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Wednesday, March 11, 2020

How Stephen King Really Feels About Pet Sematary's Major Change

How Stephen King Really Feels About Pet Sematary's Major Change
Pet Sematary Jason Clarke heading into the woods with a shovel

Warning: while the marketing campaign for Pet Sematary gives away the big change in the film’s plot, some audience members may have avoided the trailers for this very reason. If you’re one of those people, come back to this story after you’ve seen the film, as we’re about to discuss that change in depth.


Adaptations can be an author’s worst nightmare, as sometimes changes to the source material might make a film feel more cinematic, but betray the original vision of what inspired the film in the first place. No one knows this better than bestselling author Stephen King, who not only has had a tremendous amount of his works adapted for film and television, but isn’t particularly shy about whether or not he approves of the changes made. So seeing him give an official OK to Ellie Creed switching places with Gage as the child who dies to kick off the story’s later plot developments seems to fit with the author’s overall approval of the film in general.


In an email response to an inquiry towards this point, King provided the following remarks as to how he felt about the overall alteration of Gage and Ellie’s fates:





I thought the change was OK. Both versions — the old one, where Gage dies, and the new one, where Ellie dies — result in the same chain of events. I don’t necessarily think one version of the story is better, but I’m sure the directors found it easier to work with a girl zombie than with a toddler zombie.



Stephen King’s acceptance of the change isn’t a total surprise, as actor Jason Clarke had previously signaled that the author was OK with making Ellie the victim of that infamous Orinco tanker truck. In his explanation, Clarke noted that a supporting reason for the change to Pet Sematary’s crucial fatality was the obvious issue of Gage’s younger age not exactly being the best choice for a cinematic villain. Sure enough, that reasoning seemed to pan out when Stephen King himself was contacted by The New York Times to discuss the big change to the 2019 adaptation’s narrative.


The decision certainly hasn’t dampened King’s response to the Pet Sematary remake, as the author loved the film so much, he dropped some pretty colorful language stating as much. For those of you who are worried this is an exercise in diplomacy, designed to play ball until the film’s initial release has passed, let’s not forget Stephen King’s response to The Dark Tower’s release. While he was initially diplomatic about the film’s decisions pertaining to approaching his legendary series, King did eventually point out the obvious flaws in that would-be franchise’s launch.




At this moment though, it looks like Stephen King not only enjoys Pet Sematary’s modern revamp, but that his excitement comes even after a pretty big change was made to his original story. With that stamp of approval now affixed to the film, it might have the potential to boost its standings during its second weekend of release, which in turn might only help bring more of the author’s work to the big screen.


Pet Sematary is currently in theaters, and if this change intrigues you, just wait until you see how it effects the overall third act of the film. And if you’re wondering what other Stephen King adaptations are heading to theaters in the future, we’ve got you covered with a release date rundown of our own devising.

Zack Snyder Has Blunt Words For Any Fans Mad That Batman Killed Someone

Zack Snyder Has Blunt Words For Any Fans Mad That Batman Killed Someone
Ben Affleck as Batman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Whatever your view of Zack Snyder's DC superhero movies, there's little argument that his particular take on Batman and Superman would qualify as "non-traditional." One specific way that Snyder broke with previous versions of the character was when he made a version of Batman who had no problem with actually killing people, a line that the character traditionally would not cross in modern films and comics.


However, at a recent Q&A following a screening of Snyder's earlier comic book movie, Watchmen, the director made it clear that he has little sympathy for people who took issue with his version of the classic DC characters, as seen in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, as he feels they made sense for a modern comic book movie. According to Snyder...



Someone says to me 'Oh Batman killed a guy.' I'm like 'Really?' I'm like 'Wake the fuck up.' ... I guess that's what I'm saying about, once you've like lost your virginity to this fucking movie and then you come say to me something about like 'Oh my superhero wouldn't do that.' I'm like 'Are you serious' I'm down the fucking road on that. And it's a cool point of view. Look, I'm 100% fine, it's a cool point of view to be like 'My heroes are still innocent. My heroes didn't lie to America. My heroes didn't embezzle money from their corp, my heroes didn't commit any atrocities.' That's cool, but you're living in a fucking dream world, OK?






