Mark Strong Finally Got To Be The DC Villain He Was Meant To Be In Shazam!

Mark Strong Finally Got To Be The DC Villain He Was Meant To Be In Shazam!

If you’re looking for an imposing villain with strong features and a voice like smooth oak, Mark Strong is one of the best people you can hire for the job. Hollywood is certainly not afraid to admit that fact, as he’s been cast as the baddie quite a few times in the comic book world, most notably in Kick-Ass, Green Lantern and now as the vicious Dr. Sivana in Warner Bros.’ Shazam. And it’s in that last film that Mark Strong finally got to be the baddie he was always meant to be in the DC Universe.

The story of how Green Lantern went wrong is basic comic book movie history, with a lot of factors leading to the failure of the Ryan Reynolds film in theaters back in 2011. But one of the best things to happen to that film was Strong’s casting as Sinestro, a high-ranking member of the Green Lantern Corps who tried to whip smart-assed rule-breaker Hal Jordan into shape. Of course, this was only a prelude to the eventual fate of his character, which was shown in the film’s post-credits sequence.

Sadly, the big heel turn left Mark Strong rather bummed out when it came to showing his antagonistic chops, as Green Lantern never got the sequel it was gearing up for. While that DC character is definitely getting a reboot and Strong has made his peace with that, there’s still some regret as to how Sinestro was handled overall. And when CinemaBlend recently got to sit down with the actor as part of Shazam’s big junket day, he compared his two very different DC experiences as follows:

I never really got to take Sinestro to where he’s famous for. The Green Lantern that we did, he’s the head of the Corps, but his only problem in that movie was that he was pretty down on [Hal Jordan.] He’s a kind of almost like a military overseer, making him get into shape and stuff. None of the evil came through there, none of the badness. It was only in the credits sequence, when he puts on the other ring, that I thought he actually started to come into himself, and that’s the bit that I wanted to take to the next level. But I feel that I’ve been able to do that with Silvana

Shazam’s Dr. Sivana is definitely the DC villain that Mark Strong was always meant to be, as right from his character’s origins, there’s an energy about him that’s just waiting to turn sinister. Only, instead of promising such an event in a post-credits sequence, director and recent guest on our ReelBlend podcast, David F. Sandberg’s film goes ahead and shows us Strong’s dark side in the first act, and continues to let it shine throughout.

Now that’s not to say that being a villain is Mark Strong’s only claim to fame, as the man has racked up quite a resume. Even in the comic world, Strong has been seen as the charming and lovable Merlin, tech guru to the Kingsman organization in the two Matthew Vaughan-directed films we’ve seen thus far. But when it comes to actors we’d trust in the role of the person we can sympathize with, while simultaneously hating their every move, Shazam! picked exactly the right person to portray that very kind of person. You can feel it as you watch Strong talk about his role in the film, and the big difference between his two big DC Comics experiences, in the video below:

Having Mark Strong playing Dr. Sivana only helps anchor down the film’s lighter treatment of the themes of super powers, who’s truly worthy to possess them and what people do with those powers once they’ve gained them. With his side of the bargain fulfilled, seeing the kids of Shazam! squaring off against the deadly doctor is only that much more rewarding and crowd pleasing. And when it comes to the DC Universe, those are two of the best adjectives to be associated with their recent output.

Watch Mark Strong’s Dr. Sivana threaten the world, and some foster kids standing in his way, in Shazam! when it opens in early shows Thursday night.

Jared Leto Reveals First Look At Sony’s Morbius Movie

Jared Leto Reveals First Look At Sony’s Morbius Movie

Last October, Venom kicked off Sony Pictures’ own shared Marvel universe, and Morbius will keep the ball rolling next year. Morbius the Living Vampire’s cinematic adventure was announced back in November 2017, and now principal photography has finally begun, with Jared Leto playing the blood-sucking Marvel character. To commemorate finishing the first week of shooting, Leto has shared the first official look at Morbius, which you can gaze at below.

