Spider-Man: Far From Home Promotion Is Off To A Ridiculous Start

Spider-Man: Far From Home Promotion Is Off To A Ridiculous Start

Now that Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame have been checked off the 2019 list, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is gearing up for Spider-Man: Far From Home. The Sony/Marvel movie comes out in early July, and it just started its world press tour. All I can say is, if watching Far From Home is as much fun as watching Tom Holland (Peter Parker/Spider-Man) and Jake Gyllenhaal's (Quentin Beck/Mysterio) press tour video from Mexico, we're in for a real treat. Look at these two goofballs:

They really are having too much fun out there. Director Jon Watts said they got along so well on set, they would crack each other up and ruin takes. I can believe it. And if the Mexico press tour footage is this ridiculous, I can only imagine the Spider-Man: Far From Home Blu-ray gag reel will be longer than Avengers: Endgame.

It's worth noting that Jake Gyllenhaal posted the same video, taking credit for it himself with "Quick video I edited together for @tomholland2013." I don't trust either Gyllenhaal or Tom Holland to do anything but make each other laugh, so Tom's brother Harry Holland must be the one really responsible.

So far, it does seem like Tom Holland and Jake Gyllenhaal will be the faces of Spider-Man: Far From Home promotion. They were joined by Jacob Batalon (Ned) at Brazil Comic-Con several months ago, but now that the real press tour push is starting, it looks like the MCU is putting the focus on the tag-team of Spider-Man and Mysterio.

Tom Holland previously shared a photo of Spider-Man and Mysterio with the caption "The Dream team!"

Jacob Batalon replied, "It’s okay everyone... I’m used to being forgotten." Poor Ned. (At least Jacob and Tom will always have that hotel fire alarm.)

Tom Holland followed up with more love for Peter Parker's real BFF:

Spider-Man: Far From Home is indeed set after the events of Avengers: Endgame, which was already revealed before Endgame came out. That left many fans confused, wondering how Peter Parker could be getting another movie after Avengers: Infinity War. Now, if you've seen Endgame, you have some answers (but possibly still a few big questions).

In the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter goes on a school trip to Europe with his friends. He's recruited by Nick Fury -- who is also back -- to team up with new character Mysterio and battle the Elementals.

So Spider-Man and Mysterio work together in this movie, which is new for the Marvel character, although fans can probably expect more twists on top of that.

Spider-Man: Far From Home moved up its release date by a couple of days, and now it arrives in theaters on July 2. That gives us not quite two months of Tom Holland and Jake Gyllenhaal taking their comedy act around the world, as Jacob Batalon and Zendaya and the rest of the Spidey cast presumably watch the bromance bloom from afar.

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Captain Marvel Almost Included A Tie-In To Thor: Ragnarok

Captain Marvel Almost Included A Tie-In To Thor: Ragnarok

Spoilers ahead for Captain Marvel. If you haven't seen the latest Marvel blockbuster, turn away!

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been on a serious roll in Phase Three, as every blockbuster has been a critical and financial success. While all eyes are on how the narrative will conclude with the apocalyptic story Avengers: Endgame, Carol Danvers was finally given her origin story last weekend with Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's Captain Marvel. With plenty of familiar faces in the cast, the movie has an interesting connection to the greater MCU, although it almost included a great reference to Thor: Ragnarok.

With the movie finally in theaters, Captain Marvel's pair of directors can get a bit more chatty about the film's contents. After all, Marvel security is no joke. When crafting the film's conclusion and end-credits scene, they almost put Jude Law's villainous Yon-Rogg on the scrap planet of Sakaar from Ragnarok. As Ryan Fleck recently revealed:

There was an idea on the table about having Jude Law […] emerge from his pod on Sakaar and then have him look around and see the Devil's Anus behind him and wonder, 'Where the hell am I?'

Is anyone else's FOMO going through the roof right now? Because while Captain Marvel had its own quirky end credits scene, this scrapped connection to the Thor threequel would have sent fans through the roof. Especially the inclusion of the Devil's Anus.

Ryan Fleck's comments to Empire Online shows how collaborative the process at Marvel Studios actually is. While fans see a streamlined finished product and phases of new releases, the filmmakers still have the opportunity to play and mold each individual blockbuster. This includes the credits scenes, which have become a beloved tradition in the MCU.

