Forrest Gump Is Getting A Bollywood Remake

Forrest Gump Is Getting A Bollywood Remake

Have you ever imagined the iconic line “Run Forrest Run” being said in Hindi, perhaps as the titular character starts off an extravagant musical number? Life really is like a box of chocolates, because an upcoming Forrest Gump movie will be the latest Hollywood hit to be remade by Bollywood.

The 1994 Best Picture winner has caught the eye of Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan, who will take on the Tom Hanks role and co-produce an Indian version of the movie to be titled Lal Singh Chaddha, per Variety. The remake will be developed by both Viacom 18 Motion Pictures and Khan’s production company.

Aamir Khan explained during the press announcement in Mumbai that he has always loved the Forrest Gump script, complementing the Oscar winner’s “life-affirming story” that is a feel good film for the whole family. The superstar hopes to come back from his 2018 commercial failure Thugs of Hindostan, the highest-budget Bollywood film ever, which lost big at the box office after many negative reviews.

The Bollywood star’s movies put together has also made the most at the box office worldwide than any other Indian actor. So it makes sense for Aamir Khan to take on the role famously played by America’s sweetheart, Tom Hanks, of course!

The recent announcement of the Indian Forrest Gump also came with the production’s plans to start filming this October and be released in 2020. It would certainly be interesting to see how Bollywood adapts the film, which has draws on many moments in American history such as Elvis Presley, the Vietnam War, racial desegregation, Watergate and Apple computers. Will the movie take on the events of the American film or draw on elements of Indian history?

The foreign genre is known for its huge song-and-dance numbers and melodrama, and some aspects of Forrest Gump certainly can be translated this way. It’s a larger-than-life story with a mix of romance, drama and comedy, and it would be a blast to see this kind of retelling.

India has remade tons of Hollywood movies in the past including Ms. Doubtfire, Christopher Nolan’s Memento, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, When Harry Met Sally and another Tom Hank’s led movie, Big. The genre certainly seems to be fans of what the industry in America has produced and keeps finding inspiration by them.

Forrest Gump was the highest-grossing movie of 1994 – it made $677 million worldwide, though only made $46,282 in Indian theaters. The movie still holds the top spot for a summer drama release and received high-critical praise. Forrest Gump was nominated for 13 Oscars and won six for Best Picture, Best Actor for Tom Hanks, Best Director for Robert Zemeckis, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing and Best Visual Effects.

It’ll be exciting to see how Lal Singh Chaddha does when it comes out in 2020. Anyone want to delve into a Bollywood Hollywood remakes marathon after this?

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The Story Behind Good Omens And All The Queen References

The Story Behind Good Omens And All The Queen References

Spoilers ahead for Good Omens on Amazon.

When Good Omens premiered on Amazon as an adaptation of the Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett novel of the same name, it proved three things: the apocalypse can be hilarious, the characters could not have been better cast, and the music of Queen makes everything better.

While all the Queen tunes came as no surprise to book fans, viewers who never picked up a copy of the novel were undoubtedly at least a little perplexed at all the Freddie Mercury. Well, there is a reason for all the Queen, and the answer lies early in the text of Good Omens.

Viewers probably noticed that the Queen tunes generally played in scenes featuring Crowley and/or the Bentley. The explanation comes in the first 15 pages of Good Omens, saying this:

Crowley was currently doing 110 mph somewhere east of Slough. Nothing about him looked particularly demonic, at least by classical standards. No horns, no wings. Admittedly he was listening to a Best of Queen tape, but no conclusions should be drawn from this because all tapes left in a car for more than a fortnight metamorphose into Best of Queen albums.

When Good Omens was published in 1990, tapes were the non-radio way to play music in cars. Neil Gaiman revealed to Vulture that the joke about metamorphosing Queen tapes started when he and Terry Pratchett concocted the theory "that any cassette left in a car long enough turned into the best of Queen."

If the joke had stopped with just the one Queen mention in the book, the Good Omens show probably wouldn't have been packed with Queen songs. Instead, the book continued to show Crowley (and Aziraphale, on one occasion) trying to play some non-Queen music, only to be blasted with the tunes of Freddie Mercury.

Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" turned into "Bohemian Rhapsody," The Traveling Wilburys turned into a rendition of "Radio Ga Ga," Aziraphale was dismayed to hear "Another One Bites the Dust" play from a tape labeled "Tchaikovsky," and the angel and demon's attempts to listen to William Byrd, Beethoven, and Vaughan Williams turned into "We Are The Champions," "I Want To Break Free," and "Fat Bottomed Girls."

Crowley briefly considered putting the tape on which he'd trapped Hastur into the Bentley and leaving it for a fortnight, turning him into Freddie Mercury. He decided against it because, in the immortal words of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, "He might be a bastard, but you could only go so far."

Now, the differences between book and television meant that the show had the freedom to use Queen more liberally than the book, which basically required Crowley to be in the Bentley on the page. The show could just blast a Queen classic over whatever scene seemed most fitting.

Given that technology in the past 30 years has definitely moved away from cassette tapes, the Good Omens adaptation was bound to get creative with including the running Queen joke from the book. So, let's take a look back at some of the most notable Queen sequences from the show!

Crowley's Arrival - "Bohemian Rhapsody"

Although Crowley technically made his debut earlier in the first episode at the Garden of Eden, his arrival in the Bentley to the tune of "Bohemian Rhapsody" to pick up the Antichrist was a real entrance. Could the show have done anything more perfect than blast the "Beelzebub has a devil put aside for meeeeeeee" line as he pulled up?

Crowley's arrival was actually only one instance of "Bohemian Rhapsody" used in the series, as he was listening to it again later in the episode when Satan broke in with some instructions for the Antichrist. The song would play again at the end of the fifth episode and beginning of the sixth, when Crowley made an epic entrance at the airfield, followed shortly by the flaming Bentley exploding.

So why does Crowley's arrival get special mention among the many uses of "Bohemian Rhapsody" in the show? Well, not only was it the first Queen song in the series, but it also marked an instance of a song playing in-universe for Crowley in the Bentley and as part of the soundtrack. "Bohemian Rhapsody" became his anthem thanks to this scene.

Anathema Hitches A Ride - "Bicycle Race"

Another memorable Queen sequence came in the second episode after a collision between Crowley in the Bentley and Anathema on her bicycle. Despite Aziraphale's shocked statement that Crowley hit somebody, Crowley countered that somebody hit him. (For what it's worth, Anathema did plow into the side of the Bentley.) Crowley begrudgingly agreed to giving Anathema a lift home, and the drive back to her cottage was oh-so-perfectly set to "Bicycle Race."

This scene is an example of a completely on-the-nose use of Queen for a Good Omens scene, and it appeared not to be a song actually playing in Crowley's car. Even if Crowley would have been impassive about it, surely Aziraphale or Anathema would have had a reaction to Crowley blasting "I want to ride my bicycle!" after colliding with Anathema on her bicycle.

Aziraphale's Bookshop Burns - "You're My Best Friend"

Things were getting out of control by the time Crowley climbed into his Bentley and raced to Soho to find Aziraphale in Episode 5, having just escaped Hastur and Ligur. Queen's uplifting "You're My Best Friend" played as Crowley grimly drove to the bookshop, which he discovered in flames. Regardless of the inferno, Crowley entered the bookshop in search of his best friend. It was a heartbreaking and fiery scene contrasting with the cheerful song to great effect.

The use of "You're My Best Friend" was unique in a couple of ways. Although it began while Crowley was in the Bentley, it wasn't clearly playing in-universe until Crowley raced into the burning bookshop when it could be heard coming from Aziraphale's dying gramophone. Since I'm guessing Aziraphale didn't deliberately buy a version of Queen's Greatest Hits for his gramophone, I'm going to count this as a subtle nod to the cassette joke from the book.

