Lady In The Tramp’s Controversial Song Is Getting Changed For The Remake

Lady In The Tramp’s Controversial Song Is Getting Changed For The Remake
siamese cats in Lady and the Tramp

Out of all the classic Disney songs still stuck in your head since childhood, there’s one we’re okay with forgetting: "The Siamese Cat Song." It’s racist and it’s annoying! Thankfully, Disney’s upcoming Lady and the Tramp live-action remake will not be including the song in the soundtrack. Instead, pop sensation Janelle Monáe will be replacing it by penning an original new track.


The Grammy-nominated musician will be lending her talent to the Disney+ movie to refresh the problematic track with her artist collective Wondaland. She will also be adding her own take on “He’s a Tramp” from the original 1955 film and voice a Pekingese dog named Peg, per EW.


“The Siamese Cat Song” isn’t just being changed; there won’t be any trace of it, as the cat breed will not have a presence in the remake. It’s a crucial move for the studio to excise the Asian stereotypes portrayed in the original film that make the animated film dated, and Disney’s decision to enlist the woman behind 2018’s Grammy-nominated Album of the Year Dirty Computer is also a juicy meatball on top.




Among Disney’s many beloved animated films, Lady and the Tramp hasn’t remained as relevant, except for the signature “Bella Notte” scene. Perhaps the remake will breathe some new light into the tale. The movie stars Tessa Thompson (Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok) and Justin Theroux (The Leftovers) as the titular star-crossed doggos. The film also features Sam Elliott as Trusty, Benedict Wong as Bull and Ashley Jensen as a female version of the Scotty dog named Jock.


Thomas Mann from Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and Kong: Skull Island will be Lady’s human owner Jim Dear. Kiersey Clemons, who previously starred in Flatliners and Hearts Beat Loud, will play his wife Darling. The movie is directed by Charlie Bean, who helmed The LEGO Ninjago Movie and Disney Channel’s Tron: Uprising series.


The Lady and the Tramp remake will be the first Disney film to be released exclusively for its new streaming platform launching in November. It was recently announced the movie will be available to stream on the first day Disney+ comes out. Among the other new content on Disney+ to look forward to at launch is Jon Favreau’s Mandalorian television series and a show called The World According to Jeff Goldblum.




Disney+ will launch on November 12 at the impressive price of $6.99, making the price of Lady and the Tramp alone half the price of a movie ticket if you forget all the other options to be found on the streaming service. The addition of Janelle Monáe and Wondaland’s musical tastes to the film certainly looks to bring something new to the movie and reimagining some dated memorable moments from the classic film.


Zac Efron Responds To Concerns Over Glamorizing Ted Bundy In Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile

Zac Efron Responds To Concerns Over Glamorizing Ted Bundy In Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile
Zac Efron as Ted Bundy in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, And Vile

When former Disney Channel teenage heartthrob Zac Efron signed on to play Ted Bundy, one question that may have popped up in some of our heads: “Why does Hollywood want me to be attracted to a serial killer?” If you look a little closer into the Bundy case that his new Netflix film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, And Vile is telling, Efron’s casting may just be the perfect choice.


Before Ted Bundy was sent to death row in the ‘80s for the murder of over 30 women across the United States, his good looks and charisma were exact reason why his longtime girlfriend and the public were thrown off to his heinous crimes. The upcoming movie looks to be steering away from placing Bundy’s murderous actions front and center on screen, as it tells the tale through his girlfriend Liz’s perspective (played by Lily Collins) as she learns of his vile side.


During a recent visit to The Ellen Show, Zac Efron explained that the movie will not show Ted Bundy’s actions as inviting, contrary to the film’s early controversy. In his words:





The goal was a very challenging one and I'm thrilled that it turned out the way that it did. I am not into portraying a serial killer or anybody of this nature or glamorizing them in any way ... it does not glamorize the killing. This is an important thing for people to hear.



While Zac Efron has a shiny reputation for playing likable characters (who usually can sing), this is not one of them. The actor took a deep-dive into the movie’s character study of the infamous killer and even has recently opened up about the trouble he had separating himself from the role once he was off set.


Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, And Vile will act as a cautionary tale to those who easily trust people because they are easy on the eyes and know how to bring out the charm. Zac Efron told Ellen why he thinks the serial killer got away with so many crimes between 1974 and 1978 with these words:





Ted Bundy was a clean-cut, white dude, white person, so talk about white privilege. What he got away with back then, nobody would be able to do today.