Thor: Ragnarok was a game changer for Chris Hemsworth's franchise, a Taika Waititi brought a ton of comedy and new cosmic locations to the table. Sakaar was a major setting in the threequel, as the God of Thunder and Hulk were trapped on the trash heap planet, and forced to start a revolution to escape and return to Asgard. The Devil's Anus (lol) was a massive wormhole on Sakaar, which would have served as the perfect setting for Yon-Rogg to end up on if the original plans for Captain Marvel's ending came to fruition.

Ultimately, Yon-Rogg's fate was left unclear, likely so Jude Law's character might pop back up in a potential sequel. He was sent back to Hala to warn the Supreme Intelligence, with that conflict presumably keeping Carol Danvers busy for the decades until she pops up in Avengers: Endgame. And Goose was given one final gag during the post-credits scene.

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

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Zack Snyder Says It’s Really Hard When People Are Incorrect About Casting Rumors

Zack Snyder Says It’s Really Hard When People Are Incorrect About Casting Rumors

The DC live-action universe has had a fascinating run in theaters, full of peaks and valleys. While Warner Bros. is currently surfing on Aquaman'_s success and gearing up for the highly anticipated release of _Shazam!, there was a time when thinks appeared a bit more bleak. It all started with Zack Snyder's initial installments, which did a ton world-building and introduced beloved characters like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice had a ton of hype ahead of its release, as fans were eager to see the DC trinity adapted into live-action. Expectations were sky high, as were fan theories regarding what the blockbuster might contain. One of the most popular theories was that Jena Malone was actually playing Barbara Gordon/Batgirl. Her scenes were left on the cutting room floor of the theatrical release, and now Zack Snyder has responded to those Batgirl rumors, saying:

It's hard because I talk about those things with Debbie. 'Hey so I saw this thing and they think Jena Malone is Barbara Gordon'... When people are mad I don't care because they'll find out eventually. When they're hyped and it's wrong it's harder.

Zack Snyder spent a number of years working on the DCEU, starting with Man of Steel. As such, he also spent years sidestepping certain questions, fan theories, and potential controversies. And considering the secretive nature of the superhero genre, he was unable to set the record straight when it came to Batman v Superman reports.

Zack Snyder's comments (via Twitter) come from his recent screening of Batman v Superman's director's cut. A Q&A accompanied the screening, and the director/writer was finally able to address those rumors about Jena Malone playing Batgirl. Malone's role was unnamed and mysterious until BvS arrived in theaters, so the fandom spent months debating who the Sucker Punch actress might be playing. With so many characters being introduced in the blockbuster, it didn't seem out of question that Barbara Gordon might be incorporated.

In the end, Jena Malone played Jenet Klyburn, a scientist who worked at S.T.A.R. labs, and was working to help Lois Lane track analyze the bullets from her conflict in Nairomi. It's a bit part that can be seen in the director's cut of Batman v Superman, although it got cut from the theatrical release. And to date, Batgirl still hasn't been adapted into live-action for the cinematic universe.

Batgirl was set to get a movie of her own, with Joss Whedon behind the camera. But he ultimately dropped the project after failing to lock down a story. And following the release of Justice League, it appears that Whedon has distanced himself from the DC universe as a whole.

The next DC release is Shazam! on April 5, 2019, and Zack Snyder's next project will be Army of The Dead for Netflix. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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Admiral Ackbar Actor Calls His Death In Star Wars: The Last Jedi A Huge Disappointment

Admiral Ackbar Actor Calls His Death In Star Wars: The Last Jedi A Huge Disappointment

The past few years have been very kind to Star Wars fans. Once Disney acquired Lucasfilm, there's been a variety of new and exciting projects hitting theaters, expanding the galaxy far, far away in the process. Standalone films and the upcoming Mandalorian TV series broke new ground for the property, although the main focus on the generations of fans is on the main franchise.

J.J. Abrams' kickstarted the story back up with The Force Awakens, which saw plenty of familiar faces return to the big screen. This includes the always meme-worthy Admiral Ackbar. But the iconic rebel met a swift end in The Last Jedi, and that's a decision that seriously upset the puppeteer who brought him to life over the years. Tim Rose is the man behind Ackbar, and recently expressed his disappointment about the character's handling in the sequel trilogy. He said:

After The Force Awakens -- for whatever reason, length of picture, whatever -- it all got cut out. So after waiting 30 years to reprise Ackbar I was a little disappointed with Ackbar's role in that picture. So in The Last Jedi, I was quite looking forward to maybe them giving him something more juicy. We were only given the script on the day when we were shooting that piece of script, so each day I would come to work going, ‘Is today the day when Ackbar gets something a bit more involving?’ And I looked at my script and I went, ‘Oh, Ackbar's going out of the window. Well, that's that then!’ I wasn’t quite dead yet.

