Zazie Beetz Says Deadpool 2 And Joker Sets Felt Very Different

Zazie Beetz Says Deadpool 2 And Joker Sets Felt Very Different

Over the past few years, superhero movies have started totally dominating the filmmaking world. Comic book adaptations have proven to be the most popular genre in the biz, leading to plenty of studios attempting to start their own cinematic universe. And with so many of these properties hitting theaters, quite a few actors have played multiple comic book characters.

Take Atlanta actress Zazie Beetz for example. Beetz recently made her superheroic debut in Deadpool 2, playing the ultra lucky mutant Domino. While she's expected to reprise that role in the Deadpool 3 or the X-Force movie, Beetz has another comic book project hitting theaters shortly: Todd Phillips' Joker. The 27-year-old actress recently explained how different these two sets feel, saying:

I mean, the whole vibe of the set is very different because Deadpool is about the comedy and landing the joke and the physicality of it, whereas Joker is more emotional and is a darker tone. It's not the same type of goofing off that happens on the Deadpool set, in a way. Even though that also was a lot of work too. Joaquin is just a really honest person and a really genuine person. It's really nice as an actor to be working with somebody like that, to really be able to exchange emotionally.

Despite being comic book movies focused on two over the top protagonists, Deadpool 2 and Joker don't have a ton in common. And according to Zazie Beetz, Joker was a far more serious set to be apart of. But considering how both movies have been marketed, this juxtaposition makes a great deal of sense.

Zazie Beetz' comments to CineXpress might not be that much of a surprise, considering that the actress' inclusion may be the only similarity between the Deadpool franchise and Todd Phillips' upcoming origin story, Joker. After all, the protagonists come from different ends of the comic book spectrum, with the latter being DC-based, and Deadpool focusing on Marvel comics characters.

Related: Zazie Beetz Had A Real Love-Hate Relationship With Training For Deadpool 2

Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool franchise focuses primarily on comedy, with Wade Wilson often breaking the fourth wall and making references to other comic book movies. It's a formula that has really resonated with audiences, and Zazie Beetz was able to keep up with Reynolds' comedic chops in their scenes together during the massively successful sequel.

Meanwhile, Joker will be a far more toned down movie, and made on a minimal budget. Joaquin Phoenix is playing the title character, and Todd Phillips has teased that the upcoming release will be an intimate look at a mentally ill man. We shouldn't expect any comic book villainy or clashes with Batman. And there definitely won't be nearly as many jokes as the Deadpool franchise... if at all.

While the set of Joker wasn't nearly as light as Deadpool 2, Zazie Beetz still seems thrilled with the opportunity to work on the upcoming villain-centric movie. Specifically, she had a great time working with the movie's star Joaquin Phoenix. Joining them to round up the impressive cast are Robert De Niro, Frances Conroy, and Marc Maron.

While it's unclear when Zazie Beetz will return as Domino, Joker will arrive in theaters on October 4, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Bumblebee Director Has Plans For A Potential Sequel

Bumblebee Director Has Plans For A Potential Sequel

Bumblebee was a very different sort of Transformers movie, and while it didn't put up Michael Bay like numbers at the box office, it was much better received by critics and others who had been more critical of the more explosion-heavy entries in the series. While more Transformers movies are certainly coming, we have little idea what they will actually be. However, if anybody is looking for ideas, they should ask Bumblebee director Travis Knight, because he's apparently already got several potential movies mapped out in his head.

The word on the street is that development has begin on a direct sequel to Bumblebee, and if that's the case, and the studio wants to bring director Travis Knight back to make it, it sounds like he would love to return and he could also give that development some direction. According to Knight...

In my mind, I have all kinds of ideas for where Charlie goes from here; where Bumblebee goes from here; where Optimus Prime goes from here. In my mind, I’ve already made those movies on some level. If the stars align, would I tell another story in this universe? I mean, I love these characters, so it’d be a thrill to be able to tell a different kind of story in this universe. Time will tell.

Bumblebee told the story of the popular Autobot's arrival on Earth where he befriends a teenage girl named Charlie, played by Hailee Steinfeld. The movie ends with Charlie and Bumblebee parting ways, as Bumblebee reunites with Optimus Prime. However, it sounds like, based on what he tells, THR, if Travis Knight gets his way, all of these characters would come together for a sequel. Steinfeld had previously told me in an interview that she would be up for a sequel, as would John Cena if the option was there, so it sounds like all the necessary humans are ready and willing.

