Avengers: Endgame’s Don Cheadle Explains Why Rhodes Was So Good At Piloting War Machine

Avengers: Endgame’s Don Cheadle Explains Why Rhodes Was So Good At Piloting War Machine

Avengers: Endgame has been in theaters for three weekends, but the blockbuster is still on everyone's lips. The Russo Brothers crammed a ton of exciting twist and characters into the massive blockbuster, essentially ending the narrative that began with Iron Man. Given the state of the MCU and it's unknown future, there's been some reflection on the past 22 movies and decade of filmmaking.

James Rhodes is a character that debuted back in Iron Man, although he was originally played by Terrence Howard. Don Cheadle ended up taking on the role starting with Iron Man 2, which saw Rhodey become the superheroic War Machine. One Twitter user recently asked Cheadle why his character picked up piloting armor so much easier than Tony Stark, and he said:

Tony Stark may have been the first Marvel hero to armor up and save the day, but that doesn't mean it necessarily came easy to him. Iron Man showed RDJ struggle with the suit's abilities, especially when it came to flying. Meanwhile, Rhodey jumped in with relative ease.

Don Cheadle's Tweet shows how methodically the 54 year-old actor has thought out his long tenure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While fans seem eager to find plot holes or potential goofs in the shared universe, Cheadle knows exactly why his signature Avenger was able to adjust to wearing Tony's suit so quickly. It all has to do with his piloting background, and Tony's programming in making each suit intuitive to its user.

War Machine is one of the first heroes to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and has remained relevant presence in the MCU since taking on the mantle. In addition to his appearances in Iron Man 3 and Avengers: Age of Ultron, Rhodey had a particularly very strong outing in Phase Three.

He was an influential voice in the drafting of the Sakovia Accords in Captain America: Civil War, taking Tony Stark's side and urging the other Avengers to follow suit. He eventually participated in the tarmac battle, and sustained a major injury in the process. He now bares the physical scars from that scuffle, in addition to feelings of guilt.

War Machine provided both comedy and action in Avengers: Infinity War, helping to defend Wakanda from Thanos' forces in the film's third act. While unable to stop the Mad Titan himself, Rhodey got lucky and managed to survive Thanos' finger snap of death. He's go a meaty role in Endgame as a result, as the spotlight focuses on the survivors and their shared grief.

Related: What Marvel’s War Machine Movie Would Have Been About, According To Don Cheadle

It should be interesting to see what comes next for War Machine. The future of the MCU is largely a mystery-- at least until Spider-Man: Far From Home arrives and completes Phase Three. But considering which characters perished in Endgame, it might be a time for Rhodey to have an even bigger presence in the shared universe.

Avengers: Endgame is in theaters now. Be sure to check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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Samuel L. Jackson Reveals Why Nick Fury Hasn't Brought Up Captain Marvel Before

Samuel L. Jackson Reveals Why Nick Fury Hasn't Brought Up Captain Marvel Before

While all hope seemed lost following the end of Avengers: Infinity War, the post-credits scene gave us all hope when Nick Fury was able to get a message off to Captain Marvel. While this made fans very excited for the upcoming, and now soon to release Captain Marvel movie, it did raise one question. "You're calling her NOW?" It seemed like there had been some times in the past that a hero like Carol Danvers would have been useful, but Samuel L. Jackson says all those other problems the Earth has seen were no big deal compared to this one. According to Jackson...

She said only in emergencies. Other emergencies could be handled by the people who were present. It’s just an alien invasion, that’s something that could be handled. Half the population wasn’t dying and flicking off and doing whatever. We finally have an emergency that I feel warrants her presence. This is unprecedented. How are you gonna fight that? I can’t fight that. If I’m not here, I need to find someone to come here who can handle it. All those people are ineffective. They’re great for normal, everyday world disaster. But intergalactic badass who has all the Infinity Stones needs a bit more.

Clearly, Nick Fury has a very specific definition of "emergency" and even alien invasions and A.I. gone mad doesn't actually qualify. It certainly makes some sense. Fury's plan to create "The Avenger Initiative" comes at a point after the events of Captain Marvel so clearly, Fury isn't looking to call in his new friend at the first sign of something normal humans can't handle. He's planning on using others for those problems.

At the end of Avengers: Infinity War, it doesn't seem that Nick Fury is really clear on exactly what is going on, but he knows that Earth's Mightiest Heroes are dealing with it, and when people start to turn to dust, he knows they've failed. At that point, the only option left is to grab your pager.

Samuel L. Jackson's opinion on why he never called Danvers before isn't the only one that makes sense. Director Anna Boden tells IGN that Fury likely didn't want to reveal her existence to the world unless it was necessary. Her co-director Ryan Fleck says Fury was probably considering pushing the panic button ion the first Avengers, but eventually decided against it.

By the time things escalate to the actual alien invasion, if the Avengers can't do the job, it's probably not going to matter too much.

On the plus side, Fury was right, and the Avengers were able to handle all threats prior to Infinity War. If the Earth had been invaded by aliens, Fury probably would have really wished he'd used that pager.

Expect said pager to play a small role in Captain Marvel, as we'll probably learn where it came from. Assuming it works, we'll see the results of pressing that button when Avengers: Endgame comes out in a couple months.

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Wait, Did Vin Diesel Join The Avatar Sequels?

Wait, Did Vin Diesel Join The Avatar Sequels?

Right now, under the strictest measures of security, writer/director James Cameron is making the sequels to his record breaking opus Avatar, in anticipation of the releasing the first follow up at the end of next year. And while taking a break from the rigors of that gargantuan task, Cameron decided to record a short video on set with a new friend, Fast and Furious lead and celebrity uber-nerd Vin Diesel. But, wait a second, could this mean that Diesel has joined the ranks of the cast for this big ticket event franchise?

This prospect seems to be pretty likely from where we’re standing, as this feels like one of the only reasons that the stereotypically cryptic James Cameron would even let Vin Diesel glimpse at what he considers top secret materials of a sensitive nature. Sure, there’s a possibility that Diesel and Cameron are mutual fans of each others’ work and just wanted to hang out, but this doesn’t seem like the kind of place to do that unless some sort of Avatar business was involved.

In addition to that speculation, and between the lighthearted joking and friendly patter shown on display between the two titans, there were some choice remarks made by Vin Diesel that have us questioning if some sort of big announcement is coming our way in the future.

