Along with lending Spider-Man to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and telling animated tales about the Web-Slinger, Sony Pictures has also kicked off its own shared film universe centered around Spidey’s extensive cast of characters. Venom kicked things off last October and the next movie up is Morbius, which will follow, you guessed it, Morbius the Living Vampire. As was the case with Venom, it’s weird at first imagining Morbius jumping to the silver screen and not clashing with Spider-Man, but writers Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless have crafted a tale for the tragic vampire to shine on his own, one which director Daniel Espinosa is helming.
It’s early into Morbius’ production, but with cameras now rolling, more details are slowly coming out about the comic book movie, including who will comprise the main cast. Here are all the Morbius performers who’ve been announced to the public so far.
Jared Leto
Seven months after Sony announced that Morbius was on the way, Jared Leto was cast in the eponymous role. Although no specific details about Leto’s version of Morbius the Living Vampire have been revealed yet, his origin story is expected to unfold similarly to his comic book counterpart’s. In the Marvel Comics universe, Michael Morbius was a renowned biochemist who used a treatment of vampire bat DNA and electroshock therapy to cure his rare blood condition. He succeeded, but the cost was being turned into a pseudo-vampire who now had to ingest fresh blood on a daily basis to stay alive. If one unofficial plot description is to be believed, Leto’s Morbius will use his new abilities to prey on criminals he deems are unworthy to live, thus putting him in the anti-hero mold like Venom. This will be Leto’s second time appearing in a comic book movie, with his first go-around being as The Joker in Suicide Squad. His other acting credits include Requiem for a Dream, Lord of War, Dallas Buyers Club and Blade Runner 2049.
Adria Arjona
Moviegoers probably know Adria Arjona as Jules Reyes in last year’s Pacific Rim Uprising, while TV viewers might remember her as Dorothy in the NBC miniseries Emerald City. The actress’ other upcoming projects include Netflix’s Triple Frontier and Amazon’s Good Omens, but Morbius is arguably the biggest of the bunch. Arjona will be playing Martine Bancroft, who in the comics was Michael Morbius’ fiancée. Michael’s love for Martine is what drove him to take such drastic measures to cure his blood disorder, and like the man she intended to marry, she would also become a vampire years later. It’s hard to say how much Arjona’s version of Martine will have in common with the original character, including if she’s even engaged with Jared Leto’s Michael Morbius at the start of the movie, but expect her to be integral to the story.
Matt Smith
Most of you probably know Matt Smith best for playing the Eleventh Doctor on Doctor Who from 2010 to 2013, but he’s collected a number of other notable projects for his resume, including Terminator Genisys, The Crown, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and the upcoming Star Wars: Episode IX. Morbius marks Smith’s first foray into the comic book genre, though given how much time he’s spent in the sci-fi and fantasy realms, this shouldn’t feel too different. It remains to be seen if Smith will be playing an ally or enemy to Morbius, though if he falls into the latter category, perhaps he’ll be playing Loxias Crown, an adaptation of the super villain Crown (who both Spider-Man and Morbius have fought in the comics) who’s rumored to be Morbius’ main antagonist.
Jared Harris
From movies like Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. to TV shows like Fringe and Mad Men, Jared Harris has assembled a diverse amount of credits over his acting career, and Morbius is the latest project that’s been added to the list. Like with Matt Smith, we have no clues yet as to who Harris is playing, although given his various villainous turns over the years, he could easily fill that main antagonist role as well. However, another possibility is that Harris will play Emil Nikos, a fellow biochemist who was best friends with Michael Morbius in the comics. Sadly, when Michael turned into a vampire, Emil was his first victim, so if events unfold similarly in the Morbius movie, then Harris might not have that much screen time, unless he’s revived as a vampire later.
Tyrese Gibson
Like Jared Leto, Tyrese Gibson has built an acting career alongside his singing career, with his most prominent onscreen performances being as Roman Pierce in the Fast and the Furious movies and Robert Epps in the Transformers franchise. Now he’s in talks to join Morbius, although as we’ve come to expect, no details have been provided about who he’ll play. According to THR, Gibson would play “an FBI agent trying to hunt down the living vampire.” So along with whatever supernatural trouble Morbius will be dealing with, he’ll also have this government operative on his tail, although perhaps circumstances will result in the two having to join forces.
Morbius will sink its teeth into theaters on July 10, 2020. Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for updates on the project, and be sure to browse through our 2019 release schedule to learn what movies are hitting the silver screen later this year.
Avengers: Endgame Originally Gave Black Widow A Heartbreaking New Job
SPOILERS ahead for Avengers: Endgame.
Oof. Avengers: Endgame almost got even darker and deeper into the mythology of what happens when you snap out 50% of all life.
The Decimation hit all of the Avengers hard, and they each handled it differently. Black Widow didn't run away or start a family. She got to work. We saw her running point for the surviving Avengers at the compound. She also kept up training. She was quick to speak up and say they needed to try whatever they could to reverse Thanos' Snap, for the people who weren't there with them. She said she never had a family until she was part of the Avengers.
Speaking of family, that's where directors Joe and Anthony Russo almost got extra bleak. Anthony Russo said they did spend a lot of time thinking about the realities and logistics of what would happen if 50% of all living creatures simply vanished. Black Widow almost got a new job in the time jump trying to care for the kids who were left behind:
One thing that we talked about a lot -- and I thought was really profound, but it was almost too large of an idea for us to wrangle, but we did try for a while -- is just the idea that one-quarter of all children have no parents. Assuming you started with two parents. So that’s a lot of global orphans. Just the staggering number of that. I believe at one point really early in development, Black Widow was actually leading the organization in D.C. that was in charge of orphans, basically. That was what she was heading up five years later. But yes, it’s fascinating when you start running it down.
Wow. Yeah, I think it was the right call to skip that storyline. Endgame was dark enough without bringing the reality of millions of orphans into it. That's a completely different movie. Actually, maybe it's HBO's The Leftovers.
In Avengers: Age of Ultron, Natasha revealed to Bruce that she couldn't have her own children, since she was sterilized as part of her spy initiation. The scene caused some controversy, but it would've been an interesting tie-in to see Natasha caring for so many children years later. In a way, it could've been like she'd adopted the Thanos orphans.
It is fascinating when you start running it all down, as Anthony Russo told Slate. Avengers: Endgame did show the day-to-day changes that happened after The Decimation -- like Steve Rogers' support group, and the trashed and abandoned streets poor confused Scott Lang walked. But they didn't go too deep into how the rest of the world was affected because it was already a three-hour movie and they had to get busy reversing Thanos' call.
The Russo Brothers may have changed Black Widow's post-Snap job, but they kept her sacrifice intact. They recently explained why they had her sacrifice herself for the Soul Stone.
Despite that sacrifice, we are still getting her first Black Widow movie. Cate Shortland is directing Scarlett Johansson, with the supporting cast including Florence Pugh, David Harbour, and Rachel Weisz. Production may already be in motion to start filming soon for its Phase Four release.