Snyder's comments at least make it clear where he was coming from in creating his version of the DC Universe. His earlier film Watchman, and the comic it was based on, argued that if superheroes were real, they would not be the paragon of virtue we're used to seeing in comic books. Snyder believes this idea so strongly that he carried it over to characters like Batman and Superman. He thinks viewing any sort of hero with that sort of idolization is akin to living in a dream world. Everybody has flaws and that should be understood.


While many might agree, the response on Reddit, where Snyder's comments were posted, is largely negative. Many feel that while a story like Watchmen has its place, Batman is something quite different and should be treated as such. Batman's decision not to kill his enemies is a key aspect of the character, and if you change it, he's simply not Batman anymore.


Of course, there's really no right answer to questions like these. There will always be fans of the traditional view of any character with a history as long as the one Batman has. Changes and new interpretations will always happen, but exactly what aspects of the character are immutable won't always be agreed upon. A Batman willing to kill certainly opens up interesting ideas to be explored that wouldn't be there with a more traditional iteration of the character.





What do you think about Zack Snyder's perspective on Batman? Let us know in the poll below.

Ben Affleck Hopes To Direct His Next Film At The End Of 2019

Ben Affleck Hopes To Direct His Next Film At The End Of 2019
Ben Affleck in Live by Night

What is Ben Affleck going to direct next? We know it's not The Batman. He's not going to star in that either. But he does have a lot of irons in the fire on the writing and production front, and he's hoping at least one of them will be ready for him to direct at the end of this year. More than two years ago, he was announced to direct and star in an adaptation of Agatha Christie's Witness for the Prosecution. Here's what Affleck said when asked if that will be the next film he directs:



I don’t know that it’s going to be the next film. I have multiple stuff in development. I’m hoping to shoot something at the end of the year. I have a couple of different things that are all in various stages of script, and outline, and finished script. We’ll see which one comes together and who wants to make them.



It's not easy to get a movie made, even for someone with a solid record of success in the industry and two Oscars (Argo, Good Will Hunting). Collider asked Ben Affleck if the projects he has in development are all things he's written, or if he might direct something that he hasn't written. Here's what he had to say:






They’re all things I might direct, but there’s one that I just made a deal to do a rewrite on an existing script. There’s another one that’s a book that I’m trying to sell. There’s another one that’s not quite in script form, the writer’s working on it. It’s an outline, and it’s going to be turned into a script. They’re options, all of them, for me to try to direct. Part of it is it’s just so hard to get a movie made, and hard to find someone who wants to partner with you and really sees the movie the same way that it makes sense to have multiple irons in the fire.



The last feature Ben Affleck directed was Live by Night in 2016. It wasn't exactly the success of Gone Baby Gone or The Town, never mind his Oscar-winning Argo.


He's certainly kept busy on every other front, though. Right now he's promoting his role in the Netflix film Triple Frontier. He's also executive producing the TV series City on a Hill. We're also waiting to hear more about that true crime movie he's supposed to be directing, starring his buddy Matt Damon, following a rigged McDonald's Monopoly game.





On the acting and producing front, Ben Affleck will star in Torrance, which is set to come out this October, directed by Gavin O'Connor. O'Connor directed Affleck in The Accountant and supposedly they're still planning to make a sequel. Affleck also has a role in the political thriller The Last Thing He Wanted, directed by Dee Rees, which was picked up by Netflix for a release ... at some point.


We've seen how easily plans come together and fall apart when it comes to making movies. After all, Ben Affleck was supposed to direct, write, produce, and star in The Batman movie. He's said to still be on board as one of the producers, but he admitted he and his fellow screenwriter couldn't "crack" the script. Rather than just push forward with something subpar, he walked away. Now Matt Reeves has that project and seems to know what he wants to do with it.


When Ben Affleck is good, he's great. He may have had his confidence shaken a bit after Live by Night and the back-to-back critical bashing of Batman v Superman and Justice League (which he didn't direct, but still). He's also been dealing with things in his personal life. But I'm hoping the pieces come together for him with the right project, and I'm looking forward to seeing what he announces as his next directing project for the end of 2019.





In the meantime, keep up with everything headed to the big screen this year with our handy 2019 movie guide.

