Why LeBron James Is Having Trouble Getting NBA Players To Appear In Space Jam 2

Why LeBron James Is Having Trouble Getting NBA Players To Appear In Space Jam 2

LeBron James is bringing back Space Jam to the big screen with a sequel starring himself and all our favorite Looney Tunes. Since the 1996 original starred Michael Jordan and a ton of NBA player cameos, basketball fans might imagine a contemporary dream team would be assembled this time around as well. It’s their chance, do their dance! However, recent reports indicate that various courtside politics have been getting in the way of more NBA stars joining Space Jam 2.

Last week, ESPN said LeBron James -- who is also an executive producer on the project -- had reached out to a number of top players but hadn’t been successful in closing deals with them. Early speculation pointed to the rate of pay being offered for the cameos, or other NBA players not being interested in being a sideshow to LeBron’s top billing. The Hollywood Reporter has now offered up a few more reasons why LeBron James has been having trouble recruiting more players for the highly-anticipated family basketball movie.

First off, Warner Bros is apparently in charge of finding NBA talent for Space Jam 2, not LeBron. Also, the franchise has close ties with the Nike brand, especially since inspiration for the film itself started from a Nike Super Bowl commercial called "Hare Jordan," directed by Joe Pytka, who would later helm Space Jam starring Bugs and Michael Jordan as well. LeBron James has a Nike deal of his own, so players associated with competing sneaker brands will likely not join in on the sequel.

The report points to Stephen Curry, James Harden, and Kevin Durant as no-gos -- since Curry has a contract with Under Armour, Harden with Adidas, and while Durant is part of Team Nike, he is working on his own Apple series based on his life titled Swagger.

Additionally, the sources say the movie starring LeBron James isn’t looking to feature a large number of other NBA players for the film anyway. Space Jam 2 will focus a great deal on James as the central character, along with a second teen lead named Dom, who has yet to be cast. The movie will also feature Sonequa Martin-Green, who will play James’ wife, and a character named Malik, who will be modeled after James’ real-life best friend since childhood and producing partner Maverick Carter.

Fans of the original will likely be a bit disappointed if no other players cameo in Space Jam 2, since the first one had over a dozen legends playing alongside the Looney Tunes and against a team of bully aliens. There are certainly a few NBA players who don’t have ties to these brands and would be interested in taking part in this exciting sequel. The movie directed by Terence Nance, produced by Ryan Coogler and Justin Lin, is scheduled to begin filming this summer and be released on July 16, 2021.

Robert Pattinson Has Been Cast To Play The New Batman

Robert Pattinson Has Been Cast To Play The New Batman

Ever since Ben Affleck retired as Batman at the beginning of the year, fans have been wondering who would play the next version of the Caped Crusader in the DC Extended Universe. All that had been revealed was that it would be someone younger than Affleck and that The Batman director Matt Reeves was looking for someone well known. Well, evidently Twilight star Robert Pattinson was the best man for the job with those qualifications.

Weeks after he was among the rumored actors up for the Batman role, word has come in Robert Pattinson will don the cape and cowl next, with a deal set to close shortly. This makes him the seventh actor to play Batman in a live action theatrical movie, and the second youngest actor to ever bring the character to life in his superhero persona, following Christian Bale. According to Variety, Pattinson has been cast to lead The Batman even as Matt Reeves is still polishing the final draft of the script.

Robert Pattinson is best known for playing Edward Cullen in the five Twilight movies from 2008 to 2012, and his other notable credits include Queen of the Desert, Life (2015), The Lost City of Z and High Life. The Batman marks Pattinson’s second upcoming Warner Bros project, as he’s already set to star alongside John David Washington and Elizabeth Debicki in Christopher Nolan’s next movie.

It is worth mentioning that Deadline claims that Nicholas Hoult is still in the running for The Batman, though Robert Pattinson has the edge on the short list. Given that Hoult had already played Beast in four X-Men movies, it’d be nice if Pattinson gets the opportunity to leave his own mark on the superhero genre.

