Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Might Change Up Rey’s Parentage

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Might Change Up Rey’s Parentage

The Star Wars franchise has been greatly expanding over the past few years, thanks to Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm. New ground has been broken in the form of standalone films and the upcoming Mandalorian TV series, but the real focus is still on the main franchise. J.J. Abrams' The Rise of Skywalker will conclude the nine-film narrative that started with A New Hope, and the pressure is on to deliver a threequel that serves multiple purposes.

Fans are especially intrigued to see how J.J. Abrams will follow up on the subversive choices Rian Johnson made in The Last Jedi back in 2017. One of the biggest twists revolved around Rey's parents. Her lineage was one of the biggest mysteries going into The Last Jedi, but Kylo Ren revealed she wasn't related to any of the Jedi we knew and loved; she was no one. But Abrams is teasing that the story might change in Episode IX, recently saying:

I will say that we knew, going into this, that this movie, it had to be a satisfying conclusion. And we were well aware that that’s one of the things that’s been out there. I don’t want to say that what happens in Episode VIII [didn’t happen]. We have honored that. But I will say that there’s more to the story than you’ve seen.

Well, that's cryptic. While not revealing anything concrete about the contents of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, it doesn't look like J.J. Abrams is going to let the story of Rey's parentage end with Kylo Ren's reveal in the last movie.

J.J. Abrams' comments to ABC News are sure to illicit a mixed bag of emotions from Star Wars fans. One one hand, purists might believe that Abrams retconning Rian Johson's creative choices is a cop out. After all, it ruins the emotional response Daisy Ridley gave in the scene, and cheapens one of the more significant moments in The Last Jedi.

But Rian Johnson's Star Wars sequel was extremely divisive, and his various plot twists weren't all well received by the fandom. Luke became a jaded recluse, Leia manifested her Force abilities, and Snoke was unceremoniously killed off before his origin was revealed. But the handling of Rey's parentage is perhaps the biggest sore point among certain fans.

In the year between The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, fans theorized endlessly about who Rey's parents might be. Luke, Obi-Wan and Leia were all tossed around, which is why Kylo Ren's explanation was so disappointing. She was no one, and her parents were smugglers who sold her off. But now it appears that there's more to the story, so it should be fascinating to see if/how J.J. Abrams adds to his hero's origin.

There's still quite a lot to unpack about Kylo Ren's admission in The Last Jedi, for both moviegoers and Rey herself. Because once the lights came up on Rian Johnson's Star Wars debut, fans were left wondering if Kylo was telling the truth. After all, Adam Driver's character was desperately trying to convince Rey to join him and rule the universe, so he'd say anything to try and emotionally manipulate her.

Throughout The Last Jedi, Rey and Kylo Ren connected through The Force, and lamented their fates. Rey was convinced hat she could bring Ben Solo back into the light, and his murder of Snoke originally seemed like just that. But he refused to back down, and asked her to join him as they let the past die. Rey ultimately refused, and Kylo Ren revealed that she was the daughter of unnamed smugglers and thrown away like trash on Jakku.

But one has to wonder how exactly Kylo Ren is privy to this information, given that not even Rey knows where her parents ended up after leaving her. He presumably learned it from Snoke, but he didn't mention it to Rey until The Last Jedi's third act. What's more, he doesn't actually make the revelation himself. He forces Rey to admit her deepest fear: that her parents were nobody. Then he just confirmed it in an attempt to get her to join the Dark Side.

As a reminder, you can check out the scene in question below.

Upon re-watch, there certainly does seem to be some wiggle room for J.J. Abrams to play with in The Rise of Skywalker. No proof was presented in the revelation about Rey's parents, and she was too busy for the rest of The Last Jedi's runtime to bring it up to anyone. As such, her parentage should be one of the many big questions that is ultimately answered when Episode IX finally arrives in theaters.

Of course, the fandom has had well over a year to process the events of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. So once again flipping the canon on its head might elicit some negative reaction from moviegoers. Star Wars has always been a franchise that relied on twists, but doing an aboutface in regards to Rey's origin is a bold move. And we've already seen how the fandom negatively reacted to Rian Johnson's bold directing choices.

If J.J. Abrams doesn't retcon Rey's lineage in The Rise of Skywalker, his comments did tease that there may be more to the story than we're aware of. Perhaps he found a way to change up her backstory without totally ignoring the narrative Rian Johnson brought to theaters with The Last Jedi. Clearly Disney was happy with his work, as Johnson is developing his own Star Wars trilogy.

