Jordan Peele Reveals His Cameos In Us And Get Out

Jordan Peele Reveals His Cameos In Us And Get Out

The following contains minor spoilers for Us.

Jordan Peele has been compared by many to Alfred Hitchcock for the way has manages suspense in his films. However, it appears that Peele is similar to the famous director in one other major way, he likes to appear in his own films.

Alfred Hitchcock was known to cameo in most of his major motion pictures. Usually he would just walk across the screen at some point or otherwise appear in a fairly innocuous role. However, Jordan Peele has taken that idea to an even greater extreme. You never actually see Jordan Peele in Get Out or Us as it's actually only his voice that appears in his two directorial efforts. In both movies, he apparently creates the sounds of dying animals. According to Peele...

I've made cameos in both of my films. In Get Out I was the voice of the deer. [makes deer noise] [And in Us] I am a dying rabbit. [makes rabbit noise].

At the beginning of Get Out, the characters of Chris and Rose are on their way to Rose's parents house when their car strikes a deer. Chris goes to investigate and finds the animal slowly expiring in the woods just off the road.

For those of you who have seen Us, you know that rabbits play an interesting role in the story, apparently Peele voices one of them as they die.

It's certainly an interesting and unique way to cameo in your own films. Many directors have followed the lead of Alfred Hitchcock and made appearances in their own movies from time to time. You can be sure M. Night Shyamalan will appear in his films, sometimes in a sizable supporting role. Joe Russo has also appeared in his Marvel movies from time to time.

However, I can't think of a time a director has made a point to appear in two films, but in a way that he would almost certainly never be recognized. It wasn't until somebody asked him about the idea of appearing in his own films that we learned that he actually had.

Check out the interview with Fandango below to hear exactly what Jordan Peele sounds like in his cameos.

We don't know what's next for Jordan Peele when it comes to the director's chair. He's working as a producer of an upcoming remake of Candyman as well as the newest iteration of The Twilight Zone so he may not be directing another movie soon. If and when Peele makes another feature film, I suppose we should all look for a scene in which an animal dies, at that appears to be the place we'll hear Jordan Peele cameo in the future.

Why It Was Terrifying Pitching Toy Story 4 To Tom Hanks, According To The Director

Why It Was Terrifying Pitching Toy Story 4 To Tom Hanks, According To The Director

With the way things ended in 2010’s Toy Story 3, it’s no wonder a lot of folks thought that movie marked the end of the adventures of Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the rest of the gang on the big screen. However, nine years later, they’re back for Toy Story 4, which was directed by Josh Cooley, who’s been part of Pixar since he worked as a storyboard artist on The Incredibles.

Tom Hanks, on the other hand, has been playing Woody for over two decades, so when it came time to pitch what Toy Story 4 would be about, Josh Cooley was terrified because he was worried about whether or not Hanks would approve of the story. Cooley recalled while speaking with CinemaBlend’s own Sean O’Connell:

I know that I was nervous to give them a pitch of the story for the first time, a pitch of what was ultimately the story we were going to make. In fact, when Tom came up to Pixar and he was like, ‘Okay, what's going on? What's happening here?’ Because we had already been working on it for a couple of years already. And so I said, ‘Well here, I'm going to give you a picture of everything we're doing.’ And you know, it's Tom Hanks. He's been doing Woody for 25 years. And so I was just kind of naturally thinking, ‘Geez, I hope he likes this idea because that would be nice.’ … I got through the pitch to [scene where] Bonnie's in a classroom and she's sitting there alone and Tom said, ‘All right, you got me. Okay.’ He goes, ‘I don't know how you guys are doing this. You got me already!’ That was a huge kind of a relief. I felt like he was totally engaged.

So it turned out that Josh Cooley didn’t need to worry about if it’d be difficult impressing Tom Hanks with Toy Story 4, as he was captivated relatively early into the storytelling process. And things would only get more engaging for Hanks from there, because before he went in to record his lines, Woody’s voice actor got some texts from Buzz Lightyear’s voice actor, Tim Allen, warning him about the emotional ending.

Speaking of Tim Allen, Josh Cooley noted that he had a similar reaction as Tom Hanks’ hearing the pitch for Toy Story 4. In the director’s words:

The same thing happened with Tim. Our first session, I walked him through the story and he's laughing and really having a great time listening to it. I respect those guys so much that it was just such a relief to hear them and see them kind of light up and be thrilled to be part of it.

