With Disney And Fox's Merger Official, What Happens To These X-Men Movies?

With Disney And Fox's Merger Official, What Happens To These X-Men Movies?

Well folks, it’s officially official, Disney’s purchase of 21st Century Fox and all its properties is complete, meaning that the X-Men have returned home and now belong under the same corporate umbrella as the heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Naturally this now begins a fan countdown to some unknown future date when we see the mutants standing across from the Avengers on the big screen.

That reportedly won’t happen until 2021 at the earliest, but the X-Men will not remain completely stagnant from now until then. This June brings what will presumably be the last of Fox’s mainline X-Men films with Dark Phoenix; and The New Mutants is supposed to arrive this year, but when and where it arrives are open questions. Nevertheless, those aren’t the only two mutant properties that Fox was working on when it came across a particularly hungry mouse named Mickey.

Fox was developing multiple X-Men movies, some for quite a while, in an effort to continue to broaden the universe, but with everything now owned by Disney, there is an open question as to what will happen with those titles or whether they will get scrapped entirely. Read on as we look at some of the X-Men movies that were in development and talk out what could happen to them.

Gambit

Gambit has been in development for years with Channing Tatum set to star as the ragin’ Cajun. Given Tatum’s involvement, Gambit seemed like a priority among the X-Men projects and at one point was expected to have a $150 million budget. It always seemed like Gambit was getting close to production, only to never escape development hell. Over the years Gambit has gone through multiple directors, starting with Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ Rupert Wyatt, then Edge of Tomorrow’s Doug Liman, then Pirates of the Caribbean’s Gore Verbinski.

The film was, at different points, a mutant mob movie, and according to Simon Kinberg, something with elements of a romantic comedy. As of last year, Gambit was set to film in February and was schedule for release this June. That didn’t happen and that won’t happen. With a serious case of director curse, earlier this year we heard that Channing Tatum might want to helm the movie himself. So what happens now?

Late last year Simon Kinberg said that like the rest of the X-Men movies, Fox was continuing to work on Gambit prior to the closure of the Disney deal. That said, this project has had nothing but problems. With Channing Tatum’s interest, Disney may still want to keep him on board, but the film would probably undergo some changes. Gambit is a fan favorite character and Disney will want to take advantage of that and maybe even have Tatum play the character in an ensemble X-Men film in the MCU. I expect Gambit to show up eventually, but when, in what capacity and who will be playing him are unclear for now.

X-23

In Fox’s 19-year history making X-Men movies, 2017’s Oscar-nominated Logan stands among the very best. That film introduced Dafne Keen’s Laura, codename X-23, a ferocious mini-Wolverine who seemed poised to take the mantle from Hugh Jackman’s iconic hero.

For a brief time it seemed like that was the idea. Fox had interest in a possible spinoff solo film starring the character and Logan director James Mangold talked about the possibility and what such a film would be about. However, talk of this film has been quiet for a while and it seems extremely unlikely that solo film will still happen given its seemingly nascent stage of development. If it wasn't dead before, it may be a casualty of the Disney deal.

That’s not to say the character, if not Dafne Keen, could make her way to the MCU someday. Hugh Jackman left massive shoes to fill and Marvel could opt to go a different route and introduce X-23 first to put more distance between whoever plays Weapon X next and the actor who so defined the role on screen.

Kitty Pryde

One of the most curious X-Men films Fox was working on is one we first heard about a little over a year ago. Deadpool director Tim Miller was set to helm a mystery project called 143 with Marvel Comics legend Brian Michael Bendis set to write the script. We later learned that 143 was a reference to Uncanny X-Men 143, a story that focused on Kitty Pryde A.K.A. Shadowcat as she fought off a demon while alone in the X-Mansion on Christmas.

Given the talent involved and the small scale story, this project sounded really cool and different than what we’ve seen before in this universe. We don’t know exactly where the Kitty Pryde movie stands now. Tim Miller is in post-production on Terminator: Dark Fate and could presumably tackle 143 after. Back in February, Bendis said that he was still working on the script and he seemed excited about it, but it should be noted this was before the closure of the Disney-Fox deal.

