How Robert Downey Jr. And Jeremy Renner Feel About Crazy Endgame Theories

How Robert Downey Jr. And Jeremy Renner Feel About Crazy Endgame Theories

It's an extremely exciting time for Marvel fans out there. Because in a matter of days, Avengers: Endgame will finally arrive in theaters, and continue the narrative that The Russo Brothers started with Infinity War. Given the horrifying twist ending of the last film, moviegoers are eager for any and all information regarding Endgame's contents.

In the year-long wait between Avengers flicks, the fandom was left to its own devices, void of any information about what comes next. As such, plenty of wild fan theories have hit the internet, with varying levels of believability. And the theories seem to tickle the actors pink, especially Jeremy Renner and Robert Downey Jr. The OG Avengers recently opened up about fan theories at a press conference, with Renner saying:

I just love the creativity that comes from theories.They’re hilarious, they’re pretty crazy… but it means people are invested in the stories.

During his long tenure in the MCU, Jeremy Renner has likely heard a variety of crazy theories. But the Mission: Impossible alum seems to enjoy the creativity that cinephiles need in order to craft such complicated narratives. And he loves how much the fans are into the Avengers franchise.

Jeremy Renner saw firsthand how much the fandom loves his Marvel character when Hawkeye was noticeably absent during Avengers: Infinity War. As soon as the posters dropped, it became clear that the bowman was going to be left out, leading to some fan backlash ahead of Infinity War's release. But Hawkeye/ Ronin is heavily featured in Endgame's trailers, so justice will be served in a matter of days.

In the same Endgame press conferences in Seoul (via CNA Lifestyle), Robert Downey Jr. echoed Jeremy Renner's statements. But he explicitly mentioned one fan theory that's been viral over the past few weeks: that Ant-Man will kill Thanos by shrinking, entering his big purple butt, and then growing to rip him apart from the inside. It's already been addressed by Josh Brolin and Paul Rudd, and now Tony Stark himself has chimed, saying:

My favorite [fan theory] is Ant-Man goes up Thanos’ butt and then makes himself big. And that’s exactly what happens.

Just like his Marvel character, Robert Downey Jr. loves to crack a joke, and bring some sarcasm to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And when it comes to The Mad Titan finally being killed via his big purple butt, RDJ just couldn't pass up the opportunity. And really, who can blame him?

As far as fan theories go, there have been a ton regarding the mysterious contents of Avengers: Endgame. Marvel Studios has been keeping its cards close to the chest for the past year, allowing room for Ant-Man and The Wasp and Captain Marvel to have their time to shine in theaters. Endgame's trailers have been purposefully vague and skimpy with footage, so audiences should be able to go into theaters fresh, and see if any fan theories come to fruition.

Avengers: Endgame will arrive in theaters on April 26th. In the meantime, be sure to fill out CinemaBlend's Endgame death pool, and be sure to check the 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

This Rotten Week: Predicting Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Ma and Rocketman Reviews

This Rotten Week: Predicting Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Ma and Rocketman Reviews

Man (or kaiju), there is quite a bit to look forward to with this week’s run of movies. It’s got big ol' monsters, a suburban teen horror and a biopic about one of the greatest living entertainers. Get ready for Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Ma and Rocketman.

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 what This Rotten Week has to offer.

Watching the Godzilla: King of the Monsters trailer, which shows off some of the large-scale fighting sequences between the ancient monsters who’ve come to life on Earth, it’s tough to imagine there’s any planet left for survivors to live on when the credits start to roll. It sure looks like every little speck of everything is wiped out except for, of course, the key human characters who help drive the plot line. Millie Bobby Brown and Vera Farmiga's characters mostly look fine, but everything else gets annihilated.

This is the third movie in this particular Monster-verse franchise, following Godzilla (75%) and Kong: Skull Island (75%). King of the Monsters will unleash a whole host of “new” creatures on the world, like Mothra and Ghidorah, with Godzilla called back out to fight them off. These movies mix somewhat tongue-in-cheek stylings with somewhat grounded reimaginings, and this one doesn’t look any different. The trailer looks enjoyably ridiculous, and that might not be the worst thing when it comes to the critics if they feel like they're in on the perceived joke.