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

X-Force: What We Know So Far

X-Force: What We Know So Far
domino deadpool bedlam deadpool 2

Warning: Spoilers for Deadpool 2 are in play. Details from the new sequel will be discussed in this guide. So if you're not up to date on the latest film, bookmark this page for future enjoyment.


Much as any superhero franchise has the potential to do, Deadpool 2 opens the world of Fox's Marvel-verse up to some wider mutant fun. In particular, it brings the likes of the X-Force to living, breathing life, as only the world of Wade Wilson's merc-with-a-mouth could. "A super duper fucking group" that's "tough, morally flexible, and young enough to carry their own franchise for 10 to 12 years," the X-Force looks ready to save the day by time the credits have rolled on Deadpool's latest adventure.


But what is the X-Force? Also, who are the X-Force? Better still... why is the X-Force? Yes, that's a gag left over from the Avengers: Infinity War coverage, but those questions still stand, as this new group is gearing up to branch out into a potentially lucrative hub franchise of their own. With this first movie comes a lot of questions, and a potentially new team, all influenced by the comic past of the X-Force.





What Is The X-Force Release Date?


An official release date for X-Force has not been set just yet, but there are plenty of opportunities for the film, as Fox has spots staked out for untitled Marvel projects as early as June 7, 2019. That date seems way too early for X-Force to be released, barring some sort of surprise announcement after Deadpool 2's opening numbers are tallied, but even the next spot on the untitled Fox/Marvel calendar, November 22nd, 2019, seems a bit rushed. If we were to make an educated guess, we'd say 2020 would be the year for X-Force's debut, with June 26th, 2020 being the most likely date for the film's release.


Who Is Directing X-Force?


With a big comic book movie comes a director's chair that's waiting to be filled by one simultaneously lucky / unlucky individual. In the case of X-Force, that Schrodinger's director would be writer/director Drew Goddard. Goddard's best known as a writer on such shows as Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Lost, and Alias, as well as the co-writer / director of the cult hit The Cabin In The Woods. This gig is his second directing job with Fox, as his film Bad Times At The El Royale marks the first time he's helmed a picture under their watch. An irreverent streak runs through his work, which is perfect for bringing Deadpool's X-Force into reality.


Who Is Writing X-Force?


Originally, Blumhouse's Truth or Dare director Jeff Wadlow was developing X-Force into a motion picture. However, after Deadpool became the smash success that it was, Fox switched gears and handed the project off to other writers, in hopes of better integrating Wade Wilson into the team's ranks. After Wadlow's departure, Joe Carnahan took over and contributed a draft of X-Force, but even he found himself ousted in time, and rightfully so. The current writer on X-Force is none other than its director, Drew Goddard, and seeing as he's already invested in the universe as a consultant on Deadpool 2, it makes sense for him to follow through.





What Will X-Force Be Rated?


Typically, a comic book movie finds itself squarely within the walls of the PG-13 box that the genre has made its home in historically. However, with Deadpool's mega success, the concept of an R-rated superhero film has gained a lot of traction, so whomever sits in the decision making chair won't have a hard time pushing for a hard R bonanza. Ultimately, as Ryan Reynolds has sworn in the past and affirmed in the present, it's all about what X-Force's story requires -- though as a matter of presence, he's in the R-rated camp as well.


What Will X-Force Be About?


At the moment, there's no concrete notes as to what X-Force will be about. The Cable-centric draft of the film's script has already been worked over by two sets of writers, allowing for a more Deadpool inclusive version of the story. Based off of the end of Deadpool 2, whatever the X-Force team will face, it'll be right in line with their slightly dirtier methods of world saving. Don't count out the continuation of Cable's story, though, as his time travel device is now fixed, and there are sure to be more adventures across the seas of time ahead of our heroes.


X-Force In The Comics


Created by Rob Liefeld in 1991, the X-Force was a new group formed with members of the New Mutants group. Using a more black ops / military style approach to solving their problems, the team formed by Cable was intended to be an edgier sort of X-Men franchise in the world of Marvel Comics. The original run ran from 1991 to 2001, with several other runs occurring up until the present day. The line-up has changed over the years, with even Cable eventually no longer being part of the group, and proper X-Men like Wolverine and Cyclops being part of the team for various stints.