J.J. Abrams will be able to wrap up the story he began back with The Force Awakens, and hopefully give his characters some satisfying conclusion. He also has the added pressure of ending the Skywalker Saga forever, so there is a ton of pressure about bringing Episode IX to theaters. But the first trailer was powerful, and teased the group of heroes finally all together for one final adventure.

Answers are coming shortly, as Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker arrives in theaters on December 20th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Final Destination’s Devon Sawa Had A Scary Coincidence On Its Anniversary

Final Destination’s Devon Sawa Had A Scary Coincidence On Its Anniversary

19 years ago, Final Destination took off into movie history with its first entry in a series that would span five films and a little over a decade's worth of time. And if it wasn't for Devon Sawa's Alex receiving that premonition on board Flight 180, we wouldn't have had a franchise to look forward to! So it seems more than a little weird that Sawa would notice on the exact date of the 19th anniversary of that first film, his flight number seemed a little... scary.

In a twist that would surely fit in a Final Destination movie of its own, Devon Sawa was on flight 317 yesterday, which was not only St. Patrick's Day, but also the opening day back in 2000 for his first film in the saga. While Sawa originally noted that it was 20 years ago, he corrected himself in the subtweets below, right past the point where Seth Rogen admitted he tried out for Seann William Scott's role in the first film.

Though, to be fair, he was probably filming the movie 20 years ago, and when you've worked on a film like Final Destination, the production and opening dates can sometimes get a big muddled. Still, 19 years after the smash hit opening of Final Destination is a funny day to have a flight number so inexorably linked to the day of his own flight. Some would say he should have played the lottery, especially taking into account the fact that spawned around $665 million internationally.

If New Line and Warner Bros wanted to really get spooky, they should think about putting together a Final Destination reunion tour and re-release for the 20th anniversary proper next year, in service of getting at least $1 million to hit that magic number of the devil. It certainly wouldn't hurt, what with the studio partners considering a reboot at this moment. Though if the grosses tend to be a little better coming from any sort of hypothetical anniversary, they may want to think about a potential reboot that changes the continuity to reintroduce Alex back into the game of death.

Are you ready for this whole situation to get scarier? As if the whole flight number coincidence wasn't enough of a Twitter moment, Devon Sawa had another encounter that invoked the spirit of the Final Destination franchise. This time though it wasn't a number, it was a person who tied it all together again, as he ran into fellow co-star Tony Todd, known partially for his role as the dire but oh so smooth undertaker who taught the kids a lesson about death in that very first film. Take a look for yourself:

Now we're not saying Devon Sawa is cursed or anything, but two coincidences almost add up to a movie's worth of danger. So maybe he'll want to find a nice, cozy spot of the world to relax in; just in case anything is lurking around the corner. But for all we know, it's just a bunch of crazy coincidences, and nothing else. It's not like there's any sort of plan working through the wheels of fate or anything.

If all this talk about Final Destination has you a bit nostalgic, you'll be happy to know that the first three films are streaming on Netflix at this very moment.

This Rotten Week: Predicting The Beach Bum and Dumbo Reviews!

This Rotten Week: Predicting The Beach Bum and Dumbo Reviews!

Two movies hit the big screen and they couldn’t be any more dissimilar if they tried. In one we get a drug-addled writer buzzing his way through the Florida Keys. And in the other it’s a beloved elephant who uses his ears to fly (which kind of sounds like something a drug-addled writer would come up with. Maybe these flicks aren’t all that different). Get ready for The Beach Bum and Dumbo.

Just remember, I'm not reviewing these movies but rather predicting where they'll end up on the Tomatometer. Let's take a look at This Rotten Week has to offer.

If there was ever a movie that seems written specifically with Matthew McConaughey in mind, it's this one. In fact, I get the sense that if the dude had passed the movie might never have been made.

Harmony Korine has written and directed a bunch of films, though the only one to really hit wide release was 2012’s Springer Breakers (66%). It is easily his most well-received and well-publicized film. The other stuff is mostly, well, weird (or just depressing like Kids).

Beach Bum appears to take some of its look and feel from Springer Breakers, embracing the neon Florida haze while following around Moondog in his attempt to, well, be Moondog. McConaughey looks every bit in his element, playing what seems to be a mashup of Jimmy Buffett and Hunter S. Thompson.

Early reviews are basically split down the middle with the Tomatometer sitting at 55% through 20 looks. I suspect it only drops as the week goes on considering the positive reviews all found a few things they didn't like with the film. I see that trend continuing and it ends in the rotten territory almost for sure.