Jurassic Park’s Jeff Goldblum Had The Best Response To Real Life Scientists Trying To Create Dinosaurs
When Jurassic Park was first written and then transformed into a blockbuster movie, the idea of recreating dinosaurs was pure science fiction. However, so often the only thing keeping science fiction from becoming reality is time, and now it appears that researchers think that bringing dinosaurs back from extinction is only a matter of time. If this strikes you as a supremely bad idea, because you've seen how this movie ends, you're not the only one. Jeff Goldblum sounded off on the news as well, as only he could...
Jeff Goldblum channels his character from Jurassic Park, Ian Malcolm, and quotes himself in reference to whether or not bringing dinosaurs back is a good idea. As every Jurassic Park movie showed us, it was all a very bad idea.
And yet, it seems that scientists are trying to do exactly that. To be fair, it's not all exactly like Jurassic Park. It seems that due to the degradation that happens to DNA over time, actually finding actual dinosaur DNA would never actually work. Instead, it seems that the idea currently being worked on is taking the relationship between dinosaurs and modern birds and using that as the gateway to bring them back. The feeling is that it's possible to take a chicken's DNA and modify it in such a way that you could turn it into a small dino-chicken.
I don't see that as the plot of a future Jurassic Park sequel, but it is, without question, the the premise of a low budget knockoff where a flock of genetically modified chickens destroy a small Midwestern town.
In the end, this wouldn't recreate any species of dinosaur that ever existed, but I suppose it would give scientists an opportunity to study the closest possible thing. At the same time, one has to wonder what this does to the "chickensoras" which is seriously what they're actually calling it. Isn't it cruel and unusual to turn a chicken into something like that?
If we are really only five years away from a creating a version of a dinosaur, that is surely impressive, but Jeff Goldblum's comments do come ringing back. Just because science is capable of doing that, is that really something that science should be doing? It's not really clear exactly what the point actually is. There's only so much you'll be able to learn about actual dinosaurs by creating this artificial one. It seems like most of the important stuff would still be out of reach.
Still, we'll want to keep our eyes on this. If we're really only five years away, then somewhere between now and 2024 we could be looking at our own Jurassic Park. Even if it turns out to be little more than a petting zoo.
Rocketman’s Taron Egerton Really Wants To Make Elton John Happy With His Portrayal
A few weeks back, Rami Malek took home the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Queen singer Freddie Mercury in the crowd-pleasing Bohemian Rhapsody. And while Malek had the full support of living Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor, he never had to contend with Mercury’s assessment of the performance. The same can’t be said for Taron Egerton, who is about to play Elton John on screen in the biopic Rocketman. John is very much alive and touring, and when asked about having to play Sir Elton in front of Sir Elton, Egerton admits:
He’s so universally loved, and I just want to make him happy really. Just getting over the pressure of it and having a good time.
Taron Egerton makes the leap to the piano bench after tackling spies in the Kingsman movies, and the ski jump in the winning Eddie the Eagle. He can’t be feeling too much pressure, as Sir Elton John has been very vocal in his support for both the movie Rocketman and the lead casting. The legendary singer/songwriter apparently gave producers his blessing on Egerton after hearing him sing. And recently, the duo performed John’s hit Tiny Dancer together, which was lovely.
And yet, in the back of his mind, Taron Egerton has to feel that if the reviews are bad, or his performance is criticized, he will have Sir Elton John to answer to! When asked by James Corden on the Late Late Show episode about when John will see Rocketman, the young star sheepishly admitted:
I don’t want to know.
Hilarious. You know that the two of them will play nicely on the promotional tour for Rocketman. In fact, if it’s anything like Bohemian Rhapsody, the members of Queen were extremely vocal in support of that film, and even rode the movie’s momentum to an opening slot at the Academy Awards. So, can we expect to see an Elton John and Taron Egerton duet at the Oscars next year? Only if there’s an original song on the Rocketman soundtrack, which could be eligible.
Check out the full clip of Taron Egerton talking Rocketman and playing “James That Tune” on The Late Late Show with James Corden.
We’ll all be able to judge for ourselves how Taron Egerton does as Sir Elton John when Dexter Fletcher’s Rocketman reaches theaters on May 31. From what we have seen so far, it’s embracing a fantasy element that will allow it to bob and weave between truth and fiction (which were some of the slings aimed at Bohemian Rhapsody). But with John’s blessings, it should be a smooth ride, no?
Happy Death Day 2U Trailer Is Bonkers And Thrilling
The horror genre is in a bit of a renaissance, with the last few years bringing new and exciting concepts to the theaters, ending up both critical and financial successes. Many of these latest hits come from Blumhouse, including movies like Get Out, Halloween, and Happy Death Day. The latter was irreverent and a sleeper hit, with a sequel quickly ordered by the horror studio, titled Happy Death Day 2U. Now check out its explosive new trailer, and get ready to jump back into the day from hell.
It looks like Happy Death Day 2U will continue pushing the boundaries of slasher genre, while also including plenty of its signature wit and comedy. And this time, it doesn't look like Tree is the only victim of the film's signature Groundhog Day-esque loop of death.
The above trailer starts out with oodles of exposition, for those who missed Happy Death Day or perhaps nodded off during a midnight showing. Tree (Jessica Rothe) relived the day of death over and over again, dying 11 times before finally figuring out who the killer was, and kicking her out of her life... literally. Now it seems that she's been living her happy ever after, until baby masks start popping back up, and she's promptly murdered once again.
Unfortunately, this resets the entire franchise, with Tree now once again waking up on the day of her death, having solved and fixed nothing. She must once again bring Carter and Samar up to speed, and die a handful of times while trying to sort it out. It looks like Samar is also a victim of the loop, which should complicated and expand the story quite a bit.
The trailer also recapped that Tree's roommate Lori was the killer, so her first instinct is likely to go find her and kick her out of a window again. But when Lori ends up murdered in the new loop, it's clear that there's a new killer around. This will allow for the same tropes to be used, while Happy Death Day 2U also goes new places with the burgeoning franchise.
Happy Death Day 2U will also give more explanations than the first movie did, likely giving an explanation of why Tree is involved in the time loop in the first place. This has the potential to turn the franchise into a modern classic, providing a new annual slasher film to enjoy. And with high concepts like time travel and self-awareness at play, it could be a horror property unlike anything we've seen before.
Happy Death Day 2U is directed by Christopher B. Landon, who also helmed the original film. He's got a long history with Blumhouse, having worked extensively on the Paranormal Activity franchise. Jason Blum is once again producing, further cementing the studio as a legendary house of horror.
Happy Death Day 2U will arrive in theaters on Valentine's Day, February 14th, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.
