Taika Waititi Wins For Best Reaction To James Gunn's Guardians 3 Return

Taika Waititi Wins For Best Reaction To James Gunn's Guardians 3 Return

When news broke yesterday that James Gunn had been reinstated to direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 after his firing last summer, there were wide-ranging emotions and reactions to the news. People were elated, surprised, and quite frankly astonished at this reversal of fortunes, while James Gunn himself expressed humility and gratitude. The best reaction to the news, though, came from Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi. Take a look:

Leave it to Taika Waititi to deliver the funniest response to the James Gunn news. While everyone else was celebrating James Gunn’s return, Taika Waititi acted shocked and appalled in his tweet that he didn’t get the job and will not be directing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, losing out to a guy that he didn’t even think was in the running.

To appreciate Taika Waititi’s joke, you have to have followed the James Gunn/Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 saga to know why Taika would even pretend he was going to direct the film. After James Gunn’s firing, there were a lot of questions about if Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 even would or should happen, and if it did, who would and could direct it.

The name that came up most in those conversations was Taika Waititi. The Kiwi director, who so endeared himself to Marvel fans with Thor: Ragnarok, seemed to be the only obvious choice to replace Gunn. Taika Waititi has an irreverent comedic style that, although not the same as Gunn’s, seemed to be the closest approximation fans could hope for.

There were even reports that Taika Waititi had met with Marvel, leading to speculation that it was about Guardians 3. His name also seemed to be the only one other than James Gunn’s that fans would accept. If you hear something enough you start to believe it, and with all that talk about him directing Guardians, Taika Waititi could almost have believed it himself -- even though he said that he had no interest and believed that Guardians belonged to James Gunn.

We now know that Marvel never even met with or considered other filmmakers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Sorry Taika, not only did you not get the job, you weren’t even in the running. It appears that James Gunn was always going to be the once and future director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

So now James Gunn is directing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Suicide Squad, showing that one doesn’t need to swear allegiance to one comic book company. As for Taika Waititi, he may not have got the Guardians gig, but he still has plenty on his plate. He followed up Ragnarok with his new Nazi satire movie Jojo Rabbit, which has not yet set a release date, and he recently directed an episode of the new Star Wars Disney+ series The Mandalorian.

Check out our 2019 release schedule to see all the biggest movies heading to theaters this year and stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest movie news.

One Marvel Hero Had To Be Added To Endgame's Women-Of-Marvel Sequence Via Digital Effects

One Marvel Hero Had To Be Added To Endgame's Women-Of-Marvel Sequence Via Digital Effects

Warning: SPOILERS for Avengers: Endgame are ahead!

It’s safe to say that the final battle in Avengers: Endgame, where 2014 Thanos and his forces clashed with all the MCU heroes and their accompanying allies, is the biggest action packed sequence of the Marvel Cinematic Universe thus far. Among the notable moments was when all the Marvel heroines (except for Black Widow, who died earlier) came together to ensure that the Infinity Gauntlet reached the quantum tunnel inside Scott Lang’s van.

Ironically, it turns out that the one male hero who was around for this sequence, Spider-Man, was digitally inserted into this Women-Of-Marvel sequence after the main shoot. I recently had the opportunity to speak with Weta Digital visual effects supervisor Matt Aiken, and here’s what he had to say about Tom Holland’s absence:

The only person who wasn’t able to be there on that day was Tom Holland, and Spidey has to hand the Gauntlet off to Captain Marvel at the start of that shot, so we had a stand-in for Spidey and we ended up filming him with a kind of faux-motion control rig a couple of weeks later when Tom Holland became available, and we tracked him into that shot and popped him in.

It’s a wonder that so much of Avengers: Endgame’s climactic conflict managed to have all the actors together on stage, but this is one instance where schedules weren’t 100% able to mesh together. Peter Parker was shown interacting with Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel and watching as all these heroines teamed up on the battlefield, but in reality, Tom Holland had to participate in this sequence on his own. At least Matt Aiken and his VFX team at WETA made Holland inclusion as seamless as possible.

