John Boyega Doesn’t Think He’ll Play Finn Again After The Rise Of Skywalker

John Boyega Doesn’t Think He’ll Play Finn Again After The Rise Of Skywalker

The Star Wars franchise has been rolling out new and exciting content over the past few years, thanks to Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm. There's been standalone films and the upcoming Mandalorian TV series, although all eyes are still on the main franchise. The sequel trilogy and Skywalker Saga will come to an end with J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which is set to arrive in theaters this holiday season.

The generations of Star Wars fans are eager to see how J.J. Abrams wraps up so many stories, including the decades-long narrative that began with George Lucas' A New Hope. Lucasfilm's Kathleen Kennedy has teased that the characters from the sequel trilogy may pop up in the myriad developing future movies, but John Boyega doesn't seem to agree. When asked about reprising Finn in a future installment he said:

Honestly, the bottom of my heart, I don’t think I am. I don’t think I am. I really do feel that way. This really is that movie, I think everyone doesn’t believe it, but this is that war that just ends everything.

Well, that seems pretty cut and dry. While other sequel characters may appear in the movies being developed by Lucasfilm, we should count Finn out. John Boyega things The Rise of Skywalker is the perfect final for his Stormtrooper turned Rebel.

John Boyega's comments to MTV News should illicit a mixed bag of emotions from the Star Wars fandom. One one hand, moviegoers may be disappointed to see that The Rise of Skywalker will be our last outing with Finn. He's one of the trio of new protagonists, and we've seen his journey toward the light side of The Force. And now that he's a full fledged Resistance Leader, fans might want more time with him.

Related: 12 Exciting Shots From The Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Trailer

Then again, John Boyega's feelings may speak very highly for the quality of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. There is a ton of pressure for J.J Abrams to deliver with the threequel, and meet all the film's expectations. The blockbuster must complete the story he started with The Force Awakens, and reveal the fates of the new heroes and Adam Driver's constantly conflicted Kylo Ren.

But The Rise of Skywalker is also the last film in a nine-movie narrative begun by George Lucas back in 1977. J.J. Abrams will have to give General Leia a proper sendoff, through unused footage of Carrie Fisher from the previous films. Mark Hamill is also in the cast, and the first trailer revealed that even Palpatine will factor into the story.

With all of those balls in the air, its going to take some serious filmmaking to satisfy the fans. But if John Boyega things The Rise of Skywalker is a fitting end to Finn, then perhaps the fandom can rest easy, and make it until December.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will arrive in theaters on December 20th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Jordan Peele's Us Opening Easily Tops Get Out, Sets New Box Office Record

Jordan Peele's Us Opening Easily Tops Get Out, Sets New Box Office Record

You can look at tracking, pre-sales and comparable film openings to give you an idea of how well a movie will open, and those are valuable tools, but ultimately that’s all just speculation and educated guesswork. It’s only once a film is actually open that you get a real sense of just how well it will do. And after Jordan Peele’s Us broke records when it opened in theaters on Thursday night, it is looking like the horror flick will do pretty well.

Us earned a stellar $7.4 million in preview screenings Thursday night. That’s phenomenal for an R-rated movie and puts Us behind only Paranormal Activity 3, It and last year’s Halloween for biggest Thursday preview gross for an R-rated filmm according to Forbes. Those other three titles ahead of it are obviously established horror brands. That means that Us now has the record for Thursday preview performance for R-rated films that aren’t sequels or based on some existing property.

More than just being great for an R-rated film, Us looks like it may have the biggest Thursday preview gross for a wholly original movie, surpassing The Secret Life of Pets’ $5.3 million. This is quite the jump for Jordan Peele’s sophomore effort, blowing well past the $1.8 million Get Out opened to in 2017. So now that the first receipts have come in, how high does it look like Us will go this weekend?

Playing at 3,741 North American locations, Us is now projected to slay the competition and murder expectations with a $68 million opening weekend, according to Deadline. This comes after a Friday box office of an estimated $28+ million. This positions Us to maybe double Get Out’s $33.4 million opening weekend. It will also blow away the earlier tracking on Us, which ranged anywhere from as low as $35 million to as high as $48-$50 million.