Happy Death Day 2U director has 'really bonkers' idea for threequel We will have to wait until Happy Death Day 2U is released on Feb. 13 to find out if this second entry in the Groundhog Day-meets-horror franchise proves popular enough to warrant a third movie. HAPPY DEATH DAY 2U Director Says He Has a "Bonkers" Idea for
Happy Death Day 2U (2019) Storyline: Tree, a college student who is murdered on the night of her birthday, only to wake up and start the same day over again every time she dies. Her never-ending cycle of death ceases only when she finds out the identity of the killer. Happy Death Day 2U director has 'really bonkers' idea for
The above trailer starts out with oodles of exposition, for those who missed Happy Death Day or perhaps nodded off during a midnight showing. Tree (Jessica Rothe) relived the day of death over and Happy Death Day 2U Trailer Is Bonkers And Thrilling
Happy Death Day 2U (2019) Two years after the events of the first film, Tree Gelbman re-enters the time loop to determine why she was entered into it in the first place. She must also face a Happy Death Day 2U (2019) Trailer - YouTube
'Happy Death Day 2U' End Credit Sequence Will Tease "Really Bonkers" Third Film We May Be Getting Movies Tarantino is Still Looking to Potentially Direct a Rated R 'Star Trek' Movie Happy Death Day 2U (2019) - Horror Movie | Wicked Thrilling
We will have to wait until Happy Death Day 2U is released on Feb. 13 to find out if this second entry in the Groundhog Day-meets-horror franchise proves popular enough to warrant a third movie. But if the film is a box office hit, then series director Christopher Landon tells EW that he has a "really bonkers" idea for a threequel. Happy Death Day 2U director has 'really bonkers' idea for
Happy Death Day 2U is a follow-up to the highly enjoyable Happy Death Day, but if you haven't seen that film or weren't a fan of it, to begin with, I can't recommend this movie to you.
The concept behind Happy Death Day is already pretty bonkers, so when the director of the first two films, Christopher Landon , says he has an idea for third film that is "more bonkers" than the first two, I can't help but be a little excited. Happy Death Day 2U (2019) - Rotten Tomatoes
Happy Death Day 2U (2019) Two years after the events of the first film, Tree Gelbman re-enters the time loop to determine why she was entered into it in the first place. She must also face a 'Happy Death Day 2U' End Credit Sequence Will Tease "Really
Many of these latest hits come from Blumhouse, including Get Out, Halloween, and Happy Death Day. The latter was irreverent and a sleeper hit, with a sequel quickly ordered by the horror studio, titled Happy Death Day 2U. Now check out its explosive new trailer, and get ready to jump back into the day from hell. Happy Death Day 2U (2019) Trailer 2 - YouTube Happy Death Day 2U Trailer Is Bonkers And Thrilling
What About X-Men? The Rights Issues That Complicate Marvel And Disney's MCU
Avengers: Endgame was the fantastic end to the first arc of an even more ambitious experiment in film history: the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A mega conglomerate of various characters previously scattered to the winds through various rights holders, the MCU is basically the Infinity Gauntlet of cinematic universes.
But if you go back a couple decades, it was a possibility that didn’t look like it’d ever get off the ground. It took a lot of time and business dealings through various movers and shakers, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe eventually formed into the beast that it is today through some well-timed moves.
Of course, there are still some properties out there, in the wild, waiting to come home. And then there are others, with Fox's X-Men franchise being arguably the biggest, which have recently been brought back into the fold, but need to have their entrances planned. Either way, the history behind Marvel’s cinematic endeavors, and how they came to be, spell out the hurdles of both the company's past and future films, and how they complicate the completion of Disney's Marvel Cinematic Universe. So let's go over them!
How The Marvel Movies Came Into Existence
Before Marvel Studios existed, Marvel Entertainment Group was the big tent under which Marvel Films operated as a division. The properties of the storied Marvel Comics brand would be shopped to other studios for production, and this era led to some interesting results.
Under the Marvel Entertainment Group era, the original film versions for both The Punisher with Dolph Lundgren and Captain America with Reb Brown were made, as well as an entire film version of The Fantastic Four produced by Roger Corman. That last project was never officially released, seeing as it was merely made in order for production company Constantin Films to keep the rights, but neither The Punisher or Captain America were terribly big hits.
Eventually, Marvel Studios was born out of Marvel Films’ past history, and started with a big deal involving 20th Century Fox. For seven years, Fox and Marvel Studios would make films like the X-Men and Fantastic Four franchises, as well as Daredevil and Elektra. But even with that deal in place, and producer Avi Arad as the big wheel behind it all, the universe of Marvel films was fractured due to a lot more licensing deals in the works with other studios.
How The Rights For Marvel’s Early Films Were Split
As previously mentioned, The Punisher and Captain America were both previously made into films, as was The Fantastic Four under the older Marvel Entertainment Group run of things. But in addition to those properties, there were two really big hits that happened at other studios, all thanks to Marvel’s practice of licensing to almost anyone who had the right deal.
The first was 1998’s Blade, which made New Line Cinema a big name in the late ‘90’s, as well as boosted Wesley Snipes’ star standing in Hollywood. The franchise would run for three films, and one TV show, with Blade: Trinity being the final film in that particular line.
The second, and perhaps most successful run of films outside of the Fox deal was Spider-Man, which was licensed to Sony alongside a whole bunch of spinoff possibilities. Starting with 2002’s Spider-Man and running through 2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2, the five Spidey films ran before and during the MCU’s launch.
Some other notable set-ups in the wilderness years were the fact that New Line Cinema originally had the rights to Iron Man, as well as the fact that Lionsgate precursor Artisan Entertainment had a deal to make films with heroes such as Thor, Black Widow, Deadpool and The Punisher. Lionsgate would make an attempt at Marvel cinematic glory with Punisher: War Zone, but the film would only find its feet as a cult hit in the years after its release.
Last, but not least, Universal Studios held the rights to two characters, Hulk and Namor the Sub-Mariner, which would only see one of those characters leading their own movie pre-MCU (2003's Hulk). Still, this positioned the studio to become a future power player as Marvel Studios entered its next phase.
How The Marvel Cinematic Universe Came Together
There was an idea: that Marvel Studios would partner with a big Hollywood fixture to create a singular slate of superhero hits for the public to see. And this idea ultimately came down to two potential partners: Universal, which had Hulk and Namor, and Paramount, which was a more amenable partner when Universal didn’t work out.
As early as 2004, Marvel Studios had a slate of heroes it wanted to use which included the following heroes and properties: Ant-Man, The Avengers, Black Panther, Captain America, Cloak & Dagger, Doctor Strange, Hawkeye, Nick Fury, Power Pack and Shang-Chi. The initial plan was to deliver two films a year, aimed squarely at the PG-13 rating.
Eventually, acquisitions would be made, and Iron Man would join that group, as well as Universal coming aboard with a deal that allowed an MCU-set Hulk film to be made. Hulk’s rights would be at Marvel, with Universal retaining a stake in that character, as the studio has right of first refusal for distribution.
Through all of these shake-ups and shifts in power, one man rose to the top: Kevin Feige. Starting out in the early days of Marvel Studios, Feige went from junior executive to President of Production with Iron Man, installing him as the mastermind who would see the MCU become a beacon of comic movie making.
The studio that started operations out of a Mercedes Benz dealership became a powerhouse with 2008’s Iron Man, starring Robert Downey Jr, and eventually was bought in 2009 by the Walt Disney Company for a cool $4 billion. Slowly, other properties like Daredevil, The Punisher and Blade would be reacquired after their runs with other studios expired. That said, there are still some interesting logistics that would need to shake out, in order for the MCU to become whole again.
