Sounds Like Die Hard 6 Is Up In The Air After Disney Deal

Sounds Like Die Hard 6 Is Up In The Air After Disney Deal

The Disney/Fox deal has left plenty of questions on the table. One question that hasn't come up as often as, say, Will The X-Men Join The MCU? is What Will Happen With Die Hard 6? The movie got as far as a title, McClane, and early news that Bruce Willis would return, along with a new actor playing a younger John McClane.

The first five Die Hard movies were distributed by 20th Century Fox. Now Fox titles are owned by Disney. So when Die Hard 6 producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura was asked if they had a start date yet for McClane, he added Disney to his answer:

I wish, not yet. I don’t know what’s going to happen there. It’s really up to them because obviously now they’re owned by Disney. My sense is that we won’t know much about it for a while while they debate whatever they’re debating. I don’t know enough about their plans really to have any point of view. They like our script.

"They" like the script -- that's a good sign, even if the specifics of "they" weren't discussed in his chat with /FILM. There's been a lot of talk about the script in the past year. Bruce Willis talked about checking out the script a year ago. Shortly after that, reports came out claiming The Conjuring writers Chad and Carey Hayes were hired to write the next Die Hard script.

In September, Lorenzo Di Bonaventura told Empire the movie's title would be McClane, saying "We want you to get invested in John McClane more than ever before." At the time, he confirmed McClane would bounce back and forth between older present day McClane, played by Bruce Willis, and a younger McClane to be cast in his 20s. The film was previously being eyed as Die Hard: Year One.

In late January, Film Stories UK talked to Lorenzo Di Bonaventura and he told the site McClane was still moving forward with Len Wiseman (Live Free or Die Hard) attached to direct. But as of March 20, 21st Century Fox is part of The Walt Disney Company. There's a lot to sort through in the transition, including layoffs and release date changes.

Hope is not lost for Die Hard 6/McClane, but it just seems to be in limbo, along with many other films. It was already in limbo as the script was developed. Based on Lorenzo Di Bonaventura's latest comments, it sounds like they've landed on a script they like, it's just a matter of who is now in charge of moving the project forward and deciding what stays and what goes. As he hinted, we may not know much about it for a while as The Powers That Be sift through the many Disney/Fox projects in development.

As we wait to see whether Mickey Mouse kills off John McClane or helps get him back on screen soon, keep up with what we do know is coming to theaters this year with our 2019 movie release date schedule.

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Kevin Feige ‘Wasn’t Pleased’ With Those Avengers: Endgame Leaks

Kevin Feige ‘Wasn’t Pleased’ With Those Avengers: Endgame Leaks

After a long year of waiting, the time is finally upon us. Avengers: Endgame arrives in theaters this week, picking up the narrative from Infinity War. The Russo Brothers shocked audiences by having Thanos win the day, and wipe out half of all life with the snap of his fingers. Audiences watched in horror as countless fan favorites faded to dust, and were left wondering what TF could happen next.

Marvel Studios has been guarding its secrets for the past year, focusing on Ant-Man and The Wasp and Captain Marvel before revealing the first trailer and title of Endgame. But with days left before Endgame's premier, spoilers began leaking online. Now Marvel Studios Kevin Feige has addressed these leaks, saying:

I wasn’t pleased. It’s not cool. It’s not fun. But the response was what I expected, which was everybody turning it off, dismissing it, ‘Don’t watch it, don’t spoil it for anybody else.’

Considering how methodically Marvel has released information about Endgame, you can't blame Kevin Feige for being miffed about spoilers hitting the web before its release. But there is a silver lining: most fans have actively avoided them, attempting to get the full theatrical experience for the movie's opening weekend.

Kevin Feige's comments to The Associated Press make a great deal of sense, especially given how high the stakes of Avengers: Endgame are. Aside from picking the story from Infinity War, The Russo Brothers' highly anticipated blockbuster has been teased as the cumulation of the last 21 movies. Endgame's runtime is longer to accommodate the various plot lines, and the fandom deserves to experience each surprise. They've been shelling out money for a decade, after all.

The marketing campaign for Avengers: Endgame has been purposefully vague, mostly setting up the bleak world after Thanos' finger snap of death (aka The Decimation). While the surviving heroes will attempt to unite the stones and reverse Thanos' mass extermination, it's unclear exactly how. We have a ton of questions ahead of the film's release, and the limited footage doesn't answer much. So if the fandom actively tries to avoid spoilers, they should hopefully be able to see Endgame without knowing anything about the film's contents.

