Lupita Nyong’o Was Totally Freaking Out Filming Us

Lupita Nyong’o Was Totally Freaking Out Filming Us

After years of being primarily known for his comedic work, Jordan Peele proved he can handle horror material exceptionally as well with his directorial debut, Get Out, which later netted him the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Now Peele has returned to the horror realm with Us, although judging from the previews, this movie looks much gorier Get Out did. One of the stars, Luptia Nyong’o, was definitely frightened while filming Us, although more because what she was being asked to do was daunting. As she explained:

Whenever I start a film, I am my worst enemy for sure, and this film was no different. For a second there, I really was worried for myself that I would give up and buckle and just be like, 'Jordan, I think you need to find another actor, because I just don't have what it takes.'

In case you’ve missed the Us trailers, the movie stars Lupita Nyong’o as Adelaide Wilson, who’s on vacation with her husband, Winston Duke’s Gabe, and their two kids, Evan Alex’s Jason and Shahadi Wright Joseph’s Zora. But what is supposed to be a relaxing time with friends turns into a nightmare, as the Wilson family is found by a group of strangers that look just like them called The Tethered. So in addition to playing the normal Adelaide, Nyong’o is also bringing to life her monstrous doppelganger, the leader of The Tethered.

Playing one role in a movie can be hard enough, but two is especially difficult, and Lupita Nyong’o was worried she didn’t have the chops for what Jordan Peele was asking for her is Us, to the point that she almost back out of the movie. However, she changed her mind after others inspired her that she was talented and could handle the dual roles. She continued in her interview with ET:

I was playing not one, but two characters in the same movie and I was panicked, because usually I have the time it takes to prepare for one film and [even then], the critic in my head is powerful, and she knows how to freak me out. It took having people I love around me who could remind me of the things I wasn't able to see for myself, and to build that confidence.

Lupine Nyong’o added that one of the things that attracted her to performing in Us was the opportunity to work with Jordan Peele, as she admired what he’d done on the Comedy Central series Key & Peele. A few months after she decided she wanted to collaborate with Peele, she received the Us script from Peele, and after some initial trepidation, she officially boarded the project and the rest is history. Us also allowed Nyong’o to reunite with Winston Duke, as the two previously starred together in Black Panther.

Us, which also stars Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Anna Diop, premiered last week at SXSW, and it will be released in theaters on March 22. As for what else is coming out later this year, check out our 2019 release schedule for that information.

J.K. Rowling Always Knew Nagini Used To Be Human In Harry Potter

J.K. Rowling Always Knew Nagini Used To Be Human In Harry Potter

For serious fans of the Harry Potter franchise, the Fantastic Beasts movies have been a welcome addition to the canon. They have filled in a lot of backstory for different characters and events only referenced in the original novels. However, one character who has become surprisingly important in the prequel films is Nagini, a character we knew only as a snake from the main series, but we learned was actually human in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. While this revelation was a surprise to many, J.K. Rowling says it should not have been because the information was always there. According to the author...

These movies have given me the chance to tell a story that I knew all along about Nagini, who appears only as a snake in Potter. Now, there were always hints that she had been human. In her name — because the Naga are, in mythology, a race of snake beings. So the name was an allusion to the fact that she may herself once have been human.

The Naga is a mythological being that is actually half human and half cobra, not one that transforms between the two states as the character does in Fantastic Beasts, but the connection is still obvious. Nagini would be the feminine version of the word, telling us the gender of the snake that stayed by the side of Lord Voldemort.

J.K. Rowling has built a reputation over the past few years of dropping some interesting information about various characters in Harry Potter that is never stated in the text, but according to her has always been part of the official back story. This particular item, which was reveled in one of the Blu-ray extras attached to Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (via the Insider) seems to be a little more on the level then some of the revelations we've been given.

The connection certainly makes sense. Anybody who was familiar with the etymology of the name Nagini could have potentially made the connection on their own, some probably did. While it doesn't guarantee that J.K. Rowling had always seen Nagini as formerly human, she even says herself that the allusion was meant to imply she "may" have been human, it certainly left the door open to the idea if the need for such a plot point were ever to surface.

Of course, now that we have met the human version of the character, we have a lot more questions. Nagini appears to be one of the good guys following the events of The Crimes of Grindelwald, certainly more so than some others who have aligned themselves with Johnny Depp's dark wizard character. However, we know where this character will ultimately end up, so quite a bit will be changing over the course of the planned three remaining movies.

