Olivia Wilde Is Down To Direct A Marvel Movie

Olivia Wilde Is Down To Direct A Marvel Movie

Actress Olivia Wilde made her feature directorial debut with this past weekend’s criminally underseen, R-rated comedy Booksmart. After such an auspicious debut many will be excited to see what Olivia Wilde directs next. As is the case with any exciting new filmmaker, that question naturally leads to the elephant in the cinematic room: Marvel. When asked if she’d be open to it, Olivia Wilde affirmed that she’d be down to direct a Marvel movie, saying:

Totally yeah, absolutely. I think that it's exciting that now women like Ava DuVernay and Chloé Zhao are directing Marvel films and it's exciting to think about what that will do to the franchise. I think it's a proud...I'm a proud member of the movement of female directors, and I don't think there's any genre that should be off the table.

In her interview with MTV International, Olivia Wilde sounds very open to possibly directing a Marvel movie in the future. More than that though she is just genuinely excited that that is a realistic question someone could ask her. That’s because we are seeing more and more female directors get their names out there and get the opportunity to direct big blockbuster movies, like those in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Olivia Wilde specifically cites Ava DuVernay and Chloé Zhao as two of the directors helming superhero films and although the former is actually directing The New Gods for DC, her point stands. Chloé Zhao is directing The Eternals for Marvel, and she’s not the only female director putting her stamp on cinema’s most successful franchise. Anna Boden co-directed this year’s Captain Marvel and Cate Shortland is directing the Black Widow solo movie.

And although it’s not Marvel, Patty Jenkins gave us DC’s best movie in Wonder Woman and was paid a handsome sum to return for Wonder Woman 1984. So female directors are getting the kinds of opportunities with huge franchise movies that they didn’t always have, and Olivia Wilde would be happy to join them as the director of a future Marvel film.

Whether Olivia Wilde would be the right director for a Marvel movie or what property she could tackle is impossible to say. She definitely knocked it out of the park on her first big screen effort, and we’ll have to see how she follows it up. The thing she has already showed though is an understanding of character and how to get great performances out of her actors and that is something Marvel looks for in its directors.

It is not blockbuster experience or knowledge of how to handle big action set pieces that Marvel requires for its directors. Joe and Anthony Russo were best known for directing Community before Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Taika Waititi for What We Do in the Shadows and James Gunn for small R-rated fare like Super and Slither.

The point is that Marvel doesn’t look for directors with huge names for their other films; it looks for filmmakers that it has faith can deliver great Marvel movies. You’ll also notice that those names all had success with comedic properties pre-Marvel and Olivia Wilde definitely proved to have a great grasp on comedy with Booksmart.

None of this is to say Olivia Wilde will direct a Marvel movie, as I’d be happy to see her continue making smaller movies like Booksmart. But it isn’t a ludicrous idea and she seems down to do it. I could actually see her as Sue Storm, so maybe she could act and direct by the time Marvel gets its inevitable Fantastic Four reboot off the ground. Just a thought.

Booksmart is now playing. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all the movies headed your way this summer.

21 Bridges Trailer: Chadwick Boseman's New Movie Has Him Playing A Cop After Cop Killers

21 Bridges Trailer: Chadwick Boseman's New Movie Has Him Playing A Cop After Cop Killers

Most people are probably getting ready to check out Avengers: Endgame this weekend and are curious what the ultimate fate of Black Panther is going to be. Whatever happens, to the Marvel hero, Chadwick Boseman knows where he's going next, and now so do we, as the first trailer for the thriller 21 Bridges is here. Check it out below.

Chadwick Boseman plays a cop who saw his father killed in the line of duty as a child, and as such has no love for criminals who kill other cops. When exactly that happens, Boseman's character is called in to hunt down those responsible. He goes to extremes to get the fugitives, including shutting down every possible route out of Manhattan. That includes closing all 21 bridges, from which the film gets its name.

Of course, what the trailer also makes clear is that there's more going on in this story. This isn't just as simple as a couple of thugs shooting cops. Even the criminals on the run appear to have found themselves involved in something they were never looking for.

While the story of 21 Bridges might be pretty far removed from that of Black Panther, behind the camera things are a little closer to home. The film is actually being produced by Joe and Anthony Russo, the directors of this weekend's Avengers: Endgame.

The story is written by Matthew Michael Carnahan, who wrote Deepwater Horizon and World War Z, along with Adam Mervis for whom this is only his second feature writing credit. 21 Bridges is directed by Brian Kirk, who is primarily known as a television director, where he has worked on episodes of Game of Thrones, Penny Dreadful, and Luther among many others.