Specifically, Diesel said the following, which set off alarm bells in our heads:

It’s long overdue. There is one person in Hollywood I’ve always wanted to work with, and learn from. … All things come, I guess, to those who wait.

Cue some shenanigans with funny voices and references to Kung Fu, and you’ve got a perfect recipe for a cute viral video that could lead to a lot more if the implications are correct. But there’s another interesting point to make, as this Instagram post’s contents snuck in one more potential bit of news.

Right at the beginning of the video, James Cameron announced that he and Vin Diesel were on the set of “Avatars 2, 3, 4, & 5,” which is interesting considering those last two sequels don't have an official green light just yet. While this doesn’t particularly mean anything, seeing as how Cameron is probably more than optimistic he’ll get those last two films off the ground, it wouldn’t be surprising if that was another featured bit of news coming down the pike in the near future.

With the Disney/Fox merger now complete, and the Aliens filmmaker more than entrenched with both halves of that corporate cookie, this new alliance could be the moment everyone was waiting for before pulling the trigger on Jake Sully’s continuing adventures. And with new sequels come new cast members to help flesh out the 5 film story James Cameron has planned.

You can parse out the action for yourself, as we’re providing the entire video for your viewing pleasure below:

Now we must remind you dear Avatar fans that this isn’t an official announcement of any sort of partnership or deal for Vin Diesel to join on for Avatar 2-5, or that the entries 4 and 5 are confirmed to be officially in the works. Hell, we can’t even tell you if the titles that supposedly leaked are legit or not. All we can say is that Diesel has been spotted on the set with James Cameron, and it really sounds like the two are thick as thieves, plotting an otherworldly adventure that could change the movie world again.

What we can tell also you, among other things, is that Avatar 2 is scheduled for release on December 18, 2020; and that you can visit the attraction Pandora – The World of Avatar at Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom. Which will probably be super easy to access once that other big Disney Parks attraction opens at various periods this year.

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The Russo Brothers Confirm Loki’s Fate In Avengers: Endgame

The Russo Brothers Confirm Loki’s Fate In Avengers: Endgame

Massive spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame

It's been nearly three weeks since Avengers: Endgame arrived in theaters, and there are still a ton of questions floating above the fandom. The Russo Brothers did the impossible with their massive blockbuster, meeting every expectation that fans had, and providing countless plot twists. One of which involved the God of Mischief himself, Loki.

Tom Hiddleston's Loki was killed by Thanos in the opening sequence in Avengers: Infinity War, seemingly ending the character's story forever. But Hiddleston is attached to a Loki series for Disney+, and the macguffin for that possibility was provided during Endgame's time heist. The sequence saw 2012 Loki escape with the Space Stone, an outcome that should have a massive impact on that universe. Now The Russo Brothers have confirmed this created a new timeline, with Joe Russo recently saying:

Loki, when he teleports away with the Time Stone, would create his own timeline. It gets very complicated, but it would be impossible for [Cap] to rectify the timeline unless he found Loki. The minute that Loki does something as dramatic as take the Space Stone, he creates a branched reality.

Cue the Loki Disney + series. Loki's fate was one of the unclear aspects of Endgame's conclusion, although now that the Russo Brothers have lifted the spoiler ban, they can be more chatty an expansive about the film's contents.

Avengers: Endgame's time heist was super ambitious, and brought the surviving heroes back to various points across the MCU's long history. The biggest group traveled to the Battle of New York from The Avengers, and split up to acquire three Infinity Stones. Everything was going according to plan, until Hulk smashed into an incognito Tony Stark, sending the Space Stone flying.

Related: Marvel Updated Loki's Official Bio And Now We Have To Rethink Everything

True to character, Loki seized this opportunity, and vanished. It's unclear where he might have traveled to, and Tim Hiddleston's character wasn't mentioned at any point during the film's third act. But now The Russo Brothers have confirmed that he's got a new timeline in the works. In the same conversation with Business Insider, Anthony Russo echoed his brother's statement, saying:

We’re dealing with this idea of multiverses and branched realities. So there are many realities.

The multiverse is a complicated concept to bring into the MCU, but the massive franchise has earned it at this point. And it's going to factor heavily into Spider-Man: Far From Home, which is the final installment in Phase Three. The newest trailer revealed that Jake Gyllenhaal's Mysterio was from another dimension, with the snap causing a tear in the multiverse. So it'll be fascinating to see how this type of storytelling moves the property forward, and if those tears become a recurring event in Phase Four.

It's currently unclear when Loki's Disney+ series will become available, as the future of the MCU is largely a mystery. But you can watch the God of Mischief's latest appearance on the big screen with Avengers: Endgame-- in theaters now. Be sure to check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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What's The Deal With Peggy Carter In Avengers: Endgame?

What's The Deal With Peggy Carter In Avengers: Endgame?

Avengers: Endgame has been said to be a culmination of the MCU thus far, particularly for Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man and Chris Evans’ Captain America, and because of this fans are likely expecting to gain some closure for the heroes. (Especially if and as they exit the franchise and hand off Avengers leadership to Captain Marvel). The most recent trailer for the highly-anticipated MCU Phase Three flick highlights these heroes, even giving us nostalgic black-and-white flashbacks to their pasts. Which, yes, even means Peggy Carter was brought into the fold.

The attention to Tony Stark in the Avengers: Endgame trailer was unsurprising since we knew from previous footage he will be sending a heartfelt message to Pepper Potts as his oxygen runs low in space. In the latest look, when it came to the segment devoted to Steve Rogers, his tragic love story with the late Peggy Carter was the focus, even featuring a voiceover from her from Captain America: Winter Soldier saying these words as a flashback of Cap holding up her casket was shown onscreen. Here's the quote in question:

The world hasn’t changed. None of us can go back. All we can do is our best and sometimes the best we can do is to start over.

Peggy told Steve this in another time of uncertainty, but it may resonate with the hero more than ever. Following the events of Infinity War, he is certainly dealing with a longing to go back and save the half of the universe turned to dust thanks to Thanos’ snap. Peggy’s voice is telling Steve he can’t go back, that it’s time to start over. This time around it reads as less of a longing for the past as it does foreshadowing for the future.

In the first trailer for Endgame, the picture of Peggy that Steve Rogers had when he crashed the Hydra bomber back in the ‘40s is shown in a moment in the upcoming film when Cap looks back at it and Black Widow stands beside him, right before the pair discuss their "plan," a plan they hope will work. Why does Peggy have such a prominent focus in setup for Endgame? Will we see her again as Captain America’s story wraps up or is Marvel tugging our heartstrings without the payoff these characters deserve?

