See What Sebastian Stan Could Look Like As DC’s Riddler

See What Sebastian Stan Could Look Like As DC’s Riddler

While he’s been known as Marvel’s Winter Soldier for almost a decade and has a new spin-off show with that same character debuting at some point next year, some folks are really hung up on the idea of actor Sebastian Stan playing The Riddler in Matt Reeves’ new Batman movie.

And whenever a particularly inspired piece of casting crops up on the internet, you can count on corresponding fan art to help everyone get a picture of what that variation of a famous character could look like. With that in mind, please enjoy the following fan rendering of what Stan could look like as Edward “The Riddler” Nygma:

Looking at this particular visual representation of The Riddler, it does maintain a dorky element of the character’s psyche. But there’s also a seedy, alpha male sort of style at work as well, seeing Sebastian Stan perfectly occupy a crossroads between someone threatening and someone you could kind of laugh at on the streets of The Batman’s Gotham City. Knowing the character’s history of outbursts when his superiority is challenged, it might be best if you just nod respectfully and walk along, before he really does something to your mind you can’t come back from.

Naturally, this wasn’t unprompted, as recently Sebastian Stan has gone on record as stating that he’d love to play the purveyor of perplexing and pernicious puzzles in the universe that feels like it’s on the cusp of confirming Robert Pattinson as the man playing the latest version of the Dark Knight himself. But now, with the right art suggesting what this possibility would look like, it’s easier to approve of such a move.

While Matt Reeves’ The Batman has been reported to have its first two villains already sewn up, with both The Penguin and Catwoman taking those initial slots, there’s always room for more villains to be set up and deployed for future films. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to have a baddie as iconic as The Riddler in the franchise’s back pocket, especially when The Joker would be an option that’s too familiar to bring into the fold just yet.

So leave it to an eager fan on Instagram to make the best case for Sebastian Stan to be the latest Marvel star to defect over to the side of DC, in the name of creative re-casting. It’d certainly be an awesome draw to this new potential series of Batman films, especially with Stan’s fans from his days as Bucky Barnes being part of the contingent that made Avengers: Endgame such a huge box office hit.

As such, this isn’t exactly a confirmed casting, but it’d be a surprise if this item hasn’t already been circulated through Warner Bros’ internal email servers. So if Stan finds himself suiting up in the infamous green question mark suit we know and love, this could be the very moment that made it all happen.

Sebastian Stan can currently be seen in Avengers: Endgame, as well as the Shirley Jackson adaptation We Have Always Lived In The Castle. But if you’re looking for something else at the movies, take a look at our 2019 release schedule to see what else is in your realm of interest.

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No, Disney's Controversial Song Of The South Won't Be Available On Disney+

No, Disney's Controversial Song Of The South Won't Be Available On Disney+

Do you remember when we heard that Disney was opening up its vault and would put its entire motion picture library on its upcoming Disney+ streaming service? Yeah, about that... It turns out that there will be one notable, obvious and predictable omission from the digital home of all things Disney: the controversial film Song of the South won’t be available on Disney+.

Despite Disney letting its other titles out of the vault for good, the 1946 film Song of the South will remain locked away. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney has no plans to make the title available alongside the rest of the company’s offerings on Disney+.

Song of the South won an Oscar for Best Original Song for “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah,” and actor James Baskett won an honorary Oscar for his portrayal of Uncle Remus. Despite that initial acclaim, Song of the South is very controversial viewed from a modern lens, in particular for its portrayal of African-Americans.

For those reasons, it has never been released on home video in the U.S.; not on DVD, not on VHS, nothing. In 2011, Bob Iger indicated that bringing the movie back wouldn’t be in the best interests of the company’s shareholders. Therefore, Song of the South not making the jump to Disney+ should come as no surprise as Disney is just carrying over its previous policy regarding the film to the company’s new platform.

So unless you want to source an old copy of the film from overseas, the closest you’ll get to seeing Song of the South anytime soon is riding Splash Mountain at Walt Disney World, which takes its inspiration from the film’s animated sequences.