Although The Batman is featuring a younger version of the eponymous protagonist, it will not be an origin story in the vein of Year One. No specific plot details have been revealed yet, but it’s said to be a noir-driven tale that will highlight Bruce Wayne’s detective skills, which haven’t been explored in-depth in previous Batman movies.

As far as villains go, Matt Reeves has said that The Batman will feature a rogues gallery, with Penguin said to be one of the antagonists. Beyond that, we’ll have to wait and see what kind of stamp Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson put on this 80-year-old character that distinguishes him from past iterations. Production is reportedly scheduled to begin either towards the end of the year or in early 2020 in London.

The Batman will cast its shadow in theaters on June 25, 2021, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for continuing coverage. In the meantime, you can learn what other DC movies are on the way by looking through our comprehensive guide.

How Toy Story 4 Included Don Rickles After His Death

How Toy Story 4 Included Don Rickles After His Death

The Toy Story franchise has been capturing moviegoers attention and breaking hearts since 1995, and the iconic group of toys will soon return to theaters with the upcoming fourth movie. Toy Story 4 will pick up on Woody, Buzz and company now that they're living with Bonnie, and will reunite them with Annie Potts' Bo Peep in the process. But there's another toy who fans were worried about as the movie was being worked on: Mr. Potato Head.

Potato Head was voiced by comedy legend Don Rickles. But when Rickles passed away in 2017, fans worried about the character's future in Toy Story 4. But Rickles is still on the cast in the upcoming sequel, and director Josh Cooley recently explained how Mr. Potato Head was given life, saying:

We went back through all of the outtakes for all of the films, all the shorts, all the video games, all the ice-capades shows, every possible thing, and there was a lot of Don Rickles. So I wouldn’t say it was easy, but there was a lot to work with. So I’m very, very, very honored that he’s in this film.

It seems that nothing is impossible in the current age of film, and that includes bringing characters to life on screen after the actor in question passes on. The Star Wars franchise has famously made strides in this department, and now it look like Toy Story 4 will follow suit.

Josh Cooley's comments to Comic Book are sure to be a relief for Toy Story fans, who were worried about how the fourth movie would be utilizing Mr. Potato Head in the wake of Don Rickles' death. But Cooley and his team utilized the Disney Vault, and found unused footage from the first three Toy Story movies, as well as the various specials that he recorded content for.

Since Toy Story 4 is an animated blockbuster, the House of Mouse doesn't have the pressure of bringing Don Rickles' physical likeness to theaters. Instead, Mr. Potato Head's movement and participation in scenes can be built around what extra dialogue Josh Cooley found. As such, it will probably not be super obvious that previously recorded dialogue is being utilized in the upcoming movie.

Related: Full Toy Story 4 Trailer Brings Back Bo Peep And Even Andy

In addition to keeping Don Rickles as Potato Head in Toy Story 4, the upcoming movie will also contain a special tribute to the late comedian. Considering his contributions to the franchise and comedy as a whole, it's safe so say Rickles deserves it.

The Star Wars franchise is pulling a similar (albeit far more ambitious) move with The Rise of Skywalker. Carrie Fisher's General Leia will have a role thanks to unused footage of the late actress in previous two installments. And Fisher's brief appearance in the first trailer is already enough to make fans well up.

You can see Don Rickles' final bow as Mr. Potato Head when Toy Story 4 arrives in theaters on June 21st. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies

The 8 Best Winona Ryder Movies

The 8 Best Winona Ryder Movies

In a varied, versatile and accomplished decades-spanning career, Winona Ryder has proven herself in a wealth of different films — both big and small. While the actress is currently celebrating a career resurgence with the incredible commercial success of Netflix's Stranger Things, the truth of the matter is that Winona Ryder has always been great, even if she wasn't always recognized for her commendable acting capabilities. Nevertheless, we wanted to take a moment to recognize the movies that have showcased Winona Ryder's strong suits throughout a longstanding Hollywood career.

Now, before we get ahead of ourselves, there are a few movies that should be mentioned that aren't included in this list. It's safe to say that Mr. Deeds is a personal favorite for many folks, though I'd be hard-pressed to call it one of her best films. Also, while I love Frankenweenie and I really enjoy Star Trek (2009), it would be odd — to say the least — to call them "Winona Ryder movies." Also, there's The Crucible, which didn't quite make it, but may be someone else's favorite!