Like the rest of the X-Men films outside of Deadpool, 143 is up in the air at the moment. It doesn’t seem like it would fit with Disney’s big MCU type approach to superhero films, but we don’t know what the plans are for the X-Men or Phase 4, so that could change. Honestly, with the MCU content coming to Disney+, this sounds like a perfect project for that service, or Hulu, if it works with Disney’s plans.

X-Force

The success of the first Deadpool opened up a whole new world of possibility. That possibility began to be realized with Deadpool 2. That film partially setup a future R-rated X-Force movie from Drew Goddard. We know that Deadpool himself will be making the jump to Disney, although not necessarily the MCU. Disney is in the business of making money and the Merc with a Mouth makes a lot of it.

So, Deadpool is safe, he’s even on Disney’s website and he will remain rated R. As for his superteam, their future is less certain. Deadpool and X-Force co-creator Rob Liefeld recently said that the X-Force movie has been cancelled, a victim of the Disney-Fox deal. But, Rob Liefeld is not necessarily an authority on what is going on in the executive offices of Disney, so he could be wrong.

If Disney is keeping Deadpool and its rating, I don’t know what the justification would be for cancelling X-Force, unless Disney just wanted to take time to figure out what the plan is with Deadpool, how it will be branded and such. I wouldn’t rule out an X-Force movie down the line, though, because if Disney is in the Deadpool business, X-Force would provide some variety beyond Deadpool 3. And Drew Goddard did just ink a new deal with Disney.

Multiple Man

In late 2017, we heard that Fox was developing a Multiple Man movie with Simon Kinberg producing and James Franco set to star as the mutant with cloning abilities. Wonder Woman writer Allan Heinberg was set to write the script for the film.

We haven’t heard much since that announcement other than Simon Kinberg mentioning that the script was being worked on about six months ago. But Simon Kinberg has always been very savvy in this whole Disney-Fox deal, basically saying that everything is still happening and in the works. With the Disney-Fox deal now closed, that may no longer prove true.

This is just speculation based on the most recently available information about these projects. The truth is, we don't have access to a Cerebro and there are far more questions than answers when it comes to the future of the X-Men and many properties now that they are under the Disney banner. The X-Men are destined for the MCU at some point, so whether it is these films or not, mutant lovers will have plenty to look forward to.

For movies you can look forward to this year, check out our 2019 Release Schedule.

A True Cloverfield Sequel Is Happening, Here’s What We Know

A True Cloverfield Sequel Is Happening, Here’s What We Know

The Cloverfield Universe has grown and expanded since the original Cloverfield flick came out back in 2008. In the time since, producer J.J. Abrams and co. have expanded the universe with stories that touched on the original premise, but were also wholly their own distinct stories. However, at CinemaCon this week, Paramount and Abrams revealed that another Cloverfield movie is in development, and this time it is planned to be a "true, dedicated" sequel to the original film.

During a panel created for all things Paramount, J.J. Abrams was talking about the upcoming film Overlord. That flick is definitely not a Cloverfield sequel, as the horror film is set during WWII and will feature supernatural stuff and other strange happenings, although it was previously rumored to be the project that could be the Cloverfield sequel. During the taped introduction of that movie, J.J. Abrams admitted that a real sequel is in the works and that it will be heading to theaters sooner rather than later. The news comes a couple of months after reports indicated the still-untitled Cloverfield 4 had already been greenlighted, although that news was tied to Overlord and now holds at least somewhat untrue.

If you are familiar with the Cloverfield Universe, the original film introduced us to an invasion and a new sort of movie monster. The movie was well-received, and in 2016, 10 Cloverfield Lane was introduced. Intriguingly, the movie had not started out as another movie in the universe J.J. Abrams had created. By the time Bad Robot nabbed it and the final product was created, those two movies were on different timelines, although they still work within the confines of the same universe. This year, Netflix and Paramount also released The Cloverfield Paradox. While less well-received overall, that movie is also set in the same universe and answers some questions previously put forth by the universe. Again, The Cloverfield Paradox was a situation where the movie didn't start out in the Cloverfield Universe and the concept was added to the movie when it was already filming, as Abrams has previously confirmed.

