How Clark Gregg Originally Found Out He'd Be In More Than Iron Man Movies In The MCU

How Clark Gregg Originally Found Out He'd Be In More Than Iron Man Movies In The MCU

While Clark Gregg's agent Phil Coulson doesn't have superpowers, the character is as loved by fans as any of the Avengers. Between his appearance in several Marvel Cinematic Universe films, and the ongoing Agents of SHIELD TV series, he's become a significant part of the story. However, if it was always the plan for Coulson to become a recurring part of the MCU, somebody forgot to tell Clark Gregg, as he didn't know his role was growing until the middle of filming Iron Man 2. According to Gregg...

During one of those [Iron Man 2] scenes they said, ‘Oh Tony, you’ve got to tell him he’s going to New Mexico.’ Finally, after I did a couple of takes, because I was obedient and happy to be there, I was like, ‘One question: What’s in New Mexico?’ And they said, ‘Oh, Thor! You’re going to be the one to find his hammer. Are you free?’ And I was like, ‘Oh shit, I’m going to get free!’

Clark Gregg made his debut as Agent Phil Coulson in the original Iron Man, back when the only hint that there was ever going to be anything like the MCU came in a post-credits sequence back when people didn't know they needed to stay through the credits. He was Tony Stark's liaison with SHIELD.

He returned for Iron Man 2 and likely just assumed that he'd just be a small part of whatever shenanigans Tony Stark got up to. The Incredible Hulk was the only other Marvel movie at that point and while Robert Downey Jr. did appear in a post credits sequence of his own, connecting the stories, it still wasn't clear just how well the MCU idea would work. Hulk wasn't a hit like Iron Man had been.

It's clear from the way Clark Gregg talks to Polygon that he's as much a fan of the Marvel movies as he is happy to be a part of them. Of course he would get excited about the chance to be in Thor as well as the Iron Man movies. I like how it was just sort of planned to have Clark Gregg appear in the movie and he was asked if he was free after telling him he was going. Based on his response, it was probably assumed he would make himself available if he made it clear how happy he was to be making the movies.

His fate in The Avengers was probably somewhat disappointing to him, though Gregg says he was humbled by the outpouring of support from fans who wanted to find a way to bring him back. One theory was that dead Coulson could have been a Skrull. Now, Gregg is back on the big screen in the MCU in the 90s prequel Captain Marvel which opens on Friday, and so are the Skrulls. Is Coulson actually a Skrull? No spoilers.

Justice League’s Ray Fisher Wishes His Character’s Backstory Was More ‘Fully Represented’

Justice League’s Ray Fisher Wishes His Character’s Backstory Was More ‘Fully Represented’

It's no secret that superhero movies are everywhere, as the genre has proven to be massively popular and profitable over the past few years. While all eyes are on what Marvel brought to the table with The Russo Brothers' record breaking Avengers: Endgame, there's also some competition coming from the DC Extended Universe.

The DCEU has had some serious peaks and valleys since its inception, although things seem to be on the upswing with the release of Aquaman and Shazam! But it wasn't long ago when it seemed that all was lost, after the disappointing performance of Batman v Superman and Justice League. The latter introduced Ray Fisher's Cyborg to audiences, but the actor recently spoke to an aspect of the character's backstory that he wishes wasn't left out. As Fisher tells it:

Something which is something we didn’t get to see fully represented in the film, is the loss of Victor’s mother. And how that sort of drives a wedge between them as well. Because not only has he lost his body, he’s lost his mother, he’s lost his ability to play football. He sees himself as a monster. And most of this is due to Silas.

Cyborg's future in the DC live-action universe is currently unclear, but comic book fans will no doubt agree with Ray Fisher's assessment regarding his character's treatment in Justice League. Because there was basically no mention of his mother Elinore Stone throughout the course of Zack Snyder's blockbuster.

Ray Fisher's comments come from his recent appearance at Wizard World Comic Con (via Reddit), and address Cyborg's typical comic book origin. Justice League caught up with Cyborg after his powers had already been granted, with the experiment his father Silas did on Victor only briefly mentioned. What's more, his mother Elinore was left out of the story, a decision that Fisher seems to take some umbrage with.

Related: Justice League’s Ray Fisher Still Wants Zack Snyder To Direct A Cyborg Movie

In the comics, the accident that causes Victor Stone to be transformed into Cyborg is also one that took his mother's life. So on top of Cyborg resenting his father Silas for taking his humanity away, their relationship is further fractured by the anger and guilt associated with Elinore's death. This backstory would help explain the sense of loneliness and bitterness that Cyborg was feeling in Justice League, and why he might have refused to join the team when first recruited by Diana Prince.

