Captain Marvel's Directors Have A Deleted Scene They Wish Made The Theatrical Cut

Captain Marvel's Directors Have A Deleted Scene They Wish Made The Theatrical Cut
Jude Law staring intensely in Captain Marvel

Warning: SPOILERS for Captain Marvel ahead!


Audiences will soon get to relive one of the biggest movies of the year when Captain Marvel arrives on home video. One of the most exciting parts of any home video release is getting to see some of the stuff that didn’t make it into the final film. Speaking with CinemaBlend’s own Eric Eisenberg in advance of Captain Marvel’s Blu-ray release, directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck revealed the one scene they wish had made the theatrical cut, saying:



Anna Boden: I think the scene where Jude visits his Supreme Intelligence is really fun - I think it's on the deleted scenes - and it's just one of those delicious after scenes where Jude Law is playing both characters and being both brutal and vulnerable in the same space.


Ryan Fleck: Yon-Rogg, of course he's himself when he visits the Supreme Intelligence.


Anna Boden: Because you see the person who you admire the most, right?





In the theatrical cut of Captain Marvel, we never get to see Jude Law’s Yon-Rogg visit the Kree Supreme Intelligence, nor do we know for sure what form the Supreme Intelligence takes for him. But it turns out that such a scene was filmed, and in the deleted scene, Yon-Rogg visits the Kree Supreme Intelligence, which takes the form of…Yon-Rogg.


The Supreme Intelligence takes the form of whomever you most admire, so for Vers that’s Dr. Wendy Lawson/Mar-Vell, even though she doesn’t remember who that is or why she admires her. But for the villainous Yon-Rogg, the person he most admires is himself. This underscores what a narcissist Yon-Rogg really is, that he can’t think of anyone more aspirational and perfect than himself.


This is fun to hear because who Yon-Rogg sees when he visits the Supreme Intelligence is actually brought up in the film. In the beginning of the movie, Brie Larson’s Vers asks him whom he sees and he refuses to tell her. That the answer is himself makes it clear why.




Directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck like this scene especially because it gives Jude Law the fun opportunity to play both himself and the Supreme Intelligence. Fortunately, it will be one of the deleted scenes on the Blu-ray release of Captain Marvel, so fans will get to see it. The scene is called “Who Do You Admire Above All Others?” and it sees the Supreme Intelligence questioning Yon-Rogg’s leadership ability.


As Anna Boden said, that allowed for Jude Law to play the unforgiving Supreme Intelligence demanding results from Yon-Rogg, and the ever-confident Yon-Rogg showing actual vulnerability in the face of the highest authority. Although it’s not in the film, if we take this scene as canon, it not only gives us greater understanding of Jude Law’s character, it also adds something to the end of the movie.


The Supreme Intelligence already doubted Yon-Rogg and he was eager to please it. That makes the end where Carol Danvers defeats him and sends him back to Hala alive with a warning for the Supreme Intelligence all the more devastating for Yon-Rogg, a failure that was likely worse than death for the devout soldier.




While this scene sounds cool and likely works on a couple of different levels, you can see why it may have been cut. If we had seen Yon-Rogg meeting the Supreme Intelligence, it would have given away the game as to what kind of person he really is. Sure, I think his evil turn was pretty predictable, but this would have blasted away any bit of uncertainty. Still, it would have been cool to see a scene after he got sent back to Hala, pleading to an angry Supreme Intelligence.


Captain Marvel is now on digital and arrives on Blu-ray on June 11. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all of this year’s biggest movies.


What The Tolkien Cast Found Hard About Researching Their Characters

What The Tolkien Cast Found Hard About Researching Their Characters
Tolkien Nicholas Hoult and Lily Collins dance in costume in the alley

When playing a real life figure like J.R.R. Tolkien, or his wife Edith Bratt, it takes a lot of research to make sure you’re doing your job well. It’s something that both Nicholas Hoult and Lily Collins faced when preparing to star in director Dome Karukoski’s Tolkien, a biopic on the life experiences that lead the titular author to start writing the Middle-Earth franchise.


But when trying into character, both Nicholas Hoult and Lily Collins found that there was a fair degree of difficulty and liberation when it came to portraying the couple that would eventually fall in love and get married during the events shown in Tolkien. And a lot of those difficulties came from the fact that the younger incarnations that they were inhabiting aren’t exactly captured in a lot of media that they can base their portrayals off of.