Deadpool


The merc with the mouth, the smartassed badass, and a unicorn's best friend. These are all of the ways that Wade Wilson can be described, as the killer for hire turned mutant Freddy Kruger is as quick with his quips as he is with his katanas. As the leader of the X-Force, Ryan Reynolds' super-duper hero will obviously still be front and center for the new film. But with the more ensemble-focused approach for X-Force, he may actually sink into the background a little, adding humor when needed.


Negasonic Teenage Warhead


While her given name is Ellie Phimister, we'd like to think that if you called her anything other than "Negasonic Teenage Warhead," she'd blast you away with her atomic voodoo. Brianna Hildebrand's origin story sidekick from Deadpool is part of the X-Men team, and declines to join up with the X-Force at the end of Deadpool 2, favoring the X-Men team instead. It still wouldn't be surprising if she decided to jump in at the right moment and save the day, giving Wade Wilson more reason to love and despise her as a friend.


Domino


When it comes to Domino's abilities and survival skills, it's best that you heed one rule: never tell her the odds. No, seriously, don't waste your breath, because she doesn't care. She doesn't have to ,either, as her powers can literally alter probability to side in her favor. Played by Zazie Beetz in Deadpool 2, she's another member of the X-Force team that seems pretty likely to turn up in the team's ensemble adventure. Not only does she survive the events of this latest film, but she's bound to be a fan favorite that folks will demand shows up to the battle in X-Force.





Cable


A time traveler from the future who sent himself back to our time, Cable was set to kill Firefist in order to prevent his family's death. With that whole scenario avoided now, there's an open road of destiny for the son of Scott "Cyclops" Summers and Jean Grey's clone, Madelyne Pryor. Though, considering the man also known as Nathan Summers came back from a war-torn future, there's always the possibility that he'll need to get a crew together to prevent whatever horrific fate falls upon the Earth.


Bedlam


When you hear that someone can mess with electricity, you'd be poised to make as many jokes with the word "shocking" in them as you can. If you did that around Terry Crews's Bedlam, you'd be lucky if you remembered even making that mistake. Being able to manipulate electromagnetic impulses, due to his constant generation of said energy, he can really do a number on his foes and his microwave. At least, he would have been able to if he'd survived his first X-Force jump in Deadpool 2. One strong wind was all it took to put him into a public transit windshield, so it looks like he's not going to be in on the spin-off.


Zeitgeist


Acid blood and vomit are not only intensely cinematic powers, they're also absurdly dangerous to the hero that possesses them and any team they're on. Zeitgeist is a perfect example of a mutant that needs a bit more handling with care, rather than just being hired randomly off of a Craigslist ad. And, he not only winds up in a wood-chipper in Deadpool 2, but he also ends up killing Peter when he gets shredded. Seeing as Bill Skarsgard's schedule is about to get busy with IT: Chapter 2 filming, and the fact that it'd be impossible to put him back together, Zeitgeist looks like he's a one-time deal on the X-Force.





Shatterstar


As he was in the comic, Shatterstar was a founding member of the X-Force team in Deadpool 2. Bragging how he could do everything better than anyone, the alien mutant would have shown us his super strength, shockwave powers, and even teleporation abilities. We're saying this in the past tense because, much like most of his X-Force compatriots, Shatterstar met an untimely death, courtesy of a news helicopter's active blades, and some rough winds during the team's chopper jump.


Peter


He's an amateur bee-keeper, a killer regional sales manager for Excalibur Cutlery Co., and now a full-fledged X-Force member! And yet, Peter W., played by Catastrophe's Rob Delaney, doesn't have any powers. Merely reading the Craigslist ad and interviewing got him the gig, and it paid off, as Peter got to do something most people don't ever dream of: he was saved from dying a second time, thanks to Deadpool's adventures through time. Not only is Peter a possible X-Force team member for the long haul, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick think that he could be worthy of his own spin-off. If they had the right idea, we'd totally watch Peter sell some knives, and possibly use them on his foes.


How Will X-Force Affect Deadpool 3?