21 Bridges isn't quite the star studded action blockbuster that we would expect to see releasing in July, but the fact that it is shows a certain amount of confidence that the film will be able to hold its own against those tentpole releases. 21 Bridges is currently slotted into July 12, which is the weekend after Spider-Man: Far From Home comes out and the weekend before the remake of The Lion King makes its bow.

The movie's only direct competition of any note will be the action-comedy Stuber starring Kumail Nanjiani and Dave Bautista. It will be interesting to see how these two Marvel alumni do against each other, as well as how they both do against the hold over business for the final chapter of the current phase of the MCU.

Of course, with Black Panther officially missing in action as far as Avengers: Endgame goes, it's entirely possible that 21 Bridges is going to be the only place to see Chadwick Boseman on the big screen this year.

Watch Aladdin’s Will Smith Rap ‘Friend Like Me’ Live

Watch Aladdin’s Will Smith Rap ‘Friend Like Me’ Live

Disney's next live-action remake is Aladdin and without a doubt, the hardest job in the new movie is the one done by Will Smith. He has to try to fill the shoes of the great Robin Williams, whose most iconic role ever might just be the animated blue Genie. For many there is simply no way to fill the shoes of Robin Williams, but Smith is going to do his best to make the role his own, and on a recent episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, we got a taste of how.

Will Smith tells Jimmy Fallon that he himself wasn't interested in taking on the role of the Genie at first, but as he thought about it, he found a way to put his own spin on the part through one of Aladdin's classic songs, the showstopping "Friend Like Me." Smith even performed a bit of it on the show. Check it out.

The audience clearly seems to get into the impromptu performance, as does Jimmy Fallon, though pretty much everything seems to get Fallon excited.

It's about as far from Robin Williams' version of "Friend Like Me" as you can get, which is, of course, the point. Inviting comparison to Williams is only going to end badly for Will Smith and the movie in general. The best move is to lean into Will Smith's strengths, including his musical ability, and give this version of the Genie an energy that is uniquely Will Smith.

We've gotten some brief glimpses of both the visuals and the music in the new Aladdin, but clearly the big stuff is being held for the film itself. Will Smith tells Jimmy Fallon that the "Prince Ali" number is going to be especially impressive. That's one part of the film that we really haven't seen.

The initial reaction to the new Aladdin was less than stellar following the reveal of Will Smith's Genie. People felt the CGI look was just wrong. The more recent trailers have seemingly calmed most nerves. Fans who are looking for a new version of the story they love are clearly going to get that, and Smith's version of the Genie appears to spend a large part of the movie looking human, so if the CGI is rough, we may not have to deal with it for long.

If you'd like to compare Will Smith's performance of "Friend Like Me" to the original, you can check out Robin Williams version in the video below.

Remakes are always a bit of a tightrope. On the one hand, seeing a different interpretation of a favorite movie can be a lot of fun, and multiple versions can be embraced for different reasons. At the same time, people want to see the parts of the original story that they loved the first time around. It's a bit of a balancing act.

Will Smith alone might be enough to keep Aladdin from following too close to the original material, in the way Beauty and the Beast did. We'll find out when the new Aladdin hits theaters May 24.

Dwayne Johnson Shares Jumanji 3 Set Photo With Karen Gillan

Dwayne Johnson Shares Jumanji 3 Set Photo With Karen Gillan

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle was a massive hit that ended up giving Star Wars: The Last Jedi more of a run for its money at the box office than anybody ever expected. Jumanji and Star Wars are now getting ready to go head-to-head once again as Jumanji 3 is set to go up against Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Dwayne Johnson recently shared a new photo of himself and co-star Karen Gillan which shows the pair in a brand new setting, a desert.

If you didn't actually see Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, then the title is still a pretty big give away that the last movie took place entirely within a jungle setting. Since we don't know what the plot of the new film is, it's been unclear how it would plan to differentiate itself from the last movie, and it seems that at least part of the reason is that the story will unfold outside of the jungle setting that Jumanji has been so closely related to .

Dwayne Johnson's Instagram post shows sand as far as the eye can see. Other images that we've seen from production show the main cast in different outfits, including clothing that's clearly meant to keep them warm, which would imply they also end up somewhere very cold. I assumed we'd see them in the snow, though it's possible they could just end up at the desert at night.

Beyond that, the only changes come in the form of additions to the cast. Danny Devito, Awfwafina, and Danny Glover have been confirmed to be in the film, but their roles have not been revealed, so whether they're real world characters, in-game characters, or any two of them combine to make up a single character inside and outside the game, is anybody's guess.

Beyond the backdrop, the image doesn't tell us much. It's just two of our favorite characters from Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle looking sufficiently badass, but really that's good enough.

