Will Smith Found The Aladdin Genie Backlash ‘Very Funny’

Will Smith Found The Aladdin Genie Backlash ‘Very Funny’

Although we got our first look at Will Smith’s Genie in the upcoming Aladdin remake last December, the character was rocking a normal human guise. It wasn’t until the special sneak that aired in February that the character was shown in all his blue glory. Well, maybe ‘glory’ isn’t the right word, as this look at the live action blue Genie was met with a lot of derision online, which included various memes and Photoshop manipulations, due to the quality of the CGI,

However, rather than be bothered or hurt by this backlash against Aladdin’s Genie, Will Smith actually found these reactions amusing. In his words:

It was very funny. There was a Sonic The Hedgehog / Genie frog. Everything is under such critical scrutiny. I came up in an era where there was no internet. It’s a new thing that I’m trying to get a handle on.

Will Smith does have a point. The internet as we know it wasn’t around when he was growing up, and even during the period when he was starring in hits like Bad Boys, Independence Day and Men in Black, the World Wide Web didn’t hold anywhere near the cultural influence it does now. Sure you might have come across some movie criticism, but that’s a far cry from someone using an Arrested Development screenshot to poke fun at the live action iteration of a Disney character only minutes after a new preview dropped.

Thing seem to have calmed down on the Genie front since then, particularly after a new Aladdin trailer dropped last month which included improved shots of Will Smith’s character. Director Guy Ritchie, who also spoke with Empire, noticed the turnaround on the reception towards Genie, saying:

It even came with apologies from the cynics who were so adamant initially. I’ve never seen apologies in that world. I thought, ‘Oh well, great, we’re back to where I’d hoped we’d be.'

Altogether, we’ve only glimpsed seconds of Genie from the Aladdin marketing, so we’ll have to wait until the movie actually comes out to see whether the VFX crew stuck the proverbial landing with his blue appearance or if there are still some noticeable issues. Either way, at least Will Smith was able to get a little joy out of the mockery his version of Genie went through rather than take it personally.

Rather than radically overhauling the story of its 1992 animated predecessor, Aladdin seems to be following in the footsteps of Beauty and the Beast and going the straightforward remake route, though obviously still with some differences. Along with Will Smith, the main cast includes Mena Massoud as Aladdin, Naomi Scott as Jasmine, Marwan Kenzari as Jafar, Navid Negahban as The Sultan, Nasim Pedrad as Dalia, Billy Magnussen as Prince Anders, Numan Acar as Hakim and Robby Haynes as Razoul, as well as Alan Tudyk voicing Iago and Frank Welker reprising Abu the monkey and the Cave of Wonders.

Aladdin will work its magic in theaters on May 24. If you’re curious about what other movies are coming out later this year, head to our 2019 release schedule for that information.

Jeremy Renner Says The Cast Was 'Just As Surprised' Over Avengers: Endgame’s Story

Jeremy Renner Says The Cast Was 'Just As Surprised' Over Avengers: Endgame’s Story

Warning: SPOILERS for Avengers: Endgame are ahead!

Normally it’s no issue for filmmakers to provide the actors performing in a movie the entire script, but not so with Avengers: Endgame. With the exception of Robert Downey Jr., none of the Endgame stars were given the full script for the latest explosive MCU movie. So when it came time to watch the movie in its entirety, according to Jeremy Renner, they were as surprised about the progression of events as the general audience. As he put it:

We were all just as surprised after seeing the movie. We’re watching it as fans.

Actors appearing in blockbusters are always told by the studios to stay quiet about spoilers, but Marvel wasn’t taking any chances with Avengers: Endgame. In addition giving the standard warnings about not spilling the beans on any big plot details, they also weren’t given full context for the scenes they were performing in. I also suspect Mark Ruffalo wasn’t the only one who was given some dummy scenes to act out.

It probably feels novel for an actor to watch a movie they were in for the first time and not know exactly how events were going to unfold. Judging by Jeremy Renner’s comment to TODAY, it sounds like he and his costars got a kick out of learning all of Avengers: Endgame’s specific beats at the same time as people who weren’t involved with the movie.

No doubt it was hard to for Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo to hide full context for everything that was shot. For instance, with Tony Stark’s funeral, there’s really no way to make that scene play out as if it were a different event. That said, perhaps the scene was filmed differently a few times with the identity of the deceased individual changed each time to ensure that the actors didn’t know with absolute certainty who was dying in Endgame’s climactic conflict.

