Why Chiwetel Ejiofor Really Wanted To Play The Lion King's Scar

Why Chiwetel Ejiofor Really Wanted To Play The Lion King's Scar

In 1994’s animated classic The Lion King, Oscar-winner Jeremy Irons provided the voice of Scar, one of Disney’s most menacing and captivating villains. For this summer’s photo-realistic CGI remake from director Jon Favreau, Chiwetel Ejiofor takes on the mantle and the mane of Simba’s treacherous uncle. It was the prospect of getting inside his head that made Chiwetel Ejiofor really want to play Scar, as he explained:

I was interested in understanding the real psychology of Scar, the psychology of a person who always feels as if they have been somehow mysteriously overpassed by the fates, by the gods themselves. That sense of not being in the rightful place and therefore living in a kind of parallel universe to the one that you’re supposed to be in — what sort of psychology would that mean, and what would it go to over a period of time?

Scar is, simply put, a fascinating character, and the opportunity to examine his psychology and see what makes him tick is what interested Chiwetel Ejiofor about the role and what he wanted to explore in his performance. Chiwetel Ejiofor wanted to understand who Scar is, why he feels the way he does and how that leads to him doing the things that he does.

It’s not a simple psychology because Scar isn’t a black and white villain in the way characters like Maleficent (not the live-action one) and Ursula are. He’s evil to be sure, but like many great villains, he thinks that he’s the good guy, or at least that his actions are somehow justified.

As Chiwetel Ejiofor told Entertainment Weekly, Scar feels that he isn’t where he is supposed to be, that the universe is out to get him and he is being denied something that he feels he’s owed; in this case, the throne. It has shades of Stannis Baratheon’s claim to the Iron Throne, but instead of being governed by a strict sense of duty and right, Scar is governed by envy and desire.

That psychology results in Scar having a massive chip on his shoulder and crafting a narrative in his head that he’s the downtrodden hero that has been mistreated by the world and those around him. And he naturally sees Simba as someone else who stands in his way.

Despite being a member of the royal family, this character, inspired by Hamlet’s King Claudius, sees himself as an outcast and pals around with the hyenas that also don’t have a place within the circle of life governed by the pride. You can see why Chiwetel Ejiofor was so excited to dig into Scar’s psychology because there’s a lot going on there.

Chiwetel Ejiofor talked about what that psychology would do over time, but it’s also interesting to ask what birthed those feelings in the first place. Therefore, I’m curious if The Lion King will explore the history of Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Scar at all. In the original film, Scar is simply named Scar and we never really get much about how he got his namesake.

However, in The Lion King: Six New Adventures, a collection of spin-off books released in 1994, one of the books titled A Tale of Two Brothers tells the story of Mufasa and his younger brother when they were princes. In that, Scar’s real name is Taka, which means trash in Swahili, and honestly, that would kind of explain why he’s so pissed off.

The elder Mufasa is either the first in line or chosen for the throne (Pride Lands succession rules are unclear) and Taka tries to get him attacked by a buffalo in order to make him look foolish and have their father pick Taka to be king instead. This plan backfires and Taka is hurt, getting his scar in the process.

We don’t know if this backstory is canon, but it would be interesting to see The Lion King give us something new by touching on Scar’s backstory, whatever it is. In this instance, he in many ways was always jealous and deceitful. Like Walter White was always Heisenberg, Taka was always Scar, long before his looks reflected what was on the inside.

Whatever the case, it sounds like Chiwetel Ejiofor is diving deep into the mind of an the iconic villain for his portrayal of Scar. You can see his Scar when The Lion King hits theaters on July 19. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule for all of this summer’s biggest movies.

In Just 10 Days, John Wick Chapter 3 Is Already The Biggest Winner In The Franchise

In Just 10 Days, John Wick Chapter 3 Is Already The Biggest Winner In The Franchise

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum had a lot of buzz going into its opening weekend. It was one of the first big releases after Avengers: Endgame started its juggernaut run (Detective Pikachu was the other), and it was the third movie in an already-popular franchise. It was also the first major R-rated action release in a while (unless you're counting that one scene in Long Shot) at the time it hit theaters.

Needless to say, we thought it would have a good run.

However, I’m not sure I realized John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum would have the incredible run it’s actually managed so far. In just 10 days, the movie has made just under $101 million domestically. Worldwide, the number is heftier, as Chapter 3 has brought in $175 million.

Those totals may not be impressive standing up next to a movie like Avengers: Endgame, but they are bests for the franchise, both domestically and worldwide, particularly given the third movie was estimated to have a budget of only $75 million. It's also cool that domestically the movie is the first in the franchise to make over $100 million domestically, a cool milestone we touched on earlier this weekend.