The actor also touched on how this movie is perfect for the “world of swipe left and swipe right” many of us live in. So “hot Ted Bundy” is very much intentional and may challenge the ways in which we pass judgement on the people who commit crimes or don’t.


After premiering at Sundance earlier this year, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, And Vile was purchased by Netflix for $9 million and will hit the streaming site this Friday, May 3.




Netflix's Unicorn Store Trailer Gives Brie Larson And Samuel L. Jackson A New Mission

Netflix's Unicorn Store Trailer Gives Brie Larson And Samuel L. Jackson A New Mission

Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson clearly had a great time making Captain Marvel, and they are back for a very different movie in Unicorn Store. Larson not only stars in the comedy, she also directed and produced it. In the Netflix film -- which starts streaming April 5, the same day Shazam! hits theaters -- a woman named Kit receives a mysterious invitation that would fulfill her childhood dreams. Samuel L. Jackson's character, The Salesman, invites her to The Store, a place that sells "what you need." To Kit, that's a unicorn. Check out the trailer:


Unicorn Store kind of has a Willy Wonka/Stephen King's Needful Things vibe about it, at least from the trailer. It also stars Joan Cusack, Bradley Whitford, Karan Soni, Mamoudou Athie, Mary Holland, and Hamish Linklater.


Unicorn Store marks Brie Larson's feature film directorial debut. The comedy actually filmed in late 2016, before Captain Marvel, and screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2017. It's probably getting a prominent release now on Netflix because of that soon-to-be-billion-dollar movie starring both Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson.





Brie Larson shot to worldwide fame as Captain Marvel, who is about to lead the MCU, but she got the role hot off her Best Actress Oscar for Room. And some of us have loved her since she played Toni Collette's troubled teen in the Showtime series United States of Tara. This Unicorn Store role as whimsical, immature, lost soul Kit seems like a great contrast to Larson's more serious strength as Carol Danvers in the hit Marvel movie. It'll be refreshing to see her in a comedy in the middle of her back-to-back MCU movies.


Of course, fans are already having fun cracking jokes about how this movie looks like Captain Marvel on drugs, and Thanos must've really messed with reality to put Carol Danvers and Nick Fury in this unicorn movie. There are also plenty of Goose jokes, wondering where the Flerken cat might be in this movie. 'Cause it's not a true teammup without the real hero.


Unicorn Store, written by Samantha McIntyre, currently has a 68% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but that's just from 19 reviews. Fans can judge the movie for themselves when it streams April 5. Here are more movies headed to Netflix in April, and don't forget all of the incredible movies headed to theaters in April, like another one starring Brie Larson called Avengers: Endgame.





Andrew Garfield Reveals Which Part Of Playing Spider-Man Felt 'Really F-ing Good’

Andrew Garfield Reveals Which Part Of Playing Spider-Man Felt 'Really F-ing Good’
Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker / Spider-Man in suit in Amazing Spider-Man

Five years ago, we were gearing up for a Spider-man sequel for Andrew Garfield’s iteration. These days, we are here readily awaiting Tom Holland’s second take at the character in this summer’s Spider-Man: Far From Home. Crazy how history repeats itself, isn’t it?


(Sadly for some) Andrew Garfield’s time as the friendly webslinger came to an end when the character was negotiated into the hands of Disney’s MCU and the studio had a new direction planned for Spider-Man (...such as turning the character to dust?) Since moving on from the role, Garfield has been taking on various dramatic roles, such as in Martin Scorsese’s Silence and his Oscar-nominated role in Hacksaw Ridge. His famed Spider-Man role is still very much a part of him, though he recently admitted some satisfaction about waving goodbye to the superhero. Here’s what he said, and be forewarned there is an f-bomb...



That was the big learning experience of my creative life, and I have so many feelings about it and I'm still a huge fan of the character. But, it was nice to be able to fling it symbolically across the room for a second. That felt really fucking good, I have to admit!






During a London screening for his upcoming movie Under the Silver Lake, Spider-Man came up in the conversation, since there is apparently a reference to the character in the upcoming film. Andrew Garfield told the audience the Easter egg is coincidental before opening up about the “complicated relationship” he has with his Spider-Man tenure, expressing both gratitude and the strange satisfaction that came with leaving the role.