Peggy Carter was introduced in 2011’s First Avenger as Steve Rogers’ love interest, but had to leave her behind when he was chilling in some ice for 70 years. In Winter Soldier, Cap gets to visit her in her elder years, when she says those recently referenced lines, again in Age of Ultron when Cap sees an illusion of her and referenced in Civil War when she passes. Peggy is also featured in the opening scene of Ant-Man and on ABC’s Marvel television series Agent Carter and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

She is really important to Cap’s character arc. Peggy symbolizes the life he could have had and lost because of taking up the mantle of Captain America. He’s never quite felt like he could really move forward because the life he wanted was taken from him, which also plays into his story arc with Bucky Barnes. He’s been displaced by time but what if he could go back? The popular theory for Avengers: Endgame is that the Avengers will travel back in time and reverse what’s been done by Thanos, so if that’s possible, a reunion with Peggy would also be.

With Cap always going back to Peggy in his mind, she really is the last loose end for the character to move on and wrap up his eight-year storyline. Since the teasers for the film are taking the time to touch on their tragic story, one would think we haven’t seen the last of Peggy or that she will fact in somehow during Endgame. There are a few ways this could go down.

Time travel through the Quantum Realm is certainly on the table here and depending where the Avengers land, Peggy could be alive in the timeline. A reunion with Peggy back in the ‘40s could also be a favor Ant-Man drums up for Cap after they save the universe. Guys. Just imagine if Steve Rogers’ story ended with him getting to keep that date with Peggy. I would never get over it. The hero certainly deserves a happy ending or a brief moment like this if he’s going to go out, given all he’s been through in the MCU.

Maybe Cap stays in the ‘40s or another point in the past. Then again we’ve all seen Back to the Future and changing things in the past can completely change the future and there would be consequences there. In fact, Peggy Carter is pretty important to the formation of S.H.I.E.L.D., which likely wouldn't be possible if she becomes a '40s era housewife. Plus, considering many have theorized Captain America will die in Avengers: Endgame, maybe self-sacrifice will be the character’s ticket to his love and he’ll have a sequence with her in the Soulworld, as Thanos had with young Gamora at the end of Infinity War.

If Hayley Atwell is in fact returning to the MCU for Endgame, she’s great at playing coy about it -- unlike some other MCU spoiler personalities out there. There has been zero word about her joining the cast on set. Still, almost a year ago she said “I wouldn’t rule it out” when asked if she might return to the franchise. Her comments hint at the possibility, but I’d hate to sound too hopeful when it may not happen. The past could stay in the past as far as Peggy goes. And the nods to Peggy could always be part of that extra footage The Russo Brothers have admitted adding to the trailers.

Marvel could be implementing Cap’s lost love in the set up for Endgame to just get us nostalgic for Cap’s emotional story arc. Peggy could simply be symbolism for all that Cap has lost or to remember the mantra she’s told him. While it’s tempting to manipulate time travel for his personal happiness, that may not really be in Cap’s wheelhouse. He’s pretty idealistic in his decision-making and I doubt he want be a staunch advocator of disrupting the time continuum and such.

There are tons of possibilities for the end of Captain America’s time in the MCU, but we hope it includes Peggy Carter. What do you think? Will she pop up in Avengers: Endgame and how do you think it will happen? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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New Men In Black International Clip Pokes Fun At Game Of Thrones’ Coffee Cup Debacle

New Men In Black International Clip Pokes Fun At Game Of Thrones’ Coffee Cup Debacle

The summer season, so far, has been all about the Avengers, but there are plenty more franchise looking to make a splash as the temperatures rise outside. Spider-Man will swing through his own sequel. The Toys are back in town for Toy Story 4, and Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) will absorb the power of the Phoenix in Simon Kinberg’s Dark Phoenix.

And then there are the Men In Black, who will add a fresh-faced new female recruit to their ranks when Tessa Thompson teams with Chris Hemsworth for Men In Black International. The promotional campaign is stepping up, as of late, including this clever and very timely use of the neuralyzer, which Game of Thrones fans probably want to use on its millions of viewers:

And no, this isn’t a dig at Dany laying waste to King’s Landing with her one remaining dragon (though seriously, a lot of Game of Thrones fans likely want their own neuralyzer to block out the bulk of season eight). This is a clever dig laid by Men In Black International about the coffee cup left on the Thrones set during a post-battle celebration. Happier times! Remember those?

With the help of a trusty neuralyzer, all one has to do is stare into the light, and the memory that you want gone is wiped. It was a funny bit every time Will Smith of Tommy Lee Jones did it in the original Men In Black films. We can’t wait to see how Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson use it in the new film.

When CinemaBlend visited the set of Men In Black International, we learned that the neuralyzer actually will play a bigger role in the story of this new team, with Chris Hemsworth’s character – Agent H – potentially suffering from a memory wipe after an early confrontation. Beyond that tease, details were kept under wraps, but we’ll know the full story once the movie comes out.

F. Gary Gray directs Men In Black International, recruiting Tessa Thompson out of the bureau’s New York office and then sending her to London where she’ll team with Chris Hemsworth and Liam Neeson on a globe-trotting adventure. The movie opens everywhere on June 14. For more from our visit to the London set of the movie, click here.

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Chris Evans Recalls His Big Concern With Playing Captain America

Chris Evans Recalls His Big Concern With Playing Captain America

Captain America can seem like vanilla ice cream -- a classic American favorite, but there's no real kick to it. It's sweet, but kinda bland. That was a concern for Chris Evans while considering the Marvel Studios role. He passed on it multiple times, and one of his question marks was how to make this square-jawed goody two-shoes interesting to a modern audience used to being wowed by jokesters and antiheroes?

There's no real darkness to him. How do I make this guy someone you want to watch? I don't get jokes. I'm not Wolverine. I don't have dead parents, like Batman. I'm just, like, 'Hi, I'll walk your dog. I'll help you move.'

Turns out, that was just fine -- at least with Chris Evans in the role and the right team in place to give him better material than dog walking. Not that I wouldn't watch his Cap walking dogs. In fact, where is that film?