While Toy Story movies have always been filled with colorful characters, Woody and Buzz Lightyear have been the main players since the beginning. Judging from the Toy Story 4 trailers and marketing, it doesn’t look like Buzz will be lacking for things to do, but it’s been teased that the movie will change Woody in a major way. If Tom Hanks had a difficult time reading his final lines as the character, then I can only imagine how many tears will be shed when people see Toy Story 4 on the big screen.

It should be noted that while the possibility of a Toy Story 5 hasn’t 100% been ruled out, it seems like Toy Story 4 stands a better chance of being the definitive end to this franchise, at least movie-wise. There’s also the fact that in the coming years, Pixar will be releasing only original movies rather than sequels, so even if the Toy Story saga could continue, it would be a long time before it would be picked back up. So be prepared for the chance that you’ll be saying goodbye to these characters for good come next month.

Toy Story 4 opens in theaters on June 21, and for those of you curious about what movies will be coming out afterwards, you can find that information in our 2019 release schedule.

Kevin Feige Explains Why Captain Marvel Wasn’t Given A Love Interest

Kevin Feige Explains Why Captain Marvel Wasn’t Given A Love Interest

Spoilers ahead for Carol Danvers' origin story.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is an ever expanding place, and the stakes couldn't be higher at the moment. Captain Marvel has finally arrived, and has made a ton of money in theaters. After years of waiting, Brie Larson's Carol Danvers has joined the massive shared universe, and she'll crossover with the rest of The Avengers when Endgame arrives next month.

Captain Marvel's brief scene in the final Endgame trailer shows her interacting with Chris Hemsworth's Thor, with the two powerful heroes having a silent standoff of some kind. He eventually says he likes her, and some Marvel fans have been hoping that the duo might have a romantic connection in the upcoming blockbuster. But Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige recently addressed the lack of a love story in Captain Marvel, saying:

Well that was something as we were developing the script and queuing off of the comics as always, it never even occurred to have a love interest. That's not what the movie was about. It was about Carol finding herself and growing and making mistakes and being bolstered up by her female mentors and female friends. And that relationship with Maria was very important.

It looks like Carol Danvers was always going to fly solo in Captain Marvel. Instead of navigating a romantic connection on top of her memory loss, Captain Marvel focused on its title character's interpersonal relationships with her friends, and her former Kree allies.

Kevin Feige's comments to ScreenRant show that Captain Marvel was never going to be a love story. Kevin Feige previously promised that the movie would be a new type of origin story, and the project ultimately did just that. Carol's fractured memory served as the backdrop behind her journey on Earth, and she had a unique family unit with Maria and Monica Rambeau. Their connection was the heart of the movie, so there was no need to get Captain Marvel all dewey eyed about a boy.

If Carol Danvers was given a love interest in Captain Marvel, the movie would have been closer to the origin stories from back in Phase One. Iron Man, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, and Captain America: The First Avenger all saw the title character fall in love, while also becoming a superhero. It would have been too by the numbers to have Captain Marvel follow suit, especially when Phase Three has been such an ambitious and artistic set of films.

But just because Carol Danvers doesn't have a love interest yet doesn't mean that it can't occur sometime in the future. Captain Marvel has had romantic storylines in the comics, after all. As for those rumors about Thor in Endgame, the God of Thunder has been single for a while now. So who knows?

Captain Marvel is in theaters now, and she'll return to the MCU when Avengers: Endgame arrives on April 26th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

When The Black Widow Movie Should Start Filming, According To David Harbour

When The Black Widow Movie Should Start Filming, According To David Harbour

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is in a truly fascinating place right now. Avengers: Endgame is just weeks away, and the future of the MCU is largely a mystery. Marvel Studios is keeping its plans close to chest for Phase Four, as releasing the next slate of films has the potential to spoil the events of Endgame. But there are a few developing projects to keep an eye out for, including the long-awaited Black Widow movie.

The Black Widow movie has been slowly coming together, as director Cate Shortland has been assembling her cast and crew. Joining Scarlett Johansson for her first Marvel solo flick is Stranger Things fan favorite David Harbour, who already dipped his toes into the superhero genre with Hellboy. Harbour recently revealed when Widow's movie might begin filming, saying:

I think it’s slated to start in June. I don’t think they have it fully-boarded yet, but it’s a great character. I’m really excited about it. The cast is fleshing out (with) Scarlett and Florence Pugh, I think they said. I know they were talking about Rachel Weisz. There’s some really great actresses.