It is looking good that Us will even beat last year’s A Quiet Place, which also surpassed expectations with a noisy $50.2 million. If that happens, it would give Us the best opening ever for an original horror movie. If Us goes past Ted’s $54.4 million, it would have the best opening ever for an original R-rated movie. Us is also looking like it will snag the biggest original live-action March opening, in addition to being the biggest opening of the year after Captain Marvel.

It will be interesting to see where Us ultimately lands and how the box office fluctuates over the weekend. Jordan Peele’s film entered the weekend with a lot going for it, including excellent reviews, a great Rotten Tomatoes score, and the ability to say "From the director who brought you Get Out." Yet, Us might not be quite the crowd-pleaser as Peele’s debut, with a "B" CinemaScore versus Get Out’s “A-.”

That isn’t bad by any stretch, and it’s a far cry from Hereditary’s “D+” but it could indicate some dissatisfaction with the ending. So we’ll have to see if that has any effect on word of mouth. I suppose a polarizing ending could drive more people to see the film to be part of the conversation, or as Winston Duke has recommended, repeat viewings.

If nothing else, hopefully the performance of Us reiterates that original movies from bold filmmakers have a place in the marketplace and can perform.

Us is now playing. Check out what we thought of the movie and come back after you’ve seen it to read our breakdown of the ending. Keep an eye on our 2019 Release Schedule to see what’s headed your way in the coming weeks and months.

Walt Disney World's April Fools Day Joke Is So Great I Wish It Was Real

Walt Disney World's April Fools Day Joke Is So Great I Wish It Was Real

You've got to be careful when you're checking out social media on April 1st, because there's a good chance a lot of what you're seeing isn't real. Unfortunately, the way a lot of April Fool's Day jokes get you is by telling you a story that you want to be real. That was the way that I felt when I first saw Walt Disney World's Twitter post this morning, revealing the newest addition to the park, a glorious combination of theme park merch and theme park food. Check out Snears.

While the attractions are always a major draw when it comes to visiting Walt Disney World, the importance of the food and gear cannot be overlooked. As such, it makes perfect sense to combine these two popular elements with Snears, which take the most popular piece of merchandise in the park, Mickey Mouse ears, and gives them cups which can be filled with your favorite park snack.

This is, of course, not real. It's an April Fool's Day joke. As somebody who writes news for a living, I sort of hate this day with a deep passion. However, I can get behind a joke like this, because it's clearly and obviously a joke. You might be taken in for a brief instant, but then you realize that if these things were real they'd be ridiculous. It's just a funny thing that Disney Parks did, as opposed to something truly meant to fool you. Although, if, in that brief moment, you considered buying a pair of Snears, you might not feel like this is a very nice joke.

Putting a pair of turkey legs in your ears might sound awesome, but actually walking around with them in there isn't feasible. The weight distribution is so uneven they'd obviously fall out. Filling them with popcorn might work slightly better, as long as you don't look down at your phone to confirm your upcoming FastPass+ reservation, because then it's all coming out. It's a shame that this isn't practical because sometimes you want to carry your favorite snack while also keeping your hands free to take pictures or while checking out the gift shop.

Although, I do like the idea that the band is supposed to be refrigerated, because keeping cold Dole Whip on your head might actually work out ok, and it would be nice to have it available whenever you needed it. I could use some right now.

While Snears might not be practical, that doesn't make them less fun. The essential premise, that Mickey Mouse ears and Walt Disney World food are two essential parts of any vacation to the park, is absolutely true. My biggest problem when visiting Disney World or Disneyland isn't that I might not have enough time to experience all the attractions I want, it's that my stomach isn't big enough to eat all the food that I want. There are simply too many great restaurants and too many tasty snacks worth checking out.