We were expecting a new proper sequel to the main Transformers franchise to hit this year but the film was pulled from the release schedule last year and we haven't heard much about it since. Franchise producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura has previously stated that the next Transformers movie will aim to combine elements of the main series and Bumblebee, something that has the more emotional character story of Bumblebee while still having plenty of "Bayhem" for those who love the city-destroying action sequences the series is known for.

As one of those people who preferred Bumblebee to any other Transformers movie, and was also a big fan of Kubo and the Two Strings, I would love to see Travis Knight return to make another Bumblebee movie. Whether or not it will happen we'll need to wait and see, but we can be sure that something new will happen with the Transformers movies before too long.

The Comic Character The Directors Almost Included in Captain Marvel

The Comic Character The Directors Almost Included in Captain Marvel

From inception to release, Marvel films go through a ton of reworks, leading to some characters originally intended to debut on screen to be cut by the time the movie hits theaters. And Captain Marvel is no exception. In my recent interview with the movie’s directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, I asked them about this. Here’s what Boden said:

We were always kind of obsessed with Helen Cobb and she didn’t make it into the movie. I think we thought about her a lot in terms of when we were trying to develop the story.

Interesting! For those unfamiliar with the Captain Marvel character, Helen Cobb is a famous pilot that inspired Carol Danvers to pursue her career in the Air Force and holds the highest-record for flight, which she wishes to break. In one story, Carol travels back in time (in a time-traveling plane, because she cannot time travel on her own), meets her, and joins the Banshee Squadron-- an all-female fighting unit in World War II.

When Helen Cobb dies of old age back in her timeline, Carol is given her airplane. The character exemplifies the importance of female role models, so it’s no wonder the directors considered her during the development of Captain Marvel. Check out the directors talking about it below:

While Helen Cobb was in the running, she didn’t make it past script development, as Kevin Feige recently confirmed with ComicBook.com. Here’s what the Marvel chief said about Helen Cobb:

She was in some drafts… But ultimately, the story is about Carol Danvers, so everything had to focus and funnel through her.

There are certainly tons of exciting characters found in between the pages of Captain Marvel comics who would have been an exciting addition to the big-screen origin story of Carol Danvers. In the end, the filmmakers had to focus on telling her story first and foremost, which left out room for Helen Cobb.

While Helen Cobb won’t be seen in Captain Marvel, she would be a fantastic addition for a potential sequel. It would allow for more of Carol’s roots and inspirations to be delved and seeing the hero join the Banshee Squadron in WWII sounds badass. This also opens the window for Captain Marvel to run into some other characters in the MCU from the past and fill in some more gaps in the universe that have yet to be explored!

But wait… we’re getting ahead of ourselves. You’ll have to first check out Captain Marvel in theaters on March 8. The origin story follows Brie Larson as Carol Danvers as a Starforce officer who falls to Earth in 1995 and teams up with Nick Fury, in his first intergalactic mission and amidst a war between the Kree and Skrull races.

DC's Zachary Levi Shows Off His Shazam! Muscles In 'Thirst Trappy' Video

DC's Zachary Levi Shows Off His Shazam! Muscles In 'Thirst Trappy' Video

Someone better tell Henry Cavill he has some Instagram muscle shot competition out there from a fellow DC Comics superhero. Shazam! is still picking up money at the box office, even in a post-Endgame world, and Zachary Levi is doing his part to keep the attention on DC (or at least himself) as Marvel takes over the globe.

Zachary Levi recently posted a pretty shameless plug for his Flow Supplements brand -- and I say shameless because he knew he was getting his Shazam! fans in a tizzy with his shirtless workout video. He added a note at the end of his caption acknowledging "Also, fine, maybe the video is a little 'thirst-trappy', so sue me." Judge for yourself:

Chuck alum Zachary Levi had plenty of fans before Shazam! but he is an outright superstar now, and the fan comments on his post are hilarious. One fan wrote "NSFW, dude! A little warning would be nice next time."

Normally I say leave the intense workout videos to The Rock and Chris Hemsworth, but Zachary Levi was basically posting an ad for his supplements, and that directly relates to working out. So he has an excuse.

