Gambit: What We Know So Far About The X-Men Spin-Off Movie

Gambit: What We Know So Far About The X-Men Spin-Off Movie

Update: As of May 5, 2019, Gambit has officially been shelved. But! Should things get going again for Gambit, be sure to keep an eye on this space, and CinemaBlend, because we'll have the latest news for you!

Created by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee, the mutant character Gambit was first introduced to Marvel Comics in 1990, and while considered by many to be a controversial character, he certainly has developed his own dedicated fan-base (particularly in thanks to the animated show that began in 1992). With the X-Men franchise expanding, 20th Century Fox has spent years trying to capitalize on this popularity, and now they may actually get to by giving the mutant hero his very own solo movie.

But what's the Gambit film going to be about? Who is it going to star? Who has been put in charge of making it? We answer all of those questions and more in this latest installment of our What We Know So Far guides. Read on and learn!

When Is The Gambit Release Date?

In January of 2015, 20th Century Fox announced a number of big release dates, but one of the most significant was the placement of Gambit - which was pegged for October 7, 2016. This was a big deal, mostly because it looked like the X-Men Cinematic Universe would beat both Marvel Studios and DC Comics/Warner Bros. to the three-movies-per-year punch - releasing both Deadpool and X-Men: Apocalypse in the months before it. Unfortunately, that plan didn't turn out so hot.

Following Deadpool's incredibly successful release in February 2016, 20th Century Fox officially announced that they would be removing Gambit not just from their 2016 release schedule, but their release schedule in general. It's been said that the project is hoping to start up production before the end of 2016, meaning that the film could find its way into theaters some time in the second half of 2017, but it's unclear if that is actually going to happen. For now, the film exists with a giant "TBA" where its release date should be.

What Is The Gambit Rating?

It has not yet been revealed what the rating of Doug Liman's Gambit movie will be, but what's interesting is that there are more possibilities that exist with the project than with most superhero films. While Marvel/Disney and DC Comics/Warner Bros. seem 100% happy continuing to make only PG-13 projects that appeal to mass audiences, the X-Men franchise and 20th Century Fox have been a tad bit more open minded about the potential of more adult-geared fare.

Fox had incredible success with Deadpool in 2016 - the movie actually managing to not just become the highest grossing title in the X-Men franchise, but one of the highest grossing R-rated movies ever released. The crazy box office numbers have already inspired the studio to let director James Mangold make the third and final Wolverine feature with plenty of blood and cursing, so it's entirely possible that they will go the same direction with Gambit. The Cajun hero isn't one who necessarily entirely lends himself to an R-rated feature, but it's not like Fox hasn't made particular alterations to characters before (Gambit not excluded).

Director Troubles

As of August 2016, Gambit has no director signed on to helm the film. That wasn't always the case, though. The film has been through a series of rumored directors and has had two directors sign on to the movie, only to later drop out. Most recently, the announcement that Doug Liman, seen above, had landed the gig arrived through trade reports in November 2015 -- following stories suggesting that he was the frontrunner for the job. The production is currently scrambling to fill the director's chair in the hopes of fulfilling the proposed January 2017 production start date.

Liman may have been calling all the shots for the production of Gambit until recently, but he wasn't always going to be the guy in that position. In fact, for many months it looked like it was going to be Rise of the Planet of the Apes' Rupert Wyatt -- but that fell apart behind the scenes.

To rewind things completely, Gambit was announced for a 2016 release date, but spent many, many months without anybody actually at the helm. It May of 2015 a rumor began to spread around saying that Channing Tatum and 20th Century Fox were reaching out to a number of high profile directors about the possibility of making the blockbuster, but that they repeatedly got turned down. This is a list that included names like Darren Aronofsky, Gareth Evans and J.C. Chandor. It was a few weeks later that Rupert Wyatt entered the picture and signed a deal to direct.

But it was a few months later that the project once again ran into director issues. In September 2015 a trade report revealed that Rupert Wyatt was leaving the production. At the time it was said that there were schedule conflicts, as the filmmaker wanted to start work on other movie and couldn't do both -- but an insider later went on the record saying that "Ambivalence is not a good way to go into an expensive movie" and that Wyatt is a principled filmmaker who was unwilling to work on something unless he could make it live up to his own high standards.

