Phoebe Waller-Bridge Says Bond 25 Will ‘Treat Women Properly’

Phoebe Waller-Bridge Says Bond 25 Will ‘Treat Women Properly’

So here’s the tea: the Bond franchise hasn’t hired a female writer since 1963. That finally changed when Fleabag and Killing Eve creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge was recently hired to polish the script on Bond 25. These action flicks may always be high on the testosterone, but having a woman in the writer’s room couldn’t hurt, especially when it comes to the iconic Bond Girls.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge was reportedly approached by 007 himself to join the team of writers rounding out Daniel Craig’s last hurrah as the suave secret agent. He wanted some of her specific brand of “wit and quirkiness” he’s a fan of from Fleabag in the Bond 25 script. It will be exciting to see a bit of Waller-Bridge’s offbeat humor in the upcoming film. It also looks like her involvement will benefit the movie beyond that too. Check out her recent words:

There’s been a lot of talk about whether or not [the Bond franchise] is relevant now because of who he is and the way he treats women. I think that’s bollocks. I think he’s absolutely relevant now. It has just got to grow. It has just got to evolve, and the important thing is that the film treats the women properly. He doesn’t have to. He needs to be true to this character.

In a world where powerful men are being exposed left and right for taking advantage of women, James Bond’s womanizer ways isn’t exactly one to side with. But it’s the very nature of the character and has been for almost 70 years. Should James Bond change to reflect a more modern hero? Phoebe Waller-Bridge doesn’t think so.

Following the #MeToo era, there are still plenty of playboys left in the world, including James Bond in the fictional space. As Phoebe Waller-Bridge explains, it’s not important that his lifestyle changes because it’s more relevant than ever. The focus of the franchise going forward needs to be on crafting more three-dimensional women who reflect the world today, and per her words to Deadline, it looks like the Fleabag star will help make that happen in Bond 25.

The film has already hired several actresses, including the return of Léa Seydoux’s Madeleine Swann and Naomie Harris’ Moneypenny, as well as newcomers Lashana Lynch (from Captain Marvel) and Ana de Armas. Phoebe Waller-Bridge continued with this:

I just want to make sure that when they get those pages through, that Lashana, Léa and Ana open them and go, ‘I can’t wait to do that.’ As an actress, I very rarely had that feeling early in my career. That brings me much pleasure, knowing that I’m giving that to an actress.

In an additional effort to give Bond 25 a better edge, the film has reportedly hired an intimacy coordinator for the first time for the franchise to help the actors feel comfortable and during the movie’s sex scenes.

After Danny Boyle dropped the project last year, the director was replaced by Cary Joji Fukunaga. The new helmer best known for his work on It is also co-writing the script with Scott Z. Burns (The Bourne Ultimatum) and frequent Bond writing team Robert Wade and Neil Purvis. Phoebe Waller-Bridge is the latest addition to the movie hitting theaters on April 8, 2020.

Backlash To The Robert Pattinson And Game Of Thrones Petitions Has Inspired A New Meme

Backlash To The Robert Pattinson And Game Of Thrones Petitions Has Inspired A New Meme

Nerd culture has just been getting rocked these past few weeks, huh? First, the final season of Game of Thrones hasn't been living up to expectations, which culminated in an extremely controversial event during the penultimate episode. Then Robert Pattinson was reportedly in the final stages of being cast as Batman in Matt Reeves' solo film. Petitions in reaction to these two events have gained publicity online, and Film Twitter is poking fun at the sheer ridiculousness of it all, creating a new "petitioning the makers of" meme.

To sum things up for you, fans aren't happy with the overall direction of Game of Thrones eighth and final season. From the Night King's quick dismissal to Daenerys massive heel turn, fans want the entire season be re-written and reshot from scratch. Yeah, sure, that'll happen.

Even though Robert Pattinson isn't even technically confirmed as Batman, people didn't waste time getting a petition out there to remove Pattinson from the role. Again, he hasn't signed anything yet and the job could go to Nicholas Hoult, but that's a detail that doesn't seem to be important to people.

Obviously, both of these petitions are ridiculous and will accomplish nothing. Whether these are sincere or just trolling, it's nerd entitlement at its finest. Thankfully, the film community isn't taking these petitions seriously either. Several actors have taken to Twitter to poke fun at the petitions, giving birth to a new joke format asking for stupid changes to classic films.

