James McAvoy Would Play The Riddler For DC

James McAvoy Would Play The Riddler For DC

It's no secret that superhero movies are everywhere. The comic book genre has proved the most profitable and popular genre in the industry, so plenty of studios and filmmakers are trying to get in on the fun. With multiple cinematic universes battling for box office supremacy, a ton of talented actors have adapted iconic characters from the page to the screen. In fact, actors like Josh Brolin, Peter Dinklage, Chris Evans, and Ryan Reynolds have played multiple comic book characters in their careers.

James McAvoy has put in the hours himself, playing Professor X for the last four X-Men movies. But with that franchise's future unclear in the wake of the Disney and Fox merger, the time might come for him to hop onto another comic book franchise. When asked who he might like to play on the DC side of things, he recently revealed he was interesting in Batman's Edward Nygma aka The Riddler. McAvoy said:

The Riddler, maybe. Always liked him when I was growing up. I’ve always thought DC does really good bad guys.

Do you hear that noise? It's the sound of countless comic book fans cheering in joy. The Riddler hasn't been on the big screen since 1995's Batman Forever, as Jim Carrey played the character with ample supplies of campy energy-- fitting perfectly in with Joel Schumacher's vision for the franchise.

James McAvoy's comments come from his recent Instagram Live video, which was captured and immortalized on Twitter. While he didn't broach the subject of a DC role by himself, he did reveal which character he would like to inhabit, if given the choice. That was none other than the genius Batman villain The Riddler. He also acknowledged that DC knows what it's doing in regards to villains.

Now might be the perfect time to bring The Riddler to the DCEU, as Gotham City looks like it'll become a more important setting in the shared universe. Birds Of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) will feature plenty of Gotham City denizens, and Matt Reeves is also developing his movie, The Batman. The latter will reportedly feature Batman's rogues gallery, so could that include The Riddler?

The Riddler hasn't been seen on the big screen since back Jim Carrey portrayed him in Batman Forever. Joel Schumacher took over the Batman franchise from Tim Burton, and made it more colorful and kid friendly. As such, Carrey primarily flexed his comedic muscles for his version of Edward Nygma, sharing an over the top dynamic with Tommy Lee Jones' Two-Face.

On the small screen, The Riddler is a major character in The CW's Gotham. Played by Cory Michael Smith, fans tuned in every week to see him go from GCPD employee to super villain, as well as his complicated relationship with The Penguin. But with Gotham coming to a close this season, the timing also works out to possibly bring a new version of the character to audiences.

James McAvoy will play Professor X once more when Dark Phoenix arrives in theaters on June 7th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip tot he movies.

Read More

Star Wars' May The Fourth Is Now An Official Holiday In California

Star Wars' May The Fourth Is Now An Official Holiday In California

For years, May 4th has been known as Star Wars Day. The phonetic similarity between "May the fourth" and 'May the Force" has made the day an unofficial day to celebrate all things Star Wars, but the day is now anything but unofficial, as the State of California has officially declared May 4th 2019, Star Wars Day.

Assembly Concurrent Resolution 72 was officially introduced on April 22 but was voted on yesterday by the California legislature and it officially declared the fourth day of May as Star Wars Day. A large Yoda shaped balloon was on display on the Capitol lawn and members of the 501st, the charity organization whose members dress as Stormtroopers, were on hand for the event.

The resolution wasn't entirely done simply for fun. It was introduced by California Assemblyman Tom Daly whose district includes a very important place for the Walt Disney Company, the city of Anaheim. The resolution's text specifically calls out that Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge is set to open at Disneyland later this month, and that the creation of the new land brought numerous temporary construction jobs as well as additional permanent Disneyland cast member jobs to the city of Anaheim. Disneyland is the largest employer in all of Orange County.

Galaxy's Edge alone is estimated to bring in an additional $14 million in tax revenue to the city of Anaheim according to the resolution.

Certainly, it's understandable with that information at hand why California would bother to take the time to create an official Star Wars Day. Disney and Star Wars are massively important to the state in real, tangible, ways.

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge opening is certainly going to be a massive event for Disneyland, and by extension, the state. Disneyland is already one of the top tourist destinations in the state, which means millions of people coming from outside the city and the country, nevermind the state, to spend money. It's no understatement that the entire state's economy would be measurably smaller if Disneyland did not exist.

Yesterday we saw every reservation available for Galaxy's Edge in the land's first three weeks vanish in under two hours. Now, the only way to get into the land when it opens is to book a Disneyland Resort hotel. One assumes that a lot of people who got reservations are now booking trips to Disneyland that will bring money into the state, county, and city. Many of those that did not are probably looking at booking Disney hotels in order to be sure they don't miss anything.

Of course, while May 4 may now be an official Star Wars holiday in California, that unfortunately doesn't mean that business will be closing in observation of the day. This year May 4 happens to fall on a Saturday anyway, so a lot of businesses will already be closed.

Read More

Jesse Eisenberg Says Zombieland: Double Tap Went Through A Bunch Of Scripts

Jesse Eisenberg Says Zombieland: Double Tap Went Through A Bunch Of Scripts

Zombies have captivated audiences for decades, starting with 1968's Night of the Living Dead. Nowadays they're perhaps most associated with popular TV empires The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones, Ruben Fleischer's horror/comedy Zombieland actually pre-dated both shows. The Venom director brought levity to the zombie apocalypse, with Zombieland quickly becoming a cult favorite.

Fans have been calling for a Zombieland sequel for years, and now it's finally happening. Zombieland: Double Tap will arrive a decade after the original film hit theaters, so it's been a long time coming. The full cast is returning, including Jesse Eisenberg as the protagonist/narrator Columbus. The Social Network actor recently spoke to the long development and multiple scripts, saying:

We would never have made another one if we didn’t think it was going to be great. They wrote a ton of scripts for this movie and we went through a lot of different ideas.

It looks like quite a few scripts were brought to the table for Zombieland: Double Tap. But those involved in the franchise wanted to make sure it was the right one, which is why it took so many years for the sequel to finally get green-lit. But Zombieland is finally getting its follow-up, so we should expect big things from the movie's script.

Sequels are a tricky game, as there are tons of expectations associated with follow-up movies. And more often than not, they fail to capture the same magic as the original film. This is no doubt a concern for Zombieland: Double Tap, especially now that zombies have become such an integral part of the pop culture zeitgeist. The first film had a tone wholly unique, and the project defied genre in a many ways. So can Ruben Fleischer and the cast strike gold twice?

In his same conversation with The Toronto Sun, Jesse Eisenberg spoke to this pressure, and how those involved with Zombieland didn't want to put out a sequel to simply grab at more money. Instead, they want to produce another film that is just as great. As Eisenberg tells it:

We didn’t want to do a typical sequel to try and capitalize on something that was popular. We waited 10 years until we had a great idea.

You have to respect this craftsmanship and professionalism in this statement. When sequels fail, it's usually because not enough attention was paid to the story. Instead, blockbuster are rushed out in order to make the most money at the box office. That's not the case with the Zombieland franchise. In fact, director Ruben Fleischer passed on directing the Venom sequel in order to pay full attention to Zombieland: Double Tap. Given how successful the comic book movie was, that's saying something.

Zombieland: Double Tap will arrive in theaters on October 11, 2019, just in time for Halloween. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Read More

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.

Read More

Halle Berry Cold Called John Wick 3 Director To Pitch Herself For A Role

Halle Berry Cold Called John Wick 3 Director To Pitch Herself For A Role

Halle Berry is an Oscar-winning actress who has proved to be a successful action star, having played a Bond girl, X-Men’s Storm and Catwoman. Her experience doesn’t mean she’s opposed to taking risks, and fighting for the roles she wants is still part of the job. She did just that for her upcoming part in John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum.

Halle Berry actually spoke her part into existence when she approached John Wick director Chad Stahelski before the third installment had a script ready. Check out what the director told Entertainment Weekly about how the actress joined John Wick: Chapter 3:

It was right before the holidays [in 2017]. I got a call saying, ‘Halle Berry would like to meet with you.’ I was like, ‘That’s cool.’ I’d never met her before. She came to my offices in Manhattan Beach the next day, walked right in, sat down, goes, ‘I want a part in John Wick 3. I’m like, well, ‘That’s very flattering, but we don’t have a script yet.’ She said, ‘I don’t care.’ I’m like, ‘Well, I don’t even know if there’s a female [part].’ She’s goes, ‘I don’t care, I want to be in it, let’s party.'

Get it, girl! The actress marched right into the John Wick filmmaker’s office and demanded to be a part of the franchise. Now, this isn’t something that just any actress could have gotten away with, but we’re talking about Halle Berry – it obviously worked. When Chad Stahelski decided to call her up five months later to see if she was still interested, it gets even better. Here’s what he said:

She was like ‘Of course I’m fucking interested. When do we start training?’ I’m like ‘Why don’t you come down and watch?’ She’s like, ‘I don’t want to watch, I wanna do it.’ Came in, first day, jumped right in. [She] finished going, ‘Yeah, that was tough, what time do we start tomorrow?’

I don’t know about you, but I’m going to enjoy John Wick even more, knowing Halle Berry essentially invited herself onto the movie. Way to write your be in charge of your own narrative in Hollywood! Berry will be playing a new character named Sofia, who is an old acquaintance and fellow assassin in Keanu Reeves’ John Wick. She rolls with two Belgian Malinois dogs, to fill the hole of Wick’s late Beagle Daisy, who he famously went on a killing rampage over after her death.

Just as Daisy symbolized John Wick’s wife, the director teased that Sofia’s puppers will also be symbolic of her own past. The actress worked and played with the dogs for months so she would be their trainer on set along with doing some intense weapons and fight training.

The actress recently joined the Kingsman action franchise in the 2017 sequel, after some time away from the action genre since the her time in the X-Men series. Halle Berry must have missed kicking ass and didn’t mind making her interest known to Chad Stahelski. The actress recently brought up how she’s proud about how the upcoming movie proves age is just a number as Keanu Reeves at 54 years old and she at 52 are stars of the highly-anticipated action flick.

You can see Berry join the franchise when the third John Wick film hits theaters on May 17.

Read More

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.

Read More

The Black Widow Movie Has Added Stranger Things’ David Harbour

The Black Widow Movie Has Added Stranger Things’ David Harbour

To say that the past couple years have been good for David Harbour’s career would be an understatement. Along with being one of the lead actors in the hit Netflix series Stranger Things, Harbour also succeeded Ron Perlman as the next cinematic Hellboy, and we’ll see how he does as Big Red come next week. But just because Harbour is portraying a Dark Horse Comics character doesn’t mean he can’t jump to an adaptation from another comic book company, as word has come in that he’s been cast in the Black Widow movie.

With Black Widow reportedly gearing up to roll cameras in London this June, the Marvel movie is slowly assembling its cast. Naturally Scarlett Johansson will be reprising Natasha Romanoff, the KGB agent-turned-S.H.I.E.L.D. operative-turned-Avenger, and last month it was reported that Fighting with my Family star Florence Pugh was in talks to join the cast. Now THR has dropped the news that David Harbour will be appearing in the movie as well, although no details about his character were provided.

It’s becoming increasingly common for actors to lend their talents to more than one comic book movie franchise, like how Josh Brolin played both Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Cable in Deadpool 2. David Harbour already has the spotlight in Hellboy, which could lead to sequels or even a full-blown cinematic universe depending on how its received, but now he can also leave his mark on the MCU as well in Black Widow’s standalone adventure. Plus, the actor has also already lent his talents to the DC universe, as he played Dexter Tolliver in Suicide Squad. Harbour’s other notable credits include Quantum of Solace, Revolutionary Road, The Green Hornet, The Equalizer, The Newsroom and State of Affairs.

While no official plot details for Black Widow have been revealed yet, rumor has it that the movie will be a prequel set before Iron Man 2. That said, there are conflicting claims on the specific time period, with one report saying it will be set only about half a decade or so before Natasha Romanoff met Tony Stark and another saying it will occur during the turn of the millennium and involve the Y2K bug. It’s also possible that rather than explore Natasha’s time working for the KGB or her early years at S.H.I.E.L.D., Black Widow will actually take place after the events of Avengers: Endgame. For now, Marvel is keeping us in the dark, although depending on what happens to Natasha in Endgame, that could foreshadow what’s in store for her in her solo feature. Either way, whether it’s a younger version of her or her current day self, she’ll be crossing paths with David Harbor’s character, be he friend or foe.

Directed by Cate Shortland, Black Widow doesn’t have an assigned release date yet, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for that information, more casting and other updates on its development. In the meantime, don’t forget to look through our Marvel movies guide to learn what else the MCU has coming up.

Read More

How Many People Watched Triple Frontier In Its First Month, According To Netflix

How Many People Watched Triple Frontier In Its First Month, According To Netflix

In a lot of ways, Netflix is still very much a black box. We don't really know what goes behind the scenes as the company frequently doesn't reveal numbers regarding how many people are actually watching on any regular basis. However, Netflix did just release viewing numbers on Triple Frontier, the action-heist movie starring Ben Affleck and Oscar Isaac, and according to the streaming service, 52 million households watched the film in in its first month.

52 million is a solid number of households, as likely many of those views were actually multiple people watching together, so the actual sets of eyeballs who have seen Triple Frontier is even greater. If every person who saw Triple Frontier spent $9 at the theater to see the same movie it would have been a box office smash. Of course, those households actually spent about $13 for the month to be able to watch it, so Netflix did even better.

It's possible that not all of those 52 million actually know how Triple Frontier ends. For the purposes of measuring viewership, Netflix counts those who have watched 70% of a movie or TV episode, so some of those that are being counted may have been called away from the movie and haven't gone back to watch the end.

The number is a far cry from the 80 million households who reportedly watched the Sandra Bullock movie Bird Box in its first month, which appears to be the current Netflix record, but it's still a remarkable number. It shows that people who have Netflix are more than willing to check out new original movies when they hit, especially now that they frequently have bankable stars at the forefront.

Triple Frontier stars Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Garrett Hedlund, and Pedro Pascal as a group of former special forces operatives who come together in an attempt to use their talents in order to steal from a drug kingpin.

Netflix has only recently begun revealing viewership numbers to its original movies, but it's not being consistent in those announcements. THR reveals that while Netflix has given numbers for movies like Triple Frontier and Bird Box, it was never revealed numbers for Roma, the Oscar winning film that came out at the end of December not that far removed from Bird Box. It seems likely based on the silence that while the movie was revered by critics, not all that many people may have actually watched it.

With two more big movies set for release later this year, Martin Scorsese's The Irishman, and Ryan Reynolds Six Underground, Netflix is likely hoping for big numbers from those films as well, since they have major names attached. With the streaming game heating up, and Disney+ set to debut at a very aggressive price point, Netflix needs its original content to hit with audiences in order to ensure people have a reason to keep paying for Netflix.

Read More

Godzilla 2: What We Know So Far About King Of The Monsters

Godzilla 2: What We Know So Far About King Of The Monsters

Godzilla has been a pop culture icon for decades, but when it comes to fully American productions centered around the monster, there have only been two undertakings. The first, in 1998, did not fare well either critically or commercially, thus eliminating any plans to spawn a series. Fortunately, the 2014 reboot was better received, ranking at 74% on Rotten Tomatoes and collecting nearly $530 million worldwide. With a performance like that, it's understandable that shortly after the movie's release, a sequel was ordered: Godzilla 2, officially titled Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Godzilla has led multiple movies in Japan, but this marks the first time in the United States that the giant reptile's adventures will continue past one movie.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (which was shot in Atlanta, Georgia) is finally upon us, and there's a fair amount of information to chew on concerning the sequel if you can't get out to see it right away, or aren't sure if you want to continue this journey with the Titans. That's why we've created this handy guide so you can browse through what's been announced about the blockbuster, from when it's coming out to who's working on it both on and off camera to how it will connect to a grander shared universe filled with other giant and powerful monsters.

What Have We Seen From Godzilla: King Of The Monsters?

Luckily, we've had plenty of trailers and teasers for the new blockbuster at this point, which show off some of the crazy destruction, massive action sequences and intense Titan fights that we'll be treated to on the big screen. As you can see above, the final trailer shows us just how bad things are, and how much we need Godzilla to help protect us against some of the other Titans.

What Is The Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Release Date?

Thankfully for Godzilla fans, the scheduling changes for Godzilla: King of the Monsters haven't been too drastic. It was originally supposed to come out on June 8, 2018, but after Legendary Entertainment moved production of Kong: Skull Island from Universal to Warner Bros., the giant ape was deemed to be the priority. Godzilla: King of the Monsters was subsequently moved to March 22, 2019. Now it's set for release on May 31, 2019, putting it up against Rocketman and Ma that opening weekend. As far as overall May competition goes, there's a lot packed in, including Detective Pikachu, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum and Aladdin. But, when you're opening in the first summer movie month, thats expected.

What Is The Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Rating?

Godzilla: King of the Monsters finally got its official rating from the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) a few weeks back. And, it did get the rating that was expected, which is the same one that Godzilla did: PG-13. The 2014 blockbuster was rated that way for "intense sequences of destruction, mayhem and creature violence," and Godzilla: King of the Monsters will feature the same elements. So, this is a movie that can also be enjoyed by younger fans...but not too young. PG-13 is right in the sweet spot. Plus, that's what fellow MonsterVerse (more on that later) entry Kong: Skull Island was rated, too.

Who Is The Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Director?

Gareth Edwards' directing credits include End Day and Monster, but Godzilla was the blockbuster that earned him widespread recognition. The original plan was for him to return for Godzilla: King of the Monsters after helming Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. However, in May 2016, it was announced that Edwards would no longer direct the sequel, as he wanted to step back from overseeing big productions and focus on smaller-scale projects. It wasn't until January 2017 that his replacement was hired: Michael Dougherty, the man who directed Trick 'r Treat and Krampus. But that isn't the only way he's involved in the sequel...

Who Are The Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Writers?

Months before Michael Dougherty had been tapped to direct Godzilla: King of the Monsters, he had already been brought aboard to co-write the flick with Zach Shields. They succeed Godzilla screenwriter, Max Borenstein, who was originally supposed to return, but later dropped out. Dougherty's notable writing credits include X2: X-Men United and Superman Returns, while Zach Shields has previously worked with Dougherty on Krampus. Given the horror background these two have, there's a distinct chance that Godzilla: King of the Monsters will have scarier elements, though not to the point that the movie will rest comfortably in the horror genre. To be fair, watching a giant fire-breathing monster destroy cities is scary enough, but perhaps there will be added suspense to make Godzilla: King of the Monsters more captivating. A good sequel retains what made the first movie work so well, but also incorporates new material to keep things fresh.

What Is Godzilla: King Of The Monsters About?

Well, we're in big trouble now. After the events of 2014's Godzilla, even more of the Titans began to wake up and come out of their hiding places, leaving massive destruction in their wake. At the start of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, 17 of these dangerous beasts have come forward (with more expected to surface soon), with those who work at the crypto-zoological agency Monarch realizing that they're moving as a pack and following a leader.

That leader just so happens to the the three-headed monster King Ghidorah, ancient nemesis of Godzilla. We need to take out Ghidorah to get the rest of the awakened Titans to stop their reigns of terror, and, guess who seems like the best hope for that?

After defeating the MUTOs (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms) that were the "real" villains of the first film, Godzilla rested in the rubble from his giant battle for a bit and then returned to the sea. Unfortunately, humanity isn't having much luck fighting back against these nearly indestructible creatures, so we hatch a plan to locate Godzilla's ocean-floor hiding place, wake him up and get him to, once again, fight the good fight against his fellow Titans as we do everything we can to help out.

Though, I have to say, bothering a creature like Godzilla seems like a bad idea that could easily wipe out a chunk of a country's military force and /or population should he wake up on the wrong side of his monster bed.

Who Are The New Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Characters?

The first actor who was cast for Godzilla: King of the Monsters was Millie Bobby Brown. She's best known for her breakout role as Eleven, nicknamed "El," on the Netflix series Stranger Things. In the show, she plays a telekinetic girl who was kept in a government laboratory, experimented on, and who was soon revealed to be able to make contact with the alternate dimension unofficially known as the "Upside Down." So yeah, Brown is well-versed in the realms of sci-fi and horror.

Brown will play Madison Russell, and be one of the central characters in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, along with two other newcomers: Kyle Chandler and Vera Farmiga, who will play her parents Dr. Mark Russell and Dr. Emma Russell, who are both working to stop the Titans. Aside from the obvious danger involved in living under the conditions found in the film, there will be other familial strife for the Russell's. Chandler recently revealed that one of the reasons his character hates the Titans is that "they caused havoc with my family," and it seems like a great loss came from that havoc.

The other new cast members include Ziyi Zhang (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) as Dr. Ilene Chen, Bradley Whitford (The West Wing, Get Out) as Dr. Rick Stanton, Charles Dance (Game of Thrones) as Jonah Alan, Thomas Middleditch (Silicon Valley) as Sam Coleman, Aisha Hinds (9-1-1) as Colonel Diane Foster, O'Shea Jackson Jr. (Straight Outta Compton) as Chief Warrant Officer Barnes and Anthony Ramos (A Star Is Born) as Staff Sergeant Martinez. As you can probably tell from all the doctors and military personnel in that lineup, all of these new characters seem to be actively helping Monarch stop the Titans.

Who Are The Returning Godzilla Characters?

So far, only three of the actors who appeared in 2014's Godzilla have been confirmed to return for the sequel. Aaron Taylor-Johnson said back in 2015 that he was unsure if he'd be back, and that it would depend on whether director Gareth Edwards stuck around or not. Seeing as how Edwards did not return to the Godzilla fold, we can probably expect that Taylor-Johnson won't be around, even in a small capacity. That will likely also leave out any appearance by Elizabeth Olsen's Elle Brody (we've certainly not seen either of them in any of the trailers), but it turns out that Ken Watanabe's Dr. Ishiro Serizawa will be back.

Ishiro was the main representative from Monarch, the organization that studies Earth's monsters. Given how Monarch is the main connective thread of the MonsterVerse (more on that in the next section). Not only does Ishiro have experience studying Godzilla, but he can hopefully provide insight on the new monsters that emerge. Hopefully, Ishiro will become what Nick Fury and Phil Coulson are / were to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He's not the focus, but he's integral to shedding light on these mysterious beings.

The other returning characters / actors are Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water) as Dr. Vivienne Graham and David Strathairn (The Blacklist, Billions) as Admiral William Stenz. While it would have been nice to see how the Brody family was faring after everything they went through in the first film, their story was wrapped up pretty well, so it was never necessary for them to show up again. It makes a lot of sense then, that the action of Godzilla: King of the Monsters would find another family to focus on amid all the Titan uproar, and the film is doing just that.

How Does The MonsterVerse Fit Into Godzilla: King Of The Monsters?

When 2014's Godzilla came out, it was a self-contained story that left room for a sequel later down the line. That's standard for many blockbusters, especially ones based on existing intellectual property. But with the rising popularity of cinematic universes, thanks to Marvel, Warner Bros. decided they wanted in on the action. Legendary Entertainment had already acquired the rights to creatures like Mothra, Rodan and King Ghidorah after Godzilla was released, and in September 2015, it was announced that Kong: Skull Island would be developed at Warner Bros. instead of Universal.

The following month, it was confirmed that the giant ape lives in the same world as the fire-breathing reptile, which has been dubbed the MonsterVerse. Kong: Skull Island takes place in the early 1970s, four decades before the present day Godzilla events. However, there are several references to Monarch, which isn't surprising since it was only two decades earlier that those nuclear weapons were dropped on Godzilla.

So, what does all this mean for Godzilla: King of the Monsters? Well, whatever happens in the sequel, you can count on Godzilla not dying. The following year, on March 13, he's going up against Kong in Godzilla vs. Kong. This will be the first time these two have clashed in an American setting and Michael Dougherty, who directed King of the Monsters and also co-wrote Godzilla vs. Kong, has described the film as a “potential underdog fight,” which will see a much more mature King Kong needing to use all his primate intelligence and skills to defend himself from the massive lizard.

It stands to reason that Godzilla: King of the Monsters' ending will pave the way for this epic battle. Who knows, maybe Kong himself might make a cameo appearance. There already seems to be a major connection brewing between Kong: Skull Island and King of the Monsters that will explain how these creatures remained hidden for so long. Then there's that Skull Island after-credits scene, which teased every monster we know we're going to see in this film. It does make sense that a major tease for the next film in the MonsterVerse would come at some point during King of the Monsters, we just don't know what it might be right now.

You can head out to see Godzilla: King of the Monsters right now!

Read More

Chris Pratt Shares A Star-Studded, 'Really Illegal' Video From The Avengers: Endgame Set

Chris Pratt Shares A Star-Studded, 'Really Illegal' Video From The Avengers: Endgame Set

The following contains spoilers for Avengers: Endgame.

Avengers: Endgame is already one of the biggest movies ever made following a record shattering opening weekend. However, for the cast and crew the biggest thing about the film coming out may be that they can now actually talk about about the movie. While the entire world hasn't seen the movie yet, a lot of people have, and the cast has already begun to loosen up. Chris Pratt has even published a video he took on the set that he really would have gotten in trouble for at the time, but it looks awesome now. If you've already seen the movie, check it out.

The video shows a lot of the cast of the film, and a few of their stunt doubles, all surrounding one of the final sets in the film, showing the Avengers base destroyed. We see several Guardians of the Galaxy stunt doubles in makeup, the members of the actual cast are all in street clothes and they're going over a scene.

It's a really impressive collection of people. Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth, Sebastian Stan and Tom Holland, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Chadwick Boseman, and more, are all in one place. Sean Gunn jokes that he's the most famous person in the room. A lot of these people are probably used to being the most famous person in the room.

People joke with Pratt about how illegal the video is, and yet, he's able to take it and he got off the set with it. I'm honestly shocked that he was able to get his phone on the set in the first place. You'd think those sorts of things wouldn't be allowed just to prevent the temptation of doing exactly this. If nothing else, the video confirms various characters being on the set during a key part of the film, something which the marketing was very clear about leaving out.

In his Instagram post Chris Pratt just says that he couldn't help himself but get pictures of this moment considering just how huge the moment was, seeing so many of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's actors on set working to make this scene perfect. Considering how secret the production largely was, there probably isn't a great deal of official behind the scenes footage (though there is certainly some) so videos like this may be some of the few peeks we have into moments like this.

The only thing more epic than this is actually seeing the scene that was filmed here, when Avengers: Endgame and the entire MCU, comes to a head. Calling this a long awaited conclusion feels like a significant understatement considering that the movie made over $1 billion around the world on opening weekend. While that has as much to do with the luck of release dates in foreign territories like China lining up, the film has shattered nearly every opening weekend record that exists. It seems that bringing all these people together in one place was just as big a deal as Chris Pratt thought it was.

Read More

Edward Norton Is Suing Over Movie Set Fire That Killed A Firefighter

Edward Norton Is Suing Over Movie Set Fire That Killed A Firefighter

Around this time last year, filming on writer/director/actor Edward Norton’s film Motherless Brooklyn suffered an accidental fire, which claimed the life of New York firefighter Michael Davidson as he responded to the scene. Up until now, the legal ramifications of this fatality had been filed against Norton and his Class 5 production company, but a recent update has shown that Edward Norton is now filing a suit of his own.

In this latest turn of events, a lawsuit against the owner of the building Motherless Brooklyn was filming in, Vincent Sollazzo, claims that he is at fault for the fatal incident which occurred last March. Specifically, the suit alleges the following points of supposed negligence:

…failing to maintain the building’s boiler, maintain an operational sprinkler system, install or maintain smoke detectors or carbon monoxide detectors and address exposed wiring and other electrical hazards.

Class 5’s lawsuit also claims that the production company, and Edward Norton, had followed all protocols involving fire safety, throughout the production of Motherless Brooklyn. It was also inferred that Norton and his crew had the proper permits from the FDNY, and were not warned of any “unsafe or problematic” conditions at their shooting site.

The Blast has been a frequent source for reporting such developments during the production of Motherless Brooklyn, with the story becoming more complicated and saddening with each turn. Previously, the publication had reported on several additional lawsuits against Edward Norton’s Class 5 production company, with the most recent being filed earlier this month from a pair of tenants who literally claimed that this tragic incident ruined their lives.

Two additional suits were also reported from last year, as one was from tenants of the apartment building that claimed the company had informed them erroneously that the blaze was extinguished. The other was from Michael Davidson’s widow, who claimed that Class 5 actually removed fire prevention systems from the building.

This is the latest obstacle that’s befallen Motherless Brooklyn, as it’s a project that’s already taken over a decade to get into production. A project very near and dear to Norton, the film is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by author Jonathan Lethem, which tells the story of a man with Tourette’s Syndrome trying to solve the murder of a local mobster.

It’s up to the law to determine whether the loss of life on Motherless Brooklyn is a case of gross negligence on any person’s part, or if this was merely an accident that took the life of a brave firefighter answering the call of service. However this ends up, at the very least, we should hope that the victims of this event can find peace and that measures are taken to make sure that accidents such as these happen less frequently during any future film productions.

Motherless Brooklyn has been set for a November 1 release date, but should that change for any reason we’ll provide the updated information as it breaks.

Read More

Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Director Has An Idea For A Prequel

Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Director Has An Idea For A Prequel

The Godzilla franchise has had a long history in theaters, dating all the way back to 1954. The behemoth title character has continued to be a pop culture icon in the decades since its debut, and the franchise returns to theaters shortly. Godzilla: King of the Monsters marks the whopping 35th installment in the property, and the blossoming MonsterVerse will presumably only continue to grow in the next few years.

Krampus director Michael Dougherty is helming King of the Monsters, which will pick up on a narrative that started with 2014's Godzilla. Dougherty had to balance a ton of god-sized titans in his upcoming Godzilla movie, as the title character dukes it out with a ton of franchise favorites. And the director's already got some ideas for another addition to the franchise: a prequel. Dougherty recently opened up about this concept, saying:

I like the idea of going back in time and telling creatures' stories from different eras. Skull Island was set in the '70s, but personally I'd like to do Godzilla B.C., go back to ancient times and really see the Ray Harryhausen-esque world where primitive humans had to try to survive with these creatures. Maybe we'd get to see the first time mankind truly encountered Godzilla, and get to see how that relationship was christened.

Well, this is an awesome idea. The Godzilla franchise may be going strong for decades, but there are still plenty of narrative possibilities for the MonserVerse to mine. And that includes an origin story for the beast in ancient times.

Michael Dougherty's comments to SFX Magazine (via JoBlo) are sure to excite the generations of Godzilla fans out there. The big green guy has battled a ton of foes throughout his time on the big screen, but we've never seen Godzilla in such early stages of mankind. It would add a unique dynamic to the dynamic between humans and the monster, and break new ground for the property as a whole.

When one thinks of Godzilla, typically moviegoers picture the title character laying waste to a city, and probably fighting another iconic kaiju. But it would be a new twist to see him back in ancient times, without any skyscrapers to destroy. Instead, Godzilla would be be given the space for his behemoth body-- one that only continues to grow in the MonsterVerse.

Related: Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Director Relates His Sequel To Aliens

It would also be fun to see how primitive humans would interact with such a creature. Rather than involving the military or the Monarch Organization, man would be left to their wits when trying to survive the kaiju's wrath. It's a new direction for the franchise to go, although it's unclear whether or not Michael Dougherty's prequel idea will ever come to fruition.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters will arrive in theaters on May 31st. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Read More

Pet Sematary Has Screened, Here Are The Early Reactions

Pet Sematary Has Screened, Here Are The Early Reactions

Sometimes dead is better, but not better than getting an early chance to see the new Pet Sematary movie. The 2019 Stephen King adaptation premiered Saturday night, March 16 at South by Southwest, giving lucky critics and fans a first look at the horror movie before it opens wide in the U.S. on April 5.

So far, it sounds like Pet Sematary is a big win. The film highly impressed many viewers, including CinemaBlend's own Sean O'Connell, although he admitted he missed a few little things from Stephen King's original story:

Collier's Perri Nemiroff absolutely raved about the movie, praising directors Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer, along with young star Jeté Laurence as Ellie Creed.

Erik Davis of Fandango praised the film, adding that it should please fans of Stephen King's novel. He also pushed Captain Marvel's Goose out of the way to make room for Pet Sematary's Church -- as if what we really need isn't a buddy movie starring both cats.

Take me to Church! Chris Evangelista of /Film also noted that Pet Sematary isn't 100% faithful to Stephen King's novel, but that didn't damage his opinion of the movie at all. He called it one of the best King adaptations to date.

(The Ramones have a song called "Pet Sematary," if you didn't know.)

Some fans at home -- myself included, I'll admit -- have worried the Pet Sematary trailers may have given away the entire story. Critics like Heather Wixson of Daily Dead tried to put those fears to rest, adding expectations of some major twists.

Since we're talking about a horror film, Meredith Borders of Fangoria emphasized that it delivers on one major requirement -- scares.

Stephen King published Pet Sematary in 1983, and a horror movie adaptation was first released in 1989. We already know from the trailers that this film makes one semi-big change to the source material, but apparently there are more changes ahead.

The 2019 adaptation stars Jason Clarke as Louis Creed, Amy Seimetz as Rachel Creed, John Lithgow as Jud Crandall, Jeté Laurence as Ellie Creed, and both young Hugo Lavoie and Lucas Lavoie as Gage Creed.

Pet Sematary opens opposite DC's Shazam!, which will be some serious competition at the box office. Early estimates put Pet Sematary's opening anywhere from $20 million to $30 million at the domestic North American market. The movie could skew higher after all of these rave reviews -- including promises of secrets not revealed in the trailers -- driving more curious fans to the theater.

Watch Pet Sematary in theaters starting April 5, as one of the many films to keep an eye on with our 2019 movie release date schedule.

Read More

Avengers: Endgame Opening Weekend Could Pass $800 Million

Avengers: Endgame Opening Weekend Could Pass $800 Million

Avengers: Endgame was already looking to break records with its opening weekend, but now that China is joining the weekend fun, Avengers 4 could be flirting with close to $1 billion worldwide after its opening weekend. Do you think it has a shot of beating Avatar as the highest-grossing movie of all time (albeit not adjusted for inflation)? I say yes. The stakes aren't exactly Decimation-level if we're wrong, so why not guess away?

There are a lot of moving parts in play, but right now box office prognosticators are estimating Avengers: Endgame could see something in the range of $800-$850 million in its worldwide opening. (Deadline is currently going with $840M.) That opening would be from Wednesday, April 24 when China gets it, to Friday April 26 when we get it, through the end of that April 27-28 weekend.

China is the second-biggest box office market after the domestic North American (U.S./Canada) market. Avengers: Infinity War set a world record with its opening last year -- $640.4 million worldwide -- without the benefit of China being a part of that opening weekend. China didn't get the film until a couple of weeks later, when it added a $199.3 million opening to the tally. Put together, that would be around $840 million.

So that's where the current Endgame speculation number is coming from, since China will now be part of the opening weekend action instead of boosting the box office a bit later. But of course Infinity War and Endgame are two different films, beyond just their tones. Infinity War was two-and-a-half hours, but Endgame's runtime is just over three hours. That means potentially fewer runtimes in theaters each day, which would mean less money.

In that case, Avengers: Endgame wouldn't quite reach the lofty heights of $800-million-plus. And some folks have worried that, since China is getting it early, leaked copies of the movie may spread online and hurt the opening weekend. But HBO leaks didn't exactly hurt Game of Thrones last season, and who is going to watch a crappy copy of Endgame and skip the theatrical version?

Since we're all just reading tea leaves, I'm on the side of the higher numbers. Early box office estimates for Endgame's domestic opening are close to $300 million. That would top Infinity War's record $257 million last year. With the international figures looking extremely high, and everyone wanting to rush to see the movie ASAP to avoid spoilers, I do think we're looking at a record domestic and a record international opening weekend. I'll go ahead and guess $850 million combined worldwide -- with $295 million coming from the domestic box office. Quote me!

Avengers: Infinity War went on to make $2,048,359,754 worldwide, per Box Office Mojo. Avatar, which came out 10 years ago in 2009, has the worldwide record at $2,787,965,087. So that's what Endgame could potentially beat. After all, Avatar had a run time of 2 hours and 40 minutes. And Titanic passed $2 billion with a runtime of 3 hours, 14 minutes. I'm guessing Avengers: Endgame will set new records from start to finish, ending even past Avatar. What's your take?

Avengers: Endgame opens in theaters for us on April 26. Here's what we know about the movie so far. And here's what else is playing in theaters in busy 2019.

Read More

All The Marvel Movies That Have Made $1 Billion

All The Marvel Movies That Have Made $1 Billion

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is, without question, the biggest movie franchise of all time. The 21-film series has brought in nearly $20 billion in total box office since it began in 2008. Of course, a large part of that success is due to the fact that so many movies have been produced. Only the James Bond franchise has made as many individual films, and nobody has done it quite as quickly as Marvel Studios.

However, what might be more amazing than the total business these films have done is that about half of the total revenue that's been generated actually comes from only a third of the movies produced. Less than 40 movies in the history of cinema have made $1 billion or more at the global box office, and Marvel has made seven of them. Here, in release order, are Marvel's members of the billion dollar club.

Marvel's The Avengers

Global Box Office: $1.518 Billion

When the MCU began, nobody was quite sure just how well it would work. A series of solo movies were released. Some did well at the box office (Iron Man), some didn't do as hot (The Incredible Hulk). However, the real test of the concept was when the heroes would first be brought together in The Avengers. Needless to say it worked. The massive team-up was the first Marvel movie to break $1 billion and it's still the second highest grossing Marvel movie ever. Domestically, it's actually number one if you adjust for inflation.

Iron Man 3

Global Box Office: $1.214 Billion

Once Avengers opened the floodgates, Marvel Studios wouldn't have to wait too long to for its second billion dollar hit. Iron Man 3 followed on the heels of Avengers as the first movie of the MCU's Phase Two and clearly, even 12 months later, interest was still incredibly high. Both previous Iron Man films performed solidly when they were released, though both have been dwarfed by more recent films, but Iron Man 3 absolutely soared. It was the highest grossing solo Marvel movie until quite recently.

Avengers: Age Of Ultron

Global Box Office: $1.405 Billion

After Iron Man 3, things began to calm down for the MCU a little bit. The rest of Phase Two put up solid numbers thanks to well regarded films like Captain America: The Winter Soldier and the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, which basically proved Marvel could do anything, but we all still knew the next time the Avengers got together, the audience would come. Avengers: Age of Ultron didn't quite match the total business done by the first Avengers, but it came awfully close. It would be three years before we got another Avengers movie, but other parts of the franchise would pick up the slack.

Captain America: Civil War

Global Box Office: $1.153 Billion

Captain America: Civil War isn't a full Avengers movie, but considering the cast that shows up for it, it might as well be. Thor and Hulk might be missing, but we throw in Black Panther and Spider-Man for good measure. Every other superpowered hero that we've met in the franchise is here. If there were people who only watched Captain America movies at this point, they were probably very confused. The story has significant repercussions for the rest of the MCU, making in a must watch for anybody who wants to keep up with the larger plot. Civil War was the Marvel movie at the bottom of the billion dollar club. We'll have to wait and see if it stays there.

Black Panther

Global Box Office: $1.346 Billion

In the weeks leading up to the release of Black Panther, the box office estimates for the film just kept increasing. Then the movie actually arrived and everything just exploded. While the final tally puts Black Panther just behind Age of Ultron, Panther actually had a bigger opening weekend than Ultron and it came within just a few million of outdoing The Avengers itself. It's currently the highest grossing non-Avengers movie in the MCU. The power of a diverse cast clearly helped this one, but nobody who loves superhero movies stayed away.

Avengers: Infinity War

Global Box Office: $2.048 Billion

Including Avengers: Infinity War in a list of movies that have done more than $1 billion feels like selling it short, as the movie actually doubled that number when it was released last year. Infinity War is the fourth highest grossing movie ever made, behind Avatar, Titanic and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Those four movies have each grossed over $2 billion and number five on the list isn't even close. Infinity War was an event like few other films could ever hope to be. It certainly makes one wonder what the future has in store considering there's more of that story to be told.

Captain Marvel

Global Box Office: $1.003 Billion (and growing)

It looked for a long time like Captain Marvel, the newest entry in the MCU, was going to reach that billion dollar mark, and while it took a slow and steady route, as of now, it has done it, marking the seventh Marvel movie, and the 38th film of all-time, to achieve the milestone. It will likely add a bit more to its box office total before it's all said and done. We'll have to see if the next couple weekend are enough to get to surpass Captain America: Civil War, but with another big Marvel movie on the way, attention will soon be shifting away to other things.

Of course, while Marvel has seven movies on this list, the eighth is practically a foregone conclusion. Avengers: Endgame is selling tickets ahead of release even faster than Avengers: Infinity War did, which implies it will have a bigger opening weekend and very likely a bigger final total. Then Marvel will have two movies that have made $2 billion. We may not know what's to come in Phase Four, but movies making giant piles of cash is probably a pretty safe bet.

Read More

Fantastic Four Director's Perfect Tweet Reminds Us Superhero Movies Can Fail

Fantastic Four Director's Perfect Tweet Reminds Us Superhero Movies Can Fail

Many superhero movies like to emphasize that their characters are flawed but, more often than not, they still save the day and slay at the box office. But not all superheroes win in the end. This weekend, Captain Marvel raced to a $153 million domestic opening, leading at least one pontificator to spout that no superhero movie fails. Well, Josh Trank -- director of the ill-fated 2015 Fantastic Four movie -- had something to say about that:

Burn. On himself. It's true, though. Captain Marvel's domestic gross alone is already almost more than Fantastic Four made during its entire worldwide run. Not that Fantastic Four is the only movie to tank (or Trank?). Still, since he brought it up...

Fantastic Four only made $56,117,548 at the domestic box office and $111,860,048 internationally for a total of $167,977,596 worldwide. That's just four years ago, and it only made $168 million worldwide. That was off a reported production budget of at least $120 million, per Box Office Mojo, and the film was ultimately said to have lost around $100 million.

That's not good.

Captain Marvel has already made $455 million worldwide, and it just opened. And Captain Marvel isn't even the biggest superhero movie of all time. It may or may not follow previous MCU movies and the DC movies that have crossed the $1 billion mark. But clearly it's doing a lot better than Fantastic Four ever did, and it's not a given that any and every superhero movie will succeed. That was the self-deprecating point Josh Trank seemed to be making. Sometimes superhero movies do fail.

Fox's 2015 adaptation of the Marvel Comics characters was panned by both critics and fans. Fantastic Four only has a 9% rating from critics and 18% rating from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. It got a C- CinemaScore from polled moviegoers. It "won" Razzies for Worst Director; Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel; and Worst Picture (tying with Fifty Shades of Grey).

Fantastic Four was infamously troubled, with Josh Trank reportedly clashing with 20th Century Fox. A lot of blame was put at his doorstep, alleging the director behaved erratically. Trank criticized the final cut right before its release, writing in a later deleted tweet, "A year ago I had a fantastic version of this. And it would've received great reviews. You'll probably never see it. That's reality though."

One of the Fantastic Four producers tried to explain what went wrong, saying it wasn't just one thing. One of the screenwriters also apologized to fans for the movie going wrong.

You could blame lack of interest in Fantastic Four vs. other Marvel characters, but the 2005 Fantastic Four movie -- the one with Chris Evans as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch -- made $330.5 million worldwide. That's not exactly blockbuster level these days, but it was off a reported $100 million production budget. So a modest profit was probably made.

Still, it is pretty rare for major superhero movies to fail these days. The DCEU took a beating from critics for a while -- and there was certainly trouble behind-the-scenes, especially with Justice League -- but even the least successful of the six DCEU movies (Justice League) made $658 million worldwide. Meanwhile, the least successful MCU movie was The Incredible Hulk in 2008, which "only" made $263.5 million worldwide off a reported production budget of $150 million. Halle Berry's Catwoman only made $82.1 million in 2004 (off a reported $100 budget), and Green Lantern also only made $219.8 million worldwide in 2011 (reported $200 million budget).

This is not to restart the never-ending Marvel vs. DC battle. It's just to show it's rare but not unheard of for a superhero movie to flop the way Fantastic Four did. We keep hearing that moviegoers just love superhero movies -- like we'll see anything with a superhero in it -- but it's clearly not that simple. Just let it be a lesson, a reminder, a fear to keep your kids in line. This too could happen to YOU if you don't eat your vegetables and finish your homework.

Now that Fox and Disney are joining forces, and the Fox Marvel characters will fall under Disney's Marvel umbrella, fans are curious to see what might happen with characters like the X-Men and Fantastic Four.

As we wait for updates on that front, keep up with everything that's playing in theaters this year with our handy 2019 movie schedule.

Read More

Jaimie Alexander Reveals Lady Sif's Marvel Undergarments

Jaimie Alexander Reveals Lady Sif's Marvel Undergarments

Jaimie Alexander’s Lady Sif hasn’t been seen on the big screen in the MCU since Thor: The Dark World and as far as we know, she isn’t in this weekend’s Avengers: Endgame. Many fans would probably like to see more of Sif in the MCU. But while we wait for that to happen, Jaimie Alexander is happy to show us, well, more of Lady Sif. Specifically, the actress has revealed the Marvel heroine’s undergarments. Take a look:

Jaimie Alexander clearly had some fun with this tweet, pairing a devil emoji with what could be called a rhetorical question. Yes, I’m pretty sure at least a few people have wondered what is under Lady Sif’s armor. Here we get to see that what is beneath that armor is a tight-fitting all black outfit that looks more like it belongs to Black Widow in Iron Man 2 than an Asgardian warrior.