Crowley Braves The Blaze - "I'm In Love With My Car"

It was a sign of Crowley's desperation that he was willing to drive his beloved Bentley into the inferno surrounding London. When Hastur escaped from the answering machine tape and popped into the passenger seat of the Bentley, Crowley popped a CD into the player and floored it into the flames... to the tune of "I'm In Love With My Car."

If the gramophone playing "You're My Best Friend" was a subtle nod to the Queen cassette tape joke from the book, then "I'm In Love With My Car" was a total shoutout. Not because the book mentioned this particular Queen song -- because it didn't -- and not because Crowley really is pretty much in love with his car.

No, before "I'm In Love With My Car" actually began to play, the fifth episode showed Crowley popping a Mozart CD into the player. Crowley must have left it in his glove compartment for too long!

Crowley Needs Directions - "We Will Rock You"

By the time Crowley arrived in Tadfield in Episode 5, he was holding the burning Bentley together by sheer strength of will and imagination. He also never looked more demonic than when he pulled up in a flaming car, dressed in all black, and showing his yellow snake eyes without any sunglasses. His demonic look was contrasted with his polite request for directions from a Tadfield resident

Why is this one of the most noteworthy uses of Queen in Good Omens? Well, it's such a great combination of comedy, absurdity, and urgency, and "We Will Rock You" really highlights the ridiculousness of the situation in the best way. It is a ridiculous situation, as were most of Crowley and Aziraphale's attempts to stop the apocalypse. Of course this is one of the best sequences!

It was also arguably the last big moment for the Bentley, which would be destroyed shortly after arriving at the airbase in Episode 6 when Crowley had to start focusing on things other than holding his car together.

Honorable Mention: "Under Pressure" Trailer

Amazon released two big trailers for Good Omens ahead of the premiere, and both used Queen to perfection. The first showcased the relationship between Crowley and Aziraphale with "You're My Best Friend," but the second used "Under Pressure" to hype everything that was to come.

The right music can make a trailer completely unforgettable, as with Stranger Things' "Thriller" trailer for Season 2 and "Baba O'Riley" trailer for Season 3, and "Under Pressure" was guaranteed to get stuck in your head and make you remember that Good Omens was on the way. For folks who had never read the book and didn't really know what was in store, "Under Pressure" was a great way to build anticipation.

You can catch all six episodes of Good Omens (with all of these and more Queen songs) streaming on Amazon now. The finished product is a wild ride, made all the better for one hilarious scene that almost didn't happen.

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Why The New Spider-Man Movies Aren’t Rushing To Use The Daily Bugle

Why The New Spider-Man Movies Aren’t Rushing To Use The Daily Bugle

Although Peter Parker has a keen scientific mind, the main way he’s pulled an income over the decades has been working for The Daily Bugle, mainly by snapping photos of himself as Spider-Man. The Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movies included this element of the Spidey mythology and even Andrew Garfield’s Peter had a side gig at the newspaper in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but so far, Tom Holland’s Peter is not affiliated with the Bugle in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

So what are the chances that the MCU’s Peter Parker could join The Daily Bugle and work with people like J. Jonah Jameson and Robbie Robertson in a future Spider-Man movie? While that option isn’t entirely off the table, executive producer Eric Carroll explained to CinemaBlend and other outlets last year on the Spider-Man: Far From Home London set that because life has changed with technology upgrades and the internet, it doesn’t make as much sense to have the high school-aged Peter working as a traditional newspaper photographer. In Carroll’s words:

We've absolutely talked and thought about those characters a lot. Even in specific reference to this film. And what we just want to make sure we're doing is presenting them in a way that doesn't make you feel instantly like you've seen it before. So, we have a couple of ideas -- some of which I can't really go into detail, because they're a spoiler. But it's absolutely something. Like, if we had an in for the Daily Bugle that wasn't just your traditional newspaper and Peter Parker... there's this cool-weird thing happening where being a photographer isn't necessarily a mark of distinction anymore. We all have better cameras in our pockets than most people owned 10 years ago.

