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Friday, August 21, 2020

Netflix’s The Perfect Date Trailer Has Noah Centineo Renting Himself Out To Girls

Netflix’s The Perfect Date Trailer Has Noah Centineo Renting Himself Out To Girls

Noah Centineo has been making a name for himself through both his work on the Freeform network, as well as through some seriously fun Netflix original movies. The latter platform seems to be his niche home at the moment, as demonstrated in the trailer for his new film, The Perfect Date. Take a look at the footage below!


In The Perfect Date, our protagonist Brooks, played by Noah Centineo, is looking to score some money to put himself through college. Being of the mind to do anything for a fee, he takes an odd job that inspires him to create a business out of being a date for anyone who needs a plus one. It starts off as a one time incident, but when he impresses his first client, played by Laura Marano, she suggests he go pro. Which leads to their friendship, and of course, a budding romance that may or may not pay off in the end.


Co-starring Riverdale's Camila Mendes and Veep's Matt Walsh, The Perfect Date looks like yet another teen rom-com with which the internet is going to fall in love. And this in turn should only further fuel the resurgence that particular genre has recently enjoyed. It certainly helps that the film's lead is a bit of a familiar hand when it comes to making viewers fall in love.




Previously Noah Centineo starred with Lana Condor in the film adaptation of To All The Boys I've Loved Before, which was such a hit on Netflix last summer that it already has a sequel currently in production. But on top of his role in that particular film, Centineo also played the male love interest in another Netflix original, Sierra Burgess Is a Loser, which only cemented his standing within the fanbase that's lauded both of those films.


What's interesting about The Perfect Date is that Noah Centineo is now shifting into the role of the stereotypical romantic lead, complete with his own quirks and pitfalls to explore during this latest project. The world is probably more used to him being the object of affection, so reading what his loyal fans think of his time on the other side of the equation will be a subject ripe for analysis in the weeks directly following this debut.


This is probably the best time for The Perfect Date to drop its trailer, as not only is the film arriving relatively soon on Netflix; but Noah Centineo has also been rumored to be in contention for the lead role of He-Man in the Masters of the Universe reboot. So not only will this new film benefit from the recent talk surrounding its star, but the actor is undoubtedly going to see a boost in viewers for his role, whether its from freshly stoking his pre-existing fanbase, or from newcomers who enjoyed the cut of his jib in the trailer above.




We'll see the end result when The Perfect Date arrives on our collective Netflix doorstep on April 12th. But should you want to hire another Netflix attraction to squire you about town, you can see what else is up for grabs by checking out our 2019 Netflix premiere schedule. If you're even more curious about what to watch in order to familiarize yourself with Noah Centineo's work, there's an entire body of his work you can check out for research purposes.

Thursday, August 20, 2020

Should Marvel Announce Its Entire Phase 4 Slate Post-Endgame?

Should Marvel Announce Its Entire Phase 4 Slate Post-Endgame?
Avengers: Endgame

On October 28, 2014, while still in the midst of Phase Two and around six months before the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Marvel announced its slate of movies for Phase Three. It was like Christmas morning for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and comic book movies in general, as the studio laid out an incredibly ambitious plan that promised an expanding universe of new heroes and epic events.


That slate has changed a bit over the years, dates were moved around, Spider-Man came home, the Wasp teamed up with Ant-Man and the Inhumans were put out to pasture on ABC, but ultimately I don’t think it’s controversial to say that Marvel mostly delivered on the promise of that slate and even exceeded those lofty expectations.


Now we are rapidly approaching the end of that Phase Three slate. Avengers: Endgame arrives in theaters this weekend, the culmination of the MCU’s 11-year, 22-film journey, followed by Spider-Man: Far From Home in July, which, according to Kevin Feige, is the true end of Phase Three.




When we come to the end of something, we often look to the past and the journey that brought us here, but our eyes eventually inevitably turn towards the future. So as Marvel closes the book on The Infinity Saga, it is worth asking what comes next. To that end, we have to wonder if Marvel will announce its entire Phase Four slate (if it is called Phase 4) after Avengers: Endgame/Spider-Man: Far From Home? And to be more specific, should it?


It's not like we are in the dark about what the future of the MCU holds. In fact, we know quite a bit based on reports about projects in development, castings and the filmmakers hired for these future films.