With that said, without further ado, here are some of Winona Ryder's best movies to date!

A Scanner Darkly

Richard Linklater finally reunited Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder on the big screen again a little over a decade after they first made an indelible impression together in 1992's Bram Stoker's Dracula with his trippy, thoughtful and moody 2006 animated adaptation of Philip K Dick's A Scanner Darkly. The film itself is at once visually stimulating and thoughtfully composed, allowing the viewers to get into the dazed, dark (hence, the film's title) perception of its characters. But beyond the striking look of the film, what often makes it resonate is the relationship our main character, Bob Arctor (Reeves), forms with Donna Hawthorne, played by Winona Ryder.

It's evident that A Scanner Darkly is bleak, and few —if any — characters make it out of the movie well. Yet it's Winona Ryder's character who gets taken through a particularly dark and heartbreaking turn of events, and it's through the well-established chemistry she shares with Keanu Reeves that her relationship with her co-star is as romantic as it is devastating. It's certainly not a comfortable watch at times, but Ryder does make the most of her appearance.

Girl, Interrupted

An adaptation of the best-selling memoir of the same name by Susanna Kaysen, Girl, Interrupted was a major highlight of Winona Ryder's career. While the film is often remembered more for Angelina Jolie's Oscar-winning supporting turn, it is Ryder's sensitive, introspective performance that we follow throughout the film, and she plays a big component in the film's dramatic investment. While Ryder had proven her comedic talents in several different projects prior to this 1999 film, this drama was a showcase for Winona Ryder's dramatic talents in a lead role, and how she could evolve beyond genre films.

Winona Ryder plays Susanna, an 18-year-old who is checked into a psychiatric hospital where she eventually befriends a variety of mentally-ill patients, including Lisa (Angelina Jolie), who tries to convince her to escape. The film is filled with pathos and heightened moments, and while Girl, Interrupted has ultimately received mixed reviews, the performances are often quickly and fondly remembered. This is definitely a role of Ryder's to celebrate.

The Age of Innocence

It's hard to go wrong with Martin Scorsese. While The Age of Innocence doesn't get as much notice as some of the director's other titles from the '90s, including Goodfellas, Casino and Cape Fear, to name a few of his titles, it definitely deserves to be recognized. The 19th-century New York romance is notably a gentler movie than a lot of other Martin Scorsese titles, as its title would ultimately suggest, but it's a ravishing and captivating tale of love and loss that is benefitted from its esteemed performers, including Daniel Day-Lewis and Winona Ryder, who would also go on to star in The Crucible a few years later.

As May Welland, Winona Ryder captures the innocence (as the title would suggest) and benevolence of the character, and she also plays a bit role in the film's dramatic stakes as her fiancé, Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis) begins to fancy her cousin, the American heiress Countess Ellen Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer). As love begins to bloom between Newland and the Countess, heartbreak is soon in store for May. And Winona Ryder gives a beautiful performance in the film. This performance is especially noteworthy for garnering Winona Ryder her first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. And it continued to propel her career as a dramatic and award-recognized actress.

5. Little Women

It's never easy to adapt Louisa May Alcott's timeless classic novel Little Women onto the big screen. While there have been several adaptations in the past, only a few have really made it count. That includes Gillian Armstrong's adored 1994 adaptation, which is benefitted enormously by its winning, charming cast of future superstars, including Kirsten Dunst, Claire Danes, and Christian Bale in some of their earliest performances. Still, it's ultimately Winona Ryder who makes the best impression in this take on the 19th century tale.

As Josephine "Jo" March, the March sister who has aspirations of grandeur to become an author, a young Winona Ryder captures the wit and warmth of the character in equal measure, embodying the liveliness and sincerity that made the character come to life on the page. Particularly with literary adaptations, it can be hard to match the expectations that come into readers' heads. But despite the challenges faced with turning this book into a major motion picture, Winona Ryder helped immensely to turn it into a generation-spanning success for a wide array of audiences. It's no wonder the performance got Ryder her second Oscar nomination for the second year in a row. It'll be interesting to see how this fall's newest adaptation of the classic story from director Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird) will fare in comparison. But whether it's good or not-very-good, at least we have the comfort of knowing this '90s adaptation is nearby.

