Rian Johnson Praises 'Freakin Unbelievable' Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge (And Its Delicious Green Milk)

Rian Johnson Praises 'Freakin Unbelievable' Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge (And Its Delicious Green Milk)

The Force flowing through me right now is envy of everyone who gets to go to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge any time in the next [checks bank balance] decade or so. Disneyland's new land opens May 31, with no reservations required starting June 24. Several lucky people have already checked the place out, including Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson. He tweeted some reactions to the experience, and made special note of a certain tasty beverage:

Ah yes, Luke Skywalker would approve.

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge is going to sell both the blue milk Luke drank in the original 1977 Star Wars and the green milk Luke drank after milking a Thala-Siren in The Last Jedi. Here's what's in the milk they sell, if you're curious. Apparently the milk will cost $7.99, which does sound like a lot but it's nothing compared to everything else.

Rian Johnson also tweeted some answers to fans' questions, whether serious or just silly. One fan asked about another The Last Jedi addition:

What's a 2019 Star Wars attraction without Porgs? It would be like leaving out the Ewoks. (Don't you dare say anything bad about Ewoks. I grew up loving them and they will forever stay beloved.)

FYI, Disney Parks Blog posted that it will be hosting a #DisneyParksLIVE stream covering Disneyland's dedication ceremony of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge on May 29 at 8:20 p.m. PDT/11:20 p.m. EDT. That's when you can get a good look at this new land, at least from afar.

Here's everything we know so far about Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. We're still waiting on official word about Rian Johnson's own next Star Wars movies. Disney said the Game of Thrones showrunners are doing the next movie after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but that doesn't mean Johnson isn't still working on his own previously announced trilogy. Just keep yourself hydrated with expensive milk and stay tuned for updates.

Ryan Reynolds Has Hilarious R-Rated Ideas For Detective Pikachu

Ryan Reynolds Has Hilarious R-Rated Ideas For Detective Pikachu

Although Pokemon: Detective Pikachu is looking to appeal to as many demographics as possible (after all, the folks who enjoyed Pokemon when the franchise first hit the scene are all adults), naturally the movie is primarily being marketed towards younger moviegoers, hence why it has a PG rating. However, if churning out an R-rated Detective Pikachu movie was on the table, Ryan Reynolds has some ideas for such adult-oriented content. Reynolds said:

I think if you could remake a Pikachu version of Mean Streets, that might be kind of fun. Or Goodfellas.

Martin Scorsese-inspired Pokemon movies would definitely raise some eyebrows and get people’s attention. If the world of Pokemon: Detective Pikachu is anything like the Pokemon video game and anime worlds, then Team Rocket is running rampant, so it’s not that much of a leap to imagine them sending their Pocket Monsters to ensure their rivals are sleeping with the Magikarp.

Alas, Pokemon is a family-friendly franchise, so unless any of you are willing to write an R-rated fanfic of Detective Pikachu where bullets are flying just as much as lightning bolts are, we’re out of luck on the Mean Streets and Goodfellas-themed Pokemon movies that Ryan Reynolds suggested to Comicbook.com. However, that’s not to say that Pokemon: Detective Pikachu isn’t dipping its toes into more adult territory. You’ll recall that in one of the trailers, Reynolds’s Pikachu tells Justice Smith’s Tim Goodman to get him “the hell” out of his cage fight with a Charizard.

It’s also worth noting that after being hired onto Pokemon: Detective Pikachu, Ryan Reynolds considered taking the voice of his Pikachu in a different direction and offered to make the crime-solving Pokemon sound like an old-school, Columbo-style gumshoe. However, the Pokemon: Detective Pikachu politely shot Reynolds’ idea down, so instead Pikachu sounds just like the actor in everyday life, which the regular moviegoer can more easily recognize.

Of course, in a world full of creatures this powerful and humans calling the shots, naturally there’s still going to be crime and danger. The main story revolves around this deerstalker-wearing Pikachu and Tim Goodman (who is the only human who can understand this particular electrically-charged mouse-thing) investigating the disappearance of Tim’s father, Harry. Along the way, they’ll meet reporter Lucy Stevens (played by Kathryn Newton) and her Psyduck, and together they’ll uncover a conspiracy that threatens all the Pokemon in the world.