As far as all of the talk surrounding X-Force is concerned, this project will be more akin to an Avengers film, as it's an "ensemble" piece, according to Rhett Reese. In terms of how Deadpool 3 fits into the mix, X-Force is definitely next in line when it comes to Wade Wilson's adventures. Though, already it's been noted in further comments by Reese that Deadpool 3 would dial back down the scope of Wade Wilson's adventures, making him the center of attention once again. Deadpool 3 isn't a given, especially considering Ryan Reynolds and Rhett Reese's differing viewpoints on the project. It's comforting to know that we're at least guaranteed another shot of Deadpool action with X-Force, but he'll have to share his snacks with the rest of the class.





What Other Members Could Join X-Force?


By the end of Deadpool 2, there's an X-Force team already in place. While it's not a completely traditional team, nor is it a completely mutant team, there's a good chance that Colossus and Dopinder from the Deadpool movies could be on the team as full time members. Also, much like her girlfriend Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Yukio could find herself going back on her pledge to be more of an X-Men style hero, and join the grittier team of the X-Force in the nick of time. At this point, anyone could join the X-Force, especially when you factor in the presence of the New Mutants.


How Could New Mutants Affect X-Force?


The original Jeff Wadlow draft of X-Force focused on Cable assembling the team from members of the New Mutants, while at the same time working Deadpool into the structure of that ensemble. While the X-Force's current incarnation has Deadpool front and center, forming the team himself, there's still a chance that this film and next year's New Mutants could cross paths. While Fox's Marvel-verse is somewhat cohesive, at the very least in the way of other timelines and universes as per Deadpool's "Stewart or McAvoy" crack in Deadpool,


Fox could still continue to stitch their loosely adjacent universe together by bringing some of those new mutants from New Mutants into the game, especially considering that Wolfsbane and Cannonball are both in New Mutants, while also being eventual members of X-Force in the comics. Marvel / Fox's Mutant-verse could be tied together, with X-Force and Deadpool as the lynch-pin, with New Mutants and X-Men being support. Now that Cable's time travel device has been fixed, there's a chance that he can go back in time to meet with the New Mutants, recruiting for the X-Force team worthy of saving the future once and for all.




Paul Rudd And 10 Other Marvel And DC Stars Who Show 50 Is The New 25

Paul Rudd And 10 Other Marvel And DC Stars Who Show 50 Is The New 25
Robin Wright Wonder Woman Paul Rudd Avengers: Endgame Robert Downey Jr. Avengers: Infinity War

Believe it or not, Paul Rudd is turning 50 this Saturday, April 6. And Robert Downey Jr. is turning 54 on Thursday, April 4. Fifty used to be considered the start of the golden years -- aka getting "old" -- but now it's the start of a golden age for action heroes. Marvel and DC stars are the biggest superheroes in our universe, and many of the lead stars are still saving the world into their 50s and well beyond. Rudd may still look the same age he was when he made Clueless but Marvel's Ant-Man now part of that exclusive 50-plus club.


There are so many amazing active action stars north of 50 -- Tom Cruise, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jackie Chan, Harrison Ford, Linda Hamilton, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis (plus most of the other Expendables) -- it would take forever to list them all. That's a great problem to have in a world still so obsessed with youth. But this list just focuses on 10 past or present Marvel/DC stars who, like Paul Rudd, make turning 50 look like just the start of a superhero's journey.


Robert Downey Jr., 54, Marvel's Iron Man


In 2019, it doesn't get much cooler than Robert Downey Jr., giving hope to everyone who has yet to reach their mid-50s. RDJ is considered the godfather of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which started with the 2008 film Iron Man. That was more than 10 years ago, when RDJ was a young lad in his early 40s. Now that he's 54 (well, 53 until tomorrow, 4/4/19), he's still the lead voice of the MCU heading into Avengers: Endgame (open April 26). Tony Stark is one of the heroes who will do "whatever it takes" to change Thanos' Decimation from Avengers: Infinity War. RDJ pulled a career 180 thanks to Marvel, and now he's a very well paid superhero and a fan favorite around the world. Ask the mid-1990s if they ever saw THAT coming.