The above tweets come from actors Jon Donahue, Diedrich Bader, Michael McKean, and Mark Hamill (you might have heard of him). Each actor posted a tweet asking for an iconic film to have its ending changed, such as King Kong surviving to become a Broadway star or Wilson the volleyball not getting lost at sea.

The common thread amongst these tweets is that the films have unhappy endings, but they are some of the most popular films ever made. The lesson behind all of this is that sometimes things don't end the way you want, but that doesn't make those films bad. We're still about a day away from knowing how the finale of Game of Thrones will affect the entire outlook of the show or if Pattinson will be a good Batman, but let's not jump the gun here.

At least with Game of Thrones, we don't have to wait much longer for the finale. It's premiering tomorrow night on Sunday, May 19 on HBO and it's sure to be a television event (even if it sucks). Meanwhile, The Batman is still quite a ways off because the script isn't even finished. Currently, the release date is slated for 2021, but be sure to keep checking in with CinemaBlend and we'll keep you updated on all the important information.

Next? When Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker's Full Length Trailer May Be Coming

Next? When Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker's Full Length Trailer May Be Coming

Fans waiting for their first look at Star Wars Episode IX were finally rewarded over this past weekend as we finally got a teaser, and official tittle, for the new movie. The footage of Star Wars: Rise of the Skywalker looks great, but if what we just saw was simply a "teaser," then when are we actually going to get a full trailer for the film? If past is prologue, then don't expect to see it anytime soon, because it may not be showing up until October.

While there's eight months between now and the release of Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker, the fact is that Star Wars really doesn't need to do all that much marketing. The franchise is incredibly popular already and we don't need trailers to keep the hype going. This has been clear in the way that the previous two Star Wars films released their trailers.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens did release its first teaser trailer in November of 2014, more than a year before the film debuted, but considering it was the first Star Wars movie in years, a little extra push is to be expected. The film then released a second teaser in April of 2015, during Star Wars Celebration that year. This was then followed by a full trailer for Star Wars; The Force Awakens that arrived in October, less than two months before the movie would hit theaters.

The difference between a teaser and a full trailer is somewhat semantic, but in the case of the Star Wars films, the teaser tends to give us footage, but largely without any context. We get to see some cool stuff, but we don't know what any of it means. The full trailer, while certainly not giving away the game, tends to include more character dialogue if nothing else, which can help us at least try to make sense of exactly what it is we're looking at.

This same process of teaser and trailer would be followed two years later when Star Wars: The Last Jedi was released. The teaser was unveiled during the Last Jedi panel at Star Wars Celebration. Then, coming in October, we would get the only full trailer release we would see for the film.

Now, in the case of the third film in our trilogy, we once again got our teaser at Star Wars Celebration, so there's every reason to expect the full trailer will also be released in October.

Part of the reason to expect that is that something else happened in October alongside the trailer release, tickets went on sale for the films.

Tickets for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker are unlikely to go on sale before October and we should absolutely expect a trailer to hit alongside the announcement. All the more reason to expect that this footage is all we're going to get for the next several months.

Still, there's always the possibility that things will be different this time around. In previous years, we'd always received the title for the new movie before the release of the teaser, so previous marketing schedules are not gospel.

Is this going to be enough to keep you excited until October?

Details About John Wick 3's Villain Have Been Revealed

Details About John Wick 3's Villain Have Been Revealed

Through the first two chapters of the John Wick franchise, Keanu Reeves’ legendary assassin has yet to come across a foe that can take him down, with only a few even providing a challenge to the lethal Baba Yaga. But in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, John Wick will find himself outgunned like never before, on the run and with the world’s assassins united against him. The main villain in the film is one of those assassins, Mark Dacascos’ Zero.

Mark Dacascos has an extensive list of film and television credits like Cradle 2 the Grave, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Mortal Kombat: Legacy and Brotherhood of the Wolf, where he has showcased his stylish martial arts skills. He will bring those skills to bear again in John Wick: Chapter 3 as his character Zero tries to collect the $14 million bounty. Zero represents the biggest threat to Keanu Reeves exhausted hero who just wants to retire and play with his dog.