New Lion King Video Debuts Beyonce’s Nala

New Lion King Video Debuts Beyonce’s Nala

Of all the voice actors bringing characters to life in the brand new version of The Lion King, no name is bigger than that of Beyonce. She's one of the biggest names on the planet, and getting her to join the cast was a huge get for Disney. Having said that, the character has largely been in the background of the marketing up to this point.

However, a new video allows Beyonce's Nala to take center stage. We get the best look at the character so far and get to finally hear her for the very first time. Check it out in the video below.

While we've seen a couple shots of Nala in the official trailers, this is our best look at the character yet. We even see Nala actually speak the name Simba, something we've seen surprisingly little of in the marketing, as almost all character dialogue has been in the form of off-screen voice over.

Beyond that, the new video doesn't show us a great deal we haven't seen before. The new Lion King still looks like like it is very much going to follow the animated original quite closely. Although, it's possible that there are significant differences that are being kept out of the marketing.

While The Lion King is one of DIsney's most popular animated films, and the new remake seems destined to be a massive hit, one certainly has to wonder if there are some who are most interested in the new movie because Beyonce happens to be in it. Not only will she voice the character, but, one assumes that she'll also do some singing. One doesn't cast Beyonce in a musical and then not get her to do what she's known for.

Most of the Disney remakes of musicals have included brand new music and while we haven't heard much about that with The Lion King, it wouldn't shock me if there was a new Nala song somewhere in the movie, or at the very least, a new Beyonce tune to play over the closing credits.

Disney has been doing quite well with the remakes of the animated classics overall and while Dumbo's debut earlier this year probably wasn't what the studio was hoping for, Aladdin's box office has been much more in line with expectations. Based on its success, one can easily assume that The Lion King, a movie that did a lot better than Aladdin in animated form, is going to improve on the live-action version in roughly the same way.

Disney could very easily have its second billion dollar movie of the year in The Lion King. The original film came up just short of that number back in the 1990s, a remarkable feat for the era, and with the growth of the international box office since then, anything less would honestly be a little surprising.

With just a little over a month to go before release, expect The Lion King hype to get only bigger from here, even from those people who aren't massive Beyonce fans.

Really, Chucky? Child's Play Celebrated 4/20 In A Wacky Way

Really, Chucky? Child's Play Celebrated 4/20 In A Wacky Way

Earlier this week, fans got a new trailer for the upcoming Child’s Play, with the infamous Chucky recently announced to be played by none other than Mark Hamill. So it’s safe to say the anticipation for the horror remake is high. So high, in fact, that the murderous doll has taken to Twitter to celebrate 4/20 with a weed-themed fashion statement and puff of smoke. Check it out:

Yep… they went there. As the holiday’s hashtag trends on Twitter for the day, fans have come across this advertisement referencing Chucky’s 420-friendly past -- with reactions emitting a whole lot of “yikes” toward Child Play’s marketing strategy.

User @ImperialMince noted the franchise may be trying a bit too hard to relate to the young'uns. Take a look:

Amidst all the reactions showing their cringey feelings toward the posting, @xVeHeMeNcEx took it back to 1998’s Bride of Chucky, when Chucky smokes a joint. The image of an embroidered marijuana plant on his overalls with a “bud” pun to go with the “he’s your best friend” tagline for the film seemed a bit too spot on. Check it out:

Is the advertisement a tease for Chucky blazing it in the upcoming Child’s Play? The film will reportedly be receiving an R-rating, and with Mark Hamill on board to frolic around as the mischievous doll, who knows what kind of antics are coming our way in the new flick.

The reboot has an altogether different spin on the origin of Chucky, so it is interesting the marketing for it includes a little nod to its past films. If anything, the post may be seeking to mix in a bit of nostalgia for the boldness of Bride of Chucky back in the day, and also get fans intrigued for what we may see this time.

Instead of Chucky being the spirit of a serial killer, this time around he will be an A.I. toy designed to sync up into other smart home tech in the house of a mother (Aubrey Plaza) and son (Gabriel Bateman) who have just moved to a new town. So far, we’ve seen a bit of Chucky using his iconic chef’s knife to wreak havoc on the neighbor, along with Christmas lights in one scene in the newest trailer.

However, the teasers have shown little of Chucky’s actual performance, except for the line “goodnight Andy” at the end. Mark Hamill reportedly went above and beyond to voice the character, as he marathoned all the films, took notes, and crafted a few voices on his first day in the recording booth. We can’t wait to see what is in store for us in Child’s Play when it comes to theaters on June 21, although that cringey 420 ad looks to be swaying fans in the other direction today.