He has a point. When the Sam Raimi-directed Spider-Man trilogy was unfolding last decade, while the internet was obviously popular, smartphones weren’t a thing yet, so it was a lot harder for a non-professional to take a good photo. Nowadays it’s a lot easier for anyone with an iPhone, Android or whatever your smartphone of choice is to snap some incredible shots, meaning there’s not as much incentive for Peter to want to work for The Daily Bugle if he’s not primarily interested in a journalism career.

Plus, Peter Parker is a youth who’s grown up as social media has become increasingly popular, so if he is curious about the kind of media presence Spider-Man has, he’s more likely to look at what people are saying on Twitter and Instagram. In any case, Eric Carroll also mentioned that Spider-Man: Far From Home tries honor the source material as much as possible, and there are apparently a few nods to Peter’s connection to The Daily Bugle. Carroll said:

So, how do we get Peter or somebody into that world without... do people really aspire to be photographers for the New York Times anymore? Or do they aspire to have their Tweet reposted and so on? So, we're trying to pay as much homage to the source material as possible, and we do think there are a couple of fun ideas like that in here -- again, most of which I don't want to spell out for you, but we want to pull out as much of the mythology that people love in a way that's totally faithful and what people love about it, but in a way that doesn't remind me you he is Spider-Man.

Given that the main hook of Spider-Man: Far From Home is watching Peter Parker travel to Europe with his friends and being recruited by Nick Fury to fight the Elementals with Mysterio, one probably shouldn’t get their hopes up about seeing him get a job at The Daily Bugle, let alone interacting with an irate J. Jonah Jameson. That said, one fun nod to the newspaper I could envision is Peter looking at its website or one of its social media platforms while he’s across the pond.

Although Sony is moving full steam ahead on its live action and animated Spider-verse franchises, it’s a good bet we can expect at least one more MCU-set Spider-Man movie, if not more. So even if Spider-Man: Far From Home has other things to focus on, maybe there’s still potential down the line for Peter to get some work experience at The Daily Bugle should he want to explore the world of media, perhaps after he graduates high school.

As far as how Peter Parker’s life is currently going, well, it’s quite the whirlwind of change. Like the rest of those who were dusted by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, Peter was brought back in Avengers: Endgame thanks to Hulk channeling the power of the Infinity Stones. However, he and everyone else who disappeared are the same as they were when Thanos snapped them out of existence, as opposed to being five years older like those who survived.

So now Peter Parker has to go back to high school, and while it may feel to him like no time has passed since he was fighting Thanos on Titan, the world changed a lot in the last five years. Fortunately, there were others in his life, like Aunt May and Ned, who also turned to dust, so it’s not like Peter doesn’t have anyone to talk to who shared this experience.

But along with all this, Peter Parker is also coping with the death of Tony Stark, his mentor and father figure. So even though he’s going on vacation, Peter will have to balance battling threats to humanity and coping with personal pain. Such is the life of a superhero, particularly Spider-Man, who's dealt with a lot of trauma and loss over his decades of comic book and other media appearances.

Spider-Man: Far From Home will spin its web in theaters on July 2, so keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more coverage. Don’t forget to also look through our Marvel movies guide to see what else is coming up in the MCU.

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How Shazam! Changed An Important Sivana Scene During Its Reshoots

How Shazam! Changed An Important Sivana Scene During Its Reshoots

Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS for Shazam! are ahead!

Although the original plan for Shazam! was to have the eponymous protagonist face off against Black Adam, the clash is being saved for the future, as the villain/anti-hero also known as Teth-Adam will first debut in his own movie. Instead, Shazam! used Mark Strong’s Doctor Thaddeus Sivana as its main antagonist, and he definitely showed off his intimidation chops.

This was best demonstrated when Sivana killed everyone inside of a boardroom, including his own brother and father, using the Seven Deadly Sins. As it turns out though, that wasn’t originally the scene that showed just how frightening Sivana could be. I recently spoke with Michel Aller, the editor of Shazam! and frequent collaborator with director David F. Sandberg, and she informed me that during principal photography, Sivana’s display of incredible power happened in a different location. Speaking about the boardroom scene, she said:

It was a later addition. Originally the way Sivana confronts his family was completely different. It was at a Christmas party in his mansion. And so the whole idea of him confronting his family was re-conceived. So that was part of the additional photography.

