Jumanji 3: What We Know So Far

Jumanji 3: What We Know So Far

The game isn't over! While the third movie in the Jumanji series, following 1995's Jumanji and 2017's Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, has yet to reveal its official title, we can still fill you in on what information has been made available. Fans can expect a steady stream of Jumanji 3 news after filming starts, with updates continuing until the adventure movie arrives in theaters in late 2019. Here's what we know about the sequel so far.

When Will Jumanji 3 Be Released?

Jumanji 3 is currently scheduled for release on December 13, 2019. That gives it exactly one week before Star Wars: Episode IX takes over the box office. Jumanji has faced Star Wars in a showdown before, when Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle opened on December 20, 2017, just after Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Considering that both films picked up piles of money in 2017, there will still probably be room for both of them at the 2019 box office.

Star/producer Dwayne Johnson announced the current Jumanji 3 release date on Instagram back in June 2018:

Officially planting our JUMANJI flag.

On DECEMBER 13th, 2019 - the game is not over.

I hold JUMANJI very close to my heart and I'm beyond grateful you made our movie into the global juggernaut ($1BILLION+) it became.

Can't wait for you to see what our new adventure & new characters have in store as Christmas comes early.

And once again, I get to slap @kevinhart4real's lip's into next week. The world is happy.

FearTheDrums #TheGameIsNotOver #JUMANJI DECEMBER 13th, 2019

Dates can change without notice, but this one should stick.

What Is The Jumanji 3 Rating?

The MPAA has yet to announce an official rating, but it will probably be PG-13. The first Jumanji in 1995 was PG, but this is more of a direct sequel to Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, which earned a PG-13 rating in 2017 for "adventure action, suggestive content and some language."

It's still early days for Jumanji 3 news, but considering how well Jumanji 2 did, there's a very high chance they won't change much about the basics for the 2019 movie. Welcome to the Jungle had a reported budget of around $100 million and the film made nearly $1 billion at the worldwide box office, per Box Office Mojo figures. It was the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2017 and the 42nd-highest-grossing film of all time. Of that total, $404.5 million came from the domestic box office, and $557.5 million from the foreign box office. No one really saw this coming, since the 1995 Robin Williams movie just made $262.8 million (not adjusted for inflation).

Who Is Writing And Directing Jumanji 3?

If it ain't broke... As suggested in the previous entry, the second Jumanji film was such a hit that Sony is bringing back the major players for Jumanji 3. According to Deadline, Sony asked Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner back to write a sequel, with Jake Kasdan returning to direct and help shape the story. Matt Tolbach will be producing, along with the Seven Bucks Production team of Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, and Hiram Garcia.

Production Weekly (via MovieWeb) said Jumanji 3 is scheduled to start production January 21, and wrap filming around April 26. Jumanji 2 filmed in Hawaii and Georgia, but it may be something of a storyline change hint that filming for Jumanji 3 is meant to take place in Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Canada. We should be getting more official information very soon. Dwayne Johnson will probably continue to share casting scoops and set photos from his Instagram, since he is a producer -- and he just loves to engage with fans in that way.

What Is The Plot of Jumanji 3?

This is the big question! So far, the Jumanji 3 team is staying secretive, but we're expecting more details to come out once filming gets underway. Back in June, Dwayne Johnson shared a photo from a development meeting, teasing just this on the plot:

Ladies, gents and children of all ages.. The JUMANJI SEQUEL is officially underway.

Holy shit what a dynamite pitch from our writer/director Jake Kasdan.

We couldn't stop laughing and most importantly - like our first JUMANJI - the HEART in our story is our anchor. [...] And sorry for the spoiler but @kevinhart4real dies in the first 15 seconds of the movie, to what I'm assuming will be a HUGE standing ovation from the audience and the cast @karengillanofficial @jackblack @nickjonas

He just loves to mess with Kevin Hart! So, we know the main actors from Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle are all meant to return, presumably back in their roles as avatars for new players. And if Kevin Hart's avatar does die, at least he should be able to come back two more times. The four high school teens of Welcome to the Jungle left the film as newfound friends, and they destroyed the game in the end. But, since we're dealing with fantasy and magic, no one should expect the game to truly be destroyed. Jumanji 2 had some alternate endings that were discarded, THR reports, and it's possible the filmmakers will dip back into that well at some point.