Yikes. It turns out that Admiral Ackbar had a larger role in The Force Awakens, but it ultimately landed on the cutting room floor. There was a decent amount of world building to get through in Episode VII, so Tim Rose understood. At least, until he was killed off in The Last Jedi's opening sequence.

Admiral Ackbar might not have been as popular as franchise favorites like Han Solo or General Leia, but his role in the Star Wars franchise goes back to 1983's Return of the Jedi. As such, Tim Rose was hoping he'd have a meaty role once the sequel trilogy finally happened. Unfortunately, Ackbar's presence was mostly tertiary, and he got an unceremonious death scene.

Related: All The Major Star Wars: The Last Jedi Character Deaths

Ackbar was killed along with the rest of The Resistance Leaders when the First Order attacked the fleet, and a TIE fighter blew up the commanding ship's bridge. Leia was able to use her dormant Force Abilities to save herself, but the rest of the leadership wasn't so lucky.

In his same conversation with Jamie Stangroom, Tim Rose described how salt was rubbed in his wound on the set of The Last Jedi, saying:

We finished all of our bits and they asked me to come down to camera. And I thought, ‘Oh well, maybe they’re going to say thank you for being one of the heritage characters and giving 30 years and all that.’ But what they did was, they gave me a Millennium Falcon sign that had the day and the date on it, the scene number, and they said, ‘Can you look at camera and say "It's a wrap?" Because that would be really funny.’ … I was actually in tears in the suit because I thought - after everything, after hoping there’d be something, after knowing there wasn't going to be anything else, Ackbar's final moment before he went in to the box was a big joke about ‘It's a wrap.’ They just thought ‘Wouldn’t it be funny?’ And that was the sum total of my life as Ackbar.

Ouch. While the Resistance Leaders were killed off in The Last Jedi in order to move the story forward, Tim Rose's feelings were hurt in the process. And when he was asked to film some B-roll for special features/sizzle reels, there was an extra level of betrayal for the puppeteer.

As a reminder, you can check out the scene below. Ackbar isn't featured, but can be seen behind Leia before the bridge is destroyed.

Aside from his onscreen appearances, Admiral Ackbar has had a life on the page and small screen. Plus, his iconic "It's a trap!" line from Return of The Jedi has been meme-d more times than one can count. So while Tim Rose might have been disappointed with his tenure as the character, Ackbar will still live on forever with the generations of Star Wars fans.

The next installment in the Star Wars franchise is The Rise of Skywalker on December 20th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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Everything You Need To Know About Black Panther Going Into Phase 4

Everything You Need To Know About Black Panther Going Into Phase 4

If it was not already obvious, the Black Panther movie is getting a sequel we can expect to see in Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which mean's we'll be spending plenty of time with T'Challa post Avengers: Endgame.

Originally, Chadwick Boseman’s portrayal of the King of Wakanda made his first appearance in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, before returning in his solo Black Panther movie in 2018, which grossed over $1 billion worldwide and became an Oscar-nominee for Best Picture. Now that we have seen him fight alongside the Avengers in two movies over the past year, we are anxious to see what is next in store for T’Challa in his homeland.

Speaking of, as of now, there is still very little known in regards to what we can expect. Will we see Heart Shaped Herb regrow? Will Wakanda be equipped with extra security measures meant to keep out large, purple men? Could we see Michael B. Jordan reprise his role as a resurrected Erik Killmonger?

Let's take a peek behind the scenes and between the pages of Marvel comics and see what else we could see from the titular Black Panther and the rest of the Wakandan key figures moving forward. As always, there are some minor spoilers from recent Marvel movies that can be found throughout this piece. Only keep reading on if you are caught up!

Ryan Coogler Directing Black Panther 2

We would proudly make the claim the Black Panther movies are destined for a bright future as long as Ryan Coogler is there to guide them. Thankfully, he is not going away anytime soon.

The young, yet illustrious, movie-making wizard is returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe to direct his first sequel, a chance he actually opted out of previously, choosing Black Panther over the follow-up to his acclaimed 2015 Rocky spin-off, Creed.

Ryan Coogler has a lot to expand on with the next chapter of his most successful venture yet, following the rise, fall, and rise of T’Challa in battle against Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. There are very few plot details available yet to see what RyanCoogler’s vision will give us in the next film.

Fortunately, as we tend to do as fans, we have come up with a few ideas for him in mind.

T’Challa Is Still The Ruler Of Wakanda

T’Challa never yielded and, as we could see in the conclusion of Avengers: Endgame, he is not dead.

