More Layoffs Coming To Disney And Fox After Merger

More Layoffs Coming To Disney And Fox After Merger

As Disney continues to merge the 21st Century Fox organization into its existing structure, it's being reported that another round of significant layoffs are taking place. This time, layoffs are hitting both sides of the fence, with people within both the previous Fox company as well as Walt Disney Studios employees being cut. While no official statement has been made by Disney, the divisions that handle marketing, publicity, and domestic film distribution are expected to be the ones facing the biggest cuts.

It's too surprising to see cuts to these particular divisions happening now. It was just about 10 days ago that Walt Disney Studios released an updated release calendar, the first to include Fox projects. Making this decision was a major priority for the new company, and now that it was made, Disney knows exactly what its needs in the realm of distribution and marketing will be, and with that information, it knows how many employees will actually be needed. Clearly not as many as it has.

The Fox studio used to release a dozen or more movies in a year when it was a separate company, but is set to release only nine in 2020. Disney CEO Bob Iger says that he expects Fox will produce something life five to six films a year once things get settled. Clearly, with a reduction like that, there are going to be fewer employees needed to do the work of distribution and marketing those films.

We saw a first significant round of layoffs on March 21. The acquisition of Fox had been made official earlier that month. Those cuts reportedly were exclusive to the Fox side of the business, so this appears to be the first round of layoffs to have a significant impact on existing Disney cast members.

While the Disney/Fox merger may have some exciting possibilities when it comes to content, there are downsides from every other perspective. Having one fewer major studio will simply reduce the number of movies being made, which means fewer voices getting a chance to have their stories heard. It also means fewer people working in general, as these layoffs show.

The purchase of Fox in the first place was designed to make Disney more competitive in a modern media marketplace. Disney is launching the Disney+ streaming service in November and the Fox owned content like National Geographic adds to the depth of material the service will be able to provide.

At the same time, Disney has to keep its costs down as much as possible in order to remain as profitable as possible. Disney has already said that Disney+ will actually be a money loser in the short term of the next couple of years. Those loses will need to be offset by gains elsewhere, and that means keeping costs down at the movie studio.

Variety reports that the total number of layoffs could reach as many as 4,000 people before it's all over. We don't even know how many have been given the pink slip yet, so that means we also don't know how many more times this is going to happen.

How Avengers: Endgame Could Set Up Hawkeye's Partnership With Kate Bishop

How Avengers: Endgame Could Set Up Hawkeye's Partnership With Kate Bishop

With just weeks to go until Avengers: Endgame, more and more news about the film and what comes after is slowly but surely circulating the web. The latest is that Disney+ will reportedly have a Hawkeye series that will focus on the hero passing the torch to another character that some have speculated will appear in Avengers: Endgame for some time, Kate Bishop.

With reputable sources reporting Kate will be a part of the Hawkeye series, it's a possibility Marvel fans will get to see her first at some point in Avengers: Endgame. How this would go down, like most things about Avengers: Endgame at the moment, is a mystery, but here are some logical guesses that could predict how she's brought into the picture in the upcoming movie and how she links up with Clint Barton.

Kate Appears As An Adolescent

As we've mentioned in past coverage, there's something suspicious about that scene from the Avengers: Endgame trailer that shows Hawkeye training a young girl how to use a bow. While some have speculated this is his daughter, there are others who think it's actually a misdirection and that he's training a young Kate Bishop to be Hawkeye.

There's even a possibility it could be both, although there would be questions as to why Clint's daughter would be Kate Bishop and not Lila Barton. There are simple explanations for this that fans needn't get hung up on, and there's probably just as many scenarios in which these two have no relation and were brought together by circumstance. After all, quite a few kids surely lost parents in the snap, so perhaps Kate and Clint formed a bond through that.

One would assume that any scene with a young Kate Bishop in Avengers: Endgame wouldn't feature a ton of hero work, as her training to be Hawkeye is said to be a premise of the upcoming Disney + series. Therefore, if we do see Kate Bishop as a kid, don't expect a lot of ass-kicking. At least, not so much ass-kicking that she's already made hero status or something.

Kate Appears As An Adult

Regardless of whether Kate Bishop is the girl Hawkeye is teaching archery to or not in the trailer, it's also possible she's seen as an adult. Kate Bishop's origin typically starts with the Young Avengers, as she's a combat-skilled civilian and capable archer who sneaks onto the team by stealing the gear of Mockingbird and Hawkeye.

