Bill And Ted Face The Music Has Added Another Returning Character

Bill And Ted Face The Music Has Added Another Returning Character

After years stuck in development hell, Bill and Ted Face The Music finally got some good news last week. An announcement from Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter confirmed that the titular duo will be back in a second sequel that will be hitting theaters next year, and revealed that production is underway. Obviously we still have a lot of questions about the project, but one that has now been answered is that actor William Sadler will be reprising his role as Death in the comedy.

Like the aforementioned release date announcement, this news comes to us from the official Bill & Ted 3 Twitter account, which revealed the casting while writing "For those who have been asking, @Wm_Sadler will totally be reprising his role!" No details were offered beyond that, and we still don't know how big his part in the story will be, but we're still giving ourselves licence to be excited.

William Sadler's Death wasn't featured in the first Bill and Ted movie, 1989's Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, but instead was introduced as an antagonist-turned-protagonist in the 1991 sequel Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey. Over the course of that film he goes from offering to play Bill and Ted in a game in exchange for their souls, to being a key member of the rock band Wyld Stallyns - the greatest band the universe has ever known and the foundation of a Utopian society.

Twenty-eight years is a long time to wait before reprising a role, especially an ageless one like Death. Fortunately, William Sadler has an ally on his side: super heavy makeup. As you can tell from the image above, his face is going to be so covered up that you won't be able to tell if he's 30 or 60.

It's very possible that this won't be the last time we hear about an actor returning to reprise a role in Bill and Ted Face The Music, but, sadly, one character we know won't be showing up is Rufus. Though he was a key part of both Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure and Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey, George Carlin passed away in 2008, and the new movie has decided not to recast the part. Instead, according to the official Twitter account, his absence will be a big part of the movie thematically:

Based on a script by Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon, and directed by Dean Parisot, Bill & Ted Face The Music will catch up with the titular characters not as world-class rock stars, but instead as struggling middle-aged dads who can't figure out how to fulfill their destiny. They had been told as teens that they were supposed to write a song that would save the universe, but they simply can't get it together. With the movie now filming, hopefully more details will be coming soon, including more casting announcements.

The Biggest Way Avengers: Endgame Should Affect Spider-Man: Far From Home

The Biggest Way Avengers: Endgame Should Affect Spider-Man: Far From Home

Major SPOILER warning: The ending of Avengers: Endgame is a big focus of this article. DON'T read this until you've seen the movie. You have been warned!

Avengers: Endgame is here, and while the movie is busy destroying every box office opening record, fans are still recuperating from its massive ending. Tears were shed, laughs were had and the battle was won. The MCU was left unquestionably changed following the events of the film, and the one movie where we could and most definitely should see the repercussions of the finale is Spider-Man: Far From Home.

The Web-Slinger's sequel is the first movie after Avengers: Endgame and it's also the final movie of Phase 3. If there was anywhere we would see the aftermath of Endgame, it's in this movie, because it means that Far From Home will have to address the direct effects of the Snap and where it leaves Peter Parker and all his classmates.

Okay, spoiler time.

In Avengers: Endgame, the Avengers are successfully able to acquire all of the Infinity Stones and build their own Infinity Gauntlet. The Hulk, being the only one who can take the full power of the stones, uses the Gauntlet to bring back everyone who was snapped out of existence at the end of Avengers: Infinity War.

Black Panther, Scarlet Witch, The Guardians of the Galaxy and, of course, Spider-Man are among the people brought back to life, but the catch is that five years have passed since they were dusted. To them, no time has passed at all, but the rest of world had to learn to move on, and that probably includes public school systems.

Endgame hints that the world was in pretty terrible shape, but there's no indication that school was stopped. While Peter Parker was wiped off the face of the Earth, some of his classmates definitely weren't, and so they must have completed high school by the time he was resurrected.

That's why it gets tricky for Far From Home, because now it has to address who was and wasn't snapped, and how school works now that half of all teenagers missed out on an education. If it doesn't address the Snap at all, then that's extremely odd.