After that, the director search restarted, and while more rumors said that Attack The Block's Joe Cornish and Iron Man 3's Shane Black were on 20th Century Fox's radar, the gig eventually went to Doug Liman, who then backed out in August of 2016 after a series of scriptwriting delays for the movie.

The Story

Gambit was originally being written by screenwriter Joshua Zetumer - the scribe behind the 2014 RoboCop remake -- but since the film got pushed from its 2016 release date, Reid Carolin (Magic Mike) has been taking care of rewrites. While nothing has officially been confirmed about the plot of the film, it's expected to follow certain beats from the titular character's origin story in Marvel comics.

Set to be a part of the growing X-Men Cinematic Universe, the film is expected to follow the young Remy LeBeau as he lives in New Orleans, Louisiana as a key member of the venerable Thieves' Guild. In order to try and create peace between this group and the rivals of the Assassins' Guild, a marriage is organized between Remy and Bella Donna Boudreaux, the granddaughter of the head assassin and a childhood friend of Remy's. Unfortunately, due to certain sour family members, this event winds up going horribly wrong.

At this time it is unknown who will be the central antagonist of the film, but we'll get into that soon.

Gambit

Taking on the role of Remy LeBeau, a.k.a. Gambit, in the Doug Liman-directed superhero movie will be none other than A-lister Channing Tatum... and that casting is really all thanks to long time X-Men franchise producer Lauren Schuler Donner. Back in January of 2014, the filmmaker went on the record saying,

I'm dying to do a Gambit movie with Channing Tatum. That doesn't have to be a great big movie. It's a thief in New Orleans, it's a whole different story. He's on board, and I have to get the studio on board. How can anyone resist Channing? He's such a sweetheart.

Interestingly enough, Channing Tatum's connections to both the franchise and the character have been around for quite a long time. Back in 2006 when director Brett Ratner was working on making X-Men: The Last Stand, Tatum was one of the actors who was in the running to take on the first live-action version of Gambit. The character was ultimately cut from the script and wasn't featured in the film, but apparently the "Tatum as Gambit" idea stuck around.

In late July 2015, there were reports that circulated saying that certain issues had come up between Channing Tatum and 20th Century Fox regarding his contract. As a result, it was speculated that there was a possibility that he could wind up leaving the project behind and leaving the studio in the position of recasting the lead. This trouble was averted a few days later, however, when it was revealed that the actor had closed a deal.

Channing Tatum's version of Remy LeBeau in Gambit is expected to have his traditional thick Cajun accent -- which the actor claims he can do thanks to his father being from New Orleans - and there's no reason to believe that they will be changing the hero's traditional power set that comes courtesy of his mutation. His primary ability is that he can connect to and channel kinetic energy, and can subsequently use this to charge individual objects. He is particularly known for "charging" playing cards and throwing them around as explosives. Additionally, he is a skilled and acrobatic fighter who uses a bo staff as his primary weapon.

Bella Donna Boudreaux

Bella Donna Boudreaux and Remy LeBeau first met when they were just eight years old, and for the longest time had no clue that they were star-crossed - being from the Assassins' Guild and the Thieves' Guild, respectively. As mentioned earlier, that friendship is eventually transformed when the two are arranged to be married -- though it's a romance that ultimately leads to many tragic events.

Seen pictured above, actress Lea Seydoux will be playing the Gambit heroine, having first been rumored for the role back in July of 2015. According to reports, her closest competition for the role came from Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation's Rebecca Ferguson, and Mad Max: Fury Road's Abbey Lee, but obviously she was able to beat both of them out and get the role. Given the French actress' country of origin, it's expected that she will do just fine with a Cajun accent in Gambit, and her action experience in both Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol and Spectre should serve her well also.

Like Gambit, Bella Donna Boudreaux is also a mutant, though she has a very different power set. She has the ability to not only produce "plasma blasts," but also has the psychic power of astral projection.

The Villain

As alluded to earlier, not much is known about the central antagonist in Gambit mostly because nothing is known about the story, but there is one particular candidate who sticks out as a real possibility and has been hinted at in casting calls: Mr. Sinister. In the comics, Sinister a.k.a. Nathaniel Essex has an interesting encounter with Gambit in his younger years, having once hired the thief to steal diaries from the Weapon X program (also known as the experimental program that created Wolverine). The character has also already been teased in the big screen X-Men universe, specifically in the post-credits sequence of X-Men: Apocalypse.