Halle Berry, 52, Marvel's X-Men, DC's Catwoman


Halle Berry joined Marvel's X-Men in 2000 and she hasn't really aged a day, unless it's to look better now. She returned as Storm in X2, X-Men: The Last Stand, and X-Men: Days of Future Past. Back in 2004, she also ventured into the DC world as Catwoman, which was not a huge success anywhere but the Razzie Awards, but that's OK. Along the way she also picked up an Oscar for Monster's Ball, played Jinx in 007's Die Another Day, and recently joined the Kingsman franchise for The Golden Circle. She is now gearing up for John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (open May 17) after cold calling director Chad Stahelski and saying she wanted to be in the movie. Gimme a role. So they did, and she not only plays a badass assassin, she has her own two dogs who kick ass as her sidekicks. She showed off her amazing fight training for the role, including training the dogs. As she wrote after wrapping John Wick 3, "This film reinforces that AGE is nothing but an insignificant number!" The main star of that franchise would probably agree (see below).


Josh Brolin, 51, Marvel's Thanos, Marvel's Cable


Josh Brolin was 2018's unexpected sex symbol as Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. I can't say I get the whole "daddy" thing, but good for Josh Brolin for still getting it into his 50s, even as a giant purple villain. Brolin has two active Marvel roles, and both are muscled-up beasts. He had an intense diet and exercise routine to play Cable in Deadpool 2, which came out last year when he was freshly 50. Thanos is the man to beat in Avengers: Endgame, which is already the biggest movie of 2019. And Brolin is currently filming a different kind of action movie in Dune, posting a shirtless photo to reveal his work as a weapons master. The guy looks like he'd kick your ass with a glance, and it's especially impressive knowing he's also the same guy from The Goonies. He wasn't even 20 when he made that movie -- his first -- in 1985 and he's at least twice that man today.


Robin Wright, 52, DC's Antiope


A lot of us first got to know Robin Wright as the beautiful object of someone else's affections -- as Buttercup in The Princess Bride in 1987 and as the ill-fated Jenny of 1994's Forrest Gump. Now she's best known for playing ruthless leaders, including Amazon Army General Antiope, Diana Prince's aunt, in DC's Wonder Woman. She'll also be back for the sequel Wonder Woman 1984, which comes out in 2020. Antiope trained Wonder Woman and showed herself to be a tough mentor in the 2017 movie. Wright also led the House of Cards cast and crew through the debacle of Kevin Spacey's exit, and the final season was all about her character, Claire Underwood. It's great to see Robin Wright getting strong leadership roles as she enters her 50s -- proving herself not only still beautiful, but also more powerful than ever in the second half of her century.




Will Smith, 50, DC's Deadshot


Will Smith is one of the many action heroes, like Tom Cruise, who have just kept on doing their usual action roles into their 50s. Why not? If it ain't broke (too badly)... Unlike Cruise, though, Smith has embraced the superhero experience. He joined the DCEU as Deadshot for 2016's Suicide Squad, but before that he played vigilante superhero John Hancock in an original story with Hancock. Smith first shot to fame with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, but he got his action credentials going with Bad Boys in 1995, followed by Independence Day and Men in Black. Now it's 2019 and he's currently filming Bad Boys for Life, the third film in the franchise, for release in 2020 when he'll be 51 and co-star Martin Lawrence will be 54. Sadly, he won't be returning as Deadshot for The Suicide Squad. Instead, Idris Elba (46) is taking on the role for James Gunn's movie. But Smith has plenty of other films in the works, including Ang Lee's sci-fi film Gemini Man, and of course we'll see him soon as the new Genie in Aladdin.


Samuel L. Jackson, 70, Marvel's Nick Fury


If 50 is the new 25, Sam Jackson is basically 45 at this point. Scratch that, he's 35 -- half his current age. The guy is everywhere! We would all be so lucky to have his stamina at 30, never mind 70. The man never stops. He's currently Nick Fury, de-aged for Captain Marvel, but back to his modern one-eyed self for the end of Avengers: Infinity War and whatever he does in Avengers: Endgame, not to mention his return for Spider-Man: Far From Home. That just for Marvel, he also had Glass earlier this year, as the title supervillain Mr. Glass, plus John Shaft II in Shaft. He'll also be back for the sequel to The Hitman's Bodyguard. He's a hoot on the press tours of his movies, and while you can never quite trust everything he tells you, he always makes it interesting. He is living his best life, and if there's such a thing as #70Goals, it's this badass motherf*cker.