Like everyone else who was dusted at the end of Avengers: Infinity War, Spider-Man didn’t show up until after the battle over the destroyed Avengers base had already unfolded. Despite his limited screen time, he managed to stand out not just as the catalyst for the Women-Of-Marvel sequence, but also through the touching reunion with his mentor and father figure, Tony Stark, although their time together was tragically short as Tony would later sacrifice his life to stop Thanos’ forces.

While ultimately the Marvel heroines’ efforts in this portion of Avengers: Endgame were for naught since Thanos destroyed the van containing the Quantum Realm technology, the Women-Of-Marvel sequence as a whole was still exciting to watch. In the last couple years, various MCU actresses have talked about wanting the franchise to deliver a movie starring a female-led team, and this Endgame sequence provided a good case for such a project.

Be sure to read CinemaBlend’s review of Avengers: Endgame and stay tuned for more coverage about the latest Marvel movie. If you’re already looking to the future of the MCU, Spider-Man: Far From Home swings into theaters on July 2, and you can look through our Marvel movies guide to learn what’s coming after that.

New Men In Black International Clip Pokes Fun At Game Of Thrones’ Coffee Cup Debacle

New Men In Black International Clip Pokes Fun At Game Of Thrones’ Coffee Cup Debacle

The summer season, so far, has been all about the Avengers, but there are plenty more franchise looking to make a splash as the temperatures rise outside. Spider-Man will swing through his own sequel. The Toys are back in town for Toy Story 4, and Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) will absorb the power of the Phoenix in Simon Kinberg’s Dark Phoenix.

And then there are the Men In Black, who will add a fresh-faced new female recruit to their ranks when Tessa Thompson teams with Chris Hemsworth for Men In Black International. The promotional campaign is stepping up, as of late, including this clever and very timely use of the neuralyzer, which Game of Thrones fans probably want to use on its millions of viewers:

And no, this isn’t a dig at Dany laying waste to King’s Landing with her one remaining dragon (though seriously, a lot of Game of Thrones fans likely want their own neuralyzer to block out the bulk of season eight). This is a clever dig laid by Men In Black International about the coffee cup left on the Thrones set during a post-battle celebration. Happier times! Remember those?

With the help of a trusty neuralyzer, all one has to do is stare into the light, and the memory that you want gone is wiped. It was a funny bit every time Will Smith of Tommy Lee Jones did it in the original Men In Black films. We can’t wait to see how Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson use it in the new film.

When CinemaBlend visited the set of Men In Black International, we learned that the neuralyzer actually will play a bigger role in the story of this new team, with Chris Hemsworth’s character – Agent H – potentially suffering from a memory wipe after an early confrontation. Beyond that tease, details were kept under wraps, but we’ll know the full story once the movie comes out.

F. Gary Gray directs Men In Black International, recruiting Tessa Thompson out of the bureau’s New York office and then sending her to London where she’ll team with Chris Hemsworth and Liam Neeson on a globe-trotting adventure. The movie opens everywhere on June 14. For more from our visit to the London set of the movie, click here.

Does The Latest Avengers: Endgame Trailer Reveal When The Thanos Rematch Will Happen?

Does The Latest Avengers: Endgame Trailer Reveal When The Thanos Rematch Will Happen?

Yet another trailer has arrived for Avengers: Endgame, and among all the things Marvel is choosing to keep fans in the dark on, it appears there's a pretty big tease for one much-anticipated scene. The rematch with Thanos has been the moment fans have been waiting for ever since the Mad Titan destroyed half of all life in the universe, and there's some breadcrumbs leading me to believe they won't be waiting long to see it.

In fact, it looks as though once the team has a chance to reconnect, get acquainted and collect their thoughts following this massive tragedy, they're going to track down Thanos in order to exact revenge. What makes me so sure? Read through this line delivered by Thanos in the latest look at the movie.