Yes, Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa returned to Wakanda after Hulk snapped him back to life with the Avengers’ homemade Infinity Gauntlet to continue his reign as the country's leader and protector. Of course, based on the first post-credits scene in Black Panther, the African nation is due for some big changes.

T’Challa announced to the United Nations that Wakanda would be going public with its super advanced technology and plentiful resources, which has us curious about what sort of sociopolitical commentary Ryan Coogler will use as a jumping-off point in the Black Panther sequel.

My biggest questions regard how T’Challa plans to move forward following the Decimation. The king has five years of absence to make up for and we imagine the newly resurrected Wakandans have a lot of questions about the state of their country in a post-Thanos world. What sort of issues are there left to solve and what changes is Wakanda destined to go through?

Regardless, we are just as excited to see more of T’Challa the leader as we are to see more of T’Challa the Black Panther. However...

T’Challa Is Not The Only Black Panther In The Marvel Universe

Shuri, T’Challa’s sister and princess of Wakanda brought to life by Letitia Wright, has proven herself to be one of the best Black Panther characters as a heroine on the battlefield and in the lab. A brilliant scientist, she has designed many of Wakanda’s most innovative creations, improved her brother’s Black Panther suit with nano technology, and came closer to saving Vision from death by Mind Stone removal in Avengers: Infinity War than Bruce Banner did.

As we have seen in Black Panther and Avengers: Endgame, she can kick butt just as well as her brother. Her comic book persona is no exception, given that Shuri would eventually inherit his title.

When T’Challa suffers critical injuries from battle, Shuri must assume the role of Wakanda’s leader and as the Black Panther, as her brains and brawn have proven her worthy. Currently, we have no way of knowing that such a situation will occur with the Black Panther characters in the sequel, but we would love to see at least a hint about this heading into Phase Four.

Furthermore, given that we have seen a rise in more female-centric films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the success Captain Marvel and the anticipation for Scarlett Johansson’s solo Black Widow movie, we would not be surprised to see Shuri get her own moment in the spotlight.

A Fun Idea For The Next Black Panther Villain

There has been much speculation over who T’Challa will face off against in the Black Panther movies moving forward, particularly in Black Panther 2.

Rumors say Michael B. Jordan might reprise his role as Black Panther villain Kilmonger (somehow). There have been reports that Ryan Koogler has spoken to Donald Glover about appearing in the film, perhaps as his Spider-Man: Homecoming character if we don’t want to mess with continuity. There is even support for Black Panther soundtrack producer Kendrick Lamar to be the bad guy.

I may have a better idea.

Black Panther has fought many adversaries throughout the Marvel universe in the comics, among them is the ruthless Latverian leader Victor Von Doom. Not only does that concept give us the perfect set up for a battle between two warriors of royal authority, but also paves way for another group of superhero favorites to finally make an introduction into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Since Doctor Doom is the archenemy of the Fantastic Four, why not see a team-up between Black Panther and Marvel’s first superhero family? Given the Black Panther character's first appearance was in a Fantastic Four comic, we cannot think of a better way to introduce them into this world now that Disney holds the keys to serve them justice. Still, given rights are still a complicated issue and it may be years before Fox's Marvel characters are shuffled into continuity, this may just be wishful thinking on my part.

Speaking of the Disney taking control of Fox characters…

Could A Future Black Panther Movie See Wakanda Getting A New Queen?

The end of the first Black Panther movie hinted that T’Challa would not rule Wakanda alone, taking Nakia (Lupita N’Yongo) as his wife and queen. Yet, the Wakandan covert operative was absent from both Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.

So, either she has just been carrying out her royal responsibilities behind the scenes and has yet to return in the Black Panther sequel, or maybe she and T’Challa broke up. While we would love to see the great Lupita Nyong'o reprise her role, if she were to exit the franchise, this would also leave room for another Marvel character to accept the throne.

In the comics, T’Challa befriends and eventually marries Ororo Munroe, better known under her X-Men alias, Storm. The Avenger and the mutant rule hand-in-hand and fight alongside in battle. What better way to kick off the X-Men’s role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe following the Disney-Fox merger but with Storm as Queen of Wakanda?

While it may seem like overkill in passing to have the Black Panther sequel as a jumping off point for this many characters to become a part of the MCU (and Dark Phoenix’s Storm actress Alexandra Shipp has already voiced against this idea), to many fans, this would a sweet trip to Nerdvana if at some point during Phase Four the Black Panther universe got a storyline of this ilk.

