Zachary Levi Praises His Young Shazam! Co-Stars In Heartfelt Post

Zachary Levi Praises His Young Shazam! Co-Stars In Heartfelt Post

It's Captain Marvel's big opening weekend, but don't forget about the other Captain Marvel. Zachary Levi has made it clear he has nothing but support for the MCU movie, but he's also very excited for fans to see his DC movie Shazam! Levi is a funny guy, but he got serious for about 85% of the caption for this photo with his young Shazam! co-stars Asher Angel and Jack Dylan Grazer:

You heard it from the superhero, kids -- dentures don't pay for themselves!

Zachary Levi seems to be having a great time promoting this movie with his young co-stars. They've been doing interviews and promos together, and that promotion will probably kick into high gear in the weeks ahead of Shazam!'s April 5 release.

In the movie, Asher Angel plays young Billy Batson, who is chosen by Djimon Hounsou's wizard to receive superpowers when Billy speaks the sorcerer's name, Shazam. Saying the name transforms Billy into an adult superhero, played by Zachary Levi. Jack Dylan Grazer plays Freddy, Billy's best friend and foster brother. They are the main characters in the movie, with Mark Strong as villain Dr. Thaddeus Sivana.

Shazam! recently screened for critics, and director David F. Sandberg is definitely keeping an eye on the reviews out there. Thankfully the early reviews so far have been very positive, praising the humor, action, and even the family emotion.

Shazam! is in an interesting position. For DC, it's arriving after the record-breaking success of Aquaman. That's not only the top-grossing DCEU movie, it's the top DC movie ever. Shazam! is also closely following Captain Marvel, which has already made close to half a billion in its first week, worldwide. Shazam! is also closely preceding Avengers: Endgame, which is expected to basically print its own money.

Early box office estimates for Shazam! suggest it could make around $50 million over its opening weekend. Could be higher (could be lower). We'll see in less than a month.

But, you know, everyone seems to be rooting for Shazam! I haven't had a chance to see it yet, but it looks like a great time. I fully expect to be as charmed by Zachary Levi's performance as I have been by his social media promotion. If it doesn't turn out that way, I'll be disappointed, but it doesn't seem like it would be the end of the world for anyone involved. They all had a great time making the movie, but the stakes don't seem as heavy and serious as they did for previous films. The whole experience feels light and fun.

Shazam! opens in theaters on April 5, as one of the many major movies opening in 2019. Keep up with all things DCEU in our handy guide.

Suicide Squad 2 Has Added An Ant-Man Star

Suicide Squad 2 Has Added An Ant-Man Star

Although Suicide Squad 2, alternatively known as The Suicide Squad, will see a few familiar faces returning from 2016’s Suicide Squad, most of the cast will be filled with brand-new characters. The latest of this new bunch has been announced, as Ant-Man actor David Dastmalchian has boarded the cast of the James Gunn-written and directed DC Extended Universe movie.

So who will David Dastmalchian be playing in Suicide Squad 2? He’ll be bringing to life the minor Batman villain known as Polka-Dot Man, who debuted in 1962’s Detective Comics #300 and was originally known as Mister Polka-Dot. Like many of the criminals in Gotham City, he adopted a gimmick for committing crimes, with the spots on his costume capable of turning into strange weapons and vehicles.

Outside of the comics, Polka-Dot Man appeared in Batman: The Brave and the Bold and The Lego Batman Movie, and he’s also a playable character in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham and Lego DC Super-Villains. Needless to say that Suicide Squad 2 will mark his biggest media appearance yet, and THR’s report says that David Dastmalchian’s version of the character will apparently “lean into his embarrassment of his ‘lame’ abilities.”

This marks just the latest comic book project that David Dastmalchian is adding to his resume. Along with portraying Kurt in both Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp, he also kicked off his film career playing Thomas Schiff in The Dark Knight. On TV, he played Dwight Pollard in two episodes of Gotham and Abra Kadabra in an episode of The Flash.