The Christmas season can be a dramatic time among certain families, but killing your relatives and all the attendees of a holiday party is an entirely different beast. Something like that feels more appropriate during the Airing of Grievances in a Festivus celebration. But as Michel Aller explained to me, during Shazam!’s reshoots phase, it was decided to change things up, which is how the boardroom slaughter came to be.

In case you need a refresher, after Thaddeus Sivana, against the wizard Shazam’s protests, stole the Eye of Sin from the Rock of Eternity and became the new vessel for the Seven Deadly Sins, he traveled to Sivana Industries to confront his father and brother. Both of them had been emotionally abusive towards Thaddeus growing up, with his brother, Sid, blaming him for the accident that paralyzed their father. Now that he had the power to exact revenge, Thaddeus tossed Sid out the window and had the Seven Deadly Sins murder Mr. Sivana and everyone else in the room.

For those curious to see how this massacre was originally supposed to play out at the Christmas party, Michel Aller states that there’s a good chance this will be one of the deleted scenes included on the Shazam! home media release, although obviously the visual effects effects won’t be complete. In her words:

Yeah, I mean, I’ve submitted it and I believe that they’ll include that for sure.

Doctor Sivana didn’t get to enjoy his partnership with the Seven Deadly Sins for very long in Shazam!. Thanks to the World’s Mightiest Mortal and his adoptive siblings, who were able to become superheroes thanks to Billy Batson sharing his power, the Sins were contained back in the Eye of Eternity and redeposited to their prison in the Rock of Eternity, which is now officially the Shazam family’s lair.

However, don’t think this is the last we’ve seen of Sivana in the DC Extended Universe. In the Shazam! mid-credits scene, he was shown obsessively scrawling ancient runes on the walls of his prison cell, desperately trying to go back to Rock of Eternity to reclaim his lost power. However, he was then approached by Mr. Mind, who promised him that there are other ways to obtain power, and by working together, the two of them will be able to conquer the Seven Realms. In other words, Sivana’s days of slaughtering innocents probably aren’t done yet.

Be sure to read CinemaBlend’s review of Shazam! and stay tuned for updates concerning Shazam! 2. In the meantime, catch up on all the other DC movies in development by looking through our handy guide.

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Those '90s Songs In Captain Marvel Are Suddenly Really Popular Again

Those '90s Songs In Captain Marvel Are Suddenly Really Popular Again

When it comes to music in the MCU, Guardians of the Galaxy is the one that has the reputation for the most rockin' soundtrack. The cosmic franchise's Awesome Mix of '70s and '80s hits has been massively popular, but it's Captain Marvel that has all the '90s love. The new Marvel film features a soundtrack of '90s tunes and it's clearly leaving a big impact on audiences because all of these songs combined jumped 464% in downloads.

Captain Marvel is the newest MCU film and follows Brie Larson's Carol Danvers as she tries to discover her past while stuck in the middle of a war between two alien races. The film is set in the '90s and contains several memorable throwbacks to the decade, such as Blockbuster and dial-up internet.

To help keep everyone in the spirit of the '90s, the film's soundtrack includes hits from bands like Nirvana, No Doubt, and Elastica. It's a nostalgic throwback that has the millions of people who have seen the superhero movie in the '90s mood, because these songs have skyrocketed in downloads and streams since the the movie premiered on March 8.

Captain Marvel features 13 rock, pop, and rap songs on its soundtrack. Combined, they collected a 464% gain in sales in the U.S. in the four days after Captain Marvel released in theaters, according to Nielsen Reports (via Billboard). That means that combined, the songs were downloaded 9,000 times -- compared to 2,000 just four days before March 6.

Apparently, The Marvelettes' "Please Mr. Postman," which Nick Fury sings for all of five seconds, is included in this measurement.