When CinemaBlend spoke with both Nicholas Hoult and Lily Collins during the press day for Tolkien, the question of the hardest challenges when honing their characters came up. And in the case of Hoult, the actor had the following feedback to provide when it came to his own research efforts:





There was lots of fun little things, like that him and Edith [Bratt], his long time love, would throw sugar cubes in people's hats when they went for tea. And then he stole a bus, he was arrested for stealing a bus when he was younger at Oxford. But I just didn't know anything about the man behind the legend, so it was a steep learning curve. I was mispronouncing his name, to be honest with you. I was saying "Toll-kin," and I quickly realized that was the wrong pronunciation. I had to say "Toll-keen." And yeah, it's learning about those relationships that kind of gave him the safe environment to create, and it inspired him to then tell the stories he did.



The lack of footage for both J.R.R. Tolkien and Edith Bratt’s younger selves is something that certain actors might see as stifling for their own creative process. After all, you don’t want to go into a film like Tolkien and totally botch the characterization of the man who wrote The Lord of the Rings, or his beloved wife for that matter.


But as folks who see the movie will find, both actors are up to the task of portraying very humanized versions of Tolkien and Bratt, as they tell the story of their meeting, and eventually their falling in love. Without proper characters, this wouldn’t work in a fictitious narrative, but in the case of Tolkien, you have to believe that the love between Ronald and Edith is so strong, he’d create epic romances and ravishing Elvish beauties in the name of that love.




To that respect, Lily Collins saw the challenge of portraying Edith as a similar learning opportunity to that of her Tolkien co-star, as she provided the following answer to that same question:



For me it was a little different, because there’s no real footage of [Edith.] There’s not many photos, so it’s not like people can really compare what they know to be true of her, and then me. But I think, in general, when you are playing someone who has a public persona that people already know of, mannerisms, making sure that innately you seem to have understood their aura, and kind of just the character in general of how they acted. When you can directly compare it to video footage or photos, it’s always going to be difficult, because people have a preconceived idea walking in.



While Nicholas Hoult had footage of J.R.R. Tolkien’s interviews from later on in life to go off of, Lily Collins didn’t have anything of the sort when it came to her portrayal of Edith. While it’s certainly an added level of challenge, at the same time, Collins admits that so long as her performance landed in a zone of approximation that matched what was written about Edith Bratt, she was free to move her performance in any direction that suited the sort of aura surrounding Edith’s character.




You can see Nicholas Hoult and Lily Collins explain this for themselves, in the video below from our sit-down during the Tolkien junket day:


Very rarely can any actor capture the complete essence of the person they’re playing in a biopic. But in the case of Nicholas Hoult and Lily Collins, their portrayals of J.R.R. Tolkien and his wife are so well drawn, you can believe their story is not only true, but worthy of a happy ending.


The life story of Tolkien and his ultimate creation of Middle-Earth make for good movie watching, and audiences can see it for themselves as they see Tolkien in theaters, starting with early shows this evening. If you’re interested in further coverage on the film’s release, stay tuned to CinemaBlend as the week progresses.




Looks Like The Flash's Costume In Cancelled Justice League Mortal Would Have Been Wild

Looks Like The Flash's Costume In Cancelled Justice League Mortal Would Have Been Wild


It's no secret that superhero movies are everywhere. Comic book adaptations have proven to be the most profitable and popular genre in filmmaking, so there are plenty of studios trying to get in on the fun with their own cinematic universe. But there was a time when this wasn't the case, and back in 2007 DC tried to get together the ill-fated blockbuster Justice League Mortal, directed by Mad Max's George Miller.


Details about Justice League Mortal have slowly trickled out throughout the years, including which characters would have factored into the ensemble project. The cast would have featured The O.C.'s Adam Brody as The Flash, but it also appears that the late Anton Yelchin may have been another name floated around. A concept art just hit the internet, reportedly made for Yelchin's verison of the speedster. Check it out below.


Talk about a different look. It looks like George Miller's plans for Justice League Mortal would have been even more void of color than Zack Snyder's trilogy of DC movies. While Snyder often prefers muted tones, the above art for The Flash's costume is totally grey. You can barely even call the character the Scarlet Speedster, considering how void of the color red he is.





This new image comes to us from Instagram, and mentions Anton Yelchin as the actor it was made for. This might be surprising for moviegoers who are familiar with the ill-fated development for Justice League Mortal. A full cast was assembled (and photographed!), with Yelchin not part of the group. Instead, The Flash was going to be played by Adam Brody, who was having some success in the world of TV acting.