Related: 10 Questions We Still Have About Avengers: Endgame

The next few days are crucial regarding Endgame spoilers, as the movie is finally being screened for the press and insiders. We're also only a day away from early Thursday shows, so social media will be a dangerous place for cinephiles waiting for their showing. CinemaBlend will continue covering the fourth Avengers flick but any spoiler-ey content will have a warning at the top of the page.

Avengers: Endgame will finally arrive in theaters on April 26th. In the meantime, fill out CinemaBlend's Endgame death pool, and check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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Captain Marvel Brought Marvel To A Box Office Milestone

Captain Marvel Brought Marvel To A Box Office Milestone

Heading in to its second weekend, Captain Marvel is an unmitigated financial success. Carol Danvers had the biggest March opening ever, the 2nd biggest worldwide opening for any superhero movie and the film has already passed the $500 million milestone. Captain Marvel does not exist in a vacuum though; it is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and its success has rocketed Marvel higher, further, faster to a new box office milestone.

Captain Marvel is the 21st entry into the MCU canon and combined, those 21 titles have now surpassed $18 billion in worldwide ticket sales, according to Variety. That’s billion with a ‘B’ and the MCU is now a member of the three-comma club 18 times over. I guess a $455 million worldwide opening weekend will do a lot to help you reach box office milestones.

If you do the math on that $18 billion over 21 movies, each Marvel movie is worth 4/5th of a billion dollars, or to be more exact, assuming my math is closer to Bruce Banner’s than the Hulk’s, $857.14 million. Or, to put another way, in roughly 11 years in existence, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has averaged about $1.63 billion a year.

The MCU has been the most successful franchise in movie history for a while now, and the $18 billion milestone just further cements the brand’s unparalleled and unprecedented achievements. There is something cool about the fact that it was Captain Marvel, a hero with Marvel in her name that added this notch to Marvel’s belt.

Captain Marvel was just the first entry in the MCU’s stacked 2019 though and Marvel may add a few more billion-dollar notches before it’s all said and done. Captain Marvel is now at $524 million worldwide and is tracking to add another $70-$85 million in its second weekend domestically.

Beyond Captain Marvel is Avengers: Endgame, which premiered a new trailer this morning. That film, the capstone on Phase 3 and the first 11 years of the MCU may hit an absolutely insane $282 million in its opening weekend just domestically. Avengers: Infinity War hit $2 billion worldwide and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Endgame repeat that feat with another $2 billion to follow up Captain Marvel. It’s a good thing too, Disney has bills to pay.

With Spider-Man: Far From Home on the way in July (a Sony film that is still MCU even if Disney doesn’t get the money from it) the MCU will certainly pass the $20 billion milestone at the worldwide box this year.

It is truly remarkable considering how it was only around the turn of the millennium that comic book movies became good and respected after wallowing in mediocrity for a long time. There was even a time not long ago when loving comic books and superheroes was something you didn’t advertise because it was considered uncool. Now superheroes are literally the biggest thing in the history of the movie business the world over and it’s not even close. That's pretty neat.

Captain Marvel is now playing. Check out our 2019 release schedule to keep track of all the biggest films arriving this year and stay tuned to CinemaBlend for all your movie news.

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Captain America: Civil War Almost Focused A Lot More On Bucky

Captain America: Civil War Almost Focused A Lot More On Bucky

One of the biggest blockbusters of 2016, Captain America: Civil War took inspiration from Mark Millar’s 2006-2007 Marvel Comics crossover series that gave it its title, telling the story of a superhero community torn apart by philosophical differences. But it wasn’t always so. There was once an alternate version of the MCU’s third Captain America movie that originally 3 focused much more on Bucky Barnes and his journey coming out of the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Screenwriter Christopher Markus recently explained,

There were outlines where we had the Zemo plotline based around Bucky. We had that whole structure. But it wasn't so much about pitting Steve and Tony together. When Civil War rose to the surface, it fit in really nicely into that.

Sebastian Stan’s Winter Soldier certainly plays a significant part in Captain America: Civil War, but according to a recent Hollywood Reporter interview with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely he originally had an even bigger role in the narrative. Because Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark wasn’t always a guaranteed part of the film, there was initially no conflict between him and Steve Rogers to set up, so in the absence of that storyline Bucky took center stage.