Keanu Reeves, 54, DC's Constantine


Granted, it's been several years since Keanu Reeves played DC's John Constantine in the 2005 film Constantine, but now that he's 54, Keanu is an even more popular action hero than ever. He's had multiple iconic action roles over the years -- from Speed to The Matrix -- and he's still kicking ass as John Wick. His first John Wick film came out in 2014 and Chapter 2 arrived in 2017. John Wick 3 is coming out this May, and it's meant to be the biggest one yet. Keanu even shoots guns while on horseback on the streets of New York City. And, yeah, that's really him on that horse. Keanu is still so youthful in appearance and action, it's a running joke that he might be immortal. He's even reuniting with his Bill & Ted co-star Alex Winter for Bill & Ted 3, like no time has passed since the '80s.




Hugh Jackman, 50, Marvel's Wolverine


Hugh Jackman actually aged himself up to play Wolverine in Logan. He shot to fame as the character in 2000's X-Men, getting and staying famously ripped through X2, X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men: Origins - Wolverine, X-Men: First Class, The Wolverine, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and X-Men: Apocalypse. Wolverine wasn't big on aging and neither is Hugh Jackman, it seems. Ryan Reynolds is desperate to re-team with Wolverine in a future Deadpool movie, and while that may not pan out, I could definitely see the two starring in another action film together. Jackman seems to just be getting started as an action hero -- while also singing/dancing in The Greatest Showman and earning acclaim as a dramatic lead. I wouldn't be shocked if we see him still kicking ass on screen 10 years from now, not looking very different from today.


Nicole Kidman, 51, DC's Atlanna


Nicole Kidman played Arthur Curry's mother in Aquaman, and while Moms don't always get to have badass action scenes, not all moms are this queen. Atlanna got to save the day in one epic scene that was shot in one take. That wasn't her first DC role -- she played Dr. Chase Meridian in Batman Forever, but her job in that one was mostly to fall in love with the hero and be saved. This time, at age 51, she got to be the superhero who saves. She's another star, like Samuel L. Jackson, who appears to have a dozen projects going at any time. She was in The Upside, Destroyer, Boy Erased, and Aquaman last year, with The Godfinch and the Fox News film Fair and Balanced this year -- plus Big Little Lies Season 2 on HBO. From Emmy-award winning roles to billion dollar superhero films, Kidman makes it look pretty easy.


Patrick Stewart, 78, Marvel's Professor X


Patrick Stewart was already 60 by the time he joined Marvel's X-Men in 2000. He was a thespian with the Royal Shakespeare Company, but later in life he found himself the lead of two major franchises -- Star Trek as Jean-Luc Picard, and X-Men as Charles Xavier. He finished his run as Professor X with Logan, but instead of slowing down, he signed on to return as Picard for his own TV show on CBS All Access. William Shatner recently said he couldn't believe Stewart was doing that, saying a TV series is debilitating enough for a 25-year-old -- since you're working 14-18 hours a day -- but to do it in your late 70s? Stewart himself called it "an unexpected but delightful surprise" to find himself "excited and invigorated" to return to the role. He's ready to engage all over again.




The list of action stars still kicking butt well past 50 goes on and on -- from Vin Diesel to Don Cheadle and Mark Ruffalo, the Marvel list alone could fill books. It's inspiring to think that you can have a rough patch in your 30s but be a superhero in your 50s like Robert Downey Jr., or start as a high school girl's rom-com crush in your 20s and then possibly leap up Thanos' butt in your 50s like Paul Rudd. #LifeGoals


Here's to all of these stars and more still saving the day into their 90s, like Marvel's biggest hero, Stan Lee. Excelsior!

John Singleton Will Be Buried Near 2 Fast 2 Furious Co-Worker Paul Walker

John Singleton Will Be Buried Near 2 Fast 2 Furious Co-Worker Paul Walker
John Singleton and Paul Walker on the set of 2003's 2 Fast 2 Furious

John Singleton, the filmmaker famously behind Oscar nominated drama Boyz n the Hood died last week after suffering a “major stroke”. The 51-year-old writer/director/producer was placed on life support for almost two weeks before his passing on April 29. After a private funeral on Monday, Singleton’s final resting place will be in the same Hollywood cemetery as Paul Walker, who he worked with in 2003’s 2 Fast 2 Furious.