As you might imagine, Zachary Levi had to spend a lot of time at the gym to train for Shazam! with that costume showing off the usual amounts of superhero bod. At least he got to eat a lot, though, to build muscle mass -- saying he was at the gym 5-6 days a week and ate 3,500-3,700 calories a day. But they had to be "clean calories," not leftover Easter candy or ice cream.

Zachary Levi likes to keep in touch with Shazam! fans by posting messages and answering questions. Several months ago, he answered a fan's question on eating broccoli for breakfast while making Shazam! He said he basically ate the same macros all day long -- a combination of meat and veggies five times a day. Apparently he used to eat a lot of eggs but gave them up due to an intolerance of some kind.

He may have to return to that diet and exercise routine fairly soon. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will be joining the Shazam! world as Black Adam and he said he thought they'd start filming the Black Adam movie in about a year. Due to the ages of the younger Shazam! stars, the producers said they might move into sequel production sooner rather than later so the "kids" don't start looking older than Zachary Levi.

It is Superhero Season at the box office, with the MCU's Captain Marvel and DC's Shazam! followed now by Marvel's Avengers: Endgame. Those costumes show every flaw, so stars work hard to make it look like their human physiques are as superheroic as the characters they play (even though many of the stars are now above 50). After working so hard, I can't really blame them too much for wanting to show off the results on Instagram. If I had a personal trainer getting me in shape, or if I bothered getting myself in shape, I might show it off too.

Keep up with everything heading to theaters this year with our 2019 movie schedule guide.

New Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Trailer Intimidates With Bright Lights, Explosions, and Fight Scenes

New Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Trailer Intimidates With Bright Lights, Explosions, and Fight Scenes

We're only about two months out from Godzilla: King of the Monsters giving audiences a showdown they're likely to never forget. Pitting the king himself against the various other MUTO in the MonsterVerse, the sequel to 2014's smash hit is going to need to pack quite a punch to match up to that previous success. Judging by the clip shown below, it looks like Godzilla will have no problem delivering the goods:

The bulk of the new footage in this look at director Michael Dougherty's Godzilla: King of the Monsters seems to take place at an underwater observation post for the cryptozoological organization known as Monarch. With the returning faces of Ken Watanabe and Sally Hawkins, alongside franchise newbies Kyle Chandler and Thomas Middleditch, we see Godzilla engaging in an intimidation display for all aboard to see.

Of course, what good is an intimidation display of glowing light if it isn't followed up by Godzilla swimming too close for comfort? As you see in the dialogue presented in the scene, that message is more than gladly received. This triggers some quick shots of Rodan being released from a volcano, King Ghidorah spewing fire breath from all three heads, and tons of property destruction. All in the name of crowning the true king of the monsters.

Now there's something interesting to note in this new look at footage from Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and it's all to do with Vera Farmiga's Dr. Emma Russell. In the latest trailer, there's a brief moment where Dr. Russell is looking rather distressed, and either injured and/or dying.

As the rain hits her face, and she gazes at something off camera, she says, “Long live the king,” much as Charles Dance did in the first look at the film. While some might think that pertains to Godzilla himself, there could be another interpretation.

For instance, Dr. Russell could be cheering on King Ghidorah, who seems to be the MUTO head honcho squaring off against Godzilla's sort of rogue agent of balance in the world. After all, it's her band of rogue scientists that seem to be deliberately releasing the would be Titans from their prisons around the globe.

This is far from confirmed, but just something to think about in the run up to Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and the implications it might have for the film.

Despite whatever this footage from Godzilla: King of the Monsters means in the long run, the short term effect is that we're just that much more anxious to see the film. And if this sort of action doesn't get your heart going, then there's plenty of other fish in the sea. Just make sure they steer clear of Godzilla and his challengers when the big fight goes off.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters smashes into theaters on May 10th. But if you're looking for some big ticket, destructive action before then, you can head on over to our 2019 release schedule to plan something in the more immediate future.

What We Want To See From The Star Wars: Episode IX Trailer

What We Want To See From The Star Wars: Episode IX Trailer

It has been roughly 1 year and 4 months since Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the last film in the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, hit theaters. In all that time we have yet to see so much as a single frame from the next and final film in the trilogy, J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: Episode IX. Fortunately, that long wait will soon be at an end.

Star Wars Celebration begins this week in Chicago, and with a Star Wars: Episode IX panel featuring director J.J. Abrams and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy scheduled for Friday, April 12, the prevailing wisdom and expectation is that is when we will finally get the trailer for the film. A trailer for a new Star Wars film would be eagerly anticipated regardless, but this one has even more riding on it.