How Rocketman's Taron Egerton Feels About Bohemian Rhapsody

How Rocketman's Taron Egerton Feels About Bohemian Rhapsody

Last year’s Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody was a massive global success that also earned the film an abundance of awards, particularly for star Rami Malek. So naturally, this month’s Rocketman, which similarly tells the story of another legendary rock star, is being compared to that film. Taron Egerton, who plays Elton John in Rocketman, revealed how he feels about Bohemian Rhapsody and the parallels between the two films, saying:

Inevitably the film has drawn comparisons with Bohemian Rhapsody. Rami Malek’s performance in that movie is astonishing… He’s one of the most talented actors of our generation. I’m very, very proud that we are mentioned in the same breath… That film has been such a global phenomenon and success and rightly so. It is a great rip-roaring piece of entertainment and it’s great fun. I can’t remember who did that and who finished it off.

Taron Egerton was effusive with praise for both Bohemian Rhapsody and star Rami Malek, who won an Oscar for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury. An Oscar is a symbol of the respect of one’s peers, and Rami Malek certainly has Taron Egerton’s respect, with the Rocketman actor calling him a generational talent. So for his performance to be compared in any way to what Rami Malek did in Bohemian Rhapsody is immensely humbling for Taron Egerton.

He also rightly acknowledges what a phenomenon Bohemian Rhapsody was all over the world and he has previously said that he would be happy for Rocketman to have even half of that film’s success. Who could blame him?

Although Bryan Singer’s name is the one in the credits as director on Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman director Dexter Fletcher is the one who came on to finish the film when Singer was fired. Taron Egerton alludes to that in his comments at the Cannes Film Festival (via Variety), giving credit and love to his Rocketman director.

The actor seems to have genuine love and respect for Bohemian Rhapsody and the talent involved with it, yet although he is complimented and flattered by the comparisons, he also wants to make it clear that these are two different films. He explained how Rocketman differs from Bohemian Rhapsody saying:

But our movie is a different animal. Our movie is a musical so it requires an actor that can sing in the lead role. For a biopic that’s not necessary because it’s a biopic and they’re just performance pieces that are singing. I’m very grateful that people compare us and hopefully it shows that there is an appetite for movies of this nature. However, that movie is a unicorn and I don’t want to be forever judged by it.

Although on the surface Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman are both biopics, Taron Egerton sees his film as more of a musical or a musical fantasy, and that has different requirements, specifically an actor with singing chops. Unlike Rami Malek, who didn’t do the majority of the singing on Bohemian Rhapsody, Taron Egerton does all his own singing in Rocketman and much of the pre-release hype about the movie has centered on that very fact.

Ultimately, although he is grateful for the comparisons that put Rocketman in such esteemed and successful company, Taron Egerton doesn’t want Rocketman to be judged with Bohemian Rhapsody as the measuring stick. As he astutely said, that film is “a unicorn,” an unprecedented success that took the world by storm and could not have been predicted.

He wants his film to be judged on its own merits and rightfully so. If Rocketman doesn’t match Bohemian Rhapsody’s near $1 billion at the box office or if Taron Egerton doesn’t also earn a Best Actor Oscar, that in no way makes the Elton John musical a failure.

While the Bohemian Rhapsody comparisons are unlikely to end anytime soon, signs are good that Rocketman will be able to stand on its own as a worthwhile film in its own right. The film made its debut at the Cannes Film Festival and the early reactions are very positive, with Taron Egerton’s transformative performance the consensus highlight.

Rocketman opens in theaters on May 31, but Fandango is hosting advance screenings this weekend. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all this summer’s biggest movies.

Disney Just Dropped Its First Fox Project After The Merger

Disney Just Dropped Its First Fox Project After The Merger

For all the glee that came with the X-Men and the Fantastic Four now being freed up to come to the MCU, Disney’s purchase of 21st Century Fox carries some major downsides. People will and have lost their jobs as a result of it and projects in development at Fox face the potential axe under Mickey’s regime. Now Disney has dropped its first project after the merger, the big budget adaptation Mouse Guard.