You could not live with your own failure. Where did that bring you? Back to me.

It's a curious line, and one that may be a reference to the Avengers' failure to stop Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. The villain seems to relish in the idea that the heroes have found their way back to him, hoping to right their wrongs in defeating him. Man, how can a villain be such a dick, but also so badass at the same time?

Now, if Thanos' snap has happened, that would imply that no time travel has happened at that point of the film. After all, what would be the point in going back in time if not to prevent the events of the present? It's possible this scene takes place before the team meets up with Scott Lang and learns of the Quantum Realm, and this is a mission half founded on stopping further destruction by Thanos, but mostly founded on revenge.

It's worth mentioning at this point that there's evidence to back some of this, and it comes in the form of a footage description (via Heroic Hollywood) of Avengers: Endgame footage that hasn't been released to the public. The footage, which aired for Disney shareholders a couple months ago, contained scenes in which Captain Marvel and the Avengers (plus Nebula, minus Tony) talk of a rematch with Thanos.

A rematch so soon sounds crazy, but it follows the logic of the heroes. After all, Thor was pretty close to killing Thanos on his own, so having everyone together would give them a solid chance even with the Infinity Stones at his disposal. It’s also worth mentioning that, provided Scott Lang and the Quantum Realm aren’t introduced into the story until later, this is really the only way for the Avengers to save the universe.

Going back to the footage description, Nebula reveals she may know where to find her father, and the crew (again, minus Tony) head off in a ship to face the Mad Titan. The description syncs up with a couple scenes shown in the latest trailer, including the one with the Avengers in the space ship with Captain Marvel and Rocket Raccoon at the wheel. According to the footage, this will be the team that heads off to face Thanos.

So if that’s the team that is supposed to go and fight Thanos, what the hell is that battle scene? After all, Tony is explicitly stated in the shareholder footage not to be a part of this action, but he’s seen marching up on Thanos alongside Thor and Captain America. Did Marvel pull the wool over the eyes of its own investors and show fake footage?

That doesn’t seem like a wise move to fool investors, so it’s more likely there’s something screwy with this scene shown to the public. Perhaps Tony isn’t really alongside Thor and Cap in this confrontation with Thanos, or there are three different heroes entirely? That doesn’t seem likely given Cap’s shield tightening scene seems to match up with the back drop of this battle, so the odds of this scene being completely fabricated are unlikely.

It’s a tough pill to swallow, especially considering what a great homage it is to see Cap, Iron Man, and Thor fight Thanos together. Who better to take on the villain than than these founding Avengers members? It’d be a cool moment to see on screen for sure, but we’re all well aware the Russos aren’t above creating epic footage strictly for trailers and nothing else.

It’s also possible that while Thanos’ speech about failure comes early in the movie, the actual fight footage comes from a showdown later on in the film. After all, Nebula referred to the place Thanos is at as “the garden.” We’ve seen the location in footage before, and it looks like a paradise and definitely not that smoldering pile of metal and ash he’s chilling out in when the heroes walk up on him.

Hey, maybe the garden has always looked like shit and he’s just using the Reality Stone to help him avoid the realization that his master plan didn’t ultimately save humanity? After all, it would suck to live a life that strictly revolved around mass genocide to save the planet only to learn in the end it wasn’t the answer after all. Yeesh, you’d almost have to feel bad for the guy for having to live with that.

So assuming we're right and the Avengers do take on Thanos fairly early on into the film, where do they go from there? Do they defeat the Mad Titan and it changes nothing? Do they fail and are forced to live with another failure? Tony's gray hair in some scenes is likely another sign we're going to see a time jump, so regardless of how things shake out with Thanos, it appears this is a problem that can't be solved through fists alone.

Avengers: Endgame is headed to theaters in late April, and tickets are already being sold at incredible rates. Fans may want to secure theirs before the grand opening, and continue to stick with CinemaBlend for all Marvel analysis and reactions leading up to the premiere and beyond. For example, read up on the various ways Marvel can wrap up Captain America's arc in the upcoming film.