Chris Evans told The Hollywood Reporter he hadn't read Captain America's Marvel Comics story before he was cast, and if he had he might've been even more hesitant to accept the role. Evans recently pointed to a scene in Captain America: The Winter Soldier as his favorite; that was directed by the Russo Brothers as their first MCU film -- followed by Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and April's Avengers: Endgame. Anthony Russo said he and Joe Russo weren't really drawn to the old school Cap stuff either:

To be honest with you, that golden age Captain America never really appealed to us. We gravitated to the comics where people were starting to tear down ideas about what superheroes were. Frank Miller, et cetera. So when we started talking with Marvel about coming on to do [Winter Soldier], we were like, 'This is going to be the movie where we fully bring Captain America into the modern world. He's going to be a different person in this new world.' And Chris just grew with that character beautifully.

Chris Evans' Captain America became a three-dimensional hero -- a very human moral compass with personality and heart. Still a good guy, but not a dull guy.

Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige told THR Chris Evans wasn't on their initial list of Captain America prospects when they started looking for The First Avenger hero in early 2010, because Evans had just played Marvel's Human Torch/Johnny Storm in two Fantastic Four films.

We thought, OK, well, he's that character. Let's keep looking. And as we [continued] not finding people, we went back to the initial lists. And that brought us back to Chris. And I thought, well, Patrick Stewart played Jean-Luc Picard and Charles Xavier. Harrison Ford played Han Solo and Indiana Jones. Who cares?

Fair points. But Chris Evans said it felt like the right thing to do to say no to that job. So he turned down Marvel's nine-film offer. He also turned down a six-film contract. Tony Stark himself, Robert Downey Jr., got involved to call Evans. After a lot of other consultations, Evans finally took the job as Captain America. And then he went to therapy for the first time in his adult life.

The fans are the ones who may need therapy after Avengers: Endgame, if Chris Evans does indeed hang up Cap's shield. He joked to THR that Endgame is over three hours and "my funeral's like an hour." He did, however, say he choked up three times.

We now have less than a month to see what really happens in Avengers: Endgame. The film opens in theaters Friday, April 26. Here's what we know so far about the highly anticipated MCU movie.

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Disney Is Deciding What To Do With The Gambit Movie

Disney Is Deciding What To Do With The Gambit Movie

Gambit is one of the more popular members of the X-Men, but barring a brief appearance in the largely forgettable X-Men Origins: Wolverine we've never seen the Cajun card thrower on the big screen. Channing Tatum has been working on getting a Gambit movie made for years, but the film has been stuck in development hell all that time, largely due to difficulties in finding a director. Now, the project is sitting in limbo again for an entirely new reason, Disney is now the company that gets to decide if the movie even happens.

The merger between Fox and Disney was recently completed and as part of that, Disney has now inherited every film project that the previous studio had on the books. In many cases, we would expect that things will continue to move forward following the plan that was already made, but producer Simon Kinberg says that currently Disney is reevaluating many or all of the in-development Fox projects, including Gambit, though he expects everything will be fine. According to Kinberg...

All of the movies at Fox are being evaluated. I love the idea of Channing playing Gambit. I think we have a great script for it and I think it’s a role he was born to play. It’s a character I grew up loving and I know the fans love. So I suspect, I hope it will happen.

Simon Kinberg had been one of the producers in charge of the entire X-Men universe over at Fox, going so far as to direct the upcoming Dark Phoenix. However, based on his comments to Variety, it doesn't sound like he's directly involved in the conversations at Disney regarding what to do with Gambit.

A lot has been going on at the new Disney since the acquisition of Fox became official. Many layoffs have already taken place, and at least one film label has been shut down. However, if you're interest is purely on the content side, there're many decisions left to be made. The fact is that several upcoming projects, even some that fully expected to move forward, could still be axed now that there are new people at the top of the food chain. While the Fox label will continue to exist, it's unlikely the division will be producing as many movies as the studio was before Disney took over, so it's quite likely that a few movies we thought we were getting could end up disappearing.

While Simon Kinberg thinks that Gambit has a good shot, because it has a solid actor cast in the lead and a good script, the fact is that it could still get chopped for any number of reasons. Everybody expects the X-Men to receive a franchise reboot at some point in order for them join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Depending on what the timeline for such a move is, it's possible Gambit might conflict with those plans, and thus could end up not being made.

Alternately, unless the recent rumor that Channing Tatum himself is interested in directing is true, the movie could still end up on the refuse pile if the new studio has no better luck finding a director.

We'll likely be hearing about the fate of a lot of different movies in the coming weeks and months as Disney continues to sort out its newfound empire.

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Shazam! Producer Promises DC Movies Can Still Be Dark

Shazam! Producer Promises DC Movies Can Still Be Dark

The DC live-action universe has had a rocky life in theaters, full of very high highs and disastrous lows. Luckily for Warner Bros., things seem to be on the upswing after the poor critical and box office performance of Justice League. DC is still surfing on the high of Aquaman's success, and anticipation is at a fever pitch for David F. Sandberg's upcoming blockbuster Shazam!

Shazam! will hit theaters in a matter of days, bringing the dual-personal title character into live-action for the first time. The movie's tone is in stark juxtaposition to Zack Snyder's bleak dramas that started the universe. But according to Shazam! producer Peter Safran, that doesn't mean that the DCEU won't have dark and gritty installments. As he tells it:

I think that DC has the same idea we do now, which is every movie that they make should have the right tone for that particular character. Shazam is such a fun character. He is all about wish fulfillment. He is fun and funny, and that is the tone that you should have for the film. Aquaman has got a tone, fantastical element. Shazam! is fun and funny. Wonder Woman’s got her thing. I think they realize each tone has to be specific for each movie.

Rather than trying to make one uniform movie, it looks like the DC universe will continue giving more power to the directors. As such, a dark movie will happen as soon as the story and characters call for it.

Peter Safran's comments IGN are sure to be a relief to DC fans who enjoy all the darkness its stories have to offer. While Shazam! is light hearted, there's been tragic stories for many of the characters on the page. Especially Batman, whose origin in based in trauma and childhood loss. The Dark Knight and others simply need to be dark, and have a ton unlike the two most recent releases.

In the same interview from Shazam!'s red carpet, Peter Safrin directly addressed Batman and Todd Phillips' Joker, which is expected to be a dark drama focused on a mentally ill villain. Safrin expanded his thoughts, saying:

Listen, there are certain characters like Batman, like the Joker, that dark tone is perfect for them. It’s what you really want to see.

So while Billy Batson and Freddy may have their childhood games in Shazam!, we shouldn't expect the entire DC Universe to go family friendly. There are projects coming down the pipeline which should have their share of dark material, so the studio is going to have to flip between vastly different projects. In addition to Joker and The Batman, Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn) should utilize a mixture of drama and comedy. There's also Wonder Woman 1984 to look forward to, although that Patty Jenkins has up her sleeve for the sequel is anyone's guess.