The high-profile film from The Maze Runner director Wes Ball was a mere two weeks out from the production start date when Disney decided to suddenly halt the project, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Yet, although Mouse Guard is the first casualty to come post-merger, it isn’t necessarily dead; it just won’t be releasing under the Disney or Fox banner. Mouse Guard may yet see the light of day because the producers of the film are being allowed to shop it around to other studios.

Mouse Guard is a four-quadrant blockbuster with franchise potential that is ready to start filming, so there is already interest from other studios. One of the film’s producers, Planet of the Apes series and future Batman helmer Matt Reeves, has an existing production deal at Netflix, so Mouse Guard could land there. Another possibility is Paramount, where Maze Runner producer Wyck Godfrey is the head of the motion picture group.

Mouse Guard is based on the comic series of the same name written and illustrated by David Petersen. It tells the story of a world free of humans where anthropomorphic mice live in a harsh medieval world where the brotherhood of the Mouse Guard is sworn to help keep their fellow mice safe. Given the medieval setting, Mouse Guard has naturally earned the elevator pitch 'Game of Thrones with mice.'

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and After Earth scribe Gary Whitta handled the adaptation for the film that is set to star Idris Elba, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Samson Kayo and Andy Serkis. With an acclaimed source material (and presumably a built-in audience), big name actors already attached and production so close to beginning, Disney pulling the plug seems strange. So why did Mickey drop Mouse Guard? What’s the cause of this mouse on mouse violence?

While it is not clear exactly why Disney gave the medieval mice the axe, one of THR’s sources indicated that it has to do with the fact that Mouse Guard was set to use motion capture and digital effects, provided by WETA, to bring the creatures of the film’s world to life. The concern was that this was a bit too similar to what Disney is already doing with “live-action” remakes like The Jungle Book and The Lion King.

Personally, I would find that to be an odd line of thinking considering both of those aforementioned titles have been or will be major box office hits (Lion King isn’t out yet, but come on). And Mouse Guard would be completely different than either of those two. Maybe Disney has a live-action remake of The Rescuers in the works we don’t know about.

Another possible reason for the red light is that Disney wants its newly acquired Fox arm to stay out of the blockbuster realm and instead focus on low-cost family films as well as PG-13 and R-rated movies, with the exception of James Cameron’s Avatar series. At a budget of $170 million, Mouse Guard definitely doesn’t qualify as low-budget.

Hopefully Mouse Guard finds another home because it has a lot going for it and it sounds like it has the potential to be something new and different in the blockbuster landscape.

We’ll keep you updated on Mouse Guard and the continuing fallout from the Disney-Fox merger. In the meantime check out our 2019 Release Schedule to see all the biggest movies headed to theaters this year.

Jordan Peele's Us Has Screened, Here Are The Early Reactions

Jordan Peele's Us Has Screened, Here Are The Early Reactions

Moviegoers have been greatly anticipating the release of Us, the next horror film from the Oscar-winning Jordan Peele. Peele knocked it out of the park with his first film, Get Out, and people are eager to see what else the writer-director has in store. Us has looked great and super creepy in trailers, but the film finally got in front of an audience during the SXSW film festival this weekend. Critics were quick to share their thoughts and they had some extremely high praise for the movie.

CinemaBlend's own Sean O'Connell praised the film's storytelling, scares, and "gut punch of a twist." He was one of many critics to single out Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o's performance in particular.

Written and directed by Jordan Peele, Us follows a family of four as they are taken hostage in their home by twisted doppelgangers, bringing to life the notion that we are our own worst enemies. Given what a success Get Out was, people have high hopes for Us and it sounds like there will be no sophomore slump for Peele. Critics are teasing that this is a great film worthy of plenty of rewatches and it's especially strong work from Peele.

Wow! Masterpiece is not a word that is thrown around lightly, and critic Clayton Davis was not afraid to put it to use. Davis has loads of praise to give Jordan Peele, writing that we are witnessing the birth of a modern day Alfred Hitchcock. Again, wow! That's seriously high praise and, ordinarily, I would say to temper expectations to avoid being over-hyped, but this isn't the only critic gushing about Us.