It’s now been 78 years since the original Dumbo hit the screens so I suppose, at least as far as Hollywood is concerned, we are way, way, way overdue for the remake. Now we get it in the form of a live action film about the titular elephant whose ears are so flappy they generate the requisite thrust to get him airborne.

Director Tim Burton has had an up and down critical run over the last decade or so. Sure there was the adaptation of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (65%) and the animated Frankenweenie (85%). But he also helmed Dark Shadows (36%) and Alice in Wonderland (51%) so it hasn’t been all great.

This latest looks like a visually pleasing, if vanilla retelling of the classic tale. And I suspect that tone will actually help it with critics. This isn’t a remake that needs to take a lot of chances, or distinguish itself from the original. Just hitting the right notes will be fine. I think critics take to it positively.

We only had one movie hit the big screen in wide release last week. Us (Predicted: 99% Actual: 95%) represents another knock-it-out-of-the-park critical win for Jordan Peele in a worthy successor to his award-winning Get Out. Peele has done it again, embracing the horror genre while adding additional layers of commentary about our society as a whole. Getting the prediction in the zone was rather easy. It was sitting at 100% early last week and picked up only a few negative reviews along the way.

Next time around we’ve got The Best of Enemies, Shazam and Pet Sematary. It’s gonna be a Rotten Week!

John Wick Chapter 3 Is The Type Of Movie Star Anjelica Huston Usually Hates

John Wick Chapter 3 Is The Type Of Movie Star Anjelica Huston Usually Hates

The John Wick franchise has never been short on talent, but it is getting a major infusion of it for John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum with two Oscar winners, Halle Berry and Anjelica Huston. As a former Bond girl who also was Storm in the X-Men franchise, we’re used to seeing Halle Berry in these kinds of movies, but it is less familiar for Anjelica Huston. In fact, John Wick: Chapter 3 is the type of movie Anjelica Huston usually hates, as she explained:

I don’t like violent movies. But I like this movie. This is a movie about a guy who’s basically avenging the death of his puppy. Jesus, I’m passionate about dogs. It’s a huge thing.

Generally speaking, you’re far more likely to find Anjelica Huston in a Wes Anderson film or voicing a character in a kid’s animated series than in a violent action film. And perhaps that is the result of her distaste for violence. Yet, for someone who doesn’t like violent movies, she really dove into the deep end of the genre with John Wick: Chapter 3.

This franchise is one of the most violent out there (although not especially bloody), with kill counts measured in the triple digits. The actress was cool with it here, and actually likes Parabellum because it isn’t senseless violence, this series started with John Wick simply trying to avenge the murder of his dog.

As a good dog owner who loved his pet, John Wick’s violent response is really quite appropriate given the circumstances, restrained even. Anjelica Huston clearly understands and likes this about the character because as she told Vulture, she is passionate about dogs and actually owns three dogs herself, in addition to a sheep, 13 goats and 5 horses.

Anjelica Huston is clearly an animal lover and that made her like this movie more than most violent fare. Which is kind of a fun contrast considering that in the trailer for John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, her character the Director, a Russian ballet instructor, incredulously asks Keanu Reeves’ character, “All of this for what, because of a puppy?”

So despite her usual aversion to violent movies, Anjelica Huston signed on to John Wick: Chapter 3-Parabelleum and it didn’t take much convincing for her to do so, as she explained:

Oh God, it’s so easy. Quite honestly, I’m looking for movies that impress me in some way, that aren’t apologetically humble or humiliating like, ‘Band of cheerleaders gets back together for one last hurrah,’ you know. An old-lady cheerleader movie. I don’t like that kind of thing. If I’m going to be an old lady — and I’m sort of touching old lady these days — at least I want to be a special old lady. I don’t want to be relegated to some has-been making a comeback. I hate comebacks.

On top of her affinity for John Wick’s responsible pet ownership, Anjelica Huston seems to also have really appreciated her character in the film. As she said, she likes to play “a special old lady” and while we haven't seen a lot from the Director just yet, she appears to fit that bill and was special enough to impress Anjelica Huston.

The Director appears to be a sage, somewhat sassy character and as a member of the High Table, she has some sort of influence. That John Wick appears to go to her for help means that she may be an old lady, but her years have put her in a position of major power. Basically, she’s cool.

This is in contrast to the other kinds of characters Anjelica Huston would rather not play, ones that are somewhat humiliating, making age into a source of humor or something to be triumphed over and not one of dignity. It’s an understandable opinion to have and thankfully, John Wick: Chapter 3 had a role that was suitable and appealing enough to bring her aboard.

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum opens on May 17. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to see all the biggest movies headed your way this summer season.