Things probably won't happen exactly like that in Avengers: Endgame, given the premise of the television show. That said, it's not an entirely impossible scenario as Hawkeye has traded out his gear for Ronin duds, and Kate could be an emboldened civilian wishing to help and stop feeling so helpless following the snap. A situation similar to her origin plays out where she takes Hawkeye's gear, but is sent away by the hero with a promise he'll train her later.

An adult version of Kate Bishop feels likely, especially given that we still don't know what Katherine Langford's role in Avengers: Endgame is. She has the look and the television experience thanks to her breakout role on the Netflix original series 13 Reasons Why to shoulder a lead role in the Hawkeye series. Introducing her in the film as Kate Bishop would be a subtle way to introduce her and promote the upcoming show which would explore more of her story.

Kate Appears As Hawkeye

Clint Barton's been separated from The Avengers from some time, so it's possible he may have been training Kate Bishop and none of Earth's Mightiest Heroes was aware of it. This would explain why he's Ronin now, as Bishop may already have the mantle of Hawkeye. It's a quick turnaround to create a hero, but when half of existence gets wiped out, one could imagine no one's complaining about beefing up the hero numbers a bit.

Should this be the case, there's a chance that the young girl shown with Hawkeye in the Avengers: Endgame trailer is not Kate Bishop. Some time will pass in Avengers: Endgame, but I would assume not so much that a child can go from middle-schooler to young adult. If that did happen, it could be because The Avengers used time travel and Hawkeye stayed behind to train Kate and keep the world safe in the time between the heroes traveling.

Which isn't a bad idea, because that leaves a gap of time for the Hawkeye series to take place. A series set within a timeline before the Avengers reset the events of the Snap would be cool to explore, and not entirely impossible to believe considering that Loki series could be a prequel. Not every Disney+ Marvel series necessarily has to take place post-Avengers: Endgame, so don't rule this one out as a possibility just yet.

Kate Appears As A Member Of Young Avengers

Another popular theory surrounding Avengers: Endgame is the possibility of a Quantum Realm-fueled jump into the future that puts the original Avengers face to face with The Young Avengers. There the team could meet Kate Bishop as the new Hawkeye and fight alongside her in battle. Once back in a present timeline, Clint realizes he needs to find that girl and train her to be the hero she could eventually become.

It's a far-reaching theory considering fans know nothing about the latter acts of the 3+ hour film that apparently won't have dull scenes for pee breaks, but there are some roots. Marvel's dropped breadcrumbs that imply an older Cassie Lang will appear as a hero, and she just so happens to be another key member of the Young Avengers alongside Kate Bishop. Now that Kate is confirmed to be a part of Marvel's future plans, this somewhat strengthens the theory.

We could speculate all day, but if there's one theory I'm feeling confident on, it's that Kate Bishop will appear in Avengers: Endgame in some way. Excluding her when there's a chance to promote the upcoming series with her appearance would be a mistake, and Marvel has been pretty good about cross promotion. Then again, the studio has somewhat dropped the ball on that in regards to television, but with Marvel Studios involved in these shows, things may be different.

The world will see if or how Kate Bishop appears in Avengers: Endgame when it premieres Thursday, April 25. Stick with CinemaBlend for all updates on the film and other entertainment news in the meantime.

Can Any Upcoming Movie Top Endgame's Opening Box Office Weekend?

Can Any Upcoming Movie Top Endgame's Opening Box Office Weekend?

In the months leading up to the release of Avengers: Endgame, box office projections varied on just how much the eagerly anticipated film would make opening weekend. Forecasting in the preceding months had it anywhere from $200 million to close to $300 million. A massive amount, to be sure, but not a guarantee to become the biggest domestic opening weekend of all time held by last year’s Avengers: Infinity War with $257.7 million.

As we got closer to the film’s release and pre-sales records were being shattered, it seemed obvious that Endgame would snag the top spot, and the fantasy of a $300 million opening seemed like it could become a reality. But even a box office Nostradamus, possessed with Captain America’s giddy optimism couldn’t have predicted what actually happened.