What would you like to see from Wakanda in future Marvel movies? Let us know in the comments below and be sure check back for more updates here on CinemaBlend. Oh, and Wakanda forever!

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Creed 3 Likely Would Not Feature Conor McGregor

Creed 3 Likely Would Not Feature Conor McGregor

While Michael Jordan has made it clear he would like to continue making Creed movies, at this point we have no idea what form such a sequel could take. Who would be the new opponent for Adonis Creed? It seems that now the only thing we can guess right now is that it probably won't be MMA star Conor McGregor. Michael B. Jordan was recently asked what he thought of the idea of bringing in McGregor for Creed III and the actor seemed less than thrilled with the concept, saying...

Eh, I don't know about that man.

Not exactly a ringing endorsement.

The idea of Conor McGregor making the jump from the octagon to the silver screen has come up before. He was apparently in talks to star in The Predator at some point, though director Shane Black insists he was never actually offered the lead.

It seems like only a matter of time before the MMA fighter parlays his celebrity into something that doesn't include as many shots to the nose. Most recently McGregor has said that he's done with MMA, so if he wanted to try his hand at movies, now is as good a time as any.

However, one assumes that Michael B. Jordan is a guy who largely gets to determine his own fate in the Creed franchise so if he's not sold on the idea, it's unlikely to happen. Since his comment to TMZ is far from excited, perhaps the next movie should look elsewhere for an idea.

Following the success of Creed II many have suggested that a future Creed film could bring back other previous Rocky opponents as Creed II did with Ivan Drago. The suggestion that Rocky III's Clubber Lang, as played by Mr. T, could return has been made, but it's far from certain that a future sequel would go back to the well like that once again.

With Sylvester Stallone indicating that he's done playing Rocky Balboa after Creed II, it would seem to make a lot more sense for Creed III to go off in a new direction and find a more original opponent. There's certainly the opportunity to tell more of Adonis Creed's story, but how he moves on without his mentor and surrogate father seems like the most interesting way to do it.

Of course, I'm not sure anybody has asked Conor McGregor if he's like to co-star in Creed III and if he does, it's always possible something could be worked out. If there's a good enough story anything is possible.

Creed II out grossed the first film in the franchise, which would seem to make a third entry a pretty strong possibility considering all the creative forces are also interested in returning to the series.

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Sylvester Stallone Is Bloody And Packing Heat In New Rambo: Last Blood Image

Sylvester Stallone Is Bloody And Packing Heat In New Rambo: Last Blood Image

It's been over 10 years since we last saw saw Sylvester Stallone play one of his most well known characters, John Rambo. While 2008's Rambo could have functioned as the finale of this particular franchise, it seems there is one more story left to tell. Rambo: Last Blood is set to hit theaters later this year, and Stallone has continued to tease us with more images for the movie, including this one, which is a picture of a picture being taken of Rambo, armed with a bow and arrow. Check it out.

The picture posted to Sylvester Stallone's Instagram is taken from a much safer position than the one we can see being taken in the image. The woman is standing right in the path of a drawn arrow, which probably makes for an awesome picture, as long as Sly doesn't lose his grip, of course.

In addition to the bow and arrow, we see that Sly's arms are covered in blood. Whatever Rambo has been doing, it's been messy work.

As far as what he's been doing, based on what we know of the plot, what Rambo has been doing is killing members of a Mexican drug cartel. Rambo: Last Blood will see John Rambo living a quiet life on his family ranch in Arizona when a friend's daughter runs a fowl of the cartel and Rambo goes in to rescue her.

Based on the premise, and the title of the film, we can expect Rambo: Last Blood to be a movie much more in line with the first Rambo story than any of the sequels that came after. All of the previous Rambo sequels were about sending a one man army into hostile foreign territory to save one group of people, or maybe just kill another group of people.

First Blood was a movie about a former Vietnam vet who came up against corrupt police officers in a small town, and how that small town became a war zone. Last Blood certainly wants to remind us of that much smaller story, and while there will surely be no lack of action, the stakes her are much more personal for Rambo.

Of course, the title is also fairly ominous. It doesn't imply anything good happening to John Rambo.

As somebody who never felt the Rambo sequels ever lived up to the visceral feeling of the first film, I'm actually a lot more interested in this one than I ever would have guessed. Sylvester Stallone's Rocky movies were always better when they were character stories about a man and not actually about who won a boxing match. In a similar vein, Rambo movies are better when they're about the man and not about the battle.

Rambo: Last Blood has been given a release date of September 20.

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