Why Captain Marvel Changed Annette Bening's Role From Male To Female

Why Captain Marvel Changed Annette Bening's Role From Male To Female

Spoiler Warning: Again, you should see Captain Marvel before reading this article. Come back after you've seen the movie!

Captain Marvel is finally out theaters and it looks like it'll be a healthy opening weekend for the MCU's latest. Fans seeing the movie this weekend finally got the long awaited answers to some questions, including the true identity of Annette Bening's character. She was previously confirmed to play the Supreme Intelligence of the Kree, but there's an extra twist to her character -- or should I say characters.

Annette Bening also plays Wendy Lawson, otherwise known as a Kree named Mar-Vell, the character who most inspires Carol Danvers. In the comics, Mar-Vell is a man (Walter Lawson) who goes by the superhero name Captain Marvel and is a love interest of Carol. Marvel Studios decided to flip the genders for the role, and Kevin Feige shed some light on why they decided to take that route.

It was late in the development of the movie. Frankly, as we were approaching shooting, we were casting male -- We were looking for a male Mar-Vell and developing the script at the same time, as we often do. We spoke to a few people, but as you've now seen in the movie, it's a limited role, because of the nature of the structure of the story. It was, I believe, Anna [Boden] who came up with the suggestion in a script meeting that, "Why don't make the S.I., the vision that she sees, Mar-Vell?" The idea was just before we brought Annette on. So, it was relatively late in the development process and one of a handful of things that happened as the script was taking on its final form, that was an epiphany that Anna had, and it was like, "Oh, of course! That's perfect!" And we stopped looking for another actor.

As Kevin Feige told ET, it sounds like they were originally bringing Annette Bening on board to only play the Supreme Intelligence. In the film, the S.I. is the AI leader of Kree and takes the form of the person most admired by whoever it's speaking to. Co-director Anna Boden had the idea that Carol's vision should be of Mar-Vell. Thus Mar-Vell would also have to be played by Bening.

Because the role of Mar-Vell was limited to begin with, it was an idea that worked out pretty well for the movie. Gender flipping the character certainly doesn't have a negative impact on Captain Marvel and there's never a reason to turn down adding more Annette Bening to anything.

You can see Annette Bening as Mar-Vell whenever you want because Captain Marvel is in theaters right now. To learn more about the movie before your showing, here's what we know so far.

Aladdin Star Reflects On Why The Movie's Diversity Criticisms Are Overblown

Aladdin Star Reflects On Why The Movie's Diversity Criticisms Are Overblown

Once upon a time, it was far from uncommon for characters from other cultural backgrounds to be transformed into white people when stories made the transition to the big screen. Alternatively, it was once considered no big deal to have white actors actually play people of other races (that idea has aged particularly well). However, today culturally sensitive casting is considered necessary, and it's called out when a production drops that ball.

Disney's new Aladdin dealt with some of that criticism itself. While the movie has a fairly diverse cast, in this case, that was exactly the problem. Specifically, Naomi Scott who plays Jasmine, is a British born actress of Indian decent, and some believed the role should have gone to an actress of Middle Eastern heritage.

However, Mena Massoud, who plays Aladdin, feels the controversy is overblown, because ultimately the story of Aladdin, being fictional, is a combination of several cultures. According to Massoud...

It’s a funny thing that’s happening online. The Middle Easterners want Aladdin to be a Middle Eastern story, and the Indians want Aladdin to be an Indian story. The truth is, it’s really a folk tale from the 1800s, and Agrabah is a fictional place that’s a culmination of India and Asia and the Middle East. In fact, in the original folk tale, Aladdin was actually of Chinese descent. So what we wanted to do with this was represent as many different cultures from that part of the world as possible.

It is true that while the story of Aladdin is a folk tale from the Middle East that goes back centuries. In that story, the character of Aladdin himself is said to be from China. To that end, even Mena Massoud's casting as the main character would be out of step. Clearly, the actor feels that the new movie's objective, to spotlight a diverse cast with backgrounds from numerous cultures, was a choice that worked, and was justified by the film's fairy tale setting.

Hell, the new Aladdin even has [Billy Magnussen](https://www.cinemablend.com/news/1699909/the-live-adaptation-of-aladdin-is-adding-a-brand-new-character?pv=search) show up as an utterly unexplained white dude. It seems that wherever Agrabah is located, many different races are within a horseback ride of the castle.

