desire not to f-up the look of the monsters to incorporating design cues from the 1954 film, to the soundtrack to the film’s Easter eggs.

On that last point, we heard that Godzilla: King of the Monsters would have a bunch of great Easter eggs for fans of the 65-year-old property, and now that the movie is out we have an idea of what some of those Easter eggs are. But there is one Easter egg in particular that no one is talking about, and with good reason because it is confusing in the moment and requires serious knowledge of the franchise’s history.

In the film, Zhang Ziyi plays Dr. Ilene Chen, one of the newer members of the exceedingly well-funded Monarch organization that researches and tracks the Titans. At one point in the movie, she is aboard Monarch’s battleship called the Argo while Godzilla and Ghidorah are engaged in battle off the coast of Mexico. The military doesn’t want to just ‘let them fight’ and launches an Oxygen Destroyer bomb to kill both Godzilla and Ghidorah.

The bomb seemingly kills Godzilla and the hydra-like Ghidorah just loses a head only to regenerate it, and Zhang Ziyi’s Dr. Ilene Chen is there, aboard the Argo, off the coast of Mexico to witness it all. Here’s where things get weird. We then see her thousands of miles away at Monarch’s base in China, where a caterpillar-stage Mothra was introduced earlier in the film.

There, Zhang Ziyi’s character witnesses Mothra emerging from the waterfall she fled to earlier in the movie, coming out of her cocoon a full grown moth titan. It’s something of a jarring moment in the film and it makes you wonder if Monarch borrowed some of the Westerosi teleportation tech used in Game of Thrones Season 7 and Season 8 to get Zhang Ziyi from Godzilla’s death near Mexico to Mothra’s rebirth in China.

But contrary to first impressions, this was not a mistake or the result of logic falling victim to plot expedience. The truth, as spotted by i09, is that in the scene where Mothra comes out of her cocoon in China, Zhang Ziyi is not playing Dr. Ilene Chen. She is instead playing a character called Ling Chen according to the film’s credits, or Dr. Ling according to IMDb.

Dr. Ling Chen is Ilene Chen’s twin sister. This isn’t really acknowledged at all in the film and audiences aren’t given much of an explanation. Later on, we find out that Zhang Ziyi’s Ilene Chen comes from a family of female Monarch employees who all bear a striking resemblance to one another and either worked, lived or were born on a place called Infant Island. Giving Ilene Chen a twin that she never interacts with might seem like an odd choice, but it is actually a deep Easter Egg into Toho History.

Mothra debuted onscreen in 1961’s Mothra, and in that film, the titular creature lives on a place called Infant Island. There, she is guarded by the Shobijin, two miniature twin priestesses that also act as translators for the creature. The fairy-like creatures have been portrayed in different ways with different backstories over the years, but the common thread is that the psychic duo (and sometimes trio) can communicate with Mothra and act as her translators and ambassadors.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters eschews any psychic powers or strange origin for the Zhang Ziyi’s twins, but by including Ling Chen, the film is clearly nodding to the Shobijin that have been tied to Mothra since her inception. It winds up playing super weird in the film, being both jarring and unexplained, but it does represent a cool deep cut for die-hard fans.

Zhang Ziyi is returning for Godzilla vs. Kong, so it will be interesting to see if she again plays two roles and if the Chen twins and their relationship to Mothra gets further fleshed out.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is now playing. Check out what ticket you should buy and keep an eye on our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all this year’s biggest movies.

Zac Efron Responds To Concerns Over Glamorizing Ted Bundy In Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile

Zac Efron Responds To Concerns Over Glamorizing Ted Bundy In Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile

When former Disney Channel teenage heartthrob Zac Efron signed on to play Ted Bundy, one question that may have popped up in some of our heads: “Why does Hollywood want me to be attracted to a serial killer?” If you look a little closer into the Bundy case that his new Netflix film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, And Vile is telling, Efron’s casting may just be the perfect choice.

Before Ted Bundy was sent to death row in the ‘80s for the murder of over 30 women across the United States, his good looks and charisma were exact reason why his longtime girlfriend and the public were thrown off to his heinous crimes. The upcoming movie looks to be steering away from placing Bundy’s murderous actions front and center on screen, as it tells the tale through his girlfriend Liz’s perspective (played by Lily Collins) as she learns of his vile side.

During a recent visit to The Ellen Show, Zac Efron explained that the movie will not show Ted Bundy’s actions as inviting, contrary to the film’s early controversy. In his words:

The goal was a very challenging one and I'm thrilled that it turned out the way that it did. I am not into portraying a serial killer or anybody of this nature or glamorizing them in any way ... it does not glamorize the killing. This is an important thing for people to hear.

While Zac Efron has a shiny reputation for playing likable characters (who usually can sing), this is not one of them. The actor took a deep-dive into the movie’s character study of the infamous killer and even has recently opened up about the trouble he had separating himself from the role once he was off set.

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, And Vile will act as a cautionary tale to those who easily trust people because they are easy on the eyes and know how to bring out the charm. Zac Efron told Ellen why he thinks the serial killer got away with so many crimes between 1974 and 1978 with these words:

Ted Bundy was a clean-cut, white dude, white person, so talk about white privilege. What he got away with back then, nobody would be able to do today.