Edward Scissorhands

One could argue Edward Scissorhands is iultimately more of Johnny Depp's film than Winona Ryder's. One would probably be right. Nevertheless, Edward Scissorhands is another excellent showcase for the actress, and she has always proven herself in exceptionally good hands when she finds the opportunities to work with director Tim Burton. Reuniting with her Beetlejuice director, Ryder's character Kim Boggs is part of the movie's emotional core, and a key component to the film's atypical emotional resonance.

The movie is arguably the best we've ever gotten from Tim Burton, and it's certainly one that has battled for the number one spot in fans hearts throughout the years. That is often thanks to Winona Ryder's adorable, sympathetic performance, as her character helps to see the humanity that is lost in our misunderstood protagonist and learns to love him in all his misshapen ways, therein by helping us love the title character as well. While Winona Ryder can play the prickly outsider quite well, it is often her softer, sweeter performances that sing as well. And in Edward Scissorhands, that's certainly true.

Black Swan

Another movie that's considered more of another actor's flick, this time a Natalie Portman vehicle rather than a Winona Ryder movie, for understandable reasons, there is so much to appreciate about Winona Ryder's work in Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan. The psychological horror movie is often disturbing, built on haunting images and disturbing events. But one of the more underrated elements of the film's prolonged creepiness is Winona Ryder's performance as Beth MacIntyre, a prima ballerina who is forced into retirement in the competitive world of ballet and becomes a confrontational, threatening and later terrifying figure for Portman's Nina Sayers.

In a career where Winona Ryder has often made an impression with her supporting turns, Black Swan is no exception. Indeed, one of the most chilling sequences in the film involves Winona Ryder, who has been pushed to the brink of madness. The scene serves as a stark and horrifying personification of what the competitive field of arts and ballet can do to do who feel cast out. It's a disturbing and bleak performance, and Winona Ryder really sells it.

Beetlejuice

Because who doesn't love Beetlejuice? Tim Burton's sophomore feature is a wonderfully dark and delightfully perverse dark fantasy-comedy, one that is often best remembered for Michael Keaton's astounding performance in the titular role. To ignore the talents of its other cast members would be a great shame, particularly when we're talking about Winona Ryder's involvement in the classic '80s title.

As Lydia, the gothic daughter of Charles and Delia Deetz, Winona Ryder is sarcastic, brooding and instantly winsome. Particularly as the supernatural elements of the story become a part of their family dynamic, the wealth of invigoration and spellbinding delight that can come from Winona Ryder's performance makes it perfectly clear why she became one of the familiar faces who were often found in Tim Burton's films. And it helped to pave the way for her long-standing career. And deservedly so. She is filled with lots of heart and charm in this movie, and she quite instantly won viewers over.

Heathers

Because how could we not end with Heathers? Quite possibly Winona Ryder's most iconic performance, the teenage dark comedy has since spawned a musical and a television series after its influence, and it's often thanks to Ryder's memorable, massively appealing performance that the film has rose into cult status as quickly as it has. In many different ways, Heathers is the film many people instantly call to mind when thinking of Ryder.

Her performance is magnificent in Heathers, and it's a great showcase for the wealth of talent that is found in Winona Ryder. The film has earned no shortage of fans over the years, and Ryder's performance in the film is quite easily at the top of the list of reasons why people love this movie so much. The film's tone could be a hard sell unless someone like Ryder didn't captain this ship, and she instantly won over viewers with her talent and charm.

With that, it's apparent that Winona Ryder has proven herself in a variety of different films, from dark comedies to emotional dramas. And that's without mentioning a few other memorable performances from her resume, including, but not limited to, such titles as Destination Wedding, Alien Resurrection and Autumn in New York, to name a mere few. She is continuing to prove herself with a number of new roles, and audiences will see her again when Stranger Things season 3 hits Netflix later this year.