Shazam! will bring something unique to not only the DC universe, but the superhero genre as a whole. Still functioning as an origin story, the blockbuster will follow 14 year-old Billy Batson as he's given amazing powers from a magical wizard. By saying the word "Shazam", Billy transforms into an adult sized superhero, capable of flight, super strength, and electricity manipulation. But since Billy doesn't know much about superheroes, his foster brother Freddy will step in to guide him toward his destiny.

This marks the first time that a modern superhero focus on the perspective of kids. In cinematic universes, there are tons of us regular folks who are living in a superheroic world. Children have a specific experience; for instance, Billy's friend Freddy is a superfan. Freddy has been following the events of movies like Batman v Superman and Justice League, so he'll be able to help Billy become Shazam.

Shazam! look it's going to be a super fun big screen adventure, and it's early reception has been positive. But moviegoers are still going to want dark and gritty installments later in the DC universe. Aquaman might have focused on family drama and a Game of Thrones-esque struggle for underwater power, but James Wan's blockbuster wasn't especially dark.

Darker subject material and tone will no doubt accompany Todd Phillips' Joker, which isn't going to be connected to the rest of the DC universe. Phillips will give the iconic Batman villain an origin story, and explain how a clown became Gotham's biggest threat. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, the project is expected to be decidedly darker than the most recent installments in the shared universe.

On the same page, Matt Reeves' The Batman should have some darkness to it. Gotham's Protector is usually surrounded by loss and murder, and the developing blockbuster will reportedly include a few members of Batman's rogue gallery. The project will follow a younger version of Bruce Wayne, and focus on Batman's top notch detective skills. This is a new approach to the character onscreen, so let's also hope there's the proper amount of darkness in the movie.

Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) should be an interesting movie, as it'll walk the line between serious mob drama and quirky action romp. Cathy Yan's upcoming blockbuster will once again focus on the denizens of Gotham City, including the villainous Black Mask and Bat-family member Huntress. The movie is also a spinoff for Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, who debuted in Suicide Squad. Harley's inclusion obviously means there will be plenty of comedic beats in Birds of Prey, but the characters that make up the ensemble have tragic and violent pasts. Plus, Black Mask is known as a ruthless mob boss in Gotham.

There will be plenty of room for darkness in the future of the DC live-action universe in the future. For now, fans can celebrate that the studio seems to have finally found its footing, and is producing a variety of exciting projects. And with Shazam! flying into theaters in just days, we may have another DC success story on our hands. And that's in no small part due to its unique tone.

Shazam! will arrive in theaters on April 5th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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When The Black Widow Movie Should Start Filming, According To David Harbour

When The Black Widow Movie Should Start Filming, According To David Harbour

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is in a truly fascinating place right now. Avengers: Endgame is just weeks away, and the future of the MCU is largely a mystery. Marvel Studios is keeping its plans close to chest for Phase Four, as releasing the next slate of films has the potential to spoil the events of Endgame. But there are a few developing projects to keep an eye out for, including the long-awaited Black Widow movie.

The Black Widow movie has been slowly coming together, as director Cate Shortland has been assembling her cast and crew. Joining Scarlett Johansson for her first Marvel solo flick is Stranger Things fan favorite David Harbour, who already dipped his toes into the superhero genre with Hellboy. Harbour recently revealed when Widow's movie might begin filming, saying:

I think it’s slated to start in June. I don’t think they have it fully-boarded yet, but it’s a great character. I’m really excited about it. The cast is fleshing out (with) Scarlett and Florence Pugh, I think they said. I know they were talking about Rachel Weisz. There’s some really great actresses.

Well, this is exciting. The casting process may still be under way, but it looks like Black Widow's movie may start production in the near future. June isn't all that far away, so it looks like the solo flick will end up being one of the first releases of Phase Four. As long as nothing goes awry, that is.

David Harbour's comments to Den Of Geek are sure to excite the rabid Marvel fanbase, who are eager to see Scarlet Johansson's signature Marvel character get her time in the sun. While little to no information has been shared regarding the movie's contents, development amping up and possible June filming makes it all seem much more real. And the movie is a long time coming.

Despite being an OG member of The Avengers and one of the biggest characters in the MCU, Black Widow has surprisingly not been given her own solo movie yet. Instead, Natasha Romanoff served as a supporting character in a variety of other projects, including Iron Man 2 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. But considering how mysterious and complicated the character is, she's still been underused in this capacity.

But that should change with her solo movie, although it's unclear what that project will contain. Black Widow is one of the surviving characters in Avengers: Endgame, but it seems possible that she might perish in the battle against Thanos. If that's the case, perhaps the solo movie will be a prequel, allowing for Widow's dark backstory to finally be fleshed out onscreen.

Black Widow will return to theaters when Avengers: Endgame arrives in theaters on April 26th, and you can see David Harbour in Hellboy April 12th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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Captive State Was Inspired By Some Surprising Classics

Captive State Was Inspired By Some Surprising Classics

When new science-fiction films are about to be released, it’s common that we hear a lot of filmmakers talk about what are fairly standard inspirations – films like Star Wars, Alien, Blade Runner, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Obviously this makes sense, as it’s logical to take cues from some of the best genre films of all time, but interestingly that’s not the story behind the new film Captive State. As while the movie is definitely a sci-fi tale featuring a full-scale alien invasion, it wasn’t actually classic alien invasion movies that gave co-writer/director Rupert Wyatt ideas of what he wanted to do with the feature.

The subject of Captive State’s sources of inspiration came up early in a conversation that I had with Rupert Wyatt last week, talking over the phone about his work on the new film. I started the interview asking him about where the initial idea came from, and how it developed as a movie he wanted to make, and I’ll admit that he sincerely surprised me with the titles that he namedropped:

I've always been a fan of stories about characters that rage against the machine, and that'll fight back against the institutions. So Randle P. McMurphy in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, or Paul Newman [as Lucas "Luke" Jackson] and Cool Hand Luke. And I've also been a real fan of stories, or films, rather, that deal with that on a macro level - on a national level. So Battle Of Algiers is one of my favorite films, and Army Of Shadows about the French resistance, Jean-Pierre Melville.