The long awaited Black Widow solo movie is putting together an impressive cast, as is Marvel’s newest foray into the MCU cosmos, The Eternals. Director Scott Derrickson is returning for Doctor Strange 2, as is Ryan Coogler for the Black Panther sequel and (thankfully) James Gunn for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Add in a Shang-Chi movie and you have a pretty impressive slate.




However, the studio hasn’t officially announced these titles. Marvel has release dates carved out from next spring to the summer of 2022, but the movies coming out on those dates are still a mystery. That brings us back around to the question of if Marvel Studios should show all of its cards for the next chapter of the MCU in the wake of Avengers: Endgame.


On the one hand, the answer to this question seems obvious; of course Marvel should announce its entire Phase 4 slate post-Endgame. The Phase Three slate announcement seemed to work out fairly well and we already know some of the stuff that’s coming, so we might as well have confirmation. It would also be a good move to get audiences excited about what the future holds after Avengers: Endgame concludes the current story.


From a fan perspective, who wouldn’t want to know for sure what’s coming and what we have to look forward to? Speculation is part of the fun of being a fan of these types of movies, and in some ways knowing what’s coming gives us more to speculate about and discuss, not less. Just think about how awesome it was when we saw iconic comic book arcs reflected in titles like Civil War, Ragnarok and Infinity War. That hype was a magical feeling and I think we’d all be down to experience it again.




However, there is a less obvious argument that Marvel shouldn’t announce its entire Phase Four slate after Avengers: Endgame or Spider-Man: Far From Home. When Marvel made that Phase Three slate announcement way back in 2014, it was a mere two weeks removed from Warner Bros. announcing its own ambitious slate of DC films.


So it seems possible that Marvel didn’t intend to announce all of those films right away, and only did so to let comic book movie fans and shareholders know that it was not ceding the crown anytime soon. This time around, there is no pressure for Marvel to announce everything if it isn’t ready to do so or would prefer not to.


There is also something to be said for keeping fans in the dark and maintaining an air of mystery about what the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be moving forward. Because we really have no idea what this universe will look like post-Endgame. If you think about it, we’ve known that Thanos was the final boss the heroes would be facing at some point since the mid-credits scene in 2012’s The Avengers. The Infinity Stones have been the through-line of The Infinity Saga and everything has built toward that Thanos encounter.




Right now, we may know some movies that are coming, but Phase Four has no such obvious path. We don’t know what the contours of this next chapter will be. Is it building towards something like a big team-up movie as the previous phases have? What’s the connective tissue between an epic that spans tens of thousands of years, a former KGB spy and a master of Kung-Fu? We don’t know yet and that’s exciting.


If Marvel chooses to dole out information a little bit at a time, versus a dump of information revealing everything that’s coming, we’ll be viewing each film more as an individual piece versus how it fits into the larger narrative arc of "the Phase." That might result in less forward momentum, but there would be a greater potential for surprises.


For example, it doesn't seem like the X-Men or Fantastic Four will be brought in for a while, but we know they’re coming eventually. So what’s more exciting: an announcement and a logo reveal as part of a press conference, or some sort of shocking tease in an end-credits scene? Obviously casting and development news can spoil future reveals, but I think there is merit to learning about the destination as part of the journey, not in advance of it.




Kevin Feige has indicated that Marvel has a three-year plan post-Endgame. The seven movies we believe are in the works are only enough to cover a little over two years of that at a rate of three MCU movies a year. We’re definitely going to hear about some of those movies before too long because Marvel needs to let people know what movies are coming, particularly next year. Still, we don't know if we'll hear about the entire three-year slate.


Ultimately, I think that Marvel should announce some of its Phase Four slate after Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home, but I don’t think the studio needs to or should announce the entire Phase Four movie plan right away. I want to know what’s coming, but not everything, not yet.


Before we get to any of that, we have to see how Phase 3 and the Infinity Saga comes to a close in this weekend’s Avengers: Endgame. Stay locked to CinemaBlend for all the latest coverage from the film and check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all of this summer’s biggest movies.



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

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

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 Official Image Paramount

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
Brendan Fraser

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
angelina jolie back in Maleficent 2 Mistress of Evil

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.

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

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.

 

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