The Harry Potter Cast: A Look Back Then And Now

The Harry Potter Cast: A Look Back Then And Now

It’s been almost 20 years since the first movie adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World hit the big screen in the form of 2001’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Since then, the fantasy franchise has spun seven sequels, a completely new film series called Fantastic Beasts, and a highly popular land in Universal Studios.

The phenomenon has been around for nearly a generation, and while the main cast of the classic series have had close to a decade to grow apart from with their iconic roles, it’s always magical to look back at what’s changed between their first trip to Hogwarts to today. There’s been a mix of glo ups, sad passings and exciting projects between the Harry Potter film family between then and now. Let’s take a look:

Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter)

Look how far little Harry has come since his humble beginnings living in the Cupboard Under the Stairs! The star wizard of the series scored his famous role when he was just eleven years old and he will always be best remembered as the boy who lived. His first Harry Potter follow-up was the 2012 horror flick The Woman in Black, but he’s also starred in the indie rom-com What If, the box office flop Victor Frankenstein alongside James McAvoy, the critically-acclaimed indie Swiss Army Man and the 'magical' Now You See Me sequel.

Radcliffe also lit up Broadway in How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying revival, starred in a two-season television series with Jon Hamm called A Young Doctor’s Notebook & Other Stories, and currently stars in TBS mini-series Miracle Workers as a low-level angel trying to settle a bet with God (Steve Buscemi) and stop the destruction of Earth. The actor has dabbled in just about everything as he nears 30 this year and doesn’t seem to stop pushing the boundaries of his talent each time we see him. Maybe Wolverine next?

Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley)

Remember when an 11-year-old Rupert Grint saved all of Hogwarts as Ron Weasley in Sorcerer’s Stone thanks to some expert chess knowledge? Iconic. While the actor recently admitted that he almost called quits on the role after wrapping Goblet of Fire when fame took hold, he stuck it out and without regrets… but what has life been like since?

Rupert took on a few off-beat roles directly after Deathly Hallows Part 2, such as in the action-comedy Moonwalkers with Ron Perlman and the Shia LaBeouf lead drama Charlie Countryman. He’s recently found his place on television in Sick Note with fellow child star (and redhead) Lindsay Lohan, Crackle’s Snatch remake and as Inspector Crome in BBC’s The ABC Murders. The actor is also set to star in M. Night Shyamalan’s upcoming Apple show. The actor has kept with the much darker roles he’s drawn to without swinging deep back into the spotlight.

Emma Watson (Hermoine Granger)

For many, Emma Watson’s Hermoine Granger was the nerdy, overachieving bookworm we could finally relate to, so when the actress took on Belle for Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast, it felt a bit like she was living in her glory days. In between, the 28-year-old Brit has also challenged herself as an actress, become an outspoken women’s rights activist and created her own feminist book club.

After saying goodbye to Hermoine, Watson took on some edgy roles for The Perks of Being a Wallflower, This is the End and The Bling Ring along with starring in thrillers such as Regression, Colonia and The Circle. Beauty and the Beast was by far her most successful Harry Potter follow-up, as it made over $1.2 billion worldwide. Watson is also gearing up to star in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women with Saoirse Ronan, Timothée Chalamet, Meryl Streep and Laura Dern. Raising your hand in class pays!

Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy)

Just about every young hero has a bratty bully to face, and Tom Felton’s Draco Malfoy certainly fit that bill throughout the Harry Potter franchise. So what was the first role the actor book after a decade as the deplorable villain? You guessed it… another baddie in 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

Since then, Tom Felton has earned acting credits in quite a few off-radar films with some big names such as Sebastian Stan, Taraji P. Henson, Oscar Isaac, Elizabeth Olsen and Gemma Chan. His most memorable new role is certainly as Julian Albert in CW’s The Flash in Season 3. The actor has recently floated to a new television show on YouTube TV’s new sci-fi show Origins. The spaceship-set series on the new streaming platform has seen some exciting success, so season 2 could be on the way!

Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley)

Ron’s little sister and Harry Potter’s future wife has transformed from an adorable child actress to an all grown-up lady! While to most the actress hasn’t maintained the star status of her fellow Harry Potter stars, she has maintained active in the filmmaking community as an actress, screenwriter and director.

On screen, Bonnie Wright has starred in mainly made-for-television titles primarily geared for a family-friendly audience such as My Dad Is Scrooge, Who Killed Nelson Nutmeg? and A Christmas Carol. She made her debut writing/directorial project with Harry Potter co-star with David Thewlis (he played Remus Lupin) with a 2012 short film and has since developed a handful of other projects under her own Bon Bon Lumiere production company.

Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom)

Neville Longbottom may start off as a clumsy and laughable kid in Sorcerer’s Stone, but as the franchised progressed, the character became an important part of the team, as he destroyed the final Horcrux by slicing off Nagini’s head clean off. He saved them all! Actor Matthew Lewis became quite the viral sensation as he exited Harry Potter with an unexpected glo up. Yes, those two are the same person…

The 29-year-old actor has since mainly worked in British television shows such as The Syndicate, Bluestone 42 and Girlfriends, along with having a role in 2016 romance Me Before You. Lewis recently got married to Angela Jones, an event planner with Universal who he met at a Wizarding World event in Orlando. We’re not sure what’s next for Lewis other than being perfect and happy. I’d say that’s not a bad real-life ending for Neville!

Ralph Fiennes (Lord Voldemort)

For a character known as "He-who-must-not-be-named," Ralph Fiennes was certainly one of the biggest names in the Harry Potter franchise when he was cast as the main antagonist at the turn of the 21st century. Before taking on Voldemort, Fiennes was a two-time Oscar nominee for Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List and The English Patient.

Between and after Harry Potter, the actor kept on keeping on with high-profile roles in The Hurt Locker, Skyfall, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and he had recent voice roles in Kubo and the Two Strings and as Alfred in The Lego Batman Movie. On paper, the iconic role is just one of his many roles (over 70 acting credits) and he’s nearly unrecognizable as the villain in any other movie. Next, Fiennes will be in The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle, the next Kingsman movie and Bond 25.

Richard Harris/Michael Gambon (Dumbledore)

Did you know two actors played Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films? Richard Harris first played the role in Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets before his 2002 passing, after the actor was hospitalized with pneumonia and diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease. Before playing Dumbledore, Harris had roles in quite a few of classics including 1967’s Camelot, Unforgiven and Gladiator.

Michael Gambon took over the role in 2004 and played Dumbledore until the final installment. He turned down the role of James Bond in 1970, though made a name for himself in his roles in The Singing Detective, as president Lyndon B. Johnson in Path to War and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. After playing Dumbledore, Gambon has been in a ton of projects – most notably as the voice of Uncle Pastuzo in the Paddington movies.

Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid)

The bear-huggable Harry Potter character was another accomplished Brit before Hagrid came to him as a famous comedian, with roles all over the map, such as Valentin Zukovsky, a character opposite Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond, and star of the three-season series Cracker.

After playing Hagrid, Robbie Coltrane took on a couple voice parts for Arthur Christmas and Brave and starred in a couple projects involving his Potter family co-stars: an adaptation of Great Expectations with Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter, and the Hulu show National Treasure with Julie Walters, who we’ll get to. The 68-year-old actor is also nearly unrecognizable between his husky bearded look in the fantasy films and usually more clean-cut roles in recent years. Though his unmistaken unfamiliarity will stump the untrained eye.

Alan Rickman (Severus Snape)

When Alan Rickman stepped into his Harry Potter role, he already had an extremely memorable role as Hans Gruber in 1988’s Die Hard – a Christmas classic. He also starred in Sense and Sensibility and Galaxy Quest. Rickman’s portrayal of Severus Snape is a beloved fan favorite and he offered some franchise highlights. During his time on Harry Potter, he played a part in Love Actually as the breaker of Emma Thompson’s heart and all of ours, starred in Sweeney Todd, Bottle Shock and the caterpillar in 2010’s Alice in Wonderland.

However, his time after the Harry Potter movies ended up being his final years. The actor played meaty roles such as Ronald Reagan in Lee Daniels’ The Butler and King Louis XIV in A Little Chaos among others before he died of pancreatic cancer in January 2016 at the age of 69. The actor certainly had an illustrious career, greatly defined by his time as Snape.

Maggie Smith (Minerva McGonagall)

When Dame Maggie Smith started playing Professor Minerva McGonagall in 2001, she was 67 years old and one of the most famous British actresses of her time. However, her Harry Potter role made her a household name among younger and newer audiences who may not have known about her otherwise.

When Maggie Smith hung up her pointed hat, she starred in even more movies (many of which, critically acclaimed), such as The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel movies, Quartet, The Old Lady, The Lady in the Van and the highly acclaimed TV series Downton Abbey as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, whom she will reprise in a planned feature film to follow the television show. Retirement who? Maggie Smith’s star status has only grown since Harry Potter.

Gary Oldman (Sirius Black)

Here’s something crazy about Gary Oldman: while he was playing the father-figure to young Harry, Sirius Black he was also in the thick of playing Gordon in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. The actor was one of the few who was simultaneously on two monumental franchises of the time and will also be remembered for playing these well-known pop culture characters.

Since, he earned two Best Actor nominations for Tinker Tailor Solider Spy and as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour, which he won the golden trophy for in 2018. He’s also starred in a few action flicks including RoboCop, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and The Hitman’s Bodyguard. Among the masses, he is overwhelmingly known as Sirius Black, even though he has played many other memorable parts.

Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange)

Helena Bonham Carter was already defined by her dark roles in fantasy films (primarily from Tim Burton) such as Big Fish, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Corpse Bride. So, when she joined Harry Potter in the second half of the franchise, she fit right in as key player, Bellatrix Lestrange. After Deathly Hallows Part 2, she has continued doing a bit of the same in movies such as Dark Shadows, Les Misérables and worked in Disney films The Lone Ranger, Cinderella and Alice Through the Looking Glass.