Karen Gillan herself responded to Dwayne Johnson's post with some great comments. She says "Awkward teenage love and crime" is the name of her autobiography. Gillan also gets a very positive response from her current on-screen dad, Josh Brolin.

The only real question right now about the project is that the film began production only this past February, and with a December release date, the movie isn't going to have a lot of time for post-production compared to your average blockbuster. While there weren't necessarily a lot of digital effects in the last film, there were some, and it looks like the post production team may end up with a tighter than usual window for getting that work done.

Overall Jumanji 3, or whatever it ends up being called, is looking to be a lot more of the same fun that made Welcome to the Jungle a hit with audiences.The next Jumanji is set for release December 13.

Avengers: Endgame Had An Awesome Easter Egg For Another Marvel Character

Avengers: Endgame Had An Awesome Easter Egg For Another Marvel Character

Warning: SPOILERS for Avengers: Endgame are in play. If you’re worried about spoiling the fun, bookmark this piece and come back once you’ve experienced the magic for yourself.

While a movie like Avengers: Endgame is designed to wrap up a lot of history in a neat and tidy package, the expectation is also set for that same film to drop some hints towards the future. And if some eagle-eyed, or rather eagle-eared, moviegoers are right, a pretty big clue towards another hero’s debut may have been woven into the film’s narrative. And that hero just might be Captain Britain himself, Brian Braddock.

As the story goes, during the 1970 section of the big time heist in Avengers: Endgame, Steve Rogers hides in what he finds out is Peggy Carter’s office as the S.H.I.E.L.D. director at Camp Lehigh. While seeing the love of his life in her prime, we overhear something about how an operative named Braddock hasn’t checked in.

This small reference doesn’t come up again in Avengers: Endgame, but some fans think that this particular name drop means that Captain Britain might be on his way to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Looking into the history of the character’s existence in reality, as well as the timeline of this particular scene, just might tell us what this could mean for the MCU.

Debuting in 1976, Captain Britain’s origin story involved Brian Braddock’s isolated, but well-off, beginnings, which eventually saw him gaining superpowers after being visited by Merlin himself. Captain Britain would later go on to work for the U.K.’s version of S.H.I.E.L.D., names S.T.R.I.K.E. This connection is interesting, considering it furthers the connection between Captain Britain and the existing Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Should this reference picked out by ComicBookMovie.com be true, and Captain Britain is being seeded into the MCU, then the S.T.R.I.K.E. team, introduced with Brock Rumlow and his associates in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, could be that very same team. So not only could Captain Britain become another entry in Marvel’s cinematic canon, whether it be in Phase 4 or beyond, there’s a chance we could see another period piece fleshing out the backstory of this very universe.

Considering we’ve seen several rounds of speculation and backtracking around the fact that Simon Pegg once said he’d want to play Captain Britain, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to possibly start sniffing around a scenario that would see Pegg brought on to bring this legendary hero to life.

Maybe this could even be the project that would act as the ultimate mea culpa to director Edgar Wright. With full creative control possibly being granted to the man who was once set to direct Ant-Man, before circumstances spun out of control, we might see a new age of filmmakers being brought into Marvel Studios history.

For now though, all we have is a fun reference that could pan out into a future round of fun. With everything else that’s already in the works for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s not like the company is hurting for options. But at the same time, if the hypothetical scenario we described is the best chance for this reference to pay off, then we’re going to cross our fingers and let the wishing begin!

Avengers: Endgame is currently in theaters now, ready for you to experience for the first or fifth time.

Disney And Netflix’s Partnership Isn't Permanently Over

Disney And Netflix’s Partnership Isn't Permanently Over

Disney's movies are some of the most popular films currently found on Netflix, but with Disney's own Disney+ streaming service set to bow in November, we know that those movies are on their way out...or are they?

It turns out that Disney and Netflix's agreement with each other might not be as simple as it first seemed. Disney's deal saw all of the studios's big theatrical releases, from Zootopia to Black Panther make the jump to Netflix, and while the earliest films from that deal have fallen off the service, and those the remain will be dropping off as well. Bloomberg is reporting that the deal between Netflix and Disney includes the stipulation that movies released between January 2016 and December 2018 will actually return to Netflix in 2026, and when they do they'll disappear from Disney+.

Similar stipulations reportedly impact several media distributors that are otherwise pulling their content back from Netflix.

While that means this won't happen for about seven years, it means that things aren't nearly as simple as they appeared between the two companies. We've certainly been given the impression that once Disney's 2018 blockbusters fall off the service, Disney would be in the clear to do with them what they wished. There's certainly been no indication that any of the content on Disney+ would ever need to be removed once it was added.