Rather than approaching Captive State from a purely genre perspective, Rupert Wyatt was compelled to tell this story because of a personal fascination with iconoclasts, which he brought to his work on the script alongside co-writer Erica Beeney. What’s more, he was particularly interested in the idea on both small and large scales, noting examples of both personal struggles – namely battles within the walls of mental hospitals and prisons – as well as full scale revolts.

This certainly tracks with the plot developments of Captive State, which is an ensemble film set in the not-to-distant future following an invasion of extraterrestrials known as the Legislators. The story tracks a number of different narratives to show life in this world, including those both trying to maintain a level or order, and those who are trying to take down what they see to be an oppressive system.

Rupert Wyatt is no stranger to science-fiction, having previously directed Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, but his approach to genre with this one was a bit secondary. Taking the inspiration he did from the films mentioned above, he felt he wanted to tell a story in America, but not one that has already been told. As a result, it was felt by the filmmaker that the best move would be to tell a story set in the future instead of the past. Said Wyatt,

I thought it would be really interesting to be able to tell a story like that, but on the footprint of America - North America. And rather than delve back to the American revolution when they were kicking the likes of me out of the country, I thought what about if I kind of push into the future and put a documentary film crew into the future and tell that story - but in a very near future, and the occupying beings being an alien species. It really sprung from that.

It’s ultimately an impressive juggling act, but one that Captive State pulls off – both creating a heavily-detailed world and a number of engaging characters with compelling specific missions. The film, which stars Ashton Sanders, John Goodman, Vera Farmiga, Alan Ruck, James Ransone, and Kevin Dunn, arrives in theaters this Friday, and we’ll have more for you about the movie heading your way in the next few days here on CinemaBlend.

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How Much Annabelle Comes Home Could Make Opening Weekend

How Much Annabelle Comes Home Could Make Opening Weekend

It may be barely May but the summer movie season essentially started two weeks ago with the release of Avengers: Endgame. This is the time of year when nearly every major release is looking to bring in major box office dollars, especially major franchise players. This includes the Conjuring franchise, as the newest installment of the series, Annabelle Comes Home is looking to bring in something in the neighborhood of $40 million domestic during its opening weekend.

While a $40 million domestic opening might not seem like a great deal, especially now that Avengers: Endgame has completely thrown perspective out of wack by bringing in over $600 million domestically in barely over a week, for Annabelle Comes Home, it's a solid number.

Box Office Pro is projecting a number between $35-$45 million domestic which is a number on par with what most of the films in the Conjuring franchise have done. In fact, the two previous Annabelle movies opened at $35 million and $37 million respectively, so the new movie is actually tracking to do slightly better than the previous films in that particular series.

This is especially good news because horror movies will not be in short supply as we go into the summer. The remake of Child's Play will be hitting theaters only the weekend before Annabelle Comes Home, and the Octavia Spencer-led Ma comes out at the end of May. It's possible horror movie fans might have had their fill before Annabelle Comes Home is released, but based on the numbers, that won't be the case.

This means the new movie will likely also finish up where many of the other Conjuring movies have, which means it has a good shot at breaking the $100 million domestic box office mark. Only the first Annabelle movie was unable to hit that number within the franchise, unless you count The Curse of La Llorona as being part of the series, and the jury is still sort of out on whether or not that one counts.

Of course, considering even those two films had budgets of under $10 million, they were still quite successful financially.

One reason Annabelle Comes Home may do better than other Conjuring movies, beyond the main entries, is that Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson, the stars of the main entries, are set to appear in the new film. This means that fans that maybe haven't been all in on the spinoffs might still give this one a chance.

With The Conjuring 3 still on the horizon, fans may not want to miss this entry in the franchise in case it has bearing on the next movie. This is, after all, how cinematic universes work, and The Conjuring universe is one of the few outside of Marvel to be truly successful.

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ReelBlend #68: Our Interview With John Wick: Chapter 3 Director Chad Stahelski

ReelBlend #68: Our Interview With John Wick: Chapter 3 Director Chad Stahelski

Very few directors currently are doing action as well as Chad Stahelski. He learned from the best. The kickboxer turned stunt performer turned coordinator turned director has been reinventing the stunt/fight wheel with the John Wick franchise, which is continuing this week with John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.

Before the movie opens in theaters, Stahelski was kind enough to join the ReelBlend podcast for a candid discussion on his extensive approach to action-set constructions, the insane amount of time it takes to do action scenes with trained dogs, the way they broke story for the John Wick saga, and the influence that The Matrix continues to have on action movies to this day.

(In case you were unaware, Chad Stahelski first met Keanu Reeves when we worked as the actor’s stunt double on all three Matrix movies. Theirs is a legendary partnership that stretches back decades.)

It was an honor to have Chad Stahelski on our show, and we know the Blenders are going to love his incredible stories about the John Wick films, and moviemaking in general.

Before we got into our conversation with Chad Stahelski, we discussed the news that Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss will be the ones to get their Star Wars movie in theaters in 2022. There hasn’t been confirmation that their trilogy will continue in 2024 and 2026 (or if Rian Johnson will get one of those slots to begin HIS trilogy), but those guys are slated into the 2022 slot, and we discuss how that impacts Star Wars going forward.

Speaking of Game of Thrones, Kevin, Sean and Jake weigh in with their opinions of the next-to-last episode of Game of Thrones. Their largely split on how things played out, but they talk about how the season is concluding, and how they think the finale will play out.

Finally, this week’s #Blend Game focused on the films of Sofia Coppola. How many of the guys chose Lost in Translation?

ReelBlend is a weekly podcast that we do on CinemaBlend. You can download the latest episode (and all of our past episodes) for FREE on our iTunes page! Visit. Subscribe. Like and comment. Review! Apple loves when you have star ratings and reviews, so if you listened, and you liked it (or even if you didn't), let us know. We also are on Spotify. And Google Play. And basically everywhere that you download podcasts. So download us.

Meanwhile, follow the guys on Social Media! We have an official Twitter feed for the show, so follow @ReelBlend. In addition, follow the guys at @Sean_OConnell, @JakesTakesand @KevinMcCarthyTV.

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Watch Aladdin’s Will Smith Rap ‘Friend Like Me’ Live

Watch Aladdin’s Will Smith Rap ‘Friend Like Me’ Live

Disney's next live-action remake is Aladdin and without a doubt, the hardest job in the new movie is the one done by Will Smith. He has to try to fill the shoes of the great Robin Williams, whose most iconic role ever might just be the animated blue Genie. For many there is simply no way to fill the shoes of Robin Williams, but Smith is going to do his best to make the role his own, and on a recent episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, we got a taste of how.