However, neither 10 Cloverfield Lane nor The Cloverfield Paradox are direct sequels to Cloverfield. They don't pick up after the time the U.S. government nabbed the camera documenting Rob and Beth's day together in New York, and they feature very different characters and settings. So, the idea that a direct sequel to the 2008 film should be very exciting for anyone who has been keeping tabs on the universe in the decade since its inception.

We'll keep you updated as more details about Cloverfield 4 (or 2?) are confirmed. However, one other tenet of this universe happens to be the secretive way that it has been pushed out in the past, with The Cloverfield Paradox getting its first trailer during the Super Bowl this year, and spectacularly coming out just after the game. For now, keep your eye on the prize with our full movie schedule and stay tuned for more CinemaCon coverage from on the ground.

The Russo Brothers Suggest How Long Avengers: Endgame Spoilers Should Be Protected

The Russo Brothers Suggest How Long Avengers: Endgame Spoilers Should Be Protected

Avengers: Endgame has officially been out for a week now, and is making a ton of money at the box office. Plenty of moviegoers have been running to theaters to check out the 22nd installment in the MCU, hoping to get the full theatrical experience before any of the myriad twists were spoiled for them. Clearly, the stakes were sky high.

Ahead of Endgame's release, the Russo Brothers encouraged moviegoers to try and see a screening on opening weekend, to help ensure it's a spoiler-free experience. What's more, a social media campaign with #DontSpoilTheEndgame also went viral last week. But now that the movie is out, how long do we have to keep its secrets for? The co-directors recently appeared on CinemaBlend's ReelBlend podcast, where Joe Russo revealed how long he thinks the statute of limitations is. He said:

You have to be fair about it because we are, as you know, exceedingly anti-spoiler and I feel it, for the same reason, it's bullying. It could even be sociopathic to go online or, or walk out of a theater like some guy did and shout out the end of a movie while a bunch of people are standing in line waiting to go see it. And they've got 10 years of their life and their time and their emotions invested in it. It's a despicable thing to do. But I think you have to be fair. Two weekends feels like enough time for everyone to get to see it and then people should be… because you also want people to be able to talk about it. And so at a certain point, I think after the second weekend, it's okay to share spoilers.

There you have it. There's no one more anti-spoiler than Joe and Anthony Russo, who have spent the past three years guarding the secrets of the secrets of their record-breaking pair of Avengers movies. And with Endgame marking the end of the Infinity Saga and containing a ton of crazy plot twists, they've had to keep especially tight lipped. Until now.

Joe Russo's comments on ReelBleend may surprise the fandom, as the directors don't expect the public to stay mum for much longer. Spoiler alerts might be in order, but Joe believes that those moviegoers truly invested and worried about spoilers will make their way to theaters within the first two weeks of Endgame's release.

The time for spoiler-filled conversation will come up after this coming weekend, with Monday being the official day the directors suggest breaking the fan imposed gag order. Aside from the Thursday opening night and various weekday screenings that have happened over the past few days, this date will also give moviegoers two weekends to make seeing Avengers: Endgame a priority.

Related: Avengers: Endgame Proved We Should Stop Worrying About Toy Spoilers

While these comments might jive well with the hardcore fandom who broke the internet by getting pre-sale tickets, it might not sit well with casual moviegoers. Not everyone is quite as into the MCU, and folks may be trying to catch up on the previous 21 movies ahead of seeing Endgame. But considering what a massive event Avengers: Endgame is, places like the water cooler and social media have become landmines for spoilers.

Spoilers for Avengers: Endgame are unique because there are simply so many surprising moments and plot twists. The Russo Brothers crafted an absolutely massive narrative, with deep cuts and connections to multiple movies in the MCU's history. Because there are so many mind-blowing moments throughout the movie's runtime, one spoiler can't really ruin Endgame's contents. So even if a few plot points end up revealed, there are still a plethora of big moments that should follow.

Since The Russo Brothers have such a specific date picked out to lift the ban on Avengers: Endgame spoilers, I have to wonder if the movie's marketing campaign will take a shift. Ahead of its release, the trailers revealed a small amount of footage, mostly coming from the first 30 mins of the Endgame. But after the two weekend mark, should we expect some of the movie's biggest moments appearing in TV spots and commercials?

Spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame. You have been warned, click away!

