The Black Widow Movie Has Added Stranger Things’ David Harbour

The Black Widow Movie Has Added Stranger Things’ David Harbour

To say that the past couple years have been good for David Harbour’s career would be an understatement. Along with being one of the lead actors in the hit Netflix series Stranger Things, Harbour also succeeded Ron Perlman as the next cinematic Hellboy, and we’ll see how he does as Big Red come next week. But just because Harbour is portraying a Dark Horse Comics character doesn’t mean he can’t jump to an adaptation from another comic book company, as word has come in that he’s been cast in the Black Widow movie.

With Black Widow reportedly gearing up to roll cameras in London this June, the Marvel movie is slowly assembling its cast. Naturally Scarlett Johansson will be reprising Natasha Romanoff, the KGB agent-turned-S.H.I.E.L.D. operative-turned-Avenger, and last month it was reported that Fighting with my Family star Florence Pugh was in talks to join the cast. Now THR has dropped the news that David Harbour will be appearing in the movie as well, although no details about his character were provided.

It’s becoming increasingly common for actors to lend their talents to more than one comic book movie franchise, like how Josh Brolin played both Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Cable in Deadpool 2. David Harbour already has the spotlight in Hellboy, which could lead to sequels or even a full-blown cinematic universe depending on how its received, but now he can also leave his mark on the MCU as well in Black Widow’s standalone adventure. Plus, the actor has also already lent his talents to the DC universe, as he played Dexter Tolliver in Suicide Squad. Harbour’s other notable credits include Quantum of Solace, Revolutionary Road, The Green Hornet, The Equalizer, The Newsroom and State of Affairs.

While no official plot details for Black Widow have been revealed yet, rumor has it that the movie will be a prequel set before Iron Man 2. That said, there are conflicting claims on the specific time period, with one report saying it will be set only about half a decade or so before Natasha Romanoff met Tony Stark and another saying it will occur during the turn of the millennium and involve the Y2K bug. It’s also possible that rather than explore Natasha’s time working for the KGB or her early years at S.H.I.E.L.D., Black Widow will actually take place after the events of Avengers: Endgame. For now, Marvel is keeping us in the dark, although depending on what happens to Natasha in Endgame, that could foreshadow what’s in store for her in her solo feature. Either way, whether it’s a younger version of her or her current day self, she’ll be crossing paths with David Harbor’s character, be he friend or foe.

Directed by Cate Shortland, Black Widow doesn’t have an assigned release date yet, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for that information, more casting and other updates on its development. In the meantime, don’t forget to look through our Marvel movies guide to learn what else the MCU has coming up.

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Elton John Didn't Want Taron Egerton To Sound Like Him In Rocketman

Elton John Didn't Want Taron Egerton To Sound Like Him In Rocketman

You’ve probably heard by now that actor Taron Egerton does all of his own singing for his role as Elton John in Rocketman. It’s incredible and just adds another layer of authenticity to the performance that helps Taron Egerton disappear into the role. But while being able to sing is a huge deal, Elton John himself had a specific request for the actor playing him, as Taron Egerton explained:

He said not to try and sound like him, which is tough when you’re playing him.

This certainly seems counterintuitive and Taron Egerton said as much when speaking with The Hollywood Reporter at the premiere of Rocketman. When you’re an actor in a biopic, the logical assumption is that you should try to become that person in any and every way possible, from look and mannerisms to way of speaking and, when the subject is a famous rock star, as is the case in Rocketman, singing.

But Elton John did not want Taron Egerton to try and sound like him which is something that the actor had to work on because it went against his instincts in the role. He’s dressed as Elton John and singing Elton John songs, but Elton John doesn’t want him to sound like Elton John. Who knows how much practice was for naught after that request.

Taron Egerton must have been quite taken aback upon hearing this request and had to adjust his whole approach to the singing in the film. Yet, he has said that he really just wanted to make Elton John happy with his performance, so if that’s what Elton wants, that’s what Elton gets.