Will Smith tells Jimmy Fallon that he himself wasn't interested in taking on the role of the Genie at first, but as he thought about it, he found a way to put his own spin on the part through one of Aladdin's classic songs, the showstopping "Friend Like Me." Smith even performed a bit of it on the show. Check it out.

The audience clearly seems to get into the impromptu performance, as does Jimmy Fallon, though pretty much everything seems to get Fallon excited.

It's about as far from Robin Williams' version of "Friend Like Me" as you can get, which is, of course, the point. Inviting comparison to Williams is only going to end badly for Will Smith and the movie in general. The best move is to lean into Will Smith's strengths, including his musical ability, and give this version of the Genie an energy that is uniquely Will Smith.

We've gotten some brief glimpses of both the visuals and the music in the new Aladdin, but clearly the big stuff is being held for the film itself. Will Smith tells Jimmy Fallon that the "Prince Ali" number is going to be especially impressive. That's one part of the film that we really haven't seen.

The initial reaction to the new Aladdin was less than stellar following the reveal of Will Smith's Genie. People felt the CGI look was just wrong. The more recent trailers have seemingly calmed most nerves. Fans who are looking for a new version of the story they love are clearly going to get that, and Smith's version of the Genie appears to spend a large part of the movie looking human, so if the CGI is rough, we may not have to deal with it for long.

If you'd like to compare Will Smith's performance of "Friend Like Me" to the original, you can check out Robin Williams version in the video below.

Remakes are always a bit of a tightrope. On the one hand, seeing a different interpretation of a favorite movie can be a lot of fun, and multiple versions can be embraced for different reasons. At the same time, people want to see the parts of the original story that they loved the first time around. It's a bit of a balancing act.

Will Smith alone might be enough to keep Aladdin from following too close to the original material, in the way Beauty and the Beast did. We'll find out when the new Aladdin hits theaters May 24.

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Keri Russell's Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Character Finally Revealed In New Image

Keri Russell's Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Character Finally Revealed In New Image

While we’re still pretty much in the dark when it comes to details on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’s plot, there’s plenty of other information that’s slowly being put out into the universe. Today brings one of the most beautiful traditions linked to the modern era of Star Wars film’s: the Vanity Fair spread.

Among the new character reveals that took place in this latest version of that time-honored happening is our first look at Keri Russell’s new Star Wars character, Zorri Bliss. As you’ll see in the photo below, she was absolutely right to say that she had the coolest costume in the film:

This first look at Zorri and her costume has us thinking that Keri Russell is playing a bounty hunter character, or at least someone who swims in the same dark circles as Boba Fett. Then again, if anyone shows up in the Star Wars universe with weapons and a helmet obscuring their face, it’s not a hard stretch to think that this person would be looking to apprehend any person, object, or information for the right price.

With a gold helmet that looks like The Rocketeer joined Daft Punk, and a crimson/purple jumpsuit that complements further gold and bronze accents, Zorri is definitely ready for action. The inclusion of her dual pistols only makes us want to hang out with her more, knowing that at any given moment, a fight could break out and Zorri Bliss would end it just as quickly.

Not only was the first look at Zorri’s costume shared by Vanity Fair, but some details about Zorri’s character were also given. Sure enough, we’re not the only people that see a smooth criminal in the Star Wars galaxy, as their write up mentions that the fresh war raging throughout the new trilogy has continued to allow the criminal underworld to flourish. Which certainly explains the fancy threads on Zorri Bliss.

As Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is set up to conclude the Skywalker Saga, the two trilogies of stand-alone films that won’t deal with that particular corner of the storied universe are on the horizon, and will need new characters to play around with. Which means that between Rian Johnson’s new films, and those being undertaken by Game of Thrones’ masterminds David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, there’s a chance that Zorri Bliss could appear again down the line.

That's speculation, of course, but should Keri Russell’s new character make a big enough impression, this just might be the future we’re looking at. We’ll have to wait until Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker arrives in our galaxy on December 20th to find out. In the meantime, you can take a look at what all we know about the upcoming flick so far.

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Why Annabelle Comes Home Is Very Much A Homecoming For The Conjuring Universe

Why Annabelle Comes Home Is Very Much A Homecoming For The Conjuring Universe

In the last six years, The Conjuring Universe has become one of the most successful active franchises in Hollywood. It all started when James Wan’s The Conjuring turned out to be a massively huge hit in the summer of 2013, and since then the brand has expanded to include multiple spin-off series, which have actually mostly performed as well or better than the core titles.

As the franchise has continued, it’s expanded in interesting ways and gone to some exciting new places – and it’s in recognition of this that Gary Dauberman’s upcoming Annabelle Comes Home holds a special place the brand’s direction. It turns out the title has a semi-double meaning, as in addition to the movie featuring a plot that sees the titular doll come to live in the Warren house, it’s also seen by the filmmakers as a homecoming of sorts for the entire Conjuring Universe.

This was a sentiment shared by producer Peter Safran during an interview late last year when I had the chance to visit the set of what was then only called Annabelle 3:

The idea bringing it back to the Warren family was something that we've been toying with for a while. We had the Perrons, we had the Hodgsons, we took it all away to Romania – a totally different vibe and feel for The Nun. And we just liked the idea of bringing it closer to home, back to ordinary people and extraordinary circumstances, which was kind of the touchstone for it. And it just really made sense.

To fill in the gaps for the uninitiated, The Conjuring started the franchise with a story that actually spent a fair amount of time in the Warren home, in addition to following an investigation of the relatively-local Perron household. But the movies have slowly moved away from that ever since. Annabelle was really only a slight crawl away as a prequel story with a direct link-up featured at the end, but then The Conjuring 2 took Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga’s Ed and Lorraine Warren to England for the infamous Enfield Poltergeist case with the Hodgson clan. Annabelle: Creation then took audiences back nearly 20 years before the events of The Conjuring; and then The Nun doubled down on both elements of setting by not only going further back in time (by three years), but also by featuring events primarily set in the Vatican and Romania.

It’s been six years since audiences have seen any legitimately spooky action inside of the Warren’s house, but Annabelle Comes Home will break that streak when it’s released this summer. Set over the course of one night, the story centers on Ed and Lorraine’s daughter, Judy (McKenna Grace), as she spends the night with a babysitter (Madison Iseman) the night Annabelle is brought into household’s notorious artifact museum. Unfortunately for them, it’s evil winds up having a very strong influence over the other objects in the room, unleashing all kinds of terrors.

