Dana Carvey Actually Quit The Wayne's World Movie Over The Script

Dana Carvey Actually Quit The Wayne's World Movie Over The Script

Mike Myers and Dana Carvey reprised their roles as Wayne and Garth for the 1992 feature film adaptation of their recurring Saturday Night Live sketch, Wayne’s World. That film remains the most successful film based on an SNL sketch and Wayne and Garth are two icons of the '90s. However, it almost didn’t happen, or history might have viewed Wayne’s World differently, because Dana Carvey actually quit the film at one point over the script, as he explained:

Mike was writing it, and I was putting stuff in. Then I would see that the stuff wasn’t in anymore. And so I actually, three weeks before we started shooting, said ‘thanks, but no thanks.’ I actually quit the movie.

Mike Myers, Bonnie Turner and Terry Turner are credited with writing the script for Wayne’s World, but during the writing process, Dana Carvey was trying to have some creative input by adding things in. As he told Howard Stern on The Howard Stern Show, everything that he was putting into the story was getting cut and that led to him quitting the film shortly before production was set to begin.

Based on his conversation with Howard Stern, Dana Carvey was trying to beef up his role in the film and give the character of Garth Algar more to do. He still viewed Garth as the sidekick, but wanted to add in things to the story to give him more of an arc. Carvey felt that he had nothing to do otherwise and there was no point in him even being in it with such a limited role.

These additions were not accepted though and they all got the axe, resulting in a story where he felt his character was getting short-changed. Dana Carvey understandably became frustrated that he wasn’t getting a creative say, and that frustration built to the point that he no longer wanted to even be a part of the film.

Apparently the powers that be didn’t initially believe that Dana Carvey was really quitting, and had he not come back, Wayne’s World would have presumably recast the role of Garth if it went forward at all. Fortunately, Dana Carvey’s exit wasn’t permanent.

Although the comedian/actor didn’t elaborate on what specifically changed his mind, Wayne’s World got to party on and went forward with him and Mike Myers as the two metalheads, ultimately becoming the cult classic it is today. Dana Carvey also said that he and Mike Myers wound up getting along during the making of the film and noted how great Wayne’s World turned out.

It is unfortunate that Dana Carvey felt like he didn’t get much creative input, but given Wayne’s World’s classic status, it’s hard to say that changing it would have improved it. Wayne does have a more robust story arc with his various girl troubles, but the film needs Garth too, even if his story is very much tied to Wayne.

Mike Myers and Dana Carvey reprised their roles as Wayne and Garth for the Saturday Night Live 40th anniversary a few years back and the two comedians showed up on stage together at this past Academy Awards. Whether that means we’ll ever get a Wayne’s World 3 is anyone’s guess, but Mike Myers hasn’t closed the door on it.

Dana Carvey lends his voice to the character Pops in The Secret Life of Pets 2, in theaters on June 7. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all this year’s biggest movies.

Captain Marvel Will Lead The MCU, Kevin Feige Says

Captain Marvel Will Lead The MCU, Kevin Feige Says

The MCU is going to look different soon. The popular cinematic universe is in a transitionary period as several of the characters we've come to know prepare to take their bows in Avengers: Endgame. Once we enter Phase 4, new heroes will rise up to take the reins, and leading the pack will be Captain Marvel. Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige promised that Brie Larson has a very healthy future in the MCU to look forward to.

When we found out that Brie Larson might be interested in joining our world, we had a number of meetings. She was a huge fan of the character in the comics. One of the highlights of my career at Marvel was introducing her at Comic-Con and having her come out on stage and stand there with literally almost everybody else from our movies. There she was at the forefront, and it was a great foreshadowing – not just for how audiences are going to embrace Brie as this character, but also for how Captain Marvel is about to take the lead and be at the forefront of the entire Cinematic Universe.

You might have heard about this already, but there's a movie called Captain Marvel in theaters right now soaking up all the money. The film features the long-awaited debut of Brie Larson's Captain Marvel into the MCU. All the way up to the premiere of the movie, Captain Marvel has been hyped up to be a big addition to the MCU, with Carol Danvers being one of the most powerful beings in the universe.

