Now There Are Petitions To Pull Game Of Thrones Showrunners From Star Wars Movie

Now There Are Petitions To Pull Game Of Thrones Showrunners From Star Wars Movie

You could start a petition to end petitions, but if it's as successful as any of the other recent petitions, I'd say don't bother. Game of Thrones critics launched a petition to remake Season 8 with "competent writers," a clear shot at showrunners/writers David Benioff and Dan Weiss. That petition has more than 1.5 million signatures and counting, even though Game of Thrones is now over and HBO has no intention of remaking anything.

Fans are signing to make the point. And now some of the same fans may be making the same point for Star Wars.

While Game of Thrones' controversial final season was airing, Disney boss Bob Iger confirmed the next Star Wars movie after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker would be from Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. That was great news to Rian Johnson critics, but bad news to D&D critics. (Everyone's a critic!)

Since petitions are the new normal -- and more about gathering like-minded people to vent shared frustrations rather than an actual expectation for change -- you can now find several petitions to stop the Game of Thrones showrunners from making the next Star Wars film. Some of the petitions may be competing with each other for attention -- I see at least two over at Change.org, one has nearly 11,000 signatures and the other only 616 so far -- and nobody has picked up viral steam at this point. I was minding my own business when Care2 sent me an email about a fan's new petition specifically to Disney CEO Bob Igner, asking Disney to choose someone else to do the next Star Wars movie. So far, that petition has close to 5,000 signatures.

Most petitions don't get the attention of that Game of Thrones one. Even the one to Disney to rehire James Gunn, which you could consider to be a success even if it didn't play a direct role in his rehiring, didn't have THIS many signatures. You have to admit the timing is a bit awkward for that incredibly popular petition to be followed by the Star Wars movie announcement. Then again, with the GoT showrunners and Rian Johnson in contention for the next Star Wars movie, there was no Option B -- the choice was going to be controversial. At least Rian Johnson critics are happy with the choice of D&D for the next Star Wars movie. They seem to have few major complaints about the final season of Game of Thrones vs. the continued airing of grievances over Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

There's a 0.0% chance fans won't have major criticisms on how Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker ends the Skywalker Saga. The more people care about something, the more passionate the pro and con reactions. It's actually kind of amazing there wasn't more criticism for Avengers: Endgame. Not to say fans didn't speak up, and some are still debating the logistics of the time travel elements, but there was no massive backlash. Usually something so popular has a correlating backlash to balance, at least these days, but it's rare and wonderful when the majority of fans are content.

As the sun now stands, we don't know if David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are making all three Star Wars movies that were recently scheduled, or just the first one. It could be those dates are being held for their potential trilogy. Or their movie could still be followed by something from Rian Johnson. Nothing has been confirmed on that front yet, and there's a lot of time for things to move around the schedule.

In the meantime, the first live-action Star Wars series, The Mandalorian, is set to debut on Disney+ in November, followed by Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker in theaters in December. Keep up with all of the Star Wars release dates with our handy guide.

How The Transformers Writers Room Led To The Creation Of Bumblebee

How The Transformers Writers Room Led To The Creation Of Bumblebee

At the end of last year, Bumblebee emerged as one of the big surprise blockbusters of the year. While Transformers movies of the past didn’t fare all that well when it came to approval from critics, the Travis Knight film upended that trend, and seduced both writers and audiences with an effortless charm, wonderful heart, and excellent characters. It could wind up influencing the entire future of the franchise, and it all started with screenwriter Christina Hodson’s involvement with the establishment of a specialized writers’ room about four years ago.

Paramount and Hasbro made headlines back in the summer of 2015 when they announced that they were putting together a team of filmmakers who would work together to establish a short term and long term future for the Transformers franchise. Spearheaded by Oscar winner Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind), the room included a number of talented established and up-and-coming talents, including The Walking Dead's Robert Kirkman and Black Hawk Down screenwriter Ken Nolan (who went on to eventually write Transformers: The Last Knight). Having recently had her script The Eden Project included on the Black List, Christina Hodson was invited to participate, and in her own words it was a bit of a surprise:

I got the call kind of out of nowhere to join the Transformers writer's room. It was one of the first feature writers’ rooms out there; I know there have been a lot since. And it was really an amazing experience. It was 12 of us in a room for three weeks. The first week was kind of focused on learning about the franchise, and learning about the history of the movies, but also the cartoons, and comics, and the franchise as a whole. And then it was about all of us kind of figuring out what story we would want to tell within that universe.