The Notable Properties Still Outside Of The Marvel Cinematic Universe
While the Marvel Cinematic Universe is, by and large, a pretty collective whole, there’s still some gaps that are outstanding in the total portfolio. While some of these are patched thanks to recent deals and shared agreements, it’s still an interesting landscape to take a deeper look into.
In particular, there seem to be three studios that have stood in the way of Disney and Marvel completing their Infinity Gauntlet of intellectual property. One has already become a vanquished foe of sorts, with two still going strong. Here’s where we stand so far with the most notable properties outside of the MCU, and the studios that hold the cards. First off, let's look at that vanquished foe, Fox.
The Marvel Rights Held By Fox
Obviously, before its acquisition, 20th Century Fox held some pretty powerful cards in its Marvel Universe deck. While Daredevil and Elektra eventually went home to Marvel proper, Fox still held onto some pretty big names in the Marvel Universe. Most importantly, Fox still had the X-Men series, with The New Mutants and Deadpool spun off from that world.
But in addition to those popular titles, 20th Century Fox had the Fantastic Four series in its back pocket. With two relatively successful films in 2005 and 2007, and the not-so-successful reboot in 2015, Fox retained ownership of that particular property, making any potential crossover adaptations even harder to potentially execute.
However, since 20th Century Fox has been newly acquired by the Walt Disney Company, the only real questions with these characters is how to incorporate them into the Marvel Cinematic Universe fold, through both pre-existing films and/or reboot potential. Still, this turn of events being such a recent development does scupper any sort of crossover hopes for the time being, as even Kevin Feige has mentioned that in the case of the X-Men, it’ll be years before anything happens.
The Marvel Rights Held By Universal
While Universal only has two properties that it can lay claim to tying up, both seem to be in somewhat usable shape with Marvel Studios. In the case of The Hulk, the problem isn’t as pronounced, as Marvel and Universal share ownership of the character.
However, the big problem comes from Universal getting a right of first refusal for distribution rights to any future Hulk films. Which means that so long as that clause is in play, and the public demands a solo film with Bruce Banner and his green rage filled half, it probably won’t happen as Disney’s going to want to distribute without as much interference as possible
The only other character that Universal laid claim to was Namor the Sub-Mariner, and while he has recently reverted to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are still some complications involved. Though, when last asked about the subject, Kevin Feige specified that it was really a matter of where or when Namor would pop up in the MCU.
The Marvel Rights Held By Sony
The greatest thorn in the side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is, without question, Sony and its grasp on the rights to the Spider-Man films. With Disney and Sony sharing the usage of Peter Parker in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Sony still gets to “finance, distribute, own and have final creative control” over Spider-Man.
On top of that, there are other Marvel characters that Sony maintains ownership over, with an entire slate of films that it has branched its properties out into. Starting with last year’s big hits Venom and Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, the Sony contingent looks strong as ever. Though there are further films that are in the works that will only complicate any future moves that Disney may have in the works to make Peter Parker a part of its family.
In particular, the Morbius and Spider Women films in production could potentially make Sony the biggest source of competition for Disney and Marvel Studios. Should the Silver Sable or Black Cat projects that were previously mentioned as in production get back on track in their own ways as well, that’s another source of revenue that only makes Sony’s hold on Spider-Man that much greater.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a pretty expansive haven of Marvel Comics’ intellectual property, and in its current state, it’s pretty comprehensive. But with the outstanding rights issues and decisions ahead that Marvel Studios still faces, there will still be limits as to which characters and storylines will be able to be integrated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
For now though, Avengers: Endgame signifies the height of the MCU’s character roster, and can be enjoyed by audiences all over in theaters now.
Disney's Aladdin: 10 Differences Between The Remake And The Original
Disney’s Aladdin is a timeless, animated classic. Aladdin’s songs, cast, and characters, especially Robin Williams as the Genie, made it the highest grossing movie of 1992. So, it was no surprise when Disney announced plans to give one of their biggest animated hits the live action treatment.
It seems unnecessary to revamp what many regard as an untouchable lightning in a bottle moment in Disney’s history. While the new Aladdin follows the story rather faithfully, it is not a mirror image of the original.
It gives us a new Aladdin cast, featuring Mena Massoud in the title role, Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine and, most notably, Will Smith as a whole new Genie. Alan Menken updates his Oscar-winning soundtrack, including a complete original song. Furthermore, the most intriguing and somewhat refreshing amendment: the directing style of crime thriller auteur Guy Ritchie.
So, if you are wondering how Disney is keeping the live action Aladdin, now playing in theaters, separate from its original hit, here is a list of the biggest difference between the two. Keep in mind, there will be spoilers.
No Fourth Wall-Breaking Street Pedder To Introduce Aladdin
Disney’s animated Aladdin opens with, essentially, an infomercial featuring a street peddler hoping to convince the audience to purchase a “special” lamp by revealing the story of its origin. This segues into the main story of the movie and the Peddler is never to be seen again.
The original intention was for the Peddler to be revealed as the Genie in disguise at the end of the film, as both are voiced by Robin Williams. That idea was scrapped last minute, but Guy Ritchie found a way to work a similar idea into his update.
In the Aladdin remake, it is a mariner who introduces the film as a story he is telling his children as they sail the seas. The Mariner is played by Will Smith, whom we already know is the Genie going in. There's no much room for a huge reveal, but it's a fun callback to some deep Aladdin trivia nonetheless.
Iago Is Far Less Of A Chatterbox
In one of Disney’s most fitting casting choices, comedian GIlbert Gottfried, known for his squawk-like pitch, provided the voice of Jafar’s parrot sidekick, Iago, in Aladdin. When he is not hiding his ability to speak on his own, Iago never cowers at the opportunity to serve up blunt commentary and utilize his skills in spot-on voice imitation.
In Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin, Iago (voiced by Alan Tudyk) is just as loyal to Jafar and, sometimes, just as blunt, but not nearly as talkative. His speech is rarely anything more than a repeat of the last line of dialogue. Other than his willful subservience to Jafar, Iago is not much more than your common parrot.
This updated Iago provides Aladdin with a new air of authenticity, and we have had our fair share of Gilbert Gottfried already with the Alfac commercials.
Princess Jasmine Has A Larger Role This Time
Voice by Linda Larkin in Aladdin, Jasmine is one of the more unique Disney princesses as she is one of the few born into royalty, but longs for a life outside the palace. While she does eventually find happiness, it is only from Aladdin’s help, so it is hard to say she makes the cut beyond the “damsel in distress” kind. In Disney’s live-action remake, that is no longer the case.
Naomi Scott’s portrayal in Aladdin sees Princess Jasmine in a stronger, more pivotal role to the story. She is not defined by her romance with Aladdin, nor is her dissatisfaction with royalty out of mere boredom. She is a progressively minded person who longs to steer her country in the right direction and vies to be Agrabah’s first female Sultan, a feat she eventually achieves - not Aladdin.
Jasmine even sings her own song, with themes of self-empowerment. Speaking of which...