Outside the comic book realm, David Dastmalchian’s notable credits include The Belko Experiment, Bird Box, MacGyver and Twin Peaks. He’s also become a recurring collaborator with Denis Villeneuve, having worked with the director on Prisoners and Blade Runner 2049. They are reuniting for the upcoming Dune reboot, where Dastmalchian will play Piter De Vries.

David Dastmalchian is the second new actor to be joining Suicide Squad 2, following behind Idris Elba, who was originally lined up to take over Deadshot duties from Will Smith, but will now instead play a new character. John Cena is also reportedly being eyed to play Peacemaker, but there’s been no word yet on if he’s actually finalized a deal.

While Suicide Squad 2 won’t be a total reboot of the property, it has been repeatedly said that it will serve as more of a relaunch than a direct sequel to the previous Suicide Squad movie, Beyond that, no plot details have been revealed yet, but in addition to the previously mentioned people, Suicide Squad 2 is also bringing back Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller.

Suicide Squad 2 is set to begin filming this September and will charge into theaters on August 5, 2021, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates. In the meantime, you can find out what other DC movies are in the works with our handy guide.

J.R.R. Tolkien’s Family Does ‘Not Approve’ Of The Tolkien Biopic

J.R.R. Tolkien’s Family Does ‘Not Approve’ Of The Tolkien Biopic

Update: Fox Searchlight Pictures has responded to Tolkien's family's statements, saying:

We are so proud of Dome Karukoski’s film TOLKIEN which focuses on the early years of J.R.R. Tolkien’s extraordinary life and does not depict subject matter from his novels. While we did not work with the Tolkien Estate on this project, the filmmaking team has the utmost respect and admiration for Mr. Tolkien and his phenomenal contribution to literature.

The Lord of the Rings movies were one of the most epic undertakings in cinema history. It's only fitting that the man behind those stories gets some screen time of his own, right? That's the idea behind Tolkien the new biopic of J.R.R. Tolkien that stars Nicholas Hoult as the man who wrote The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. However, on the eve of the film's release, the family of Tolkien has said they do not endorse the new movie.

It's certainly not uncommon for family of a biopic subject to be critical of a film. It can frequently happen after a movie has been released and it is seen just how the movie takes license with the real life story, changing events in order to make a better movie, even if it's not perfectly historically accurate.

However, in this case, THR reveals that nobody in the Tolkien family has actually seen the movie in question. They're not criticizing the movie or any particular element of it. That's not the point of the statement. Instead, this appears to be a more preemptive move. The family doesn't want there to be any confusion surrounding how the film was made. Nobody from the Tolkien family was consulted or gave approval to have the movie made in the first place and the family is simply putting this fact on record now.

Tolkien is set for release May 10 and tells the story of the author as a young man, including how events in his life, such as World War I, helped shape his life and lead to the creation of the epic fantasy world he is best known for.

It's certainly understandable that the family of J.R.R. Tolkien would want to be sure to tell the world that they were not involved in the new film in any way. It would be easy for some to make the assumption that they were, many who never hear of this statement will likely do just that.

At the same time, since nobody has seen the movie yet, it's certainly possible that Tolkien tells its story with an even hand that the family will end up appreciating. It's equally possible that the movie will turn out to be a good one, even if it does play fast and loose with the truth.

If the movie does change things drastically in a way that the family doesn't like, we'll likely hear more from the family about that. The family of Don Shirley made their problems with Oscar winning film Green Book known as they felt the movie was inaccurate in some respects and that's far from the first time such a thing has happened.

Nobody likes to see their family portrayed in a negative or incorrect fashion. At the same time, sometimes the stories of real people are simply better stories than anything a fiction writer could possibly come up with.

Ranking All 7 Chucky Movies - From Child's Play To Cult Of Chucky

Ranking All 7 Chucky Movies - From Child's Play To Cult Of Chucky

For a little over 30 years, and seven films, the Chucky movies have turned what started as Child’s Play into a regular Cult of Chucky. And it’s all thanks to a little black magic, a Good Guy doll, and some unsuspecting families that have taken Chucky in from time to time.