So far Pokemon: Detective Pikachu has earned a fair amount of positive reception, and box office estimates from March placed it at making between $75-$90 million opening weekend. Looking to the future, a Detective Pikachu sequel is already in the works and there’s the potential for this film series to evolve into a full-blown cinematic universe.

Pokemon: Detective Pikachu blasts into theaters this Friday, May 10. If you’re curious about what other movies are coming out later in the year, look through our 2019 release schedule.

Looks Like Michael Rooker Will Not Play King Shark In Suicide Squad 2, Y'all

Looks Like Michael Rooker Will Not Play King Shark In Suicide Squad 2, Y'all

Last week, news broke that Michael Rooker (of Yondu fame) was in talks to play King Shark in Suicide Squad 2 a.k.a. The Suicide Squad. It was an exciting possibility that would see the actor reunite with his Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn. However, it looks as though Michael Rooker will not, in fact, be playing King Shark in Suicide Squad 2 as the actor recently took to social media to refute the report. Take a look:

Well, that certainly seems to be a pretty clear statement from Michael Rooker. By screenshotting the original report and captioning it as he did on his Instagram, Michael Rooker is essentially declaring that it is inaccurate and he is not in talks to play King Shark in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. So, if anyone was working on some fan art for this casting, you may want to pump the brakes.

Now, it is worth asking some questions about what this refutation could mean, because from Slither to Super to the Guardians of the Galaxy films, Michael Rooker has acted in every feature film James Gunn has directed. Therefore, it would make sense for him to join the director once again for The Suicide Squad to keep that streak going.

Also, the original report about Michael Rooker being in talks to play King Shark in The Suicide Squad didn’t come from some random person on Reddit, it came from a legitimate publication. In addition, there was an earlier report that King Shark would indeed be one of the members of the new team in the film. So what gives?

It could just be the The Wrap got it wrong (it happens) and Michael Rooker is, as he indicated, not in talks to play King Shark in the film or maybe that talks fell apart. It’s also possible that Michael Rooker is fibbing, as we’ve seemingly seen recently with Matt Smith regarding Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Or, given their working relationship, Michael Rooker is reuniting with James Gunn for The Suicide Squad, but King Shark is not the character he will be playing. David Dastmalchian is reportedly cast as Polka-Dot Man and Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher, and Idris Elba as not Deadshot, but there are presumably other characters Michael Rooker could take on in the movie.

At this point, given his fairly unambiguous social media response to news of his casting, I just wouldn’t expect Michael Rooker to play the humanoid shark in The Suicide Squad. The sequel, which has been described as something of a relaunch with only a handful of the original actors/characters returning is currently in pre-production so hopefully we’ll hear some more casting soon.

The Suicide Squad, with or without Michael Rooker, is scheduled to arrive in theaters on August 6, 2021. That’s a ways off, though, and you need to be entertained until then, so check out our 2019 release schedule to see all the movies you’ll want to check out this summer.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Looks Totally Badass In First Terminator: Dark Fate Image

Arnold Schwarzenegger Looks Totally Badass In First Terminator: Dark Fate Image

Science fiction is always been a tried and true genre in filmmaking, with an ability to enthrall and fascinate audiences. Chief among the biggest sci-fi franchise are the Terminator movies, starring a hulking Arnold Schwarzenegger as the robotic title character. Schwarzenegger has lead almost every film in the long running property, and will once again reprise his role for the upcoming Terminator: Dark Fate movie.

Dark Fate will reunite Arnold Schwarzenegger with James Cameron and OG Sarah Connor Linda Hamilton. The generations of Terminator fans are eager for any and all information regarding the highly anticipated sequel, and now we've got a glimpse at Arnold as The Terminator. And it looks awesome.

Does anyone else have chills? While we've seen Linda Hamilton looking like a certifiable badass as Sarah Connor, this is the best look we've gotten at Arnold Schwarzenegger's return as T-800.