Danvers will be using that power to give Thanos a whoopin' in Avengers: Endgame, but there's much more to look forward to after. Marvel Studios has been setting up the next generation of heroes to take over for the old guard, and it sounds like Captain Marvel may be our new Iron Man.

In the Captain Marvel: The Official Movie Special (via Comic Book), Feige teased what was to come for Captain Marvel. It should come as little surprise to fans that we will be seeing a lot more of her as she steps into a leadership role in the MCU. It sounds like we can count on Carol being in the center of a lot of posters from here on out!

It's been strongly hinted that Endgame will leave us with an new roster of superheroes to take us through the next iteration of the MCU. Captain Marvel and Black Panther are already proving to be major successes and it's great to hear that we will be seeing more of Carol. The Captain Marvel movie is doing great right now and it's a solid set up for more adventures down the road.

You can see Captain Marvel in theaters right now.

Why Will Smith Almost Said ‘No’ To The Live-Action Aladdin

Why Will Smith Almost Said ‘No’ To The Live-Action Aladdin

Will Smith may be a desperado, but he isn’t desperate for roles. In fact, when he was presented with the idea of playing the Genie in Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin, out this weekend, the actor’s first impulse was to say no.

Why would an a-lister say no to a role in a big Disney live action adaptation? Well, Robin Williams’ original performance in 1992’s Aladdin was one of the most iconic of all-time, and Will Smith didn’t originally think he could bring anything new to the table. He told Ellen DeGeneres this week:

I was like, ‘Naw, man. No, Robin Williams like smashed that thing.’ You have to be careful stepping into projects like that. At first I looked at it… he revolutionized what you could do in these kinds of movies. I was listening and listening. I didn’t think I wanted to touch it. Then, I started playing with the music and the music was where I found my “in” to the genie.

While Will Smith initially felt he would have to pass on Aladdin, he did tinker around with the idea for a bit. He revealed on Ellen that when he went into the studio and spent some time toying around with the iconic song ‘Friend like Me’ he realized he could be the right fit for the big, blue genie.

Per the actor, the real flash of inspiration was when Will Smith realized he could bring in his Fresh Prince of Bel-Air character's characteristics and bring some hip-hop flavor to the role. He also said:

‘Friend like Me’ was the first song that I messed with in the studio and then I found that sort of hip-hop flavor. What Robin did was took his stand up and used his standup persona. I was like, ‘Oh, I could just use my Fresh Prince persona because the Genie has been forward and back in time. You can pull references from anywhere. I mirrored that, and the hip hop in was where I saw I could put my own signature while maintaining the nostalgic value.

Nostalgia is a big thing in Disney’s 2019 live-action Aladdin. Without giving too much away, the movie mirrors a lot of the iconic classic’s most memorable moments. However, it also spins the tale in a new way, with characters like Jasmine gaining agency and characters like the Genie adding a different flavor into the mix. In fact, 'Friend Like Me' has been a big entry point for Will Smith to engage with fans of the franchise as well.

Reviews are out for Aladdin now, and while not everyone loved the movie, reviews for the upcoming live action flick have generally been positive, and Will Smith has been well-liked, despite initial backlash against his version of the genie.

Whoever took on the role of the genie was always going to have to deal with being compared to Robin Williams, who would be a tough act for anyone to follow. Honestly, the role really needed to go to someone splashy with a big name in order to work, and we're lucky Will Smith said yes after much deliberation. If the Guy Ritchie flick had cast a no-name, I'm not sure that person would have been able to pull it off.

Aladdin hits theaters this Friday. For a full look at the summer movies coming up, check out our movies schedule.

To 3D Or Not To 3D: Buy The Right Pokemon Detective Pikachu Ticket

To 3D Or Not To 3D: Buy The Right Pokemon Detective Pikachu Ticket

Whenever there’s a 3D movie presented to the public, it’s a fair assumption that it wants to be the very best, like no one ever was. So when Pokemon Detective Pikachu announced it was going into the third dimension, you could very well imagine that one of its causes, besides entertaining the masses and bringing Pokemon to live action, would be that very prospect.