This shift has already begun ahead of Monday, as a recent TV spot revealed some new footage of Gwyneth Paltrow's Pepper Potts. While the character was hidden from the first trailer, she was shown in her Rescue armor in the newest Avengers: Endgame commercials. This was a long awaited moment that happens super late into the film's runtime, so it's surprising that Marvel Studios loosened the reigns for Tony Stark's true love. But considering Paltrow essentially spoiled this while filming, perhaps Pepper's superhero debut wasn't the biggest plot point that had to be kept under wraps.

Since so little is known about the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, opening up the conversation regarding Avengers: Endgame is a way to satisfy the rabid fandom, and their endless questions. After Spider-Man: Far From Home, the public has no semblance of when the next Marvel movies will arrive, or what their titles might be. But Endgame is finally here, and moviegoers are eager to freely discuss the record-breaking blockbuster.

The secrets of Avengers: Endgame are finally out, but Marvel Studios is still keeping its cards close to the chest. Spider-Man: Far From Home will the final installment in Phase Three, and the first movie post Infinity Saga. While this project is arriving in a few months and will help to bring the MCU back into its regularly scheduled programming, no one is sure what comes next. What's more, there's been no clue as to when Phase Four might be reveled.

The Russo Brothers might hope that the public keeps Avengers: Endgame's secrets for a few more days, but they were happy to talk about the movie's contents with ReelBlend hosts Sean O'Connell, Kevin McCarthy, and Jake Hamilton. The pair of directors are no doubt relieved that the pressure of spoilers is gone-- a responsibility that seems to have weighed on the actors as well.

Avengers: Endgame is in theaters now. Be sure to check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Rumored Bond 25 Title Just Got Shut Down

Rumored Bond 25 Title Just Got Shut Down

There has been a ton of talk about Bond 25, starting almost directly after the release of Spectre. Daniel Craig's comments about not wanting anything to do with the role gave fans reason to pause, although he ended up singing on to play 007 one last time. Fans are eager to see how Craig's version of the character will be sent off, as the project continues its development and pre-production process.

In addition to casting rumors, there's also been a few potential titles being thrown around by the rabid Bond fandom. One of them is Shatterhand, a theory that has made the rounds online. Now it's been officially given the kabosh by the very head of the Bond franchise: Barbara Broccoli. While signing a Shatterhand logo designed by a Bond fan, Broccoli also made sure to clarify that was not the title of the 25th installment. You can check out a photo of the autograph, reposted by the official James Bond Instagram page.

Well, that's seems pretty cut and dry. With just a little bit of social media sass, the James Bond franchise has officially put the name Shatterhand to bed. Of course, that likely won't stop other fan theories from popping up in its place, until the official name of Bond 25 is finally revealed to the public.

007's Instagram post may have retired Shatterhand from the rumor mill, but the franchise was careful to not actually release any information about the developing project. Considering the early stages of the film's life, there's a certain level of care and secrecy needed, as the pieces of the cast and crew are assembled. But that won't stop Barbara Broccoli from not so subtly nipping false information in the bud. We'll just have to wait and see how long it takes for the official title to be released.

Considering Bond 25 will be Daniel Craig's swan song as James Bond, the pressure is on to deliver a satisfying finale for this set of 007 movies. Spectre spent a ton of time setting up the iconic villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld, played by Christoph Waltz. The origin story was finally completed with Spectre's ending, but it's unclear if Waltz will be back to play Blofeld. Rami Malek is reportedly in talks to play the film's villain, following up his Oscar win for Bohemian Rhapsody with the longest running franchise in film history. What a year.

But Rami Malek's involvement hasn't been officially confirmed, nor has any of the cast aside from Daniel Craig. So the generations of Bond fans will have to patiently wait for Barbara Broccoli and the rest of Eon Productions to settle down on a concrete plan, and allow the public to be privy to what is coming next. Regardless, it's clear that fan interest is there, which should hopefully spell further box office success for the franchise. After all, Spectre was one of the most expensive films of all time.