The 14 Best Horror Movies Based On A True Story

The 14 Best Horror Movies Based On A True Story

I know what you're thinking: Horror movies that are "based on a true story" are bologna. Well, of course, Hollywood has a way of stretching the truth, especially when scaring audiences is involved, but that does not mean the claim is always a lie either.

Some of the best horror movies of all time have fact-based origins. For instance, the creepy child's plaything from Annabelle Comes Home, the latest upcoming entry in The Conjuring Universe, was inspired by an allegedly possessed Raggedy Ann doll. That is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to art imitating bizarre, disturbing reality.

But of these films that sport the "inspired by true events" claim, which can also claim to be the best horror movies around? I have chosen 14 of some of the best films that made a scary movie-going experience out of a true disturbing event.

The Strangers (2008)

Let me clear this up for you right off the bat: No, The Strangers is not based on a specific, true story of a young married couple teasingly stalked and killed by masked assailants.

While many have speculated what famous murder cases could have inspired this gorefest starring Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman, director Bryan Bertino claims the inspiration was a group of mysterious strangers who knocked on the door of his childhood home in Texas, who turned out to be looking for empty houses to rob.

Bryan Bertino decided to flip that idea on its head by making the thieves masked serial killers and changing the purpose of their shocking, gory visit into, as what is now regarded as one of the best horror movie quotes in recent memory reveals, “because you were home.” So, it's based on a true story, perhaps just not what you would guess.

It does make sense that The Strangers is really just inspired by a plausible concept based on something that happened to the director, because I cannot imagine a trio of killers preying on two helpless victims in a cabin in the middle of nowhere taking that long to finish the job.

The Entity (1982)

In The Entity, single mother of four Carol Moran (Insidious star Barbara Hershey) is a victim of sexual assault. As if that could be any worse than it already is, her attacker is an invisible apparition of great evil and unstoppable strength.

Fusing a very real and prevelanet horrific crime with supernatural elements is creepy enough, but what makes the story of The Entity even more shocking is that it is inspired by the case of Doris Bither, who in 1974 claimed she suffered physical attacks from not one, but three ghosts that also attacked her children.

Without considering the bizarre origins of the story, The Entity remains a shocking and thought-provoking story, as the best horror movies tend to be, about a woman’s struggle to prove that the terrifying, violent offenses committed onto her are real.

Fire in the Sky (1993)

Say what you want about UFOs and alien abductions, according to Travis Walton, it happened to him.

The 1993 film Fire In The Sky is based on the memoir of the same name and recounts the most famous and best-documented alien abduction in history. In 1975, Arizona logger Travis Walton went missing for five days. When he returned, he claimed that he was taken by extraterrestrials.

D.B. Sweeney portrays Walton in the film, which does not take the concept of alien abduction lightly. It shows in graphic detail the torturous experience Walton alleges that he endured in traumatically graphic detail. It just barely earns its PG-13 rating.

The Girl Next Door (2007)

Not to be confused with the 2004 comedy about a high schooler in love with an adult film star, The Girl Next Door is based on Jack Ketchum’s novel, which was inspired by the tragic story of Sylvia Likens.

In 1965 in the state of Indiana, Likens was subjected to almost three months of abuse, neglect, humiliation, and torture by her sociopathic caregiver. She eventually succumbed to her injuries and died at just 16.

The events depicted in the The Girl Next Door are just as unsettling and unspeakable as the original shockingly sadistic case. While a fan of the genre would say that is a key point of acclaim for the best horror movies, I would say you may be better off reading about it than seeing it. It is not for the faint of heart.

The Amityville Horror (1979)

One of the most prolific cases of supernatural haunting comes from one now legendary house in New York.

It inspired the 1977 novel The Amityville Horror, which was made into a film two years later, starring James Brolin and Margot Kidder as George and Kathy Lutz, who find a great deal on a house after a man murdered his family in it years earlier. Soon, they begin to conspire that the crime was influenced by a demonic presence in the house and worry they will fall victim to it next.