For those curious which song was the highest-seller from the soundtrack, that title goes to "Celebrity Skin" by Hole. The song jumped 2,222% in sales to nearly 2,000 downloads during the tracking span. Other songs that saw over 1,000 downloads include Garbage’s “Only Happy When It Rains” (up 1,351%), No Doubt’s “Just a Girl” (up 720%), and Nirvana’s “Come As You Are” (up 371%).

Of course, we can't forget to look at streaming, and the 13 songs saw some notable gains in that area. Collectively, the soundtrack saw a 43% gain, which equates to 4.09 million streams on March 7-10. Comparatively, the collected songs had 2.85 million from March 3-6.

Never underestimate the power of a good throwback! The soundtrack is clearly playing well with people and now it makes me curious if the inevitable Captain Marvel 2 will continue the trend and feature more '90s songs. If the sequel takes place in space or the present day, it probably wouldn't make too much sense.

You can listen to this rippin' soundtrack in Captain Marvel, which is in theaters everywhere. For everything else hitting theaters this year, check out our 2019 movie release guide.

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How Avengers: Endgame Could Set Up Hawkeye's Partnership With Kate Bishop

How Avengers: Endgame Could Set Up Hawkeye's Partnership With Kate Bishop

With just weeks to go until Avengers: Endgame, more and more news about the film and what comes after is slowly but surely circulating the web. The latest is that Disney+ will reportedly have a Hawkeye series that will focus on the hero passing the torch to another character that some have speculated will appear in Avengers: Endgame for some time, Kate Bishop.

With reputable sources reporting Kate will be a part of the Hawkeye series, it's a possibility Marvel fans will get to see her first at some point in Avengers: Endgame. How this would go down, like most things about Avengers: Endgame at the moment, is a mystery, but here are some logical guesses that could predict how she's brought into the picture in the upcoming movie and how she links up with Clint Barton.

Kate Appears As An Adolescent

As we've mentioned in past coverage, there's something suspicious about that scene from the Avengers: Endgame trailer that shows Hawkeye training a young girl how to use a bow. While some have speculated this is his daughter, there are others who think it's actually a misdirection and that he's training a young Kate Bishop to be Hawkeye.

There's even a possibility it could be both, although there would be questions as to why Clint's daughter would be Kate Bishop and not Lila Barton. There are simple explanations for this that fans needn't get hung up on, and there's probably just as many scenarios in which these two have no relation and were brought together by circumstance. After all, quite a few kids surely lost parents in the snap, so perhaps Kate and Clint formed a bond through that.

One would assume that any scene with a young Kate Bishop in Avengers: Endgame wouldn't feature a ton of hero work, as her training to be Hawkeye is said to be a premise of the upcoming Disney + series. Therefore, if we do see Kate Bishop as a kid, don't expect a lot of ass-kicking. At least, not so much ass-kicking that she's already made hero status or something.

Kate Appears As An Adult

Regardless of whether Kate Bishop is the girl Hawkeye is teaching archery to or not in the trailer, it's also possible she's seen as an adult. Kate Bishop's origin typically starts with the Young Avengers, as she's a combat-skilled civilian and capable archer who sneaks onto the team by stealing the gear of Mockingbird and Hawkeye.

Things probably won't happen exactly like that in Avengers: Endgame, given the premise of the television show. That said, it's not an entirely impossible scenario as Hawkeye has traded out his gear for Ronin duds, and Kate could be an emboldened civilian wishing to help and stop feeling so helpless following the snap. A situation similar to her origin plays out where she takes Hawkeye's gear, but is sent away by the hero with a promise he'll train her later.

An adult version of Kate Bishop feels likely, especially given that we still don't know what Katherine Langford's role in Avengers: Endgame is. She has the look and the television experience thanks to her breakout role on the Netflix original series 13 Reasons Why to shoulder a lead role in the Hawkeye series. Introducing her in the film as Kate Bishop would be a subtle way to introduce her and promote the upcoming show which would explore more of her story.

Kate Appears As Hawkeye

Clint Barton's been separated from The Avengers from some time, so it's possible he may have been training Kate Bishop and none of Earth's Mightiest Heroes was aware of it. This would explain why he's Ronin now, as Bishop may already have the mantle of Hawkeye. It's a quick turnaround to create a hero, but when half of existence gets wiped out, one could imagine no one's complaining about beefing up the hero numbers a bit.