The First Draft Of Avengers: Endgame Was Originally Very Different

In any case, while Avengers: Endgame isn’t the final entry of Phase 3, it did close out the Infinity Saga, which has been running since Iron Man kicked off the MCU in 2008. The movie marked Jeremy Renner’s fifth appearance as Hawkeye, and one could argue that he got one of the happiest endings in the movie since he was reunited with his wife and kids five years after they were dusted.

While there don’t appear to be any plans for Hawkeye to appear in another Marvel movie in the near future, his time in the MCU might not be done just yet. It was reported earlier this month that Disney+ has a Hawkeye series in development, which will see Clint Barton passing on the superheroic archery mantle to Kate Bishop, who also goes by Hawkeye in the comics.

Be sure to read CinemaBlend’s review of Avengers: Endgame and keep checking back for more news about the movie. You can also keep track of what movies are coming out later this year in our 2019 release schedule.

Nobody Will Guess What Happens In Avengers: Endgame, Robert Downey Jr. Says

Nobody Will Guess What Happens In Avengers: Endgame, Robert Downey Jr. Says

Wait, have we only been waiting a year for the epic cliffhanger that started with Avengers: Infinity War? I don't know about you, but I would have sworn it’s been longer. Plot twist(?): This is Quantum Realm’s world and we’re just living in it. This impatience Marvel fans collectively feel is probably because Avengers: Endgame has easily become one of the most heavily anticipated movies in the history of film. The movie does follow over a decade of build-up and follows 21 other films starring these characters.

The event film has fans guessing left and right about what exactly will happen… and getting real creative too. Have you heard the viral one in which Ant-Man apparently crawls up Thanos’ butt to explode him from the inside out? Good stuff. With so many theories, you’d think some fans have actually already guessed what will happen by the time Endgame closes. Not according to the cast. Here’s what Robert Downey Jr. had to say:

I guarantee you there is no way anybody could guess what's going to happen.

Okay, RDJ! Have a little faith in us! We must have guessed at least some of what goes down in the culmination by now. One popular theory suggests the remaining Avengers will decide to travel back in time via the Quantum Realm in order to reverse the damage Thanos has done. It’s the most logical alternative! Maybe we have it all wrong, though? More of the Avengers have weighed in on the unpredictable and grand spectacle awaiting fans with Endgame.

Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man): Infinity War was nuts, but this one is going to be our finest hour.

Chris Evans (Captain America): Every time you think Marvel's pulled every single trick out of the bag, they actually saved the best stuff for this one.

Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow): These are the highest stakes that the Avengers have ever faced.

Brie Larson (Captain Marvel): This is the end of the fireworks show, the grand finale.

Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye): The storytelling is insane, you just don't know what to expect.

Check out some of the Endgame cast go higher, further, and faster with the movie’s expectations with the film’s newest featurette ahead of its release later this month:

As if the anticipation isn’t high already, these are some crazy huge statements from the main Avengers, who seem confident fans will be impressed and surprised with the outcome. Given all that’s resting on this particular MCU installment, I would be personally very extremely impressed and a little shocked if Endgame delivers on completely throwing audiences for a loop on this one -- after all this hype -- but they have pulled it off before.

What do you think? Will Endgame blow your expectations out of the water after already being one of the most anticipated movies ever? The film has a lot of ground to cover even in its three-hour runtime, perhaps including the end to Captain America’s on-screen story. Let us know your thoughts below!

What Amy Seimetz Loves About The Changes Made To Her Pet Sematary Character

What Amy Seimetz Loves About The Changes Made To Her Pet Sematary Character

In the original 1989 film and in Stephen King’s Pet Sematary novel, Zelda was the sister of Rachel Creed who died from spinal meningitis when they were children. Caring for her sister and her death traumatized Rachel into adulthood, and the new Pet Sematary, from directors Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer, is doubling down on Zelda. Speaking about how that changes things for her character Rachel, actress Amy Seimetz said:

I love having a meal to chew as an actor. I love what they did with it and I think that, what I’ve been talking about too is that what’s interesting of making her have more agency and a little more actionable is that she has this guilt that she’s dealing with and feels responsible for Zelda’s death. I think that’s really interesting because just in grief in general you always feel some amount of guilt in some way, as if you could control the outcome. You can’t control death, death is coming to everyone.

That last line sounds like something Melisandre of Asshai would say on Game of Thrones, and it certainly fits for the prevalence of death in Pet Sematary. It seems that Amy Seimetz loved the changes made for the new Pet Sematary and how they affected her character and made for a more rewarding acting experience. As she told CinemaBlend’s own Sean O’Connell in a conversation at SXSW, Rachel’s story gives her a lot to do and a lot to work with as an actor.