Anton Yelchin was also younger than Adam Brody, making the reports of his involvement all the more suspect. Yelchin would have only been about 18 years old in 2007, and didn't have the following he did later in life. As such, it seems more likely that George Miller would have chosen an older and arguably more famous actor to play the Scarlet Speedster.


Regardless of which actor was going to inhabit the role, the possible costume for The Flash in Justice League Mortal would have thrown hardcore comic book fans for a loop. The Flash almost always has a bright red suit, leaving a trail of red behind him when running at superheroic speeds. This look is void of color, possibly teasing a dark incarnation of the character than Ezra Miller eventually played in Justice League. Of course, that might be changing soon.





Ezra Miller's Flash solo movie has been sitting in development hell from years, suffering multiple set backs and losing quite a few directors along the way. The latest report indicates Miller is trying to help the writing process, and make the film darker in tone. Could he also end up with a grey suit? We'll just have to wait and see.


CinemaBlend will keep you updated on all things DC and Flash, as details become public. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.


Did Avengers: Endgame Already Reveal Captain Marvel’s New Suit?

Did Avengers: Endgame Already Reveal Captain Marvel’s New Suit?

After a long year of waiting, Avengers: Endgame is just days away. Casual Moviegoers and hardcore Marvel fans alike have anxiously awaited the next installment in the franchise, which will pick up the narrative after Infinity War's shocking twist ending. Thanos' victory wiped out half of all life, and the surviving heroes are going to need all the help they can get in order to take the fight to the Mad Titan.


Luckily for The Avengers, help is on the way. Brie Larson's Captain Marvel will cross over to the rest of the MCU when she appears in Endgame, bringing a ton of power with her. Fans are eager to catch back up with Carol Danvers, and the newest Endgame trailer may have revealed her new suit. Check out a screenshot below.


Get psyched Captain Marvel fans, because it looks like she may be getting her signature sash and new suit in Avengers: Endgame. The above image shows a costume that looks decidedly different than it did in her origin story, including the sash from the character's comic book appearance.




This new image is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment from the most recent trailer for Avengers: Endgame. That clip focused on the MCU's long tenure in theaters, and included only a few brief moments from the upcoming ensemble project. But even the smallest cuts will be dissected by the rabid Marvel fanbase, which is exactly what happened and eventually resulted in the above shot being shared on Twitter.


Captain Marvel's upcoming costume change will excite the hardcore comic book fans, who can judge movie adaptations based on how accurately they represented action on the page. Carol Danvers has gone through a ton of costumes throughout the years, although most of them feature a sash around her waist. That was absent from the functional suit that she was given in Captain Marvel, but it appears that may change in her second appearance in the MCU.


While a sash seems like a small detail, it would connect Captain Marvel's costume to her comic book roots. What's more, it'll give her flying sequences an extra level of movement, since her suit doesn't exactly have much give. Now the question is: how does she get the new duds?




As a reminder, you can check out the new trailer below. Captain Marvel's upcoming costume change briefly flashes onscreen in its final moments.


Marvel fans are eager to see Carol Danvers finally join the greater MCU, and interact with the Avengers who didn't fade away to dust as a result of The Decimation. She's got a big ego, and should clash interestingly with more comedic characters like Iron Man and Rocket. But she's also got a few decades of superheroics under her belt, so the ego might be warranted.


All will be revealed when Avengers: Endgame arrives in theaters on April 26th. In the meantime, fill out our Endgame death pool, and check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.




Netflix And The WGA Are Disputing Over How Much Its Writers Are Paid

Netflix And The WGA Are Disputing Over How Much Its Writers Are Paid
Velvet Buzzsaw

Last year was perhaps Netflix’s most successful yet when it comes to its original films, with Roma netting Oscar wins and movies like Bird Box and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before proving extremely popular. Now the streaming service’s original films are the subjects of a new dispute with the Writer’s Guild of America over how much its writers are paid.


According to Deadline, the WGA has filed an arbitration claim against Netflix over the residuals it says are owed to the union’s writers of 33 of the streaming service’s original movies. These were Netflix original films that were released in theaters to qualify for awards contention at the same time or close to it that they debuted on the streaming service itself.


The WGA’s dispute with Netflix is over the manner in which Netflix applies residuals formulas to its original films. The residuals for the original films owed to the writers are calculated based on licensing fees. Netflix pays itself to license the films to stream on its platform and the crux of the issue is the way in which Netflix allocates these licensing fees.