Of course, since it will be several years until we get to this issue, it's quite possible this will never come to pass. Disney and Netflix could always work out some sort of deal, that would probably involve Disney paying Netflix a lot of money, that would allow the Mouse House to get out of any holdover contract stipulations. The likelihood of that would all depend on how important losing three years of material on Disney+ might be to the service, and it will be years before we know the answer to that.

By then, Disney's collection of library and original content may be so strong that even losing major hits like Black Panther or Star Wars: The Last Jedi are no big deal.

It's also unclear for exactly how long these movies will be exclusive for Netflix. If the window each movie has on the streaming service is similar to the first time each of these films debuted on Netflix, it could be several years before everything is back on Disney+. The deal will also split up major franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars, so different chapters of each will be available in different places.

Nobody is quite sure what Disney+ means for Netflix's future success or for the growing streaming market as a whole, but it does seem like Netflix isn't going to be entirely without some major blockbusters in the future, and Netflix may be able to battle Disney+ with some of the studio's own movies.

Fantastic Beasts 3: Warner Bros. Reportedly Worried About Johnny Depp Backlash

Fantastic Beasts 3: Warner Bros. Reportedly Worried About Johnny Depp Backlash

Warner Bros. is currently preparing for Fantastic Beasts 3, the third of five planned movies in Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling's series. Johnny Depp has a lead role as dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald. But now executives are reportedly worried about backlash as the legal battle between Depp and ex-wife Amber Heard rages on.

You may recall Johnny Depp's $50 million defamation suit against Amber Heard, alleging her abuse allegations against him were part of an elaborate hoax to advance her career; he also claimed her op-ed cost him his job with the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

Amber Heard just responded to Johnny Depp's lawsuit by detailing some graphic allegations against him, via The Post, claiming he became "the Monster" when drunk or medicated, and kicked and choked her, and then often wouldn't remember his violent behavior. She shared text messages said to be from him and his assistant acknowledging and apologizing for Depp's alleged behavior.

Johnny Depp’s lawyer, Adam Waldman, claimed again that Amber Heard's allegations were a hoax, and said they were currently interviewing other women who had come forward claiming they were victims of violence and other abuse by Heard.

But the continued play of abuse allegations in headlines has reportedly concerned some Warner Bros. execs, at least according to sources who spoke to The Post.

Executives at Warner Bros. are wondering how to deal with the backlash of the Depp matter on the Harry Potter franchise. High-level female execs at the studio are extremely worried about working with Depp and the message it sends to the public, especially after the recent sordid departure of CEO Kevin Tsujihara. [...] This is yet another blow to the morale of female employees at the studio. If Warner Bros. continues to stick by Depp, it would reveal a lot about the values the company holds.

CEO Kevin Tsujihara recently exited Warner Bros. after a sexual misconduct casting couch scandal.

J.K. Rowling backed Johnny Depp when concerns were previously voiced about including him in the Fantastic Beasts franchise. She wrote on her website in December 2017 that Harry Potter fans had "legitimate concerns" but "[b]ased on our understanding of the circumstances, the filmmakers and I are not only comfortable sticking with our original casting, but genuinely happy to have Johnny playing a major character in the movies."

Now, this source claims not everyone is happy that J.K. Rowling made such a public statement:

Many at Warner Bros. wish that Rowling hadn’t come out so strongly behind Depp, because having made her opinion so public boxes them into a corner.

Warner Bros. reps didn't respond to The Post's requests for comment, so all we have to go on is the word of these unnamed sources -- who do seem to be in Amber Heard's corner -- plus Johnny Depp's attorney -- who is clearly in Depp's corner.

Whatever the truth of this short-lived but apparently never-ending marriage, it's still not over yet. Johnny Depp's lawyer has issued subpoenas to Amber Heard, "her hoax assisting friends, Elon Musk and other witnesses" to explain the evidence they plan to show on their end.

Fantastic Beasts 3 was meant to start filming this summer, but production was delayed to fall 2019 to give the film more prep time. According to Dan Fogler (Jacob) the third movie is going to be "gigantic" and "bigger than the first two combined," including travel to Brazil.

The last we heard about Fantastic Beasts 3 was last month from the now ousted Kevin Tsujihara, who acknowledged that the second film -- Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald -- didn’t perform as well as Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, "but I think we know what we need to do to get the third film hopefully even better than the first one. And J.K. Rowling is really working hard now on that third script, and we’re going to get it right."

Here's everything we know about Fantastic Beasts 3 up to this point. J.K. Rowling is the screenwriter of the entire series, and she said she has a plan for five movies, leading up to the big duel between Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) and Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp).