Dwayne Johnson Reveals Plans To Start Shooting His Black Adam Movie

Dwayne Johnson Reveals Plans To Start Shooting His Black Adam Movie

After many, many years of development, and plenty of starts and stops, Shazam! finally hit theaters this past weekend, and it's proving to be a big hit. Not only is it doing tremendously well with both critics and audiences, but it also just opened number one at the box office while exceeding expectations. Naturally there are already whispers about a potential Shazam! 2, but all of the buzz also has many people talking about another massive DC project: the Black Adam movie.

Dwayne Johnson has been attached to play the character for years - one of the great adversaries of Shazam - but it's never been clear exactly when the film would start to really come together. Now that David F. Sandberg's movie is out and proving to be excessively popular, however, Johnson has provided an update on Black Adam, and it will definitely get fans excited:

Those who know the comic books and the mythology of the comics of Shazam know that Shazam is connected to Black Adam. Black Adam is an anti-hero, or villain, who I cannot wait to play. I've been developing this, and it's been with me and my DNA for over 10 years now. We should start shooting that in about a year.

Despite the fact that he doesn't actually appear in the movie, Dwayne Johnson is credited as an Executive Producer on Shazam! via his Seven Bucks Productions shingle, and earlier today he posted a video on Instagram celebrating the new film's success. While discussing the long road that the project has taken, and discussing its popularity, he let slip his plans to start production on his Black Adam movie, which will apparently start filming in the first half of 2020.

This is obviously exciting, and it means that we will probably start hearing some big announcements about the feature very soon. After all, there are some key roles that still need to be filled, and that includes the person who will be sitting in the director's chair. The project does currently have a script in the works, with Adam Sztykiel (Due Date, Rampage) credited with the screenplay, but the identity of the filmmaker who will be bringing it to life has not yet been revealed. If this project really wants to see any forward movement, it's going to have to find somebody for that job first.

As Dwayne Johnson further explained in his social media post, there was originally a plan to introduce Shazam and Black Adam simultaneously in the same project, but complications arose in the creative process that prevented that from happening. Specifically, the project was trying to pack two full origin stories into one blockbuster, and it was felt by Johnson the filmmakers developing the movie that the feature was trying to do too much. As a result, the Black Adam part of the tale was put on the shelf, and Shazam was given some breathing room in a true blue solo movie. In the actors' own words,

This project, Shazam, we had some challenges and we took a risk. And that risk is, as we were developing this a few years ago, the challenges and the struggles that we were having and that was gnawing at my gut is that we were trying to tell two origin stories in one script.... The challenges were, as you guys can imagine, you're trying to tell two very big origin stories in the world of comic books of this DC universe. Two very important characters trying to tell both their origin stories in one script. I didn't think it was working. Finally I called up Warner Bros., Toby Emmerich, my good buddy who runs Warner Bros., and I said, 'Brother, we have to split these stories and make two different movies.' He said, 'You know what? It is a great idea and let's do it.'

Now that Shazam has been made and is proving to be successful, now it's apparently Black Adam's turn to be in the spotlight.

Created by Otto Binder and C. C. Beck back in 1945, Black Adam a.k.a. Teth-Adam in the comics was born in ancient Egypt, and initially seen as a potentially great hero by the wizard Shazam. He was granted powers because of this potential, however, things didn't exactly turn out as planned. Teth-Adam was corrupted, and after killing the Pharaoh installed himself as a fascistic leader, ultimately murdering swaths of people. As a result of this, the wizard becomes extremely wary about the prospect of sharing his powers again, and decides not to do so for more than a century.

If this sounds familiar, it's probably because you just saw a version of this story play out on the big screen this past weekend - albeit not specifically starring Dwayne Johnson. Audiences got to see a preview of this origin tale in Shazam!, as it was told using a light show projected by the wizard (Djimon Hounsou) in the Rock of Eternity when he is introduced to Billy Batson (Asher Angel).

You can watch Dwayne Johnson discuss his history with the project, and demonstrate his elation about the success of Shazam!, by clicking play on the embed below.

Dwayne Johnson is one of the most popular and productive actors currently working in the industry, regularly starring in three to four movies per year, and if everything goes according to plan it seems like Black Adam is going to be one of his films for 2021 (the same year as Matt Reeves' The Batman and James Gunn's The Suicide Squad) or possibly 2022 (the same year as Aquaman 2). We won't have a clearer understanding of exactly when it will get going until more pieces start to fall into place, but regardless of when it starts coming together we're just excited that it's actually happening.