In Ma, a group of high schoolers seem to stumble upon a Shangri-La-Like drinking environment when they start partying in the basement of some old woman who once bought them liquor. That sounds like a pitch for a teen comedy, but the darkness comes when the woman (the titular Ma) ends up being a total psycho apparently hellbent on taking revenge on the kids of those who mistreated her back in her own high school days. If the binge-drinking doesn't kill those teens, something will.

I like how director Tate Taylor thought to himself, you know who would be perfect as a psychotic, manipulative, borderline serial killer of teenagers? Octavia Spencer! He worked with her before, of course, having directed her in both The Help (80%) and Get on Up (76%), while also helming Girl on the Train (45%). Her latest character looks downright freaky, though I’m a bit torn on how critics will receive a story about kids getting worked over this way by a batshit crazy lady. Random thrillers aren't usually kind to Hollywood's elite, as seen by Dennis Quaid's The Intruder (30%).

The musical biopic is all the rage right now. We are fresh off the Queen-ly waves made by the Freddie Mercury-inspired Bohemian Rhapsody, which earned Rami Malek a Best Actor Oscar a few months ago. Now we get a look into the early years of Taron Egerton's Elton John as he goes from a struggling and shy kid to the flamboyant, eccentric, and world-renowned musical phenom that we know him as today.

Unlike the aforementioned Bohemian Rhapsody (61%), which left critics feeling somewhat meh with its retelling of Mercury’s life, Rocketman has come out of the gate quite strong. It’s sitting at 88% through 80 reviews, with critics praising the style, tone and performances from the leads. Taron Egerton plays Elton after starring in the Kingsman (74%, 52%) movies and voicing Johnny in Sing. He also worked with director Dexter Fletcher on Eddie the Eagle, and this latest looks like a complete hit that doesn't seem to suffer some of the more negative critiques facing more sanitized biopics of late.

Recapping last week:

We went two for three with the predictions last week, and it's been a relatively impressive run in the short-term. Aladdin (Predicted: 57% Actual: 58%) was a near direct hit, missing by only a percentage point while keeping Will Smith’s *Rotten” streak alive. He hasn’t had a positively reviewed movie earning a "Fresh" Tomatometer score in seven years now, though this one at least came close.

As the score would indicate, critics were rather mixed on the final result for the live-action remake of the Disney classic. Smith had some rather large shoes to fill, considering what Robin Williams did with just the voice role in the original. It landed for some critics but not others ,and the range of complaints and compliments varied.

I had a head start with Booksmart (Predicted: 99% Actual: 97%), since a number of reviews were in already up at the time of post. The drama was sitting at 100% through the first 50 or so reviews, and dropped only a few percentage points over the course of the next week. This will now go down as one of the best-rated wide releases of the year and it likely enters the discussion for the short list of all-time great high school, one-nighter movies.

Finally, Brightburn (Predicted: 37% Actual: 59%) was a mighty miss. Though technically rotten on the Tomatometer, this comic-adjacent scored higher than I thought, with more than half the critics finding something to like about the twist on the superhero genre. Considering the film basically just went Bizarro Superman, but not so Bizarro to wow everyone, this score can probably be considered a win.

Next time around, we’ve got Dark Phoenix, Late Night and The Secret Life of Pets 2. It’s gonna be a Rotten Week!

Stan Lee Didn’t Get To See Avengers: Endgame Before He Died

Stan Lee Didn’t Get To See Avengers: Endgame Before He Died

Avengers: Endgame Spoilers Ahead

It's been weeks since Avengers: Endgame hit theaters, and the conversation surrounding the blockbuster is showing no signs of slowing. With the spoiler ban lifted, the cast and crew have been able to reveal more details, and answer lingering questions left after the film concluded. Endgame also marked Stan Lee's final cameo in the MCU, due to his death in November of 2018.