It seems like the new Pet Sematary will make Rachel a more fully fleshed out character that is making more choices, and not just having things happen to her. It also sounds like we will better understand Rachel’s trauma, and how that shaped the way she is reacting to the horrific events happening in the present day in the film as death comes for her family once again.

Rachel feels guilty and responsible for the death of her sister and that guilt has stayed with her throughout her life. That makes for a compelling character and as Amy Seimetz said, it is something that is universal and inescapable.

Guilt over the loss of a loved one, the feeling of powerlessness and regret is something we all experience. Is it our fault and could we have done more are questions that assault you in the wake of the death of a loved one, and ultimately just get quieter but never go away. This is especially true for Rachel and the death of her sister Zelda, whose illness was a burden on her family and especially Rachel.

You can hear Amy Seimetz discussing Rachel with Sean in the video below.

If you’ve seen the original 1989 Pet Sematary, you know that the scenes with Zelda are some of the most horrifying to behold, so it is exciting that the Rachel and Zelda story seems to be getting a little extra in this remake. In the original film Zelda was played by a man and the scenes had a bit of a dreamy quality, but they look to be more realistic this time around to differentiate them. The most recent trailer showed a snippet of Zelda, who is being played by Alyssa Brooke Levine, and it was nightmarish.

The early reactions to Pet Sematary are quite positive and indicate that this scary movie is very scary. The film is predicted to open around $20 million opposite Shazam!

Pet Sematary reminds us why sometimes dead is better when it opens in theaters on April 5. Check out our 2019 Release Guide to see all the movies you can look forward to this year.

Dark Phoenix Will Have More Than One Major Character Death

Dark Phoenix Will Have More Than One Major Character Death

Many of today’s movie trailers have certainly been known to cross the line and give away too much before audiences get a chance to buy a ticket. This happened in a big way during the marketing of Dark Phoenix when one trailer spoiled the death of Jennifer Lawrence’s Mystique at the hand of Sophie Turner’s Jean Grey.

No one slipped up. Director Simon Kinberg has said that he made the decision to reveal this early plot point in order show the high stakes the X-Men will be dealing with during the last film in the franchise. Mystique won’t be the only character to say goodbye in Dark Phoenix either. Check out Kinberg’s tease:

There are certainly other major casualties in this.

Looks like Dark Phoenix won’t be messing around. The movie is set up with tragedy for the team and it will only continue as the film rolls along, perhaps with even more beloved characters kicking the bucket as the long-running franchise closes out and makes room for the comic title joining the MCU sometime in the future.

While it was a surprise to see Mystique die in the trailer, it’s no shock that the character was going to be killed off in this X-Men film. Jennifer Lawrence has been vocal about her distaste with being turned blue in the harrowing makeup process since 2011, and has reportedly wanted out of the franchise for some time. The actress already has a convenient exit with the Disney/Fox merger sure to change things up, but maybe that wasn’t enough and she needed it to be official on screen.

Simon Kinberg’s words to EW do beg the question: Who else is going to die? Will the franchise go so far as to kill off the franchise’s huge players, Charles Xavier and Magneto? Though James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender are likely to be finishing off their time as these characters with Dark Phoenix, will their last moments be their deaths?

There are tons of other X-Men characters in play here who could see their demises as well -- such as Nicholas Hoult’s Beast, Evan Peters’ Quicksilver, Tye Sheridan’s Cyclops and Alexandra Shipp’s Storm. Considering J-Law was on the table to be killed off, who knows if they’ll make it out either.

The movie already has the tough job of creating a satisfying conclusion to the Fox franchise that started with 2000’s X-Men. The film has undergone massive reshoots and multiple release date shifts, and it may face the lowest earning opening weekend for the franchise to date, as The Secret Life of Pets 2 aims to be its biggest competition on its debut.

The movie follows the team as they venture on a space mission and Jean gets hit by a solar flare, leaving her with a new powerful burst of energy and powers to attempt to control. When she kills Mystique, the X-Men must figure out what to do about her: kill her or save her somehow? Dark Phoenix hits theaters on June 7.

Spider-Man: Far From Home Promotion Is Off To A Ridiculous Start

Spider-Man: Far From Home Promotion Is Off To A Ridiculous Start

Now that Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame have been checked off the 2019 list, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is gearing up for Spider-Man: Far From Home. The Sony/Marvel movie comes out in early July, and it just started its world press tour. All I can say is, if watching Far From Home is as much fun as watching Tom Holland (Peter Parker/Spider-Man) and Jake Gyllenhaal's (Quentin Beck/Mysterio) press tour video from Mexico, we're in for a real treat. Look at these two goofballs:

They really are having too much fun out there. Director Jon Watts said they got along so well on set, they would crack each other up and ruin takes. I can believe it. And if the Mexico press tour footage is this ridiculous, I can only imagine the Spider-Man: Far From Home Blu-ray gag reel will be longer than Avengers: Endgame.