Because these films are being released in theaters for awards consideration, they are being licensed for the streaming services and by the sound of it, the WGA thinks that Netflix is handling its licensing fees and calculating residuals in a fashion that is shortchanging the writers who are owed more money than they are being paid.


A whopping 51 Netflix original movies were made under WGA contracts last year alone and the growth of the simultaneous streaming and theatrical release model means that the result of this arbitration claim could impact other streaming services if the WGA wins here. With Amazon, Hulu and Apple also releasing original films in theaters in the quest for golden statues, they too could be targets of the WGA over this issue.


It is interesting how this dovetails with the recent tumult over whether or not Netflix movies and those of other streaming services should be eligible for Oscars after qualifying for contention with limited theatrical runs. Director Steven Spielberg is seemingly against it, thinking that streaming movies should compete for Emmys, not Oscars, because of his belief in the importance of the theatrical experience and a desire to preserve it.





These are just some of the issues that arise in an industry that has been shaken up by the explosion of streaming services. At one point streaming service movies were just for the small screen, but with some movies from Netflix and others now getting to shine on the big screen, the waters get ever muddier and there are no clear answers because these are all new issues.


These conversations and disputes will only become louder and more important because of the increasing share of the industry streaming services command. Netflix alone plans to produce some 90 original movies this year.


To keep track of all the biggest movies coming to theaters in 2019, check out our release schedule and take a look at our guide to see what's headed to Netflix this month.





Ben Affleck Was Amused By Zack Snyder's Response To His Batman Exit

Ben Affleck Was Amused By Zack Snyder's Response To His Batman Exit
Ben Affleck as Batman in Justice League

After a cloud of uncertainty hung over the DCEU’s The Batman for years, Ben Affleck finally confirmed his departure from the role last month. The Matt Reeves project now moves forward with an official release date: June 25, 2021. Following the news, Zack Snyder posted a heartfelt goodbye to Affleck’s Batman with these words:



There was a time above.. A time before… there were perfect things… diamond absolutes. But things fall.. Things on earth. And what falls… is fallen. In the dream, it took me to the light. A beautiful lie, Best Batman ever. Thank you my friend for blessing me with that fucking glorious chin and an amazing heart.



How poetic! Ben Affleck was recently asked for a reaction to the Zack Snyder quote -- specifically the part about his chin -- while he was doing press for action drama Triple Frontier alongside co-star Oscar Isaac. Here’s what they said to Associated Press:






Ben Affleck: Zack's a funny guy, what can I say? [laughs]


Oscar Isaac: He's got a good chin too, doesn't he?


Ben Affleck: He does have a very nice chin! He shouldn't sell himself short.



You get a glorious chin and you get a glorious chin! Ben Affleck was tickled by Zack Snyder’s love letter to the actor’s superhero role, and Oscar Isaac also weighed in, observing the DCEU filmmaker’s also chiseled chin. I’d like to think Isaac is subtly campaigning to take over the role of Bruce Wayne by contributing to the flattery… he was rumored to be considered for a Batman role.


Ben Affleck and Zack Snyder worked closely together to bring a new Batman back to screen in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad and Justice League. After some initial backlash to Affleck’s casting, many fans embraced the actor as the Dark Knight, though some still voiced other issues with the direction of the DCEU.





After the overall negative reception to 2017’s Justice League, plans to continue making movies about the interconnected stories of the superhero team seemed to shift. That shift came just as Ben Affleck’s original plans to direct, produce, and star in a standalone Batman movie fell apart. Now War for the Planet of the Apes’ writer/director Matt Reeves is directing and writing The Batman script, and he's looking for a new star.


As the DCEU moves forward, the focus is on standalone origin stories and less on Zack Snyder’s vision -- with Shazam!, Joker and Birds of Prey on the way. Matt Reeves’ The Batman is said to be a "noir" Batman tale that will have the hero using his detective skills and featuring a Rogue’s Gallery of villains, though a new Bruce Wayne has not yet been cast.


Ben Affleck stars next in Netflix’s Triple Frontier, coming to the streaming service on March 13. The movie is about five former Special Forces operatives who reunite to plan a heist in South America; it also stars Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund, and Pedro Pascal.