Assuming that school went on and kids graduated (the acceptance rate for colleges must have skyrocketed in those five years), Far From Home should have a pretty different cast from Spider-Man: Homecoming. Thanks to trailers, I have a pretty decent idea which of Peter's friends were snapped.

There are really only four kids other than Peter who can be considered the main high school cast. Those characters are Ned, Michelle Jones, Flash Thompson, and Betty Brant. Of those, only Betty didn't have that big a part in Homecoming, but it looks like that has changed a bit in Far From Home.

Each of those kids are in Far From Home on the school trip to Europe, so it's probably safe to assume they were all snapped. The trailers don't show any other familiar school kids like the ones on the debate team, so we can guess that they all graduated. I would be surprised if any of these kids were important down the line, but they are all actually real deep-cut Spider-Man references.

For example, one of the kids on the debate team is named Abe Brown. In the comics, this character is actually a vigilante known as Black Tiger, and he's the brother of Hobie Brown, a slightly more well known character who's the original Prowler. Another character, Cindy Moon, was bitten by the same radioactive spider that gave Peter his powers in the comics. She becomes the hero Silk, but there's no indication that happened in the MCU.

Abe, Cindy and the rest of the debate team are either extremely difficult to spot or just aren't in the Far From Home trailer, but I'm thinking they aren't in the movie at all. Maybe they just didn't get to go on the field trip, but it seems like too much of a coincidence that all the tertiary characters have been left out. The Snap would certainly explain the absence.

Otherwise, it would also be extremely weird if Peter's entire class wasn't affected by the Snap. It's mathematically impossible that the whole cast of the Spider-Man movies got off scot free. The events of Infinity War and Endgame are too massive to ignore, and Far From Home is the first movie from the viewpoint of the (mostly) regular citizens. It's a great opportunity to show that Endgame's conclusion has far-reaching effects.

It wouldn't necessarily be that hard a thing to deal with either. The movie just has to explain the status quo in the beginning and then it can get to the summer fun, Elementals and whatever else is going on in Far From Home. Yes, having a whole scene of the group dealing with the fact that they were dead for five years would be great drama to watch, but that's heavier material than I think people are looking for in a Spider-Man movie.

There can just be a scene in the beginning between Peter and Aunt May where they do some light exposition dumping about how Peter and some of his class are still in the same grade after being gone for five years.

Of course, all of this is assuming that Far From Home takes place after Endgame. It could be set before Infinity War and then the Snap won't factor into it all. That's a 'get our of jail free card' if there ever was one, but then whatever the next Spider-Man movie is will have to deal with the issue of the Snap. It's unavoidable, so Marvel might as well just deal with it now and get it over with.

Ultimately, it's a good thing for Far From Home to address the Snap. It helps to explain how the world works now that Thanos has come and gone, and it sets the status quo for Peter moving forward. Marvel likes the high school setting for Spider-Man and it makes sense that it'd want to keep him there for as long as possible. I don't expect Far From Home to dig too deeply into it, but an explanation would certainly be helpful and serve as a great way to show how this universe is moving post in a post-Endgame world.

We'll find out what's happening one way or the other when Spider-Man: Far From Home swings into theaters on July 2.

Detective Pikachu Doesn't Actually Use A Ton Of Green Screen

Detective Pikachu Doesn't Actually Use A Ton Of Green Screen

The Pokemon franchise has experienced a resurgence of popularity in recent years comparable to its heyday in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. That’s only going to increase in the future, particularly with the Detective Pikachu movie coming out this summer. Over two decades after the world was introduced to these Pocket Monsters, they’re finally appearing in a live action movie, although the Pokemon themselves are obviously CGI creations that strike a weird balance of looking realistic and cartoonish simultaneously. As it turns out, though, even with all this VFX work, Detective Pikachu didn’t rely on green screen too much. According to star Justice Smith:

There wasn’t a lot of green screen. Our director, Rob Letterman — I’m getting better at saying last names, Rob Letterman — wanted to shoot on location as much as possible. We shot in London, and for like a week in Scotland which is like a desktop background. He had this vision to put the Pokémon up against this urban backdrop and use this gray, grainy filter. We shot on film so it gave it that natural grain.