It definitely makes sense that you’d want something tight, lightweight and easy to move in before loading up with all that armor. Regardless, you remove Lady Sif’s armor, bracelets and greaves and Jaimie Alexander’s character still looks every bit as beautifully badass as she does in her full battle attire. Greaves or not, you definitely don’t want to get kicked with the boots this Goddess of War is wearing.

Sadly, it’s been a while since we’ve seen Jaimie Alexander kicking ass in the MCU in any outfit. After Thor: The Dark World, the actress reprised her role as the character in two episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. but hasn’t been seen since. While it initially seemed like she might get a bigger role in Thor: Ragnarok, the actress couldn’t join the film because of scheduling conflicts with her NBC show Blindspot.

After Avengers: Infinity War it was revealed that Lady Sif, like so many others was snapped out of existence by Thanos. But with the Decimation expected to be reversed in Avengers: Endgame, could she finally make her return?

Blindspot is currently in its fourth season but it has not yet been renewed for a fifth season, nor has it been cancelled. If it is cancelled, that would presumably free Jaimie Alexander up to rejoin the MCU, if there was a place for her character of course. To that end, a few months back, we heard a rumor that Lady Sif could get her own limited series on Disney+.

Disney’s upcoming streaming service is handing out series to plenty of MCU characters and the messaging has been that these series will have real integration with the film universe and influence one another in a big way (unlike Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.).

Given that she is Asgardian, Lady Sif would definitely be one of the more interesting characters a series could follow. She arguably hasn’t gotten her due or been fleshed out enough in the movies yet and a series could remedy that. Even if she doesn’t get her own series perhaps there would be an opportunity for Jaimie Alexander to play the character in Loki’s Disney+ series.

You can see Lady Sif’s fellow Asgardian Thor in Avengers: Endgame, in theaters this weekend. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to see what’s headed your way this summer and for all your movie news stay tuned to CinemaBlend.

Read More

See What Anthony Mackie Could Look Like As Captain America

See What Anthony Mackie Could Look Like As Captain America

Spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame

It's almost hard to believe, but Avengers: Endgame has been in theaters for nearly a month. The Russo Brothers crafted a complicated narrative, and the blockbuster's runtime was jam packed with plot twits, cameos, and satisfying conclusions. This was especially true when it came to Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson.

After the Avengers defeated Thanos forever, Captain America traveled back in time to return the Infinity Stones and Mjolnir to their proper place in the multiverse. He returned as an old man, having lived a full life in the past with Peggy Carter. Steve Rogers also gave Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) his shield, passing on the mantle of Captain America. Check out what Mackie might look like as the Cap below.

Does anyone else have chills? Sam Wilson has had a strong tenure in the MCU starting in Phase Two, and he's expected to take the spotlight in the shared universe's mysterious future.

This awesome image comes to us from Instagram user Jakub Maslowski, who regularly posts renderings of Marvel's finest heroes. The art shows Sam Wilson in full Captain America regalia, complete with the Vibranium shield. But he's also got some of Falcon's regular gear, including his iconic goggles and (most importantly) those wings.

Sam Wilson is obviously a great choice to take on the role of Captain America, but it should be interesting to see how Marvel Studios ultimately handles this transition-- especially related to the character's fighting style. Falcon has always relied heavily on his high-tech wings, which give him flight and an array of weapons. But once he becomes the new Captain, will he ditch the wings?

Of course, there is more than one artist imagining what Anthony Mackie's Captain America could look like. Check it out.

This new image, also from Instagram, is a bit more simple. Rather than crafting any new imagery, the artist simply used previous images of Falcon and Sebastian Stan's Winter Soldier to get an idea of what Sam Wilson's character might look like under a different identity.

Related: The Russo Brothers Confirm A Major Captain America Theory We Had After Avengers: Endgame

One of the unexpected character pairings to come out of Phase Three has been Bucky and Sam Wilson. They both operate primarily under the Captain America franchise, and are deeply connected to Chris Evans' Steve Rogers. The two supporting characters really hit it off in Captain America: Civil War, and it was a dynamic that also hit with audiences.

Sam and Bucky were given some more choice moments in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, with the two included the film's final sequence. It's a relationship that is expected to be explored in the MCU's future, especially their Disney+ series Falcon & Winter Soldier. It's also expected that Anthony Mackie will lead the Captain America franchise in Phase Four, hopefully with Sebastian Stan's Bucky in tow.

For now, we'll have to wait for Marvel Studios to reveal its plans for the future. Although smart money says that won't happen until Spider-Man: Far From Home arrives in theaters first.

Avengers: Endgame is in theaters, including Anthon Mackie's Falcon. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Read More

Disney And Netflix’s Partnership Isn't Permanently Over

Disney And Netflix’s Partnership Isn't Permanently Over

Disney's movies are some of the most popular films currently found on Netflix, but with Disney's own Disney+ streaming service set to bow in November, we know that those movies are on their way out...or are they?

It turns out that Disney and Netflix's agreement with each other might not be as simple as it first seemed. Disney's deal saw all of the studios's big theatrical releases, from Zootopia to Black Panther make the jump to Netflix, and while the earliest films from that deal have fallen off the service, and those the remain will be dropping off as well. Bloomberg is reporting that the deal between Netflix and Disney includes the stipulation that movies released between January 2016 and December 2018 will actually return to Netflix in 2026, and when they do they'll disappear from Disney+.

Similar stipulations reportedly impact several media distributors that are otherwise pulling their content back from Netflix.

While that means this won't happen for about seven years, it means that things aren't nearly as simple as they appeared between the two companies. We've certainly been given the impression that once Disney's 2018 blockbusters fall off the service, Disney would be in the clear to do with them what they wished. There's certainly been no indication that any of the content on Disney+ would ever need to be removed once it was added.

Of course, since it will be several years until we get to this issue, it's quite possible this will never come to pass. Disney and Netflix could always work out some sort of deal, that would probably involve Disney paying Netflix a lot of money, that would allow the Mouse House to get out of any holdover contract stipulations. The likelihood of that would all depend on how important losing three years of material on Disney+ might be to the service, and it will be years before we know the answer to that.

By then, Disney's collection of library and original content may be so strong that even losing major hits like Black Panther or Star Wars: The Last Jedi are no big deal.

It's also unclear for exactly how long these movies will be exclusive for Netflix. If the window each movie has on the streaming service is similar to the first time each of these films debuted on Netflix, it could be several years before everything is back on Disney+. The deal will also split up major franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars, so different chapters of each will be available in different places.

Nobody is quite sure what Disney+ means for Netflix's future success or for the growing streaming market as a whole, but it does seem like Netflix isn't going to be entirely without some major blockbusters in the future, and Netflix may be able to battle Disney+ with some of the studio's own movies.

Read More