Stan Lee's Avengers: Endgame cameo doesn't disappoint, but unfortunately it doesn't look like the comic book icon got to see it before his passing. Kevin Feige recently broke the news that Lee didn't get to see Endgame, saying:

Stan loved to wait to see the final movie at the premiere, so unfortunately he did not get to see the finished movie. Stan got a download of the full story the day he came and shot his cameo.

What a bummer. But while Stan Lee didn't get to watch the epic and complex narrative of Avengers: Endgame before passing away, he was at least cued into movie's contents. And his final cameo is definitely one for the record books.

Kevin Feige's reveal about Stan Lee came from the Marvel Studio Head's recent Reddit AMA. Feige answered a variety of questions concerning the Marvel Cinematic Universe-- both its past and future. When asked if Lee got a chance to check out an early screener of Avengers: Endgame before his death, Feige revealed that the comic book legend preferred seeing them on the big screen.

It's that same childlike wonder that is what makes Stan Lee such a legend, and why his creations were able to transcend pop culture. And considering how visually stunning Avengers: Endgame was, it deserves to be seen on the biggest screen possible.

Related: Marvel Is Making A Supercut Of Stan Lee Cameos And Unused Footage

Especially the absolutely behemoth final battle at the Avengers Compound, which saw the dusted characters and countless characters engage Thanos' army. The visual effects are stunning, with a ton of action and characters to follow in every frame. It's only a shame that Stan Lee wasn't able to enjoy every payoff and applause-inducing moment.

Stan Lee appeared in Avengers: Endgame in the film's second act, during the super ambitious Time Heist sequence. After accidentally allowing Loki to escape with the Space Stone, Cap and Tony traveled back to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters in 1970. As the exterior of the facility is set up, we see a car driving by with the license plate "excelsior". Lee is behind the wheel, telling the government agency to make love, not war.

It's hard to imagine the Marvel Cinematic Universe without Stan Lee, especially his iconic cameos. But his vision continues to live in the blood of the massive franchise, which is showing no signs of slowing down.

You can catch Stan Lee in Avengers: Endgame, which is ramping up for yet another weekend at the box office. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Godzilla: King Of Monsters Director Teases Idea For An Avengers Crossover

Godzilla: King Of Monsters Director Teases Idea For An Avengers Crossover

We are only about one month away from the release of Avengers: Endgame and the end of this iteration of the MCU as we know it. Though the plot is being treated like a military-grade secret, it's likely that the Avengers will be in need of a new villain by the time the rumored three hour runtime is complete. There are plenty of villains to choose from, but director Michael Dougherty presented a really cool option: Godzilla.

Michael Dougherty is the director of the upcoming Godzilla: King of the Monsters, which will be hitting theaters in May. The sequel will find Godzilla going head-to-head against Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah in a battle to decide who is the alpha Titan of planet Earth. Having three of Godzilla's most iconic monster foes in one movie must not have been enough for Dougherty because he'd like to see Godzilla go to town on the Avengers.

And it's not such a crazy idea! There's actually some real history in the comics to support this, something that Mike Dougherty knows well. The director took to social media posting a picture of a comic book in which the Avengers had to fight Godzilla. Dougherty wrote that this movie would "make the world a better place" and I'd have to agree with him.

The comic book in reference is back during the late '70s when Marvel had the licensing rights to Godzilla. Occasionally during the issues it released, Godzilla would encounter Marvel superheroes, in one case going up against the Avengers. The heroes are called in to stop one of Godzilla's rampages.

It's not too hard to see why Dougherty would be 100% down for this crossover. The Avengers are arguably the biggest box office success in history, and a movie where they meet Godzilla would be filled with enough spectacle to make your eyes bleed. I don't know how the Avengers could ever beat Godzilla, but I also don't know how they will reverse half the universe getting erased either.

Even though an Avengers and Godzilla crossover is just an impossible dream right now (movie rights are owned by different studios), it's not like there isn't plenty to look forward to from both franchises. Endgame is just right around the corner, and the movie is already projected to shatter box office records.

Meanwhile, Godzilla doesn't have a shortage of foes to beat as he fights his arch-nemesis King Ghidorah in King of the Monsters. The trailers have teased that this is the effects-heavy, big budget monster brawl that fans have ben waiting years for and it looks like a very entertaining movie.