Some of the actors have shared ideas for the sequel. Jack Black wants to head into space for an origin story. He wants to know where the game comes from, and who invented it, figuring it must be alien technology or from some "crazy jungle medicine man magic." I'd be down with an origin story, but we don't know if that's in the cards for this movie or any further movies. Karen Gillan added that she'd like to see a really old man choose her avatar, Ruby Roundhouse, so she could go from playing an introverted teen in Welcome to the Jungle to channeling the mannerisms of an old man. It would be funny if she got her way with Danny DeVito's new character since, at this point, we don't know who he is playing. (See below.)

What Characters Are Returning For Jumanji 3?

Here's what we know: Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, and Kevin Jonas will return. In Jumanji 2, they played the respective avatars Smolder Bravestone, Sheldon Oberon, Franklin Finbar, Ruby Roundhouse, and Jefferson "Seaplane" McDonough.

Back in August, /FILM talked to director Jake Kasdan and asked if the same kids would play a new game of Jumanji (despite thinking they destroyed it). Kasdan said they were busy figuring all of that out. He did say he believed it would be a continuation of Jumanji as a video game, rather than the board game of the first film.

Dwayne Johnson As Dr. Smolder Bravestone

The Rock's game avatar, Smolder Bravestone, plays to his literal strengths. He's a confident and clearly very muscular archaeologist and international explorer. In Jumanji 2, Dwayne Johnson got to play against type when the person playing his avatar was nerdy, allergy-prone Brantford High School student Spencer. Playing strong Dr. Bravestone helped Spencer develop his own confidence and leadership skills. It'll be interesting to see how Smolder Bravestone returns. Who will play him next?

Jack Black As Professor Sheldon "Shelly" Oberon

Jack Black had a fun role in Welcome to the Jungle as Professor Sheldon Oberon. His cartographer was played by popular, self-absorbed pretty girl Bethany, who was not expecting to be Black's "overweight middle aged man" when she picked the avatar descriptor "curvy genius" when deciding to play the game. But, her character evolved over the course of the adventure. Hopefully Jack Black gets to continue to stretch his comedic chops in Jumanji 3.

Kevin Hart As Franklin "Moose" Finbar

Brantford High School football jock "Fridge" picked weapons and zoology expert Franklin "Moose" Finbar because he sounded "like a badass." To his surprise, he ended up in the much shorter body of Kevin Hart. Hence, size jokes. We get that Hart is on the short side, but hopefully Jumanji 3 doesn't go for that particular joke again. The set-up of Fridge and Spencer being former friends who reconcile through the game of Jumanji worked perfectly for the dynamic of Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart. The Central Intelligence co-stars have great comedic chemistry, so Jumanji 3 is going to have to harness that magic again.

Karen Gillan As Ruby Roundhouse

Karen Gillan plays "killer of men" Ruby Roundhouse, a fierce martial arts and dance fighting expert. Her avatar was played by shy high school student Martha. But Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers: Endgame star Gillan has gone on the record to say she'd love to see an old man play the Ruby avatar in a future movie. We'll see if she gets her wish.

Nick Jonas As Jefferson "Seaplane" McDonough

Nick Jonas was something of a surprise addition to the group as avatar pilot Jefferson "Seaplane" McDonough. He was the avatar of gamer Alex Vreeke, a teen who got stuck in the Jumanji game in 1996. This storyline was a direct tie to the original 1995 Jumanji film, since Alex had taken shelter in the game world in a house built by the previous Jumanji player, Alan Parrish, portrayed on film by Robin Williams.

In Jumanji 2, the four main players are rescued by Alex, who was the fifth player that was missing and unplayable when the teens first picked up the game. Welcome to the Jungle ended with Alex being able to go back to his own time, and grow up to be Colin Hanks, who named his child after Bethany after she saved his life. We'll have to see how the pilot character of Seaplane is used in the third film.

What New Characters Are Joining Jumanji 3?

Just recently we got word on the first new stars joining the Jumanji 3 team. Ocean's 8 and Crazy Rich Asians star Awkwafina is said to play a "key" and "significant" character in this movie. Shortly after that news came out, it was revealed that household name Danny DeVito would also be joining Jumanji 3. About a week later, it was revealed that Danny Glover would also be joining the cast. We'll be updated this guide, and our Jumanji 3 cast list, as new additions come in.