Given how VFX-intensive making a live action Pokemon movie is, it would have been easy enough for the Detective Pikachu cast and crew to get most of their work done on green screens, similar to what the Star Wars prequels did. But no, director Rob Letterman decided to take everyone out on location frequently, resulting in much of Detective Pikachu looking less artificial. Justice Smith added that the use of film and the grainy filter made Detective Pikachu feel like a noir and that the Pokemon actually “pop more” against this realistic backdrop.

Even though the Pokemon in Detective Pikachu are put together with CGI, the crew did design incredibly detailed statues of how many of these Pokemon would look in the final cut. Continuing in his interview with Vulture, Justice Smith recalled how he reacted when he first saw these designs, saying:

When I first saw them, I freaked. The inner child in me was having a field day. They brought in a statue of Pikachu that was all covered in fur and it was soft and everything. Its nose was rubber and wet. It was so lifelike, and I was just like internally crying, because I was like, ‘This is exactly how I wanted to see them portrayed.’ It was a childhood dream come true.

Starring Justice Smith as Tim Goodman and Ryan Reynolds as the voice of the deerstalker hat-wearing, amnesia-suffering Pikachu who only Tim can understand, Detective Pikachu follows these two joining forces to find Tim’s dad, Harry, who has mysteriously disappeared. The cast also includes Kathryn Newton as Lucy Stevens, a reporter also looking into Harry’s disappearance who is accompanied by her Psyduck; Ken Watanabe as Detective Yoshida, a colleague of Harry’s who has a Snubbull; Paul Kitson as Harry and Omar Chapphro as Sebastian, a Pokemon trainer running a battle area who has a Charizard.

Detective Pikachu opens in theaters on May 10, and a sequel is already in the works. If you’re curious about what other movies are coming out this year, look through our 2019 release schedule.

The Rocketman Scene That Deeply Moves Taron Egerton When He Watches It

The Rocketman Scene That Deeply Moves Taron Egerton When He Watches It

This May, the next chapter in a recent string of high profile musical films arrives in the form of Rocketman. The film stars Taron Egerton as Elton John in a fantasy musical that chronicles the life of the international superstar. Speaking about the film recently, Taron Egerton highlighted one scene in particular that really moves him to watch: the sequence at Dodger Stadium, as he explained:

We are phenomenally proud of it. It feels weird for me to say it, and narcissistic but it moves me when I watch it.

Taron Egerton was almost bashful when he spoke about the Dodger Stadium scene to AMC Theatres. He seemed like he really wanted to talk about the sequence because he was so proud and excited about it. But he also didn’t want to be boastful or spoilery. Fully aware of how it might come off though, Egerton couldn’t help but admit that the scene at Dodger Stadium genuinely moved him.

As has been glimpsed in the trailers, one of the scenes in Rocketman shows Taron Egerton’s Elton John playing Dodger Stadium. In 1975, Elton John played two sold-out shows on back to back nights in Dodger Stadium to over 100,000 fans combined. Elton John was the first musical act to perform in the stadium since The Beatles in 1966 and these massive and historic concerts were career defining for the man born Reginald Dwight.

Taron Egerton is actually doing all of the singing as Elton John himself in Rocketman, so that must have made him especially proud of his work in the film and in this huge scene. Given the magnitude of the concert being replicated, this enthusiasm and pride is exactly what you want to hear from Taron Egerton about the Dodger Stadium scene in the movie. We want to be sitting in the audience of a theater and be moved and blown away by the spectacle, the music and the performances on display.

It’s impossible to hear Taron Egerton pump up the Dodger Stadium sequence in Rocketman and not draw comparisons to Bohemian Rhapsody and its Live Aid sequence. That film, which Rocketman director Dexter Fletcher came on to finish (although the final sequence was directed by Bryan Singer), built towards the climax of the 1985 Live Aid concert. That concert was the centerpiece of the film and even some of those that didn’t like Bohemian Rhapsody overall still found a lot to love in the thrilling concert that closed the show.