Mr. Sinister was actually born all the way back in the year 1859, and was a biologist who became completely and utterly obsessed with the ideas of evolution. In particular, he theorized that all of humanity was going through a period of mutation - though he also felt that most of his colleagues were too held back in their experimentation due to their morals. After being rejected by the scientific community, he got into the business of kidnapping homeless people and conducting terrible experiments on them.

Unlike many characters in the X-Men universe, Mr. Sinister isn't actually a mutant, but is instead considered a "mutate" - which is to say that his genes have been scientifically altered to give him special abilities (Deadpool is another example of a mutate). He is incredibly gifted and dangerous, with powers that include telepathy, energy projection, shapeshifting, and immunities. As you can probably tell from his birth year, he can also regenerate, giving him an extended lifespan.

As mentioned, Mr. Sinister hasn't been confirmed to have a role in Gambit, but if he is in the movie there is an award-winning, acclaimed actor who has already thrown his hat into the ring for the gig. In October 2015, Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston mentioned that it was a comic book character that he would be particularly interested in taking on. It's worth noting that Sinister is British in the comics, which would make Cranston an odd choice, but it's hard to imagine him not pulling it off.

Taylor Kitsch

Long before Channing Tatum officially got the green light to be the new big screen version of Gambit in the X-Men franchise, that was a gig that originally belonged to Friday Night Lights star Taylor Kitsch. The actor, who would go on to star in John Carter, played Remy LeBeau in Gavin Hood's X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and is portrayed as being a former prisoner of William Stryker's who managed to escape. He winds up working with Wolverine so that the adamantium-clawed mutant can get back to Stryker's base and destroy it.

While not considered the worst thing in the movie (which was roundly criticized and bashed by fans and professional critics alike), Taylor Kitsch's version of Gambit wasn't exactly beloved -- if not partially because the accent was too soft and the character never got to sport his signature look.

The X-Men franchise can get away with recasting Remy LeBeau, a.k.a. Gambit, thanks to the end of X-Men: Days of Future Past, which wiped the series' entire continuity clean post 1972 -- which is to say everything other than X-Men: First Class, the early scenes of X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Days of Future Past itself. Don't feel too bad for Taylor Kitsch, though, because he wasn't exactly too hurt about Channing Tatum taking the gig for the new solo movie. Asked for his thoughts on the subject in the summer of 2015, Kitsch explained

Um...no, I didn't have a go. Ever since we finished the movie, it's never really been an option. But no, I wish [Channing] nothing but the best. It was a fun character to play, and I learned a lot working with Hugh [Jackman] and had an amazing time in Australia. I'm sure they're doing their own thing with it, and I'm sure Channing will be great.

Basically, he's being a real sport about the whole thing.

Captain Marvel’s Director Had A Big Reaction To Her Avengers: Endgame Role

Captain Marvel’s Director Had A Big Reaction To Her Avengers: Endgame Role

Spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame

Avengers: Endgame arrived in theaters over a month ago, and contained endless satisfying moments and plot twists. It's a blockbuster that was built upon the 21 movies before it, resulting in thunderous applause during early screenings. And it's not only the fans who got emotional about the moviegoing experience, as Captain Marvel co-director Anna Boden had her own big reaction to Endgame-- specifically the moments featuring Brie Larson's Carol Danvers.

Captain Marvel was the last Marvel blockbuster to arrive in theaters before Avengers: Endgame was released, so fans were eager to see how the title character would interact with the surviving heroes. She ultimately served as a tertiary presence in the film, abstaining from the Time Heist in order to police the galaxy. But she came back in the knick of time during the final battle against Thanos, and it was enough to make Anna Boden scream in excitement. As she recently put it:

I was at the Endgame premiere, and when she shows up in the battle I screamed. It was so exciting. And then that shot of her with all the women of Marvel was so amazing! I had tears in my eyes. So it was really, really special to get to see kind of that arc fulfilled in that film.

Captain Marvel may be the newest hero in the MCU, but she's been kicking ass and taking names for years-- Nick Fury just never called her in. And while he may have had a limited amount of screen time in Endgame, Anna Boden revealed to CinemaBlend's Eric Eisenberg that the character's scenes were significant enough to make her cry.

Following Avengers: Endgame's epic time heist, 2014 Nebula brought Thanos and his forces through time. So after Hulk's attempt to snap everyone back to life, the Mad Titan's ship brought fire to the Avengers Compound. Eventually the portals brought together the full might of the MCU, although Captain Marvel was once again MIA. She eventually popped up to destroy the ship, and attempt to keep the new Gauntlet away from Thanos.