Hopefully it won't be too long until we start learning more about the progress of Black Adam - and you can be sure that we will keep you updated with all of the details here on CinemaBlend as they become available. For now, though, be sure to head to your local theater and check out Shazam!, which is now being projected on screens all around the world.

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Oscar Isaac Is Glad Leia Was Brought Back For Episode IX

Oscar Isaac Is Glad Leia Was Brought Back For Episode IX

Throughout the first two episodes of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, General Leia Organa and ace pilot Poe Dameron have been the faces and leaders of the Resistance effort against the First Order. The loving and sometimes contentious relationship between these two characters took center stage in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, a fact that didn’t come as a surprise to Oscar Isaac, as he explained:

I wasn’t surprised because I remember we were doing that, we worked a lot. [Fisher] and I worked together so much. We would talk about the scenes, and we got very tight during the shooting of that. So it was a beautiful thing to see, and it gets carried over into the new film as well.

Oscar Isaac spent a lot of time with Carrie Fisher working through scenes and becoming friends, so he knew that the relationship between their characters would factor heavily into Episode VIII. He seems to have really treasured that relationship and how it came together in the film and is happy that Leia is being brought back for Star Wars: Episode IX.

As he told Sirius XM’s John Fugelsang, the narrative thread and relationship between Poe and Leia continues in Star Wars: Episode IX. Unused footage of Carrie Fisher’s Leia from the previous two films is being repurposed for J.J. Abrams new movie to complete her arc, and because of how closely the late actress and Oscar Isaac worked on the previous films, it makes sense that there is enough footage to allow their characters’ relationship to develop even further.

It also sounds like Oscar Isaac will be acting in new scenes opposite old footage of Carrie Fisher, an experience that was strange for the actor. He said about the experience:

It was definitely an unusual thing, but I also think it was right to engage with her character, and not just let it be something that fades away.

Acting opposite the actress’ footage and not Carrie Fisher herself sounds like a bittersweet and strange thing, but Oscar Isaac felt that Princess Leia deserved a proper sendoff and he seems to be among the many that are happy that Lucasfilm found a way to continue the character’s story. For a character this important, who meant so much to Carrie Fisher, it wouldn’t feel right for her to just be written out of the film and have her die or disappear offscreen without getting to see her.

It will be good to see Poe and Leia together again and the continuation of their interesting relationship that saw them butting heads in The Last Jedi. Poe needs to become a leader and Leia was teaching him hard lessons. Like Jeor Mormont once told Jon Snow on Game of Thrones, if you want to lead one day, you first have to learn how to follow, and I expect Poe will be a true leader before the end of Episode IX.

Given that Oscar Isaac has said that Star Wars: Episode IX will blow fans away and is a fulfilling end to the Skywalker Saga, we can infer that he was pleased with the way J.J. Abrams concluded the story and Leia’s arc.

Star Wars: Episode IX blasts into theaters on December 20. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all the biggest movies coming your way this year.

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Chris Evans' Marvel Characters Combine In Epic Image

Chris Evans' Marvel Characters Combine In Epic Image

Given how totally and completely Chris Evans has become Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe over the near decade he has played him, it would be easy to forget that Steve Rogers is not the actor’s first superhero role. That was as Johnny Storm in Fox’s Fantastic Four films. With those films, 21st Century Fox and the Fantastic Four now all under the Disney banner, some new fan art has combined Chris Evans’ two superhero roles into one epic image.

As if Captain America didn’t look badass enough already, setting him ablaze certainly does the trick. Johnny Rogers or Steve Storm (yeah, definitely that one, alliteration is a hallmark of superhero naming convention) has all the steely resolve of Cap and all the fiery intensity of the Human Torch.

Cap is already pretty darn formidable in his own right, but you give him the fire manipulation and flight powers of the Human Torch and the Avengers’ odds of victory increase several fold. This image from BossLogic is especially cool because it isn’t just imagining what an actor would look like as a character, it’s combining two Chris Evans has already played.

Chris Evans has played both Captain America and the Human Torch and with the multiverses of comic book movies colliding in the Disney-Fox deal, this amalgamation seems appropriate to commemorate the occasion. Now we just need Josh Brolin as Nathan ‘Thanos’ Summers and Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger shrouded in fire yelling ‘Flame on!’