Alan Menken’s Aladdin Song Catalog Has Been Updated
Disney’s Aladdin won two Academy Awards in 1993 for Best Original Score and Best Original Song (“A Whole New World”). Needless to say, the music by Alan Menken is key to the animated movie’s iconography. However, Disney decided it would be best to leave those songs untouched and provide a whole new set of original songs for Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin... Just kidding.
Of course the new creative team brought all the original songs back, but with a few new twists. Will Smith’s rendition of “Arabian Nights” amends the original song’s controversial lyrics. The end credits feature new, additional versions of “Friend Like Me,” by Smith and DJ Khaled, and “A Whole New World,” this time a duet by Zayn Malik and Zavia Ward.
The most pivotal update is the addition of the song specially written for Princess Jasmine called “Speechless,” which Naomi Scott sings at two crucial moments of the film. The most intriguing update is Will Smith’s approach to performing Genie’s magnum opus.
Will Smith Is A Rapping Genie
“A Whole New World” may have won the Oscar, but the most fun of Alan Menken’s Aladdin songs are those performed by Robin Williams as Genie. The all-powerful one’s musical talents are as amusing as his magical skills with “Friend Like Me” and “Prince Ali.” In Guy’s Ritchie’s update of Aladdin, Prince Ali meets the Fresh Prince.
Will Smith’s performance as Genie sees him showing off his musical roots, adding a hip-hop flair to his energetic rendition of “Friend Like Me,” complete with frenetic choreography and even some beatboxing.
You ain’t never seen or heard a “Friend Like Me” like this.
Jasmine Is Not The Only Female Character With Speaking Parts
You know who else never had a friend like Genie in Aladdin? Princess Jasmine. In fact, other than Jasmine’s tiger, Rajah, she does not have any friends at all. Say, did you ever notice that Jasmine is the only woman in the animated original with meaningful dialogue? In the Aladdin remake, neither of those are the case.
Former Saturday Night Live cast member Nasim Pedrad stars as Dalia, Jasmine’s handmaiden and friend, whom she discusses more than just magic carpet rides with. For most of the film, Dalia is Jasmine’s sole source of encouragement.
The character, one of the funniest in the new Aladdin cast, and she also has one of the most surprising additions to the story as she turns out to be a love interest for Will Smith’s Genie, and the mother of his children, whom we meet in the film’s introduction. I bet she ain’t never had a boyfriend like him.
Jafar Lures Aladdin Into The Cave Of Wonders More Conspicuously
In Disney’s Aladdin, Jafar’s hunger for power leads him in the direction of the Cave of Wonders, a sentient temple of great fortune and mysticism. In order to retrieve the magic lamp inside, he must enlist the one “diamond in the rough” whom the cave will allow, which happens to be Aladdin. So, Jafar captures Aladdin, poses as an old prisoner, breaks him out of custody and tricks him into retrieving the lamp for a promised reward.
In Disney’s live-action Aladdin remake, Jafar does not bother with the disguise. He captures Aladdin and presents himself to him, dark red robes and all, with a proposal for riches that would attract the affection of a princess. Once he agrees, it pretty much goes exactly as the animated original does.
This was most likely the right direction to go with adapting Aladdin’s reasoning for entering the Cave of Wonders, given that Jafar’s old man disguise would not have made for much of a reveal given what we already know from the animated classic.
Aladdin And Abu Earn The Magic Carpet’s Loyalty
Aladdin has a few trusted allies to count on for his adventures in the original animated film. Of course, there is the Genie and Abu, but the one I believe deserves more credit is the Magic Carpet.
If not for the Magic Carpet, Aladdin and Abu would have never found the magic lamp and Aladdin and Jasmine’s first date would not have been nearly as memorable. Yet, there is little explanation in the original Aladdin as to why Carpet is so loyal to our hero so quickly. Just a feeling?
In Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin, after Aladdin and Abu first enter the Cave of Wonders, they notice a carpet stuck between two large boulders. But this is no ordinary carpet. This carpet is moving on its own. They work together to lift the rock up just enough to free the Carpet, and a beautiful friendship is born.
Jafar Has No Intention Of Marrying Jasmine To Usurp The Kingdom
Jafar is such a ruthless, uncompromising, unrelenting wannabe tyrant that he will stop at nothing to take control of the kingdom of Agrabah in the original Disney’s Aladdin.
When his initial plan to get ahold of the magic lamp fails, he tries hypnotizing the Sultan into allowing him to marry Princess Jasmine, which Aladdin prevents by smashing his magic scepter and breaking the spell. Marwan Kenzari’s Jafar still uses that snake-headed scepter to control the Sultan, but not for less aggressively creepy reasons.
In Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin, not only does Jafar want to be the Sultan, his wishes for power are beyond merely fame and fortune. He is a war monger, persistently forcing the idea of invading a country that the Sultan just wishes to remain at peace with.
As for his own plan for tyranny, marrying the princess is never brought up. It is as if he recognizes, and even respects, the possibility that Princess Jasmine could be the next sultan and his goal is just to beat her to the throne first. Also, thankfully, when Jafar finally gets a hold of the magic lamp and asks Genie to make him the most powerful sorcerer in the world, he does not keep Jasmine chained up as his personal love slave. You gotta hand it to 2019 Jafar. He may be ruthless and unrelenting, but he's far less of a creep than his animated counterpart.
Director Guy Ritchie Makes Aladdin A Guy Ritchie Movie
You may have noticed that I have been referring to Disney’s live action remake of Aladdin as Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin a lot throughout this article. That is because this Aladdin is very much “Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin.”
The British filmmaker known best for cooky crime thrillers like Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch may have seemed like an unlikely choice to direct a musical fantasy set in an Arabian city. But Ritchie makes his update of the animated film feel right in place with his the rest of his repertoire.
For one, the retrieval of the magic lamp easily puts Aladdin in the heist movie category, like Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. One of the first major song and dance sequences is a foot race through the city and there are slow motion sequences all throughout the film, both common Ritchie staples. Ritchie also has been known to cast musicians in many of his films (Will Smith). Aladdin has always been a tale loved by all ages, but in the hands of Guy Ritchie, it becomes a special treat for lovers of British crime thrillers as well.
Aladdin is now playing in theaters, and keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more news on Disney's upcoming live action remakes/adaptations.
Captain Marvel Is Still Doing Incredibly Well, Despite Being On Fewer Movie Screens
The latest Marvel Cinematic Universe film, March’s Captain Marvel, has been in theaters for over a month now and it has enjoyed massive, record-breaking success during its run. That run is slowly coming to an end as more new blockbusters are released, and Captain Marvel’s theater count continues to drop to make room at the multiplex. Yet despite being on fewer movie screens, Captain Marvel is still doing incredibly well.
Captain Marvel lost a whopping 598 screens last weekend as new releases like Little, Missing Link and fellow comic book movie Hellboy opened. Despite that huge drop in screen count, Brie Larson’s heroine still managed to hold on at the box office remarkably well week after week. According to Forbes, Captain Marvel pulled in $884,741 on Monday, which is up 2.2% from last Monday. It didn’t do quite as well on Tuesday, dropping 6.1% from the previous week to $1.297 million, then rebounded on Wednesday with an 8% jump over last Wednesday to $971,000.