Jason Momoa Says Aquaman 2 Story Is 'Locked'

Jason Momoa Says Aquaman 2 Story Is 'Locked'

Last year’s Aquaman finally got Warner Bros.’ DC film franchise back on the right track with a solid critical response and a massive box office performance. While the DCEU’s most successful movie to date won’t be getting a sequel until late 2022, work has already begun on Aquaman 2. In fact, they already know where the sequel will go because the story is locked down, as Jason Momoa explained:

I was really, really, really, passionate, to do the second one because it’s the first time where it’s all on Earth. It’s combining land and sea, kind of like what I’m doing with this [environmental cause]. There’s no outside aliens destroying Earth, it’s us. And so I was excited to get back in there, and so I’ve been working with our previous writer, and getting in there, and we’ve got a locked story, and we’re getting into it. And I think it’s going to be like in two years or whatever. The beard will be back by then.

Jason Momoa sounds quite enthusiastic about returning to the Aquaman role, and although he didn’t give any hints about what it would entail, he did reveal that the story for Aquaman 2 is already ‘locked.’ So although it is still years away, a plan is already in place for what will happen in the sequel to the $1 billion-grossing film.

It also sounds like the sequel could again be primarily focused on Arthur Curry’s story and maybe the relationship between surface dwellers and those above versus extraterrestrial threats. Aquaman was successful with this approach, and with DC’s relaxed stress on cinematic universe connectivity, it makes sense.

We’ve previously heard that Aquaman screenwriter David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick was returning to pen Aquaman 2, and based on his comments on The Ellen Show, Jason Momoa worked with him to nail down the story. Now all that’s left is to translate that story into a script and turn that into a movie. There’s plenty of time to do that and producer Peter Safran indicated that the approach is to take that time to get things right.

Although Aquaman 2 is a long way off and the story could certainly change, it is encouraging that Jason Momoa can already say that it is locked down. That means that he and those involved have a certain level of confidence with where they want to take the story and the characters. Ideally, that also means that the locked story is a good one.

With Jason Momoa apparently having some input on the story of Aquaman 2, I’ll be curious to see how much of an environmental message it has. While on Ellen, Jason Momoa was promoting his Mananalu water, aluminum-canned water that is recyclable and an alternative to single-use plastic bottles that often wind up in the ocean. He’s really living Aquaman’s mission to protect the oceans and perhaps that message will find its way into the sequel film as well.

Regardless, there are plenty of directions the story of Aquaman 2 could go. Aquaman’s end-credits scene seemed to set up Black Manta and Dr. Stephen Shin as antagonists in the sequel, and there are of course other comics elements it could draw from as well. Whatever the story is, Jason Momoa will also have his beard back by the time we see it, which is probably for the best.

I imagine we've got a while to go before we find out what Aquaman 2 will be about, but hopefully before long we'll hear whether or not director James Wan is returning, as that is still not entirely clear.

Aquaman 2 dives into theaters on December 16, 2022. However, a new Star Wars movie was just announced for that same date, so we’ll see if Aquaman 2 stays in that spot. For movies arriving just a bit sooner, check out our 2019 Release Schedule.

Will Detective Pikachu Be Able To Best Avengers: Endgame At The Box Office?

Will Detective Pikachu Be Able To Best Avengers: Endgame At The Box Office?

The last couple of weeks at the box office have been all about Avengers: Endgame, as other studios gave the Disney juggernaut, which has now passed Titanic to become the second-biggest movie of all time, a wide berth both before and after its release. But now other contenders are coming for Thanos’ throne atop the box office, starting this weekend with a tiny, electric-type Pokémon that happens to sound a lot like Deadpool. So will Detective Pikachu be able to best Avengers: Endgame at the box office?

The short answer is probably not, but Detective Pikachu isn’t going to crash and burn like so many of its video game movie forbears either. According to Deadline, the Pokémon franchise’s first foray into live-action on the big screen is looking at a domestic opening weekend in the $50 million to $55 million range from over 4,200 theaters.

That should be good enough for second to Avengers: Endgame as the MCU’s history-making film continues its quest to topple Avatar. Endgame is tracking at making $75-$85 million in its third weekend in release, which will be enough to hold on to the top spot at the box office and withstand Pikachu’s thunder if the tracking proves accurate.

There’s no shame in taking second place to Avengers: Endgame. Pokémon is a global property and domestic audiences won’t be the only ones trying to catch ‘em all at the theater this weekend. Detective Pikachu is projected to make $90-$120 million overseas this weekend for a worldwide opening weekend of upwards of $160 million.