Related: The Russo Brothers Worked With Captain Marvel Team To Create Brie Larson's Character

Captain Marvel's entrance into that Endgame battle was a truly epic moment, and her timing couldn't have been better. She saved out heroes from being destroyed, and was present in the epic all-female Marvel moment. She also engaged directly with Thanos herself, nearly defeating him singlehandedly. That is, until he used the Power Stone to send Carol Danvers flying.

Since Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame were filmed back to back, it put production of Captain Marvel in an interesting place. Brie Larson had to play her Marvel role in Endgame before actually doing her own solo movie. But this also allowed co-directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck to collaborate with the greater MCU. And they could sit back and enjoy their character crossing over with the Avengers and Guardians.

Avengers: Endgame is in theaters now, complete with Captain Marvel. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

This Rotten Week: Predicting Captive State, Five Feet Apart, And Wonder Park Reviews

This Rotten Week: Predicting Captive State, Five Feet Apart, And Wonder Park Reviews

After a week that saw Captain Marvel take over all of the movie headlines, we get three flicks with decidedly different themes. It’s a post-alien invasion world, sick teens, and an imaginary amusement park. Get ready for Captive State, Five Feet Apart, and Wonder Park.

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.

We’ve seen a ton of alien invasion movies over the years. That genre isn’t wanting for coverage at all. But rarely do we see a movie that deals with the aftermath of an invasion - what the world (assuming it isn’t destroyed) looks like years after aliens colonize rather than annihilate. Such is the case with Captive State, a flick set a decade after an extraterrestrial takeover, with some characters complying, and other resisting.

Directed by Rupert Wyatt, who helmed The Gambler (44%), The Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (82%) and The Escapist (66%), Captive State looks interesting, if a bit too spread out. From the trailer it seems to focus on a small patch of resistance fighters in Chicago while also trying to give us the full scope of a new alien-run world. It may have spread itself too thin. It looks intriguing and thought-provoking, but I suspect some of the machinations sour critics a little.

Hollywood just loves a story about a terminally sick kid falling in love. There’ve been a bunch of these over the years. Sometimes they stink like Midnight Sun (21%). But other times they are borderline great and the tears are preloaded, as in The Fault In Our Stars (80%), or Me, Earl And The Dying Girl (81%). Unfortunately, I think this latest, Justin Baldoni's Five Feet Apart, looks like it will fit in more with the first group.

Five Feet Apart centers on two teens with cystic fibrosis who fall in love despite having to spend their lives a certain distance (can you guess how far?) from others so as not to come in contact with any germs. I’m not dogging the central idea, but rather worry the execution doesn’t get all the way there. It looks very paint-by-numbers in its approach, and likely only appeals to a teen crowd. I don't expect the critics at-large to get on board.

Wonder Park is about a girl who, after a foray in the woods, enters the amusement park she'd imagined as a child. But the place has fallen into a state of disrepair and turmoil as her imagination dissolves with age. The story and premise look cute enough, but I can't help but feel like this flick is a poor man's Inside Out. It's not a 1-to-1 comparison, but I did feel like there are a lot of similarities in the premise - at least based on what the trailers show us.

Paramount Animation’s track record is less than stellar with three movies under their belt. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (80%), surprisingly, finished pretty high. But the other two, Monster Trucks (30%) and Sherlock Gnomes (27%), didn't fare so well with critics. Wonder Park looks cute enough, a play on the inner imagination come to life theme, but I suspect a re-used plot line plus some confusing elements in terms of the antagonists lead to a lower score.

We only had one movie come out last week, but it was a huge one, and I nailed the prediction for Captain Marvel (Predicted: 80% Actual: 79%). Give it a few more reviews trickling in over the course of the next week or so and this may end up being a direct hit. While some critics found some flaws, overall this was a critical and box office hit. Through 21 films, the average score in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is 84% and the median is 85%. That leaves this one, I suppose, below average when compared against its direct peers, but that’s splitting hairs really. The franchise continues to crush in every relevant category, and Captain Marvel just leaves us even more pumped for Avengers: Endgame.

Next time around we’ve got Us. It’s gonna be a Rotten Week!