OK, so hitting franchise-best numbers is not that much of a surprise. John Wick: Chapter 2 did better than the first movie and as the franchise is still popular, it stands to reason the next one would do well --and likely better -- too. Still, hitting a franchise best in 10 days is incredibly shocking, wonderful and noteworthy.

It also means the ultimate total box office for John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum should be far and away the best of the franchise and not just a little bit bigger than its predecessors. Although the movie will face other big competition at the box office heading into this weekend, which sees Rocketman and monster-hit-of-the-summer Godzilla: King of the Monsters hit theaters, the movie has made plenty of money so far and that number will only grow in the weeks to come. With the added competition, it will be interesting to see what John Wick 3's final total ends up being.

Even better news? John Wick: Chapter 4 has already been greenlighted by Summit Entertainment and Lionsgate and has been given a 2021 release date. Director Chad Stahelski has also said he’d be happy to continue making John Wick-based movies until the end of his career, noting,

Keanu and I have ideas for days. It’s a fun world. I could live here for the rest of my career. If people like it and want to watch more, I could think of way worse ways to spend your career.

So, if the numbers keep steadily improving or even looking as good as they do now, we could expect quite a few more John Wick movies in the future.

For now, you can catch John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum in theaters and keep an eye on CinemaBlend’s release schedule to see what competition the action flick has coming up. Meanwhile, should John Wick officially retire after Chapter 4?

That Time Brendan Fraser Auditioned For Superman

That Time Brendan Fraser Auditioned For Superman

Before he began providing the voice for Robotman on Doom Patrol, Brendan Fraser took a shot at the biggest DC superhero there is: Superman. Fraser auditioned to play Superman in the film that would become Superman Returns, and though he didn't get the part, at least he got a story out of the whole experience -- and even got to wear the Superman costume. Here's what Fraser said about trying out for the role.

It was cool, it was pretty cool. I mean, I didn’t get the job. It went away. Brett Ratner was a bit ‘woo hoo’ in those days, and that’s well documented. And that was a script J.J. Abrams wrote but it never got made. And it was freaking Shakespeare in space. It was so cool. It was worlds colliding and, it was really, really cool. But you know, I hear he’s done well since then.

Superman is one of the most iconic superheroes ever created and he's had a lot of movies that did and didn't make it to theaters. Plenty of actors came close to playing the Last Son of Krypton, the most infamous of which was Nicolas Cage in a project from Tim Burton that ultimately didn't see the light of day. Warner Bros. eventually tried to make another Superman movie, one in which Brendan Fraser came close to nabbing the title role.

Brendan Fraser told SYFY Wire that he almost got the role of Superman for the film that would eventually become Superman Returns. At the time, controversial director Brett Ratner was attached to helm the film based off a screenplay written by J.J. Abrams.

As Brendan Fraser recounts, he got to the phase where he was wearing the costume for test footage, but ultimately the role would go to Brandon Routh. Additionally, J.J. Abrams' script went unused, but according to Fraser, it was pretty cool and felt like Shakespeare in space.

Brett Ratner would eventually leave the project and another controversial director, Bryan Singer, would take over. Superman Returns ultimately didn't spark much of a fire, even though it was initially well-received by critics. It's remembered now as a pretty boring Superman movie, so maybe Fraser didn't miss out on much here.

Brendan Fraser would eventually get his chance at another DC character. He currently voices Robotman on DC Universe's Doom Patrol series. Doom Patrol has gotten pretty good reviews and the performances have gotten a thumbs up, so it all has a way of working out in the end.

You can watch new episodes of Doom Patrol on the DC Universe streaming service. As for Superman? Henry Cavill still has the job on the big screen for the DCEU. For now.

Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil's Angelina Jolie And Elle Fanning Reveal The Conflict At The Heart Of The Sequel

Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil's Angelina Jolie And Elle Fanning Reveal The Conflict At The Heart Of The Sequel

Disney pulled out a lot of stops in terms of footage this year at CinemaCon in Las Vegas. However, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is really under crunch time to make its release date in 2019 after the studio recently pushed the flick up from 2020. While we didn’t get a full-fledged look at the upcoming live action venture, we did hear from Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning regarding where their characters are when Mistress of Evil picks up.

We also saw some first looks at the movie, learning that Maleficent continues to watch and protect over Aurora at the start of the new movie. However, it’s when Prince Phillip asks Aurora to marry him that events will really begin to ramp up, and Maleficent will meet the queen.

At its heart, according to Angelina Jolie:

In this film we pose the question is Maleficent good enough to be Aurora’s mother?