But as we’ve seen in the past, ambition can be hobbled by slip ups here and there. So we naturally find ourselves asking that big question life likes to hand us from time to time: to 3D or not to 3D? If you want to see what we thought of Pokemon Detective Pikachu, you can pika pika your way over to our official review and read the rundown.

For now though, it’s time to slip on those classic black glasses, pour another round of coffee (extra shot, black as night, thank you so much) and see if Detective Pikachu’s big adventure is worth the extra ticket money, or if you’d be better off buying a coffee to help keep you buzzed through the film.

Taking one look at the trailers for Pokemon Detective Pikachu, you could see that the 3D could be strong with this one. Between the amazing abilities that Pokemon execute in battles and life-saving danger, and the world of Ryme City being so lushly drawn, there was no way that this was going to stay a standard 2D film for long. Putting the right post-conversion job on this film would make Pokemon Detective Pikachu a marvel to behold.

In the screening of Pokemon Detective Pikachu that I attended, there were definitely some flaws in the presentation. However, I’m not so sure they were on the Planning & Effort side of the house, as the visuals held up rather well. The biggest issue I ran into was, surprise surprise, the brightness of the picture. Since that’s a big variable that depends on the location you’re visiting to see a movie like Pokemon Detective Pikachu, I can’t lay that at the feet of the 3D crew; especially when the depth and projection of the film’s enhancements work so well.

While I would have expected more visual assets being thrown off of the screen and into the laps of the audience, Pokemon Detective Pikachu certainly doesn’t let the Before The Window quotient go to waste. There’s some pretty impressive moments of objects being pointed at the screen, and even some good Pokemon attacks that do manage to come at the audience in brief moments. The large battle in the third act particularly uses this aspect of the visual palette well, because there’s Pokemon flying into action, and towards the camera, for all to see.

Pokemon Detective Pikachu has an amazing amount of depth to be portrayed in its picture. From the streets of Ryme City, to the countryside and more natural areas of the film’s visuals, there’s not only clear spatial reasoning between characters and their environments, there’s an extra mile that lets the background go on for what feels like forever. Characters are also perfectly spaced from one another, so there’s no confusion as to who’s operating in which piece of the action.

And now we come to the greatest stumbling block for Pokemon Detective Pikachu. As promised, it was the brightness score that threatens to sink the high of seeing Pokemon on the silver screen, in true 3D glory. Now this ultimately comes down to how well your theater maintains its projectors, both in switching between 2D and 3D screenings, as well as maintaining a healthy bulb life. In the case of my screening of the film, the brightness was turned down way too low, which dulled the colors being presented on the screen more than they would be by just slipping on the glasses. Your mileage may vary on this factor, and it’s suggested you see this 3D presentation in a theater you know to be maintaining their gear.

If your eyes get tired, or your mind gets curious during a 3D film, you’ll want to slip those glasses off and see what the world looks like without the aid of polarized lenses. Which leads to you, the audience, seeing that classic 3D blur that folks have been talking about for ages. Usually, the blur means that the picture is being manipulated to a certain extent, in order to make everything more 3D like; and in the case of Pokemon Detective Pikachu, there’s a real good quotient of blur. Except for some scattered 2D aspects, which tend to be included to help anchor things down or give the eye a break, there’s a lot of blur to the picture. The backgrounds especially benefit from the blur, which more than likely explains the impressive depths of this film’s picture.

One major factor that knocks down the Audience Health score for Pokemon Detective Pikachu is the lack of brightness. When a film is this dim, you start to feel your eyes getting tired, and you might get crankier than a Psyduck without its spa music. But in addition to that piece of the 3D puzzle wearing on the eye, there’s a couple transitions that feel like they wonk out the 3D picture a little extra. A scene involving a commute on a high speed train is an example of where the eye will be confused, as the panning involved in that shot blurs things a little. You won’t get nauseous, but you might need to take your glasses off more than usual.

Pokemon Detective Pikachu is a beautiful movie to look at, with some impressive 3D elements that could be even more impressive if shown correctly. It’s hard to totally judge the 3D component, with a screening that was so dark as the one I encountered, but I’d be willing to say that it’s exciting enough to take a chance and see it in a theater you trust to be up to snuff. But if you end up seeing the film in 2D instead, just make sure the screen you see it on is nice and crisp, because this film deserves as clear a picture as possible.