With Bumblebee hitting the home video market, I recently jumped on the phone with Christina Hodson to talk about her experiences making the blockbuster, and our conversation started at the very beginning with how she got involved with the project. It apparently began with a form of Transformers school where she received a full education on what the robots in disguise are all about, and then things eventually opened up to allow the individuals and writing pairs to start workshopping the stories that they would like to tell within the context of the franchise.

As far as creative environments go, Christina Hodson acknowledged that it was a boon for her process, even though her colleagues were developing potentially very different approaches:

We each kind of narrowed in on our own little corner, our own little story that we wanted to tell. And it was just about supporting each other and workshopping things together. We each had our own thing, but we would take care of each other and help each other.

As for Christina Hodson’s “little story,” she had a base idea of what she wanted to do, but didn’t have the details or the full scope of it all in mind. As it happened, Paramount and Hasbro had been mulling the idea of a Bumblebee spin-off in the months prior to the organization of the Transformers writers’ room, and it was with that part of the brand that Hodson’s pitch wonderfully dovetailed. And given that she was a massive fan of the yellow robot, this was news that basically had her ready to jump up and down. She explained,

I went into that room knowing I wanted to tell 'One girl and one robot.' I had a vague notion of what I wanted to do. I didn't know I was going to be allowed to make that character Bumblebee. I really wanted to, because he's always been my favorite. And when it became clear that I was going to get to be able to play with that character I was over the moon.

Through the work with the other writers, what would be developed as the Bumblebee pitch started to take real form and develop – with it adding details like becoming a period story set in the 1980s. And while it apparently took a minute for the studio and producing partners to figure out exactly what they wanted, and how they wanted to invest their money, Christina Hodson eventually got the call.

When I asked her about what the Transformers writers’ room added to the development of the script, she acknowledged the support and feedback she received from her fellow filmmakers, saying,

It was more about having a sounding board, and having a room of fantastic and excited and passionate minds to kind of get things to sound things out with. I left that room with a pitch that the producers and Paramount and Hasbro and everyone seemed to get excited about. And they called me several months later and said, 'That the one we want to send to script.' So I got to then write the script based off of that. And the first draft of the script is very, very close to the initial pitch.

According to reports, that first draft of the script arrived in late 2016 – though at that time there was thought about the feature being made as a summer 2018 release. Travis Knight came on board in March 2017 to helm Bumblebee as his first live action feature, filming began about four months later, and the rest is history.

By the time it was done with its global theatrical run, the film - starring Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Pamela Adlon, Jason Drucker, and John Ortiz – made $465.2 million, and now fans can continue to enjoy it in the comforts of their own home. Not only is Bumblebee available now for digital purchase and download, but 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD copies will be hitting stores this Tuesday, April 2nd. Pick up a copy, give it a watch, and stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more from my interview with Christina Hodson.

Yes, John Travolta Shaved His Head, Says Pitbull Had Him Do It

Yes, John Travolta Shaved His Head, Says Pitbull Had Him Do It

For someone who’s been known for a head of hair that could make the world swoon, actor John Travolta’s decision to go with a cleanly shaven head came as a bit of a surprise. Sure, he’d previously shaved for a film role, which helped soften the blow a bit, but when he decided to go full-time with the new do, it shocked quite a few folks.

In Travolta’s own words, the shaved head look all came down to one person convincing him that bald was the only way to go. And that person was Mr. 305 himself, Pitbull. The story came from John Travolta himself, who explained on Jimmy Kimmel Live!:

I did a movie called From Paris, With Love where I shaved it. So I got used to it, some people got used to it. It wasn’t a total shock. I became friends with Pitbull, and I loved how it [looked.] All us guys gotta stick together that do this.

In case you were wondering how John Travolta looks with his new bald statement to the world, you can see the evidence for yourself below.

As you can see, not only does Travolta seem extremely comfortable with this look, but it’s not a bad look for him to have in general. Though it’s still hard not to think back to the various hairstyles that John Travolta has flaunted in his decades of acting in Hollywood movies and TV projects.

