Star Wars Website Seemingly Confirms Doctor Who Alum Matt Smith

Star Wars Website Seemingly Confirms Doctor Who Alum Matt Smith

One of the stranger mysteries surrounding Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has been whether or not Doctor Who alum Matt Smith is actually in the movie. The actor’s casting was first reported last August, but his name was not on the official cast announcement and the actor himself denied having a role in the film. Star Wars Celebration shed some light on the final chapter in the Skywalker Saga with the reveal of the movie’s title and first trailer, but regarding Matt Smith, we were left in the dark.

That darkness may be beginning to abate though, because in the movies section on Disney’s United Kingdom website, the page for The Rise of Skywalker lists out the returning cast as well as the newcomers. There, sandwiched between Keri Russell and Dominic Monaghan, is the name Matt Smith. This seemingly confirms that yes, in fact, the Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith is in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

It doesn’t get much more official than Disney’s website, so unless someone is messing with us or has been given the wrong information, this is the most conclusive evidence we’ve had so far that Matt Smith will indeed be in this movie. If that’s the case and Disney was just going to confirm it in this unceremonious fashion, why the prior secrecy?

Even though the original casting announcement seemed to offer more transparency than expected with regards to Mark Hamill returning and how Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia would be brought back, Matt Smith’s name was not included. And Matt Smith denied being in the film, which would seemingly indicate that he wasn’t allowed to talk about it.

That secrecy now looks especially interesting in light of the first teaser trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. That trailer ended with Emperor Palpatine’s laugh, and with Ian McDiarmid’s appearance on stage, we now know that the Saga’s main villain will be in Episode IX in some form.

That is a massive reveal with major implications and something that could have remained hidden as a surprise. So if Disney is willing to reveal the return of the Emperor but hide Matt Smith (other than his name on the UK website, which could be a big uh-oh for someone), just who the heck is he playing?

Speculation has ranged on this matter, but the prevailing consensus seems to be that he will be a bad guy. The two possibilities that I’ve seen thrown around the most are that he’s either a Knight of Ren, the dark siders who again failed to make an appearance in the trailer, or that he has something to do with Palpatine.

The Knights of Ren are still being held back, so it is entirely possible that Matt Smith’s character could be among their ranks, but the Palpatine angle is what I’d put my money on. With Ian McDiarmid in the movie, it doesn’t seem like Matt Smith will be Palpatine, but some sort of clone or apprentice would be neat. Perhaps when the next trailer arrives, we’ll get a better idea what Matt Smith’s role in this movie will be, but right now he is one of the biggest question marks.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opens on December 20. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to see what’s headed your way this summer, and for all your movie news, stay tuned to CinemaBlend.

The Special James Gunn Easter Egg You Can Find In Brightburn

The Special James Gunn Easter Egg You Can Find In Brightburn

James Gunn didn’t write or direct the new superhero horror feature Brightburn, but he did have a significant role in its creation. In addition to producing the film through his Troll Court Entertainment banner, he was a regular presence on set during shooting, and is a mentor of sorts to helmer David Yarovesky (who previously directed the “Guardians Of The Galaxy: Inferno” music video). His fingerprints are most definitely all over the work… and there’s even a special little Easter egg snuck in that ties back to one of his previous movies.

The movie in question is 2011’s Super – which James Gunn made just prior to venturing into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Guardians of the Galaxy. The independent comedy stars Rainn Wilson as Frank Darbo, a short order cook who becomes a low-rent costumed vigilante when his wife (Liv Tyler) leaves him for a local crime boss (Kevin Bacon). The plot of the film doesn’t really factor into Brightburn, but while watching the new release I couldn’t help but notice the name of the diner where a few of significant scenes take place: Darbo’s.

Does this mean that Super and Brightburn take place within the same continuity? I brought this question with me when I attended the Los Angeles press day for Brightburn this past weekend, and when I sat down with James Gunn and star Elizabeth Banks I got official confirmation:

Apparently at some point between the events of Super and Brightburn Frank Darbo moved to Kansas and graduated from being a short order cook to a restaurant owner with his name on the outside of the building. It may not be a full-on diner franchise, as James Gunn pointed out, but it does suggest a nice happy ending for the character beyond the events that unfold at the end of the 2011 film.