Taron Egerton didn’t reveal why Elton John made the request that he not try and sound like him, so we are left to speculate. Perhaps hearing Taron Egerton’s singing chops, Elton John just wanted the actor to use his own voice and not try and imitate him because it wouldn’t be as powerful and authentic, and he would sound better if he didn’t.

We know Elton John thought highly of Taron Egerton’s singing, and it sounds like he wanted him to put his own spin on the beloved tunes and express himself as an artist without being afraid to try things because they wouldn’t adhere to what Elton sounds like. The important thing is that the songs sound good and Taron Egerton captures the essence of Elton John’s music, even if he doesn’t sound exactly like him.

This request seems to have worked all around. Rocketman is receiving rave reviews and given that Elton John is sending positive notices to Taron Egerton, one assumes that he was happy with how it all turned out.

Rocketman launches in theaters today. This is just one of the exciting movies arriving this summer, check out the rest in our 2019 Release Schedule and for all your movie news, stay tuned to CinemaBlend.

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Who Idris Elba Could Play In The Suicide Squad

Who Idris Elba Could Play In The Suicide Squad

Recent reports on The Suicide Squad have revealed that Idris Elba will not be replacing Will Smith's Deadshot, and that the actor will be playing another character within the movie. So if Elba isn't playing Deadshot, which villain will director James Gunn have him play? Here are some villains that would be a good fit for the actor, and one just may be the villain he'll portray in The Suicide Squad.

Bronze Tiger

A frequent face on the Suicide Squad, Bronze Tiger is a martial arts master and ranked among some of the best fighters in DC Comics. He's not a metahuman, which should speak to just how capable of a fighter he is. Including Bronze Tiger in the squad introduces some muscle, and some badass kung fu skills that would make for great action-packed scenes.

It's worth mentioning that Idris Elba has some professional fighting experience, which could point to Bronze Tiger. Of course, a stunt double can be used for other stuff, but Elba's fighting experience should be enough to get face shots of him dealing justice. Plus, Bronze Tiger is a frequent presence in John Ostrander's comic book run, which James Gunn recently referenced in his Instagram stories (via We Got This Covered). Of all the options, this one feels incredibly likely.

Nemesis

Though the name may suggest otherwise, Nemesis is one of the few non-criminal members of the Suicide Squad. Thomas Andrew Tresser was a vigilante turned operative who joined the team as a debt after his life was saved by Amanda Waller and Rick Flag. Nemesis is a master of disguise and all in all a capable operative with some deep roots within the team.

Adding Nemesis to the team may not be the sexiest option for The Suicide Squad, but there's some potential there in giving him some chemistry with quite a few members. Nemesis has ties to the returning Waller, but also historically has a romantic relationship with Nightshade. Should she and her bonkers skill set join the team, there's a chance for some love to develop in a way that isn't nearly as toxic as Harley and Joker's relationship.

Black Spider

A character mainstream audiences may not be familiar with, Black Spider was first introduced in the mid-70s as a former heroin addict turn vigilante. Eric Needham takes his fight to the drug trade, and becomes a killer of those who push drugs. His methods have put him at odds with heroes like Batman, who he's clashed with in the past for trying to stop him. With that said, he's more apt to fight villains than he is heroes.

Should Idris Elba play the Black Spider, we're imagining The Suicide Squad will feature an alternative costume of the character without the mask. After all, why pay for such a talented and recognizable star only to cover his face for a bulk of the movie? His hatred of criminals (despite being one) would create an interesting dynamic between him and the other roster, which may justify his place on the team more than anything else.

Manhunter

Idris Elba could be the character Manhunter, specifically the Mark Shaw version. Shaw's crime fighting abilities are a result of the Manhunter cult, which has provided him with the training and equipment capable of tracking targets across several terrains. Basically, he's the guy The Suicide Squad will turn to to find a missing person, and he'll find them sooner than later. He's kind of like the Yautja Predator, but if they were human.