Dwayne Johnson, of course, posted about the new additions but didn't reveal anything about their characters beyond this little tease with his Danny Glover post: "The magic of our JUMANJI Universe is 'who turns into who?' and I'm excited for our [global] audience to join Danny and our entire cast on another wild and fun adventure." It's possible this level of secrecy will keep up until the first trailer comes out, or even the film itself. It's kind of fun seeing what surprises may be ahead, but there's more attention being paid to this movie, since Welcome to the Jungle was such a success, so they may not be able to hide all the tricks up their sleeves.

How Will Jumanji 3 Connect To The Previous Films?

It was initially thought that Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle would be a reboot of the Jumanji franchise. Instead, it was a sequel to the 1995 Robin Williams movie. It didn't have many references to the original, but it was clear that it was set in the same universe. Director Jake Kasdan said he plans to have Jumanji 3 connect to both previous films, but especially Welcome to the Jungle:

Our hope is to keep a long continuity through the whole thing, even though the story that we're telling in the second movie, the movie that we're working on right now is much more connected to the first movie that I made a year ago than it is to the original. We love the idea of keeping all of this together and connected in some way or another.

Jake Kasdan also seems fond of the timeline element -- that players return to where they started in the real world once they win, even if years have passed in the game; while the in-world game retains elements from previous players, like the nod to Alan Parrish.

Will There Be A Jumanji 4?

This is most likely up to the box office. You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who expected Jumanji to get a sequel, never mind Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle getting a sequel, too. Some people consider this to be Jumanji 2, since it's more of a direct sequel to Welcome to the Jungle with only passing references to the first film. But, some people also think 2005's Zathura: A Space Adventure is part of the Jumanji franchise, even though that movie's plot has no references to any Jumanji films. It was marketed as being set in the Jumanji world, as it's based on Chris Van Allsburg's sequel to the Jumanji novel.

Either way, it's too soon too to say if Dwayne Johnson, Jake Kasdan and company will return for a Jumanji 4. If Jumanji 3 cleans up at the box office this December, and into early 2019, that'll be a good sign. But, they'd also have to come up with a worthy idea, instead of just continuing because it might make more money. If Jumanji 3 disappoints on the story front, it would put a damper on any hopes for a fourth film. So, we shall see.

This Jumanji 3 guide will be updated periodically as more news, trailers, photos, and updates from The Rock come out before the December 2019 release. In the meantime, keep track of all the amazing films coming to theaters in 2019 in our handy film schedule.

The Russo Brothers Are Developing A Stan Lee Documentary

The Russo Brothers Are Developing A Stan Lee Documentary

This weekend’s Avengers: Endgame marks the end of the MCU’s 11-year journey and the story of The Infinity Saga. It also sadly marks the end of the late Stan Lee’s iconic comic book movie cameos, as he makes his final bow in the Russo Brothers’ film. Although his cameos have come to an end, Stan Lee’s memory will live on. And it seems that the Russo Brothers will do more than they already have to make sure of it.

Speaking about Stan Lee, Anthony Russo revealed that he and his brother are developing a documentary about the comic book legend. Anthony said:

We love Stan Lee and I think it's incredibly special that Endgame will be his final cameo. We are fascinated by the life of Stan Lee and we are actually developing a little something that has to do with his work in the history of Marvel. But we are not ready to present it or talk about it yet. It's more of a documentary.

Although we obviously all wish Stan were still alive and healthy to make cameos for decades to come, the Russo Brothers seem honored that Stan Lee’s final cameo came in their culmination film. The Russo Brothers clearly had a lot of love for Stan Lee and his creations and that fascination has led them to begin developing a documentary of some sort about him.

In his comments to IANS, Anthony Russo indicated that he wasn’t ready to reveal too much about the project just yet, so we don’t really know when, where or what format it will eventually arrive in. But it seems that it will be either a full on documentary or something with documentary elements that looks at Stan Lee’s Marvel career. And that alone is enough to be excited for.