Be sure to visit our full To 3D Or Not To 3D Archive.

How To Train Your Dragon 3 Just Crossed Another Box Office Milestone

How To Train Your Dragon 3 Just Crossed Another Box Office Milestone

Although Dumbo didn’t soar quite the way Disney probably hoped when it opened this past weekend, another family friendly film continues to fly high at the box office over a month after its release. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, the final film in DreamWorks Animation and Universal/Comcast’s venerated series, crossed another milestone at the box office this past weekend: $500 million worldwide.

If you’re going to go out, do it on a high note, and How to Train Your Dragon 3 is doing just that, earning over half a billion dollars worldwide to date, according to Forbes. The animated threequel actually crossed a pair of box office milestones this weekend, with its roughly $4.2 million domestic haul, good for 7th place in its 6th weekend in release, pushing it past $150 million domestically.

These box office milestones are just the latest accolades that The Hidden World can claim after a domestic debut of $55.5 million that broke records for the franchise on opening weekend. The Hidden World is also the third-biggest film of 2019, and Toothless and Hiccup’s soaring performance thus far ensures that this $129 million film will be viewed as a success, but it may not wind up being the biggest movie in the franchise overall.

The first film in this franchise, 2010’s How to Train Your Dragon, finished its run just shy of the $500 million mark, earning $494.9 million worldwide with $217.6 million of that coming from the North American box office, according to Box Office Mojo. By passing the $500 million milestone, the third film has now eclipsed the original’s worldwide total, but is still a ways away from matching it domestically.

The original had a pretty close split in terms of domestic and overseas box office revenues, but the sequels have been much more heavily weighted towards the international box office. How to Train Your Dragon 2, which opened in 2014, still stands as the biggest film in the series overall, with a huge $621.5 worldwide haul, with less than 30% of that, $177 million, coming from the domestic box office.

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World has yet to match either the domestic or worldwide total of its predecessor with the biggest difference coming internationally, where How to Train Your Dragon 2 made close to $100 million more than the third film. So with The Hidden World winding down its run here and abroad, that $621.5 million may be out of reach.

It should be noted though that the second film also cost a fair bit more, so that narrows the gap between the two when all the numbers are being counted. And with over $500 million worldwide, sterling critical and audience reviews, and perhaps an Oscar case, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is a great and successful way for this franchise to fly off into the sunset.

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is now playing. Check out what we thought of the film and keep up with our 2019 release schedule to see all the movies headed your way this year.

Hellboy Producer Explains The Whitewashing Controversy

Hellboy Producer Explains The Whitewashing Controversy

It's no secret that superhero movies are everywhere. Comic book adaptations have proven to be most profitable and wildly popular genre in the business, so plenty of studios are trying to get in on the action. This includes reboots, as nostalgia continues to be a driving force in the film world. Lionsgate is doing just that with the upcoming Hellboy movie, which will be totally disconnected to the original pair of Guillermo del Toro movies.

Hellboy has some anticipation leading up to its release, but the film's development wasn't without controversy. When the cast was being assembled, actor Ed Skrein was cast as Major Ben Daimio, who is Japanese in the comics. This sparked a ton of backlash, with Lost favorite Daniel Dae Kim eventually stepping in to play the role instead. Now producer Lloyd Levin recently spoke of the decision to recast, saying:

When we started talking about this and we started talking about Daimio, it was years ago and we had already established a story where Daimio was…You know, the story takes place in the U.K. so we were creating Daimio as giving him an English background and we lost track of who he was in the comic books and we made a mistake… Ed was very very gracious and it was something we all felt we wanted to correct.

Nobody's perfect, and it looks like the folks behind the Hellboy reboot recognized their mistake. They may have originally been a cast of whitewashing, but the blockbuster course corrected, and brought in a more appropriate actor to play Major Ben Daimio.

Lloyd Levin's comments to Collider show how quickly things changed when Hellboy's cast was being assembled. While the blockbuster's story was ready and the character Ben Daimio was given his own narrative, they forgot a major detail: his race. The call for inclusion onscreen has been a major conversation in the entertainment industry for the past few years. It's this new awareness (and some fan backlash) that helped Levin and his colleagues realize their mistake. Enter Daniel Dae Kim.