Ah, the old ‘strategically-placed clapperboard’ trick. While we can’t make out Jared Leto’s full Morbius look in this Twitter picture, his eyes seem to have a sickly quality to them. Assuming that Michael Morbius will look more monstrous as a vampire like his comic book counterpart does, then I’m guessing this particular scene takes place when Michael is still fully human and suffering from a blood disease or whatever his ailment in the upcoming movie is. It’s logical to assume that this guy won’t be running any marathons in his current condition. In any case, since there’s still a lot of time to go until Morbius wraps up principal photography, maybe we’ll be treated to an official, unobscured look at Leto vampire-ed up before the cameras finish rolling.

For those unfamiliar with Morbius the Living Vampire, Michael Morbius, a Nobel Prize-winning biochemist, attempted to cure his blood disease with a treatment involving vampire bat DNA and electroshock therapy. This treatment did succeed in curing Michael of his disorder, but it also turned him into a pseudo-vampire. He obtained amazing abilities like super strength, flight and an accelerated healing factor, but he now also had to ingest fresh blood on a regular basis to stay alive. While no specific plot details about the Morbius movie have been revealed yet, it’s expected to follow this same basic premise. This movie marks Jared Leto’s second time contributing to the comic book movie genre, the first time being as The Joker in Suicide Squad.

Like Venom, Morbius won’t see the eponymous character fighting Spider-Man, though perhaps that could change later on in the franchise (though I doubt it would be with Tom Holland’s version of the Web-Slinger). Also like Venom, Morbius is expected to portray the character as more of an anti-hero than a full-blown super villain, with an unofficial plot description saying that Morbius the Living Vampire will prey on criminals he deems are unworthy of life. The cast also includes Matt Smith, Adria Ajona and Jared Harris. Life’s Daniel Espinosa is directing, and Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless wrote the script.

Morbius will be released in theaters on July 31, 2020, so keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates on its progress. For now, you can look through our 2019 release schedule to find out what movies are coming out this year.

Star Trek’s Zachary Quinto Is Still Hoping To Play Spock Again

Star Trek’s Zachary Quinto Is Still Hoping To Play Spock Again

Star Trek found new life on the big screen when J.J. Abrams brought the franchise back with a new timeline in 2009. That film's success spawned a pair of sequels and we were expecting a fourth film to come along in short order. However, the most recent word is that the film is not currently an active concern for the studio. Having said that, Zachary Quinto certainly hopes that he gets a chance to play Spock again at some point.

When recently asked by Vulture about the status of Star Trek 4, not to be confused with The Voyage Home, Zachary Quinto stated that he had no idea what the plan for the franchise was at this point, though he made it clear that he certainly wants a fourth movie to happen, saying...

I don’t know what’s happening with that, and I’m trying to figure out what, if anything, will be the future for it. I feel glad that the franchise is having its own life continuing on [with Star Trek: Discovery] and my hope is that we’ll also get to go back and play those roles again. But there’s no telling right now if it’ll happen or not.

Almost as soon as Star Trek Beyond hit theaters we were expecting a fourth film to get the green light. Franchise producer J.J. Abrams was already talking about an idea that would have brought Chris Hemsworth, who had a cameo in the first film as the father of James T. Kirk, back into the series, and everybody seemed very excited. Director S.J. Clarkson was brought on to direct the film and everything appeared to be going smoothly.

However, it seems that because Star Trek Beyond had a somewhat lackluster box office, Paramount Pictures was looking to save money and wanted Chrises Pine and Hemsworth to take pay cuts for the project. Negotiations stalled out, and from there what had seemed to be a promising new movie appears to have fallen apart.

Chris Hemsworth has recently stated that, in the end, he didn't think there was enough of a reason to move forward with the film, and so he decided to walk away from it.

Star Trek as a franchise certainly isn't going anywhere. As Zachary Quinto mentions, Star Trek: Discovery, which includes his character Spock, though played by a different actor, is still keeping the popular brand going. It seems almost certain that we will get more Star Trek on the big screen at some point, but we simply have no idea what form that will take.

Quentin Tarantino has mentioned an idea for a Star Trek movie that looks like it has as good a shot as anything of getting made, though it's unclear if his idea would include the current movie cast or not.

Rocketman Has Screened, See What People Are Saying

Rocketman Has Screened, See What People Are Saying

On the heels of the worldwide box office phenomenon known as Bohemian Rhapsody comes another tribute to a popular music icon who rose to fame in the ‘70s and loved to don a glittery get-up: Rocketman. Taron Egerton stars as Elton John in a biopic/musical framed around his breakthrough years.