The killer formerly known as Charles Lee Ray, and played by legendary character actor Brad Dorif, has executed a reign of terror on par with some of the best slashers in the horror genre; and it’s not hard to see why.

So, with the 30th anniversary of Child’s Play just past us as of last year, and a rebooted version of the origin story headed our way very soon, it’s time to revisit our dear friend Chucky and rank his movies in the order of least favored to most.

7. Child’s Play 3 (1991)

At the bottom of the totem pole is Child’s Play 3, the entry that saw Andy Barclay (then played by Justin Whalin) heading off to military school. it isn’t long before his newly resurrected pal Chucky comes back for a third round of villainy, ready to torment Andy and an academy full of cadets that stand in his way of reincarnating himself into the body of young Ronald Tyler (Jeremy Sylvers.)

Frankly, the only reason Child's Play 3 is square at the bottom is because it’s one of the two sequels that basically remade the first film, just in a slightly re-skinned setting. The series has had its share of reinventions and retreads, but the off-kilter charisma of Brad Dourif’s Chucky basically makes even the most basic entry in the series its own brand of fun.

6. Seed Of Chucky (2004)

On the more ridiculous end of the Chucky movie scale, Seed of Chucky’s extremely meta humor came out to play in a fiercer way than any of the previous Child’s Play films had ever allowed. This time, reincarnation is a family affair, as Chucky, his girlfriend Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly,) and their child Glen (Billy Boyd) are all looking to jump into human hosts of their own.

Mixing some inside baseball humor pertaining to Hollywood into a story that follows the typical Child’s Play pattern of murder and possession might seem like a bit of a stretch, and it definitely is. But something about Seed of Chucky having Jennifer Tilly facing off against her own porcelain doppelganger, and John Waters as a sleazy paparazzi trying to get the bottom of it all, makes it just weird enough to enjoy. Though dark comedy would find its way into the series in a better way with its predecessor, Bride of Chucky.

5. Child’s Play 2 (1990)

Cycling back to the half of the Child’s Play series that plays things a bit straighter, the first sequel in the Chucky saga saw Brad Dourif’s killer doll stalk Andy Barclay for a second time. Still played by original actor Alex Vincent, Andy was placed with his first of many foster families, while Chucky was resurrected by factory refurbishment, ready to try and possess Andy yet again.

Child’s Play 2 acts as a sort of typical horror sequel that remakes the first film with different kills and a mostly new cast of characters. But the big advantage the first sequel has, in addition to keeping Alex Vincent in the picture as young Andy, is the fact that Chucky starts to play around with more gallows humor in his conquests.

So, Brad Dourif gets to still be menacing, but he also gets to have some smart-assed remarks to sprinkle through the film. When the humor is properly tempered with the right amount of edge, it works. Plus, Child's Play 2 works better when compared to Child's Play 3's slightly diminished returns on the same sort of idea.

4. Bride Of Chucky (1998)

In terms of the more humorous half of the Chucky movies, Bride of Chucky's introduction to Jennifer Tilly as Tiffany Valentine is the proof that when done right, outrageous humor can mesh rather well with the killer darkness that the Child's Play franchise has been known to contain. With a story that centers around teenaged lovebirds Jesse and Jade (Nick Stabile and Katherine Heigl) being held hostage by Tiffany and her darling Chucky, another possession is in the offing.

Instead of just focusing on the murdering spree and the intent of Chucky and Tiffany to possess Jessie and Jade, Bride of Chucky actually plays around with the comedy that comes with dysfunctional relationships. As the teens try to sort their own feelings out, the dolls find out that maybe their relationship wasn't as much about fun and games as they made it out to be.

It's interesting stuff to throw into a movie that sees kills as creative as a mirrored ceiling getting shattered, as well as an evil John Ritter playing a human protagonist that goes against his good guy image, and it's what made Bride of Chucky a series-revitalizing hit, as well as one of the better Child's Play movies.

3. Curse Of Chucky (2013)

With the Child's Play series dividing the Chucky mythos almost firmly down the line, with one half being the more serious films involving young Andy Barclay and the other pertaining to the darkly comedic relationship of Chucky, Tiffany, and their child, it's hard to reconcile the two sides of the Child's Play universe. Which makes the story started with Curse of Chucky one of the best decisions the series ever made.