Song of the South won’t be the only omission from Disney’s catalog on Disney+. The 1941 Disney film Dumbo, which recently got a live-action remake, will be on Disney+, but it will not include the controversial crow scene. The scene features a crow named Jim Crow, which is a reference to the name of the blackface character that was later appropriated as a term for laws that enforced segregation after Reconstruction. Tim Burton’s Dumbo obviously didn’t include this scene.

Even if you want to see Song of the South get some type of modern release, either on Blu-ray or be made available for streaming or digital purchase/rental, you can understand why Disney doesn’t want it on Disney+. Disney’s streaming service is being positioned as a family-friendly offering in keeping with the brand’s reputation, and having Song of the South and Dumbo’s Jim Crow scene don’t exactly comport with that.

We’ll keep you updated on all the latest Disney+ news as we approach its November 12 launch date. In the meantime, check out our 2019 Release Schedule to see everything headed to theaters this summer.

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Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Reviews Are In, Here’s What The Critics Are Saying

Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Reviews Are In, Here’s What The Critics Are Saying

It’s been five years since Godzilla kicked off the MonsterVerse, and while we rewound the clock back in 2017 to delve into King Kong’s origins in Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla is finally back in action this weekend for Godzilla: King of the Monsters. This time around, the giant reptile is colliding with Rodan, Mothra and King Ghidorah, and these Titans vying for supremacy will leave humanity’s existence hanging in the balance.

The public is still a few days away from getting to see Godzilla: King of the Monsters, but reviews from critics are now being published, and it’s looking like this sequel improves upon its predecessor in some ways, but is still a mixed affair.

CinemaBlend's own Mack Rawden gave the film 3 stars on our official review, citing major problem with the film's pacing. While praising the film's visuals, Rawden revealed:

In fact, the pacing is so strange that after about the twenty minute-mark, I had no concept whatsoever of how far into the film’s runtime we were. I’m usually pretty good at timing out a movie in my head and estimating what percentage we’ve completed. Not here. Not even close. There’s no slow burn or escalating momentum. The whole movie is in the deep end. Godzilla: King Of The Monsters is just a relentless haze of destruction throughout, a creative decision that obviously brings with it an enormous amount of pros and cons.

On the more positive end of the spectrum, William Bibbiani from Bloody Disgusting gave Godzilla: King of the Monsters a 4 out of 5 score, declaring that it felt like Warner Bros heard the collective complaints about how the 2014 Godzilla movie didn’t have enough monster action and “unloaded three sequels worth of monster fights into one follow-up.” That being said, King of the Monsters is filled with a lot of one-note characters, and if you treat blockbusters “like any other movie,” you’ll be disappointed with how this blockbuster fails to properly utilize its ensemble.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is a big, kinda silly, but otherwise exciting blockbuster. It’s gorgeous, it’s epic in the extreme, and it features some of the most impressive monster fights you’ve ever seen. Maybe someday Americans will make a Godzilla movie that isn’t just ‘badass,’ but which also works on another level and resonates in a meaningful way.

Conversely, The AV Club’s Katie Rife wasn’t pleased with Godzilla: King of the Monsters, stamping it with a C- grade. Rife acknowledged that the look of the movie’s Titans and their fights are cool, but the rest of the King of the Monsters suffers as a result, with the human characters failing to impress. The family drama that occurs between the members of the Russell clan (Millie Bobby Brown’s Madison, Vera Farmiga’s Emma and Kyle Chandler’s Mark) is described as the “least successful flavor.”

Of course the monsters should be the stars of a Godzilla movie. But until blockbuster filmmaking goes entirely non-narrative, some attention should be paid to the rest of it as well.

James Whitbrook from io9 took a middle ground stance in his review of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, calling it “big, dumb and beautiful.” The sequel functions excellently as a love letter to the history of these cinematic beasts and the set pieces are “gorgeously rendered,” but the storyline is weak, there’s an inconsistent tone and there’s no proper exploration of the moral debate it sets up early on.

If you’re fine with some incredibly stupid people playing second fiddle to glorious kaiju moments, King of the Monsters will provide one of the best popcorn blockbusters of the summer. But if you wanted a Godzilla movie that had something, anything to say about its destruction? Then you’ll be definitely looking for something meatier than Ghidorah flank to chew on.