Of that overseas haul, $40-$60 million is expected to come from China, where Legendary Pictures’ parent company Wanda Group is based. That gives it a leg up and the film is receiving positive buzz, but it may not get an abundance of favorable showtimes from theaters due to it being treated like an animated movie.

The continued presence of Avengers: Endgame, which has naturally slowed but is still huge, makes it difficult to know just how well Detective Pikachu will do, but it does have some things going for it that could help it over-perform. In addition to the star power of Ryan Reynolds, Detective Pikachu is enjoying decent, but not glowing, reviews and currently sits at 68% on Rotten Tomatoes.

That’s better than most video game movies and Detective Pikachu also has the benefit of a large and resurgent fanbase thanks to the popularity of the Pokémon Go mobile game. These factors have some thinking that this movie could be a surprise at the box office.

Back in March, the long-range tracking on this $150 million film had it landing in the $75-$90 million range. So a $50-$55 million domestic opening weekend would be considerably less than that, but personally I feel like Detective Pikachu is being underestimated and could land closer to those earlier predictions, making it another example of the difficulty of box office prognosticating.

It may not make enough to topple Endgame; that may be a job for John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum or Aladdin. But either way Detective Pikachu is looking at a solid start to a likely franchise.

Detective Pikachu opens in theaters this weekend. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all the big movies headed your way this summer.

How Candyman's Jordan Peele And Director Nia DaCosta Bonded Through Horror Fandom

How Candyman's Jordan Peele And Director Nia DaCosta Bonded Through Horror Fandom

This past weekend saw the phenomenal release of Jordan Peele’s Us, and the good news for those already hungry for more horror stories from the filmmaker is that he has many irons in the fire. For example, there is the new version of The Twilight Zone that he is producing and hosting for CBS All Access – but on the feature side of things there is the tremendously exciting new take on Candyman that he is making with writer/director Nia DaCosta.

News of DaCosta’s hiring came just a couple months after the announcement about the project’s development late last year, and also just a few months after the world premiere of her feature debut, Little Woods (which played at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival). In the time since, not much has been revealed about the direction of the new Candyman, but while sitting down with DaCosta this past weekend, I learned about a key ingredient in her collaboration with Jordan Peele:

I think something that we connect on a lot was the way we view horror, and our love of horror. I love Candyman, but also just like breaking down what horror is, how it's represented, what it means, and why it's important. I think we really connected on that, and so that's a lot of what our conversations have been about… that I can tell you (laughs). It's been great. He's a wonderful creator, collaborator, human, artist.

With the film set to be released in a few weeks, Little Woods held its Los Angeles press day on Sunday, and it was at the end of my interview with Nia DaCosta and star/executive producer Tessa Thompson that I inquired about the development of her upcoming horror remake. Specifically I asked about the conversations that she had been having with Jordan Peele, and she explained how a shared vision of what horror can do and why it’s effective is really driving their work together on Candyman.

Naturally I felt compelled to follow-up by asking about her philosophy in the genre, and what she stressed was both engaging with the audience, and also telling stories that bring home important messages in subversive ways. It’s a key staple of horror that has existed from the beginning, and a tradition that Nia DaCosta plans to uphold in her venture. Said the filmmaker,

What I like about genres like thrillers, and why I think tensions are important for all movies, including dramas, it's physicalizing what the characters are feeling for the audience. That's really important, and gets the audience to engage and to lean in. And then with horror you can sneak in messages. You know sneak in what you think about the world around you, and how actually horrifying the world is. You get to hide it in these layers. 'This is about a ghost, but really it's about paranoia and a woman's place in the world.' Or, you know, 'This is about a guy meeting his girlfriend's parents, but really it's about... Actually a guy meeting his girlfriend's parents.' (laughs)

Based on a short story by Clive Barker that was first adapted in 1992, Candyman centers on an urban legend that is being investigated by a college student – specifically one about a violent entity who appears and attacks anyone who dares to say his name five times into a mirror. Yahya Abdul-Matten II, who has earned notoriety in recent months thanks to his performance in James Wan’s Aquaman and Jordan Peele’s Us, is currently the only member of the cast, set to play the titular villain.

With Nia DaCosta directing and Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld writing the script, Candyman is currently on track to be released on June 12, 2020 – produced by Monkeypaw Productions and MGM. For those of you who want to get a taste of what DaCosta is bringing to the table as a filmmaker, however, (and I highly recommend that you do), Little Woods is set up with distribution from Neon, and will be getting a limited release starting on April 19th.

For more about the film, and more from my interview with Nia DaCosta and Tessa Thompson, be sure to stay tuned here on CinemaBlend!