Avengers: Endgame Has Replaced Die Hard As My Favorite Movie, Which Is Crazy

Avengers: Endgame Has Replaced Die Hard As My Favorite Movie, Which Is Crazy

Most movie journalists likely get asked the question so many times, they have crafted a go-to answer. “Oh, you write about movies?” strangers will ask upon meeting you. “What’s your favorite movie of all time?” It’s an ice breaker. An audio party favor, and a conversation starter. It’s also a barometer of your taste, because if you are revealing what you believe to be your favorite movie of all time, it will tell the person who’s listening that they might love the same kinds of movies as you. And naturally, if you disagree, it also tells them that they shouldn’t listen to you at all.

For years – 31 years, to be specific – my answer to that very question was John McTiernan’s Die Hard. The original, and still the best. Die Hard remains the finest example of my favorite type of movie, a cop thriller centered around a sarcastic and flawed hero who overcomes impossible odds to triumph. It’s a brilliant script, with an outstanding lead performance, and when I saw it in theaters in 1988, it literally changed my life. Die Hard opened me up to the idea that movies were a reality, and I knew then and there that I’d like to do SOMETHING with movies with the rest of my existence.

Over the years, as I saw more movies, other titles helped me eventually form a Top 10 of “All Timers” for me. Alfred Hitchcock’s North By Northwest. George Roy Hill’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The Toy Story trilogy. Movies that meant something to me, personally, and belonged in the conversation when discussing a flick that would go on my own Mount Rushmore. But none of them topped Die Hard, from a purely selfish “My Favorite Movie of All Time” standpoint. McTiernan’s masterpiece was the top of the mountain.

Until last week. When it was dethroned by Joe and Anthony Russo’s Avengers: Endgame.

In addition to being a movie junkie as a kid, I also grew up reading comics. Specifically, I grew up reading Marvel. Spider-Man was my favorite character, but I collected books on the X-Men, the New Mutants, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four and the bulk of the Avengers titles. In the Marvel universe, characters teamed up often, so the adventures of the characters I loved bled into the realms of Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Captain America, Thor and the Hulk.

When the Marvel Cinematic Universe started, I was skeptical. How could you not be? Comic book adaptations weren’t exactly home runs. For every Iron Man in 2008, fans had to endure the Joel Schumacher Batman films, Ben Affleck’s Daredevil, it’s spinoff Elektra, Nic Cage’s Ghost Rider… you get the gist.

Starting with Iron Man, the character, also seemed like an odd choice. In hindsight, it worked, but Tony Stark wasn’t the household name back in 2008, and Robert Downey Jr. was still an unpredictable talent who had burned very bright but was rebuilding his professional reputation with turns in movies like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Tropic Thunder and David Fincher’s Zodiac.

No one, back then, could have imagined what the MCU would become. Building a shared universe like this takes patience, time and dedication. It requires several happy accidents on the production schedules of some massive blockbusters. It relies heavily on smart casting, and those casting moves have to pay off with contracts that keep talent in the fold for the right amount of time. It takes bold storytelling choices, but ones that resonate with an audience so that they choose to return time and again for the next movies.

And of course, sticking a landing on an 11 year, 22 film experiment like this seems downright impossible.

Yet, as I watched Avengers: Endgame unfold, my mouth simply hung open in awe at the major moves Joe and Anthony took, and the stunning accomplishments they achieved. Time travel? Check. Killing off half of the known Marvel universe? Check. Bringing them all back? Check. Surprising fans with huge reveals? Check. Pitting every hero in the MCU against Thanos and his minions? Check mate.

Avengers: Endgame shouldn’t exist. Anyone who understands how movies are made have to accept this. Endgame is a magic trick, a Herculean feat that should have failed under the weight of its own ambition. It’s a movie that contains countless nods to the Marvel movies that blazed a trail before it, while also completing a story the brothers started in Avengers: Infinity War. It completes a journey, while teasing a path for the future. It’s a love letter to a universe that I adore. It’s the best movie Marvel has created to date, and I think it’s going to be pretty damn tough to top.

Which is why I replaced Die Hard at the top of my all-time favorite list with Avengers: Endgame. (How fitting, too, that Paul Rudd shouts out McTiernan’s classic, cementing my decision for me in my own head the moment it happened.) Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that I feel one movie is BETTER than the other.