This won’t be the first Stan Lee documentary out there because in 2010 there was the excellently titled documentary With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story. That doc is currently available to watch on Amazon Prime Video streaming.

Now that his long and immeasurably influential life has come to an end, it is fitting that we take a look back and celebrate that life and a documentary is a great way to do that. It is also fitting that the two directors who have given so much to the MCU and its fans are developing a documentary about the man who gave so much to them, and without whom the MCU wouldn’t even be possible.

This isn’t the only tribute of sorts to Stan Lee in the works. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige recently revealed that the studio is putting together a compilation video of all of Stan Lee’s cameos as well as the behind-the-scenes footage and B-roll from the filming of those cameos. I anticipate that will be a lovely tearjerker.

You can catch Stan Lee’s final MCU cameo in Avengers: Endgame, which arrives in theaters this weekend. We’ll keep you updated about the Russo Brothers’ Stan Lee documentary and check out our 2019 Release Schedule to see all the big movies headed your way this summer.

Bill Skarsgard Promises A More Vicious Pennywise In IT Chapter Two

Bill Skarsgard Promises A More Vicious Pennywise In IT Chapter Two

Clowns are scary. This is an empirical fact and anybody that disagrees is wrong. This is why Stephen King's novel It was so utterly terrifying and why the movie of the same name became one of the highest grossing horror movies ever made. However, if you thought that the forthcoming sequel would just be another installment of "scary clown theater" you'd be wrong.

Bill Skarsgard, who plays Pennywise the clown, says that his character in It Chapter Two is going to be even more terrifying the second time around.

He’s inflicted fear on his prey, and he’s very focused on fear, but he’s never experienced it himself. Now he’s experienced something that he has been inflicting on others and … there’s a shift leading into the second movie. It fuels hatred and anger towards the kids, who will be adults in this one, so I think there might be an even more vicious Pennywise. He’s really going after it

At the end of It, the band of kids that had been terrorized by Pennywise are able to turn the tables on him and get the upper hand. They drive the monster away, but they don't actually destroy him. This is something that they don't actually realize until many years later when the same terrible things that were happening in their hometown when they were children begin to happen again.

Only this time, based on what Bill Skarsgard tells EW, it seems Pennywise is pissed. He doesn't just want to make the kids fear him, he has it out for them for what they did to him before. It's not shocking to think an embodiment of evil is capable of holding a grudge.

And of course, Pennywise has to become a bigger threat in It Chapter Two because it has to make sense that the creature that the group defeated as children is somehow still a threat to them as adults. You'd think if they could do it once, they could do it again.

In the original Stephen King novel, the story jumps back and forth between time periods, so you don't really know what happened to Pennywise the first time around when you're reading the book. The movie audience will be sitting down knowing the character was beaten once, which will likely require the sequel to take a slightly different tact in order to raise the tension.

IT was a massive success when it came out. That success led to the sequel being given the green light in the first place. With most of the team that made the first film returning, both in front and behind the camera, as well as the addition of new actors like Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy, it seems It Chapter Two is looking to be another big success.

If you're a fan. keep your eyes on CinemaBlend later today, as the first trailer for IT Chapter Two is scheduled to drop in just a couple hours.

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Might Change Up Rey’s Parentage

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Might Change Up Rey’s Parentage

The Star Wars franchise has been greatly expanding over the past few years, thanks to Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm. New ground has been broken in the form of standalone films and the upcoming Mandalorian TV series, but the real focus is still on the main franchise. J.J. Abrams' The Rise of Skywalker will conclude the nine-film narrative that started with A New Hope, and the pressure is on to deliver a threequel that serves multiple purposes.

Fans are especially intrigued to see how J.J. Abrams will follow up on the subversive choices Rian Johnson made in The Last Jedi back in 2017. One of the biggest twists revolved around Rey's parents. Her lineage was one of the biggest mysteries going into The Last Jedi, but Kylo Ren revealed she wasn't related to any of the Jedi we knew and loved; she was no one. But Abrams is teasing that the story might change in Episode IX, recently saying:

I will say that we knew, going into this, that this movie, it had to be a satisfying conclusion. And we were well aware that that’s one of the things that’s been out there. I don’t want to say that what happens in Episode VIII [didn’t happen]. We have honored that. But I will say that there’s more to the story than you’ve seen.