Ahead of its theatrical release in a couple weeks, Rocketman has now premiered at Cannes Film Festival in France to a standing ovation from the crowd. That’s certainly a good sign! But did it lift off and soar in critics' eyes? Let’s take a look at some of the first reactions about the fantasy musical.

CinemaBlend's own Sean O'Connell is now in London doing interviews for Rocketman. Before that, he had a chance to see the movie and shared his rave review:

We can talk about Rocketman? It’s FANTASTIC. A wonderful, emotional and uplifting musical that weaves Elton John’s classics into a heartbreaking ode to fame. Taron Egerton is BRILLIANT and Dexter Fletcher stages jaw-dropping musical interludes. A home run!

That's a great start! Rebecca Keegan of The Hollywood Reporter sounds like she was absolutely floored by the film. Take a look:

Hot damn, Taron Egerton is the real deal. Rocketman is a musical about picking yourself up off your ass and Taron delivers the sweat, grit and vulnerability it needs.

Along with loving Taron Egerton’s iteration of the music sensation, she praised it for the “I’m Still Standing” message. The actor worked closely with the Elton John himself, even having to sing and act with John in front of him, which he understandably found to be extremely intimidating. The iconic musician has been quite supportive of Egerton though.

Not everyone was completely convinced by Egerton’s performance though. The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw felt he didn’t quite hit every note with these words:

Dexter Fletcher’s Rocketman is a good-natured biopic-slash-jukebox-musical with Taron Egerton gamely doing a middleweight impersonation, more comfortable with the lighter side, better at the tiaras than the tantrums.

When it comes to the dramatic aspects of Rocketman, Bradshaw didn’t feel like he sold it. Conversely, Stuart Oldham of Variety specifically pointed out the more somber moments of the film hitting a high for him. Here’s what he said:

Rocketman is fantastic, a musical drama that hits all the right notes, especially the sad ones.

Elton John’s husband of 26 years, John Furnish, recently watched the flick and said his personal struggles at the beginning of his career and prior to their life together made him want to give John a hug. Considering some of these reactions, as an audience we may collectively be feeling the same way as the film discusses his stint in rehab and sexual identity.

A couple months ago, there were rumors that Paramount had cut a “nude cuddle” between Taron Egerton’s Elton and Richard Madden’s John Reid due to the studio pulling back on the film’s adult content. This reaction from NY Times’ Kyle Buchanan indicates Rocketman does not steer away from portraying his sexuality. In his words:

Pleasantly surprised that Rocketman does not skimp on the gay sex, but the gayest thing about the movie is still Taron Egerton insisting he’s fat when he isn’t.

One primary criticism of last year’s Bohemian Rhapsody was the way it shied away from completely exploring Mercury’s relationships with men – Rocketman won’t be making that mistake. Richard Madden’s role is also gaining recognition as well. Here’s what Anne Thompson of IndieWire had to say:

Richard Madden is swaggeringly hot as Elton John’s manager John Reid who was also the villain in Bohemian Rhapsody. He really would make a great James Bond.

Comparisons to the Queen biopic just keep coming up! In addition to the film sharing a bit of the same subject matter and Dexter Fletcher being involved as director in both, it also includes one of the same villains. To round out the reactions, check out Ramin Setoodeh’s thoughts:

Rocketman is thankfully better than Bohemian Rhapsody. But it also feels like a Broadway musical that was forced into a movie. Or, The Greatest Showman set at the Abbey.

It looks like the movie is a lot more musical than biopic, but it still works better than the Queen film in his opinion. The Variety bureau chief also caught a sweet video of Taron Egerton’s own reaction upon seeing the film and watching the audience’s reaction at Cannes. Take a look:

The actor looks both happy and overwhelmed at his Rocketman debut! The 29-year-old actor is still fairly new to the industry and still best known for his Kingsman role. After the premiere, he and Elton John took to the stage to perform the song “Rocketman” together, captured by The Hollywood Reporter:

Wow! The actor has found a duet partner in Elton John before when they sang “Tiny Dancer” at an Oscars party in February. The pair look energized by the film’s screening in this performance. It was no doubt an emotional day for the both of them seeing their work on the film (and for John, quite literally his life’s work) finally premiere.