Ahead of Justice League's release, it was believed that each of the members of the team would be given their own solo flick down the line. This included a Cyborg movie, although it looks like Warner Bros. may have abandoned these plans. It's unclear if Ray Fisher will ever reprise his DC role, as the shared universe has pivoted away from serialized storytelling and onto capsulated, director-driven projects.

Shazam! is still in theaters now, and the next DC release will be Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) on February 7th, 2020. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Detective Pikachu Is Poised To Make A Ton Of Money In Theaters

Detective Pikachu Is Poised To Make A Ton Of Money In Theaters

These days there's really no such thing as a bad time for a big tentpole movie to release, but the "summer movie season" which these days starts around late April or early May, is still a period that gets a bit more love from studios. Big movies tend to open bigger and it looks like that's going to be the case for Detective Pikachu. Early tracking for the live-action Pokemon movie has it running at an opening weekend of between $75-$90 million with a total domestic run of somewhere around $250 million.

To put that in perspective, the only movie expected to do better than Detective Pikachu at the box office between now and when Pikachu opens May 10 is Avengers: Endgame. The rest of the major releases, Disney's live-action Dumbo, Shazam!, Hellboy, etc. are not expected to do anything close to what Detective Pikachu is looking at putting up.

This is certainly at least somewhat surprising. While Pokemon certainly has a lot of fans, in North America it would still have to be viewed as a niche property. While the success of more mainstream Pokemon games like Pokemon Go certainly have helped the brand achieve broader popularity, there was no guarantee that would translate to success elsewhere. However, based on these numbers it certainly does look like Detective Pikachu is set to be a huge hit.

The fact that Pokemon's international appeal has the potential to result in the film doing even better overseas means that when global numbers are tallied, Detective Pikachu could end up being one of the highest grossing movies of the year.

As Box Office Pro points out, there are some potential stumbling blocks to Pikachu's success. It will be opening during Avengers: Endgame's third weekend, and while that will likely give the superhero juggernaut enough breathing space, if that film is able to retain a sizable audience for that long, it could potentially cut into the business of the Pokemon movie.

Detective Pikachu will likely have about two weeks to make the bulk of its domestic cash. That's when Disney live-action Aladdin will be opening, which will likely appeal to the same wide audience that Pikachu looks to be wooing. The weekend in between will see the opening of John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, which, as an R-rated action movie, is unlikely to draw too much away from the Pokemon audience.

Considering the movie is still well over a month away, these projections will almost certainly change. The only question is which direction they will go. There's a strong chance that as we get closer to release more people will begin to get excited about Detective Pikachu. It's very possible this movie will be even bigger than we think it's going to be.

Shazam! Releases Different Trailer For China That Reveals More Jokes

Shazam! Releases Different Trailer For China That Reveals More Jokes

When comparing the underwhelming performance of Justice League to the commercial smash that is Aquaman, one might think the DCEU might be decidedly distancing themselves from a previously-planned interconnected universe. While the studio’s upcoming lineup indicates a move in that direction, it looks like Shazam! won’t be completely ignoring the other DC heroes. In past trailers, we’ve seen a few sprinkles here and there referencing the DCEU, such as Freddy Freeman’s authentic Batman Batarang and when Shazam yelled “Get ‘em, Batman!” when throwing a big doll of the Caped Crusader. The new trailer for China mixes familiar footage with new and hilarious DCEU jokes, and man, do they get us excited for the upcoming release. Check it out:

Well, aren’t these are perfect!! The new trailer was released in anticipation for China’s upcoming release of Shazam! on April 5, which coincides with the domestic opening day as well. While most of the clips aren’t new, the few that are win big at taking a jab at other superheroes in DC’s film universe.

The footage reveals a bit more of Shazam’s face-off with Dr. Sivana in the city, showcasing more stunning action and a hilarious exchange between them. Amidst their big fight, Dr. Sivana proceeds to threaten the hero, but the superpowered Billy Batson points out, they are a mile apart and he can’t hear his "bad guy evil speech." Within the scene, it looks like the movie will cut to a child humming the iconic “Superman Theme” while playing with Batman and Superman action figures, which mirror the actions of Shazam and Dr. Sivana’s fight.

The new China trailer also shows a clip of Shazam looking into a fish bowl and quipping – “I can’t talk to fish, what could we do with that that’s cool?” Freddy responds with, “Maybe command an army of billions in the Ocean!” while gesturing to his Aquaman t-shirt. It’s a funny poke at the underwater hero often being the butt of jokes, well, before the naysayers saw how badass he can be in the recent blockbuster, that is.