Well, that's cryptic. While not revealing anything concrete about the contents of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, it doesn't look like J.J. Abrams is going to let the story of Rey's parentage end with Kylo Ren's reveal in the last movie.

J.J. Abrams' comments to ABC News are sure to illicit a mixed bag of emotions from Star Wars fans. One one hand, purists might believe that Abrams retconning Rian Johson's creative choices is a cop out. After all, it ruins the emotional response Daisy Ridley gave in the scene, and cheapens one of the more significant moments in The Last Jedi.

But Rian Johnson's Star Wars sequel was extremely divisive, and his various plot twists weren't all well received by the fandom. Luke became a jaded recluse, Leia manifested her Force abilities, and Snoke was unceremoniously killed off before his origin was revealed. But the handling of Rey's parentage is perhaps the biggest sore point among certain fans.

In the year between The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, fans theorized endlessly about who Rey's parents might be. Luke, Obi-Wan and Leia were all tossed around, which is why Kylo Ren's explanation was so disappointing. She was no one, and her parents were smugglers who sold her off. But now it appears that there's more to the story, so it should be fascinating to see if/how J.J. Abrams adds to his hero's origin.

There's still quite a lot to unpack about Kylo Ren's admission in The Last Jedi, for both moviegoers and Rey herself. Because once the lights came up on Rian Johnson's Star Wars debut, fans were left wondering if Kylo was telling the truth. After all, Adam Driver's character was desperately trying to convince Rey to join him and rule the universe, so he'd say anything to try and emotionally manipulate her.

Throughout The Last Jedi, Rey and Kylo Ren connected through The Force, and lamented their fates. Rey was convinced hat she could bring Ben Solo back into the light, and his murder of Snoke originally seemed like just that. But he refused to back down, and asked her to join him as they let the past die. Rey ultimately refused, and Kylo Ren revealed that she was the daughter of unnamed smugglers and thrown away like trash on Jakku.

But one has to wonder how exactly Kylo Ren is privy to this information, given that not even Rey knows where her parents ended up after leaving her. He presumably learned it from Snoke, but he didn't mention it to Rey until The Last Jedi's third act. What's more, he doesn't actually make the revelation himself. He forces Rey to admit her deepest fear: that her parents were nobody. Then he just confirmed it in an attempt to get her to join the Dark Side.

As a reminder, you can check out the scene in question below.

Upon re-watch, there certainly does seem to be some wiggle room for J.J. Abrams to play with in The Rise of Skywalker. No proof was presented in the revelation about Rey's parents, and she was too busy for the rest of The Last Jedi's runtime to bring it up to anyone. As such, her parentage should be one of the many big questions that is ultimately answered when Episode IX finally arrives in theaters.

Of course, the fandom has had well over a year to process the events of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. So once again flipping the canon on its head might elicit some negative reaction from moviegoers. Star Wars has always been a franchise that relied on twists, but doing an aboutface in regards to Rey's origin is a bold move. And we've already seen how the fandom negatively reacted to Rian Johnson's bold directing choices.

If J.J. Abrams doesn't retcon Rey's lineage in The Rise of Skywalker, his comments did tease that there may be more to the story than we're aware of. Perhaps he found a way to change up her backstory without totally ignoring the narrative Rian Johnson brought to theaters with The Last Jedi. Clearly Disney was happy with his work, as Johnson is developing his own Star Wars trilogy.

J.J. Abrams will be able to wrap up the story he began back with The Force Awakens, and hopefully give his characters some satisfying conclusion. He also has the added pressure of ending the Skywalker Saga forever, so there is a ton of pressure about bringing Episode IX to theaters. But the first trailer was powerful, and teased the group of heroes finally all together for one final adventure.

Answers are coming shortly, as Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker arrives in theaters on December 20th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Final Destination’s Devon Sawa Had A Scary Coincidence On Its Anniversary

Final Destination’s Devon Sawa Had A Scary Coincidence On Its Anniversary

19 years ago, Final Destination took off into movie history with its first entry in a series that would span five films and a little over a decade's worth of time. And if it wasn't for Devon Sawa's Alex receiving that premonition on board Flight 180, we wouldn't have had a franchise to look forward to! So it seems more than a little weird that Sawa would notice on the exact date of the 19th anniversary of that first film, his flight number seemed a little... scary.