The 2 Fast 2 Furious director will be buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park where Paul Walker’s grave has resided since his 2013 passing. Star Wars’ Carrie Fisher, Green Mile actor Michael Clarke Duncan and rapper Nipsey Hussle are also buried at Forest Lawn.


On Monday, some of his past collaborators including Ice Cube from Boyz n the Hood, Ludacris from the Fast and Furious films and Taraji P. Henson from Baby Boy attended his funeral, per NY Daily News. The filmmaker was certainly impacting Hollywood at the time of his recent passing. Boyz n the Hood is now a classic urban drama set in Singleton’s hometown of South Central Los Angeles was written and directed by him and earned acclaim for Best Screenplay from the Academy.




Baby Boy was an early film of Taraji P. Henson’s who helped place the actress on the map. The actress has since gone on to earn an Oscar nomination for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and memorably starred in Empire and Hidden Figures. Singleton also helmed Rosewood and Shaft before taking on the Fast and Furious sequel.


A sequel to Shaft starring Samuel L. Jackson is coming this summer and the Fast and Furious franchise is going strong at eight films and an upcoming spinoff titled Hobbs and Shaw starring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham. Most recently, Singleton was a creator on the FX series Snowfall soon to premiere its third season in July.


On John Singleton’s death certificate it notes acute ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage and hypertension as the causes of his death. He suffered the stroke on April 17 and was in a coma for days and living off life support before his family made the decision to put him off support on April 28.




Paul Walker died in a car accident at the age of 40 in the midst of filming Furious 7. The filmmakers paid homage to the actor and his iconic character in the franchise by enlisting his brothers to help digitally place him into a scene that had him saying goodbye to his co-stars and fans by riding off into the sunset.


Following the recent small, intimate funeral not open to the media or public, Singleton’s family is planning a larger memorial service for the late filmmaker in the next few weeks.

Monday, March 9, 2020

Avengers: Endgame’s Runtime Revealed, And It’s Long

Avengers: Endgame’s Runtime Revealed, And It’s Long
Robert Tony Jr as Tony Stark in Avengers Endgame

Avengers: Infinity War was already an epic long superhero movie with a run time of two hours and 29 minutes. However, almost as soon as attention shifted toward the fourth Avengers film, it seemed we were in for an even longer experience. The Russo Brothers said the movie could be three hours or more and rumors continued to circulate that the film was clocking in at Titanic levels of length. Now, it appears that we have final confirmation that Avengers: Endgame will, in fact, just barely break the three hour mark, with an official run time of three hours and two minutes.


The run time was briefly posted by AMC Theaters before being taken down, but Fandango has now posted the exact same length, and with those two reliable sources, we can pretty much call this one a done deal.


The three hour and two minute run time is all the more important because, since we're talking about a Marvel movie, every minute counts. The full run of credits is included in that length, and if this were any other movie fans would likely cut out and save themselves eight or ten minutes by skipping the credits, but with Marvel we all know we'll be hanging around until the very end to see if there's a final scene at the end of all the credits.




Marvel has gotten in the habit of running multiple scenes once the credits start, interspersed throughout. Quite often, the important bits that tease future films now come earlier than the end, but with Avengers: Infinity War the Captain Marvel tease came at the very end, so there's every reason to expect that a scene that either sets up Spider-Man: Far From Home or teases where the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be going in Phase Four will be the very last thing we see.


A three hour run time is no joke. That's a seriously long time to sit and watch a movie. On the one hand, you want to make sure you're properly supplied for such an event, you don't want to get hungry and be distracted by your stomach for the bottom half of the film. On the other hand, you certainly don't want to be called away to the bathroom in the middle of the movie, so you might want to take it easy on the fluids.


Three hour movies are not uncommon but back in the day they used to all include intermissions. I saw the road show version of Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight which included an intermission, and I thought it was actually quite nice to have. I wouldn't be against seeing something like that happen in Avengers: Endgame but that's pretty unlikely. We're all going to need to power through this thing together.



 

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