The connections between Brightburn and James Gunn’s past work may not stop there, however. Recognizing that Gunn and Elizabeth Banks previously collaborated on the writer/director’s first feature, Slither, I followed up my Super question by asking the duo about the possibility of a link between those two movies as well. It was an idea that Banks embraced, explaining,

Well, we don't know what planet Brandon is from or what else could be coming. We don't know! We don't know what else there might be... There's so much alien, you know... there's crap floating around out there and just lands here every once in a while.

Given their similar looks, this might mean that there is a link between Banks’ two characters – Slither’s Starla and Brightburn’s Tori – but that’s certainly not impossible. We never learned much about Starla’s family in the 2006 movie, so perhaps Tori is her cousin from Kansas… who just so happens has an extraterrestrial encounter of her own when she makes the decision to adopt a baby who crash lands on Earth in a spaceship.

Obviously this isn’t spoiler-y at all, but instead a fun Easter egg you can look out for when you go see Brightburn yourself. The new movie arrives in theaters nationwide this weekend, and we’ll have more from my interviews with the cast and filmmakers coming to CinemaBlend in the next few days – so stay tuned!

Dark Phoenix Director Compares Movie To Avengers: Endgame And Game Of Thrones

Dark Phoenix Director Compares Movie To Avengers: Endgame And Game Of Thrones

In 2019, we’ve already witnessed the the end of an era in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the polarizing end to HBO’s Game of Thrones. But wait, that’s not all! The X-Men franchise and current Star Wars saga are also coming for our hearts this calendar year.

The mutants are up next with the release of Dark Phoenix, and the film’s writer/director Simon Kinberg is prepping fans to say goodbye. Check out his recent words:

I approach this movie as the culmination of 20 years of storytelling, of living with the X-Men for all this time and watching this family come together, and this movie is the movie that challenged that family and tears them apart in a new way. And so I imagined it as the culmination, and I even pitched it to the studio, as this is the culmination of this cycle of X-Men stories. Which there will be more X-Men movies in the future no doubt, but this particular cycle with this cast, it felt like it was time to do kind of what Game of Thrones has done, what Endgame has done, really see them challenged in a new way and sort of survive and go off into the sunset.

Did all our favorite franchises coordinate to leave our lives all at once? Because I feel like we need a breather here. These are a lot of farewells at once. Dark Phoenix will hit theaters less than three weeks after the Game of Thrones finale and a little over a month away from Avengers: Endgame, the culmination of the MCU thus far. Now that we’ve grown accustomed to bittersweet endings, will this X-Men conclusion measure up?

When Simon Kinberg sat down with Comicbook.com, he also teased the movie as being the most intense of the X-Men films. When Sophie Turner’s Jean Grey gets hit by a solar flare during a mission in space with the rest of the team, she develops new incredible powers that threaten the X-Men and the world.

One trailer for the film particular heightened the stakes when it showed that Jennifer Lawrence’s Mystique would be killed off by Jean in the first act. While the decision to reveal this in the trailer surprised many, Kinberg has said Mystique’s death won’t be the only major casualty in Dark Phoenix.

The movie also marks the last of Fox’s main X-Men movies, since Disney recently obtained the rights to the franchise. So while the mutants will likely be seen again someday in the MCU, Kinberg took this chance to close out the stories told through the franchise since 2000’s X-Men. He has noted that it has always been the plan to end the series with Dark Phoenix; this isn’t only a side effect of the Disney/Fox merger.

Ride off into another fictional sunset with the X-Men with Dark Phoenix coming to theaters on June 7.

How Little's Marsai Martin Became The Youngest Executive Producer Ever

How Little's Marsai Martin Became The Youngest Executive Producer Ever

Sometimes getting what you want is all about carving out your own opportunities for yourself, and Marsai Martin was ready to take that plunge at 10 years old. The young actress had just finished off her first season on the ABC comedy Black-ish as Diane, one of four children in Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross’ TV family. Take a break? Take a summer vacation like the other kids her age? Nah. She decided to pitch what became this weekend’s comedy release Little to the production company behind Think Like a Man and Ride Along. Doing so, she’d become the star and youngest executive producer in Hollywood history.

Will Packer Productions has grown in the past few years, including the 2017 mega-hit Girls Trip, and has boosted black comedians Tiffany Haddish and Kevin Hart into blockbuster leads. Here’s what Packer told me during a recent Little press day about the time Marsai Martin pitched her idea for the upcoming body-switch comedy:

This 10-year-old little force of nature comes into my office with Kenya Barris, who I knew very well, but I did not know [Marsai Martin]. She comes in, she has this pitch and I hear pitches all the time at various stages, some well thought out, some not so much. She came in with this really well thought out, structured pitch that was good and worked! I said ‘You know what? I can see this movie!' She had some scenes that she acted out in the moment and I was like ‘Okay, this young lady is not shy, she’s got a very strong sense of self but also a very strong sense of story.’ That’s what stood out.