Zero will be John Wick’s greatest adversary, but it sounds like he won’t be a villain in quite the same way that the slimy Santino D’Antonio was in John Wick: Chapter 2 or Alfie Allen’s Iosef Tarasov was in the first film. Mark Dacascos told Empire Magazine that although rivals, Zero has respect for John Wick. He said:

He’s a huge John Wick fan, so you’ll see an essence of, ‘I have to kill you, but you know if I didn’t have to do that, we’d be besties!’

The brief shots we see of Zero in the trailer for John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum make him look like the Terminator, a stoic killer who never stops, so hearing this adds another interesting level to his character. We know that John Wick commands tremendous respect in the underground crime world and it sounds like Zero not only respects John, but also almost wishes he didn’t have to kill him (or try at least) so they could be friends.

I’m sure the fact that Zero is a fan won’t make John Wick feel any better when he’s trying to kill him, but I guess it is nice to be respected by one’s peers.

In the last film we saw that Common’s Cassian had respect for Baba Yaga, but when he went after John, it was for revenge for killing Gianna-- whom he was charged with protecting. When Zero goes after John, it seems that it will be absent emotion, a strictly business situation where Zero wants to collect on the $14 million, even if he actually really likes and respects John.

It’s an interesting dynamic and I’m curious how much we’ll find out about Zero and if he and John Wick have any history. Were they contemporaries who came up in the world of assassins at the same time, each making a name for themselves? Or did Zero come in after, idolizing John Wick and looking to match him?

Mark Dacascos and Keanu Reeves are basically the same age so it may not be a case of the young lion eating the old, but as an assassin who is a John Wick fan, Zero undoubtedly wants to be the one to claim the achievement of taking out Baba Yaga.

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum opens in theaters on May 17. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all this year’s biggest movies.

Triple Frontier Has A Donkey Scene That Was Hilarious To Film

Triple Frontier Has A Donkey Scene That Was Hilarious To Film

In the new Netflix action thriller Triple Frontier, there’s a serious montage of scenes where, as part of said montage, actors Charlie Hunnam and Garrett Hedlund are seen shepherding a couple of donkeys across a river in the South American jungle. So leave it to their animal co-stars to make things interesting when it came time to actually shoot those scenes, as the actors recently spoke with CinemaBlend about a particularly hilarious day on set involving donkeys, water, and bathroom humor. Here’s how the actors described the scenario, when asked what day on set made them most feel like an action hero:

Hunnam: Probably the day we had to swim with the donkeys, right?

[Hunnam and Hedlund break into laughter]

Hunnam: Garrett and I picked the short straw. Or, I guess, in his usual Machiavellian way, J.C. [Chandor] went and asked all of us, independently, if we would be prepared to swim across the length of a swimming pool with a pack of mules. And everybody else said no, apart from, I guess, Garrett and I.

Hedlund: It was more of a fecal matter issue for some of the cast.

While the finished product is a sobering experience, when the heroes at the center of Triple Frontier are at a particularly difficult time in their heist, the story above is anything but. And watching Hunnam and Hedlund laughing it up during the telling of said story only makes the tale that much more interesting.

This is only compounded by the fact that, of course, this story involving animal actors contains a moment where the donkeys involved had to relieve themselves. It's a classic trope in humor that has legs, and for very good reason. At this point, the story gets even more interesting as this old saw gets a new spin through some colorful descriptions from Charlie Hunnam and Garrett Hedlund. The Triple Frontier co-stars elaborated on this story with the following:

Hunnam: Well it was when we got into the pool, and they started defecating all over the place.

Hedlund: The fun thing is, my donkey had to go first, and when a donkey gets in the water, they tend to try and get to the other side…

Hunnam: That’s going to be the name of your biography, ‘My Donkey Had To Go First.’

Hedlund: ...so if a donkey gets in the water, they tend to try and get to the other side as quick as they can. So trying to see Charlie keep up with his donkey, following my donkey, was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen in my life.

It’s certainly not the easiest thing in the world to work with an animal actor on a set such as the one for Triple Frontier. Considering they’re one of the two types of performers that have historically been on the list of collaborators not to work with, you can kind of see why. Just imagining two actors such as Charlie Hunnam and Garrett Hedlund, trying to get through the day of shooting with a donkey that really had to go is enough to break even the most stoic spectator into a fit of laughter.