Avengers: Endgame was a cultural event like no other, baffling the industry by rocketing past $300 million and ultimately landing at $357.1 million. This was a feat that seemed not only improbable given previous box office records, but nearly impossible given its three-hour runtime. This was cinematic history and at least from an opening weekend standpoint, Avengers: Endgame is the biggest movie of our lifetimes.

The opening weekend for Avengers: Endgame was so big, I have to ask, can any upcoming movie possibly top it?

Avengers: Endgame is 2019’s biggest movie, but it is far from this year’s only massive tentpole. This summer has some huge releases like the long-awaited Toy Story 4. That film has mass appeal ,and last year’s Incredibles 2 showed the power of nostalgic Pixar franchises, but no animated film has ever opened to over $200 million, much less $300 million. Toy Story 4 would have to nearly double Incredibles 2’s $182.7 million opening weekend to get the job done, and it’s only tracking for $130 million at the moment.

After that, Spider-Man: Far From Home should certainly benefit from being the first MCU film after Endgame, but the highest the Web-Slinger has ever climbed is Spider-Man 3’s $151.1 million, and no MCU solo movie except for Black Panther has topped $200 million opening weekend.

Moving on, in July we have one of this year’s strongest contenders, the "live-action" reimagining of The Lion King. Of the films in the Disney Renaissance, The Lion King anecdotally seems to be the one with the highest nostalgia quotient, alongside Beauty and the Beast. The live-action reimagining of that film opened to an incredible $174.7 million in 2017.

I expect The Lion King to best that and actually cross the $200 million barrier in its opening weekend. However, no matter how beloved The Lion King is, it is still something we’ve seen before, so there won’t be the same kind of necessity to rush out to the theater to avoid spoilers that Avengers: Endgame had going for it. Crossing $350 million for a remake is a big ask.

In November, Disney’s dominant year continues with Frozen II. The first film had major legs at the box office as it snowballed into a phenomenon, so I expect the sequel to open bigger than the original’s $67.4 million, but over five times as much seems like a stretch.

Then we get to December, and here is where things get interesting. In 2015, the return of Star Wars in the form of J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Force Awakens set the $247.9 million opening weekend mark that Infinity War bested last year. Even with a decade’s worth of waiting for the franchise to return, that incredible box office is still over $100 million south of what Avengers: Endgame just did. Beyond that, Star Wars: The Last Jedi opened to less than The Force Awakens with $220 million.

Given that trajectory, the divided fanbase after Episode VIII and the disappointing performance of Solo: A Star Wars Story, what hope does Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker have of besting Endgame?

If I had to guess, I don’t think it will, but The Rise of Skywalker has a lot going for it. J.J. Abrams seems to be trying to unite the fanbase and appeal to fans of the Original Trilogy, and by bringing back Emperor Palpatine, he caters to both the OT and the Prequel fans. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker also has the same special thing that Avengers: Endgame had; it’s the end of a Saga, and it’s being billed as such.

That’s a powerful thing, and disaffected or not, all fans will want to know how this trilogy and nine-film saga ends. The Rise of Skywalker will carry the same must-see quality and fear of spoilers that Avengers: Endgame did, and it will be a cinematic event that everyone is talking about. So I think it has a shot, but it’s a long one.

Looking at both the 2019 and 2020 calendars, next year looks somewhat barren by comparison. Things have yet to be announced and we still don’t know exactly what Marvel’s 2020 releases are, but there aren’t as many obvious contenders for Endgame’s crown.

The MCU films will be big, but without a team-up movie, I doubt any title, especially one with new characters, will have the juice to climb that mountain. If Black Panther 2 hits in 2020, I could see it surpassing the first film and nipping at Infinity War’s heels, but not Endgame’s.

Christopher Nolan has a big new movie coming out next summer as well, but without an established brand attached, it would be more likely to develop into a phenomenon over time versus debuting as one opening weekend. Beyond that, there aren’t a lot of great prospects. Bond 25, Birds of Prey and Wonder Woman 1984 all belong to big franchises, but aren't nearly big enough to surpass Avengers: Endgame.

Fast and Furious 9 is scheduled for next year, and although that will likely be one of the year’s biggest movies, in that franchise, only Furious 7 has cracked $100 million domestic in its opening weekend. The Fast and Furious franchise is much bigger internationally and it’s not fair to compare those opening weekends since not all films release at the same time in different markets.