Who can forget his early career locks in projects like Welcome Back, Kotter, or even his look as Danny Zuko in the film adaptation of the hit musical Grease? Even with shorter, less flowing hair, like in the era of Look Who’s Talking or Face/Off, John Travolta has always had an impressive mane for fans of his to behold. But his new bald look draws an even sharper contrast to those classic looks that we've provided below for a contrast.

So you can forgive those who may have been shocked once he first went bald in From Paris, With Love, back in 2010; but by now the world has had time to adjust. But then again, how can you not get behind this lifestyle change after learning that Pitbull was the one to inspire it?

If Pitbull, a man who is famous for making bald look good, thinks that John Travolta, a man who’s been known for his hair for his whole career, looks good bald; then that’s pretty much all of the approval a person could need in the eyes of the law. You can see Travolta, and his daughter Ella Bleu, talking about this recent adjustment in their appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, with special guest host Lena Waithe, in the video below:

If Pitbull can sway John Travolta into becoming bald, who’s next? For all we know, these two could be the beginning of a hairless super team that’ll take Hollywood by storm. We could be hyping this up for nothing, but if we see Richard Gere taking the bald route in the near future, then you know it’s serious.

John Travolta can be seen acting alongside Ella Bleu in The Poison Rose, which is currently in limited theatrical release; as well as in The Fanatic (previously known as Moose which is slated for release this September.

Sylvester Stallone Says Rambo 5 Caused 'A Lot Of Damage' To His Body During Filming

Sylvester Stallone Says Rambo 5 Caused 'A Lot Of Damage' To His Body During Filming

Legendary cinematic soldier John Rambo is equally as lethal whether he is wielding a knife, a bow and arrow, a gun or his bare hands, and he has used those skills to rack up a triple-digit kill count. Being that much of a badass is hard work though and it takes a toll, even on someone as rugged and fit as Sylvester Stallone. The actor recently spoke about the physical cost of Rambo 5: Last Blood, saying:

It’s been a long time since I’ve been in the gym because I’ve been out there doing Rambo, which caused a lot of damage. So now I’ve got to fix things.

In his Instagram video, Sylvester Stallone was back in the gym after taking a hiatus from pumping iron to film Rambo 5: Last Blood. Rambo is a physically taxing role. By the sound of it, that last ride as the Vietnam War veteran was not an easy one, and it took a major physical toll on the 72-year-old actor's body. Just hearing the emphasis he puts on ‘damage’ implies that Sly really took a beating making this movie.

It may be easy to lose sight of the physically challenging nature of the Rambo role, and the fact that, despite his youthful energy and exuberance, Sylvester Stallone is not the same actor who was in his 30s when he filmed First Blood in 1982. You don’t bounce back quite as quickly when you’re older. In many ways, that makes his return to the Rambo franchise all the more impressive.

So after having his body broken down during filming, Sylvester Stallone is doing something about it. Rambo 5: Last Blood has wrapped filming and the actor is back in the gym working out again and building his body back up, knowing that weight training is one of the best things for injury prevention. Check out the video below to see Sly espouse his admirable and motivating ethos:

Sylvester Stallone is banged up and knows that it would be easier to just chill out and relax. It takes an a great amount of will to do what you should do and not what’s easy, and that’s what he is talking about here: advocating for the importance of self-motivation and constant self-improvement. No wonder Adonis Creed sought out Rocky, he’s a hell of coach.

Given the damage he says he took on Rambo 5: Last Blood, it’s probably a good thing that Sylvester Stallone is closing the chapter on this character as well as his time as Rocky Balboa. Still though, in a way it adds a layer of realism to Last Blood. Like Sly, Rambo is not young and war is a young man’s game that he will still have to wage to rescue his friend’s daughter in the film. The old soldier going in to battle one last time has something of an Old Man Logan/Unforgiven vibe to it.

Rambo 5: Last Blood opens in theaters on September 20. Check out our 2019 release schedule to keep track of all of this year’s biggest movies.