Of course, describing their humorous reactions to filming this particular stretch of Triple Frontier is one thing. But if you want to watch Hunnam and Hedlund really delight in the reveal of this story, you can see it all for yourself below.

Don't let that story about the donkeys fool you, as the behind the scenes story you've just experienced doesn't sour the Triple Frontier experience at all. If anything, it proves that all involved, particularly Charlie Hunnam and Garrett Hedlund in this specific instance, are total professionals. It takes an extremely focused actor to portray a dramatic scene of crime and consequences, while wading through donkey dung; and this cast passes that test with flying colors.

Triple Frontier is in theaters now, with its Netflix streaming debut set for March 13th.

Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood Has Screened, See What People Are Saying

Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood Has Screened, See What People Are Saying

Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the filmmaker’s ninth directorial effort, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, and while it’ll be another two months before the general public gets to see it on the big screen, they can at least start getting a sense of how his latest offering was received over in Europe. Social media reactions to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood are pouring in, and evidently it was quite the hit at Cannes, earning a six to seven minute-long standing ovation from those in attendance.

Starting off, Deadline’s Joe Utichi praised Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as one of Quentin Tarantino’s best movies yet, saying:

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is so gloriously, wickedly indulgent, compelling and hilarious. The film QT was born to make. The world is a more colourful place in Quentin Tarantino’s twilight zone. Round two, please.

Quentin Tarantino might not have the largest directorial resume in Hollywood, but all of his solo directing work over 25+ years has been met with mostly positive reception. So to say that Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is the film he was born to make is high praise indeed.

That Shelf managing editor Jason Gorber was also pleased by Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, although he admitted that not everyone will feel the same way:

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - Historically dubious, thematically brilliant, QT finds his form in film that could win Palme d'Or or be picketed by audiences, or maybe both. Thrilling, provocative, blackly comical, intensely unsettling masterwork.

Sometimes you can summarize your feelings for a movie in just a few words, and that’s just what Thrillist’s Emma Stefansky did with her praise for the latest Quentin Tarantino movie:

I reeeeally liked Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

But not everyone was willing to declare that Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was a success across the board. The New York Times’ Kyle Buchanan was more measured with his reaction:

There will be many, many hot takes to come on the new Tarantino but I don’t mind letting mine cool off on the counter a little longer. I know it’s more relaxed than I was expecting, and that DiCaprio is terrific, funny and poignant. The rest, I’m gonna mull over.

Indiewire’s Erick Kohn also felt into more mixed territory with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, though he did appreciate the Easter eggs and lead performances:

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is a meandering Tarantino hangout movie, plays w/history, celebrates the art of the TV western & the creative thrill of performance. DiCaprio & Pitt are better than ever. Lots of nostalgic Easter eggs. It’s fun! But manage expectations.

FirstShowing’s Alex Billington noted how as has been made clear in the marketing, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood delves deeply into the culture that Quentin Tarantino grew up with:

As expected, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is Tarantino referencing other films and TV and old Hollywood and good times in the 60s. Digging into his past and showing us, through perfectly crafted cinema, his feelings about moviemaking and artists and the Manson murders and more.

Torontoist contributor Jesse Hawken said that fans of some of Quentin Tarantino’s most famous movies will appreciate what he delivers in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood:

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: fans of Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill know what to expect from Quentin Tarantino and once again he delivers! A hip, cool joyride that injects a shot of classic Hollywood cool to the multiplex. Leave the kids at home for this one, folks!

Finally, Anne Thompson, also of Indiewire, complimented Once Upon a Time in Hollywood not just for its premise, but also for what the lead actors brought to the table:

Tarantino’s gorgeous Once Upon a Time in Hollywood lovingly recreates a showbiz period that is long past, of cowboys, manly men and crazy hippies. DiCaprio and Pitt are funny and brilliant, as is Margot Robbie as sweet Sharon Tate. It’s an elegy.

So while it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, as is frequently the case with Quentin Tarantino’s filmography, it sounds like Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is another winner for the director. Considering that its only opening weekend competition in July is the animated Wish Dragon (another Sony release), that, along with these positive reviews, ideally bodes well for its box office performance, although there will still be The Lion King to contend with, as it opens the weekend before.