The 8 Best Nicolas Cage Movies, And The 4 Worst

The 8 Best Nicolas Cage Movies, And The 4 Worst

Nicolas Cage is often maligned by movie fans for some of the more… interesting choices he has made in roles, as well as his incredibly meme-able facial expressions when he’s getting really nuts. Nevertheless, he has had a remarkable career.

Nicolas Cage’s career has now spanned almost four decades and the diversity of his roles is amazing. He has been in classic cult films, huge box office blockbusters, deeply personal indie films and everything else in between. He can play the hero or the villain, and his talents have won him multiple awards and earned him a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.

On the flip side, he’s also been nominated for multiple Golden Raspberries and has been the butt of endless jokes on the internet for his less-than-stellar performances. It makes everyone wonder what his decision-making process is, sometimes. Nicolas Cage has come a long way from his bit part in Fast Times At Ridgemont High. With all this in mind, let's over over the eight best Nicolas Cage movies and four of his worst.

The 8 Best Nicolas Cage Movies

Raising Arizona (1987)

Raising Arizona, the hilarious and quirky second film from the Coen Brothers, brings together a whole lot of talent at the very beginnings of their careers: Holly Hunter, Frances McDomand, John Goodman and, of course, Nicolas Cage. In a way, it set the template for all the Coen Brothers comedies, as it’s filled with wacky characters and a loose plot that is almost irrelevant.

Nicolas Cage’s deadpan performance as the petty criminal turned kidnapper turned “father,” “Hi” is perfect. Hi’s tired and life-weary demeanor is the perfect foil for his intense and upbeat wife, Ed, played by Holly Hunter. Raising Arizona has become a classic and was a big reason Nicolas Cage’s career took off.

Moonstruck (1987)

Released the same year as Raising Arizona, Moonstruck was another breakout performance for Nicolas Cage and it immediately showed his rage as an actor. Nicolas Cage’s performance as the down on his luck baker in Brooklyn is a completely different kind of character than Hi in Raising Arizona.

Moonstruck was also a huge critical and commercial success, and while Nicolas Cage’s excellent performance wasn’t recognized with any award nominations, two of his co-stars won Oscars, Cher and Olympia Dukakis.

Leaving Las Vegas (1995)

Leaving Las Vegas is by far the biggest critical success of Nicolas Cage’s career. His Oscar-winning performance as a down-and-out alcoholic who moves to Las Vegas to drink himself to death is unbelievably sad and difficult to watch because Cage’s performance is so believable and well done.

His co-star, Elizabeth Shue, also puts in an incredible performance as a prostitute who forms a relationship with the sad drunk. Together they make the perfect, tragic couple with a devastating ending that in a way is kind of beautiful that they found in each other even under the unspeakably horrible situations both were in.

Honeymoon In Vegas (1992)

Honeymoon In Vegas somehow slips under the radar a lot when people talk about Nicolas Cage movies, and that is too bad, but it’s a great movie and Cage’s performance is hilarious. Cage plays a detective with commitment issues who reluctantly decides to marry his girlfriend, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, in a quickie Vegas marriage.

Cage’s character gets in debt to a wise guy/professional gambler, played brilliantly by James Caan, and promises Caan's character he can spend the weekend with his fiancée before they get married. The rest of the movie is filled with hilarious hijinks, as Cage chases Caan and Parker from Vegas to Hawaii and back to Vegas before culminating in a sky dive above The Strip with a bunch of Elvis impersonators. Brilliant!

Kick-Ass (2010)

The last decade hasn’t been the strongest of Nicolas Cage’s career but it started strong with Kick-Ass, the really well done spoof of superhero movies feature Cage as “Big Daddy” the "real-life" Batman-like superhero raising his daughter and seeking revenge on his rival, a mob boss that set him up to take the fall as a drug dealer and serve a nickel in prison.

Kick-Ass is an incredibly fun movie where the good guys win in the end and the violence is completely over the top. It’s like a perfect combination of a Marvel movie, Kingsman and a John Wick movie.

Gone In 60 Seconds (2000)

Gone in 60 Seconds is another one of those awesome Nicolas Cage action movies filled with amazing car chases and a first-rate cast. The dialogue, like the others, is trite and frankly meaningless, but that doesn’t matter. Because if you like awesome cars and awesome car chases, it really doesn’t get any better.