Gal Gadot Celebrated Zachary Levi's Shazam! Opening In The Cutest Way

Gal Gadot Celebrated Zachary Levi's Shazam! Opening In The Cutest Way

Charismatic and endearing Gal Gadot charmed the world with DC's Wonder Woman and now she's congratulating charismatic and endearing Zachary Levi for doing the same with DC's Shazam! Levi officially joins the DCEU with Shazam!, which just opened this weekend. Unlike with, say, Jason Momoa's Aquaman, Zachary Levi didn't first appear as Shazam in a previous DC movie. So Gadot took a moment to welcome Levi to the DCEU, and she did it in the most adorable way:

How stinkin' cute is that? I love that Gal Gadot was on top of some mountain but still had Wonder Woman and Shazam action figures to pose in the snow. A true goddess at work.

The love between superhero stars is a beautiful thing. Jason Momoa literally stood up to a Henry Cavill hater when that non-fan had words about Superman. When Aquaman came out, Henry Cavill returned the love with his own hilarious post.

It's not clear what Henry Cavill's true Superman status is in the DCEU at this point, but we know Ben Affleck is definitely out as Batman. Gal Gadot is definitely coming back as Diana Prince in Wonder Woman 1984. Gadot already finished filming that movie, and she had a fantastic time making it. Wonder Woman's sequel was once again directed by Patty Jenkins. It co-stars Kristen Wiig as Barbara Ann Minerva/Cheetah and also manages to bring back Chris Pine as Steve Trevor. Jenkins has said she already has plans for Wonder Woman 3, whether she gets to make the film or not.

Shazam! and Wonder Woman both have A CinemaScores from polled moviegoers, the highest grades for the DCEU to date. Shazam!'s opening of $53.4 million isn't quite in line with the other DCEU movies, but nobody expected it to be. Overall, it still feels like a breath of fresh air for the franchise.

Zachary Levi has fielded a lot of praise for his role as the adult superhero version of Billy Batson in Shazam! He has been replying to a lot of the fans -- famous and non-famous -- as he, his fellow cast members, and director David F. Sandberg bask in this moment.

There's already talk of Shazam! getting a sequel, which may move forward very quickly. Warner Bros. is reportedly not focusing as much on the share universe -- after the billion dollar success of Aquaman and frustrations of Justice League. Instead, WB plans to let the individual film directors tell their own superhero stories.

Next up, the DCEU has Birds of Prey, starring Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, which is scheduled to open February 7, 2020. Then Wonder Woman 1984 arrives June 5, 2020. Keep up with all things DCEU with our guide, and keep up with everything heading to theaters in 2019 with our movie release date schedule.

15 Avengers: Endgame Lines That Are References To Past MCU Moments

15 Avengers: Endgame Lines That Are References To Past MCU Moments

SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains major details about Avengers: Endgame – beginning, middle, and end. If you have not yet seen the film, feel free to bookmark this page and come back after your screening!

There is no question that the greatest miracle Avengers: Endgame pulls off is the way in which it references the entire span of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date. There isn’t one movie in the canon that doesn’t get at least one reference in the blockbuster, and while some are certainly more significant than others, it would be a challenge for any fan not to appreciate the level of detail.

This is an element of the movie that is particularly significant in the dialogue, as there are many lines throughout Avengers: Endgame that are direct callbacks to previous Marvel Studios titles. There are so many that you might not have caught them all, but in that particular arena we have you covered. We have noted all 15 lines that directly reference an earlier MCU script, and collected them all here. So without further ado…

"A suit of armor around the world."/"We'll lose." – Avengers: Age Of Ultron

Following the dramatic events of Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Endgame is the first Marvel movie to reunite Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) – but rather than referencing that particular trilogy capper, their conversation brings back notable lines from Avengers: Age Of Ultron. Specifically, there are references to two scenes: the first when Tony Stark is explaining to Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) his desire to build a “suit of armor around the world,” and then a later exchange between Tony and Steve. The former notes about the looming extraterrestrial threat, “We’ll lose,” and the latter retorts, “Then we’ll do that together too.” Sadly, Steve was wrong, and the reason they lost to Thanos (Josh Brolin) in Avengers: Infinity War was because of their conflict.

"I went for the head." – Avengers: Infinity War

Part of the reason why the ending of Avengers: Infinity War is so crushing is because of just how close the titular team came to beating Thanos. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) successfully buried Stormbreaker in the Mad Titan’s chest shortly after the villain collected the final Infinity Stone, but it wasn’t enough. Thanos explained to the Asgardian that he should have gone for the quick kill via decapitation – “You should have gone for the head” – and not doing so allowed him to snap away half of life in existence. This is a mistake that Thor rectifies quickly in Avengers: Endgame, right after learning that all of the Infinity Stones have been destroyed.