It’s also worth mentioning that there was a bit of a ruckus surrounding Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’s Cannes screwing. Deadline reports that hundreds of ticket holders were turned away from the premiere. These tickets cost as much as $1000+ each, and even though they were scanned, the holders were held at the edge of the red carpet until being told there was no more room left in the theater, despite the fact that some people had arrived early. This is evidently one of several disorganization issues that have popped up during the festival.

Set in 1969 Los Angeles, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood follows a television actor and his stuntman trying to navigate the changing Hollywood landscape, all as The Manson Family is up to its illicit activities. The sprawling ensemble cast also includes Kurt Russell, Dakota Fanning, Timothy Olyphant, Al Pacino, Luke Perry, Lena Dunham, Damian Lewis, Bruce Dern and many, many more. It is Quentin Tarantino’s first movie not to be associated with Harvey Weinstein, with Sony Pictures winning the distribution rights.

You can judge Once Upon a Time in Hollywood for yourself when it’s released in theaters on July 26. For now, you can look through our 2019 release schedule to learn what other movies are opening later this year. As for Quentin Tarantino, he hasn’t officially announced what movies he’ll work on next, although he did say that his Star Trek movie is still a “very big possibility.”

Yes, Kyle Chandler's Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Character Really Hates The Titans

Yes, Kyle Chandler's Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Character Really Hates The Titans

In the trailers and clips we have seen from Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the human reactions to the existence and prevalence of the Titans has ranged from shock and awe to fear and reverence. But for Kyle Chandler’s character, Dr. Mark Russell, his overriding emotion towards the Titans is one of hatred. Addressing why Mark Russell hates the Titans so much, Kyle Chandler said:

Because they're mean, ugly, dangerous, and they caused havoc with my family. You learn, as the character goes along, his relationship to Godzilla and the other creatures and his wife and his past with this situation over the past many years and the loss that he's encountered.

At first, Kyle Chandler leveled some superficial criticisms of the Titans, saying that Mark Russell hates them because they are obviously dangerous and far from cute and cuddly creatures. But those are reasons that anyone could hate the Titans, and when he says a little more, we learn that Mark Russell’s hatred for the Titans isn’t just that they are dangerous creatures wreaking havoc throughout the world. His hatred is more specific and personal.

Kyle Chandler told Comicbook.com that the Titans have caused havoc with his family and he has suffered loss in the past that has fueled this hatred. If I had to speculate based on what we’ve seen in the trailers so far, I would guess that Mark Russell lost a child to the Titans, either directly or indirectly. The Russell family is at the center of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, with Mark Russell, Vera Farmiga’s Dr. Emma Russell and Millie Bobby Brown’s Madison Russell.

However, while those three are featured in the trailers, in the first King of the Monsters trailer, we see Madison looking at a family photo on the lock screen of her iPad that shows her, Mark, Emma and a boy, presumably her brother. So something must have happened to her brother. Perhaps he was killed as a result of the events of Godzilla, and the loss of his son is why Kyle Chandler’s character hates all of the Titans.

That initial hatred may become more nuanced though as Kyle Chandler elaborated:

And so that's his dichotomy, what he feels through the storyline. And you get to learn what his emotional drive is through the story. So there's a learning curve through the story, it's not just a hatred toward monsters.

It sounds like Dr. Mark Russell will go hating the Titans unilaterally, but perhaps his relationship to Godzilla will change. From what we’ve seen, his wife seems to be advocating using the Titans or working with the ones that are trying to protect humanity against the ones who aren’t.

If Godzilla was responsible for his son’s death, this will be a tough pill to swallow that would obviously cause strife between Mark and his wife. That may be his internal emotional struggle, hatred and desire for vengeance for a personal loss versus the current needs to survive against an existential threat.

Godzilla may be on the side of humanity, but he’s preserving the species, not individual lives. Like Superman versus Zod in Man of Steel, his fights in Godzilla undoubtedly cost many people their lives, so it is hard for their family members to see his work for the greater good through their own personal pain.

It will be interesting to see how Mark Russell learns and works through this over the course of the film. Maybe by the end, he puts on his Coach Taylor hat and starts calling plays for Godzilla and Mothra to get that championship against Ghidorah and Co.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters opens in theaters on May 31. Check out our 2019 release schedule to keep track of all this year’s biggest movies.