Cage plays a retired car thief pulled out of retirement for one last, huge heist: an attempt to steal 50 cars in just 24 hours with his crew. The crew includes Robert Duvall, Vinnie Jones, Giovanni Ribisi and Angelina Jolie, but the biggest star of the film is “Eleanor,” a pristine 1967 Ford Shelby GT500, maybe the coolest car ever built. Seriously, Gone In Sixty Seconds is worth watching for the car alone.

Con Air (1997)

Who doesn’t love Con Air? The plot is asinine and the script is trite and silly, but the action sequences are amazing and the acting performances, including Nicolas Cage’s, are awesome! It’s big budget, summer blockbuster Hollywood at its very best.

There is no way to come across it on a rainy Saturday afternoon on TV and NOT watch the whole thing. The all-star cast, led by Cage, John Cusack, John Malkovich, Ving Rhames, Steve Bescemi and Danny Trejo, all put in amazing performance. That alone make it the best kind of watchable movie.

The Rock (1996)

The first movie starring Nicolas Cage after his Oscar-winning performance in Leaving Las Vegas was something, uh, completely different. The Rock is cheesy, awesome Nic Cage at his best. The lines are so silly – “Cut the chitchat, A-HOLE!” – but he delivers them with such pizazz that it makes them eminently quotable. By the way, that is the actual quote from the movie, not the censored TV version.

Like Con Air, this movie takes the art of the summer blockbuster to its highest level. It has a ridiculous plot, a great car chase, big explosions, a script full of “did he really say that” quotes and huge stars, like Cage, Sean Connery, Ed Harris and a supporting cast of legendary characters. It is so wonderfully whacky and awesome.

The 4 Worst Nicolas Cage Movies

Ghost Rider (2007)

With enough plot holes to drive a motorcycle through, Ghost Rider is the kind of movie you really want to like, even in a cynical, campy way, but just can’t. Nicolas Cage’s performance isn’t terrible; it’s actually good, but the movie is just so… stupid and disappointing. For a guy like Nic Cage, who always wants to play superheroes, it must smart that the film doesn't work.

Maybe expectations were too high for the big screen adaptation of a very cool comic, because the story shouldn’t be this bad, it has very solid source material, yet, it sadly is.

Amos & Andrew (1993)

A stupid premise and a trite attempt to be relevant with a critical commentary on race in America, the Nicolas Cage/Samuel L. Jackson flick is a disaster. It’s easy to see where the minds behind the movie were trying to go with it, but it fails in most ways. The action is lacking and the attempted comedy just isn’t funny, despite decent performances by the lead actors.

In the long list of forgettable Nicolas Cage movies, this might be the most forgettable. There is just nothing about this movie that should make anyone want to watch it. It was a bomb with the critics and it tanked at the box office. It’s not hilariously bad, like some other Nic Cage performances, and that makes Amos & Andrew worse than some those to watch.

Left Behind (2014)

Left Behind is just bad in every way. It’s not that’s it’s a Christian movie that wouldn’t appeal to more secular audience – though it is – it’s because it’s just plain bad. There is no other way around it. It’s one of the movies in this decade that Nicolas Cage has starred in that really makes you scratch your head and wonder why.

The plot is loosely based on the gazillion-selling Christian novel about the people left behind to face God’s judgement after His believers disappear and join him in heaven. Right up until the completely ridiculous and simple-minded ending, it’s bad. In fact, it’s hard to find anything positive to say about it, even Cage’s performance feels phoned in.

Wicker Man (2006)

Wicker Man should have been great. A remake of a great low budget horro movie of the same name, with a lot of talent involved, including the great playwright Neil LaBute, who wrote and directed it and starring Academy Award winners like Nicolas Cage and Ellen Burstyn, the movie just fails.

It’s not suspenseful and worst of all, the torture scene at the end, which should be terrifying, is actually hilarious. Like a bad B-movie in the worst kind of way. On the plus side, it is responsible for some of the best memes of all time and that is really the best thing that can be said about it.

There are a lot of other movies that could appear on this list, underrated movies like Family Man, forgotten great movies like Peggy Sue Got Married, or blockbusters like Face/Off. With almost 100 credits to his name, Nicolas Cage is prolific and inconsistent but almost never boring.