"I do, Captain America." – Captain America: Civil War

One of the greatest bits about Scott Lang a.k.a. Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the utter awe he projects whenever he’s around more established superheroes. This is especially true when he’s around Captain America, and perfectly exemplified when he returns the World War II hero’s shield at the start of the airport battle in Civil War – where he notably delivers the line, “I believe this is yours, Captain America.” It’s one of the movie’s most memorable moments, and wonderfully echoed when Scott is pitching his time travel idea in Avengers: Endgame and feels compelled to address the star spangled man by his full name.

"This is a long way from Budapest." – The Avengers

As Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson) hop on a spaceship and plan to depart the planet Morag for Vormir, the former turns to the latter and notes that the experience is “a long way from Budapest.” This is a direct reference back to one of the more grounding moments in The Avengers, specifically when the same two characters are fighting Chitauri warriors during the Battle of New York. In the scene, Widow remarks, “It’s like Budapest all over again,” to which Hawkeye replies, “You and I remember Budapest very differently.” Unfortunately, we still have no idea exactly what happened to the heroes in the capital of Hungary – but perhaps that’s something that will be covered in the upcoming Black Widow solo film.

"If it's all the same to you, I'll take that drink now." – The Avengers

This bit is different than all the others in this list, in that it’s the only line of dialogue from a previous movie that we hear in the exact same context, albeit at a new angle. Loki (Tom Hiddleston) says this line at the very end of The Avengers when he is cornered by the heroes in Stark Tower, and while it was originally delivered in the medium shot you see above, Avengers: Endgame gives us a new look at it. While the aforementioned scene is playing out, Future Tony Stark and Future Ant-Man are sneaking behind them, and we wind up catching more of the exchange than was previously shown in the Joss Whedon film.

"Hail Hydra." – Captain America: The Winter Soldier

This is a fun one, in that it’s not only a great callback to one of the meme-able lines in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but also a nod to a recent controversy in the pages of Marvel Comics. When trying to acquire Loki’s staff from the “S.H.I.E.L.D.” agents who are taking it, Captain America whispers “Hail Hydra” to the group while in an elevator in Avengers: Endgame, and it makes an impact so significant that he gets the staff without having to throw a single punch. This will most definitely remind audiences of the moment featuring Senator Stern (Garry Shandling) and Agent Sitwell (Maximiliano Hernández), but it’s very likely included as a reference to 2017 Marvel Comics event Secret Empire, which featured a Captain America as a Hydra sleeper agent due to his past being manipulated by Red Skull.

"I can do this all day." – Captain America: The First Avenger/Civil War

Get ready for a callback to a callback! One of the most impactful moments in Captain America: Civil War is when the titular character and Iron Man are fighting at the end, and despite being beaten and bloody the soldier gets to his feet and remarks that he “can do this all day” – a reference back to the same exact line that the de-powered Steve Rogers delivered to a bully in the first act of Captain America: The First Avenger. This bit is brought back again in Avengers: Endgame, albeit with a funny twist. After getting Loki’s staff, Future Cap winds up in a fist fight with 2012 Cap (who thinks he is the God of Mischief in disguise), and the latter brings back the line as a kind of psych out move. It doesn’t really work, though, as the more experienced of the two retorts with a semi-exhausted, “I know.”

"I'm the strongest Avenger." – Thor: Ragnarok

In Avengers: Endgame, a fight over which of the heroes should wear the newly-made Infinity Gauntlet and repair the damage done by Thanos leads Thor to make the argument that he is the strongest Avenger and therefore should be the one to do the job. This is ultimately a thought that is shut down due to the fact that he isn’t really in a solid place emotionally – but it’s also a sly callback to Thor: Ragnarok. You may remember that the God of Thunder guessed that his access code to activate the Quinjet was “strongest Avenger,” but it didn’t work because his real access code was “Point Break” (itself a reference to The Avengers). What makes this bit even funnier is the fact that Hulk was able to access to the Quinjet in Ragnarok with the code “strongest Avenger,” and also winds up wearing the Gauntlet in Endgame.