Whitewashing has been one aspect of the larger conversation regarding representation in the media. It's an issue that seems to have his Asian actors the worst, a subject that was broached during Sandra Oh's Golden Globes opening monologue. Scarlett Johansson got a ton of hate for taking the lead in Ghost in the Shell, while Tilda Swinton faced backlash for playing The Ancient One in Doctor Strange. So when it looked like Hellboy was going to follow suit, the public quickly took to social media to express their outrage.

It should be interesting to see how Ben Daimio functions within the story of Hellboy, as it's the first time the character will be brought to live-action. All will be revealed when Hellboy arrives in theaters on April 12, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

New DVD And Blu-ray Releases Coming In May 2019

New DVD And Blu-ray Releases Coming In May 2019

It’s finally May and rather than pelt you with Justin Timberlake memes, we’re bringing you the full list of the best and the brightest home entertainment releases this month. It’s not quite as catchy as a long-running meme, but we promise it’ll be more rewarding.

This month, we’re really finally starting to get into new 2019 movies in earnest. It usually takes about three months for a movie to transition from theaters into our homes, so look for early 2019 hits like How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World to dazzle and What Men Want to make you laugh a lot.

If you are looking for the flicks that came out last month, we have you covered. In the meantime, you can check out what’s coming in May below. Per usual, Digital releases are the same day as the Blu-ray and DVD release, unless otherwise noted in the early Digital column!

New Blu-ray And DVD Releases May 7, 2019

First off this month are a slew of unconnected titles for different fandoms. The comedy What Men Want is finally coming into homes, as is the latest season of the Breaking Bad spinoff and a movie just for families.

What Men Want

Better Call Saul: The Complete Fourth Season

The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part

The Prodigy

Bundy and the Green River Killer

Blaze

Everybody Knows

My Scientology Movie

They Shall Not Grow Old

Liar: Season 1

The Head Hunter

Early Digital Releases Week Of May 7, 2019

Liam Neeson's Cold Pursuit didn't make a huge splash at the box office, but if it's something you want to purse, you'll be able to do so very soon.

Cold Pursuit (May 3)

Climax

Peel

New Blu-ray And DVD Releases May 14, 2019

Happy Death Day 2U did decently at the box office, but it didn't attract the notice the first movie in the franchise did, which is a shame, considering it's a fun movie and plans for the third installment may not go through now. Do check this one out on DVD or Digital.

Happy Death Day 2U

Cold Pursuit

Fighting With My Family

Apollo 11

Never Look Away

Power: The Complete Fifth Season

Triple Threat

Ashes In The Snow

Backdraft 2

Never Grow Old

Early Digital Releases Week Of May 14, 2019

The Upside to nabbing a copy of The Upside is that it's a fun, funny and sometimes even uplifting buddy comedy about a paraplegic man and his caretaker. That may not sound like a bundle of joy, but it's worth checking out.

The Upside

Greta

New Blu-ray And DVD Releases May 21, 2019

Like the first week of the month, there are a lot of different and interesting titles out this week in the realm of TV and movie theaters, from indie's to big budget animated titles. Take a look.

The Upside

How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

13 Reasons Why: The Complete Second Season

Call The Midwife: Season Eight

Isn’t It Romantic

Drunk Parents

A Dark Place

Trading Paint

Early Digital Releases Week Of May 21, 2019

Madea's final installation -- unless that prequel happens -- is out this week.

A Madea Family Funeral

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote

New Blu-ray And DVD Releases May 28, 2019

No droughtlander here! Outlander fans can relive favorite moments while we wait for Seasons 5 and 6 to come together.

Outlander: Season Four

South Park: The Complete Twenty-Second Season

Greta

Climax

Lords of Chaos

A Vigilante

As we head into the busy summer movie season, the number of Blu-ray, DVD and Digital releases should only grow. So, stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more on the latest titles that are coming out. In addition, if you're more interested in what's coming to theaters, take a look at our 2019 movies release schedule.