Further discussing the approach of bringing the action back to the Warrens’, Peter Safran explained that there has long been a creative curiosity when it comes to the aforementioned artifact museum, and Annabelle Comes Home will finally be the movie that sees the potential there explored. Plus, he added, it’s an opportunity to directly follow-up on the very first case that audiences were introduced to in the first Conjuring. Said the producer,

We always loved the idea of the artifact room being the potential source of more stories. The idea of actually setting a film around that was something, again, that we had in our mind for a while, and Gary [Dauberman] and James [Wan], and myself just thought this was the opportunity – that the third Annabelle movie is the opportunity to really raise the stakes. And that was it. Also the opening scene of The Conjuring is so iconic when it opens up on the half face of Annabelle, we just always liked the idea of, what happened after they left there? We see them taking the doll, what happens? It was actually something other people had asked us in the past as well. We just thought we will explore that story.

There will still be plenty more opportunities for The Conjuring Universe to explore new cities, countries, and time periods, as there are multiple projects actively in development, but Annabelle Comes Home is specifically being made as the film that brings us full circle.

The directorial debut of Gary Dauberman – who previously wrote the scripts for Annabelle, Annabelle: Creation, and The Nun – Annabelle Comes Home is scheduled to freak out audiences this summer with its June 28th release. And be sure to stay tuned here on CinemaBlend, as I have plenty more stories coming your way in the coming days from my time visiting the set.

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James Gunn Had A Really Good Time Writing The Suicide Squad

James Gunn Had A Really Good Time Writing The Suicide Squad

Within the span of eight months, James Gunn was fired from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and then rehired onto the threeequel. During that span of time, he was selected by Warner Bros to write and direct The Suicide Squad, and even now that he’s back on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Gun will still be overseeing Task Force X’s next cinematic adventure.

While we’re still a ways from seeing James Gunn’s take on the Suicide Squad in the DC Extended Universe, apparently he didn’t suffer from writer’s block when penning the story, calling it one of his best writing experiences in a while. In Gunn’s words:

The Suicide Squad, it just instantly started flowing. I don’t think I’ve had as much fun writing a script since maybe Dawn of the Dead. That’s what this whole movie has been like.

Just so we’re all on the same page, the Dawn of the Dead remake came out in 2004, and James Gunn wrote the script the year prior. So The Suicide Squad marks the most fun he’s had writing a script in over a decade and a half! That ideally bodes well for The Suicide Squad’s quality, though understandably, Gunn did not provide any specifics on what to expect from the movie while speaking with Deadline.

While 2016’s Suicide Squad, which was written and directed by Fury’s David Ayer, was unquestionably a commercial success, making nearly $747 million worldwide, it didn’t fare well on the critical side of the spectrum. With Ayer initially stepping away from directing Suicide Squad 2 to helm Gotham City Sirens (he’s since kept busy with Bright, its upcoming sequel and The Tax Collector), that opened the door for a new creative mind to put their own stamp on the Suicide Squad mythology, a doorway which James Gunn stepped through once his time at Marvel Studios looked like it was done for good.

Although it was initially described as a g The Suicide Squad will have ties to its predecessor, as evidenced by the return of Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller. That said, rather than being a traditional sequel, The Suicide Squad is being framed as more of a ‘relaunch,’ which undoubtedly allowed James Gunn more creative freedom.

One of the ways The Suicide Squad will distinguish itself is by featuring a lot of new faces. Idris Elba will play someone who’s not Deadshot, David Dastamalchian will play Polka-Dot Man and Daniela Melchior will play Ratcatcher, while John Cena is in talks to play Peacemaker. King Shark will also reportedly be a member of this new Suicide Squad, although Michael Rooker has denied that he will voice the character.

The Suicide Squad charges into theaters on August 5, 2021, and production is slated to begin this fall. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for updates on its progression, and don’t forget to look through our DC movies guide to learn what else the DCEU has coming up.

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Mark Ruffalo's Marvel Behind-The-Scenes Tribute Video Will Make You Feel All The Feels

Mark Ruffalo's Marvel Behind-The-Scenes Tribute Video Will Make You Feel All The Feels

Ending a run of films as big as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Infinity Saga is bound to be emotional for both fans and cast members alike. This is especially true when it comes to fans making tribute videos in honor of films like Avengers: Endgame that are so touching, people like Mark Ruffalo just have to share. That’s exactly what the big guy has done with the video below, complete with a beautifully emotional message, take a look:

Comprised of outtakes from what looks like almost every film from Marvel Studio’s first cinematic arc, there’s plenty of goofing around from cast members included in this tribute reel, set to ELO’s “Mr. Blue Sky.” Among some of the highlights are the many funny faces that Chris Evans has been known to make, even in costume as Captain America. You'll also see a lot of smiles from cast members ranging from Chadwick Boseman and Scarlet Johansson, to of course, a lot of Robert Downey Jr. smiling mischievously and making faces that might not make it into a Disney-produced picture!

So yeah, it’s a video that’ll make Avengers: Endgame fans totally emotional, as it acts as kind of a family scrapbook of moments that led to the huge finale that fans had been waiting for across the span of 11 years and 22 movies. With the finale also marking the end of Joe and Anthony Russo’s current tenure at Marvel Studios, the reaction seems to indicate that emotional isn’t even the word for how folks may be feeling at the moment.

With Avengers: Endgame poised to surpass Avatar at any moment in the near future, this Twitter post is a good reminder of just how and why the Marvel Cinematic Universe has hit with the folks that helped make it possible. Even Mark Ruffalo knows that as he shares this video, honoring both his co-stars and the moviegoers who made their collective job an honor and a privilege.

The future of the MCU, and just what its next saga will entail, is still up in the air to a certain point. We’ll probably receive a lot of clues with Spider-Man: Far From Home acting as the official end of Phase Three, and the first step into a post-Infinity Saga world. Even then, the announcement of whatever Phase Four and beyond hold will be the ultimate clue as to where fans will be headed next.

So long as Marvel Studios and the cast of those upcoming movies continue to uphold the believe that fan and actor alike are what make this enterprise truly special, the success is likely to follow in both the undertaking and release of such projects.

Avengers: Endgame is in theaters now; with the final flick in the phase, Spider-Man: Far From Home, webbing up the box office on July 2nd. However, if you’re ready to look for another movie to entertain yourself with, you can take a look at the 2019 release schedule to see what other options are open.

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