Empire’s Ben Travis did not enjoy Godzilla: King of the Monsters, giving it just one star out of five. In Travis’ opinion, the “staggeringly poor script” has the characters doing nothing but standing around or explaining the plot and their personal motivations with cliched dialogue. Making matters worse, the action sequences are also disappointing, with the final clash between Godzilla and King Ghidroah being described as “an overload of repetitive, joyless destruction that mistakes volume and demolition for actual excitement.”

Globe-trotting but not adventurous, action-packed but not remotely exciting, utterly overstuffed and completely paper-thin. Nuke it from orbit.

Finally, Scott Collura from IGN awarded Godzilla: King of the Monsters a 7.8 out of 10, observing, like many other critics, that the human characters get the short end of the proverbial stick, but the explosive monster action helps even the scales. Although the script is convoluted, King of the Monsters ultimately succeeds in delivering a lot of excellent battles and nerdy Easter eggs.

Godzilla returns in King of the Monsters, focusing on monster spectacle first and foremost. Which is as it should be!

These are just some of the Godzilla: King of the Monsters reviews that are now available, so feel free to look for others if you’d like more viewpoints. It is interesting, though, how one of the main complaints of the 2014 Godzilla movie was that there wasn’t enough monster action and too much focus on the humans, and now for King of the Monsters, the criticisms have been reversed. Talk about difficulty finding middle ground.

You can judge Godzilla: King of the Monsters for yourself when it arrives in theaters this Friday, May 31. Don’t forget to look through our 2019 release schedule to learn what movies are coming out later in the year.

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Could We See A Toy Story 5?

Could We See A Toy Story 5?

Many a fan will tell you that Toy Story 3 had a perfect ending. It wrapped up a trilogy in a perfect way, bringing the story of the characters to a wonderful close. However, while we all assumed that Toy Story 3 was the end of the franchise, the story is now moving forward once again with Toy Story 4. If Toy Story isn't a simple three act trilogy, does that mean that we could see even more movies after Toy Story 4?

I asked the director and producers of Toy Story 4, that exact question when I had an opportunity to speak with them last month. Unsurprisingly, nobody was quite ready to call Toy Story 4, the definite ending of the series, though they did all agree that if it turns out that way, they think fans will be happy with where the story ends. According to producer Jonas Rivera, who was an intern at Pixar back during the original Toy Story...

Honestly, if this were the end, it would be a satisfying ending.

Of course, what's most interesting about this statement is that people were pretty much satisfied with the ending of Toy Story 3, so much so that many seem to have real concern about the idea of making the fourth film in the franchise in the first place.

Of course, without knowing how Toy Story 4 ends, it's hard to really know what the team is referring to. I certainly have my suspicions where the story is going based on some of the footage I was able to see at Pixar Animation Studios, but I'm far from certain.

What I can say based on the footage I saw, without getting into spoilers, is that I very much do understand why Toy Story 4 was made. It's easy to be cynical about it, but the people in charge clearly found a story worth telling that would only really work within the world of Toy Story.

Of course, while Toy Story 4 could very well be the final chapter of Woody's story, producer Mark Nielsen, who has worked on the franchise as far back as the second film, knows this isn't the first time everybody thought the Toy Story franchise was over, according to him...

To be fair, let’s talk out of the other side of our mouths for a minute, we felt that [it was the end] at [Toy Story] 2.

It seems that with every Toy Story movie, even the very first, there was a feeling by many at Pixar that no sequel was necessary, but then the idea for one came along and that eventually eventually saw support grow. With the conclusion of Toy Story 3 and the end of Andy's story, it's clear that feeling was even stronger, and yet, Pixar seems that much more convinced that Toy Story 4 is a valuable addition to the franchise.

Tim Allen has previously stated that he's in favor of a fifth movie. Maybe, if the complete story of Woody and Buzz isn't over in one trilogy, maybe it needs two.

What's certainly clear is that, while Pixar is certainly looking for a satisfying ending, there's no need to make one that's definitive. The possibility that there's more story to tell will always be there, and if somebody can come up with one, Toy Story 5 is certainly something that could happen.

Of course, for that to happen, audiences will need to first embrace Toy Story 4. They'll have their chance when the new film arrives June 21.