While there is truth to the story of a man murdering his family in the infamous Amityville house, there is no real evidence to support an actual haunting occurred there. Yet, that has not stopped Hollywood for continuing to use the story as franchise material.

The original film, however, still pops into conversation as one of the best horror movies, mostly by those who still believe in its ghostly legend.

Child’s Play (1988)

Before there was Annabelle, there was Chucky. However, did you know that both of these fearful playthings are inspired by alleged fact?

In Child’s Play, regarded as one of the best horror films of all time, serial killer Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif) inserts his soul into a cute, red headed doll to continue his murderous tirade after death. The inspiration was a doll of unnerving design named Robert, owned by then six-year-old Gene Otto in 1906.

Robert the Doll was made for Gene by his family’s Bahamian servant, who happened to be skilled in voodoo. Her skills apparently proved effective as Robert would take enjoyment in taunting children and mutilating Gene’s other toys, among other unexplainable phenomena.

With the technophobic Child’s Play remake on the horizon, I now wonder what is scarier: stuffed doll possessed by evil or robotic doll with fatally faulty programming?

Wolf Creek (2005)

While Crocodile Dundee was a film that greatly helped the tourism industry in Australia, Greg McLean’s 2005 cult slasher film was the film that could have come close to ruining it.

Wolf Creek, about three travelers terrorized by a crazed pig hunter, claimed to be based on true events when first released. While not entirely a lie, the real Australia-based hitchhiker murders that inspired the film occurred far from the scenic national park the title borrows from… and misspells (Wolfe Creek).

Nevertheless, the film has earned acclaim as one of the best horror movies of its kind for its ultra realistic depictions of violence and, especially, for its sinister antagonist, Mick Taylor (John Jarratt).

The Conjuring (2013)

Famed paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren’s most famous case is, most likely, the case that inspired The Amityville Horror.

Of course, no confirmed evidence of that haunting exists (as I have mentioned) and the story has already been done to death in Hollywood. Thus, James Wan thankfully chose the Warrens’ 1971 investigation of the Perron Family’s house as inspiration for The Conjuring.

Featuring interviews with the actual Perron Family in the film’s marketing is what helped convince audiences to buy into its “based on a true story” claims and made it one of the highest-grossing horror movies of all time.

The Conjuring would spin off its own universe, which has gone on for some time. However, the one that started it all is still regarded as one of the best horror movies in recent memory.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Wes Craven was smart to not market his slasher-fantasy hit as inspired by true events because no one would have believed that a badly burned, clawed, wisecracking boogeyman would be real.

That being said, claiming it to be based on true events still, technically, would not have been a lie.

Wes Craven wrote the script for A Nightmare on Elm Street after reading an L.A. Times article about a teenage boy suffering from nightmares that kept him desperate to stay awake, until he eventually died in his sleep.

Craven took the concept of a fatal nightmare, added villain Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) as an antagonist, and one of the best horror movies of all time was born.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

A large part of the appeal of the late Tobe Hooper’s breakout hit was the claim in the marketing and in the film’s opening narration that the events depicted in the movie actually happened. No, there is no record of a massacre involving a chainsaw that took place in Texas in the early 1970s.

Instead, Tobe Hooper’s initial inspiration came from the cruel and gross crimes of Ed Gein, who has inspired several antagonists on film. Yet, Leatherface may be the killer’s most iconic cinematic counterpart due to his weapon of choice.

So, where did the chainsaw element in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre come from? Tobe Hooper and his wife were in a crowded department store when he saw the bladed tool on a shelf and thought to himself, I bet I could use that to get through this crowd a lot easier.

Jaws (1975)

Steven Spielberg’s masterful creature feature (and the first blockbuster) was inspired by Peter Benchley’s novel, Jaws. But even Benchley needed inspiration from somewhere.

Benchley stated in the introduction of his man vs. shark novel that his initial inspiration was a 1964 newspaper article about a fisherman who caught a 4,500-pound great white off Long Island. The story got him to wonder what would happen if such an animal became a more local nuisance.