Rocketman hits theaters on May 31 and is expected to open at around $20 million during its first weekend as Godzilla: King of the Monsters presumably tops the musical.

The Classic Men In Black Prop That Plays A Big Role In The Reboot

The Classic Men In Black Prop That Plays A Big Role In The Reboot

Sing it with us: “Here come the Men In Black… again!” It has been seven years since the black-suited galaxy protectors at the Men In Black graced our movie screens, and Sony plans to bring the outfit out of mothballs for this summer’s Men In Black International. There will be some major changes. Gone are Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, staples of the series through the first three films. In their place are new agents played by Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, each eager to take on a globe-trotting adventure.

With the movie’s release date on the horizon, CinemaBlend ventured to London to spend time on the set of director F. Gary Gray’s sequel and learn about how Men In Black International planned to move the story forward, while also leaning on the franchise’s past. There will be nods to the existing Men In Black movies – heck, Emma Thompson reprises her role as Agent O, proving this story takes place in the same continuity as the Smith and Jones adventures. And one prop, in particular, will play more of a central role in this movie’s narrative.

Producer Walter Parkes opened up about the development of the story for Men In Black International, saying that Chris Hemsworth’s character, Agent H, is well-known for defeating a villain known as The Hive. Only, maybe he didn’t… and his memory is affected by the infamous neuralyzer that’s always used in the MiB series. Parkes told CinemaBlend:

Rafe [Spall] plays Agent C, who’s Chris’s rival. The Hive is the villainous force that Liam [Neeson] and Chris defeated four years before all of this. And our story deals with a sort of repeating history. The Hive have come back, and we discover that the circumstances of the great moment that made Chris’s character a hero may not have been true. So it’s interesting. … You know the thing about the neuralyzer, it’s a very interesting prop in the Men in Black universe, and the idea of taking people’s memories away and putting in false memories, which we’ve used but sort of around the kind of periphery of our plots, might have a little more central role in this one.

That’s an interesting approach. Is it possible that Chris Hemsworth’s Agent H was neuralyzed by his own people into believing he did some heroic deeds? In the initial trailer for Men In Black International, Hemsworth was playing his character as someone who is a little aloof and above the action, perhaps seeing himself as too good to worry about alien creatures and otherworldly messes. Maybe it’s because his memory has been altered? We’ll know soon enough.

Tessa Thompson, meanwhile, fits into the narrative as a New York-based fan of the MiB who discovers the secret agency, then talks Emma Thompson’s supervisor into letting her into the organization. Tessa will join Hemsworth on his missions, and probably prove herself to be more adept at alien busting than the burly Aussie is.

See their chemistry on display in that full Men In Black International trailer:

It’s cool that the new story is making good use of props from the original series, and evening finding important ways to potentially use them and add fresh angles to the Men In Black narrative. The use of the neuralyzer is a signature move for MiB, and I’m curious about how using it on an agent like H will impact the story.

Find out when Men In Black International arrives in theaters on June 14. And stay on CinemaBlend for a lot more coverage from our visit to the set of F. Gary Gray’s upcoming sequel.

Maleficent 2 Just Got Pushed Way Up In The Theatrical Schedule

Maleficent 2 Just Got Pushed Way Up In The Theatrical Schedule

It took a long time to get a sequel to Maleficent off the ground and while it's been half a year since the project wrapped filming, it was still going to be more than a year before the movie hit theaters, with the film set to release in May of 2020. However, this morning Disney revealed a few small pieces of very interesting information. One was the film's official title, and another was a brand new release date that moves the film way up the calendar. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is now coming out this year, on October 18, 2019.

Why This Release Date Is A Big Change

When release dates for movies change, it's almost exclusively delays. When films do have their release pushed up, it might be by a couple of weeks, or at the most a couple of months. Seeing a movie jump more than a year up the calendar is unusual.

From a post-production stand point it's probably not an issue. The film is still coming out more than a year after filming wrapped. The bigger issue with the release date move is that Disney is moving Maleficent: Mistress of Evil into an already very crowded year, one that's been made crowded mostly by Disney itself.