Well, this is exciting. The casting process may still be under way, but it looks like Black Widow's movie may start production in the near future. June isn't all that far away, so it looks like the solo flick will end up being one of the first releases of Phase Four. As long as nothing goes awry, that is.

David Harbour's comments to Den Of Geek are sure to excite the rabid Marvel fanbase, who are eager to see Scarlet Johansson's signature Marvel character get her time in the sun. While little to no information has been shared regarding the movie's contents, development amping up and possible June filming makes it all seem much more real. And the movie is a long time coming.

Despite being an OG member of The Avengers and one of the biggest characters in the MCU, Black Widow has surprisingly not been given her own solo movie yet. Instead, Natasha Romanoff served as a supporting character in a variety of other projects, including Iron Man 2 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. But considering how mysterious and complicated the character is, she's still been underused in this capacity.

But that should change with her solo movie, although it's unclear what that project will contain. Black Widow is one of the surviving characters in Avengers: Endgame, but it seems possible that she might perish in the battle against Thanos. If that's the case, perhaps the solo movie will be a prequel, allowing for Widow's dark backstory to finally be fleshed out onscreen.

Black Widow will return to theaters when Avengers: Endgame arrives in theaters on April 26th, and you can see David Harbour in Hellboy April 12th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Insidious Star Thinks A Fifth Movie Could Happen

Insidious Star Thinks A Fifth Movie Could Happen

In the world of the movies, especially within the horror genre, there are those actors who are easily identified by their franchises. With actor Lin Shaye, the Insidious franchise has always been one of her calling cards in Hollywood, as even character death hasn’t stopped her from returning to the Jason Blum, James Wan and Leigh Whannell-run franchise for each entry it’s racked up.

So when Lin Shaye says that a fifth Insidious movie could happen, we’re inclined to believe her. And that’s exactly what she’s saying, as per a recent interview that had Shaye state the following:

I think there is another one, that they have a story for that and it is very different. The last one, for me to have realized the character’s past, present, and future of my character, was a gift. I don’t know if there’s a script being written, but I think there will be another Insidious movie.

Now while Lin Shaye is saying that another Insidious film is possible, it’s crucial to remember that there isn’t any official confirmation that Blum, Wan and Whannell have a script draft for such a film yet. Shaye herself even says this, as she clearly nails home the fact that the possibility is one that she believes in.

Having said that, seeing Lin Shaye's unwavering faith that the Insidious franchise, which saw her character Elise Rainier etched into the minds of many a modern horror fan, could be returning could be a good sign. She was last seen in 2018’s Insidious: The Last Key. The film delved more into the backstory of Elise’s childhood, showing just how deep her connection with the world of The Further truly was. It was also the highest grossing film in the series, when accounting for worldwide grosses.

So Lin Shaye’s remarks to Forbes just might be accurate, as producer Jason Blum and Universal are such good business partners that taking another stab at the Insidious world could prove profitable. Considering the budget for the series has held steady at $10 million, and each sequel has had no problem clearing the $100 million mark, that’s some easy money that the franchise could be earning.

With a standard two to three years gap between Insidious films, the world feels overdue for another round of spectral mayhem. Any minute now, Jason Blum and Universal could announce that James Wan and Leigh Whannell had a script for Insidious 5 sitting in their back pockets, just waiting to wow the world with a new and different adventure.

Maybe it’d be the continuing adventures of her fictional niece, Imogen Rainier, or perhaps that Sinister crossover that was once proposed might just get off the ground. Let’s not forget, she did say it’d be a pretty different film, and the rules are pretty clear on where Elise can and cannot be used in the Insidious franchise.

It’s all rumor and speculation for now, but as soon as something definite is announced in either direction, you can come back here to CinemaBlend and we’ll be reporting the cold hard facts.

Lin Shaye can currently be seen in Room For Rent, a thriller that’s available on VOD through Amazon Prime, Google Play, and YouTube for rental or purchase.

Disney CEO Says It'll Be Difficult To Keep Filming In Georgia If Abortion Law Takes Effect

Disney CEO Says It'll Be Difficult To Keep Filming In Georgia If Abortion Law Takes Effect

While Disney has always been a powerhouse of entertainment, the past decade has seen the company become even more massive in scope. With the acquisition of Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Disney has had the ability to grow and make even more money at the box office. The MCU has found its home in Pinewood Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, although recent legislation in the state may result in production pivoting to a different location.