The actor also touched on how this movie is perfect for the “world of swipe left and swipe right” many of us live in. So “hot Ted Bundy” is very much intentional and may challenge the ways in which we pass judgement on the people who commit crimes or don’t.

After premiering at Sundance earlier this year, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, And Vile was purchased by Netflix for $9 million and will hit the streaming site this Friday, May 3.

Chris Hemsworth Talks Creating A Different Thor For Avengers: Endgame

Chris Hemsworth Talks Creating A Different Thor For Avengers: Endgame

Of all of the Avengers, it's possible no character has gone through quite as many changes as Thor. He's found and lost loves. He's lost and regained eyeballs. He's learned things about the father he idolized he never would have expected. Needless to say, in Avengers: Endgame a film that we knew was going to change the status quo of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor continues to change and Chris Hemsworth says he worked closely with directors Joe and Anthony Russo to figure out just what they could do to change things up in the new film. According to Hemsworth...

They were on board and we sat for many hours and days and discussed kind of how far we could push it and what we could do different. It was great that was welcomed, you know, that kind of [conversation].

Of course, since Hemsworth's comments with USA Today came before the premiere, the actor wasn't talking about exactly what sort of changes took place (and we won't either until further down).

The first Thor movie was directed by Kenneth Branagh, and Branagh's Shakespearean background comes through quite clearly. Thar, and most of the rest of the Asgardians, speak formally and carry themselves with a strong feeling of self-importance. However, as Thor continues to interact with humanity throughout The Avengers movies and the Thor sequel, he becomes a bit more, well, relaxed. This hits an extreme with Thor: Ragnarok, where Thor has evolved into a very different character. He uses his wit as well as his hammer as a weapon.

While other MCU characters have certainly had interesting arcs, nobody's has been quite like Thor's. He started as a egotistical brat who assumed he would be king, to becoming a reluctant leader who made one of the most difficult choices imaginable when he sacrificed his home in order to save his people.

This seems to largely be because Hemsworth himself wanted to see these changes. He's spoken about being somewhat tired of Thor before Ragnarok, so he was probably quite excited about what else he could do with the character in the new movie to continue to keep things interesting for him.

From here, we're getting into Avengers: Endgame SPOILERS*_,*_ so turn back if you haven't yet seen the movie. Here's a picture of Thor flexing for his earthling roommate to keep you entertained.

When Avengers: Endgame makes its five-year time jump into the future, we see that Thor is having a particularly hard time dealing with the loss. As the man who came closest to stopping it all, Thor blames himself, and he's really let himself go as a result. Tony Stark at one point calls him "Lebowski" and it's almost too perfect a nickname.

Thor has something of a new attitude to go with his new physique as well. His confidence is gone and he's even more laid back than we've seen him before. He's about as far from Branagh's Thor as it's possible to be. Chris Hemsworth and the Russos have certainly pushed the character quite far.

What this means for the future of the character, we don't know. While some Avengers stories have seemingly come to an end, his certainly looks to have more left to go.

Avengers: Endgame is in theaters now.

Crawl Looks Like Jaws For Alligators And It's Awesome

Crawl Looks Like Jaws For Alligators And It's Awesome

You know what I love most about the trailer for Crawl? You KNOW that the creative team behind it basically watched The Meg – and knew about Jaws – and thought, “What other water-based creature can we tap into to produce that same fun vibe?” The answer appears to be “Alligators,” as this wild thriller appears to sell in the first giddy trailer for Crawl. Check it out:

What’s not to love about Crawl? It takes place during an unprecedented storm. It fully embraces its Florida setting, evacuating residents during a Category 5 hurricane. And it traps Kaya Scodelario and Barry Pepper in their slowly flooding home as a pack of wild alligators hunt them.

Perfect. Where do I buy a ticket?

You need more? The creative team behind Crawl is producer Sam Raimi (Evil Dead, Spider-Man) and director Alexandre Aja (Horns, Piranha 3D, The Hills Have Eyes). The know horror, and Aja has shown with his movies that he understands how to have fun in truly terrifying situations. Also, did you notice that there’s a scene in the trailer where the crocodile bites down on Scodelario’s hand while she’s holding a gun, so she unloads a clip of bullets into the beast’s belly?

Again, where do I buy a ticket?

To coincide with the launch of the Crawl trailer, Paramount actually dropped a funny viral meme that will remind people of the Orange Tile used to drum up anticipation for the Fyre Festival. If you were scanning Instagram this morning and saw this, you might have wondered what was going on:

Well, it’s warning people that “Help isn’t coming.” Just like the orange tile warned Fyre Festival attendees that real food and luxury accommodations weren’t coming.

What, too soon?

Let’s hope that Crawl turns out to be more successful than the Fyre Festival. And again, with the people involved, we’re at least expecting a gratuitous thrill ride that’s more The Meg than it is Sharknado. Crawl will slither into theaters during the hectic summer blockbuster season, where it will go head to head against 21 Bridges and the action comedy Stuber. All three will want to hurry up and make their money, though, because The Lion King will be breathing down their collective necks the following weekend.

Alexandre Aja directs Crawl, the people vs alligator thriller, which stars Kaya Scodelario (Pirates of the Caribbean), Barry Pepper, Morfydd Clark and Ami Metcalf. Will they be more than simple alligator feed? Find out later this summer.