While the film starts as a standard murder spree, involving young paraplegic Nica (Fiona Dorif) and her own series of escalating incidents involving Chucky (still played by Fiona's father Brad), Curse of Chucky turns into a film that eventually bound both sides of the Child's Play series into one cohesive whole.

The wicked humor is still present, but this installment of Don Mancini's horror franchise brings back the gravitas needed for fans to take things seriously again. Best of all, the film brings back Alex Vincent's Andy and Jennifer Tilly's Tiffany in the service of setting up one hell of a follow-up.

2. Cult Of Chucky (2017)

While Curse of Chucky reinvented the Child's Play franchise as a more serious, and more cohesive whole, Cult of Chucky took that foundation and turned the series into a force to be reckoned with once more. Continuing the story of poor Nica, and her incarceration in a mental health facility, the threads of her story,as well as Andy's, tie together into one frightening whole.

Somehow, Chucky's sense of humor, still crazy as ever, doesn't derail the series' trajectory in any way shape or form in Cult of Chucky. The entire story of this film puts a nasty edge back into what was once known as the Child's Play series, but at the same time it allows Chucky to be Chucky. Plus, the film's finale let's Don Mancini's franchise do something pretty spectacular with a new film, should he decide to make one outside of the upcoming TV series.

Bringing Alex Vincent and Jennifer Tilly back to the franchise again, as Andy and Tiffany respectively, Chucky now has a stable group of characters he can play with. Amazingly, for a seventh entry in an ongoing series, Cult of Chucky has the right tools to make this old doll new again.

1. Child’s Play (1988)

After over 30 years of action, and seven movies in the Child's Play series, there are still none that have beaten the original film in its balance of horror and laughs. To be fair, Child's Play is the one Chucky movie you can take deadly seriously, even with some pieces of its lore not aging so well. Seeing Charles Lee Ray take the leap into his toy-bound form, and the slow unveiling of his actions throughout the first entry, is part of why the series has become such an iconic franchise.

It's easy to get carried away with Chucky's antics in any of the films that followed Child's Play, but the serious drama of a mother and police detective who have to wonder if young Andy is telling the truth or not is what really anchors that first film's suspense filled story. What little we get of Chucky in Child's Play is pretty effective, and preserves his threat as a serial killer hellbent on taking over young Andy's body and soul.

Without the core drama of Child's Play, none of its sequels would be the movies they are today. Even when the series was at its lowest, the basic rules and structure of a Chucky movie were present, grounding the entire universe of this horror classic in reasonable fashion. Many will try to outdo that first film's magical results, but Child's Play is an origin that may never be equaled, but merely complimented by a particularly excellent sequel.

MGM's new Child's Play reboot will obviously take a different road than the more supernaturally inclined franchise that spawned it. In time, we might even see how Mark Hamill's Chucky stacks up to Brad Dourif's original, not only in performance but also in how their cinematic universes differ. But considering what we've got now, the Chucky movies that already exist are a solid example of a series managing to perform admirably, even in the least rewarding of circumstances. Let's hope this new reboot universe takes that very lesson to heart.

Child’s Play, the reboot, will be in theaters on June 21st; while all other films are available through Digital HD and physical media releases.

Sacha Baron Cohen Admits Borat Caused Pamela Anderson’s Divorce With Kid Rock

Sacha Baron Cohen Admits Borat Caused Pamela Anderson’s Divorce With Kid Rock

Divorce as a concept isn’t exactly a laughing matter, and it certainly should be treated with the respect and weight it deserves. And yet, when actual comedy is the cause for said divorce, it’s kind of hard not to have a laugh or two at the expense of the moment.

That’s exactly what it sounds like when it comes to the reason former lovebirds Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock split up, as Sacha Baron Cohen revealed that a joke he and Anderson engaged in for his film Borat, which saw her being kidnapped by the eponymous character, was the cause for her big split. Cohen described how he found out about this thusly:

And she texted back, ‘He’s getting divorced.’ I was like, why? And she goes, ‘The movie.’ And I thought it was a joke, but then a few weeks later they got divorced and they put as a reason for divorce, Borat.