According to Markus, the plotline that existed in older outlines with Bucky still had Daniel Brühl’s Zemo has a key player, so it doesn’t sound like his story was drastically different in the development of Captain America 3. That being said, there probably were some key alterations made, such as the significance of the brainwashed super soldier killing Tony Stark's parents.

Ultimately the option of creating a big screen version of Civil War came along. The writers were able to work that iconic comics storyline in and make everything in the established Marvel Cinematic Universe fit and function as a cohesive story. Being able to do Civil War also apparently proved fortuitous for the writers, because apparently the Bucky and Zemo material wasn’t strong enough to carry the film, as screenwriter Stephen McFeely explained:

It wasn't a great enough A-plot. It became an excellent B-plot.

According to Stephen McFeely, having the focus of the film be Bucky Barnes and the story of Zemo controlling him wasn’t all that great. By shifting that story from the main focus to the B-plot was much more effective. It actually complemented the story of the conflict between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark too, by having their disagreement about the Sokovia Accords give way to a more personal dispute over what Bucky’s fate should be.

It’s hard to disagree with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely given how well Captain America: Civil War turned out. It now stands as one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most beloved films, and one of the most important given how the ramifications of it reverberate throughout many of the movies that followed it. The conflict between Tony and Steve ultimately carries throughout the rest of the Phase 3 films all the way until Avengers: Endgame, proving to make Zemo one of the franchise's most successful villains.

For those who might lament not getting even more of Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes in Captain America: Civil War, fear not. Bucky will star alongside Anthony Mackie’s Falcon in a new series coming to Disney+, one of many MCU series on the way.

Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all the biggest movies headed your way this summer and for the latest superhero movie news, stay tuned to CinemaBlend.

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Toy Story 4: The Late Don Rickles To Still Voice Mr. Potato Head

Toy Story 4: The Late Don Rickles To Still Voice Mr. Potato Head

Disney has always been known for its animated blockbusters, as the behemoth studio continues producing tear inducing adventures for the big screen. There are a number of highly anticipated sequels coming down the pipeline, including Frozen 2 and Toy Story 4. The latter will catch audiences up with Andy's toys, as they continue life under the care of Bonnie. The entire cast is set to reprise their roles, including Annie Potts returning as Bo Peep. But there was a big question regarding the role of Mr. Potato Head, played by the late Don Rickles.

Legendary comic Don Rickles passed away in April of 2017 of kidney failure, and it was a loss felt by his generations of fans and the comedy community. And since he didn't record his dialogue before dying, it was unclear whether or not he would reprise his role in Toy Story 4, of if Disney was going to have to recast. But director Josh Cooley calmed those fears on social media, updating the fandom with:

Now this is exciting. Despite his death, Don Rickles will still be joining the rest of the Toy Story cast for the highly anticipated sequel. Of course, some moviegoers may be wondering how they managed to work the comic into the film.

Josh Cooley's tweet is sure to make the generations of Toy Story fans very happy. Mr. Potato Head has been a scene stealer since the original 1995 classic, and it just wouldn't be the same without Don Rickles' iconic performance as the disgruntled spud. Potato Head adds a level of cynicism to the group dynamic, even if it's sometimes at Woody's expense. What's more, his family unit with Mrs. Potato Head and the claw aliens is always the source of laughs.

Regarding how Don Rickles will be brought back for Toy Story 4, director Josh Cooley didn't offer any specifics. Rickles' name wasn't included in the original cast list, so perhaps Pixar only recently landed on the plan of action to include him as Potato Head. Smart money says the project will use archived footage from the first three films, and therefore allow Rickles' inclusion in the project. Considering this is being done in live-action for Carrie Fisher in Star Wars Episode IX, the animated version of using unused audio seems far more easy.

Toy Story 4 is going to break new ground for the franchise, bringing the iconic group of toys on a road trip with Bonnie's family. This seems to ups the stakes, as it would be easy for one of the group to get left behind. The sequel will also bring back Annie Potts' Bo Peep, who was abandoned by Andy's sister before the events of the threequel. And she's looking decidedly more badass.

The cast has teased big things for Toy Story 4, which will no doubt shatter out hearts just as it did with the last movie. Although it is exciting that Don Rickles' iconic comedy will be present in the upcoming project.

Toy Story 4 will hit theaters on June 21, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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Captain Marvel Has A Cute Moment With Thor In The New Avengers: Endgame Trailer

Captain Marvel Has A Cute Moment With Thor In The New Avengers: Endgame Trailer

Brief spoilers for Captain Marvel can be found in this article.