That type of hold and box office performance is very impressive given that there were almost 600 fewer screens on which audiences could see Captain Marvel. It’s not like there’s no competition at the box office either. Both Shazam! and Hellboy are now out and are competing for largely the same audience’s superhero dollars.
The Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck-directed film will now pass $390 million at the domestic box office. When it does, Captain Marvel will pass Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’s domestic performance to become #7 on the MCU’s domestic box office charts.
If Captain Marvel continues to have small drops in the coming weeks as it gives more ground to the start of the summer blockbusters, and receives a bump around Avengers: Endgame, it could pass the $400 million mark domestically and beyond. When it’s all said and done, it could surpass Captain America: Civil War’s $408 million and Iron Man 3’s $409 million to land in the MCU’s top 5.
Captain Marvel has made over $1 billion worldwide, so that it is doing well is no surprise, but the solid box office hold despite playing on fewer screens reflects something of an Avengers: Endgame bump. Black Panther enjoyed something similar with Avengers: Infinity War last year, and with about a week left until the first Endgame screenings begin, all eyes are on the concluding chapter in the MCU’s Infinity Saga.
So some MCU fans may be going back to see Captain Marvel again as part of their pre-Endgame MCU watch list. If you want to rewatch all 21 films, that means heading back to the theater to check out Captain Marvel before next weekend.
Given that Brie Larson’s character has been more prominent in the trailers than I think many suspected (she’s clearly not being saved as a third-act savior), it’s also possible that some who thought they could skip Captain Marvel are finally getting around to seeing it. Captain Marvel is also likely benefitting from kids being out of school for the Easter holiday.
You can check out Captain Marvel again in theaters now before Avengers: Endgame arrives to dominate on April 26.
My Spy Trailer: Watch Dave Bautista Show A Kid How To Be A Secret Agent
From his wrestling career to his various action-packed movie roles, Dave Bautista has proven himself to be a badass numerous times, and it’s no different for the upcoming My Spy. In this action-comedy, though, Bautista’s character is forced to teach a clever young girl the skills required to be a spy, and you can see how this amusing turn of events unfolds in the first trailer for My Spy below.
My Spy (I see what they did there) sees Dave Bautista playing JJ, a hardened CIA operative who’s not a people person, but believes is good at his job. Unfortunately for him, following an operation gone wrong, he’s demoted and has one more strike until he’s permanently barred from intelligence work. Making matters even more complicated is that the 9-year-old daughter of the family JJ’s been sent to spy on, Sophie, played by Chloe Coleman, learns what he’s up to. Further showing that JJ’s not the sharpest tool in the shed, he fails to remember that Chloe’s standing nearby and recording him while contemplating killing her to prevent her from blowing his cover. Not a good look, dude.
In exchange for Chloe keeping silent about his mission, JJ must teach her how to be a spy, and fortunately he has the good sense not to start her off with something like firearms training or walking away from explosions. Still, Chloe’s a smart girl, and she takes to the more cerebral elements of spy-dom quite well, like the lie detector test and creating a distraction to get past JJ (poor fishy).
As was the case with Vin Diesel in The Pacifier and Dwayne Johnson in Tooth Fairy, My Spy is Dave Bautista’s opportunity to play out the ‘tough guy who shows his softer side while spending time with kids’ kind of story. So while JJ will teach Chloe secret agent skills, she’ll show him how to have fun around people, even if it results in awkward, Shrek-like dances. However, it will be interesting to see what happens to their relationship as JJ gets deeper into his mission and learns how Chloe’s family is connected to the people he needs to apprehend. My Spy’s cast also includes Ken Jeong, Kristen Schaal and Parisa Fitz-Henley.
Along with this trailer, STX Entertainment released the first poster for My Spy, with Dave Bautista and Chloe Coleman rocking cool, leaning poses, which I suspect is another thing spies are taught to do.
Directed by Get Smart’s Peter Segal and written by Red’s Jon and Erich Hoeber, My Spy hits theaters later this year, so check back with CinemaBlend on where it ends up being specifically placed on the calendar. You can also scan through our 2019 release schedule to find out what other movies are coming out later this year, including other Dave Bautista releases like Avengers: Endgame and Stuber.
Aladdin Box Office: Disney Opens Big On Memorial Day As Brightburn And Booksmart Struggle
Dumbo, who? Disney rebounded from that movie's disappointing opening early this year, finding a whole new world of money with Aladdin. The 2019 live-action remake is making good use of Memorial Day weekend, and it's expected to make over $100 million just at the domestic box office alone by the time the four-day holiday is over. There wasn't much magic at the box office for anyone else, with Aladdin leaving everybody in the dust, including the three repeats just behind it -- John Wick 3, Avengers: Endgame, and Detective Pikachu. You have to head down to #5 to find the first other newcomer in Brightburn, followed by Booksmart.
Check out the full top 10 chart from the domestic box office. The results below are just for the usual three-day Friday-to-Sunday tally, and more money will be made Monday to finish out Memorial Day weekend.
If Aladdin can reach $110 million on Monday, that will make it one of the top five Memorial Day openings ever, per Box Office Mojo stats. It seems to be trending toward the higher end of the initial estimates for its opening weekend box office. That said, there's no chance it will take the #1 Memorial Day weekend spot from the reigning champion, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, which nabbed $139 million in its four-day debut.
Aladdin has already made more than $120 million at the international box office, for a current worldwide total of $207.1 million. It should easily pass Dumbo, which only has a current domestic total of $112,701,413 and a worldwide total of $348,096,055.
Speaking of Dumbo, though, it got a boost from Aladdin's opening. It actually just missed the top 10, placing #11 with a $1.046 million weekend. That's a +238.2% jump over its 18th place finish last week. Sometimes it seems like Disney is stacking these releases too close together, but as we saw from Captain Marvel when Avengers: Endgame came out, the releases don't cannibalize each other so much as give the previous film a nice ticket boost.
John Wick 3 was the top dog last week, finally dethroning Avengers: Endgame as #1 title on the weekend charts. They are both still toward the top this weekend, along with Detective Pikachu, which left the indie newcomers struggling for air. Brightburn is a superhero movie, but not a big studio comic book movie. It was made on a shoestring budget, so that $7.5 million isn't exactly a failure, but does it bode ill for the potential to continue the story from here? Same with Booksmart, which is one of the best-reviewed films of the year. It's earning raves, but only $6.5 million at the box office.
It's always tough to be a small film out there, but especially around a big holiday weekend like this. Brave of them to even try to take on Aladdin, John Wick, and Endgame with some counter-programming. But would another time of year have been more advantageous?
Looking ahead, next week is going to be another monster at the box office -- literally, with Godzilla: King of the Monsters ready to take your money. Rocketman will also open to try and claim the non-blockbuster crowd.
Who took your money this weekend and why? Poll time.