Mena Massoud goes on to tell the New York Times that the new Aladdin had cultural advisors on set at all times because the production wanted to get those aspects of the story right; he never felt that anything in the movie wasn't being properly respectful, in fact, quite the opposite...

They had a team of cultural advisers on set. And no, to answer your question. It’s the most represented and the most respect, culturally, that I’ve ever felt in my career. My first professional gig was on a show called Nikita, and I played Al Qaeda No. 2. At that time I had to take those roles because I just wanted to get my foot in.

Certainly, playing the lead in the live-action Aladdin is a step up from playing random terrorist characters. It's unfortunate that such roles are often all that exist for actors of Middle Eastern decent.

People are certainly going to have differing opinions on how best to handle casting on movies like this. Mena Massoud's perspective won't work for everybody, but most will likely agree that Aladdin is a valuable step forward in many ways, even if it isn't perfect.

And perhaps Aladdin will also help be a step forward to fix the larger issue. Certainly, as it turns out, wide audiences have no problem seeing movie casts like the one Aladdin put together. The film broke the box office with an impressive $116 million at the domestic box office over the long Memorial Day Weekend. The movie has already grossed over $250 million globally.

The True Story Behind This Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker 'Wrap' Photo

The True Story Behind This Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker 'Wrap' Photo

Since today is Star Wars Day, it seems fitting to gather round the cantina for the true story of that instantly iconic "wrap" photo from the set of Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker. Director J.J. Abrams shared the image on February 15, back when we had no idea what the title of the film would be. He announced that filming had wrapped on Episode IX, meaning filming had wrapped for the entire Skywalker Saga. Abrams posted an emotional group hug photo of new trilogy stars Daisy Ridley (Rey), John Boyega (Finn), and Oscar Isaac (Poe):

Turns out, though, that photo was not from when they wrapped filming. It was just a beautiful set photo taken from earlier in the shoot, and showed how much the stars appreciated each moment filming the final chapter in this saga.

The three stars in question explained the real situation behind the photo in interviews with Yahoo. Here's Daily Ridley's answer when asked about the "wrap" hug photo:

That wasn't when we wrapped, that's how much we love each other. The day of wrap we were in London, and John wrapped just before me. And I was a hot mess. 'Cause it's like, the character and everything, but the group of people I've been able to work with, I've been so lucky. I said to them this morning, ‘Imagine if we didn't like each other?’

Oscar Isaac expressed a similar sentiment on the non-wrap photo, and revealed that he was happy his character Poe got to spend more time with John Boyega's Finn in The Rise of Skywalker (something that has already been teased in the first trailer):

That was towards the end of filming in the desert, we still had a bit to go back in London. I just think that's an example of how close we got, and how much we genuinely love each other. For me, one of the great things about this film is I got to work so much more with John Boyega, and I just really love him deeply as a person. So I think that comes across. It will come across in the film.

Yeah, of out of everyone, Oscar Isaac seems the most emotional in the photo. It did leave fans reading into their expressions, trying to figure out what might've just happened before this shot. John Boyega talked about it just being an ordinary moment in extraordinary circumstances:

An ordinary moment just goes to show every day just felt emotional. I guess there was a sense throughout the whole film that this was the last one. So we'd hug each other after a long day when we struggled and we achieved a lot.

J.J. Abrams also talked a bit more about wrapping The Rise of Skywalker, comparing that last day to his last day filming Episode VII - The Force Awakens. As you can imagine, there was more emotion in finishing Episode IX, because everyone was very much aware that it was the final film in this story. It's the end of the nine-film Skywalker Saga. Not that Abrams has finished making the film -- as director, when filming is finished, he heads straight into post-production with editing and visual effects work.

Since the movie is ultimately called The Rise of Skywalker, that has led to a lot of speculation as well. Are there any Skywalkers in that photo above, which J.J. Abrams used to mark the end of filming? As far as we know, no, but there may be twists ahead. Luke Skywalker himself, played by Mark Hamill, is meant to return despite dying in The Last Jedi, and Emperor Palpatine appears to be rising as well, despite being killed in the original trilogy.