Manhunter is as solid a choice as any, and his power baton allows for close quarters fighting that makes for some cool sequences. Plus, the Manhunter cult gives an added dimension to the story that could be examined in a spinoff should the character prove popular with audiences. DC never seems to miss an opportunity for a spinoff, so why not bring in a character with the potential to make one?

Sportsmaster

Sportsmaster has had quite a few interpretations of the character over the years, and has been everything from a criminal who dons sports equipment to a metahuman with "photographic reflexes." Lawrence Crock, Victor Grover, Martin Mantle Jr., there's a lot of characters with a lot of backgrounds and powers that Idris Elba could portray, or he could play some entirely new interpretation made for The Suicide Squad.

If there was one director fans would trust with changing a goofy villain up a bit, it's James Gunn. Plus, he's got the chops to make a villain like Sportsmaster look dangerous, and dare I say, cool? It's certainly a possibility if Gunn is running the show, and Idris Elba's comedic chops are there to make for a funny character. At the same time, he's naturally badass, so he may be the perfect person to play this character.

Bane

We know him, we love him, and there's no denying the world would go crazy if the character appeared in The Suicide Squad. Bane is one of Batman's fiercest adversaries, not to mention an incredibly strong and intelligent villain in the DC Universe. Bane's appearance would be such a big deal it would effectively make Harley Quinn the second most interesting Batman villain in the project. Given the amount of love Margot Robbie's character has, that's an impressive feat.

Now, there's a small army of folks that really want to see Dave Bautista play Bane in The Suicide Squad, but imagine how cool Idris Elba would look wearing the mask? Size would be a bit of an issue, as while Elba is well-built, he's not quite the hulking behemoth Bane has been shown to be. CGI can fix that, though, if he uses the venom, and the film could also get away with a grounded look with Elba's physique.

Chronos

Here's another character that could have varied interpretations, as Chronos can be anyone from a villain that's really good at timing to a literal time traveler. Hell, he can be both, which could position him as one of the most powerful villains to be a part of The Suicide Squad. That said, it would be hard to have a villain capable of time travel in custody, so maybe just the time mastery would be a part of the character?

What if Chronos' powers were limited by being in the Suicide Squad, but a future version of himself pops into the adventure and helps him get out of his contract? Something like that is why Idris Elba should play Chronos, if only to shake up the The Suicide Squad and make this film more than just villains working together to defeat other bad guys. Raise the stakes, and perhaps lay the groundwork for another true follow up film.

The Suicide Squad is expected to arrive in 2021, which is still a ways off. CinemaBlend will continue to report on updates on the movie in the meantime, and hopefully, we'll learn which character Idris Elba is playing soon.

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Looks Like Godzilla Vs. Kong Has Wrapped Filming

Looks Like Godzilla Vs. Kong Has Wrapped Filming

We're still over a month away from Godzilla: King of the Monsters, but that movie is only a stop along the road to the main event. Godzilla is getting ready to go head to head with King Kong, and that battle is now one step closer to the big screen as filming has apparently wrapped on what is currently set to be the finale of the giant monster smashing cinematic universe.

Adam Wingard, director of Godzilla vs. Kong announced at the end of the last week on Instagram (via EW) that the production had hit the "final slate" meaning that the last piece of filming for the project was now done. Now the move goes into post-production for the creation of what will certainly be a large number of digital effects.

The announcement comes two weeks after Wingard announced the end of production in Australia. It wasn't clear at that point if wrapping in Australia meant the end of principal photography. We know now there was a bit more work to do, but now the movie is ready.

The new western version of Godzilla was introduced in the 2014 movie named after the creature, which was then followed by Kong: Skull Island in 2017. Godzilla: King of the Monsters will arrive in May, which will likely help set up Godzilla vs. Kong which is set to come out next year.

There clearly was confidence that this franchise would work. No secret was made of the fact that Godzilla vs. Kong was the goal when both creatures were announced to be getting new reboots, and the fact that almost as soon as Godzilla: King of the Monsters finished filming, Godzilla vs. Kong got started, shows that the studio was quite sure the project was a sure bet.