This image is also fun because it reminds you of the very different types of superheroes Chris Evans has played. As Johnny Storm in Fantastic Four, he was the wild and cocky jokester who didn’t take anything seriously. And as Captain America, he is the beating heart of the MCU, a serious and selfless hero. It just goes to show Chris Evans’ talents.

How much longer Chris Evans will be using those talents in the MCU is an open question. Pretty much since Captain America: Civil War we’ve been speculating that Captain America will bite the dust in tragically heroic fashion, and that question will be at its loudest right before Avengers: Endgame, especially given that the trailer showed a worse for wear Steve Rogers gritting his teeth in what looks to be a brutal battle.

Of course, if Avengers: Endgame is Chris Evans’ last appearance as Captain America, that would open him up to reprise the role of Johnny Storm when the Fantastic Four come to the MCU. Hey, it could happen! As far as what the future holds for The Human Torch and the rest of the Fantastic Four in the MCU, it is too soon to say.

The Disney purchase of 21st Century Fox just went through last week and it’s presumed that the X-Men couldn’t make their way to the MCU until 2021 at the earliest, so it would stand to reason that the same would apply to the Fantastic Four.

Before all that though, The Infinity Saga comes to an end when Avengers: Endgame hits theaters on April 26. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all this year’s biggest movies.

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John Wick Kill Count: All The Kills In All 3 Movies

John Wick Kill Count: All The Kills In All 3 Movies

SPOILER ALERT: The following article contains massive spoilers for John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. If you have not yet seen the film, continue at your own risk!

There are many film franchises featuring characters who do everything in their power not to end the lives of their enemies/opponents, but John Wick is definitely not counted among them. Since launching in 2014, the assassin-centric series has demonstrated that it doesn’t really pay much attention to standard human morality, and has generated a death toll far greater than most action movies. This is a trilogy where people are being executed in crazy numbers, to the point where you’d think that it might be impossible to get a full tally.

Well, guess again. With John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum now in theaters, we’ve gone through the entire trilogy and tabulated all of the many, many kills that occur on screen – and not just those by John Wick himself. We’ve broken it all down in the feature below, so read on and discover the crazy amount of bloodshed we’ve witnessed in these movies thus far:

Guns: 73

It’s established very early in the John Wick trilogy that the hero definitely has a weapon of choice, and it’s clearly a gun. While this count also includes the confirmed kills by Marcus, Ms. Perkins, and Winston’s men, John accounts for the vast majority, as he absolutely mows down enemy assassins as he works towards completing his revenge mission.

Swords/Knives: 6

Of course, John Wick isn’t only deadly when armed with a loaded firearm, as he also proves to be quite efficient when handling knives as well. He doesn’t get too many opportunities to show off this skill in his first movie, but he does get a few good stabs and slices in among the many, many headshots. This includes his final kill, where he purposefully gets stabbed by Viggo Tarasov just so that he can take the weapon away and use it himself.

Other: 12

This is far and away the most depressing category in this feature simply because one of the 12 counted is John Wick’s puppy being kicked to death by Iosef Tarasov and his friends. That being said, the feature also has more death by explosions than any other movie in the series so far (seven), and adds in a broken neck, a strangulation, and a couple of car collisions.

Guns: 110

You’d think that 73 gun deaths would be hard to top, but director Chad Stahelski finds a way in John Wick: Chapter 2. It helps that the action flick features multiple sequences as big as the Red Circle Club rampage, including his escape through the tunnels following the “assassination” of Gianna D'Antonio (more on that in a minute).

Swords/Knives: 2

John Wick: Chapter 2 definitely has the most skewed kill ratio of all the movies so far, as only about 1.7 percent are executed via a blade. That being said, this is the method for one of the most significant deaths in the movie, as it’s with Ares’ own knife that John manages to take her out of the equation.

Other: 7

We really haven’t seen a good amount of stealth from John Wick in the trilogy to this point, as he clearly prefers to go in guns blazing, but we do get to see a couple of more quiet kills at the start of the second movie – which results in a few bodies hitting the floor because of broken necks and even some garrote action. We’ve also counted the death of Gianna D'Antonio here, as she definitely dies from her slit wrists before John puts a bullet in her head. And, if course, this is also the film where we actually get to see what the eponymous killer can do with a pencil, as he ends two lives with one writing utensil.