Prepare for plenty of surprises, and probably a lot of emotion, when Episode IX arrives in theaters December 20. Here's everything we know so far about Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Den Of Thieves 2 Is Happening, Here’s What We Know

Den Of Thieves 2 Is Happening, Here’s What We Know

January often finds itself referred to as a dead period at the movies, but January 2018 managed to produce some surprisingly fun and profitable cinematic offerings. One of the most notable of the bunch was Christian Gudegast's Den of Thieves, which surpassed expectations at the box office and has thus far grossed roughly $57 million worldwide. Now it seems that the folks involved in the movie are keen on capitalizing on that success, as Den of Thieves 2 is currently in development with several key players returning for the next outing.

That's right. Den of Thieves is getting a sequel, and it looks like it's going to bring Gerard Butler back to headline the affair as Nick O'Brien, and O'Shea Jackson Jr. will join him as Donnie. Director Christian Gudegast is also returning behind the camera, which means audiences can likely expect a similar style and flavor to the story. That said, things won't be too identical this time, as the sequel is trading in the mean streets of southern California for Europe, as Nick (aware of Donnie's criminal genius status) chases after the young con artist. Meanwhile, the two find themselves embroiled in a massive diamond heist and a conflict with the Panther mafia.

We're about to get into some spoilers ahead for Den of Thieves! Knowing what happens in the original Den of Thieves, it does make a certain degree of sense to see that a sequel has entered development. The film (very much an ode to classic crime thrillers) ends with a Usual Suspects-esque conclusion in which Gerard Butler's Nick O'Brien puts together the pieces of the mystery and realizes that Donnie Wilson (O'Shea Jackson Jr.) was actually the mastermind behind the entire Federal Reserve heist. Now, we see where he goes with that information.

Then there's also the matter of the narrative loose ends left by the first movie, particularly as they relate to Nick O'Brien's personal life. One major subplot of the film involves watching Nick's family and home life fall apart as he descends further and further into the Merrimen case. This storyline never really ties into the final scenes of the film when we learn about Donnie's true nature or Nick's realization of what happened, so Den of Thieves 2 l could help pay off moments from the first installment that arguably need more attention.

One thing not mentioned by Deadline's report of the Den of Thieves sequel is whether or not we will see any members of the Merrimen gang return. Although Merrimen (Pablo Schreiber), Enson Levoux (50 Cent), and Bosco (Evan Jones) all die in the climactic shootout of the first film, Den of Thieves used quite a bit of flashback and non-linear storytelling. If the sequel continues that and fleshes out the events of the first movie, then it's entirely possible that we could see some cameos when it debuts. We'll just have to wait and see.

The original Den of Thieves is still playing in select theaters, so read our in-depth review of the film and make sure to check it out if you haven't already. Looking ahead to Den of Thieves 2, CinemaBlend will bring you more information related to the project as it becomes available to us. For now, hop over to our 2018 movie premiere guide to get more information on all of the films set to debut this year.

New Avengers: Endgame Footage Features The Survivors Making Fun Of Captain America

New Avengers: Endgame Footage Features The Survivors Making Fun Of Captain America

It's hard to believe it, but Avengers: Endgame is almost upon us. A year after Infinity War arrived in theaters to shatter expectations and break hearts, moviegoers will finally get some answers, and see what happened to the surviving Avengers after Thanos wiped out half the galaxy. Ahead of the release, Marvel Studios has been keeping its cards close to the chest, methodically releasing new footage and information about the highly anticipated blockbuster.

With a matter of days before Endgame finally hits theaters, Marvel has been able to get a bit more chatty and revealing, while still guarding the film's secrets. The trailers and TV spots generally recycle the same footage, but a new one just hit that provides some much needed levity to the dark and dreary post-snap world. Check it out below.

Even after an apocalyptic event like The Decimation, Captain America is still the butt of everyone's jokes. It's the lighter side of serialized storytelling.

The new Avengers: Endgame TV spot mostly features footage we've seen before. The surviving heroes are shown in the Avengers facility, planning their rematch against Josh Brolin's villainous Thanos. Considering just how high the stakes of the mission are, Chris Evans' Captain America gives a rousing inspirations speech (as he's wont to do). The survivors have no room for error in Endgame, although there is room for one thing: poking fun at Cap.

Because after Steve Rogers finished his inspiring monologue, Bradley Cooper's Rocket expressed just how good he was at it. Paul Rudd's Ant-Man then chimes in to agree, allowing a quick moment of comedy in an an otherwise super serious marketing campaign. The group then unite their fists, one again showing off their mysterious matching white suits.