I Watched The Original Pet Sematary For The First Time And Yes, It's In Need Of A Remake

I Watched The Original Pet Sematary For The First Time And Yes, It's In Need Of A Remake

Spoiler Warning: I ruin key plot points in the book, 1989 movie, and probably the new movie, so proceed with caution!

Before IT Chapter 2 arrives in theaters later this year, another highly anticipated Stephen King adaptation is hitting screens. Pet Sematary is set to retell the tale of the Creed family, a family which moves to a rural town in Maine and discovers a mystical (and cursed) pet cemetery on their property. It's one of King's most popular books, but I had never read it. Nor had I watched the original film. With the early word on the street that the new film from co-directors Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer absolutely rules, I figured now was a great time to read the book and watch the original 1989 movie.

After watching the film last weekend, I decided that, yes, this thing was due for a remake.

The original Pet Sematary movie was directed by Mary Lambert and written by Stephen King himself. I had always heard positive things about the movie, and I was excited to watch it in preparation for the new film. Why did I do this? Probably so I could say "that's not how they did it in the book," and annoy all the people around me. Regardless, I loved the book, and Hulu made it easy for watch the original movie; however, it was not what I was expecting.

A few things I should point out before diving in: While the movie was pretty faithful to the book, watching for the first time, it falls short in some key areas like acting and pacing. Maybe I've just been spoiled by too many good horror films these past couple of years, but I had a hard time getting onboard this movie.

However, it's totally true that I am coming from a different experience than those who grew up watching the movie and I can see this being pretty scary if you were a kid in 1989 when the movie originally hit theaters. There is legitimately one scary scene involving a character named Zelda that unnerved me deeply. What scares audiences changes over time as well, and that could be one of the reasons watching for the first time now made me happy Pet Sematary is being remade. For me, most of the film ended up having a strong cheesy vibe that makes it more fun to watch than scary, but I obviously don't think that was the intention of the filmmakers.

Regardless of how dear some might hold the film, I think we can agree that the acting is not so great in this movie. It stars Dale Midkiff as Louis Creed, Denise Crosby as Rachel Creed, and Fred Gwynne as Jud Crandall. Gwyne is the best of the bunch and although his Maine accent makes it difficult to decipher what he's saying, he's still the strongest actor in the film. Unfortunately, Midkiff really bogs the movie down.

He reads almost every line with this monotone that makes it impossible to decipher what his character is actually feeling. There's a point in this movie where Louis is supposed to go insane, but Midkoff delivers dialogue the same way as before. You'd think having brought your dead son back from the dead only for him to murder your best friend and wife would have some impact on you.

Another issue I personally had sort of relates to having read the book. The pace is obviously faster, because when adapting a book to a movie, changes have to be made to streamline the plot. The problem I had with how Pet Sematary does it is that it drains the film of character and it's harder to discern why anyone is doing anything.

The perfect example is how the movie handles Jud Crandall, the Creed's elderly next door neighbor. In the book, Jud becomes Louis' best friend. They hang out on a regular basis, just kicking back and drinking beer. Jud also has a wife named Norma, whose life Louis saves after she has a nasty spill on Halloween. Because Louis saved his wife, Jud decides to pay him back by showing him the Micmac burial ground when Louis' family cat Church dies.

In the movie, Jud and Louis have a small handful of scenes together before Church has his inevitable meeting with a speeding truck and Jud shows the burial ground... just because? He pays some lip service later that he didn't want Louis' daughter to be sad, but it rings hollow -- especially because the movie's burial ground produces more violent animals than the book's did.

Norma was understandably cut from the movie (likely to keep the runtime and budget down), but without that extra motivation Jud doesn't really have much of an excuse to teach someone how to make zombies. In the book, Jud's decision isn't entirely his own because he's being influenced by the burial ground, but you still need that motivation to further justify the moment.