Bond 25 is currently set to arrive on April 8th, 2020. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Idris Elba Won’t Be Playing Deadshot In The Suicide Squad After All

Idris Elba Won’t Be Playing Deadshot In The Suicide Squad After All

Last month, it was reported that due to scheduling issues, Will Smith wouldn’t reprise Floyd Lawton, a.k.a. Deadshot, in The Suicide Squad. Days later, word came in that Idris Elba had been tapped to replace Smith as the assassin, but apparently now plans have changed. Elba is still attached to the sequel, but he won’t be playing Deadshot.

According to Variety, Deadshot has been removed from The Suicide Squad by director/writer James Gunn and the rest of the creative team, and Idris Elba will instead play a brand new character. It wasn’t revealed who Elba will now be portraying, but evidently it was decided in recent weeks that it was the “right move” for him to vacate the Deadshot role, as those involved didn’t want it to feel as if they were “disrespecting” Will Smith, who first brought the character to life on the big screen in 2016’s Suicide Squad. While it remains to be seen if Smith will ever play Deadshot again, the door is at least now open for him to return at some point rather than being prevented from doing so because Elba took on the Deadshot reins.

So now Deadshot is off the table for The Suicide Squad, although if there’s the possibility of Will Smith playing the character again, then naturally Floyd Lawton is still alive in the DC Extended Universe, and is likely either still custody at Belle Reve or managed to escape imprisonment and resume his mercenary duties. In any case, Idris Elba is too big of a Hollywood star for The Suicide Squad team to let go of, so it shouldn’t take long for them to find someone else for him to play. Bronze Tiger is a reasonable choice, since like Deadshot, he was one of the original members of the first Task Force X that debuted in the late 1980s. But he’s just one of numerous potential candidates on the table, with plenty of others, like Blockbuster and Multiplex, just waiting to be adapted for the big screen.

While The Suicide Squad had previously been described as a “total reboot,” it will maintain some connectivity with the last Suicide Squad movie through some familiar faces. Margot Robbie is expected to play Harley Quinn again following her return to the DCEU in Birds of Prey, Jai Courtney confirmed that he’ll reprise Captain Boomerang and Viola Davis is reportedly back as Amanda Waller. There are conflicting reports about whether or not Joel Kinnaman will play Rick Flag again.

However, despite a few Suicide Squad characters returning, The Suicide Squad has been conceived as a “relaunch” that will feature a mostly new cast. No plot details have been revealed yet, but it will maintain the same premise of incarcerated supervillains going on dangerous, covert black ops missions for the U.S. government in exchange for reduced sentences and other forms of leniency.

The Suicide Squad charges into theaters on August 6, 2021, so keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates. In the meantime, look through our DC movies guide to learn what else is coming down the DCEU pipeline.

Jean-Claude Van Damme Has His Own Version For Why He Left His Predator Role

Jean-Claude Van Damme Has His Own Version For Why He Left His Predator Role

'80s action icons Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jean-Claude Van Damme didn’t square off in a movie until decades after their primes in 2012’s The Expendables 2. They almost crossed paths much earlier though, because before his breakout role in Bloodsport, Jean-Claude Van Damme was cast to play the titular alien hunter in Predator. There are seemingly countless stories about why the Muscles from Brussels left that role, but he has his own version of what happened, as he explained:

I go to this place and they put me on sticks and woods and they start to melt all the cast on me, and it’s boiling hot. I like to breathe, you know? They’ve got to do my head and everything. I’ve got my friend next to me and I said, ‘Man, I ain’t going to make it.' When Joel asked me to jump, I knew it was going to be a bad one. I said, 'This is impossible, Joel. I think we're going to have a problem.' Then he replaced me.

The Predator originally didn’t look like how we know it now. When Jean-Claude Van Damme was a part of the movie, it looked way less awesome and more like a lobster. From what JCVD told The Hollywood Reporter, it sounds like getting that costume molded for him was an extremely unpleasant experience. The actor felt like he was unable to breathe as the hot cast was poured all over his body.

It sounds torturous and claustrophobic, and Jean-Claude Van Damme admits that he didn’t think he was going to make it. Then, when the actor was wearing some sort of stilts and was asked to jump in them, he couldn’t do it or didn’t feel safe to. So he was unable to showcase the athleticism that he showed out of the costume. He couldn’t do what producer Joel Silver needed him to do for the role and he was replaced.