Before we get into John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, you can revisit all of the John Wick-specific kills by clicking play on our awesome supercut below:

Guns: 124

If you went into John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum thinking that the sequel wouldn’t be able to top the gun kill count from the previous installment, you’re clearly not paying attention. It’s worth noting that John does get a lot more help in this one than in the previous movies, as Sofia racks up a pretty high body count while under attack from Berrada's men in Casablanca, but the film most definitely affirms that the titular character knows his way around a firearm.

Swords/Knives: 32

There are far more deaths by sword/knife in the third installment of this franchise – mostly because of the stealthy attacks that are executed against John’s allies by Zero and his gang. That being said, John himself does use a blade more than a few times in the movie, most notably during the first act museum attack, and then later when he is accosted by Zero’s crew on motorcycles upon his return to New York. And, of course, there is the big final battle in The Continental as well.

Other: 11

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum stars with an nontraditional kill, as our protagonist takes out an opponent with just a book – but from there we get to see 10 others scattered throughout the film. A good number of them are actually animal kills – three by dogs, and three by horses – and motorcycle crashes and a chucked axe complete the count.

It’s kind of hard to imagine the next sequel actually managing to go even bigger than what we’ve already seen, but given the cliffhanger at the end of Chapter 3, it certainly seems like Chad Stahelski, Keanu Reeves and the rest of the company are going to try. Be sure to stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for all of the latest developments about the John Wick franchise going forward, and hit the comments section below to tell us about your favorite kill in the series thus far!

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Vin Diesel’s xXx Lawsuit Has Been Revived

Vin Diesel’s xXx Lawsuit Has Been Revived

After a long hiatus, Vin Diesel brought back the xXx film franchise in 2017 with xXx: Return of Xander Cage. While it had been over a decade since Diesel had played the role, the movie did reasonably well at the box office, at least internationally. However, the production wasn't without its hurdles, including a lawsuit filed by a one of the producers of the original xXx, and while the suit appeared to be gone by May of 2017, an appeals court just brought it back to life.

The suit was filed by George Zakk in May of 2016 against both Vin Diesel specifically as well as Revolution Studios, who previously owned the rights to the xXx franchise. Zakk claimed that as a producer of the original xXx film he was entitled to both credit as well as a share of the profits in any sequels that would come after.

In May of 2017, a judge dismissed Zakk's lawsuit, on the grounds that Zakk apparently did not have any of these agreements in writing, which the statute of frauds would require since so much time would elapse between any oral agreement and the execution of said agreement. The judge also found that Zakk first claimed only a single oral agreement, before amending the complaint to include others, which was being referred to as a "sham pleading."

George Zakk appealed that judge's ruling and, according to THR, this week a California Appeals court sided with Zakk. The appeals court found that while Zakk's three different complaints, amended at various times, were unclear, they agreed that there were actually multiple oral agreements that had been put in place over time. In addition, the statute of frauds did not apply because Zakk alleges that he performed all duties he was required to perform under the agreement.

Other aspects of George Zakk's original lawsuit remain closed following this new ruling, but this decision is enough to bring all the parties back to court to deal with the resurrected issues. Considering that Vin Diesel was taking meetings about a fourth xXx movie has recently as a couple months ago, plans to continue the franchise are obviously still moving forward. It's too early to tell if this lawsuit could put the new movie on hold while issues are resolved.

Zakk's original lawsuit claimed that he was owned upwards of $250,000 for the xXx sequel, but one assumes Zakk will also want to see a share of the upcoming movie as well if the project moves forward.

Considering that it took almost two years for the court to rule on this appeal, this suit certainly isn't on the fast track. A fourth xXx movie could be out in theaters before we get another ruling. The only winner in that situation might be Revolution Studios. They sold the rights to the xXx franchise to The H Collective, Vin Diesel, and Diesel's production label One Race Films after the third film, so they won't be on the hook for any future films.

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Wonder Woman Director Congratulates Captain Marvel Ahead Of Release

Wonder Woman Director Congratulates Captain Marvel Ahead Of Release

It's a very exciting time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Just two movies are left in Phase Three, so the stakes couldn't get much higher. On top of the exciting standoff between the MCU's heroes and Josh Brolin's Thanos, Phase Three saw the shared universe becoming a much more diverse and inclusive place. Black Panther, Ant-Man and The Wasp and Captain Marvel put people of color and women in the spotlight, while the latter will be Marvel's first female-led superhero movie. But DC got ahead of Marvel on that one, as Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman arrived in theaters back in 2017.