The actress recently starred in the female-fronted Ocean’s 8 as fashion designer Rose Weil in 2018 and will be taking over the role of Princess Margaret from Vanessa Kirby in the upcoming season of The Crown as Olivia Colman follows Claire Foy’s Queen Elizabeth in her middle-aged years.

Julie Walters (Molly Weasley)

What about the Weasley parents? Julie Walters, a.k.a. Molly Weasley is quite the accomplished actress and her fame has only grown since starring as a mother of wizards. She first really turned heads in 1983’s Educating Rita opposite Michael Caine, which earned the both of them Oscar nominations, before earning another nod for her role in Billy Elliot.

While she was doing Harry Potter, Walters starred in Calendar Girls and Mamma Mia! After the franchise was over, she joined Robbie Coltrane with a role as the Witch in Brave and on the Hulu show National Treasure, played Mrs. Bird in the Paddington movies and recently starred in Mary Poppins Returns as Ellen.

Mark Williams (Arthur Weasley)

To finish off this list of the talented main cast of the Harry Potter films, is the other half of the Weasley parents: Arthur Weasley, played by Mark Williams, who was best known for the BBC sketch comedy series The Fast Show for the six years before nabbing a role on the Harry Potter films.

After playing Mr. Weasley in just about every movie, the actor traded out his red hair and guest starred in Doctor Who in 2012 and then scored his own BBC television series Father Brown. The show, currently in its seventh season, is based on books by GK Chesterton about a Catholic priest who solves mysteries in the English countryside.

Oh, how the time turner… turns! Can you believe how the Hogwarts students have grown and adults have grown more distinguished? What do you think of these career shifts since for the actors, have you been following them or did they take you by surprise? Sound off in the comments below!

10 Great Movies Coming To Netflix In April 2019

10 Great Movies Coming To Netflix In April 2019

There are a lot of movies and shows that go up whenever Netflix does its monthly refresh. But out of the ones that get thrown into the mix, there are those vaunted few that the folks at home will get to say hello to when that moment comes. April brings yet another opportunity for subscribers to get some new thrills from the comfort of their own home. The cream of the crop is what we're focusing on here, so get your pencils ready, as the following movies should be on your to do list.

Bonnie and Clyde

Now here's a pick that's the best example of perfect timing. Just as the Netflix original The Highwaymen is about to tell the story of the law enforcement agents that chased down the outlaws Bonnie and Clyde, the classic 1967 film version of the criminal side of the equation will be available just a couple short days after. An iconic, if not entirely accurate romp, it's one of the films that made Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty household names. So find a partner in crime, and make it a double feature to remember!

Deliverance

While Burt Reynolds was mostly known for being one of the most laid back comedy talents this side of the Mississippi, he was known to be quite the dramatist when he got the right material. You can bet on Deliverance being the right material, as he not only got to kick some revengeful ass with his friends in the Everglades, he even did one of the most dangerous stunts of his career and got a nice trip to the hospital because of it. Burt Reynolds didn't have to go that hard so early in his career. But then again, if he didn't, would this tale of backwoods savagery and retribution be the legend it eventually became?

I Am Legend

It's an oft overlooked film in the Will Smith canon, but I Am Legend showcases some of the actor's best work for a solid majority of the film. Playing a doctor who's lone goal is to survive the byproducts of a viral apocalypse, seeing Smith playing off of some mannequins and a dog for two thirds of a major blockbuster is a pretty impressive feat. Based on Richard Matheson's legendary novella of the same name, the film definitely took liberties with the source material. But what it lacks in direct adaptation, it gains in a modern context that sees Will Smith play more of a remorseful hero, rather than his usual comedic self.

Valkyrie

Going into any discussion of Valkyrie, it's going to bring up the fact that there are some problematic people that made this film about the real life attempt on Adolf Hitler's life. But special context aside, the film stands as a fantastic historical drama that focuses on the intricacies that went into Operation Valkyrie, and the lengths that Col. Klaus Von Stauffenberg and his conspirators would go through. Valkyrie also boasts one hell of an ensemble, as Tom Cruise is joined by the likes of Eddie Izzard, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, and Kenneth Branagh to tell this important story.

Pineapple Express

It's probably just a coincidence that Pineapple Express happens to be coming to Netflix in the month of April, right? Surely there isn't an unofficial holiday then that would require a film with an extremely pro marijuana message for celebration. But, even if there were, or even if you aren't the type to partake in such a ritual, this Seth Rogen / James Franco comedy is still enough of a gutbuster to have a good, sober time. No pressure, but there are multiple options with this one.

The Hateful Eight

Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is set to debut this summer, bringing the director's self imposed ten movie limit ever so closer. But this is the same conversation we were having when The Hateful Eight was first announced and eventually released to a public eager for smart dialogue and liberal blood splatter. The big difference between those two films is, you can actually watch The Hateful Eight on Netflix next month. And what makes this occasion even more special is the fact that the version hitting the streaming world is the extended, roadshow version shown in theaters.