In a twist that would surely fit in a Final Destination movie of its own, Devon Sawa was on flight 317 yesterday, which was not only St. Patrick's Day, but also the opening day back in 2000 for his first film in the saga. While Sawa originally noted that it was 20 years ago, he corrected himself in the subtweets below, right past the point where Seth Rogen admitted he tried out for Seann William Scott's role in the first film.

Though, to be fair, he was probably filming the movie 20 years ago, and when you've worked on a film like Final Destination, the production and opening dates can sometimes get a big muddled. Still, 19 years after the smash hit opening of Final Destination is a funny day to have a flight number so inexorably linked to the day of his own flight. Some would say he should have played the lottery, especially taking into account the fact that spawned around $665 million internationally.

If New Line and Warner Bros wanted to really get spooky, they should think about putting together a Final Destination reunion tour and re-release for the 20th anniversary proper next year, in service of getting at least $1 million to hit that magic number of the devil. It certainly wouldn't hurt, what with the studio partners considering a reboot at this moment. Though if the grosses tend to be a little better coming from any sort of hypothetical anniversary, they may want to think about a potential reboot that changes the continuity to reintroduce Alex back into the game of death.

Are you ready for this whole situation to get scarier? As if the whole flight number coincidence wasn't enough of a Twitter moment, Devon Sawa had another encounter that invoked the spirit of the Final Destination franchise. This time though it wasn't a number, it was a person who tied it all together again, as he ran into fellow co-star Tony Todd, known partially for his role as the dire but oh so smooth undertaker who taught the kids a lesson about death in that very first film. Take a look for yourself:

Now we're not saying Devon Sawa is cursed or anything, but two coincidences almost add up to a movie's worth of danger. So maybe he'll want to find a nice, cozy spot of the world to relax in; just in case anything is lurking around the corner. But for all we know, it's just a bunch of crazy coincidences, and nothing else. It's not like there's any sort of plan working through the wheels of fate or anything.

If all this talk about Final Destination has you a bit nostalgic, you'll be happy to know that the first three films are streaming on Netflix at this very moment.

This Rotten Week: Predicting The Beach Bum and Dumbo Reviews!

This Rotten Week: Predicting The Beach Bum and Dumbo Reviews!

Two movies hit the big screen and they couldn’t be any more dissimilar if they tried. In one we get a drug-addled writer buzzing his way through the Florida Keys. And in the other it’s a beloved elephant who uses his ears to fly (which kind of sounds like something a drug-addled writer would come up with. Maybe these flicks aren’t all that different). Get ready for The Beach Bum and Dumbo.

Just remember, I'm not reviewing these movies but rather predicting where they'll end up on the Tomatometer. Let's take a look at This Rotten Week has to offer.

If there was ever a movie that seems written specifically with Matthew McConaughey in mind, it's this one. In fact, I get the sense that if the dude had passed the movie might never have been made.

Harmony Korine has written and directed a bunch of films, though the only one to really hit wide release was 2012’s Springer Breakers (66%). It is easily his most well-received and well-publicized film. The other stuff is mostly, well, weird (or just depressing like Kids).

Beach Bum appears to take some of its look and feel from Springer Breakers, embracing the neon Florida haze while following around Moondog in his attempt to, well, be Moondog. McConaughey looks every bit in his element, playing what seems to be a mashup of Jimmy Buffett and Hunter S. Thompson.

Early reviews are basically split down the middle with the Tomatometer sitting at 55% through 20 looks. I suspect it only drops as the week goes on considering the positive reviews all found a few things they didn't like with the film. I see that trend continuing and it ends in the rotten territory almost for sure.

It’s now been 78 years since the original Dumbo hit the screens so I suppose, at least as far as Hollywood is concerned, we are way, way, way overdue for the remake. Now we get it in the form of a live action film about the titular elephant whose ears are so flappy they generate the requisite thrust to get him airborne.

Director Tim Burton has had an up and down critical run over the last decade or so. Sure there was the adaptation of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (65%) and the animated Frankenweenie (85%). But he also helmed Dark Shadows (36%) and Alice in Wonderland (51%) so it hasn’t been all great.