Patty Jenkins is hard at work with Wonder Woman 1984, the highly anticipated sequel to her first DC outing. But she is also excited for Captain Marvel to arrive in theaters, and add another complex female hero to the genre. In fact, she took the time to congratulate the cast and crew ahead of the film's release, sharing some awesome crossover art in the process.

Nothing to see here. Just two massively powerful superheroes flying together, and blurring the lines between DC and Marvel's never ending rivalry. Now that's the crossover we all need to see.

Patty Jenkins didn't receive an early screener of Captain Marvel, and according to her Tweet, she's going to have to go to the theaters like the rest of us to see Carol Danver's highly anticipated origin story. In fact, she's apparently seeing Marvel's latest blockbuster with the cast and crew of Wonder Woman 1984. So while the box office performance between the first Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel will likely be compared by the trades, Jenkins doesn't seem to be feeling competitive with Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's Marvel debut.

The pressure associated with Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman are quite different, but expectations for both blockbusters was sky high ahead of their release. Wonder Woman was DC's first critical success, as well as being the first time the title character was adapted for the silver screen. The movie ultimately delivered, and proved that Warner Bros. could craft a well-executed comic book blockbuster.

Meanwhile, Captain Marvel is pressured with breaking new ground for the MCU, and expanding the backstories of beloved characters like Nick Fury and Phil Coulson. It's also the final installment before the last decade and change of filmmaking collides with Avengers: Endgame. As such, Captain Marvel is expected to go higher, faster, and further.

You can catch Captain Marvel for yourself now, as it has finally arrived in theaters today. Wonder Woman 1984 is currently set to arrive in theaters on June 5th, 2020. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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Kevin Feige Explains Why Captain Marvel Wasn’t Given A Love Interest

Kevin Feige Explains Why Captain Marvel Wasn’t Given A Love Interest

Spoilers ahead for Carol Danvers' origin story.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is an ever expanding place, and the stakes couldn't be higher at the moment. Captain Marvel has finally arrived, and has made a ton of money in theaters. After years of waiting, Brie Larson's Carol Danvers has joined the massive shared universe, and she'll crossover with the rest of The Avengers when Endgame arrives next month.

Captain Marvel's brief scene in the final Endgame trailer shows her interacting with Chris Hemsworth's Thor, with the two powerful heroes having a silent standoff of some kind. He eventually says he likes her, and some Marvel fans have been hoping that the duo might have a romantic connection in the upcoming blockbuster. But Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige recently addressed the lack of a love story in Captain Marvel, saying:

Well that was something as we were developing the script and queuing off of the comics as always, it never even occurred to have a love interest. That's not what the movie was about. It was about Carol finding herself and growing and making mistakes and being bolstered up by her female mentors and female friends. And that relationship with Maria was very important.

It looks like Carol Danvers was always going to fly solo in Captain Marvel. Instead of navigating a romantic connection on top of her memory loss, Captain Marvel focused on its title character's interpersonal relationships with her friends, and her former Kree allies.

Kevin Feige's comments to ScreenRant show that Captain Marvel was never going to be a love story. Kevin Feige previously promised that the movie would be a new type of origin story, and the project ultimately did just that. Carol's fractured memory served as the backdrop behind her journey on Earth, and she had a unique family unit with Maria and Monica Rambeau. Their connection was the heart of the movie, so there was no need to get Captain Marvel all dewey eyed about a boy.

If Carol Danvers was given a love interest in Captain Marvel, the movie would have been closer to the origin stories from back in Phase One. Iron Man, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, and Captain America: The First Avenger all saw the title character fall in love, while also becoming a superhero. It would have been too by the numbers to have Captain Marvel follow suit, especially when Phase Three has been such an ambitious and artistic set of films.

But just because Carol Danvers doesn't have a love interest yet doesn't mean that it can't occur sometime in the future. Captain Marvel has had romantic storylines in the comics, after all. As for those rumors about Thor in Endgame, the God of Thunder has been single for a while now. So who knows?

Captain Marvel is in theaters now, and she'll return to the MCU when Avengers: Endgame arrives on April 26th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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