This exciting image comes to us directly from the studio, as details are finally being revealed regarding Terminator: Dark Fate's contents. The movie is a direct sequel to Terminator 2, arguably the best installment in the beloved franchise. While the story is a complete mystery to the public, there's been a strong cast assembled. Sarah Connor was shown with some female companions during the sci-fi adventure, and John Connor will be another character (although not played by Edward Furlong). There's also a new Terminator debuting, played by Gabriel Luna.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is looking like a robotic badass in this image, including a few flesh wounds which expose his silver metallic skull. The Terminator movies always feature the title character taking some punishment, with his mechanical body damaged and his fake skin falling off. This Dark Fate image only teases this transformation, as T-800 looks to be in good shape (albeit aged a bit).

There's also a new image of Linda Hamilton's return as Sarah Connor in Dark Fate, and it's enough to get most self-respecting Terminator fans giddy with anticipation. Check it out.

Seriously, how cool is this? Linda Hamilton brought ferocity to this character, and soon moviegoers will get to see how the past few decades have crystallized the survivor. Sarah Connor is shown wearing body armor and packing some heat, as well as her signature sunglasses. She's also rocking a decidedly short haircut, and is rocking natural grey locks.

Smart money says Terminator: Dark Fate puts a ton of focus on Linda Hamilton's signature character. While Sarah Connor has had new life in a short lived TV show and Terminator: Genisys, the upcoming sequel will mark Hamilton's first time reprising her role since Terminator 2. She played Sarah with grit and hardness in that sequel, and smart money says that time hasn't been kind to the franchise favorite.

The Halloween franchise did a similar move last year, retconning the myriad sequels and doing a direct follow-up to the original classic. It gave the chance for franchise star Jamie Lee Curtis to shine as her signature character, and might even continue with another sequel. Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor is another beloved character in cinema, so fans are eager to see her reunite with Arnold Schwarzenegger and cause some explosions.

Sarah Connor and T-800 are going to be facing off against a variety of enemies, although the most notable is the new version of The Terminator. This mysterious villain will be played by Gabriel Luna (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), and will presumably go head to head with Arnold Schwarzenegger's signature character. It should be interesting to see what capabilities Luna's version has, as each new model has different abilities. The villain in Terminator 2 was virtually invulnerable due to being able to liquify, while the villain in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines could shape shift.

Gabriel Luna has dipped his toes in the sci-fi world before, and Terminator fans are eager to see what he does as a robotic character himself. Action movies are often only as good as their villains, so the pressure is on to deliver.

Another newcomer to the Terminator franchise is Mackenzie Davis, who playing the mysterious new character Grace. Not much as been reveled about Grace, but she's been described as a super-soldier. She looks like a total badass in the above image, wearing body armor and using a heavy chain as a weapon. Super soldier sounds about right, honestly.

Mackenzie Davis' appearance as Grace accompanied the first look at Linda Hamilton's Sarah Conor in Terminator: Dark Fate. It's good to see that Sarah won't be a loner in this new installment, and has friends that are neither her children or Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator. Although Grace is looking so capable that I wouldn't be surprised if she ended up being a robot, too.

There's also a pair of siblings involved in the plot of Terminator: Dark Fate. Natalie Reyes will play young Dani Ramos, as actor Diego Boneta (Rock of Ages) plays her brother Miguel. It's unclear how these two will function within the story of Dark Fate, although Dani was featured alongside Sarah and Grace in the first look at the movie. The brand new stills include a shot of Boneta as Miguel-- the first glimpse of that new character.

Miguel is seen behind the wheel in this Terminator: Dark Fate still, and he doesn't appear to be having a particularly good day. He's got a grimace that suits the beloved sci-fi franchise well, as the stake are usually extremely high. The heroes typically try to prevent an apocalypse at the hands of robots, so there isn't a ton of levity. But Dani Ramos will likely bring the naivety and childlike energy to Dark Fate, similar to how John Connor functioned in Terminator 2.

Speaking of John, it's unclear if an adult version of Sarah's son will be in the movie. While the character was confirmed for Dark Fate, it may just be through flashbacks. A child actor was brought on to play John's body, while Edward Furlong's 1991 appearance will be digitally added to his face. Did Sarah lose her son, who was meant to rise up and save humanity? Let's hope not.

Terminator: Dark Fate will arrive in theaters on November 1, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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

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

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

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

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.