If only we all had that kind of confidence that that age! Not only did the actress have the courage to step into the Hollywood executive’s office with creator of Black-ish, Kenya Barris, but she convinced Will Packer to actually make the movie too. Little is about successful tech entrepreneur Jordan Sanders (Regina Hall), who wakes up one morning as her younger self and must renavigate life as middle-schooler, as her assistant April (Issa Rae) covers for her back at work.

Tina Gordon, who also penned the script for What Men Want, was hired to write and direct the project and collaborated with Marsai Martin during the development process. Gordon admitted that she had some different ideas going into the project about what Marsai Martin’s character would take on. Here’s what she told me:

Originally, she had a lot of scenes with the kids in the movie, but after I met her, I realized that comedically she could really go toe-to-toe with Issa Rae. She is beyond her years as far as comedic timing and they had a great chemistry together. So a lot of the buddy comedy came through meeting and collaborating with Marsai. A big part of the collaboration between us came because she was really able to inform me about the pressures of social media and bullying. She has her finger on the pulse of her generation.

Early in the process, Little was going to primarily take place in the halls of Jordan’s old middle school, but Marsai Martin’s ability to take more on blew the writer/director away. The comedy instead is more about the growing relationship and hilarious quips between little Jordan and Issa Rae’s April as they form an unlikely friendship through the events on the film.

Marsai Martin also helped Tina Gordon implement how relevant social media is on her young generation and place it in the DNA of the film, in addition to it touching on the prevalence of bullying in middle school as well. When I asked the youngest executive producer ever if the job she took on was a different experience then she was expecting, here’s what she confidently said:

I thought it was going to be more difficult because it is my first film. I was going to be nervous and I just had to get my mind right and really pay attention, but then they just made it so comfortable for me. Most of the people on set I probably knew already or seen them on Black-ish. It was more like a reunion when working with Regina and Issa, they just made it comfortable for me and it was all fun.

This 14-year-old is thriving in the cutthroat world of Hollywood without batting an eye. Marsai Martin did seem to place the right people around her for her film debut, as she had previously worked with both of the film’s stars before and much of the crew behind Black-ish followed her for Little. Think we’re going to have to watch out for this one! You can catch Little in theaters this Friday, April 12.

Why Quentin Tarantino Turned The Hateful Eight Into A Miniseries For Netflix

Why Quentin Tarantino Turned The Hateful Eight Into A Miniseries For Netflix

It’s been almost three and a half years since Quentin Tarantino’s last movie, The Hateful Eight, was released in theaters. Like a lot of movies nowadays, it’s been available to stream now and then, and can currently be watched on Netflix.

However, it was announced a month ago that an extended version of The Hateful Eight would also be hitting Netflix in April, only rather than it being the Roadshow Cut that had a limited theatrical release, the story is instead told as a four-episode miniseries.

Now Quentin Tarantino has opened up about how The Hateful Eight miniseries came to be, revealing that Netflix approached him about adding extra footage into the original version of the movie so that it could be divided up as episodes. Tarantino thought this would be an “intriguing” creative endeavor and was willing to give it a shot. He recalled:

And so about a year after it’s released, maybe a little less, me and my editor, Fred Raskin, we got together and then we worked real hard. We edited the film down into 50 minute bits, and we very easily got four episodes out of it. We didn’t re-edit the whole thing from scratch, but we did a whole lot of re-editing, and it plays differently. Some sequences are more similar than others compared to the film, but it has a different feeling. It has a different feeling that I actually really like a lot. And there was a literary aspect to the film anyway, so it definitely has this ‘chapters unfolding’ quality.

Quentin Tarantino never felt the need to release The Hateful Eight’s Roadshow Cut because it was its own thing that was specifically intended for 70mm screenings. But with the miniseries, he found a compelling enough reason to revisit his creation and sprinkle in extra footage in a different way.

And speaking of extra footage, Quentin Tarantino also commented on the inaccurate and “frustrating” claim online that there’s no new content in The Hateful Eight miniseries. Continuing in his interview with Slashfilm, he noted that there’s approximately 25 minutes of additional material in the miniseries, and that results in certain sequences playing “very different.”