It's worth noting that Jake Gyllenhaal posted the same video, taking credit for it himself with "Quick video I edited together for @tomholland2013." I don't trust either Gyllenhaal or Tom Holland to do anything but make each other laugh, so Tom's brother Harry Holland must be the one really responsible.

So far, it does seem like Tom Holland and Jake Gyllenhaal will be the faces of Spider-Man: Far From Home promotion. They were joined by Jacob Batalon (Ned) at Brazil Comic-Con several months ago, but now that the real press tour push is starting, it looks like the MCU is putting the focus on the tag-team of Spider-Man and Mysterio.

Tom Holland previously shared a photo of Spider-Man and Mysterio with the caption "The Dream team!"

Jacob Batalon replied, "It’s okay everyone... I’m used to being forgotten." Poor Ned. (At least Jacob and Tom will always have that hotel fire alarm.)

Tom Holland followed up with more love for Peter Parker's real BFF:

Spider-Man: Far From Home is indeed set after the events of Avengers: Endgame, which was already revealed before Endgame came out. That left many fans confused, wondering how Peter Parker could be getting another movie after Avengers: Infinity War. Now, if you've seen Endgame, you have some answers (but possibly still a few big questions).

In the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter goes on a school trip to Europe with his friends. He's recruited by Nick Fury -- who is also back -- to team up with new character Mysterio and battle the Elementals.

So Spider-Man and Mysterio work together in this movie, which is new for the Marvel character, although fans can probably expect more twists on top of that.

Spider-Man: Far From Home moved up its release date by a couple of days, and now it arrives in theaters on July 2. That gives us not quite two months of Tom Holland and Jake Gyllenhaal taking their comedy act around the world, as Jacob Batalon and Zendaya and the rest of the Spidey cast presumably watch the bromance bloom from afar.

New Aladdin Trailer Teases Way More Action Than The Original

New Aladdin Trailer Teases Way More Action Than The Original

Disney is swinging big this year on the live-action remake offerings. While Dumbo was a bit of a disappointment for the studio in comparison to its other recent re-imaginings, it may be all uphill from here as Aladdin and Lion King soon approach theaters. Aladdin is a beloved musical comedy from Disney Animation’s Renaissance Era, but it also looks like the upcoming version will also be packed with fun action sequences as well. Check it out in the new trailer:

Exciting! While the previous trailer for Aladdin highlighted the lively musical numbers for “Friend Like Me,” “Prince Ali” and “A Whole New World,” this recent TV spot, titled “Rags to Wishes,” showcases some thrilling elements of the live-action movie. The trailer starts off with Aladdin (Mena Massoud) and Princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott) sharing a cute exchange about how he managed to get into the palace (that is, if breaking and entering can be considered cute). It’s a new bit from the couple not found in the movie as shots from what looks to be “One Jump Ahead” flash in between.

The trailer then moves to Aladdin’s dealings with Jafar (Marwan Kenzari), who leads him to the Cave of Wonders where he finds the magic lamp and meets Will Smith’s Blue Genie. The trailer then transitions to quick cuts from various points in the movie, including recognizable musical numbers and moments such as Aladdin asking Jasmine “Do you trust me?” before taking her on a magic carpet ride, and new ones like Aladdin running from Iago.

The TV spot concludes with some quips between Aladdin and Genie as our hero critiques his top knot hairstyle to which Will Smith says “That’s my little cherry on top!” Overall, the new look at Aladdin seeks to show another side to the upcoming fantasy film by showing a mix of new dialogue among the characters with the highly-anticipated musical numbers many people are excited to see and some action to look forward to.

It’s looks to be trying to set itself apart from the original a bit so audiences don’t feel like they have a rerun in store for them, which is a good move for the studio to take after the last trailer was primarily a nostalgia trip for the 1992 animated original. Early on in the film’s marketing, Will Smith’s Blue Genie look received some backlash as well, but with each new preview, fans are seeing a better picture of the character.

While Dumbo had a debut of just under $46 million in its first weekend, early tracking for Aladdin shows it will be a much more popular release for the studio as it is expected to make between $70 to $95 million during its opening during Memorial Day weekend.

Aladdin comes out on May 24 alongside James Gunn’s Brightburn, comedy Booksmart and the Brad Pitt-led Ad Astra. Will you be seeing it opening weekend? Let us know in the comments below.