This isn’t as simple of a question as it may seem at the outset. Sure, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is the follow-up to a story about how Maleficent succumbed to revenge while facing love and loss. Although she cursed Aurora, she also came to care for her over time. When last we left things, Maleficent’s story with Stefan had come to a close but her story with Aurora was just blossoming.

Or as Elle Fanning also put it during presentation footage at CinemaCon 2019:

Aurora and Maleficent love each other so much, but there is a huge divide between them. Maleficent is still a little wary of humans. Aurora’s dealing with the burden of coming into this new life to be this cookie cutter royal which is not what Aurora is.

Previously, we knew from the logline that Maleficent: Mistress of Evil would be picking up “several years” after Maleficent. In addition, we knew the sequel would “continue to explore” the relationship between “the horned fairy” and the “soon-to-be Queen.” What we learned at CinemaCon 2019 certainly expands on that information a little more ahead of the movie’s release a little later this year.

We’ve also known for a while that Michelle Pfeiffer would be a part of the new movie, as that actress is more in demand having returned to the big screen with mother! and Murder on the Orient Express. Now, we know that it will be Pfeiffer’s character who will be causing a rift between Maleficent and Auroro in the new movie and Jolie notes her character is a “smart woman” who just so happens to be Prince Phillip’s mommy dearest.

We haven’t gotten a full trailer for Maleficent: Mistress of Evil yet, but with the live action movie coming in October, we’ll hopefully be seeing more big footage from the movie soon. It’s been nearly five years since we saw the original flick on the big screen and a lot of people are highly anticipating the next chapter. For a full look at the Disney live action projects in the works, take a look at our full guide.

Looks Like Hulk And Thanos Will Get A Rematch In Avengers: Endgame

Looks Like Hulk And Thanos Will Get A Rematch In Avengers: Endgame

It's a super exciting time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Over a decade of filmmaking will come to a head when Avengers: Endgame arrives in theaters next month, completing Phase Three of the behemoth franchise. The anticipation is made all the more high due to the twist ending of Infinity War, which saw Thanos succeed in uniting the Infinity Stones and wiping out half of all life in the galaxy.

There are a ton of questions going into Avengers: Endgame, as the studio has been keeping its cards close to the chest ahead of the film's release. Aside from the new suits and rumored time travel, a big question surrounding the upcoming movie is the role of The Hulk. The big green guy was noticeably absent through most of Infinity War, refusing to come back out after being beat down by Thanos in the opening scene. Now it appears that a rematch is coming, according to leaked merchandise. Check out the photo below.

Does anyone else have chills? Thanos and Hulk will hopefully come to blows again in Avengers: Endgame, whenever the latter finally agrees to resurface. Given the state of the galaxy after The Decimation, the surviving Avengers are going to need all the help they can get. That is, if this leak from Twitter is to be believed.

Years after the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Hulk finally returned to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Thor: Ragnarok. He spent years on Sakaar, with with the big green guy in full control of Bruce Banner's body for the entirety of that time. Hulk and Bruce's power dynamic is clearly off, and thats a narrative that continued through Avengers: Infinity War.

Thanos laid waste to the Asgardian ship in the film's opening scene, in his quest to find the Space Stone. But our heroes had a few cards up their sleeve, and Hulk was able to briefly get the jump on the Mad Titan. But he wasn't strong enough to keep up with Josh Brolin's villain, and Thanos quickly got the upper hand and knocked Hulk out. But it appears that round two is coming with Endgame.

Bruce Banner might not have gotten his own solo movie after Phase One, but Mark Ruffalo's character still had an interesting arc throughout the last two slates of movies. Ruffalo and Kevin Feige crafted a three movie narrative for the character, played out across Thor: Ragnarok, Infinity War, and Endgame. So just like Phase Three, that story will come wrap up next month when Endgame finally arrives in theaters.

Hulk was noticeably absent from the trailers for Avengers: Endgame, so The Russo Brothers are trying to keep his plot line under wraps for the time being. Instead, we should expect plenty of Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner, at least until things really heat up with the upcoming battle against Thanos.

Avengers: Endgame will arrive in theaters on April 26th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Watch Michelle Pfeiffer Go Full Catwoman By Cracking Her Batman Returns Whip

Watch Michelle Pfeiffer Go Full Catwoman By Cracking Her Batman Returns Whip

This weekend’s debut of Dumbo marked a fun collaboration between Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito and Tim Burton for the first time since 1992’s Batman Returns. The trio seriously missed out on an opportunity to include arguably most iconic element of their first united effort: Michelle Pfeiffer. The actress famously could crack a whip as Catwoman and apparently not much has changed 27 years later.