"On your left." – Captain America: The Winter Soldier

It’s not surprising in the slightest that Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) become fast friends in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, as their rapport and chemistry is established mere seconds into the movie. Both are fans of morning jogs around Washington D.C., and Cap makes a habit of poking fun at the fellow veteran by regularly speeding past him – calling out “On your left” while doing so. This big comes back at the end of the film when Steve wakes in a hospital bed to find his pal by his bedside, but the callback is even more significant in Avengers: Endgame. After all, these are the words that Sam uses to let the team leader know that he and the rest of the resurrected heroes are ready to unite and do battle with Thanos… with a few other friends in tow as well.

"Avengers: Assemble" – Avengers: Age Of Ultron

Avengers: Endgame is the fourth Avengers movie, but it’s the first to include arguably the most iconic and oft-repeated line from the Marvel Comics that inspired it. “Avengers Assemble” is the call to action regularly used by heroes to get the superhero team prepared for battle, and it’s perfectly delivered by Captain America right at the start of the massive third act battle in the 2019 blockbuster. Of course, we previously came extremely close to hearing it in Avengers: Age Of Ultron, as half of the line was delivered by Cap at the very end of the film right before it cut to the credits. Back in 2015 it was considered a bit of a controversial move by Joss Whedon, but in retrospect we’re happy he left the door to instead be opened by Joe and Anthony Russo and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely in Endgame.

"We’re on it, Cap." – Ant-Man And The Wasp

Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) gives Scott Lang quite a lot of crap in Ant-Man And The Wasp for stealing her family’s tech to go fight in the superhero civil war, and this includes some razzing about his familiarity with Captain America – whom he refers to as “Cap” at one point. In the moment this is mocked by Hope a.k.a. The Wasp, but it comes back in a great way in Avengers: Endgame. During the big final battle, the Avengers leader assigns the two shrinking heroes to get the Quantum Tunnel in the X-Con van working again, and Wasp replies over the radio, “We’re on it, Cap.” It’s quick, but you may notice that Scott gives her a bit of a look – and it’s perfect.

"Activate 'Instant Kill.'" – Spider-Man: Homecoming

Like many heroes in the Marvel Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland) typically does everything he can not to kill his enemies… but the same can’t be said of Iron Man. It’s for that reason that it wasn’t hugely surprising to learn in Spider-Man: Homecoming that Tony Stark installed a special function in the Spidey suit called “Instant Kill” mode. This was presumed to be just a one-off joke that fans would never hear about again, but Avengers: Endgame brought it back in the best way. Peter Parker might not try to murder other human beings, but mindless aliens is another subject entirely, so it made every kind of sense to bring back “Instant Kill” mode during the blockbuster’s final battle.

"And I am Iron Man." – Iron Man

In the final moments of Avengers: Endgame’s big battle, Thanos proves to have an ego big enough to quote himself in dramatic fashion – borrowing a line from his alternate timeline self and letting Tony Stark know that he is “inevitable.” After it’s revealed that Tony stole the Infinity Stones from him, however, the genius/billionaire/playboy/philanthropist does the Mad Titan one better by also quoting himself… notably with the line that originally cemented the birth of the Marvel Cinematic Universe back in 2008. “I am Iron Man” was a perfect final declaration at the end of the first Iron Man, and its return in 2019 is absolutely epic, and ultimately a beautiful way to say goodbye to a version of a character who completely changed modern pop culture.

"Your dad loved cheeseburgers." - Iron Man

“I love you 3000” will likely go down in history as the most heartbreaking line in Avengers: Endgame, but not to be sold short is the quick exchange between Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) and Morgan Stark (Lexi Rabe) at Tony Stark’s funeral. Iron Man’s former driver/bodyguard/forehead of security asks the young girl how she is doing, and she not only remarks that she is hungry, but that she wants a cheeseburger – to which Happy replies, “Your dad loved cheeseburgers.” This doesn’t seem like anything special at first – after all, who doesn’t like cheeseburgers? – but it gains significance when you remember Tony Stark’s first request after his rescue in the desert in Iron Man. That’s right: an American cheeseburger.