I have been explaining this to people who instantly jump to the conclusion that I’m deciding Endgame is a better movie than Die Hard. Truthfully, I think it’s unfair to even try and compare the two, as McTiernan in 1988 wasn’t trying to accomplish anything close to what the Russo Brothers are doing in 2019.

Die Hard will always hold a very special place in my heart. It’s not like it’s being removed from existence. I’ll still watch it a few times each year, and likely will learn more about it with each repeat viewing.

But it had a fantastic, three-decade run at the top of my personal leaderboard. And nothing lasts forever. Sooner or later, I was bound to encounter a movie that hit me as hard as McTiernan’s film did back in 1988. And the sheer achievement of Avengers: Endgame, the massive spectacle and the epic amount of entertainment it produces in the heart of this Marvel geek, means that it’s my new Number One. What’s yours?

Mark Hamill Says Carrie Fisher Would Love Appearing Posthumously In Episode IX

Mark Hamill Says Carrie Fisher Would Love Appearing Posthumously In Episode IX

It’s been a little over two years since Carrie Fisher passed away, and while Star Wars: The Last Jedi ended up being one of her final film roles, it doesn’t mark the last we’ve seen of Princess/General Leia Organa. Star Wars: Episode IX will use unseen footage from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi to include Fisher, and Mark Hamill, her longtime Star Wars costar, believes that the actress would have approved of getting to appear posthumously in such a highly-anticipated film. As Hamill put it:

I’m glad they found a way to do that, and something tells me that she’d get a real kick out of the fact that she had a hit movie years after she left us, because that was just her. I like to think that would please her, but nothing would be better than having her here.

Mark Hamill’s comment to Den of Geek was preceded by him noting that with Harrison Ford having a prominent role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Hamill himself stepping back into the spotlight for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the plan was for Carrie Fisher to have a bigger role in Star Wars: Episode IX. Those plans are sadly no longer achievable, but thanks to movie-making magic, Leia Organa can still have a presence in the conclusion to the Skywalker Saga. Episode IX will ultimately go down as Fisher’s final film appearance, and as Hamill sees it, she’d appreciate that.

When we last left off with Leia Organa at the end of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, she was one of the few Resistance survivors that managed to escape being wiped out by The First Order on Crait. Star Wars: Episode IX is picking up a year later, and while we still don’t have any official plot details about the movie, one would imagine that Leia is still the leader of the Resistance. It remains to be seen if Episode IX will kill off Leia or if she’ll survive to the end, but however her story is handled, no doubt many Star Wars fans are glad that it’s being done on-screen as opposed to off.

It’s also worth remembering that this unused footage of Carrie Fisher won’t be the only original Star Wars trilogy representation in Star Wars: Episode IX. Along with Mark Hamill returning as Luke Skywalker (presumably as a Force ghost given how The Last Jedi ended for him) and Anthony Daniels once again donning the C-3PO suit, Episode IX also sees the long-awaited return of Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian, although it’s unclear how big his role will be.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to familiar faces overall in Star Wars: Episode IX. Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Kelly Marie Tran, Domhnall Gleeson and Lupita Nyong’o are among the actors reprising their respective roles. As for newcomers, Naomie Ackie, Richard E. Grant, Keri Russell, Dominic Monaghan and Matt Smith have all been cast in undisclosed roles.

Directed by J.J. Abrams, who also co-wrote the script with Chris Terrio, Star Wars: Episode IX opens in theaters on December 20, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for continuing coverage. In the meantime, look through our 2019 release schedule to find out what other movies are coming out later this year.

Alita: Battle Angel Just Passed A Box Office Milestone

Alita: Battle Angel Just Passed A Box Office Milestone

While all the talk and focus is on Captain Marvel this coming weekend, Carol Danvers is not the only cinematic heroine that can be seen in theaters. The Battle Angel herself, Alita, has been quietly entertaining audiences for a few weeks now. The Robert Rodriguez-directed, James Cameron-written and produced manga adaptation Alita: Battle Angel has now passed a significant milestone at the box office.

Alita: Battle Angel has topped $350 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. A total of $350.5 million and counting is a nice chunk of change that puts Alita: Battle Angel comfortably in the #3 spot at the worldwide box office in 2019, trailing only How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World at $378.6 million and the Chinese juggernaut The Wandering Earth, which has made $676.7 million in the Middle Kingdom alone.