Should this be the case, there's a chance that the young girl shown with Hawkeye in the Avengers: Endgame trailer is not Kate Bishop. Some time will pass in Avengers: Endgame, but I would assume not so much that a child can go from middle-schooler to young adult. If that did happen, it could be because The Avengers used time travel and Hawkeye stayed behind to train Kate and keep the world safe in the time between the heroes traveling.

Which isn't a bad idea, because that leaves a gap of time for the Hawkeye series to take place. A series set within a timeline before the Avengers reset the events of the Snap would be cool to explore, and not entirely impossible to believe considering that Loki series could be a prequel. Not every Disney+ Marvel series necessarily has to take place post-Avengers: Endgame, so don't rule this one out as a possibility just yet.

Kate Appears As A Member Of Young Avengers

Another popular theory surrounding Avengers: Endgame is the possibility of a Quantum Realm-fueled jump into the future that puts the original Avengers face to face with The Young Avengers. There the team could meet Kate Bishop as the new Hawkeye and fight alongside her in battle. Once back in a present timeline, Clint realizes he needs to find that girl and train her to be the hero she could eventually become.

It's a far-reaching theory considering fans know nothing about the latter acts of the 3+ hour film that apparently won't have dull scenes for pee breaks, but there are some roots. Marvel's dropped breadcrumbs that imply an older Cassie Lang will appear as a hero, and she just so happens to be another key member of the Young Avengers alongside Kate Bishop. Now that Kate is confirmed to be a part of Marvel's future plans, this somewhat strengthens the theory.

We could speculate all day, but if there's one theory I'm feeling confident on, it's that Kate Bishop will appear in Avengers: Endgame in some way. Excluding her when there's a chance to promote the upcoming series with her appearance would be a mistake, and Marvel has been pretty good about cross promotion. Then again, the studio has somewhat dropped the ball on that in regards to television, but with Marvel Studios involved in these shows, things may be different.

The world will see if or how Kate Bishop appears in Avengers: Endgame when it premieres Thursday, April 25. Stick with CinemaBlend for all updates on the film and other entertainment news in the meantime.

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Shazam! 2 Will Likely Follow This Cool Comic Storyline

Shazam! 2 Will Likely Follow This Cool Comic Storyline

Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS for Shazam! are ahead!

With all the money it’s made at the box office so far and the amount of positive reception it’s earned, it’s safe to say that Shazam! is another hit for Warner Bros and DC. It’s likelier than not that a sequel will move forward, and producer Peter Safran acknowledged that Shazam! 2 will have to come together quickly since the young cast members are quickly growing up.

Fortunately, like many superhero movie’s before it, Shazam! used its mid/post-credits scene to foreshadow set up what’s to come. Assuming a misdirect isn’t in the cards, it looks like this upcoming story will be based on the currently-running Shazam comic book by writer Geoff Johns and artist Dale Eaglesham, which hasn’t even wrapped up its first story arc yet!

For those who need a refresher on Shazam!’s mid-credits scene, Mark Strong’s Thaddeus Sivana was seen obsessively scratching ancient runes on the walls of his prison cell, desperately trying to get back to the Rock of Eternity so he can reclaim his last power. Suddenly, a nearby voice tells him that there are other ways to obtain powers, and by the forming alliance, Sivana and these two can conquer the “seven realms.”

We soon see that this voice doesn’t come from a giant, foreboding figure, but from a tiny, yet still unnerving, super intelligent caterpillar named Mister Mind. He was first seen in Shazam! trapped in a glass case when the adolescent Sivana was brought to the Rock of Eternity, but had managed to escape confinement by the time Billy Batson showed up at the wizard Shazam’s lair.