"Don’t do anything stupid." – Captain America: The First Avenger

One third of the quotes on this list come from the Captain America trilogy, and that’s not super surprising when you consider that it was the collection of Marvel titles that Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely wrote before tackling the last two Avengers movies. Endgame is particularly tapped into those films, and perhaps the best example is the exchange between Cap and Bucky Barnes a.k.a. Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) right before the former’s final time travel adventure. The lines are switched, but “Don’t do anything stupid” followed by the reply, “How can I? You’re taking all the stupid with you” is exactly what the two men said to each other back in 1942 before Bucky was deployed in World War II to fight with the 107th Infantry Regiment. It’s a beautiful moment reflecting back on Captain America: The First Avenger, and even more excellent when considered in context with what happens next.

Do you have a favorite callback moment in Avengers: Endgame? Hit the comments section below with your pick, and stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for a ton more Marvel feature coverage in the coming days.

Adam Driver And Daisy Ridley Address Kylo And Rey's Relationship In The Rise Of Skywalker

Adam Driver And Daisy Ridley Address Kylo And Rey's Relationship In The Rise Of Skywalker

Initially enemies in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rey and Kylo Ren’s relationship morphed into something different in The Last Jedi. With a little help from Supreme Leader Snoke, the two loners, struggling to find their place and purpose, developed this deeply personal connection and despite being on opposite sides of a war. And they found something they lacked in each other.

With December’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker set to complete the Skywalker Saga, this trilogy and the stories of these characters, one of the big questions heading in will be the relationship between Rey and Kylo, and how that relationship/ Force connection will impact their stories in the film. Addressing the relationship with Rey in The Rise of Skywalker, Adam Driver said:

And then he had been forging this maybe-bond with Rey, and it kind of ends with the question in the air: is he going to pursue that relationship, or when the door of her ship goes up, does that also close that camaraderie that they were maybe forming?

As Adam Driver told Vanity Fair, whether or not Kylo Ren continues to pursue some kind of relationship with Rey is one of the biggest questions for his character in The Rise of Skywalker. After the fight with the Praetorian Guard in Snoke’s throne room, Rey thought Kylo had turned and sought his help to save the rebellion. Kylo had different plans though and held out his hand, beckoning Rey to join him and rule alongside him.

Rey rejects him and ultimately leaves with the Resistance at the end of the film. That impasse between them could be seen as a breaking point. It seems their differences couldn't be solved, leading to a parting of the ways. The same would seem to hold true here, literally closing the door on their relationship.

But if Kylo values that relationship and still believes he can turn Rey to him, then he could choose to pursue that bond. Whether he would find Rey receptive to such a thing and she still sees the light in Kylo is another matter entirely. Ben Solo’s entire life as Kylo Ren has been a rejection of all the things that Rey values, as Daisy Ridley explained:

I think there’s a part of Rey that’s like, dude, you fucking had it all, you had it all. That was always a big question during filming: you had it all and you let it go.

Rey has been waiting for and seeking family since we first met her, and cannot understand how Ben could eschew the one thing she’s always wanted. Meanwhile, Ben Solo had a family and a good one. They weren’t some abstract concept Kylo told her horrible stories about either, Rey knows Leia and in the brief time they shared together Han Solo became something of a father figure to her. She also came to know and love Luke. Ben had all these great people in his life that loved and cared about him and he threw it away.

Not only did Ben eschew Han and Luke and Leia, he killed one, tried to kill another (and kind of succeeded) and is at cross-purpose with his mother. Any relationship with someone who has such fundamentally different values than her will be extremely fraught and difficult for Rey.

But families always look different to those who are in them than they do from the outside. From Kylo’s perspective, he didn’t have it all, rather, the pressure of his family and their expectations for him are what have caused him such internal strife, as Adam Driver continued:

How do you form friendships out of that? How do you understand the weight of that? And if there’s no one around you guiding you, or articulating things the right way … it can easily go awry.

We don’t have a ton of insight into Ben Solo’s childhood or his turn to the Dark Side in film canon. But from Adam Driver’s perspective, growing up as the son of the heroes of the galaxy was no picnic. He was always worried about not measuring up to a family legacy laden with tragedy and triumph. Either from a lack of guidance or an approach that didn’t speak to him, this pressure led Ben astray.

According to Vanity Fair, the inside word is that Rey and Kylo’s Force connection will run even deeper than what we’ve seen so far, meaning that it was definitively not severed with Snoke’s death. What that means for their relationship in the film and their respective arcs, will they team up to fight Palpatine, will Kylo be redeemed, etc., gives us plenty to speculate over.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker blasts into theaters on December 20. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all this year’s biggest movies.