Andrew Garfield has discussed how his struggle with “bearing the weight” of the iconic hero and considering the actor led a franchise that made creative decisions that led to the failure of the franchise and hand off to Disney, Garfield understandably went through some frustrations while playing the role.


Take a look at Andrew Garfield talking about his former role at the screening in a video from Twitter user @schnapsideer below:





Anyone else looking forward to that book Andrew Garfield mentions he’ll write someday that he thinks “no one will read”? I think he’s got a million-dollar idea there! Tons of people would love to hear the dirty details about what it’s like to play the webslinger and what led to the underperforming Amazing Spider-Man 2 in 2014.


Despite the circumstances, Andrew Garfield has shown his support for Tom Holland taking over the role and has moved on to show off his dramatic chops in movies such as Breathe, 99 Homes and Under the Silver Lake coming April 19. Spider-Man is in his rightful place in the MCU with Iron Man, Cap and the gang and Sony has found a way to continue establishing its own Spider-Verse with Garfield, starting with the recent success of Venom and Into the Spider-Verse. Be sure to stay tuned to CinemaBlend to find out what the studio brings to the table next!


Looks Like Thanos Is Getting An Epic Weapon In Avengers: Endgame

Looks Like Thanos Is Getting An Epic Weapon In Avengers: Endgame
Thanos with his sword

It is arguably the most exciting time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe thus far. A decade of filmmaking and 21 blockbusters will come to a head when Avengers: Endgame arrives in theaters this month, ending both Phase Three and the MCU as we know it. Moviegoers are eager to return to the MCU, and see what happened to the galaxy after Thanos wiped out half of all life with the snap of his big purple finger.


The trailers and marketing material has teased a darker and more grim world for the survivors to inhabit in the wake of Thanos' dinger snap (aka The Decimation). But Josh Brolin's signature villain has been largely absent, save for a shot of his armor and his hand walking through a field. Fans are eager to catch up with the Mad Titan, and now merchandise has revealed he'll be getting a badass new weapon in Endgame. Check it out below.


Does anyone else have chills? It looks like Thanos is getting a sword in Avengers: Endgame, which should be a new way to see the Mad Titan in action. And considering that characters like Thor are packing heat, it opens up the possibilities for action in the upcoming sequel.




This new image comes to us from Hot Toys, which are selling a stunning rendering of Thanos in Avengers: Endgame. With the blockbuster just weeks away, its merchandise is set to arrive in theaters. Blockbusters in the MCU make a ton of money through action figures, but toys can sometimes leak information before they hit theaters. That seems to be the case with Thanos' new sword, which will no doubt bring some punishment to the surviving heroes when Endgame finally arrives.


The Endgame trailers show that the surviving heroes are focused on avenging the fallen, whatever it takes. It looks like the upcoming blockbuster will largely focus on those characters, and how they're coping with the apocalyptic event that Thanos caused. This is in stark juxtaposition to Infinity War, which followed Thanos as the protagonist. But while he's noticeably absent from the trailers, Josh Brolin's character should still have a major affect on the events of Endgame.


But it looks like the public won't know much about Thanos' role until Endgame finally arrives in theaters. Marvel Studios is keeping its cards close to the chest to avoid spoilers, and allow moviegoers to have the optimal experience in theaters. In fact, the Russo Brothers are encouraging fans to avoid spoilers and see their blockbuster on its opening weekend in order keep all of its secrets. And that includes Thanos' role and ultimate fate.




According to Gamora, Thanos has only ever wanted one thing: to assemble the Infinity Stones and wipe out half of all life. Now that's he's succeeded, one has to wonder: what's next? How is he holding up in retirement?


Avengers: Infinity War gave the audience a clear look into Thanos' psyche, however monstrous it was. Josh Brolin's layered motion capture performance brought heart and context to the character's quest for mass genocide. While intent on murdering half of all life, the Mad Titan truly believes he's doing a good thing. Because in solving overpopulation with a snap, he's convinced he's saving future generations from a galaxy that can't sustain them.


It's a quest that's misguided, but something Thanos has built his entire belief system on. What's more, he's got firsthand experience, after seeing his home planet of Titan reduced to rubble in the wake of overpopulation. Thanos was willing to do anything to ensure victory, including killing his daughter Gamora in order to acquire the Soul Stone. And since he's succeeded, the question is: what now?




After all, what's the point of changing the galaxy if you have no one to share it with? While he wiped out half of all live, Thanos suffered loss throughout the course of Avengers: Infinity War as well. Every member of his Black Order perished in the blockbuster, all while attempting to serve their master. He's also presumably still grappling with the guilt and mourning over Gamora, who was killed by his own hands.