It should be interesting to see how much comedy is utilized for Avengers: Endgame, given just how high the film's stakes are. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has leaned heavily on comedic beats in their recent blockbusters, helping to buoy new blockbusters and keep their paces bright. Infinity War still had moments of levity, mostly due to the inclusion of the Guardians of the Galaxy. But since the team besides Rocket and Nebula faded to dust, it might be more challenging to include comedy in the next Marvel release.

The trailers for Avengers: Endgame have been serious and somber, showing how devastated Earth is after Thanos collected the Infinity Stones and destroyed half of all life. The losses are innumerable, and the affects of The Decimation are teased to really affect characters like Hawkeye, Nebula, and Black Widow. And while they'll get some help from Captain Marvel and Ant-Man, the Avengers' mission to reverse The Snap isn't going to be easy.

Luckily, answers are arriving shortly. Avengers: Endgame will finally hit theaters on April 26th, one year after Infinity War blew minds and broke records. In the meantime, be sure to check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Jamie Dornan Reveals Why Joining The Fifty Shades Films Was Not The Easiest Decision

Jamie Dornan Reveals Why Joining The Fifty Shades Films Was Not The Easiest Decision

Joining a franchise like Fifty Shades is no easy decision. At least, Fifty Shades of Grey lead Jamie Dornan feels that way. The actor recently told the Out to Lunch with Jay Rayner podcast that while there were plenty of pros to playing Christian Grey, the decision was an “odd” one. He revealed:

It was very odd to be honest, because you are presented with this incredible opportunity that is going to have a big impact on your life and change many things. To be honest, mostly financially, but again in [my] career [it] opened so many doors. But you sort of know it’s going to get panned. Very strange thing.

“Incredible opportunity” and “big impact” are both phrases that should make fans realize Jamie Dornan did know the movies would be good for his career and his wallet. However, the response to E.L. James’ books had always been very polarizing, well before Sam Taylor-Johnson’s Fifty Shades of Grey was filmed.

People of all ages and genders love the books; they are wildly popular and have a special place in the hearts of many. But unlike some programs that are popular -- Game of Thrones comes to mind – the faction of people who are critical about the Fifty Shades series is also a large one. Jamie Dornan knew there would be plenty of scrutiny when he was being presented with the opportunity to play Christian Grey.

The fact that joining the franchise was not an easy decision to make is also highlighted by the knowledge that Jamie Dornan wasn’t the first man cast in the role. Sons of Anarchy alum Charlie Hunnam originally had the gig.

Charlie Hunnam’s cited several reasons he ultimately bailed, including scheduling and being a total germaphobe. There are definite pros and cons to bringing a sexy book character to life on the big screen.

Jamie Dornan’s perspective on the way he thought things would shake out seems pretty reasonable, all things considered. Still, he noted that ultimately when he did take the job, the actual acting work was mostly just like any other set.

You’re trying to do the best you can and make the best of it but we knew that because the books were sort of adored by many, bought by many, but panned by many, it was probably going to be the same thing for the movies. It’s not like suddenly everyone who thought the book was badly written was going to be like, ‘Oh but the film’s very good.’ They were a great joy to be a part of and a crazy journey to go on, but also, above everything else, they are just a job on a film set. It’s no different than anything else; you’re just simulating more sex.

The notoriety, however, I would guess is another thing. It should be no surprise to anyone – even those who have never put on a single Fifty Shades movie before – there is a lot of sex in Fifty Shades of Grey and its two sequels. The series' claim to fame was putting BDSM fantasies for average individuals out into the world, after all.

Related: Fifty Shades Sex Scenes That Weren’t Sexy To Film In Real Life

Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson have been open in the past about how they got through filming the sex scenes. (Hint: he does a lot of push ups). Dornan revealed on Jay Rayner’s podcast that he did not know Johnson before filming Fifty Shades of Grey, so getting the chemistry right likely took work.

Plus, we know from Dakota Johnson that sometimes those sex scenes could be pretty tedious to make new, unique and interesting for the fanbase. So, the fact the job was similar to other movie gigs should not come as a huge shock.

Unfortunately for fans, Jamie Dornan’s time as Christian Grey has ended, but if you cared more about the actor’s chiseled abs than his Fifty Shades Freed character, you can see him in upcoming projects like Synchronic.

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.