Burning

Burning is a film that wasn't a widely released blockbuster, but earned a lot of recognition as a potential candidate for Best Foreign Film at last year's Oscars. While those hopes sadly were never realized, the film is about what starts as a reunion of childhood friends, but turns into something more dangerous, and possibly deadly. With The Walking Dead's Steven Yeun in its cast, this film was bound to turn some heads; but the air of mystery surrounding the picture makes it all the more tantalizing to dig in ourselves and enjoy.

Snatch

Everybody likes to fall back on Lock, Stock, and Two Smokin' Barrels when it comes to picking a Guy Richie film. While that's not a bad choice, it is one of the reasons why those who've seen Snatch, Richie's second film, tend to bind together in mutual admiration. A funny, frenetic, and weird film about fixed boxing matches, angry gangsters from both sides of the pond, and a man who actually has teeth made out of the bullets that were used in his attempted murder, so you can kind of see where this is going. But if you're going to see Snatch for one reason, and one reason alone, it has to be Brad Pitt's inspired performance as a boxer with one hell of an accent.

Freddy vs. Jason

Is Freddy vs. Jason the scariest of either the Friday the 13th or Nightmare on Elm Street franchises? Not in the slightest. Is it the culmination of one of the most anticipated slasher movie match ups of all time? Oh yes, it is! Let's face it: this movie was going to happen some day, and in the wrong hands, it would have been dismal. But what we got instead was one gigantic showdown between the dream master himself, and the goalie from Hell. It's just a shame we can't get a sequel, but at least there's this one, special film to hold onto for all dear death.

The Fifth Element

Sometimes, when you make a film inspired by a property that you're itching to get the rights to, the new version plays better than the source material. It's what happened to Luc Besson, as The Fifth Element was what happened when his wishes to make Valerian: The City of a Thousand Planets was thwarted in the 1990s. So, instead of whomever the '90s equivalent of Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne were tearing up the big screen, we got Bruce Wills and then newcomer Mila Jovovich as the mismatched pair trying to prevent the end of the galaxy as we know it. And you know something? We're probably all the better for it.

If you're ready for more Netflix action in the month of April, you can find it by looking through the total lineup of April's incoming content. We'll see you again next month, when a new crop of excellent films will be brought to everyone's attention.

How Shazam! Pulled Off Its Bus Rescue Scene

How Shazam! Pulled Off Its Bus Rescue Scene

If you caught the latest Shazam! trailer, you saw a cool sequence where the eponymous hero prevents a bus from crashing into the ground. It’s one of Billy Batson’s many heroic moments within his DC Extended Universe movie, but as is the case with when making a blockbuster, pulling off this scene was a difficult endeavor, one which required the occupants inside the bus to actually fall. As director David F. Sandberg and producer Peter Safran explained:

David F. Sandberg: We bought a bunch of buses. We built a part of that overpass bridge. Our physical effects team were amazing because they built this whole rig where not only did we drive the bus through this railing, but this rig would sort of tilt the whole bus. So those guys falling through the bus, they’re actually falling through the bus.

Peter Safran: There was a big hinge mechanism on there that could take it from horizontal to vertical, the real bus. And then David had all the actors on descenders, so they were at the back of the bus, and they were dropped to the front. So it was remarkably practical for a superhero movie these days, which are so filled with VFX, there was a lot of really practical stuff that really went into that sequence.

The bus scene was among the many Shazam!-related topics discussed when David F. Sandberg and Peter Safran’s stopped by the ReelBlend podcast. As Safran noted, while it certainly would have been easy for the Shazam! VFX team to put together this sequence digitally, it’s admirable that the crew went the practical route using multiple buses and that special rig, thus making it feel more realistic. Props to the performers inside for also being good sports about being thrown from one end of the bus to another.

As the bus scene appears to unfold in the Shazam! trailer (it’s possible that the way it’s cut in the preview doesn’t exactly reflect how it happens in the actual movie), the Shazam-ified Billy Batson is shooting lighting bolts out of his hand to impress a crowd when one of his bolts hits one of the bus’ tires as it’s driving on an overpass nearby. The driver loses control and drives off the edge, but luckily Billy swoops in and catches the bus before impact. It just goes to show that if you play with lightning, you’re going to cause pandemonium on the road.

You can listen to David F. Sandberg and Peter Safran’s full interview about Shazam! on ReelBlend below!

Inspired by numerous eras of Shazam’s comic book history, Shazam! sees Billy Batson meeting the mysterious Wizard shortly after joining a new foster family and gaining the ability to become an adult superhero. With the help of Freddy Freeman, Billy will slowly get the hang of using powers like super strength, flight, hyper speed and electricity manipulation, but he’ll also have to put these powers to good use going up against the sinister Dr. Sivana, a brilliant scientist who has somehow obtained his own magical powers.