Alita: Battle Angel was predicted to be DOA domestically, but wound up performing better than expected in its opening weekend. It earned $33.5 million over the long President’s Day weekend and it has been plugging away ever since. In its third weekend, Alita came in third at the box office, adding another $7.2 million to bring its domestic total to $72.4 million.

While that domestic haul is nothing to write home about, this special effects driven film was always a play at the international box office, and that’s what has really pushed it over the $350 million mark. Alita: Battle Angel has performed far better in foreign markets, with $278 million of its $350 million coming overseas. A large chunk of that has come from the ever-important China, where Alita has made $113.2 million.

Although every box office milestone achieved is a step in the right direction, $350 million is not enough to call Alita a success or guarantee a sequel, at least not yet. Alita: Battle Angel’s reported budget is $170 million, and when you factor in the marketing costs, it has been suggested that the film would need to hit $500 million to be profitable.

The Battle Angel is more than halfway there, but it will really have to leg it out for that last $150 million to get into that $450-$500 million mark where it can minimize financial losses. That may not be especially realistic given its weekend-to-weekend drops, but the film definitely could have bombed harder. While it obviously won’t be considered a true hit given its budget, Alita may wind up in a murky territory where the losses aren’t as bad as they could have been ,but there isn’t a clear financial mandate for the franchise to continue.

Alita: Battle Angel may find new life and eventually break even down the line on home video, but if it fails to spawn a sequel, the blame will fall primarily on the domestic market as it has done relatively well everywhere else.

That’s a bummer because although the film has been heavily mixed in terms of critical response, the audiences that have taken a chance on the largely unfamiliar property have really liked it. Alita has an “A-“ CinemaScore and positive ratings and audience scores on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes, for what they’re worth.

Alita: Battle Angel is still playing. You should check it out and then check out our 2019 release schedule to see all the biggest movies headed your way this year.

Sorry, Ms. Marvel Was Not Teased During Captain Marvel

Sorry, Ms. Marvel Was Not Teased During Captain Marvel

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been on a serious roll with Phase Three, as every single installment has been a box office and critical success. This includes the most recent release: Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's Captain Marvel. The 90's origin story has been making some serious money during its first week in theaters, as the MCU is expanded further thanks to recurring characters Nick Fury, Phil Coulson, Korath, and Ronan.

But there is another character that Marvel fans were looking out for: Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel. The teenage hero is usually a denizen of Jersey City, and is inspired heavily by Carol Danvers' superhero identity. While some fans were hoping Kamala might have been hinted at during Captain Marvel's runtime, Kevin Feige recently shut down these rumors, saying:

I think she's a contemporary story. I don't think she was a little kid in 1990. I'm not sure she was born in 1995.

Touche. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe's timeline hasn't always been super clear to the fandom, Kevin Feige's math makes sense. Kamala Khan will need to be a teenager for her story to function, so there's no way she'd be around in 1995 when Captain Marvel is set. But when will she finally show up?

Kevin Feige's comments to Comic Book may illicit a mixture of emotions from the hardcore Marvel fans. For one, there's relief. If Ms. Marvel was teased during the events of Captain Marvel, it means that the first week of audiences didn't notice it. But since Kevin Feige shut that fan theory down, cinephiles can simply sit and enjoy the latest Marvel blockbuster, without having to pour over every frame.

Then again, there are plenty of fans who are waiting and hoping that Kamala Khan ends up being brought into the massive Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ms. Marvel made history as the first Muslim hero to come from Marvel's pages, and became a massively popular figure in the comic book universe. Mindy Kaling and Riz Ahmed have both voiced their interest in working on a Ms. Marvel movie for Marvel Studios. Plus, Brie Larson hopes the character pops up in the Captain Marvel sequel.

The MCU has been a more inclusive place in Phase Three, as people of color and women were given the chance to shine in projects like Black Panther, Captain Marvel, and Ant-Man and The Wasp. As such, it might be the perfect time for Marvel Studios to move forward and bring Kamala Khan's Ms. Marvel to the silver screen for the first time. And it looks like Kevin Feige might have ideas brewing.

Unfortunately, Phase Four of the MCU is a complete mystery, as the studio is keeping its cards close to the chest until the release of Avengers: Endgame next month. The release schedule would presumably include potential spoilers, especially regarding who survives the final battle against Thanos. So we'll just have to wait and see if Ms. Marvel ever makes it to theaters.

Captain Marvel is in theaters now, and Avengers: Endgame will arrive on April 26th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.