I Am Actually Scared To See Jordan Peele's Us

I Am Actually Scared To See Jordan Peele's Us
Lupita Nyong'o in US

Jordan Peele surprised a lot of people with his directorial debut, Get Out. I was one of those people. While I had been a fan of Peele's comedy for a long time, I had no idea what to expect when I sat down to watch his first horror movie. Looking back, it's still the best movie I've seen since February 2017, when it was released. When it was announced that Peele was working on his next project, a movie simply called Us, I was certainly excited. Now here I stand on the eve of being able to finally watch Peele's new movie and I'm confronting a serious problem.


I'm actually a little scared to see this movie.


I still remember the first time i saw the trailer for Us. It was just before Christmas last year. We knew the trailer was imminent; in fact, it was expected to be released online on Christmas Day, so when I went to the theater to do a little end-of-the-year awards season maintenance and watch The Favourite, I certainly wasn't expecting to see that trailer, not yet and not ahead of that movie, but there it was. Jordan Peele's name came up before anything started to get weird in the trailer, so I knew what I was watching, and as I sat in a mostly empty theater I watched one of the scariest trailers I have ever seen unfold over two minutes. Then The Favourite started and I'd be lying if i said I gave the film the proper attention, at least at the start. The trailer was still on my mind.





If you somehow have made it this far without seeing the first look at Us, here's a reminder of what I'm talking about.


I haven't seen anything scarier than that trailer since. In fact, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I have simultaneously been looking forward to Us, possibly more than any other movie this year, while also being terrified to actually see it.


Horror movies are a strange sort of animal. It's the one genre of film that you sometimes hear movie fans seemingly discounting in its entirety. If you hear somebody claim they love movies, but don't watch dramas, you'd wonder what the hell was wrong with them; however, if somebody says that about horror movies, we just move on like it's expected and even makes sense.





Frequently, movies that should be classified as horror get called something else, if only to avoid the stigma that can come along with the genre title. Get Out itself was one of these movies. It didn't have a murderous slasher antagonist or a series of brutal murders of or by teenagers, so by certain definitions, maybe it didn't qualify as a horror movie. It was a horror movie, of course, but if calling it a "thriller" helped Get Out do better at the box office, so be it.


Of course, all that was part of why Get Out worked so well. Because it was absolutely a horror movie, but one that didn't necessarily look that way at first. The film found its horrific elements in other places beyond simply violence. We didn't get the visual horror that we expect from a traditional "slasher movie." However, the scenario was pure nightmare fuel even if the villains didn't wear hockey masks.


And that's part of why Us is feeling so scary to me now now. Based on the early responses by those that saw Us at SXSW, it's clear the movie has more to say than the trailers are letting on, in much the same way that Get Out did, yet in addition to that, the movie also has those elements of "traditional horror" that make this one feel like it's going to be bloody and violent.





I've seen more than my share of horror movies in recent years, it's sort of my job now, but when I was a kid I was certainly one of those people who "didn't do horror." It wasn't so much that I avoided the genre, I simply didn't seek it out. The idea of being uncomfortable while watching a movie just didn't appeal to me -- it wasn't what I went to the movies for. When I did see them, horror movies didn't necessarily scare me, but they always made me nervous that they might.


Horror movies still make me nervous and uncomfortable to some extent now. I mean, they're supposed to, but never has it been like this. I didn't feel like this when I went to see IT, another movie that was actually one of my favorites in 2017. I'm just as excited to see that sequel later this year, without any of the stomach-churning dread that comes with Us.


Also, it should be noted, that "jump scares" get me all the time. Every. Single. Time. Even a movie I've seen before has about a 40% chance of making me spill something with a jump scare. When I'm seeing a movie for the first time, popcorn flying into the aisle is virtually guaranteed.





Everything about the Us trailer makes me uncomfortable in a way that I haven't felt in a really long time. The dark versions of the main characters feel not simply evil, but wrong. The way they look, the way they move, it all feels off. These are scariest movie monsters I've ever encountered, and I've only made it as far as the trailer.


Of course, what might make Us so potentially terrifying is that I'm also so incredibly excited to see it. I'm throwing myself to the wolves with this one in a way that I haven't with any other recent horror movie. It makes me feel vulnerable in a way that I don't usually let myself get with any movie. Even if it wasn't my job to see Us, I would be seeing the new movie from the man that brought us Get Out this weekend.


I have no idea what's in store for me when I see Us this week, although I'm prepared to be terrified on multiple levels. I may have to skip out on bringing snacks due to the aforementioned fear of throwing them all over the aisles. I can't wait.