Gamora's death played a major role in Avengers: Infinity War, with the young Gamora coming to Thanos after he snapped his fingers and caused The Decimation. And when Mantis managed to incapacitate him briefly on Titan, she felt his mourning and agony. Marvel villains aren't typically shown with such conflicted motivations, or having any remorse for their actions. So it should be interesting to see how Thanos has changed since we last saw him.


Of course, most cinephiles assume that the affects of Thanos' snap will be reversed during Endgame, although how it anyone's guess. Common fan theories involve time travel and The Quantum Realm, but what if the Mad Titan simply changed his mind? Could his time in retirement and inevitable new conflict with the surviving heroes make him change his mind? It would be fascinating to see Josh Brolin's signature character do an about face, and it would be a major change in Thanos' personality.




In addition to seeing how Thanos has managed after The Snap, it will also be interesting to see him interact with what's left of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. While Infinity War saw Gamora and Nebula dealing with their trauma and hatred toward Thanos, now all of the characters have the same bone to pick. The entire galaxy is in mourning, so the motivation to take down Thanos is all the more dire. And now the good guys have reinforcements with Captain Marvel and Ant-Man.


According to one hilarious fan theory, Ant-Man and Thanos' purple butt are the way the good guys will eventually win. Even Josh Brolin weighed in on it all. Still, Paul Rudd's character looks like he's going to have a major role in the upcoming blockbuster.


All will be revealed when Avengers: Endgame arrives on April 26th, one year after Infinity War shocked us all. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.




How Much The Live Action Aladdin Could Make Opening Weekend

How Much The Live Action Aladdin Could Make Opening Weekend
Jasmine in Aladdin live action 2019

One of the pillars of Disney’s absurdly stacked 2019 theatrical slate is the live-action remakes of the studio’s animated classics. The first of this year’s remakes, Dumbo, just hit theaters at the end of March and now we can begin to look ahead at the next one on the docket, May’s Aladdin. Although Dumbo may be an exception, past live-action remakes have proven especially lucrative for Disney. So, will Aladdin too enjoy Cave of Wonders-like riches at the box office?


The early tracking is in for director Guy Ritchie’s remake of the beloved 1992 film and if one of Disney’s wishes was for Aladdin to have a big opening weekend, that wish looks like it may be granted. Opening over the long Memorial Day weekend, Aladdin is tracking at a three-day weekend between $70 million and $95 million and a four-day between $85 million and a huge $115 million according to Box Office Pro.


After Dumbo’s somewhat lackluster debut a couple of weeks back, a big opening for Aladdin could get these live-action remakes back in the win column. Dumbo opened below expectations to $45.9 million, which is on the lower end of Disney’s recent live-action remakes, eclipsing only Pete’s Dragon and Alice Through the Looking Glass. Yet Dumbo faced mixed reviews. Plus, as a remake of a much older film, it doesn’t have quite the same nostalgic potency of something like Aladdin, which hails from the much-heralded Disney Renaissance.




This long-range tracking for the three and four-day weekend is very broad and could see Aladdin swing either way with the result being tens of millions of dollars difference. An opening weekend on the low end of tracking at $70 million would put Aladdin behind only Alice in Wonderland, The Jungle Book and the absolutely massive Beauty and the Beast, which opened to $174.7 million.


Based on the current tracking, Aladdin definitely wouldn’t take that top spot (The Lion King is coming for that), but it could overperform and surpass The Jungle Book’s $103.2 million opening to snag the third-highest opening weekend for a Disney live-action remake. Either way, it looks like Aladdin should land in the upper echelon of this category.


The original Aladdin opened back in November of 1992 and earned $19.2 million in its first wide weekend and went on to become that year’s biggest film at the box office, with a domestic haul of $217.4 million or $473 million in today’s dollars. That success is indicative of the love for the film and the nostalgic power it has over those who grew up with it. That bodes well for the film, as this tracking suggests.




However, nostalgia is a double-edged sword and the early marketing for Aladdin was met with concern at how Will Smith’s Genie looked, the visuals and the portrayal of Jafar. Following Robin Williams’ iconic performance --even 27 years later -- is no easy thing. The most recent full trailer assuaged some of these concerns, but bringing back Alan Menken to do the music alone may not be enough to win over the most particular of fans.