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How Much Money Bohemian Rhapsody Made For Freddie Mercury’s Family

How Much Money Bohemian Rhapsody Made For Freddie Mercury’s Family

It’s no secret that Bohemian Rhapsody was one of the most triumphant champions of this past award season, especially at the box office, where the Queen biopic made about $900 million worldwide. That’s a lot of money going around that the late Freddie Mercury may not get to bask in, but his family will get to share a bit of the film’s success with their own cut of earnings.

When the Queen frontman passed in 1991, he left 50% of his future earnings and London mansion from Queen to Mary Austin, the “love of his life” and longtime friend. The other 50% was divided among his parents (who have since passed) and sister Kashmira Bulsara. According to Sunday Express, this puts Austin’s earnings for Bohemian Rhapsody at least at $60 million and his sister’s at $25 million. The remaining members of Queen may make $90 million each thanks to the phenomenon the movie about their band’s life achieved.

Mary Austin, played by Lucy Boynton, had a significant role in Bohemian Rhapsody as it tracked their longtime friendship that began as a love story that shifted as Freddie started to embrace his sexuality. Though the their romance had a falling out, Austin looked to be a constant friend in the frontman’s life and was even present in Bohemian Rhapsody’s epic conclusion that recreated their iconic Live Aid performance.

The role of Freddie’s sister in Bohemian Rhapsody was small, as the family moments centered on his complicated relationship with his father. Kashmira did get a chance to witness Rami Malek in action as her brother. Here’s what the initial exchange played out from the words of Malek:

She got to see me as young Freddy with long hair and, of course, the teeth, makeup---the whole kind of 1970s early glam rock look. She laughed. As you can imagine it was an incredibly kind of bizarre, alien moment for her... She did [cry] later on. On a serious note, she wrote me the most moving email. It was very powerful. To get that vote of appreciate from the people closest to them was everything to me.

While it was a strange experience for Kashmira at first, she seemed to have embraced Malek as Freddie. Here’s what Freddie’s sister said thought about Bohemian Rhapsody:

I was happy to find out they were going to make the movie. And, although it was very emotional for me, I thought it was tastefully done.

Oh… and she gets a sweet Bohemian Rhapsody check too! It is nice to see some of the key players in Freddie Mercury’s life are getting to share in the success of the telling of his life, which had a mix of highs and lows. It must have been an interesting experience to watch some events of their own life play out on the big screen and it certainly seemed like it was an emotional journey to watch it come to life and be so warmly received.

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How Much Money Rocketman Might Make On Its Opening Weekend

How Much Money Rocketman Might Make On Its Opening Weekend

When Bryan Singer was fired, director Dexter Fletcher came aboard Bohemian Rhapsody to steer the film into port. That Freddie Mercury biopic wound up becoming a historic success, and now Dexter Fletcher is back with another musical icon for Rocketman. The Elton John biopic arrives at the end of the month and is currently looking to launch with $20 million.

Rocketman is tracking at a $20 million opening weekend, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, some are predicting that it could enjoy a slightly higher liftoff with $25 million. Either end of that range would be a solid, respectable opening for the Taron Egerton-fronted film, even if it wouldn’t blast the film into the stratosphere in its opening weekend.

Of the new releases opening May 31, a debut of $20-$25 million would likely put Rocketman behind Godzilla: King of the Monsters, which is currently tracking to open in the low $50 million range. Godzilla may win the weekend crown, but Rocketman does provide an interesting bit of counterprogramming for those not interested in the MonsterVerse.

Last year’s Bohemian Rhapsody opened in first place with over $50 million and went on to make $216.4 million in North America and over $900 million globally. Although not a biopic, Bradley Cooper’s A Star is Born also provides a relevant comparison. That Oscar-snubbed film opened in second place opposite Venom with $42.9 million and went on to basically match Bohemian Rhapsody domestically with $215.3 million and a great, but less crazy impressive $434.2 million worldwide.

So Rocketman doesn’t look like it will open quite as big as those two music films. It’s also opening at the beginning of the more cutthroat summer season, but $20+ million would still be solid, and as is proven what seems like every other month, tracking is inexact and things can change. Bohemian Rhapsody was tracking in the mid-$30 million range before it rocked the box office to a much bigger opening.