Pending a delay, 2020 will finally see the release of James Cameron’s Avatar 2, which will be very interesting to watch. I’ve written before about why the Avatar sequels will not fail, but not failing and making $350+ million opening weekend are two different things entirely. I expect Avatar 2 to do well, but primarily overseas.

It just doesn’t seem like there will be the necessary kind of hype and anticipation domestically. If Avatar 2 is to be a hit here, I think a strong, but not insane opening, followed by major box office legs, similar to its predecessor, seems more likely than a record-breaking opening weekend.

As far as the known knowns are concerned, there are some intriguing contenders like The Rise of Skywalker, but there don’t look to be any films that would be favored to wrest the opening weekend record away from Avengers: Endgame. So what about the known unknowns and the unknown unknowns?

J.K Rowling’s Wizarding World is one of the most powerful and popular brands out there, but the Fantastic Beasts franchise has never attained the heights of Harry Potter. After Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, I don’t expect 2021’s Fantastic Beasts 3 to change that.

Star Wars is taking a break from the cinema after The Rise of Skywalker, so depending how that film ends and is received, and how long the wait is until whatever’s next, the return of the franchise could be pretty big. That hypothetical scenario might have a real shot at Endgame’s record.

There is also Matt Reeves’ Batman movie that we’re all eager to see. But because that film will introduce a new Caped Crusader, it won’t have the established audience investment to open at Avengers: Endgame’s level.

Frankly, from our current vantage, the most likely film to unseat Avengers: Endgame will be something from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Black Widow, The Eternals and Shang-Chi won’t be enough. Five of the top 10 opening weekends of all time are MCU team up movies and it will likely take another strong team to dethrone the current king. But it will take a while to do that.

Part of why Avengers: Endgame was so big was because it was, like Marvel said, the culmination of a decade’s worth of nearly two-dozen films. Audiences followed its characters for years and wanted to see how their stories ended. With the mantle being passed to new characters and new franchises, it will take time to build that same level of investment.

There will probably be another Avengers movie eventually or some other team-up that mixes characters new and old, but even without yet knowing Marvel’s Phase 4 plans, that doesn’t appear to be on the horizon. Maybe in 5+ years we’ll get the X-Men introduced into the MCU and that will lead to Avengers vs. X-Men, it'll just take some time.

The difficulty of this exercise illustrates just how incredible Avengers: Endgame’s opening weekend was. The fact that even the final Star Wars film in the Skywalker Saga is an underdog against it is testament to Endgame’s nearly unfathomable achievement. So can any upcoming movie top Endgame’s opening weekend box office?

Looking at the calendar, the short answer would appear to be no, but if you would have asked people a month ago if Avengers: Endgame would make over $350 million domestically in its opening weekend, they too would have had complete confidence responding in the negative. Records are made to be broken and you can never say never.

Clichés aside, before 2012’s The Avengers, no film had made over $200 million in its opening weekend, and before Spider-Man in 2002, no film had ever made more than $100 million opening weekend. Inflation goes up, films keep getting bigger and as Deadline’s Anthony D’Alessandro has explained, the once unthinkable $300 million weekend was possible because of the infrastructure in place thanks to the digital cinema revolution.

If the demand is there, theaters are able to meet it by programming their screens for the hottest titles, and they aren’t limited by only having a certain number of physical prints of a film. Therefore, it stands to reason that eventually Avengers: Endgame’s record and even the $400 million opening weekend barrier will fall.

But it will take a movie with four-quadrant appeal, a favorable rating, a massive build and a powerful brand or franchise name attached to it. That perfect storm doesn’t look like it will happen anytime soon, but hey, it would be great to be surprised.

J.J. Abrams Compares His Last Days On Rise Of Skywalker And The Force Awakens

J.J. Abrams Compares His Last Days On Rise Of Skywalker And The Force Awakens

Fans just got their first look at Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker, but the journey is already over for most of the cast and crew. Not J.J. Abrams, though. He finished filming but, as the director of the movie, he's still working hard in post-production before the film's December release. Abrams also directed Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, the first film in this sequel trilogy. Now he's closing out the entire Skywalker Saga.