The director provided an example for how The Hateful Eight miniseries flows differently from the original movie, saying:

Well, the way it’s in the [original] movie is, instead of me saying, ‘But then when John Ruth and Daisy arrived…’, that’s when we cut out of that sequence, and go back….What we’re able to do in this version, is John Ruth and Daisy now enter the place, and you see the entire sequence again. John Ruth and Daisy enter Minnie’s Haberdashery, except now it’s not told from John Ruth and Daisy’s perspective. It’s told from the killers’ perspective…We know what they’ve done, and we know how they set up, and we know Daisy knows who they are…So we see how Tim Roth and how Michael Madsen and how Daisy are reacting to each other, while John Ruth is oblivious.

It’s up to the individual viewer to decide whether The Hateful Eight miniseries is superior or inferior to the movie, but at least Quentin Tarantino enthusiasts now have the opportunity to compare the two versions. And since Tarantino put this miniseries together at Netflix’s request, that almost certainly means the streaming service will be its exclusive home, as opposed to also being made available on Blu-ray.

The Hateful Eight, which took place a little over a decade after the American Civil War and followed eight strangers who were stuck together in a cabin during a blizzard, featured an ensemble cast that included Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Demian Bichir, Walton Goggins, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen and Bruce Dern. Although it only made over $155 million worldwide, it collected numerous accolades, including one Oscar win and two nominations.

Quentin Tarantino’s next movie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, opens in theaters on July 26. If you’re curious about what other movies are opening later this year, head to our 2019 release schedule.

IT Chapter Two Will Include Controversial Scene Cut From The Miniseries

IT Chapter Two Will Include Controversial Scene Cut From The Miniseries

IT is one of Stephen King's biggest novels, literally. Depending on the edition you read the novel clocks in at well over 1,000 pages, so clearly, not everything that takes place in the book will ever be in any version of the story adapted for the screen. The television miniseries from 1990 had to choose to leave some things out, but the upcoming sequel on the big screen will be including one major moment left out of the previous version.

Because IT the novel jumps back and forth in time, we see both the "present day" Derry and the one from the past both at the beginning of the story. In the present day timeline, the first vision of Pennywise the clown comes after a gay man named Adrian Mellon has just been the victim of a serious hate crime, a beating by three teenagers. While the TV version of IT left the moment out, the new film, IT Chapter Two, will include it. Screenwriter Gary Dauberman says the scene isn't just memorable, but it's also important...

It is an iconic scene in the book and one we wanted to include in the movie. It is the first attack in present-day Derry and sets the stage for what Derry has become. It is the influence of Pennywise even while he is hibernating, and it’s pure evil what happens to Adrian. These bullies working through Pennywise was important for us to show.

Gary Dauberman's description of the scene to THR might indicate a slight difference between the version on the screen and the version in the book. Dauberman says that Pennywise is hibernating, which would indicate he's not actually part of the scene, but that his evil influence is simply being felt by those in the town.

However, in the novel, Pennywise is there. While the clown does not take an active part in the attack on Adrian Mellon, after his body is pushed from a bridge, Pennywise, or if we're being specific, a clown, is seen with the bloody body in his arms.

It will be interesting to see how else the scene changes due to the way time has passed. One of the interesting things that the film version of IT has done is shift the time period, so the 1980s, which was the modern day for the novel, is when the first film took place, the sequel will see the main characters grown up in our modern day.

This moment is the very first scene in the modern timeline so it certainly does set the stage for what follows as Gary Dauberman said. It's somewhat understandable that the TV version would leave it out, it would be hard to do the moment justice without showing it in all its violence, something television would have trouble doing now, never mind in 1990. The R-rated IT Chapter Two won't have that issue.

The first trailer for IT Chapter Two was released yesterday, and it focuses on one scene, but a very different one. It's not vicious and violent, but it's creepy as hell. Check it out.

IT Chapter Two will hit theaters in September.

6 Questions We Have After Watching Shazam!

6 Questions We Have After Watching Shazam!

Shazam! is officially out, and while those who have seen it now know a whole lot about DC's latest superhero adventure, they may have some questions after the film. That's understandable given there are quite a few crazy things that happen throughout the flick, many of which could be addressed in a sequel or another DC film down the line. In no particular order, here are some of the thoughts I had after the credits rolled that have stuck with me as the days have passed. Take a look.