Hearing how Taron Egerton feels about the Dodger Stadium sequence in Rocketman, it’s easy to get hyped to see what he and Dexter Fletcher have put together. And unlike Bohemian Rhapsody, which some criticized for glossing over certain elements of Freddie Mercury's life, Rocketman is said to not be holding anything back. Perhaps it will capture the brilliance of the Live Aid scene while adding a little more substance in other areas.

Rocketman opens in theaters on May 31. That’s only one of the exciting movies too look forward to in the coming months, check out the rest in our 2019 release schedule.

Iron Man 3 Star Reveals What Harley Was Thinking In Avengers: Endgame Funeral Scene

Iron Man 3 Star Reveals What Harley Was Thinking In Avengers: Endgame Funeral Scene

Almost every MCU character that you can think of appears in Avengers: Endgame, and perhaps the most star-studded moment in the film is the funeral scene. Just about anybody who's anybody attends Tony Stark's funeral, but the one outlier is Harley Keener, aka The Kid From Iron Man 3. Ty Simpkins reprised his role for the scene, which was a momentous occasion for the actor, who took his real-life love of Iron Man and used it to fuel his acting.

Audience members were likely surprised to see Harley in the funeral scene, but even Ty Simpkins was surprised to get the call. He recently talked about the moment he first got wind he was in consideration to appear in Endgame, and how Iron Man meant so much to him as a kid.

I was about to do an audition and my manager at the time called me and he said they were thinking about putting me in, and I was screaming so much in the car with my mom. My mom is like, 'What? What is it?' And I just didn’t tell her because it wasn’t confirmed. I didn’t want to jinx it or anything. [...] I got the call when I was waiting to go to baseball practice that they were confirming it, and I just remember — because they told me what the scene was about — tearing up and just feeling so nostalgic about everything. ... Iron Man [was] probably one of the first movies I saw in theaters. I was 6, sat in the front row and I was just looking up, and that’s all I can remember. Iron Man was so inspirational and just meant so much to me. That’s how I felt.

Originally, The Russo Bros. were concerned about having older teen Harley appear in that scene because barely anyone in the test audiences knew who he was. However, the directors figured that easter eggs like this were half the fun of the MCU and kept Harley in the scene. That's obviously good news for Ty Simpkins. He told HuffPost what filming the scene was like and what Harley was thinking about during the funeral.

I didn’t get a script, but [the directors] came up to me and were like just think about what Tony meant to you and how he impacted your character’s life and your life. So I just thought about what I said earlier, how Iron Man is very sentimental to me and how he felt to Harley. I imagine Tony was really Harley’s only father figure and that they would’ve stayed in touch over the years. I just kind of took that sentimental part of my real life and Harley’s life into the scene.

Ty Simpkins, now 17, said he and Robert Downey Jr. have kept in touch over the years, and they texted after it was revealed that Ty would be part of Endgame, so it felt nice to be included again for RDJ's final goodbye.

Ultimately, Harley does feel like a pretty random inclusion for the scene, seeing as how he has never been mentioned once since he debuted in Iron Man 3. This has led some fans to speculate that Marvel is setting Harley up for future appearances, possibly as a new Iron Man-type hero or being in a Young Avengers-style team-up movie. Here's what Ty Simpkins had to say about that possibility:

I mean, I’d love that. I have no idea if it would happen, but I love that.

I'm not sure what the future holds for Harley in the MCU, but stick with CinemaBlend and we will keep you updated.

Detailed Photo Of Anakin’s Burn Makeup From Revenge Of The Sith Resurfaces

Detailed Photo Of Anakin’s Burn Makeup From Revenge Of The Sith Resurfaces

When Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith came out in 2005, there was one moment that a lot of Star Wars fans were looking forward to: the epic fight between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi that would result in the former being horribly injured. The end result didn’t disappoint, as in addition to most of his libs being sliced off, Anakin was burned beyond recognition. Now a photo from Revenge of the Sith’s production has resurfaced providing a closer look at Hayden Christensen wearing this burn makeup. Check it out!