As an adaptation goes, Pet Sematary is generally pretty loyal to the book. It cuts back on certain supernatural elements, but otherwise it follows the book to a tee. However, that's not always a great thing and one thing should have absolutely been changed: Gage.

In Pet Sematary, Gage is Louis' toddler son who is tragically run over by a truck. He is eventually brought back to life by a desperate and grieving Louis to disastrous results. The movie keeps all this, but here's the thing about a two year old killer: it's adorable.

The resurrected Gage is not scary AT ALL. They weren't able to tone down any of the cuteness. Gage has the exact same voice and is still only saying age appropriate dialogue, so even when he's saying stuff like "I'll kill you," it's super cute. They try to make him frown and look angry but that just makes him even cuter! I mean look at this picture. What's even happening!?

It's supposed to be the most intense scene in the movie, but even when he's slicing calfs and chomping on necks, it was just too silly for me to overcome. In the book, Gage has an entirely different voice and talks like an adult, so it makes him much more menacing. He says some vile things to people right before he kills them.

Thankfully, it sounds like the new Pet Sematary avoided some of these pitfalls. We already know the upcoming release has changed this major plotline to feature Louis's older daughter, someone who can act and change their face and body language to actually be scary (which she reportedly is). It also should help that VFX, ratings, and pacing in movies has changed over time to accommodate modern audiences.

To be clear, all of this has not been to say that Pet Sematary didn't have its charms or that it wasn't good in 1989, but in 2019, I'm ready for something new. Hopefully the new movie will find a balance between today's modern sensibilities and being faithful to Stephen King's original work. It would be even nicer if it could in some ways pay homage to the 1989 film that came before it, because there would be less nostalgia and excitement related to the new Pet Sematary if it hadn't been for the 1989 film. Still, I think it's fair to say this thing was ready for a really scary, modern remake, and we'll know for sure if that's what we got on April 5.

Captain Marvel's Directors Have A Deleted Scene They Wish Made The Theatrical Cut

Captain Marvel's Directors Have A Deleted Scene They Wish Made The Theatrical Cut

Warning: SPOILERS for Captain Marvel ahead!

Audiences will soon get to relive one of the biggest movies of the year when Captain Marvel arrives on home video. One of the most exciting parts of any home video release is getting to see some of the stuff that didn’t make it into the final film. Speaking with CinemaBlend’s own Eric Eisenberg in advance of Captain Marvel’s Blu-ray release, directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck revealed the one scene they wish had made the theatrical cut, saying:

Anna Boden: I think the scene where Jude visits his Supreme Intelligence is really fun - I think it's on the deleted scenes - and it's just one of those delicious after scenes where Jude Law is playing both characters and being both brutal and vulnerable in the same space.

Ryan Fleck: Yon-Rogg, of course he's himself when he visits the Supreme Intelligence.

Anna Boden: Because you see the person who you admire the most, right?

In the theatrical cut of Captain Marvel, we never get to see Jude Law’s Yon-Rogg visit the Kree Supreme Intelligence, nor do we know for sure what form the Supreme Intelligence takes for him. But it turns out that such a scene was filmed, and in the deleted scene, Yon-Rogg visits the Kree Supreme Intelligence, which takes the form of…Yon-Rogg.

The Supreme Intelligence takes the form of whomever you most admire, so for Vers that’s Dr. Wendy Lawson/Mar-Vell, even though she doesn’t remember who that is or why she admires her. But for the villainous Yon-Rogg, the person he most admires is himself. This underscores what a narcissist Yon-Rogg really is, that he can’t think of anyone more aspirational and perfect than himself.

This is fun to hear because who Yon-Rogg sees when he visits the Supreme Intelligence is actually brought up in the film. In the beginning of the movie, Brie Larson’s Vers asks him whom he sees and he refuses to tell her. That the answer is himself makes it clear why.

Directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck like this scene especially because it gives Jude Law the fun opportunity to play both himself and the Supreme Intelligence. Fortunately, it will be one of the deleted scenes on the Blu-ray release of Captain Marvel, so fans will get to see it. The scene is called “Who Do You Admire Above All Others?” and it sees the Supreme Intelligence questioning Yon-Rogg’s leadership ability.

As Anna Boden said, that allowed for Jude Law to play the unforgiving Supreme Intelligence demanding results from Yon-Rogg, and the ever-confident Yon-Rogg showing actual vulnerability in the face of the highest authority. Although it’s not in the film, if we take this scene as canon, it not only gives us greater understanding of Jude Law’s character, it also adds something to the end of the movie.

The Supreme Intelligence already doubted Yon-Rogg and he was eager to please it. That makes the end where Carol Danvers defeats him and sends him back to Hala alive with a warning for the Supreme Intelligence all the more devastating for Yon-Rogg, a failure that was likely worse than death for the devout soldier.

While this scene sounds cool and likely works on a couple of different levels, you can see why it may have been cut. If we had seen Yon-Rogg meeting the Supreme Intelligence, it would have given away the game as to what kind of person he really is. Sure, I think his evil turn was pretty predictable, but this would have blasted away any bit of uncertainty. Still, it would have been cool to see a scene after he got sent back to Hala, pleading to an angry Supreme Intelligence.

Captain Marvel is now on digital and arrives on Blu-ray on June 11. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all of this year’s biggest movies.

The Black Widow Movie Is Eyeing A Favourite Star

The Black Widow Movie Is Eyeing A Favourite Star

There must be something in the water over at Marvel Studios, as the Black Widow film has been rapidly filling out its cast as of late. With Fighting With My Family’s Florence Pugh and Stranger Things’ David Harbour both jumping on board as of late, Scarlett Johansson’s solo flight in the MCU is looking to have quite a formidable roster of potential heroes and villains. And that team is about to get a little more interesting, as Academy Award winner Rachel Weisz is the latest name to be brought into consideration for a spot on the bench.

No contracts have been signed yet, so Rachel Weisz’s potential hiring is still a bit up in the air. But sources that have information on the possibility say that both camps are pretty sweet on the deal. At this point, it sounds like the only thing that could possibly derail this prospect are those old favorites: scheduling conflicts and terms of the agreement. In the face of such expectations, I'm pretty damned excited to see this happening.

Of course, there’s no insight into who Black Widow has in mind for Rachel Weisz to play, merely that it’s a “key role.” Whether that position involves a villainous protagonist that dogs Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff throughout this long awaited adventure, or if it’s more of an advising presence that supports her journey in various parts of her journey, is left unknown. Still, casting Weisz is a wonderfully bold move to begin with.

Fresh off of her recent Academy Award nomination for The Favourite, Rachel Weisz has the type of resume that screams Marvel greatness. Be it her performances in popcorn films like Stephen Sommers’ first two Mummy films with Brendan Fraser, or in thought provoking independent films like Disobedience, Weisz has played a wide field of material. So bringing her on board for an entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as Variety has apparently sniffed out, would only be beneficial to Black Widow’s chances at success.

Other key talent for Black Widow includes writer Jac Schaeffer, who provided the intial draft, as well as writer Ned Benson, who was recently hired to give that draft some rewrites. Director Cate Shortland, best known for her work on Showtime’s SMILF and last year’s thriller Berlin Syndrome, is on deck to direct this film that looks to be coming down the pipe at some point in Phase 4. As this project is currently in the earlier stages of development, information is scarce as to plot and character info. But even in the face of such uncertainty, it should be known that this casting is a very Weisz choice.

Black Widow is currently without a release date, but when it does land a slot for debut, you can bet it’ll find its way into our Phase 4 calendar for upcoming Marvel movies. In the meantime, you can see Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha doing whatever it takes to help out in Avengers: Endgame, on April 26th; provided you were lucky enough to get tickets for that weekend.