J.J. Abrams was recently asked to compare his last days filming the two Star Wars films. As you can imagine, Rise of Skywalker had more emotional impact than Force Awakens:

The last day on this one [Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker] was a more emotional last day, because we knew it was the last day. There wasn't another movie, there wasn't another plan to get together. This was the end of what for I think all of us felt like a blink of an eye. And here we are at the end of this moment. The truth is, though, as a director, the end of the shoot is the beginning of post, and the beginning of post is the beginning of a long road of luckily getting to work with a lot of great people. ... In post, it's mostly editors and visual effects artists, and of course like John Williams, which is maybe the best part of the entire experience, getting to go to recording sessions with the orchestra.

Yes, we so often focus on first and last days of filming, but there's so much that happens before the actors even get to set, and still more after they leave. It would be a dream to watch John Williams and the orchestra working on any Star Wars score.

J.J. Abrams continued telling Jake Hamilton how the end of his first Star Wars movie was quite different from his (probably) last:

The end of Force Awakens, we felt like 'Oh my god, we did it.' But we still didn't quite know what it would even look like, in a way. And on this one it was more like 'Oh no, we're not going to see each other again in this way maybe ever.'

There's a lot of hugging in the Star Wars galaxy, and you'll probably remember the Rey/Finn/Poe hug photo J.J. Abrams shared on February 15 to mark the official end of Episode IX filming.

Thanks to his new interview with Jake Hamilton at Star Wars Celebration 2019, we have more insight into how J.J. Abrams was feeling that day. We'll be hearing a lot more from Abrams and the cast as we get closer to The Rise of Skywalker's release.

Once the movie opens, we'll hear even more from J.J. Abrams as he explains the decisions that were made along the way. He had to do a lot of that after The Force Awakens, just as Rian Johnson did after The Last Jedi, and George Lucas has had to do for decades now, especially after the prequels. Fans love Star Wars films, but they also feel so passionately about them -- well, you know.

Here's more of what we know so far about Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The film opens in theaters December 20, as one of the many films worth keeping track of with our handy 2019 movie release date schedule.

The 6 Best Will Ferrell Movies, And The 3 Worst

The 6 Best Will Ferrell Movies, And The 3 Worst

Will Ferrell emerged as the real superstar of Saturday Night Live in the late '90s. His legendary skits featuring the cheerleaders and “More Cowbell” established him as one of the best comedians in show business. His ability to become a character, not simply play a character, gives his characters incredible and hilarious depth.

After leaving SNL in 2002, Will Ferrell wasted no time getting into movies and he reeled off a string of hilarious hits, often with collaborator Adam McKay, like Elf, Old School, and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. It’s an impressive run to say the least. They are the kind of comedies that are infinitely quotable and endlessly re-watchable.

But not everything he has made is comedic (or box office) gold. Like most actors and comedians, he has also had some big misses. Sure, the hits outweigh the misses, but they can’t be ignored. Here’s a handy list of six of his best and three of his… not so best... movies over the last 20 years.

Will Ferrell’s Best Movies

Old School (2003)

Old School was released not long after Will Ferrell left SNL and it immediately established Ferrell as a movie star. The hilariously stupid idea of three men, played by Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn and Ferrell, hitting a mid-life malaise in their thirties and deciding to spice up their lives by forming a fraternity is silly and hysterical.

Will Ferrell’s performance is so laugh-out-loud funny it can be embarrassing to watch with other people. Ferrell stripping naked in front of Snoop Dogg, then streaking down the street and climbing backwards into the back of his wife’s car is simply one of the funniest moments in early 21st century cinema. So If you make a mess of yourself laughing, don’t worry, the pledges will clean it up.

Elf (2003)

The moment Elf was released in 2003 it became an instant Christmas classic. Will Ferrell’s portrayal of Buddy, an orphan who sneaks onto Santa’s sleigh as a baby and is raised at The North Pole as an elf, is perfect. The movie, directed by Jon Favreau, grossed well over $200 million dollars at the box office on a relatively tiny $33 million budget; it’s safe to say this is an all-timer in every way.

Elf is a movie you look forward to every holiday season, like A Christmas Story and Die Hard. Like all of Will Ferrell’s movies, it’s eminently quotable, just remember to stick to the four main groups as you watch, candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup.

Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy (2004)

You’d be hard-pressed to find an argument against Anchorman being one of if not the very best of Will Ferrell’s career, certainly in the top two or three. His ridiculously over-the-top portrayal of a fading local news anchor struggling with in the modern world – or, the 1970s – is incredibly funny. It's a character no fan ever gets sick of.