You can see Shazam! in theaters starting tomorrow evening, but don’t forget to read our review of the latest DCEU installment. You can also find out what else this superhero franchise has in the works by looking with our handy guide.

Hellboy Can’t Have Sex With Humans Says Actor David Harbour

Hellboy Can’t Have Sex With Humans Says Actor David Harbour

The upcoming Hellboy movie is an entirely new take on the character compared to the version created by Guillermo del Toro. While we know the movie will be more violent, as it has achieved an R-rating, many of the other details regarding how this new version of the character will be different from the one movie fans know have yet to be revealed. However, David Harbour, who plays the title role, says one way his character is different is that he won't have a love interest, because apparently he can't have sex with humans.

This isn't an entirely random piece of Hellboy trivia. Well, it is, but it seems that there's a reason these things are being considered. It seems that Hellboy's lack of human...connection will be part of the reason that he feels so isolated among humans, which will therefore make the idea of Hellboy bringing about the apocalypse potentially more attractive to him. According to Harbour...

The other thing that we explore somewhat is — I mean, one of the interesting things to me about the Guillermo del Toro movies was that he had a love interest, right? And she was like a fire starter, and but I just think that Hellboy can’t have a human being. He probably can’t have sex with a human being because it would probably end disastrously, because of his demonic parts or whatever. So I just feel like what I wanted to explore was that loneliness, and you know, there’s the temptations that you have to, if you do create a darker world as the beast of the apocalypse, you can have sex. You can have a girlfriend. You can live your life. But to live in the human world and to protect humanity, you have to sacrifice some of your nature, and your actual nature, as opposed to this concept of destiny, just that your actual nature somewhat gets sacrificed.

In Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy, the title character had a relationship with a pyrokinetic woman named Liz, played by Selma Blair. The relationship was, complicated, but it was one of the things that grounded Hellboy and kept him strongly in the anti-apocalypse camp.

The actual mechanics of Hellboy's relationship in a physical sense is never dealt with in the previous films, but David Harbour tells JoBlo that his version of the character absolutely can't have sex with humans. To be fair, it's as good a motivation as any for bringing about the end of the world.

It seems that we won't be seeing Hellboy have a relationship like that this time around. Instead of being a character who embraces humanity and wants to be and act more human. Hellboy will instead feel alone. He has no connection to the demon world, but he also can't simply join the human world.

Hellboy is destined to bring about the apocalypse in the comics. Whether he chooses to embrace or reject that destiny is potentially much more relatable when you consider it in these simpler terms. Hellboy may love the human world but he also may want to live in a place where he can feel stronger connections, so maybe the end of the world wouldn't be so bad.

Hellboy hits theater April 12.

All The Planet Of The Apes Movies, Ranked

All The Planet Of The Apes Movies, Ranked

Before The Avengers, before Harry Potter and even before Star Wars, there was the Planet Of The Apes series. Starting with the original in 1968 and now up to its ninth film in the series, War For Planet Of The Apes, the series was one of the first major franchises in movie history.

Sure, there had been some long-running B-horror movie franchises and a handful of other examples in other genres – most notably James Bond - but Planet Of The Apes was basically the first one that set the template for what we understand to be major franchises, like The Avengers and Star Wars.

All told, there have been books, graphic novels, a TV show, toys and video games based on the series, just as there are for modern franchises. There are also nine Planet of the Apes movies that make up the franchise, though unlike some of the major franchises, the nine are separated into three distinct versions of the story and there isn’t a linear story to all nine. But, with that said, let’s get into which of these movies is the worst, which is the best and which ones fall in between.

9. Planet of the Apes (2001)

Tim Burton’s remake was supposed to be a hit. It had fans of the long-forgotten series, which had not released a new film for almost three decades, salivating at the thought of what the great Tim Burton could do with the world they loved. Surely his unique way of looking at things and his distinct style of filmmaking was perfect for a remake. After all, his Batman movie in 1989 reinvigorated that franchise.

Instead, sadly, this Planet of the Apes movie was a total disappointment. The whole project was in production hell for years before Tim Burton and his crew would take it on, casting Mark Wahlberg as a human astronaut that goes forward in time thousands of years and ends up on the Planet Of The Apes. Tim Roth plays the villain and Helena Bonham Carter stars as the love interest of sorts.

The plot is a time-traveling mess and it’s hard to follow, but it ends with Marky Mark somehow going back in time to what he thinks is his own time, on what looks like his Earth, until he looks up and sees Tim Roth’s ape character sitting on the chair in the Lincoln Memorial. So… it’s even further into the future? Who knows.

8. Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)

Battle For The Planet Of The Apes was the fifth and final installment of the original series. It was made on a shoestring budget and it shows. Even the reviews of the day said it felt like the franchise was on its last legs.

The film opens in the future, but tells the story, in flashback, of how Caesar, played by Roddy McDowell, after the war of Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes, attempts to rebuild the world. His human foe, Kolp, leading what is left of the human population, rises up against Caesar and the Apes, and after some serious fighting, peace is made between the apes and the humans.

The movie, like its predecessor, Conquest, is meant to be a comment of racial equality, but also like its predecessor, it is little too on the nose and a little ham-handed.

7. Beneath The Planet Of The Apes (1970)

Beneath The Planet Of The Apes was a hastily thrown together sequel of the original 1968 movie, and it shows. Like a lot of direct sequels to big movies in the '70s and '80s, it sort of doesn’t fit into the larger narrative. Though it does end in the nuclear explosion that does create the post-apocalyptic world that would drive the events of Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes.

Charlton Heston does briefly return from the original, though his role is significantly smaller, as the story follows another astronaut, Brent, that followed Heston’s character, Taylor, to the planet to rescue him. Roddy McDowall, who plays Cornelius in the original movie, is absent from this one, again showing that the big picture wasn’t in play here, as his character would become very important to the story arc in the future movies.

Beneath The Planet Of The Apes a good enough movie, but it really lacks the broader vision that would come with the following movies. It’s just sort of a cut and dry simple sequel that quickly tries to follow the main story of the first movie and the bigger picture, including the weird telepathic humans that don’t really have much of a larger role in the following movies.

6. Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes (1972)

Conquest Of The Planet Of The Planet Of The Apes is the first time fans of the series would meet a fully grown Caesar. The character Caesar is perhaps the most famous character in the series, as he played a pivotal role in the end of the original five films and is the hero of the reboot series that began in 2011.

Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes follows Caesar, who was born to Cornelius and Zira in Escape From The Planet Of The Apes, which was set in the 1970s. In Conquest, set in the early 1990s in America, Caesar is living as a circus performer, hiding his ability to speak and his intelligence with his handler, Armando.

Caesar is tracked by Kolp (who is also fully introduced in this film) and is eventually captured, but he escapes after he avoids execution. Caesar leads the apes in rebellion against the humans, and at the end he shows his mercy and makes a speech declaring peace and his desire to see apes and humans live together, a theme that was continued in Battle.

5. Escape From The Planet Of The Apes (1971)

Escape From The Planet Of The Apes is when the series really starts to put together a larger story, and it all sort of happened as a happy accident. Due to budget constraints, the film was set in 1971 New York City, so it wouldn’t require elaborate sets and costumes like the previous two.

Roddy McDowall returns to the fold as his character, Cornelius, and his wife Zira escape the apocalypse of Beneath on Taylor’s spaceship and land in current-day New York. At first they are welcomed, but, as would become a recurring theme in the series, they're eventually discriminated against once it is revealed that Zira is pregnant with Caesar.

Escape From The Planet Of The Apes begins the larger story of how the apes came to dominate Earth in the future and the genesis of intelligent apes. Like all the movies, it’s a little cheesy compared to today’s movies, but the story has vision, which was not only new for the Apes movies, but also movies on the whole. The first true sci-fi franchise was really born with Escape From The Planet Of The Apes.

4. Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes (2014)

Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes is the second entry in the rebooted trilogy that starts with Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes. It explores the beginnings of the conflict between the newly intelligent apes, led by Caesar, played by the absolutely amazing Andy Serkis, against what is remaining of the human population after the Simian Flu that gave increased intelligence to the apes and all but completely wiped out the human population.

All three films in the rebooted trilogy are excellent and Dawn is no exception. Going back the first one, Rise, one of the smartest things the creators of the new series did was ground the origin story of the Caesar and the smart apes in true science fiction. Instead of a simple story that starts with a time-traveling astronaut, they base the genesis of the smart apes on biotech and simple evolution. It’s a great choice.

Unlike the original Planet of the Apes series' first sequel, it’s clear from this sequel that the larger story has been more fully fleshed out from the beginning. While much of Dawn deals with the internal conflicts among the ape population, particularly Caesar and his rival Koba, the big picture conflict with the humans is at the heart of it, as Caesar wants to live in peace, but Koba sees no option but war. Like the original series, the reboots serve as a commentary for race relations and equality.

3. War For The Planet Of The Apes (2017)

The final installment (for now) of the new trilogy, War For The Planet Of The Apes is a tremendous conclusion to the Caesar story and the origins of the “new” planet.

War For The Planet Of The Apes is also filled with nice references to the original series, like the twist of having Caesar’s son named Cornelius, rather than Cornelius being the name of Caesar’s father in the original series. Caesar also rescues a mute woman named Nova, which is a nod to the original character Nova from the first movie, who is also a devolved human.

The plot of the film is driven by great performances by Andy Serkis again as Caesar and Woody Harrelson as his human antagonist, the evil Colonel. War continues the broader themes of equality by using The Colonel as human obsessed with killing the evolved apes rather than live in harmony, and this eventually leads to Caesar being forced into a position that he didn’t want to take: a violent uprising against The Colonel and his men.

2. Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (2011)

The reboot of the Planet Of The Apes series was an instant classic. Unlike its two successors, Dawn and War, it is light on pure action, at least until the end, and it is strong as an origin story. Like most great science fiction, the story is based somewhere near reality.

In Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, viewers learn about a drug that James Franco’s character, Will, is developing to treat Alzheimer’s Disease. Testing for the drug is being done on apes. One of the apes is Caesar’s mother, and when she is exposed to the drug, her intelligence increases dramatically. However, she also loses control and is shot, but not until after she has given birth to Caesar, who inherited his mother’s intelligence.

Will takes Caesar home and continues to secretly develop the drug for his father, who is suffering. Eventually, Caesar begins to understand the larger world and his low standing in it as a primate, and after attacking Will’s neighbor, he ends up in monkey jail, which further steels his resolve to rise up. He does finally lead a revolution and the movie ends with Caesar and the rest of the apes escaping to the Redwood forests of Northern California, setting up the conflicts of the future.

1. Planet of the Apes (1968)

The one that started them all is still the best. Sure the original Planet Of The Apes is a little campy and it’s not nearly as slick or as good looking as the reboots, but it is the one that first grabbed people with the amazing story with the incredible twist.

The first time anyone sees the movie, especially if they don’t know the ending, it digs deep into the viewer’s imagination. The twist, when Charlton Heston’s character Taylor sees the top of the Statue Of Liberty and realizes that he is in fact trapped in the future and that the fate of humanity is doomed, is just brilliant. It’s the kind of story that sticks with audiences for a long time. It’s frankly one of the most iconic scenes in movie history.

Planet Of The Apes deserves its place at the top of the list because obviously without it, there would be no list. It has its drawbacks, like how the special effects are primitive (no pun intended) by today’s standards, but that doesn’t matter. It’s the story (and that twist) that matter. Charlton Heston’s performance is great, as is Roddy McDowall’s as Cornelius. It’s a movie that everyone should see at least once and probably way more than that.

So that’s the list. We hope there are more Planet of the Apes movies in the future, but in the meantime, what do you think? Let us know in the comments and answer the poll below!

How Brightburn Helped James Gunn Get Through His Guardians Of The Galaxy Firing

How Brightburn Helped James Gunn Get Through His Guardians Of The Galaxy Firing

It's no secret that superhero movies are everywhere. The genre has proven itself endlessly popular, and it seems every studio wants to get in on the action. And while superhero fatigue is a valid concern from fans, director/writer/producer James Gunn has been crafting wholly unique additions to the genre. The first two Guardians of the Galaxy movies were critical and box office successes, although Vol. 3 was put on hold after Gunn was fired by Disney.

James Gunn has since been reinstated to direct Guardians 3, in addition to nabbing the directing job for DC's The Suicide Squad. But before either of those movies arrive, we have the horror-inspired Brightburn. Brightburn will bring something new to the genre with a twist on the classic Superman origin story, and Gunn recently revealed how the upcoming movie helped him work through his unceremonious Marvel departure. He said:

I like to work, so Brightburn was a great help to me when I wasn't doing anything.

James Gunn's career came to a screeching halt when he was fired from the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Despite completing the script for the threequel, Gunn was removed from the property after controversial tweets from a decade ago resurfaced. And after apologizing for these poor jokes, Gunn was pulled from Guardians of the Galaxy for a series of months.

It's during this time that James Gunn put his focus on Brightburn, which he worked on as a producer. In his same conversation with USA Today, Gunn said the horror inspired superhero flick was "definitely something I could focus on" during one of the more difficult time in his life. And while everything ultimately worked out, perhaps Brightburn will benefit from Gunn's contributions and hunger for distraction. It's already got a interesting concept and strong marketing campaign behind it.

Brightburn is going to be totally unique take on the superhero genre, especially where Clark Kent/Superman are concerned. While the last son of Krypton is usually a symbol for good, that's not exactly how it's all going to go down for Brandon Breyer in Brightburn. Instead, we'll watch as a superpowered young man turns to the dark side, and uses his abilities to exact his dark childish whims.

Related: Zoe Saldana Is 'Proud' Of James Gunn And Disney For Guardians Of The Galaxy 3 Rehire

James Gunn's contribution to the superhero genre has already been significant, as Guardians of the Galaxy has become one of Marvel Studios' most beloved franchises. Gunn's perspective is critical to that formula, as his sense of humor, taste of music, and even dance moves have been woven into the tapestry of the first two Guardians movies.

It's James Gunn's artistic vision that will hopefully bring another big screen success with Brightburn. And we're just days away from its release, so Gunn's return to the theaters is imminent. That, along with The Suicide Squad and eventually Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

While all seemed lost at the time that James Gunn was dropped by the Marvel Cinematic Universe, his tenure in the superhero genre isn't slowing down anytime soon. Brightburn will arrive in theaters shortly, bringing something unique to the genre. And after that's over, he's got two more major comic book adaptations coming down the pipeline. Plus, who knows what's next after that.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is no doubt the most anticipated movie on James Gunn's schedule. Gunn didn't have an easy task with the original 2014 movie, adapting a fairly unknown group of comic book heroes for the big screen. But it made a ton of money at the box office, and the Guardians soon become some of the most popular characters in the entire MCU.

Spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame

The upcoming threequel will end the narrative that James Gunn began with the original, and follow up with the titular team of heroes following the events of the last two Avengers movies. A number of years passed between Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and their appearance in Infinity War, and the group had become a real family unit. But they were hit hard during Thanos' assault, with only Rocket and Nebula surviving the Mad Titan's snap.

Those two unlikely allies helped bring all the dusted characters back. Meanwhile, Gamora was resurrected via time travel, as the 2014 version of Zoe Saldana's character came to present day. Guardians 3 will no doubt follow the group's mission to find her, as well as Thor's inclusion into the team.

But before any of that happens, James Gunn will be working on the DC side of things with The Suicide Squad. Gunn's developing project will be a follow-up to David Ayer's less than stellar (albeit still Oscar winning) 2016 blockbuster. It should be interesting to see what the Guardians director does with another motley crew, only this time they'll be bad guys.

Seemingly anything is possible for The Suicide Squad, as there have been some conflicting reports regarding the upcoming movie's contents. Some reports indicated that James Gunn was doing a reboot o the franchise, rather than a direct sequel to David Ayer's Suicide Squad. But a few familiar faces have joined the cast, with actors Viola Davis, Joel Kinnaman, and Jai Courtney all reprising their roles from the original film.

But there is one James Gunn project that still sitting in development hell, with no real plan of moving forward. And it's actually a movie, rather than another big screen blockbuster. Gunn has been attached to a Starky and Hutch reboot for a number of years, with the latest development indicating it might have a home on Amazon. But we haven't heard anything from that camp in a while, especially since James Gunn was fired from his position in the Guardians franchise.

Overall, it looks like James Gunn's career could potentially go anywhere. He's one of the rare cases of a Hollywood figure being reinstated to the position they were so publicly fired from. But Gunn seems to have made amends for his poor choices, and his career seems to be right back on track. Now we'll just have to see where that takes him once the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy has been completed.

Brightburn will arrive in theaters on May 24, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Dave Bautista Calls His Guardians Of The Galaxy Audition 'A Nightmare'

Dave Bautista Calls His Guardians Of The Galaxy Audition 'A Nightmare'

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a behemoth undertaking, with many franchises and heroes occupying the big screen. But there are certain properties that have especially resonated with audiences, and chief among them is James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy. Gunn took a relatively unknown group of motley characters, and brought a quirky set of movies that elevated the cast to fan favorites. And that includes Dave Bautista's Drax the Destroyer.

Drax is a scene stealer in the Guardians and Avengers movies, with Bautista showing off his comedic chops in the process. But according to the wrestler turned actor, he had a terrible audition for the role. He recently opened up about this during a public appearance, saying:

Oh my God, it was a nightmare. I was terrified. I was really desperate at the time, I had hardly worked in three years, and I had gone broke from wrestling and I was desperate to get a job. I finally got an agent like two weeks before I got the audition for Guardians. My agent says 'You know, I really had to fight to get you this audition. It was really hard to get, they didn't really want to audition you. They didn't want any pro wrestlers, so I don't want to get your hopes up.’

While auditions are always a nerve-wracking experience, it looks like the stakes were especially high for Dave Bautista when it came to playing Drax. He needed a job badly, and apparently the odds were stacked against him. But we all know how that turned out.

It's hard to imagine anyone but Dave Bautista playing Drax, but that doesn't mean the role was straight up offered to the 50 year-old actor. His star power has grown significantly due to playing the Marvel hero, but he was lacking that reputation back when he was auditioning to play the role. As such, he had to work doubly hard to bring something unique to the room, and truly be considered to be a Guardian of the Galaxy.

Related: Dave Bautista Doesn’t Think The Rock Is A Good Actor

So how exactly did Dave Bautista do it? Namely, but working hard on the audition material with an acting coach. Later in his appearance at Denver Pop Culture Con (via CBR), he explained what ultimately went into that fateful audition. He said:

He built my hopes really low, so I went in with low expectations. I didn't understand Drax. I called my acting coach and said 'I don't get this,' and he flipped out because he's like the biggest fanboy. Anyway, he made me do the research and I found one picture of Drax, and I said 'That looks like me!' He babied me through this whole process, my first and second auditions, my acting coach came with me. I read for Sarah Finn, she's amazing. I read with her and she said 'Don't be nervous. Take your time, we can be here all day.'

While Dave Bautista really needed to land the gig of Drax, it looks like he did have a fair amount of support behind his Guardians and the Galaxy try-out. That includes a warm room, with the casting director encouraging Bautista to take his time and make the most of his audition. It was a formula that worked, and he's been killing it as Drax the Destroyer ever since.

You can see Dave Bautista as Drax in Avengers: Endgame now, and he'll eventually reprise the role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.