Although the Shazam! movie drew from all across Shazam’s comic book history, it was primarily based off the New 52 origin story written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Gary Frank. That story also ended with Mister Mind proposing an alliance to Dr. Sivana, although in this instance, the two of them met when Dr. Sivana tried to break back into the Rock of Eternity following Black Adam’s defeat, with Mister Mind trapped inside of a glass case. In this case, though, Dr. Sivana was desperate for magical power to “save his family,” hence why he’d entertain working with a sinister caterpillar.

Five years after Shazam’s New 52 origin story concluded, DC finally debuted an ongoing Shazam comic book series starring these new incarnations of the Shazam family. At the time of this writing, only four issues have been released, with issue #5 coming out on May 8.

However, Shazam!’s tease of Sivana and Mister Mind working together, Mind’s “seven realms” comment and some weirdness Billy Batson and his adoptive siblings deal with in the Rock of Eternity indicates that Shazam! 2 will be based off the tale that Geoff Johns and Dale Eaglesham are currently delivering on the printed page.

In the current Shazam comic book, Billy and his siblings discover a passage way in the Rock of Eternity that leads to a old fashioned-looking train station providing transportation to other corners of the Magiclands, which is comprised of seven magical realms: the Earthlands (a.k.a. our reality), the Funlands, the Gamelands, the Wildlands, the Monsterlands, the Woznerlands and the Darklands. Thus far, the latter three realms haven’t been shown yet, but the others are all kinds of weird.

There wasn’t a train station to be seen in Shazam!’s version of the Rock of Eternity, but it does have its own gateways to other worlds. While Billy and the kids were trying to escape Sivana, they came across a cavern filled with countless doors. One of them led to a room where three crocodile-men (modeled off the kinds of creatures that Shazam/Captain Marvel has battled numerous times in the comics) were playing cards, another door containing a tentacle creature resembling the Demogoron from Stranger Things, and a third door that just tried to suck in everyone.

Aside from visits to the Rock of Eternity, Shazam! only took place on Earth, but these doorways and Mister Mind aspiring for multi-dimensional domination foreshadow that Shazam! 2 will likely have the Shazam family visiting other magical realms. Whether or not these realms will directly resemble the Magiclands from the comics remains to be seen, although the presence of these crocodile men and the prospect of bringing the anthropomorphic tiger Tawky Tawny, a longtime member of the Shazam mythos (who was subtly referenced in Shazam! via a stuffed tiger toy), suggest that the Wildlands could at least appear.

Oh, and it’s also worth mentioning that Dr. Sivana and Mister Mind are involved in the current Shazam comic book. Thus far the full extent of their machinations hasn’t been revealed yet, but they’re definitely up to no good, as Mind instructed Sivana to kill a doctor because the “tongue of a medicine man” is required for a spell they’re casting.

We also learned how Mind is believed to have originated from the Wildlands and nearly destroyed the Council of Eternity. Perhaps this backstory will be retained for Shazam! 2, especially given that Mind was imprisoned at the Rock of Eternity for an untold period of time.

Assuming that Shazam! 2 is based off of Geoff Johns’ current Shazam arc, it would be just another way the writer’s work has influenced the DCEU. Justice League was based off of the opening issues of his New 52 Justice League run, and Aquaman drew from his acclaimed New 52 Aquaman run, as well as incorporated elements of his scrapped "Rise of the Seven Seas" event. Johns had previously helped guide the DCEU as DC Entertainment president, but he stepped down from that role and Chief Creative Officer last year to focus on comic book writing and producing more projects.

Shazam! hasn’t even been theaters for a week, so it may be a while before we hear any specific information about what’s in store for Shazam! 2. Still, much like how Aquaman set the stage for a Black Manta/Stephen Shin team-up in Aquaman 2, Shazam! showed audiences that Mister Mind is work with Dr. Sivana, and it’s a good bet that whatever they have planned will require the Shazam gang to venture out into the magical beyond.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on Shazam! 2, which will be written by the man who penned the first movie, Henry Gayden. But for now, you can pick up the Shazam comic book series digitally or at your local comic book store to get a sense of what might be depicted on the big screen, and don’t forget to look through our handy guide to learn what else the DCEU has coming up.

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