These are some amusing jokes to get fans excited for Shazam! which show the franchise isn’t completely abandoning its roots. This is also probably somewhat of a business move for Warner Bros. to market the new hero to Chinese audiences because movies such as Justice League and Aquaman made some good money there – more so with Aquaman, which topped Wonder Woman’s entire box office total of $93 million in just three days in China, before making over $298 million total in the big movie market.

Time will tell where Shazam! stacks up alongside its fellow DCEU heroes at the China box office, but early tracking on the domestic front has the superhero flick making around $45 million during its first weekend. The early positive reactions could certainly help propel Shazam! forward when it comes to theaters on April 5.

Tom Holland Warns Of A Spider-Man: Far From Home Scene That Will Be An Emotional Punch In The Face

Tom Holland Warns Of A Spider-Man: Far From Home Scene That Will Be An Emotional Punch In The Face

Jon Watts’ initial Spider-Man movie, Spider-Man: Homecoming, was more emotional than you might remember. Yes, it had its lighter moments, and inspirations from the high school classics delivered by John Hughes. But there were tough, emotional beats in that movie as well, which Watts and leading man Tom Holland weren’t afraid to embrace and wallow in. And it sounds like they are back at it in the upcoming Spider-Man: Far From Home.

CinemaBlend recently traveled to the London set of Spider-Man: Far From Home and watched the creative team work. During a sit-down conversation with Tom Holland, we brought up complicated scenes from Homecoming that really stuck with us, from the scene of Peter Parker pushing himself out of the rubble – a direct callback to The Amazing Spider-Man No. 33, “The Final Chapter” – to his verbal standoff with Michael Keaton in the car outside of Liz’s dance.

We asked if Spider-Man: Far From Home includes tense, emotional moments similar to these, and Holland immediately opened up, stating:

There’s a scene in this film where audiences will feel like they were punched in the face. Even filming it, I remember walking out and then watching it again on the monitors and asking Jon, ‘Are you sure that's okay?’ And he's like, ‘No, it's not. People are going to hate this scene.’ But it really… God, it’s pretty crazy. And it's very similar in the way that it's very tense, and it sort of rips the rug from underneath your feet. It's pretty awesome.

Now that is a tease. Tom Holland couldn’t come close to giving us any more context about the scene he is discussing. At the same time, Holland was pretty guarded during the whole visit, because when he sat down to discuss Spider-Man: Far From Home, none of us had yet to see Avengers: Endgame. That movie didn’t even have a title yet. And as far as we knew, Spider-Man was dust.

Naturally, now, we know that he’s back… and if you saw Avengers: Endgame, you know how he comes back! The latest trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home sort of shows how he is going to pick up the pieces following Endgame, so why don’t we let that teaser tell the story:

In Spider-Man: Far From Home, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) needs to take a break from that superhero lifestyle, so he agrees to accompany his classmates on a European jaunt. Only, once there, he gets caught up in a series of global attacks that are being investigated by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and a new ally, Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal).

As much as Spidey wants to sit this one out, Fury and Beck need his assistance to take down Elementals – creatures that are from another dimension, or multiverse, and could cause real problems for the world at large.

Spider-Man: Far From Home swings into theaters on July 2. Stay here on CinemaBlend for a lot more coverage from our visit to the movie’s set.

Dan Aykroyd Teases The New Ghostbusters Will Be ‘Quite Scary’

Dan Aykroyd Teases The New Ghostbusters Will Be ‘Quite Scary’

It’s a famous line from the original Ghostbusters theme song. “I ain’t afraid of no ghost.” Because the ghosts in Ghostbusters, both the original and it sequel, were never meant to be scary. The guys were making comedies that happened to involve the supernatural, not horror thrillers with a few jokes mixed in. But with a new Ghostbusters story potentially coming to theaters, chills and scares may be on the menu.

Dan Aykroyd, an OG Ghostbuster, was out promoting his vodka and answering Ghostbusters questions for The Canadian Press (via 660citynews.com). When asked about the script that Jason Reitman has produced for a possible Ghostbusters sequel, Aykroyd opened up a little and explained:

Ivan Reitman’s son Jason has written a beautiful script, I can’t say too much about it but it’s going to get made and hopefully there’ll be some familiar faces. … It’s so different from even the first and second [movies]. This just takes it to a new generation and a new direction that is so warm, heartfelt and, indeed, quite scary when you confront some of the issues that are being discussed.

The “quite scary” nod got us excited, because that would be a new direction for the franchise, and also for Jason Reitman as a director. Yes, he’s the son of the original director, Ivan Reitman. But nothing on Jason’s resume suggests that he’d be willing to tackle horror – though that doesn’t mean that he’s not ready to give it a try.