Tons of TV and film projects regularly film in Georgia, as the tax breaks allow production to save some much needed funds during the shooting process. The state recently introduced a potential new law that would essentially ban abortions, and make it a felony for any doctors to go forth with the procedure. Its a decision that has caused some production companies and actors to speak out against working within state lines, and now Disney CEO Bob Iger has revealed that the House of Mouse may pull out of its Atlanta home. When he was asked if they'd stay in the city's Pinewood location, Iger said:

I rather doubt we will. I think many people who work for us will not want to work there, and we will have to heed their wishes in that regard. Right now we are watching it very carefully.

Well, that's quite the definitive statement to Reuters. Moviemaking is ultimately about making money, and filming within the state lines of Georgia allow for budgets to be stretched. While Disney is obviously focused on making a profit on its countless blockbusters, it seems that Bob Iger and company are going to listen to the concerns of their employees when it comes to the state's new abortion legislation.

When Georgia's elected officials first introduced the potential new ban on abortion, there were calls from the filmmaking community to pull productions from the state. Because while movies and TV benefit from the tax cuts that are available, the money spent on making projects like Avengers: Endgame and shows like Stranger Things also funnel large funds of money into the state. Plus, plenty of locals are hired for the cast/crew, adding jobs to the local economy as well.

This seems to be the leverage that filmmakers are hoping to use against the abortion law's potential passing in the state. A few projects have already pulled out of Georgia, but Disney's possible inclusion would be a major development. On top of the massive amount of money the studio puts into its Marvel blockbusters, it's also possible that other major studios would follow suit. After all, Disney has been known to start trends in the filmmaking world.

As of now, nothing is official in regards to Georgia's new ban on abortion, and the affect that might have on Disney's upcoming blockbusters. But CinemaBlend will be sure to monitor the situation as it unfolds. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Wait, MoviePass Stock Is Up 40%?

Wait, MoviePass Stock Is Up 40%?

Around this time last year, MoviePass was still flying high, disrupting the industry and helping millions of subscribers to see more movies than ever before. Then came the Mission: Impossible – Fallout incident, which sparked a series of public and costly stumbles that dragged down the service and saw its parent company’s stock plummet along with it. Now MoviePass is rising like a phoenix from the ashes…okay, well maybe not exactly, but MoviePass stock is up 40%.

Shares of Helios & Matheson Analytics were up over 40% yesterday in over-the-counter trading, rising above a penny and reaching 1.23 cents per share before the close of the day according to Deadline. The day also saw triple the normal volume of the company’s shares changing hands. This comes after Helios & Matheson shares were delisted from the NASDAQ last month due to the foibles of its MoviePass unit, which saw the company’s shares trade under $1 since last July.

So what changed? Well, it all comes down to the new business strategy MoviePass will be employing going forward. Helios & Matheson still plans on spinning off its MoviePass business into its own public traded company, to help distinguish the beleaguered movie service from the data analytics firm and the other parts of its business.

That new company, MoviePass Entertainment Holdings will be made up of three separate pillars, each addressing a different part of the business. MoviePass Films will be the company’s production arm, producing new movies under the MoviePass banner; the MoviePass subscription service and app for which the company gained its name; and the Moviefone brand that Helios & Matheson and MoviePass acquired from Verizon last year.

MoviePass said that this new three-pillar model would generate its own revenue, without reliance on studios and exhibitors. This is in stark contrast to the MoviePass of a year or so ago that entered the room with all the subtlety of the Kool-Aid man and wanted to strike deals with studios to promote movies and get a share of tickets and concessions from theater chains.

The idea is that the three parts of the business will work in concert, sharing each others resources in an ecosystem where each part benefits the others. The MoviePass Films arm will make movies with an eye towards transcending theaters, and get deals for home video releases and international distribution. That should then help the MoviePass theatergoing subscription service to grow. The Moviefone digital platform will then be used as a promotional tool for the other two pillars.

MoviePass admits it has made mistakes and it appear to be trying to remedy them with the hard-learned lessons of 2018. The MoviePass subscription service recently relaunched with 3 new pricing plans and now this new business model is another attempt by the service to regain its footing.

If this strategy works as intended, MoviePass can generate its own revenue and won’t be burning cash with the hopes of striking lucrative deals with entrenched parts of the industry. It’s obviously too early to say if that will be the case and one day’s stock increase is no guarantee that MoviePass has turned a corner, but it’s still a positive sign that shows that there is some optimism in the financial sector that this is a step in the right direction for the service.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for all your movie news and check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of the biggest movies headed your way this year.