Can The Rest Of The Kids Change On Command?

Billy can switch between his normal and champion self simply by saying "shazam," but is that the case with his foster siblings? We see the rest of the Shazam Family go hero mode in the final scenes of the film, but the circumstances of how their powers work are a bit confusing. Can they change on command like Billy, or do their powers rely on using the staff?

It's a question the movie didn't really get a chance to answer, but one I'd like to know more about. The comics have allowed the kids to change by saying "shazam" as well, but audiences only saw the children change when holding the staff with Billy. It would be nice to have some clarity on how this whole thing works in a future movie and whether or not it is similar to the comics.

Are The Powers Of The Shazam Family The Same?

As I alluded to in the previous question, the Shazam Family is similar to the characters shown in the comics, although I'm not entirely sure if the characters will be portrayed quite like their comic book counterparts. For example, Darla has the enhanced super speed like in the comics, and it seemed remarkably clear she was a good deal faster than the rest of the siblings.

Then there's Pedro who was strong enough to stop a ferris wheel, and is supposed to be the strongest of the Shazam Family. No offense to Pedro, but that didn't seem like something Billy couldn't do, especially when Shazam is typically portrayed to have a level of strength akin to Superman. Also, Eugene is supposed to have the power to control technology, although seemed to just be a lightning expert. Hopefully another movie makes their skill-sets a bit clearer.

Is Shazam! Connected To The Justice League?

Shazam's final scene before the credits has a pretty spectacular cameo, but does the Man of Steel's brief appearance confirm Billy will get an adventure with another Justice League hero in the future? It's hard to say, as we're all well aware DC isn't too keen on a shared universe for its hero films right now. Also, Henry Cavill didn't even actually appear for the cameo, lending credence to those Henry Cavill rumors.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to see Billy team up with another DC hero, although the introduction of the Shazam Family really makes this a franchise that can do ensemble films more organically on its own. Plus, I can't imagine DC would want to lug the whole family around for adventures, so any appearance by Billy would have to justify or possibly explain where the rest of the family is. That doesn't seem ideal.

What's Next For Doctor Sivana?

Shazam!'s villain Doctor Sivana started off strong, but was stripped of the demons within him and a bulk of the powers that made him a viable threat to Billy. The post-credits scene showed it's likely not the last we've seen of the villain, and that he'll likely team up with Mr. Mind for more evil plots. That's all well and good, but what use is Sivana without the power of the demons?

That's for a future film to answer, although we know that Sivana is still a highly intelligent individual even without powers. He also knows some of the mysterious spell language, which in the comics, keeps him from ever being held in any prison for too long. The character will probably see his freedom, but after that what other use does Mr. Mind have for Dr. Sivana? Will he reclaim the Eye of Sin and go for Round 2 against Billy?

Will Billy's Father Appear?

In one of Shazam's saddest scenes, Billy's mother makes it known in so many words that her prolonged absence in his life was intentional. We also learned that Billy's father is alive and in prison, although he never expressed a desire to be a father. Was that a way of saying he'd never appear, or was the mention the start of what could be a wildly different take on William Batson?

It's impossible to say, of course, although it is worth mentioning that Billy's family dynamic was one of the biggest changes in Shazam! Seeing William Batson come back into Billy's life would create some interesting tension, and another way to showcase Billy's difficult feelings in processing all of that. Or, the film could introduce William as a villain which, again, is great fodder for a wild story arc that could have a huge emotional pay off.

When Will Black Adam Appear?

Shazam! has a brief mention of Black Adam, which more or less sets the stage for Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's anti-hero to appear down the stretch. Now the question is, will we ever see Black Adam appear as a foe to Billy Batson? The fact that he wasn't featured in either post-credit scene doesn't seem like there are immediate plans to use him, despite him originally being in the mix to appear.

With that said, Dwayne Johnson has revived many fans' hopes for a standalone film with an announcement on Instagram that filming on Black Adam's solo film could start as early as next year. That probably means a film that features both characters won't come until after that, although that's not always the case. Still, if DC does still intend to make Black Adam, it might be best to tell his story there before bringing him into the Shazam! franchise proper.

Shazam! is currently in theaters, and CinemaBlend is the place to be for any viewer who wants all the answers and analysis following the superhero film. For more content like that, be sure to check out how the film did at the box office during its opening weekend. (Spoiler alert: It did well.)