Critic Jen Yamato writes the the film is a precise challenge to your nerves and that it will likely traumatize the young people who sneak in to see it in theaters. She also pointed the spotlight on star Lupita Nyong'o, who gives one hell of a performance as the family matriarch and her creepy doppelganger. Plenty of other critics also praised Nyong'o's and co-star Winston Duke's acting.

So, the film is extremely well put together, but this is a horror film. How scary is it? Well, it sounds like it's going to curl your toes.

If I was going to trust any critic about the scariness of a movie, it would be one whose last name is Fear. Critic David Fear simply writes that the movie is "fucking terrifying," so horror fans are in for a real treat.

Other critics have said that the film isn't quite the same as Get Out, and it might push its runtime a bit with ambitious ideas, but it's still thrilling and very well put together. At least a few critics have said that the film resembles an extra long episode of The Twilight Zone, which is especially good news for the upcoming reboot.

We'll all be able to see Us for ourselves when the film arrives on March 22.

Mark Hamill Isn’t Buying That Leaked Episode IX Poster

Mark Hamill Isn’t Buying That Leaked Episode IX Poster

We’re approximately nine months away from the release of Star Wars: Episode IX, and a lot of Star Wars fans are eager for an official first look at the movie. While Disney and Lucasfilm have yet to provide anything on that front, earlier this week an Episode IX poster made the rounds on social media. Some assumed this was a legitimate peek at the final chapter of the Skywalker Saga, but Mark Hamill doesn’t believe it’s the real deal. When a fan inquired if this poster had been leaked and tagged Hamill in the Twitter post, the Luke Skywalker actor responded:

Doubtful. Looks like the work of a #UPF.

UPF apparently means Ultra Passionate Fan, and you could definitely count on someone like that putting in the time and effort on a Star Wars poster. Granted, unless Disney and Lucasfilm outright come out and debunk that this Star Wars: Episode IX poster is legitimate, we don’t know with 100% certainty that’s the case, but Mark Hamill made it clear on Twitter that he’s not buying its authenticity, and he’s sticking to his guns. When another user, Indie Revolver, followed up on Hamill’s original comment and said that the Episode IX poster is indeed legitimate (though not necessarily meant for the public), Hamill posted:

Mark Hamill is referring to how C-3PO is holding a bowcaster, the kind of blaster Chewbacca frequently uses. The prospect of C-3PO firing on First Order stormtroopers is frankly hilarious given that aside from that time his head was attached to a battle droid’s body, the beloved, golden protocol droid has largely been a pacifist in the Star Wars universe. There are other interesting aspects of this Star Wars: Episode IX poster, like what looks to be the other Knights of Ren and red-colored stormtroopers resembling the Revenge of the Sith-era clone troopers, but for now, it’s unclear if it’s a true leak or a fan creation.

The only way we’ll know for sure whether or not this is an official Star Wars: Episode IX poster is when Lucasfilm finally starts marketing the movie, and that’s probably not too far off. Next month, the next Star Wars Celebration will be held in Chicago, and if it’s anything like the one in 2017, this could be when the first poster and trailer for Episode IX finally drop. It’ll be nice to finally have some footage/images to finally associate with Episode IX, although you can bet that keeping in ‘character,’ Lucasfilm will still remain as cagey as possible concerning what we can specifically expect from the plot.

No story details for Star Wars: Episode IX have been disclosed yet other than it will take place one year after the events of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, with the Resistance still putting up a fight against The First Order using guerrilla tactics. Along with returning faces like Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver and, of course, Mark Hamill, the movie will also bring in newcomers like Naomi Ackie, Richard E. Grant, Dominic Monaghan and Keri Russell, as well as Billy Dee Williams finally returning to the big screen as Lando Calrissian.

Star Wars: Episode IX hits theaters on December 20, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for continuing coverage. In the meantime, browse through our 2019 release schedule to learn what other movies are coming out later this year.