Many also cite the infamous 1916 shark attack off of Jersey Shore. While the incident is mentioned in both the book and movie, Peter Benchley has said that the mere reference of the event should is not to be taken as a sign that it inspired the plot of Jaws.

Or, perhaps, he and Steven Spielberg would rather one of the best horror movies of all time, and one of their most iconic creations, not be linked to tragedy. That is quite challenging for a shark movie.

Psycho (1960)

Leatherface is not the only killer on our list to be inspired by Ed Gein. The prolific murdered also paved the way for Alfred Hitchcock’s most iconic creation.

Much like Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins’ bone chilling role in Psycho), Ed Gein was very close to his mother Augusta, who sealed him off from the rest of the world for much of his life. After she died, leaving him a state of crippling loneliness, he eventually began identifying as a woman, taking up cross dressing and skinning female victims to create a bodysuit to help assume his gender of choice.

All I can say, in regards to the life of Ed Gein AND the plot of Psycho, mothers, please be careful how you raise your children. They may end up inspiring some of the best horror movies of all time.

Nosferatu (1922)

You may recognize Count Orlok from Nosferatu by his brief cameo in a SpongeBob Squarepants episode, or by the name of his original source material: Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Believe it or not, Count Dracula was an actual person: a Romanian prince named Vlad who took on the name Dracula, which meant “son of Dracul,” his father. Of course, he was Drac was not an undead creature of night, but he apparently did have a taste for human blood.

F.W. Murnau, unable to obtain the rights to the name Dracula, adapted Stoker’s novel into the 1922 silent film Nosferatu, which I still believe is one of the best horror of all time and my top pick for vampire movies.

The Exorcist (1973)

Director William Friedkin never regarded his Oscar-nominated adaptation of William Peter Blatty’s novel as a horror film, despite being regarded now as one of the best horror movies ever.

What interested Friedkin about The Exorcist, inspired by the actual exorcism of 14-year-old boy Roland Doe in a St. Louis hospital, was the unique opportunity he saw in it. He wanted to use the fictionalized take of the St. Louis possession (changed to a 12-year-old girl played by Linda Blair) and make a film that commented on the mystery of faith.

Perhaps that unique approach to the thriller, as well as its fact-based origin, is what has kept audiences intrigued and in fear more than 40 years since The Exorcist was first released.

What do you think of our list? Can you think of more horror movies "based on a true story" that deserve a spot? There are plenty more out there, but hopefully this provides a few for you to choose from.

How The Russos Make Sure Their Marvel Movies Feel Different From One To The Next

How The Russos Make Sure Their Marvel Movies Feel Different From One To The Next

Despite the fact that they started their Marvel Cinematic Universe journey with zero previous blockbuster experience, directors Joe and Anthony Russo have, to date, helmed three of the best films in the entire franchise. Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, and Avengers: Infinity War are individually absolutely outstanding pieces of big screen spectacle, and each one has made a distinct and separate impact on the Marvel world at large.

This isn’t easy for many reasons, but particularly because this is a brand that has created more than 20 movies in the last decade, and with each new release comes the demand to experience something fresh and brand new. For the Russos, however, there is a key way to getting that done, and they spoke with me about it this past weekend at the Los Angeles press day for the upcoming Avengers: Endgame. Said Joe Russo,

I think we always try to put psychological realism in our movies, and that's the one concept, if you go back and look at Winter Soldier, Civil War, and Infinity War, is there is a level of psychological realism beyond these fantastical costumes and fantastical circumstances that people are behaving in a way that feels psychologically truthful. And I think that tone is one of the ways that you can alter movies that are in a series from one another. It's one of the more significant ways you can do that. And trying to distinguish Endgame from Infinity War, I would certainly say that Endgame has a very different tone than Infinity War had.

Admittedly the Russos haven’t yet gone to the extreme of making a super fun, colorful adventure along the lines of Ant-Man or Guardians of the Galaxy, but there is definitely a noticeable gradient in the tone of their Marvel Cinematic Universe features. What’s more, there has also been a significant progression. Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a dark movie, playing with the aesthetic of a 1970s conspiracy thriller, but things get significantly darker in Captain America: Civil War when our heroes turn on each other and eventually disband. And as melancholy as that film gets, it still can’t hold a candle to Avengers: Infinity War, which features one of the most devastating endings in blockbuster history.