Maybe Michelle Pfeiffer was getting a bit nostalgic about her badass Batman Returns role in light of Tim Burton’s most recent movie? The actress took to her Instagram to show she still has Catwoman’s whip. Take a look:

She is Catwoman, hear her roar!! Anyone else geeking out right now? This is like the equivalent of Harrison Ford bringing out his Indiana Jones hat… or whip! It’s pretty amazing that Michelle Pfeiffer has Selina Kyle’s suave weapon-of-choice still in her possession. Though she did admit, it needed a little TLC… leading to this recent video:

Michelle Pfeiffer noted it’s “just like riding a bike” as she played around with her Catwoman whip with precision. Sarah Paulson echoed much of our sentiments as she loudly commented in all caps “MAKE ANOTHER CATWOMAN MOVIE PLEASE AND THANK YOU” after asking the actress if she could have the whip in Pfeiffer’s previous post. The 60-year-old icon clearly has still got it, and has shown her interest in reprising the role in the past. Here’s hoping DC and Tim Burton are paying attention.

Following the pop culture phenomenon Pfeiffer’s Catwoman became after Batman Returns, the character was set to have her own spinoff, though the movie written by John August (The Corpse Bride and Big Fish) didn’t get past the pitch stage. The sassy DC villain instead found her way to the big screen in 2004 with Halle Berry’s Catwoman, which is known as one of the most unfortunate pieces of comic adapted cinema to this day.

After Batman Returns, Michelle Pfeiffer was certainly a tough act to follow, considering her zany one-liners, seductive leather suit and cleverly both fun and dark portrayal of Selina Kyle. Check her out in her glory days in this scene of Batman Returns:

The actress did her own work with the whip during filming of Batman Returns and even cut down the heads of those mannequins in one take. With skills like that to whip out, Michelle Pfeiffer could have easily found a place within the circus world of Dumbo, perhaps as a villainous ringleader to team up with Michael Keaton’s Vandevere.

The actress has found a place in the Disney family recently as Janet van Dyne in the Ant-Man movies and as Queen Ingrith in the upcoming sequel to Maleficent coming this fall.

Good Boys Red Band Trailer Has Jacob Tremblay Dropping F-Bombs And Playing With Sex Toys

Good Boys Red Band Trailer Has Jacob Tremblay Dropping F-Bombs And Playing With Sex Toys

We’ve entered the era of Jacob Tremblay getting into raunch comedy. The adorable 12-year-old kid from Wonder and Room will next star in Good Boys, a raunch comedy about three friends who get into trouble while trying to figure out how to kiss girls. You can can check out the ridiculous premise, as well as sex toys, drones, drugs and more in the full trailer below.

As you can probably tell with the early explanation to this trailer it’s Red Band and thus NSFW.

Jacob Trembley is joined by fellow actors Brady Noon and Keith L. Williams in the Good Boys trailer. The Red Band look at the movie has a funny intro featuring Seth Rogen, who produced the flick alongside Evan Goldberg, Joe Drake, Nathan Kahane and James Weaver. Basically the gist is that the middle schoolers in the movie can’t actually watch the red band trailer because they aren’t old enough, even though the were the ones tasked with dropping f-bombs and more here.

Although the kids are much younger in this trailer, obviously this movie has some of the same “kids getting into shenanigans” narrative that Superbad did more than 10 years ago. Universal Pictures and Good Pictures make a point to connect the new movie with “the guys who brought you Superbad.” (Superbad was written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg.)

It’s always a little bit of a shock factor when 12-year-old boys are dropping f-bombs, but that’s something they often do with their friends. Otherwise, despite the references to Molly and the specific and varied uses of dildos, this trailer is witty and heartwarming.

Seriously, though, there are so many sex toys here.

Also, there are plenty of f-bombs from the youngsters who aren’t Jacob Tremblay and more. The general plot is that these kids are trying to figure out how to kiss. They use a drone to spy on some nearby women, which then leads to them stealing a purse to exchange it for the drone. Unfortunately, there are drugs in the purse and shenanigans ensue.

These shenanigans involve frat boys, stealing beer from a gas station, watching porn and seemingly causing a major traffic accident on a freeway. Just a regular Saturday for these young men. (Actually they are in way over their heads.)

Good Boys doesn’t currently have a release date, but we’ll let you know as soon as the Universal Pictures movie does get a date. In the meantime, take a look at the full movies schedule to see what else is coming up in 2019. If you are keeping tabs on Jacob Tremblay's career at all, you'll also be able to catch him in Doctor Sleep and The Twilight Zone coming up.