This trailer, which is for the final movie in the Skywalker Saga, comes after the bumpy patch of Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Solo: A Star Wars Story. Those factors mean that this trailer has to deliver. So what do we want from the Star Wars: Episode IX trailer to make it worth the wait? Here are a few things we’d like to see.

A Title

This one is obvious and pretty much a given (how weird would it be if we got a trailer but no full title?) but that doesn’t diminish the fact that we want to know what this movie is called. This will be the latest we have found out the title of any movie in the Sequel Trilogy and while the title doesn’t matter insofar as the quality of the film is concerned, on a macro level, it is important. This is the end of the Skywalker Saga and an over 40-year journey, the concluding chapter title is more than a point of speculation. It should have weight and meaning and sound cool.

In our long wait for the title reveal, there have been a ton of rumored and potential contenders thrown out there, from Son of Darkness and The New Order to Balance of the Force and Skywalkers. We’ll soon find out if any of these guesses were right. I expect that this title reveal will be done as it was for Avengers 4, with the title being revealed at the end of the trailer. If it’s a banger, it will be a heck of a way to close out the first trailer for Star Wars: Episode IX and send fans into a frenzy.

The Knights Of Ren

Glimpsed in the first full trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Rey’s lightsaber vision in the film) and talked about in both Episode VII and Episode VIII, we still have yet to see the enigmatic Knights of Ren in person in the sequel trilogy. Rumors have indicated that Kylo Ren’s coterie of force-wielders will finally show up in Star Wars: Episode IX and if that’s true, they need to be in the trailer.

At this point, the villains are just Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, General Hux, and a bunch of faceless First Order soldiers. The Star Wars: Episode IX trailer could up the stakes and the threat level in a major way by giving us a group of badass darksiders showcasing some serious skills and powers or doing something menacing. J.J. Abrams introduced the idea of the Knights of Ren all the way back in 2015’s The Force Awakens, its time to finally deliver and that should happen starting with the Episode IX trailer.

The Original Trilogy Characters

In the official Star Wars: Episode IX casting announcement, Lucasfilm let us know that Mark Hamill would be reprising his role as Luke Skywalker, Billy Dee Williams would be returning to the franchise as Lando Calrissian, and the late Carrie Fisher would appear as Leia Organa thanks to unused footage from the previous two films. Although the focus of this film will likely be on the new characters like Rey, Finn, and Kylo, the trailer for Episode IX, the end of the Skywalker Saga, should honor its history by showing these Original Trilogy characters.

Lucasfilm made the bold decision to reveal that Luke Skywalker would be back (in some form) in Episode IX, choosing not to keep it a secret despite his death in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. With Luke returning being public knowledge, we should see him in the trailer. With regards to Leia, without knowing how much footage they had to work with, I wouldn’t want too much revealed ahead of time, but just a shot or two would be enough. And Donald Glover’s Lando stole the show in the Solo trailers, and just seeing Billy Dee Williams as Lando again in the Episode IX trailer would be great.

Lightsaber Moments

There are few inventions in fiction as cool and beloved as the lightsaber, and seeing an awesome lightsaber ignite or some signature lightsaber combat is a great way to have people freaking out over a trailer. Just think back to the trailer for Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace when you saw Darth Maul whip out a double-bladed lightsaber or in the teaser for The Force Awakens when Kylo Ren pulled his jagged crossguard lightsaber. The trailer for Episode IX should have a similar ‘Holy Shit!’ lightsaber moment.

I know Rey’s/Anakin’s blue saber is/was broken and I’m not saying we need to see a new kind of lightsaber in the trailer, but it feels like we do need to see some kind of lightsaber moment that surprises you and has you pumping your fist. The Last Jedi didn’t feature any lightsaber on lightsaber battles but I hope and expect J.J. Abrams to give us plenty of that in this film. If we could see some of that in the trailer it would help get everyone back on board with this saga and hyped about this film.

The New Characters

Star Wars: Episode IX may be the last film in this trilogy and the Skywalker Saga at large, but there are still new faces that will be introduced. Richard E. Grant, Keri Russell, Dominic Monaghan, and Naomi Ackie are all joining the cast in roles that are yet to be officially revealed. There is also still something of an open question whether or not Matt Smith is in this movie. Exciting new characters interacting with our faves and doing cool things is a good way to build the hype for the film and hopefully the Episode IX trailer does just that by showing them.