This, of course, leads us to Avengers: Endgame, and keeping in mind the Russos’ past, their comments about the film are exceptionally curious. There’s been some expectation that the upcoming sequel would share tonal qualities with its predecessor, given that the lead characters are all trying to pick up the pieces of their world after half their friends turned to dust, but Joe Russo’s comments suggest otherwise. But what does “a very different tone” mean, exactly? Does it mean that it’s going even further into the darkness than what we’ve previously seen them do in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Or could it be that Avengers: Endgame is actually way more of a funny, fun ride than the marketing has suggested?

It’s an interesting mystery, and one that won’t have its answer revealed in the various trailers for the film. To date we have maybe seen a grand total of five minutes of footage from the blockbuster, and that equates to a little less than three percent of the full three hour movie. As we’ve seen with plenty of trailer remixes in the past, it’s possible to create any kind of tone with any kind of footage, so it’s not impossible that every preview we’ve seen for Avengers: Endgame has been hiding the blockbuster’s true nature.

We already thought that we know jack diddly about what to really expect from Joe and Anthony Russo’s fourth Marvel movie, but this quote honestly takes that sentiment even further. Fortunately, we won’t be tortured by this for too much longer, as Avengers: Endgame will be hitting theaters worldwide in less than three weeks – specifically on April 26th.

Spider-Man: Far From Home Director Has A Hilarious Explanation For Peter's Stealth Suit

Spider-Man: Far From Home Director Has A Hilarious Explanation For Peter's Stealth Suit

One of the things revealed in the first trailer for this summer’s Spider-Man: Far From Home is that everybody’s favorite Web-Slinger will be getting some new duds for his European vacation. But instead of getting the hottest and flashiest fashions from Parisian runways, Spidey will be getting a practical and understated black stealth suit. The film’s director Jon Watts, has a hilarious explanation for the stealth suit, saying:

It kind of looks like Black Widow, maybe it was one of her suits and they just tailored it.

Man, from a custom Stark suit with built-in A.I. and the Iron Spider suit, both of which likely cost millions, to one of Black Widow’s hand-me-downs; the youngest Avenger needs to file a complaint with Avengers HR or something because his contributions warrant him at least getting his own custom suit. Maybe they’re trying to come in under budget on the fiscal year and Black Widow had a spare suit just lying around they could repurpose cheaply.

Not that there is anything wrong with Black Widow’s suits; she is a literal spy and the stealthiest of the Avengers, so if it’s good enough for her, it's certainly good enough for him. And sorry, but Pete my guy, you’re a lot closer to Black Widow’s size than you are to most of the other team members.

In reality, Peter Parker would probably be honored and fanboy out over getting to use something Black Widow once had. After all, before Tony Stark upgraded him, his own suit manufacturing efforts were, let’s say, less than stellar. While we don’t know if Jon Watt’s hilarious conjecture about the stealth suit’s origin to Entertainment Weekly is strictly true, we do know a little bit about why Peter Parker is given the suit.

Following his exhausting adventures being a Friendly Universe Spider-Man in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is in need of a well-deserved vacation. He tries to take one in Spider-Man: Far From Home, but it wouldn’t be a movie if things didn’t go awry.

Nick Fury shows up (never a good sign) and recruits Spidey to take on the Elementals. It might seem odd for New York’s Spider-Man to suddenly show up in Europe at the same time Peter Parker is there, so in order to preserve his secret identity, Fury lends him the stealth suit. That said, if he’s still swinging around like Spider-Man, isn’t a black suit like putting glasses on Clark Kent? Maybe Peter’s efforts in Far From Home will be more ground-based.

Spider-Man: Far From Home, which is now the concluding film of Phase 3, has moved up a few days and swings in to theaters on July 2. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to see all the big movies headed your way in the packed summer season, and for all the latest in superhero fashions, stay tuned to CinemaBlend.