So it will be interesting to see how the marketing affects this tracking between now and the film’s release. On the competition front, Aladdin opens two weeks after Detective Pikachu and two weeks before The Secret Life of Pets 2, those films being the most obvious competition for the family-friendly dollar.


The Memorial Day weekend is a huge one for moviegoing and although not necessarily competing for the same audience, Aladdin does have some interesting competition opening opposite it. The sci-fi epic Ad Astra starring Brad Pitt opens that weekend, as does the R-rated superhero film Brightburn and the directorial debut of Olivia Wilde, Booksmart. That’s a heck of a lineup, so forget cookouts and go hang out in the theater that weekend.




Aladdin shows us a whole new world when it opens on May 24. Check out our 2019 release schedule to see all of the movies you can look forward to the rest of this year.


First Look At Kristen Stewart And The New Charlie's Angels Cast On Set

First Look At Kristen Stewart And The New Charlie's Angels Cast On Set
Naomi Scott, Kristen Stewart, Ella Balinska and Elizabeth Banks

From Farrah Fawcett to Cheryl Ladd to the trio of Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu and Cameron Diaz, a host of famous actresses have played Charlie’s Angels over the years and later in 2019, three new names join their ranks. Naomi Scott, Kristen Stewart and Ella Balinska star as the titular Angels in Elizabeth Banks’ Charlie’s Angels reboot and we now have our first look at the new Angels cast on set. Check it out:


The more I see images like this the more I’m convinced that spy movies are really the best possible type of movie to work on because of all the beautiful, historic and exotic places around the world you get to film in. Here we see the three new Angels, Naomi Scott’s Elena Houghlin, Kristen Stewart’s Sabina Wilson and Ella Balinska’s Jane Kano, alongside director Elizabeth Banks, who also plays Bosley in the film.


These three are dressed to impress and are standing outside the Hagia Sophia Museum in Istanbul. The architectural marvel is exactly the kind of locale you would expect to see in a movie like this and whether they actually filmed inside it or not, it definitely evokes some Dan Brown-esque intrigue.




The next image shows Kristen Stewart’s Sabina dressing up and doing some classic Charlie’s Angels infiltration work. Take a look:


In Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, we saw the Angels in a motocross race. In the new reboot, Kristen Stewart’s character will be entering the sport of kings. The Angels’ skills are many and although the other jockeys look suspicious of her, she probably has a mission far more important than winning a race.


This next image shows future Jasmine, Naomi Scott’s character disguised as a photojournalist.




Given the fancy hat, Elena may also be at the racetrack to investigate something or witness something that is expected to happen there. Whatever it is, it may not go down as planned based on this next photo.


Here the Angels are all together and spying on someone or something. Given Kristen Stewart’s gloves in this image and Naomi Scott’s green outfit, I would guess this may follow the jockey scene in the film. If that’s the case, something is clearly going down.


Fortunately, whatever happens, the Angels should be well equipped to deal with it.




This is a cool image that shows Elizabeth Banks and Kristen Stewart on some sort of Charlie’s Angels headquarters set. Like all good spys and superheroes, the characters in Charlie’s Angels have a bunch of great tech and gadgets at their disposal. A drone, knives, watches, jewelry, nail polish and are those Altoids tins? If so I’m guessing they do a lot more than just freshen breath.


In addition to the actresses playing the three Angels, Charlie’s Angels also boasts a cast that includes Djimon Hounsou, Sam Clafin, Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Tucker and Noah Centineo, the latter of whom can be seen in a new photo below.


Noah Centineo broke out on Netflix’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and is in talks to play He-Man in Masters of the Universe. His Langston is expected to be one of the Angels’ love interests in Charlie’s Angels and based on this image, that Angel may be Ella Balinska’s Jane.




Although we’ve heard that this reboot will be more grounded than the previous films, these images give off a brightly-colored vibe that indicates that Elizabeth Banks’ Charlie’s Angels will still be a fun, comedic spy movie versus something darker and more serious. Now that we’ve finally seen some images from the set of the film, hopefully a look at these new Angels in action as part of a trailer isn’t too far behind.


Charlie’s Angels will see the Townsend Agency as an international organization, with Angels and Bosleys all around the world. When a whistleblower reveals dangerous technology, the Angels are called in to deal with it.


Charlie’s Angels hits theaters on November 15. You can see everything headed your way this year in our 2019 Release Schedule.