That said, there is a caveat to this wish list item; if any of the new characters or their roles in the film are meant to be a surprise, like Yoda in The Last Jedi, I’m fine with omitting them from the trailer, as I don’t think any of us want major plot beats spoiled. But we should be able to see at least some of these new characters in the trailer, if only enough to whet our appetites and give us something to speculate over until December.

An Idea Of The Story

Generally speaking, I’m a huge advocate of trailers that go light on plot details and heavy on establishing the tone of a film, and while that latter part is also important, I think that the first trailer for Star Wars: Episode IX needs to really give us an idea of what the story is. This isn’t a teaser that’s arriving a year before the film releases, this is a trailer that’s giving us our first anything from this film a mere eight months before its release.

Unlike The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi didn’t leave us with a cliffhanger or a ton of huge questions in need of answering, so the story feels wide open with where it could go in Episode IX. This trailer needs to give us some idea of where it is going, what’s at stake in this film and what the characters will be up to. Obviously it will be a battle between The First Order and the Resistance, but what’s the current dynamic between those forces after the time jump? What are the characters up to and what’s going on with Kylo and Rey? Is there a new enemy or a quest that must be completed? I feel like tone alone isn’t enough; we need at least a few plot details (nothing too spoilery, of course).

These are just a few of the things that we’d like to see in the Star Wars: Episode IX trailer. The wait alone for this trailer has built up a ton of anticipation and that means expectations are sky high. This is the last time we'll ever see the first trailer from a Skywalker Saga film for the first time. That's momentous and the trailer should convey that.

Whatever it includes or doesn’t, this trailer has a lot of work to do to get everyone excited and on board for a new Star Wars film after the past two entries haven’t been universally beloved. The Episode IX trailer can do that by delivering on some of these elements, feeling epic and maybe even including a surprise or two.

Star Wars: Episode IX blasts into theaters on December 20. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule for all of this year’s biggest movies. We’ll keep you updated on all the latest Star Wars news as it drops and let us know in the comments below what you want to see in the Episode IX trailer.

George Lucas Writes Sweet Tribute To Peter Mayhew

George Lucas Writes Sweet Tribute To Peter Mayhew

Star Wars fans were saddened to learn about the recent death of Peter Mayhew, the man who brought the Wookie Chewbacca to life for the majority of the franchise. Friends and colleagues have been sharing their thoughts on the iconic actor. George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars has penned his own tribute to the man where he talks about how Mayhew was discovered and placed in the film that would define his career.

According to George Lucas, finding somebody to play Chewbacca was actually quite complicated. While all Lucas was really looking for was somebody tall enough to play the part, finding that proved difficult. Eventually however, a hospital attendant named Peter Mayhew was found and Lucas cast him as soon as he saw how tall the man was. According to Lucas...

Peter was a wonderful, wonderful man. He kept his job in the hospital through the first three movies. But he fell in love with the character. And then as Star Wars grew in fame, and he started doing more festivals and public appearances, he realized he could actually make a living just off the personal appearances. He was very gentle, very sweet, very easy to get along with. He was more like a Wookie than I originally imagined a Wookie to be. Originally, I envisioned Chewie as some big ferocious beast, but Peter's Chewie wasn't really ferocious. No matter how hard he tried, he wasn't ferocious. He would be your best friend until he got angry, then stand back. He was a gentle giant.

The idea that Peter Mayhew kept his job working at a hospital while also being in the biggest movie franchise of all-time is just adorable and hilarious.

While Mayhew would have a handful of other acting jobs over the course of his career, he really did just make a living being Chewbacca for the most part. It's clear he truly loved playing the character.

Mayhew hasn't played Chewbacca at all in the last couple films, with the costume being handled by Joonas Suotamo in both Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Solo: A Star Wars Story. Mayhew hadn't been in the best health of late, so his passing wasn't necessarily a shock, but it was still sad news.

George Lucas' comments in THR are a wonderful tribute from the man who created Chewbacca and found the perfect person to give him life. While Lucas says he initially envisioned Chewbacca as a ferocious beast, it was Mayhew who turned him into the lovable giant he became. It's impossible to think of Chewbacca as anything else now.

Chewbacca will live on. Joonas Suotamo is set to bring the character back in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. While Mayhew may never inhabit the suit again, his contribution will certainly never be forgotten.