Anchorman is one of those movies that fans use often, finding ways to sneak lines into everyday conversations. Lines like “I’m kind of a big deal,” and “I’m in a glass case of emotion!”

Along the way, Will Ferrell is helped out by some serious comedy heavyweights in this all-star cast that includes Christina Applegate, Steve Carell, David Koechner, Fred Willard, and Paul Rudd – and that doesn’t even include some of the cameos, like Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller. Don’t act like you’re not impressed.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby (2006)

Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby came at time in Will Ferrell’s career when he had been in a few duds and really needed a hit. Talladega Nights was exactly that. A return to form both comically and financially at the box office.

Talladega Nights was also the first movie that paired Will Ferrell with John C. Reilly. The pair would prove to be magic on the screen together and go on to team up for two more movies (plus a cameo for Reilly in Anchorman 2), to varying success. There is nothing varying about Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby though. It’s a winner through and through. And remember: If you’re not first, you’re last.

Step Brothers (2008)

Step Brothers continues the winning combo of Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. It is also a ridiculous movie. The plot isn’t really a plot, although Adam Scott does play an excellent villain with the character Derek Huff.

It doesn’t really need to make any sense, the comedic timing between Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly is all you need in this one. They are hilarious together. Just don’t give them access to a boat or take them to a Catalina wine mixer.

Zoolander (2001)

Will Ferrell doesn’t have the starring role in this classic, but he does have a scene-stealing performance as Jacobim Mugatu, the ridiculous villain with the awesomely stupid haircut and the little dog.

Zoolander was an instant classic with Ben Stiller playing the dumb-as-rocks male model Derek Zoolander, but it was the ensemble cast, like its sequel, that made the move truly special and Will Ferrell was a huge piece of that. Hansel too. Hansel’s so hot right now.

The Worst Will Ferrell Movies

Holmes & Watson

Okay, sometimes great chemistry doesn’t always work out. Take Holmes & Watson, the most recent collaboration between Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. It’s really bad. It’s unfortunately bad not only because of the past on-screen brilliance between the two, but because it could have been good in the right hands and with the right focus.

The critics hated it and so did audiences (some of whom walked out) and that's a first for this duo. We can only hope that it doesn't mean they might be reluctant to work together in the future, because they are so great, usually.

A Night At The Roxbury (1998)

A Night at the Roxbury was Will Ferrell’s first big starring role in a film. It co-stars fellow SNL alum Chris Kittan as they play “The Roxbury Guys” they made famous on Saturday Night Live. The movie was panned by critics and bombed at the box office. It’s a shame, as there were a ton of talented people involved. Not all SNL skits make great skits, much less great movies. It was probably a mistake by the producers to ever think this silly skit could sustain 90 minutes worth of screen time.

Bewitched (2005)

Like A Night At The Roxbury, Bewitched is another one that doesn’t come close to rising to the level of the talent involved. From director Nora Ephron to Will Ferrell, to his co-star Nicole Kindman and a fantastic array of talented actors and actresses in the cast, this movie feels like no one was really taking the gig seriously. And not in a good way. It all feels phoned in.

Take a beloved TV show, through a great director and some great actors at it and hope that enough people see it without reading a review. That’s what this one feels like. It’s disappointing, to say the least.

There are a some other movies that could go on both sides of this list, movies like Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, where Will Ferrell plays an absurd wild life ranger to great effect. Or a movie like Kicking & Screaming, which never really gave a place for Ferrell to really show off his comedic chops.

Will Ferrell has had a lot of really high highs, but at times, some disappointing lows. When he’s on his game, there is no one funnier in the game. He’s kind of a big deal.

Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure At Universal Orlando Will Take You Into A Real Forbidden Forest

Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure At Universal Orlando Will Take You Into A Real Forbidden Forest

Last month, Universal Orlando Resort finally revealed the new roller coaster planned for Islands of Adventure’s Hogsmeade portion of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It’s called Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure and today Universal released more details about exactly what will be involved in the attraction and what guests will see on board it. Get ready to explore the Forbidden Forest in a way you never thought possible, because it's going to be as real as any theme park attraction could be.

The most impressive thing about the new attraction is that when it says you’ll be flying through the Forbidden Forest, it really means it. The attraction will contain more than 1200 actual trees, making it quite possibly the most realistic roller coaster environment ever.

Take a first look below.