You can catch Avengers: Endgame on April 26, while Godzilla: King of the Monsters will follow about a little over a month later on May 31.

Oscar Isaac Is Glad Leia Was Brought Back For Episode IX

Oscar Isaac Is Glad Leia Was Brought Back For Episode IX

Throughout the first two episodes of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, General Leia Organa and ace pilot Poe Dameron have been the faces and leaders of the Resistance effort against the First Order. The loving and sometimes contentious relationship between these two characters took center stage in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, a fact that didn’t come as a surprise to Oscar Isaac, as he explained:

I wasn’t surprised because I remember we were doing that, we worked a lot. [Fisher] and I worked together so much. We would talk about the scenes, and we got very tight during the shooting of that. So it was a beautiful thing to see, and it gets carried over into the new film as well.

Oscar Isaac spent a lot of time with Carrie Fisher working through scenes and becoming friends, so he knew that the relationship between their characters would factor heavily into Episode VIII. He seems to have really treasured that relationship and how it came together in the film and is happy that Leia is being brought back for Star Wars: Episode IX.

As he told Sirius XM’s John Fugelsang, the narrative thread and relationship between Poe and Leia continues in Star Wars: Episode IX. Unused footage of Carrie Fisher’s Leia from the previous two films is being repurposed for J.J. Abrams new movie to complete her arc, and because of how closely the late actress and Oscar Isaac worked on the previous films, it makes sense that there is enough footage to allow their characters’ relationship to develop even further.

It also sounds like Oscar Isaac will be acting in new scenes opposite old footage of Carrie Fisher, an experience that was strange for the actor. He said about the experience:

It was definitely an unusual thing, but I also think it was right to engage with her character, and not just let it be something that fades away.

Acting opposite the actress’ footage and not Carrie Fisher herself sounds like a bittersweet and strange thing, but Oscar Isaac felt that Princess Leia deserved a proper sendoff and he seems to be among the many that are happy that Lucasfilm found a way to continue the character’s story. For a character this important, who meant so much to Carrie Fisher, it wouldn’t feel right for her to just be written out of the film and have her die or disappear offscreen without getting to see her.

It will be good to see Poe and Leia together again and the continuation of their interesting relationship that saw them butting heads in The Last Jedi. Poe needs to become a leader and Leia was teaching him hard lessons. Like Jeor Mormont once told Jon Snow on Game of Thrones, if you want to lead one day, you first have to learn how to follow, and I expect Poe will be a true leader before the end of Episode IX.

Given that Oscar Isaac has said that Star Wars: Episode IX will blow fans away and is a fulfilling end to the Skywalker Saga, we can infer that he was pleased with the way J.J. Abrams concluded the story and Leia’s arc.

Star Wars: Episode IX blasts into theaters on December 20. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all the biggest movies coming your way this year.

John Wick Has A Deleted Scene Out There Showing His Totally Unexpected Hobby

John Wick Has A Deleted Scene Out There Showing His Totally Unexpected Hobby

John Wick was already a fascinating dude, but now I want to see the scenes they cut showing his "hobby" and "vocation." Keanu Reeves is out promoting John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, and he revealed they actually did film a scene for the first 2014 movie showing his hobby.

The story came up when Keanu Reeves was asked about John Wick's hobbies. What did he do in his free time, or what would he be doing if they hadn't killed his beloved Beagle puppy, launching the drama of the three films so far?

In the first script they had John Wick described as working with old leather-bound books and book restoration. [...] Yeah, we filmed it. It’s not in the movie, but we filmed it.

Book restoration. I ... never would've guessed John Wick would retire from the hitman life just to go into book restoration. I need to see this.

John Wick starts with the title character grieving the death of his wife Helen to illness. She's the one who gave him little Daisy as a gift, knowing he'd need some help to cope after she was gone. So if the Russian gangsters hadn't shown up to steal his car and kill the puppy, John would quietly be doing book restoration right now instead of running for his life. As Keanu Reeves continued to Uproxx:

Yeah, he had a hobby and a vocation. That’s what he did. Best case, yes, his wife had passed, and that’s what he had decided to do once he got out after the impossible task, that was his vocation.