The text exchange referred to above happened after Kid Rock and Pamela Anderson has screened Borat together, which lead to Rock screaming some rather colorful things, as he’s wont to do when things get serious, at his then wife. Of course, once calmer heads prevailed, a divorce was to be had, and sure enough, Sacha Baron Cohen knew that Pamela Anderson wasn’t joking.

In a career as full of comedic moments that employ quite a bit of shock value and subterfuge, the most surprising fact revealed during Sacha Baron Cohen’s talk with The Daily Beast was that Pamela Anderson was the one person to say yes to committing to the gag that was featured in Borat. To be fair, Cohen did point out that if he didn’t get her permission, the whole endeavor would have totally been kidnapping. He may be all about getting the laugh at the end of the day, but he’s smart enough not to end up in jail.

Another oddity when discussing this particular scene was the fact that it took two takes to really get the desired effect, as it was pointed out that during the first attempt at a book signing, none of Pamela Anderson’s fans came to her aid. And as Cohen also revealed during that same talk, there was a slight bit of injury involved as well:

She lost two things. One, she lost a tiny bit of bone from her jaw. And secondly, she lost a husband.

After all of this talking about a comedy moment that’s over a decade old, but still funny as ever, you’re probably in the mood to see how that infamous gag from Borat turned out. Well, through the magic of the internet, you can feast your eyes on that footage below:

With his most recent project, the Showtime series Who Is America?, looking to make a play for some Emmy awards, now’s as good a time as any to revel in the glow of what Sacha Baron Cohen’s comedy can do when people aren’t expecting it. And while divorce still isn’t funny at large, it’s certainly a bit humorous when put into the context of what you’ve seen above, as well as the Halloween costumes it inspired.

Watch Aladdin’s Will Smith Belt Out ‘Prince Ali’ In New Clip

Watch Aladdin’s Will Smith Belt Out ‘Prince Ali’ In New Clip

Ahead of Disney’s next live-action remake stomping into theaters next weekend, a clip featuring Will Smith’s Genie as gives a disguised Aladdin a grand entrance in the memorable big number from the 1992 animated musical has been released. Make way for Prince Ali and take a look:

Ring bells! Bang the drums! Are you gonna love this guy? The new clip gives fans a look into the new “Prince Ali” sequence, though it doesn’t feature the entire song, it starts midway through the epic number and leaves the grand finale to the imagination.

The new clip from IGN does offer up a bit of Will Smith’s own take on Genie, previously and belovedly played by Robin Williams. Smith’s spin unsurprisingly denotes a more hip-hop flavor to the Disney classic, though the actor is actually singing rather than rapping for much of the sequence.

The main difference is instead of comedic quips on the side such as “don’t they look lovely June” or magically turning into other forms such as tiger or child as the animated movie does. Instead, it focuses more on the song, dance and CGI animals. The massive scene featuring 1000 dancers and extras has the eyes of the city of Agrabah taking notice, namely Naomi Scott’s Jasmine and Nasim Pedrad’s new character, Jasmine’s handmaiden. The latter looks a lot more impressed by the entrance then the princess Aladdin has his sights on.

But why does Will Smith say the line “when it comes to exotic-type mammals” while riding an Ostrich… birds aren’t mammals? Anyways, fans took to Twitter to voice some strong feelings about the clip. Take a look at @Ameligatha’s comments:

These comparisons were bound to happen. Some fans will never be pleased with anything other than the original, yet her comments display an interest in the movie moving away to rapping to differentiate it from the source material. According the Will Smith, he will be rapping in the flick, we just have yet to see it in the film yet. On the flip side, @stacydtwit defended the clip below:

So far, the new Aladdin has sought to offer a mix of nostalgia for the original Disney flick and bring a whole new world to moviegoers as well. The addition of Will Smith in of itself will bring a different kind of Aladdin and apparently he did a bit of improv on the film with Mena Massoud.