In its latest trailer for Avengers: Endgame, Marvel gave us a lot of satisfying moments and ideas to chew on, including but not limited to Tony making it home or new suits for the remaining Avengers. In fact, especially if you haven’t caught Captain Marvel yet, the new Avengers: Endgame trailer introduces Captain Marvel to Thor with a cute scene that even has her briefly interacting with Stormbreaker. Take a look.

After quickly grabbing his weapon from just under Captain Marvel’s nose, Thor simply declares he “like[s] this one,” adding a little levity into the mix. Overall, the final Avengers: Endgame trailer is pretty serious given the subject matter, but what I like most about the moment between Thor and Captain Marvel is that it is lighthearted and it ends the trailer on a fun note rather than a somber one.

It’s sort of similar to how in the last trailer we got a lot of serious moments and then Ant-Man inexplicably showed up to add a little humor in and mix things up. (I say inexplicably given what happened at the end of Ant-Man and the Wasp.)

We’ve known for a while Captain Marvel would get her day in the sun. Her solo movie finally hit theaters this past weekend and included a post-credits tease at the upcoming Avengers: Endgame during which Carol Danvers showed up literally at the remaining Avengers’ doorstep. However, if you haven’t caught Captain Marvel yet, seeing Marvel casually throw Brie Larson into the mix was likely a bit of a shock and hopefully a fun one.

There’s a ton of other stuff to peruse in the final Avengers: Endgame trailer as we head into the home stretch before release. If you haven’t caught the full thing, please find a way to watch right meow.

We learned a few days ago that Captain Marvel almost tied in to Thor: Ragnarok back in 2017 with a scene that would have included Jude Law and a Devil’s Anus. That probably would have made a moment between Captain Marvel and Thor meeting in the flesh come full circle, but it’s fun either way.

Be sure to catch Avengers: Endgame when it finally hits theaters on April 26. In addition, take a look at what we know about the upcoming flick ahead of its release.

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The Hulk Originally Could Have Turned To Dust In Avengers: Infinity War

The Hulk Originally Could Have Turned To Dust In Avengers: Infinity War

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been on a serious roll in Phase Three, as every new blockbuster has been met with critical and box office success. The last decade of filmmaking will come to a head when Avengers: Endgame arrives in a matter of days, picking up the narrative from the shocking ending of Infinity War. The Russo Brothers broke fans hearts by wiping out half of all life, as moviegoers watched countless fan favorite characters fade to dust.

I didn’t know until I saw the movie. For one take, I did disappear, and then the other one I didn’t.

Well, this is wild. Bruce Banner/Hulk has been in every Avengers movie, so it's hard to imagine Endgame without the big green guy. But it looks like that was on the table for a while, as The Russo Brothers had Mark Ruffalo film a dusting scene of his very own.

In the end, all of the OG Avengers managed to survive The Decimation, along with supporting characters like War Machine, Rocket, Okoye, and Nebula. But it turns out that Bruce Banner could have perished, as Mark Ruffalo filmed both endings for his character. Ruffalo recently revealed this, saying:

Mark Ruffalo's comments to Yahoo are sure to puzzle cinephiles, given how Infinity War and Endgame were filmed directly after each other. As such, Hulk's fate presumably was only a question for a limited time. Because The Russo Brothers had the scheduling nightmare of working out shooting for Endgame, and would need Ruffalo to clear up his schedule in order to play Banner/Hulk alongside the rest of the living heroes.

The ending of Avengers: Infinity War was truly devastating, as the fandom didn't expect Thanos to win and exterminate so many iconic characters. And it seems The Russo Brothers experimented a bit with who would be a victim of the snap, and fade to dust before our eyes. Instead of merely being phased into a rock in the Hulkbuster armor, Bruce Banner could have also faded to dust from within the suit. And with that ending, Hulk wouldn't have gotten another chance to face off against the Mad Titan.

Luckily, Bruce Banner survived the snap, and should have a meaty role alongside the rest of the survivors when Avengers: Endgame finally hits theaters. Fans are especially eager to see Hulk return to the screen, as he was largely absent in Infinity War after losing a fight in the film's opening scene. As a reminder, you can check out that scuffle below.

Merchandise from Avengers: Endgame hints at a rematch for these two powerful characters, so it's a good thing that Hulk wasn't dusted during The Snap. It's also poetic to see the original team reunited in the upcoming blockbuster, allowing The Russo Brothers to end the narrative that started back with Iron Man in 2007.

Answers will come when Avengers: Endgame arrives in theaters on April 26th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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