The "impossible task" was referenced in the first film. When John Wick wanted to retire, Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist) gave John an "impossible task" -- apparently a bunch of assassinations in a short time -- and John actually succeeded. John earned the legendary status of Baba Yaga (boogeyman).

Maybe when all of this is over -- even if it's 10 years from now -- John Wick will go back into book restoration. It would be easier on his body than all the stunt work he's had to do to stay alive through the past two movies.

David Leitch helped co-direct the first John Wick movie with Chad Stahelski, and in the directors' commentary ,Leitch said the original cut was over two hours long. They cut over 39 minutes of footage, including a fight between John and Viggo. Leitch also said (via CBR) there were "a ton of great shots... that's just Keanu Reeves walking in cool environments" that had to be left on the cutting room floor.

Back when they were making the first movie, they had no idea the John Wick franchise would become so popular. Now that fans are eager for the third movie to open next week, it would be a great time to dig up all of the old deleted scenes and share them with the class.

John Wick 3 is meant to be a lot bigger than the past two movies, and that means a higher death count. Mr. Wick is on the run, with a global contract out for his life. Parabellum has gotten rave reviews so far, and it should do some healthy business at the box office.

Heck, maybe it could even top Avengers: Endgame at the May 17-19 weekend box office. If anyone can kill off Marvel's streak, it's John Wick.

Christina Hendrick’s Toy Story 4 Character Sounds Super Creepy

Christina Hendrick’s Toy Story 4 Character Sounds Super Creepy

For a family-friendly franchise all about the cute, adorable and fluffy toys of our childhood, Toy Story has featured some rather spooky characters. Remember Babyface from Sid’s room in the first film? What am I talking about, of course you do – that character’s creepy face is likely singed into the brains of everyone who watched it, especially if you were a kid.

Soon Toy Story 4 will introduce a completely new generation to the emotional damage that comes with being a neglected toy, when Christina Hendricks’ new character Gabby Gabby debuts on screen. The Mad Men and Good Girls actress will be a vintage ‘50s doll who comes complete with a heartbreaking backstory and her own army of dolls to scare the children of today into sticking with video games for good. Here’s what the movie’s director Josh Cooley told Entertainment Weekly of the character:

She can just tell her henchmen of ventriloquist dummies to do her bidding for her, and they do. She’s like the Godfather, where she doesn’t really have to do much to do a lot.

Did I say Toy Story can be creepy yet… because chills. Some of the most powerful villains can just sit back and watch her followers do the dirty work for them, and that looks to be exactly what Gabby Gabby does with the ventriloquist dummies Woody will meet in Toy Story 4. The pull string doll has apparently been collecting dust in an antique store for more than 60 years, and never been held and loved by a child because she was made with a broken voice box.

Because she has a defect in her voice, she sympathizes with the silent ventriloquist dummies and speaks on their behalf. Therefore, they seem to follow her every beck and call without batting an eye. Why did the filmmakers decide to include these eerie dolls in the upcoming Toy Story movie? Josh Cooley said this:

I’ve always loved The Twilight Zone and that Talking Tina-type of thing. We’ve never seen creepy, old dolls like that in Toy Story, and this was an opportunity to do that.

Gabby Gabby and her ventriloquist army will join some of the other villainous characters in the Toy Story universe such as Prospector, Lotso, Emperor Zurg, Sid and Big Baby. Have no fear, the new Pixar film is also introducing a slew of other new characters who seem a bit more delightful.

Keanu Reeves will play Duke Caboom, a Evel Knievel-type daredevil who will assist Woody and Bo Peep in their mission. Key and Peele will play carnival stuffed animals named Ducky and Bunny and the tiniest toy in the franchise Giggle McDimples will be played by Ally Maki. Toy Story 4 heads to theaters on June 21… on the same day the Child’s Play remake will be released. Coincidence? With Gabby Gabby on board, maybe not.