This latest looks like a visually pleasing, if vanilla retelling of the classic tale. And I suspect that tone will actually help it with critics. This isn’t a remake that needs to take a lot of chances, or distinguish itself from the original. Just hitting the right notes will be fine. I think critics take to it positively.

We only had one movie hit the big screen in wide release last week. Us (Predicted: 99% Actual: 95%) represents another knock-it-out-of-the-park critical win for Jordan Peele in a worthy successor to his award-winning Get Out. Peele has done it again, embracing the horror genre while adding additional layers of commentary about our society as a whole. Getting the prediction in the zone was rather easy. It was sitting at 100% early last week and picked up only a few negative reviews along the way.

Next time around we’ve got The Best of Enemies, Shazam and Pet Sematary. It’s gonna be a Rotten Week!

John Wick Chapter 3 Is The Type Of Movie Star Anjelica Huston Usually Hates

John Wick Chapter 3 Is The Type Of Movie Star Anjelica Huston Usually Hates

The John Wick franchise has never been short on talent, but it is getting a major infusion of it for John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum with two Oscar winners, Halle Berry and Anjelica Huston. As a former Bond girl who also was Storm in the X-Men franchise, we’re used to seeing Halle Berry in these kinds of movies, but it is less familiar for Anjelica Huston. In fact, John Wick: Chapter 3 is the type of movie Anjelica Huston usually hates, as she explained:

I don’t like violent movies. But I like this movie. This is a movie about a guy who’s basically avenging the death of his puppy. Jesus, I’m passionate about dogs. It’s a huge thing.

Generally speaking, you’re far more likely to find Anjelica Huston in a Wes Anderson film or voicing a character in a kid’s animated series than in a violent action film. And perhaps that is the result of her distaste for violence. Yet, for someone who doesn’t like violent movies, she really dove into the deep end of the genre with John Wick: Chapter 3.

This franchise is one of the most violent out there (although not especially bloody), with kill counts measured in the triple digits. The actress was cool with it here, and actually likes Parabellum because it isn’t senseless violence, this series started with John Wick simply trying to avenge the murder of his dog.

As a good dog owner who loved his pet, John Wick’s violent response is really quite appropriate given the circumstances, restrained even. Anjelica Huston clearly understands and likes this about the character because as she told Vulture, she is passionate about dogs and actually owns three dogs herself, in addition to a sheep, 13 goats and 5 horses.

Anjelica Huston is clearly an animal lover and that made her like this movie more than most violent fare. Which is kind of a fun contrast considering that in the trailer for John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, her character the Director, a Russian ballet instructor, incredulously asks Keanu Reeves’ character, “All of this for what, because of a puppy?”

So despite her usual aversion to violent movies, Anjelica Huston signed on to John Wick: Chapter 3-Parabelleum and it didn’t take much convincing for her to do so, as she explained:

Oh God, it’s so easy. Quite honestly, I’m looking for movies that impress me in some way, that aren’t apologetically humble or humiliating like, ‘Band of cheerleaders gets back together for one last hurrah,’ you know. An old-lady cheerleader movie. I don’t like that kind of thing. If I’m going to be an old lady — and I’m sort of touching old lady these days — at least I want to be a special old lady. I don’t want to be relegated to some has-been making a comeback. I hate comebacks.

On top of her affinity for John Wick’s responsible pet ownership, Anjelica Huston seems to also have really appreciated her character in the film. As she said, she likes to play “a special old lady” and while we haven't seen a lot from the Director just yet, she appears to fit that bill and was special enough to impress Anjelica Huston.

The Director appears to be a sage, somewhat sassy character and as a member of the High Table, she has some sort of influence. That John Wick appears to go to her for help means that she may be an old lady, but her years have put her in a position of major power. Basically, she’s cool.

This is in contrast to the other kinds of characters Anjelica Huston would rather not play, ones that are somewhat humiliating, making age into a source of humor or something to be triumphed over and not one of dignity. It’s an understandable opinion to have and thankfully, John Wick: Chapter 3 had a role that was suitable and appealing enough to bring her aboard.

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum opens on May 17. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to see all the biggest movies headed your way this summer season.