Also, with the reported casting of both Finn Wolfhard and Carrie Coon, the new movie might be leaning into a Stranger Things vibe, which taps into nostalgia by embracing ‘80s culture, but isn’t afraid to turn up the thrills when the story calls for it.

That first tease that Reitman filmed for this new Ghostbusters certainly set that mood:

But we don’t know a whole lot of details beyond that teaser, as the movie hasn’t yet gone into production. It is believed that the original stars Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray and Ernie Hudson will return for this new movie, but we don’t know how they will be used in the story.

If Dan Aykroyd gets his way, however, the new movie will be the start of several new Ghostbusters stories, as he goes on to say in the interview:

I’ve written Ghostbusters High, where they meet in New Jersey in 1969 and we’re looking to do that as probably a glorified feature or pilot within the next maybe five years…. And it would lead to a television project and I thought of him immediately for that. It’s on his desk but that’s years away from the current project. But it’s a neat idea for a prequel. Imagine casting the three characters as teenagers! … We have other stuff after the Jason Reitman-helmed movie. We have at least one or two other concepts for the Ghostbusters and then we’ll look at doing the prequel, which will be a perfect button on all we’ve done up to that point.

Of course, those plans stop if the new movie can’t get the franchise back off of the ground. If the Paul Feig movie caught fire, the franchise could have continued in that direction. But for now, we are sitting back and anticipating a new Ghostbusters movie from Jason Reitman on July 10, 2020. Will you check it out?

The Department Of Justice Is Getting Involved In The Netflix And Oscars Debate

The Department Of Justice Is Getting Involved In The Netflix And Oscars Debate

Should Netflix original movies and the films of other streaming services be eligible for Oscars? Some, like legendary director Steven Spielberg, feel that the theatrical experience should be preserved and Netflix movies should not be eligible for Academy Awards, while others feel that a movie is a movie, no matter the distribution method. Now a new and unexpected voice is weighing in on the debate: the United States Department of Justice.

According to Variety, the DOJ has warned the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences that any potential rule changes that are enacted in order limit the awards eligibility of streaming service films, like those from Netflix, could enter into territory of antitrust and competition law. Makan Delrahim, the chief of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, wrote a letter to Academy CEO Dawn Hudson to communicate these concerns about how such rules might be written.

If the DOJ inserting itself into this industry debate seems out of the blue, it’s not. The letter from the DOJ to the Academy was prompted by reports that industry titan and Academy board member Steven Spielberg intends to push for rules changes for Oscars eligibility. Specifically, that he wants to restrict those films that open theatrically and debut on streaming services around the same time.

In his letter to Dawn Hudson, Makan Delrahim cited Section 1 of the Sherman Act, which “prohibits anticompetitive agreements among competitors.” If the competitors of an industry (the non-streaming entities in Hollywood) agree to essentially lock out new competitors (Netflix and the other streaming services), in order to protect their own profits and impede the newcomers, it could violate antitrust laws.

You might be asking yourself, how exactly does exclusion from the potential to win an Oscar constitute suppression of competition and potentially put this issue into the realm of antitrust? After all, it’s just an awards show and a golden statue. Well, the issue arises if the exclusion from the Oscars diminishes the sales of the films excluded. Basically, if eligibility for Oscars and inclusion in the ceremony confers a financial benefit, exclusion from the ceremony could be considered a deliberate attempt to suppress competition.

The Academy has said that it responded to the DOJ’s letter and noted that the Academy’s Board of Governors will meet for its annual awards rules meeting, where such changes to eligibility could be proposed, on April 23.

This is an interesting development and I will be very curious to see how it plays out if new rules exclude Netflix and streaming films from Oscars eligibility. The competition suppression argument is interesting and I’d be curious how such a thing could or would have to be measured to make the case. If streaming movies only have very limited theatrical runs to qualify during awards season, an Oscar nomination or win wouldn’t theoretically impact ticket sales at the box office. I guess the diminished sales would then have to be measured in streaming service subscriptions.

This is just the latest chapter in the saga of Netflix and the Oscars as the industry grapples with the rapid changes that have come as streaming services have become major power players. At this most recent Oscar ceremony, this issue took center stage as Roma was nominated for 10 Oscars and won 3.

Theater owners and some in the industry are against streaming movies being eligible for Oscars and think that they are essentially TV movies that should compete for Emmys instead. Netflix has pushed back against Steven Spielberg’s claims and others like Ben Affleck, who recently starred in Netflix’s Triple Frontier, think that there is no difference between streaming and theatrical releases.

We’ll continue to keep you updated on this debate that shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release schedule to keep track of all the biggest movies coming out this year.