X-Men's Dark Phoenix Just Had To Join The Black Hole Meme Trend
Early this morning, an international group of scientists called The Event Horizon Telescope, using telescopes around the world, released the very first image of a black hole. The fascinating picture immediately inspired countless memes with comparisons to the Eye of Sauron seemingly taking the top spot. Another awe-inspiring celestial power will take center stage in this summer’s Dark Phoenix, and the folks behind the X-Men movie couldn’t help but get in on the black hole meme trend. Take a look:
How ominous. So it’s either the Eye of Sauron looking down upon us with cruelty, malice and the will to dominate, or Jean Grey, corrupted and transformed into the Dark Phoenix, on her way to cleanse the universe extinguishing life as we know it. If this first image of a black hole weren’t such a momentous and historical scientific achievement, it could be downright foreboding!
Jean Grey is indeed getting closer… to our theater screens as a fiery image of a black hole, the very first, dominates computer screens and social media. You have to give it to the X-Men Movies Twitter account too; corporate social media accounts often try a bit too hard to seem relevant with the topics of the day, but pairing the Phoenix Force with a mesmerizing and mysterious celestial object such as a black hole is completely appropriate.
The image of the black hole at the center of the Messier 87 galaxy, some 53.49 million light years away, looks like a ring on fire as all the light is sucked in to the center (and into Murph’s bedroom in Interstellar?) and the gases and other material drawn to it around the event horizon give off a blazing glow. That fiery glow definitely fits with the Phoenix Force, and if you didn’t know any better, you might think that this image was that all-powerful cosmic entity.
Beyond the aesthetic similarities, the comparison is apt because both black holes and the Phoenix are incredibly destructive forces; extra-terrestrial, mysterious, inescapable and frightening to behold. Black holes are forces of nature as is the Phoenix, which will make Jean Grey in Dark Phoenix a power unlike any the X-Men have faced before, except of course that one time in X-Men: The Last Stand.
Fortunately this time around, Jean Grey’s Phoenix powers will actually come from space. Although Dark Phoenix definitely doesn’t appear to be hewing particularly close to the beloved and iconic comics arc, it will put all of the attention on the Phoenix story as opposed to The Last Stand where it was only one element of the story. Dark Phoenix will see the mutants going to space and Jean Grey will be changed because of it.
Dark Phoenix arrives in this solar system and presumably ends this iteration of the X-Men on June 7. Check out our 2019 release schedule to keep track of when this and all of this year’s biggest movies are hitting theaters.
Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Has Screened, Here Are The Early Reactions
The summer movie season is officially here! Avengers: Endgame set one hell of a precedent, but there's no small amount of movies willing to rise up to take the crown for themselves. Working perfectly with my metaphor, one of those movies is Godzilla: King of the Monsters, which will see a titanic showdown between Godzilla and his arch-nemesis, King Ghidorah. Fans have eagerly been awaiting some kaiju mayhem and it sounds like they are getting their wish.
Early reactions for Godzilla: King of the Monsters are hitting the web and the verdict is almost unanimous: this movie rules. I'll let CinemaBlend's own official Twitter account speak for itself as we throw plenty of praise at the film's action.
It seems like most critics are in agreement over the sequel. If you are looking for non-stop, over-the-top, monster-fighting action, then King of the Monsters is exactly what you are looking for. With Godzilla, Ghidorah, Rodan, and Mothra, the movie has plenty of action to spare, according to Erik Davis from Fandango.
Those who were left disappointed by 2014's Godzilla will find plenty to love in the sequel. Fans and critics weren't too fond of Godzilla's first outing as there wasn't quite as much monster fighting as expected. The monsters are definitely the stars of the show here, says Andre Meadows of Black Nerd Comedy.
Meadows went on to say that the movie is so full of easter eggs that it's easy to tell the movie was made by people who love Godzilla.
King of the Monsters will have plenty of action, but the film also has a real respect for the Titans (what kaiju are called in the film). According to Paul Shirey from JoBlo, the sequel has a real passion for the Titans and there's no question they are the stars of the show.
Based on the critical reaction, King of the Monsters is exactly what you want from a summer blockbuster. It's loud, ambitious, and blows you away with action on an epic scale. Director Michael Dougherty brought his A-game for this one. With King of the Monsters currently projected to gross more than $50 million opening weekend, this could be one of the summer's most memorable flicks.
Thankfully, we don't have too much longer to wait until Godzilla: King of the Monsters stomps into theaters. The epic sequel arrives on May 31. To learn as much as you can about Godzilla and all his frenemies before then, here's what we know so far.
However, there's a lot more to look forward to this summer. You might be catching Detective Pikachu this weekend, but here's everything else that should be on your radar in our movie release guide. For more movie news, keep it right here at CinemaBlend.
J.K. Rowling Loves That Crimes Of Grindelwald Is Making Fans Extra Emotional
Listen, Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts viewers should never be shocked when J.K. Rowling messes with their minds and emotions. This is her jam. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is the second of five planned movies in the series. It just came out on November 16, but fans have been busy reacting online. Without spoiling anything -- one must Protect The Secrets -- Rowling addressed a distraught fan who probably wasn't expecting this reply:
Our queen is a savage queen. (Bless this fan's traumatized heart, but Cedric? That's your reference point for Harry Potter emotion? Not Dobby or Fred, or _?) The fan went on to address the ending that has caused so much confusion and consternation among fans, simply asking the writer "WHY JOANNE WHY."
Because she can. And because this is all part of J.K. Rowling's master plan. Rowling is the writer of the Harry Potter book series and the screenwriter behind all of the prequel films. So if you still have questions about, say, Minerva McGonagall being in the film, Rowling is the one to ask. But don't be surprised if she doesn't answer right away.
J.K. Rowling has said she plans the five films to cover 19 years of story -- from 1926 to the ultimate duel between Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald in 1945. It's entirely possible some of the questions fans now have after the second film won't even be addressed in the third film. Since we also have fourth and fifth films to come, this could require a lot of patience.
J.K. Rowling does sometimes address fan questions on Twitter or through her blog. She weighed in on the Nagini controversy, when it was revealed that Voldemort's infamous snake originated as a cursed human woman. She also sometimes blogs answers to frequently asked questions, although her latest entries are not spoilery since the new movie is still very fresh.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald just had a big opening weekend, although not quite as big as past films in the Harry Potter franchise, including Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Still, curiosity is high for the next movie. Some of the stars recently revealed that they already know the title of Fantastic Beasts 3, which has a current release date of November 20, 2020.
Have your wands at the ready to say "Accio, CinemaBlend" this week 'cause we'll be diving deep into the secrets of the second movie, posing questions we have for the third movie, and exploring relevant Harry Potter character histories. And if you're still confused about the Grindelwald ending, this should help.