First reactions for the new Aladdin have been fairly positive, as early viewers have called Smith’s Genie a lot of fun and not worth the concern brought on since his blue look was first revealed.You can check out Aladdin in theaters on May 24. Are you excited for the film after a look at this “Prince Ali” clip? Let us know in the comments below!

Why Movie Franchise Fatigue Isn’t Really Happening, According To One Theater CEO

Why Movie Franchise Fatigue Isn’t Really Happening, According To One Theater CEO

If you’ve been to the movies in recent years, it’s hard to miss the fact that the film industry -- particularly domestically but also internationally -- has heavily relied on franchise content, returning to stories, universes and characters that breed familiarity and (often) fond feelings. However, at the same time, there is a faction of people who are vocal about not wanting interconnected franchises, and there are common gripes about the proliferation of remakes and reboots as well.

If you ask Jane Hastings, however, movie franchise fatigue isn’t really a thing. At least, not yet.

Speaking during an event at CinemaCon 2019, Jane Hastings, CEO & Managing Director, Event Hospitality & Entertainment Ltd. spoke out about the biggest movies of 2018, noting that all of them were in some ways continuations of popular franchises.

She said at CinemaCon that box office year over year has shown that franchise fatigue isn’t really a thing and that the audience still has an appetite for the larger budget franchise movies, noting,

Regardless, if a franchise is new, if it’s good, if it’s quality, it will work… So, we’re in good shape. Why? Because people always want to be entertained.

Citing 2018’s box office as evidence, Jane Hastings also mentioned the top five movies in the past year were all returns to worlds and characters that have found love with audiences in prior years and movies.

The five biggest movies last year were as follows:

Avengers: Infinity War

Black Panther

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Incredibles 2

Aquaman (With a late release date, this box office also led into 2019)

It’s not just franchise movies that are absolutely dominating the box office, but bigger movies in general. Last year, a whopping 83% of movie box office totals came from “the majors,” or what Janes Hasting cites as the biggest budget movies with the most oomph in terms of budget and advertising from the major studios.

This means that fewer titles are actually contributing to more of the box office intake than happened in the past within the theater and movie industries. It's a trend that should continue into 2019 as there are a slew of franchise movies set to launch this year from the major studios. This includes but is definitely not limited to Avengers: Endgame, Godzilla: King of The Monsters, Frozen 2, Hobbs and Shaw, Jumanji 3 and plenty more.

Looking at two of the biggest movies of last year, Black Panther and Aquaman, both are origin stories, yet they do fall within the larger Marvel and DC comics universes. They are part of a bigger picture, and despite only having one solo appearance, the character of T’Challa, for example, has already made three big screen appearances so far. The trajectory is similar for Jason Momoa’s Aquaman character. Both origin flicks also have a lot of additional stuff in common, including making over a billion dollars internationally and easily earning greenlights for Black Panther 2 and Aquaman 2.

So, people are still clearly seeing these franchise movies, and Jane Hastings cites an increase in connecting with fans and creating good products as to why franchise fatigue isn’t really a thing.

It's not like every franchise movie that comes out is great. The same is true of original movies, which run the gamut from good to bad. There may come a point when we've hit franchise fatigue, too. Sort of like how some long-running TV shows go on a little too long and a percentage of the audiences loses interest after a while. Clearly we aren't there with Marvel or DC content yet, but we have seen recent Transformer movies do less well than their predecessors. When that happened, Paramount pivoted and gave us Bumblebee, a spinoff that renewed interest in the franchise.

It's also true that every franchise has to start somewhere, and there are still a lot of studios pushing out interesting and new content at all budget levels. We will get plenty of original movies this year, ranging from Once Upon A Time In Hollywood to Artemis Fowl. Then again, with the latter, there is presumably the hope of a franchise given the large number of books to draw from; Disney will just have to wait and see how the box office pans out.

So, if you were hoping for more original movies – at least of the big budget variety in the future – the box office itself is telling a different story. Which leads me to the question: Do you agree? Has box office intake taken over quality or have franchises managed to create engaging stories with familiar characters and universes?