We don’t yet know what kind of buzz Rocketman will enjoy come release time that could affect its opening weeknd. Bohemian Rhapsody received mixed reviews, but Rami Malek’s performance as Freddie Mercury was praised as worth the price of admission. That film also benefitted from the amount of play Queen’s music still enjoys.

Elton John is no niche, indie artist though, and his recognizable tunes can only help Rocketman. Dexter Fletcher’s film also features a lead performance in Taron Egerton as Elton John that could stir up some buzz since the actor does all of his own singing for the role.

Rocketman debuts at the Cannes Film Festival on May 15 and Fandango is hosting advance screenings of the movie on May 18. So we’ll have a better idea around then of what the word is on the quality of the movie. But the mere fact that advance screenings are happening so close to the world premiere and two weeks prior to the theatrical release date is hopefully a display of confidence in the film.

Rocketman blasts into theaters on May 31. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all the movies you’ll want to see this summer.

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Samuel L Jackson Picks His Favorite Scene He’s Ever Been In

Samuel L Jackson Picks His Favorite Scene He’s Ever Been In

Samuel L. Jackson has been known by too many iconic names on the big screen to count between his six roles with Quentin Tarantino, time as Jedi Mace Windu in the Star Wars prequels, Frozone in Incredibles, MCU regular, Nick Fury. We all have our favorite Jackson moment, but there is one so astonishing that even the actor himself can’t argue against. When asked about his favorite scene, here’s what he said:

I guess it would be actually the ultimate scene that everybody turns out to love so much, and it’s the diner scene in Pulp Fiction. Everybody loved the killing ones, but the diner scene, just because there’s so much going on when John [Travolta] and I are sitting there having that conversation prior to what happened, and the bullets not killing us, and he’s making this decision about walking the earth just to see what’s going on. So by the time Tim [Roth] gets there and I have an opportunity to do that speech again, the same speech that I’ve been killing people with, and make it make sense in a whole ’nother kind of way, and, one, it’s just the biggest threat you’ve ever heard in your life. And the next, the dude’s like sitting there making a revelation about who he is and where his place is in the world, and who he actually is. He said, ‘I’d love to be the shepherd, and that would be great.’ They said that they didn’t know how the movie was supposed to end until I did that scene. But they had no idea that that’s what all that shit meant until I did it.

I mean there’s really no other answer. That closing scene in Pulp Fiction is classic and showcases the 70-year-old actor's best work. In the 1994 Tarantino film, Samuel L. Jackson plays Jules Winnfield, a contract killer who has memorized the Bible passage Ezekiel 25:17 and recites it to his targets before killing them.

After surviving a couple hundred bullets flying at him and John Travolta’s Vincent Vega, Jules tells Vincent that he takes their survival as a sign for him to turn away from his life of crime, just before a couple of robbers stick up the diner and Jules is faced with another excuse to recite his iconic speech. This time it goes a little bit differently and finds a much deeper meaning. Check it out:

It’s good every time! It’s no wonder Samuel L. Jackson brought up this scene as the favorite of his during a recent interview with Esquire. As he tells the magazine, the speech gives the audience meaning to the lines he says throughout the movie along with the character, as Jules breaks it down for Tim Roth’s character, changes his ways and doesn’t pull the trigger. Jackson also points out that his performance in the scene informed the filmmakers about how they were going to end Pulp Fiction and it really wraps up the film perfectly.

The scene has stuck with the actor so much that he once recited the lines from the passage word-for-word on The Graham Norton Show from memory and it was incredible. It’s clear the iconic role has stuck with Samuel L. Jackson just as much as it has for audiences. Pulp Fiction is regarded as one of the best films ever made and Jackson undoubtedly contributed to its status.

Samuel L. Jackson is certainly one of the most prolific and influential actors of our time at 70 years old and he is still hard at work, making movies. He currently stars in Captain Marvel in his biggest performance as Nick Fury yet. Much like Pulp Fiction, the Marvel film is set in the ‘90s and the filmmakers couldn’t even help but sprinkle in some references to it.

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