You're welcome x
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) November 15, 2018
Kevin Feige Says We Shouldn't Make Assumptions About Marvel's
Sylvester Stallone Shares Terminator 2 Scene With Himself In Arnold's Role, And It's Eerie. By. Johs - June 9, 2019. 6. 0. Share on Facebook. Tweet on Twitter. Sylvester Stallone Shares Terminator 2 Scene With Himself In
Which Version Of Cheetah Kristen Wiig May Be Playing In Wonder Woman 2 March 31, 2018 admin Movies 0 Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman 2 has started to come together, and the casting of Saturday Night Live alum Kristen Wiig as Cheetah has created quite a bit of hype around the movie. Which Version Of Cheetah Kristen Wiig May Be Playing In celebgossipnews.co/which-version-of-cheetah-kristen-wiig-may-be-playing-in-wonder-woman-2/ Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman 2 has started to come together, and the casting of Saturday Night Live alum Kristen Wiig as Cheetah has created quite a bit of hype around the movie. That said, we haven't heard much about the actual version of Cheetah that Wiig will play in the film, until now. 38 Hot Pictures Of Kristen Wiig - Cheetah In Wonder Woman 2
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These comments match with others shared by Reynolds regarding Detective Pikachu as the actor told Kotaku not long ago there's enough R-rated outtakes to make an entirely new cut of the film Detective Pikachu Has Enough Adult Outtakes To Make An R
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Now that it looks like the Boba Fett movie stands a better chance of happening, here's why it should be set after Return of the Jedi.
The Oscar nominations are in, and some have beef with Black Panther's Best Picture nomination.Those who do find the recognition hard to swallow, especially when the immensely popular and much-anticipated Avengers: Infinity War was a possibility as well. Why Black Panther Deserved An Oscar Nomination Over Avengers
That's all about to change, however, courtesy of director Rob Marshall and star Emily Blunt's forthcoming Mary Poppins Returns — and those waiting to see how well Blunt fits into Andrews
Rejoice, Autobots! The Transformers spin-off, Bumblebee, has a sequel in development. Nostalgic, inventive and charming, the movie was released to a collective applause from critics and fans New Trailer Released for Transformers Spinoff Prequel
Everyone's favorite Netflix film turned endless memes is getting a sequel, but not how you think. 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How Many Dune Movies Could Denis Villeneuve Potentially Make?
Warning: The following contains some SPOILERS for Frank Herbert’sDunenovels!
With fingers tightly crossed that there won’t be any delays, next year will see the release of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune. The Arrival, Blade Runner 2049 and Sicario filmmaker has become one of the industry’s most exciting directors, telling bold and visually striking stories each time out, and he has put together an incredible cast to bring Frank Herbert’s seminal 1965 sci-fi novel to the big screen for the first time since David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation.
A talented, Oscar-nominated filmmaker working with a talented cast to bring a beloved story to life is exciting in its own right, but there may be a lot more reason to get invested in Dune beyond merely next year’s movie. Dune could be the start of something that extends well past 2020.
That’s because Dune is not intended as just a one-off in the way other modern science fiction movies like Arrival, Interstellar or Looper were. Dune is meant to be the beginning of at least a 2-part series based on the property, which has an abundance of expansive source material. Which raises the question, how many Dune movies could Denis Villeneuve potentially make?
For a while now it has been said that Denis Villeneuve’s Dune is being envisioned as a 2-parter. The first movie will cover approximately the first half of Frank Herbert’s novel with the second movie covering the second half. It's a 2-movie model akin to the cinematic adaptations of other beloved novels like The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and IT.
This approach makes sense so as to not shortchange the story. Dune is an expansive novel, and while David Lynch’s film covers the whole book, it is not an especially faithful adaptation. In contrast, the Dune mini-series on the then-Sci-fi Channel was a 3 episode, 4 hour and 25 minute telling of the story. Frank Herbert’s novel is extremely complex with tons of characters and moving pieces, not unlike Game of Thrones. So it is advantageous from a storytelling perspective to give the novel two films to tell the story of Paul Atreides.
However, unlike something like The Lord of the Rings, Dune parts one and two are not filming back to back. They will shoot individually, and presumably the second one getting made will hinge on the success of the first one. I’ve already written about what a financial gamble Dune might be so it’s not impossible that we only get one Denis Villeneuve Dune movie. But let’s air on the side of optimism and assume that Dune is great and a hit, what then? Denis Villeneuve has said that his goal is to make two films, maybe more.
That ‘maybe more’ coda opens up a whole range of possibilities where two films could give way to an entire series and franchise. Dune can be like Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope in terms of franchise potential; only here the story for more films already exists. Frank Herbert wrote six mainline Dune books before his death in 1986: Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse: Dune.
What starts as a hero’s journey to avenge his family, free his people and overthrow an evil empire morphs over time into a metaphysical family saga, rife with political intrigue and religious elements that is interstellar in scope, taking place over literally thousands of years. If Dune is Robert’s Rebellion against the Mad King, the rest of the series is A Song of Ice and Fire, what comes after happily ever after. And things get weird too; we’re talking half-human, half giant sandworm weird.
The series is considered to waver in quality from title to title, and there is a major question of ‘filmability’ with parts of the Dune saga and how well this challenging material will land with mass audiences, but based on the sheer amount of story from Frank Herbert’s six novels alone, Denis Villeneuve could do at least a few more movies after the Dune two-parter.
The most obvious way for this series to be adapted would be to only focus on the first three novels, Dune, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune. Those three novels take place in the same basic time period and follow many of the same characters. After that, there are massive time jumps. If that approach were taken, the series would theoretically require at least four movies, two for the first book and one each for the other two, unless somehow Messiah and Children were combined into one to form a tidy trilogy.
Only after those would it make sense to dig into the other novels. If it's successful, the mythology is dense enough to extend out even beyond Frank Herbert’s books. The author died after Chapterhouse: Dune and that novel ended with a cliffhanger, leaving some of the series’ story arcs unresolved. So years later, his son Brian Herbert and author Kevin J. Anderson used Frank Herbert’s notes to complete the saga with Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune. If Dune became a full-fledged cinematic series going that far into the story, the films would have to incorporate some elements from these later books, if not adapt them outright to complete the story in a satisfying manner.
Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson also wrote several trilogies in the Dune universe with events that take place before Frank Herbert’s work or fit into the timeline of that 6-book narrative. The events of these books could serve as either a prequel series or they could be cherry-picked and elements from them could be added to the main series of films.
Legendary also has the TV rights to Dune, so maybe it could take some of the stories, either by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson or Frank Herbert himself, and put those into television series, to complement the films, similar to what was supposed to happen with The Dark Tower and what is happening with The Kingkiller Chronicle.
A successful franchise is what every company in Hollywood wants, and Dune could be one for Legendary and Warner Bros. Essentially, if the success is there, Denis Villeneuve could basically live in the Dune universe for as long as he wants, becoming for this property what David Yates is for Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts.
That said, how many Dune movies there will be and how many Denis Villeneuve will make may be two separate questions. If Denis Villeneuve makes two films and they are successful, maybe he decides to leave it at that, but Legendary keeps the franchise going with a new director or directors.
A lot is riding, on the success of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, perhaps an entire franchise. So how many Dune movies could Denis Villeneuve potentially make? At least 1, maybe 2 and hopefully a lot more.
Dune opens on November 20, 2020. Check out our 2019 release schedule to keep track of all the movies heading to theaters this year.