Say what you will about the Star Wars prequel trilogy, but on the makeup, art design and costumes front, those movies did a tremendous job. This makeup applied to Hayden Christensen (as posted on Reddit) in particular looks good, and serves as a reminder to those in the Star Wars universe why Mustafar is not a popular vacation spot. In all seriousness though, I can’t imagine it was fun to Christensen to sit for however long it took to make him look like a burn victim, but since Anakin only appears like this for at most a couple minutes in Revenge of the Sith, at least this wasn’t something he and the makeup team had to spend an exorbitant time on during principal photography.

In case it’s been a while since you last watched Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi locked lightsaber blades on Mustafar after nearly all the Jedi in the galaxy has been killed by Order 66 and Anakin slaughtered the Separatist leadership on the lava planet. After seeing Anakin start to kill Padme Amidala with a Force choke, Obi-Wan, having snuck aboard the Naboo senator’s ship, realized that his apprentice was too far gone, and one lightsaber duel later, Ob-Wan came out victorious by finding the high ground. He believed Anakin would die from his injuries and massive burning, but because Emperor Palpatine arrived in the nick of time, Anakin was brought back to Coruscant and turned into the cybernetic Darth Vader we love and fear… more the latter.

While Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith was Hayden Christensen’s final appearance in the Star Wars franchise, within the Star Wars timeline, he’d appear once more. Starting with the 2004 DVD release of the original Star Wars trilogy, Return of the Jedi now features Christensen as Anakin Skywalker as a Force ghost alongside of the phantasmic Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda in place of the original actor, Sebastian Shaw. And just like with Shaw, Christensen’s Anakin was no longer scarred and burned, looking as he did in his prime. This is further proof that it pays to turn back to the light side of the Force at the last minute.

The Star Wars saga continues on December 20 with the release of Star Wars: Episode IX, the final chapter of the Skywalker Saga. If you’re interested in learning what other Star Wars projects are in the works, look through our handy guide.

How Detective Pikachu May Set The Stage For Major Pokemon Character Ash Ketchum

How Detective Pikachu May Set The Stage For Major Pokemon Character Ash Ketchum

Warning! The following contains spoilers for Detective Pikachu. Read at your own risk!

Detective Pikachu is a great movie, and a wonderful nostalgia trip for those who were a part of Pokemon's original run 20-plus years ago - but there are bits of the film where older fans may have been a bit out of the loop. Those only familiar with the franchise up to the 151st Pokemon may have missed some of the deep cut references to successive games, not to mention been unfamiliar with some of the new species that are prominently featured. It still makes for a fun time at the cineplex, but imagine if there was a movie that focused on the Pokemon of the late 1990s.

Not to get anyone's hopes too high, but there's a possibility something like that could happen now that the new film is a hit. You may have missed it, but Detective Pikachu has a very subtle reference to past stories that very well could tie the movie into the anime world of Pokemon and the franchise's most famous human character. To spell it all out, below you'll find the details behind the reference that some may have missed, and an exploration into how it may set the stage for a popular figure who didn't appear in the film: Ash Ketchum.

Detective Pikachu's Reference To The Pokemon Anime And Pokemon: The First Movie

Detective Pikachu does a lot to establish Rhyme City as a part of the greater Pokemon universe, and surprisingly added a bit that may tie in the movie with the actual canon of the Pokemon anime and Pokemon: The First Movie. The moment comes when Tim, Pikachu, Lucy, and Psyduck explore Clifford Industries' lab, and learn more about the mysterious origins of the Pokemon, Mewtwo.

In a bit of dialogue, it's revealed that Clifford Industries managed to catch Mewtwo after it escaped the Kanto region 20 years ago. In the Pokemon anime, Mewtwo was in the possession of Viridian City Gym Leader and leader of the Team Rocket syndicate Giovanni, who operates in the Kanto region. Giovanni used Mewtwo (who was subdued with electronics) to defeat Ash's rival Gary in a gym battle. Mewtwo escaped shortly after that, which became the basis for Pokemon: The First Movie.