This certainly isn’t the first time we’ve heard about an actor leaving a role or hating their time in it due to nightmarish makeup or costumes. James Purefoy left V for Vendetta because of the mask. He was replaced by Hugo Weaving, who didn’t seem to love the makeup he wore as Red Skull in Captain America: The First Avenger. And Jennifer Lawrence’s feelings about the Mystique makeup are well known. So JCVD is not alone.

We can now add Jean-Claude Van Damme’s version of why he left Predator to the many existing accounts of what happened in what has essentially become a cinematic urban legend. Director John McTiernan said that they never shot anything with Jean-Claude and the whole situation was a mess because of his agent.

The visual effects supervisor on the film Joel Hynek’s account is one of the more outlandish and hilarious. According to him, Jean-Claude Van Damme wouldn’t stop kickboxing because he saw the alien hunter as having prodigious martial arts talents. When he was asked to stop, he refused. So producer Joel Silver fired him and JCVD fired off an insult and left.

Given Jean-Claude Van Damme’s seeming willingness to laugh at himself late in his career, someone really should put together a short or an internet video with the actor about this situation. It could have a Rashomon-like structure with each of the accounts of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s exit from Predator as a different chapter, with the audience left to decide where the truth lies.

Whatever happened, it all worked out for the best. Predator eventually changed the creature design for the better and became an action classic, and Jean-Claude Van Damme broke out in Bloodsport, where he was able to do all the kickboxing he wanted.

Jean-Claude Van Damme’s latest film, We Die Young, is now in select theaters and on demand. Check out our 2019 release schedule to keep track of everything else you can look forward to seeing this year.

Forget John Wick, Detective Pikachu Dominated The International Box Office

Forget John Wick, Detective Pikachu Dominated The International Box Office

After three weekends atop the domestic box office charts and plenty of broken records, Avengers: Endgame finally fell from its perch as John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum took first place with an incredibly impressive performance. But while John Wick was catching bodies and the attention of domestic audiences, our friends overseas were still trying to catch ‘em all helping Detective Pikachu to dominate the international box office.

Over the weekend, Detective Pikachu made $53.8 million from 72 foreign markets, giving it the top spot at the international box office for the second straight weekend, according to Variety. A nice $17.2 million chunk of that came from China, where Pikachu and friends have done particularly well with a $70.3 million total. Detective Pikachu also added $2.25 million from Mexico, $3.5 million from the United Kingdom, $2.1 million from Germany and debuted in Russia to $4.3 million.

Detective Pikachu’s weekend performance overseas brings it to $193.4 million internationally, which, combined with its domestic performance, totals out to a solid $287.4 million worldwide. That is testament to the power of the Pokémon brand all over the world and its viability as a future franchise/cinematic universe. Given the interest of those involved, the myriad possibilities and this continued box office success, those outcomes seem more and more likely.

John Wick may not have been able to outgun Pika power, but the hitman still collected his share of gold coins from overseas moviegoers. In the United Kingdom, John Wick 3 opened to a cool $4.6 million, followed by Russia with $3.8 million, Austalia with $2.8 million and Mexico with $2.1 million. All in all, John Wick 3 debuted in 66 markets over the weekend and made $35 million.

That puts the international opening weekend for John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum at $92 million. That’s pretty impressive considering that the first John Wick didn’t hit that number in its entire worldwide run and 2017’s John Wick: Chapter Two’s final domestic total was just over $92 million.

It may not have been enough to topple a Ryan Reynolds-voiced Pikachu with international audiences, but this is illustrative of how the organically grown John Wick franchise, which didn’t have the benefit of existing IP, is still getting bigger for Lionsgate.

Elsewhere on the weekend charts was, of course, Avengers: Endgame, which added another $46.8 million overseas to its absurd run to bring it to $1.88 billion internationally and $2.6 billion worldwide. It has now passed Avatar to become Number 2 on the domestic charts (Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ $936.6 million is almost certainly out of reach) and now trails only James Cameron’s film for the all-time international and worldwide box office crowns.

You can catch both John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and Detective Pikachu in theaters now. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to see all of this summer’s biggest movies and for all the latest box office coverage, stay tuned to CinemaBlend.