See What Carnage Could Look Like In Venom 2

See What Carnage Could Look Like In Venom 2

Venom promised in its final moments that should it ever get a sequel, it was gonna have Carnage. And almost like clockwork, the impressive box office performance of Eddie Brock’s latest big screen incarnation lead to the news of Venom 2 being a going concern for Sony’s growing universe. Which means that promised matchup between him and Cletus Kasady is more than likely happening in that sequel, prompting a fan to speculate what they think that character will look like. Send your eager eyes below to see what Carnage might look like:

Fan art is certainly nothing new to the world of the internet, but this piece is one of the most grounded exhibitions of artwork we’ve seen since BossLogic started tearing up the web. It also helps that the artist behind this piece took a shot from Venom, re-colored it the typical crimson hue that Carnage has been shown to possess in his comic variant, and released it for all the world to see.

That’s pretty much the deal with what artist William Gray has shown us in this Venom 2 inspired piece. And inspiring it is, as there’s a whole bunch of directions for the film’s plot to potentially take, with actor Woody Harrelson presumably still playing the vicious villain. But don’t go thinking any of those roads will be seeing any sort of maximum Carnage action that’d push this sequel into R-rated territory. Franchise producer Avi Arad is of the mind that while Cletus does have homicidal tendencies, they don’t necessarily need to be shown in gory detail on the screen.

Even though the film is greenlit, and in early stages of production, the talent returning for Venom 2’s behind the camera operations is still a mixed bag. While writer Kelly Marcel is on board as working out the story for the follow-up, Venom director Ruben Fleischer might not be back due to scheduling conflicts. So if there’s a new director steering the ship for Venom 2, there just might be a change to the exact look and feel of this next chapter.

If a new talent winds up in the director’s chair for the next Venom film, there could be a change in the look of Carnage, or potentially an alteration to just how much of the character we’ll see. Let’s just hope that however things progress, Venom 2 takes some well earned advice to keep its box office fortunes in line with the results of its predecessor.

Venom 2 doesn’t have a release date just yet, but some speculate that it could make its bow in a slot that Sony has put aside for an untitled Marvel film next year.

Avengers: Endgame Is Expected To Pass $2 Billion This Weekend

Avengers: Endgame Is Expected To Pass $2 Billion This Weekend

Everyone and their grandma went to see Avengers: Endgame last weekend and they must have seen it twice. Marvel's grand finale to the Infinity Saga is destroying every box office record that it comes across, reaching $1 billion worldwide in just one weekend. It's a straight up cultural moment, and it's not done yet. Endgame is on track to take home more than $2 billion by the end of its second weekend.

A sophomore slump doesn't seem to be in the cards for Marvel's latest blockbuster. Endgame is already the 12th highest grossing film domestically, having collected $514 million since it released in theaters on April 26. From Monday to Thursday, it grossed $117 million domestically, topping several single-day release records along the way.

Internationally, the film added $100 million just on Thursday, lifting its overseas total to a current $1.4 billion as of Saturday morning. Globally, Endgame is currently sitting at a total of $1.91 billion, making it the fifth highest grossing film in history, behind only Avengers: Infinity War, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Titanic, and Avatar.

With practically zero competition this weekend (unless Ugly Dolls is about to pull off the greatest upset in history), passing the $2 billion milestone is well within Endgame's reach. According the Deadline, the superhero epic could pass the benchmark by the end of Saturday. This would make Endgame only the fifth movie in history to gross over $2 billion.

However, the real question on industry analysts' minds is whether Endgame can surpass Avatar to become the highest grossing film of all time. It sounds like people are remaining cautious on the subject. There's never been a film like Endgame and it blew way past initial projections during opening weekend.

That huge opening weekend total will likely lead to a second weekend drop off within the range of 55-57%, according to Box Office Mojo. That's about in line with how Infinity War performed. The real test, however, will be how Endgame performs in the coming weeks when things get a lot more crowded.

Avatar had the advantage of opening in December, so it had ample room to stretch its legs and earn the title it has held for the past decade. Endgame is right at the start of the much more crowded summer season. You've got films like Detective Pikachu, Aladdin, and Godzilla: King of the Monsters all looking for their share of the pie, and they are hungry as hell.

If there is any film that can topple Avatar right now, it's Endgame. It's practically a guarantee at this point that the movie is taking home $2 billion this weekend, and you can bet people are watching very closely for what will happen next.

Avengers: Endgame is in theaters right now, but you've probably seen it at least once by now. For everything else coming to theaters, here's our 2019 movie guide. Come back to CinemaBlend Sunday afternoon for our full May 3-5 weekend box office rundown with figures on Endgame's second weekend.