What makes this reference all the more interesting is the revelation that it happened 20 years ago, which is essentially how long it's been since Pokemon: The First Movie was released in theaters. It could be a coincidence, but there's something really intentional about that time frame that seems to show Detective Pikachu is wanting to align itself with the show's original canon.

Why Didn't Detective Pikachu Reference Ash Ketchum Then?

If researchers knew of Mewtwo's escape, then why didn't they know about Ash, Misty, Brock, or Team Rocket? Better yet, considering Tim believed he was going up against one of the strongest Pokemon in existence, why didn't he ring up one of the world's most prolific Pokemon trainers for some advice on how to bring him down?

There's actually a rather simple explanation for this: Ash Ketchum and his friends don't remember their encounter with Mewtwo. The powerful psychic Pokemon ended up wiping everyone's memory following the climax of Pokemon: The First Movie, and the characters resumed their lives as though nothing had ever happened. So, if Ash saw the news about Mewtwo in Rhyme City, he was probably just as shocked and as oblivious as anyone else who may have seen it.

While Mewtwo doesn't make any reference to Ash in Detective Pikachu, there are parts that imply he lived through the events of Pokemon: The First Movie. For example, he seemed far less ruthless and more forgiving of human kind in Detective Pikachu, whereas the version featured pre-Pokemon: The First Movie would've turned all the humans he encountered to stone really quickly. Fortunately, he only had to turn Ash to stone that one time to figure out it was a terrible idea he should never replicate.

Where Is Ash Ketchum In The Detective Pikachu World?

Ash was a little older than 10 when he faced off against Mewtwo, which would make him around 30 years old when the events of Detective Pikachu go down. Like most cartoon characters, Ash is basically ageless in the Pokemon anime, but while that would be an absolutely riveting plot point to tackle in a Detective Pikachu sequel, it feels more likely he would show up as an seasoned Pokemon Trainer played by an adult actor.

Ash travels around a lot, and he's gotten into some crazy situations. If Tim managed to run into Ash in the midst of some big mystery it wouldn't be the least bit surprising, and the two might even join forces. Of course, the question is, is there really a need for Detective Pikachu 2?

It would appear that Tim's issues are largely resolved with his father back in his life. Tim could still have some adventures with his dad and a non-speaking Pikachu sidekick, but that doesn't sound nearly as cool as the general premise. Ash Ketchum would certainly sweeten the deal, but maybe not enough that audiences would sign on for another Detective Pikachu where Ryan Reynolds isn't the voice of the yellow mouse.

Will Detective Pikachu Lead To A 90s Pokemon Film?

Detective Pikachu's mention of Mewtwo's origins could be the link needed for the franchise to take a trip back in time, making a movie that could potentially use Ash Ketchum as a way of telling the origin story of Mewtwo once again. Yes, it would essentially be a live-action remake of Pokemon: The First Movie, but could be completely different than the film with which American audiences are familiar.

For those that aren't aware, the story differences between the Japanese and American versions of that Pokemon movie are substantial. In fact, it's fair to say they're basically entirely separate movies, as the American version of Pokemon: The Movie was heavily edited and had its script changed to cater to American audiences. Had they stuck with the original, Americans could've had a deeply nuanced story about Mewtwo, his existential crisis, and a movie that honestly made the diminutive Mew seem like the true villain.

It's a story far better than what the American version of Pokemon: The First Movie delivered, which essentially stated that fighting is wrong in a franchise where the world's entire economy revolves around fighting. Now, Detective Pikachu has presented an opportunity to tell that story right if it wants to, and the company could retcon a very bad Pokemon feature and give America its first live-action Ash Ketchum in the process. Sounds like a win-win to me!

Should Ash Ketchum appear in the next Pokemon movie? Is remaking Pokemon: The First Movie a good idea? Sound off in the comments below, and be sure to stick with CinemaBlend for all updates regarding movies, television, and pop culture.