As the coaster soars through the trees, guests will come up against numerous magical creatures who fans of Harry Potter will be familiar with, centaurs. Cornish pixies, Fluffy the three-headed dog, as well as an as yet unnamed creature that’s never been seen in the Wizarding World movies.

The storytelling behind the ride is that guests are attending a Care of Magical Creatures class with everybody’s favorite groundskeeper, Hagrid. Of course, it’s Hagrid, which means things don’t go entirely as planned. As well as seeing a number of creatures the roller coaster will also see ride vehicles avoiding Devil’s Snare along with other obstacles.

The ride vehicles have been made to resemble a motorcycle and sidecar, identical the one we see Hagrid drive in the movies. Guests will be able to sit on either side, which means that the experience will be slightly different depending on which side you choose, giving the attraction some natural re-ridability.

Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure sounds like a lot of fun. According to Universal Orlando, the coaster will hit speeds of 50 miles per hour and will go both forwards and backwards.

The official reveal of the new attraction comes courtesy of a brief video hosted by Harry Potter film star Tom Felton, who speaks with Alan Gilmore, the art director for the Harry Potter franchise who has been directly involved in designing this new attraction as well. Keep an eye out for a piece of concept art which would appear to be a complete track layout

Universal upped the theme park game when it opened the first Wizarding World of Harry Potter area in Orlando. The level of theming and immersion was unforeseen in a theme park at the time. It’s only been nine years since Hogsmeade opened, but Universal is clearly already looking for ways to improve the space and make it even better.

I have to say riding a motorbike at high speed through an actual forest sounds like an immense amount of fun. As there are still a few details being kept under wraps, a few more details may be on the way before the new coaster is officially open. However, the best news is that we don’t have much time to wait to check out Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, the attraction will be open on June 13.

Netflix's Always Be My Maybe Trailer: Watch Keanu Reeves And Ali Wong Dirty Talk

Netflix's Always Be My Maybe Trailer: Watch Keanu Reeves And Ali Wong Dirty Talk

While we may never understand just how Netflix manages to develop so many original films and television shows each month, but we’re not complaining. The streaming platform has recently played a part in a resurgence of the romantic comedy with hits such as To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before and Set It Up. Now it’s releasing a rom-com with some seriously funny comedians including Ali Wong, Randall Park and … Keanu Reeves? Check out Always Be My Maybe.

Wait… you watched until the end right? I promised you Keanu Reeves and the only way to deliver is if you’ve see the trailer to the very end, but we’ll get back to him in a bit.

Always Be My Maybe follows Sasha (Ali Wong) a successful celebrity chef with a good-looking fiancé, played by Lost and Hawaii Five-0’s Daniel Dae Kim. When she goes home to San Francisco for business, she runs into her childhood crush Marcus (Fresh Off the Boat’s Randall Park). Will Sasha gets starry eyes for the one who got away? Or in her case, the one who didn’t move as she left and pursued her career goals.

The trailer from Netflix reveals her fiancé skips out on their wedding plans while she’s at home and he’s on vacation, sparking a hilarious line from Wong as she says she hopes he gets Malaria and shits himself to death. Then, it’s revealed a child’s birthday party was in close vicinity to hear her vile burn.

Sasha then finds herself spending more time with Marcus as she pursues dating on the side. Their chemistry is pretty obvious to everyone else but the couple seem oblivious to it on their own. It’s a classic “will-they-won’t-they” scenario for rom-com fans to eat up.

Always Be My Maybe drives down memory lane a bunch with the couple, flashing back scenes of them when they were kids and in a funny scene where the two make jokes about being in the same car where they once had sex as teens. Oh, and of course Mariah Carey’s ‘90s hit “Always Be My Baby” is playing in the background.

Right when it seems Marcus has drummed up the courage to tell Sasha he’s been in love with her for 15 years, Sasha drops a big bomb. She met someone… and yes, he’s played by Keanu Reeves. The actor makes a grand entrance and helps end out the trailer on a hilarious note as he and Ali Wong say things like “I missed your thumbs” closely into each others faces and Marcus’ heart drops.

It’s also perfect for Reeves to show up in the Always Be My Maybe on the heels of John Wick 3 heading to theaters this weekend and his new role in Toy Story 4 soon hitting screens.

While the trailer shows a lot about the movie, this moment serves as a great hook for audiences to watch the release on the streaming platform when it’s released on May 31.