This will make Maleficent: Mistress of Evil the fourth Disney live action remake -- or in this case, sequel to one -- coming out this year alone. Dumbo hits later this month, then Aladdin in May, The Lion King in July, and now Maleficent in October.

And that's just the movies based on previous animated material. 2019 is a huge year for Disney, from Captain Marvel arriving this week, to Avengers: Endgame to Frozen II to Star Wars: Episode IX, the House of Mouse is going to have no problem bringing in a massive box office this year, The studio didn't exactly need the help.

Having said all that, there is something of a gap in that schedule, as Disney didn't have anything on the calendar between August's Artemis Fowl and November's Frozen II so it's not like Disney will be cannibalizing its own box office here. And a pre-Halloween release date for Disney's biggest villain isn't the worst idea in the world. Nothing of note was set to release that weekend. Zombieland 2 and the animated Addams Family movie are set to hit the weekend before.

Maleficent 2 Also Got A First Look

In addition to the title and release date, a poster for the new film was also released. Check it out below.

The Title Calls Back To Sleeping Beauty

In Disney's original Sleeping Beauty Maleficent refers to herself as the "Mistress of All Evil." While the title calls back to that, don't expect Angelina Jolie's character to be too evil. She's not technically the villain of the story. That role is reportedly been taken by Ed Skrein.

Although, the use of the title with the new release date makes one wonder if the new movie will be something closer to horror than the original. It's certainly setting itself up to imply a very dark movie.

The success of the original Maleficent is largely responsible for the influx of live-action remakes that Disney has gone all-in on. The movie was a smash hit. The sequel will also be a return for Angelina Jolie who hasn't been on screen since the year after the original Maleficent came out. If fans are still hungry for the character or the actress then we could see yet another big hit in what is already going to be a year of big hits for Disney.

Katherine Langford’s Cut Avengers: Endgame Role Would Have Been Very Cool

Katherine Langford’s Cut Avengers: Endgame Role Would Have Been Very Cool

We've officially reached a point where spoilers regarding Avengers: Endgame are allowed, and that means that the filmmakers themselves are now talking openly about some of the decisions that led to what we saw in the epic Marvel movie. They're also talking about decisions that led to things that ended up not making it into the movie at all.

Several months ago it was reported that 13 Reasons Why and Love, Simon star Katherine Langford had been cast in an undisclosed role for the recent film. However, if you've seen the movie, you know the actress never actually appears in the final film. While the scene was cut, it seems the plans for Langford were significant, as she was hired to play an older version of Tony Stark's daughter, Morgan Stark. According to Joe Russo...

There was an idea that we had that Tony was going to go into the metaphysical way station that Thanos goes in when he snapped his fingers. And that there was going to be a future version of his daughter in that way station.

When Thanos commits universal genocide at the end of Avengers: Infinity War, we see him standing in some sort of otherworldly place where he is confronted by a child version of Gamora. She asks him what it has cost for Thanos to finally achieve his objective.

It seems the plan was to have a similar scene in Avengers: Endgame where Tony Stark has a similar vision upon using the Infinity Stones. Instead of seeing his younger daughter, he sees a version of her grown up, where Morgan tells him that it's ok that he's gone. This gives Tony Stark peace and allows him to go.

The Russos confirm to the Happy Sad Confused Podcast that the scene was shot, but in showing it to test audiences, they found that the scene was actually quite confusing, and so they took it out. Anthony Russo explains part of why it didn't work.

What we realized about it was we didn't have, we didn't feel an emotional association with the adult version of his daughter so it wasn't ringing to us, resonating with us on an emotional level, which is why we moved away from it.

Instead, Pepper Potts is sitting by Tony as he fades away, and tells him that she and Morgan will be ok. Allowing Tony to finally rest.

Since the scene was shot, there's the possibility we might end up seeing as part of extras on the eventual Blu-ray release for Avengers: Endgame. While the scene might not have worked in the final cut, that doesn't mean it's not a cool scene on its own.

Of course, this information does open up a couple of questions we have to ask. If using all of the Infinity Stones sends you to some sort of cosmic way station, what did Hulk see when he was there?

Secondly, if the Marvel Cinematic Universe ever decides to take a time jump forward and show us an older Morgan Stark, could they call Katherine Langford again? Assuming Morgan got her parents' brains, she could be an important character in the future of the MCU.