Based on the fact that 2014's Godzilla saw a domestic opening weekend of just short of $100 million on its way to a half billion dollar global box office, it almost certainly seemed to be the case. Kong: Skull Island didn't do quite as well domestically, but actually outperformed Godzilla internationally, making it another significant hit.

Currently, Godzilla: King of the Monsters is looking at a domestic opening closer to that of Kong: Skull Island, which might mean it won't be quite the massive hit that the first Godzilla was, but it will almost certainly still bring in strong international numbers and be a financially successful movie.

By the same token, Godzilla vs. Kong seems destined to be a success. It's one of the most epic battles in cinematic history and it's one that audiences haven't seen in decades.

The films have been so successful that it seems highly unlikely that we've seen the end of them. While we have no idea what is planned after Godzilla vs. Kong, there's a good chance we will see something. We haven't even seen Mechagodzilla yet.

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New Avengers: Endgame Trailers Memorializes The Dusted Heroes

New Avengers: Endgame Trailers Memorializes The Dusted Heroes

It is an extremely exciting time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With Captain Marvel in theaters and raking in cash money, there is just one more movie left in Phase Three. Avengers: Endgame will be the cumulation of 21 movies and a decade of filmmaking, ending the narrative that began back with Iron Man. Anticipation is palpable after the harrowing events of Infinity War, which saw a ton of beloved heroes fade to dust before our eyes.

Thanos won the day in Infinity War, uniting all the Infinity Stones and wiping out half the galaxy with the snap of his finger. Audiences were left stunned at this twist ending, and the fandom has been eager for any information regarding Endgame's contents, and how the surviving Avengers will somehow reverse things. Trailers for The Russo Brothers' upcoming blockbuster have been purposefully vague, and the newest one serves as a memorial for the fallen heroes. Check it out.

I'm not crying, you're crying. The effects of Thanos' snap are very much at the heart of Avengers: Endgame's marketing material, as the surviving heroes attempt to live in an apocalyptic world. And there were a ton of characters lost throughout the course of Infinity War's runtime.

This new trailer opens on the various fan favorite heroes who faded to dust as a result of Thanos' snap (aka The Decimation). It opens on T'Challa in Wakanda during the events of Black Panther, surrounded by his trusted Dora Milaje. Wakanda opened its doors and joined the fight against Thanos during Infinity War, and it didn't end up well for the technologically advanced society. Black Panther ultimately faded to dust in front of Okoye's eyes, presumably putting the entire country into chaos. Who is going to rule Wakanda now?

The next fallen Avengers featured is none other than Doctor Strange. Strange had a major role in Infinity War, as he was involved in the battles on New York and Titan. But ultimately the good doctor surprised everyone by handing the Time Stone over to Thanos, in exchange for Tony Stark's life. He also saw millions of possible outcomes for the battle, with only one resulting in their victory. So smart money says he had a master plan all along.

Hope van Dyne is the next character to appear. Evangeline Lilly's character wasn't in Avengers: Infinity War, but the mid-credits scene of Ant-Man and The Wasp revealed she and her parents all faded to dust. What's more, this left Ant-Man stranded in the Quantum Realm. Smart money says that mysterious setting has a major role to play in Endgame.

The Guardians of the Galaxy are also featured in the new trailer, as the motley crew were hit hard during Thanos' assault on the galaxy. Gamora was the first casualty, killed by her adoptive father so he could acquire the Soul Stone. And when the snap happened, moviegoers watched Mantis, Drax, Star-Lord, and Groot all fade to dust. Nebula and Rocket are the only ones left, and they're shown joining The Avengers in Endgame.

Avengers: Endgame will answer our questions when it 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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Robert Pattinson Has Been Cast To Play The New Batman

Robert Pattinson Has Been Cast To Play The New Batman

Ever since Ben Affleck retired as Batman at the beginning of the year, fans have been wondering who would play the next version of the Caped Crusader in the DC Extended Universe. All that had been revealed was that it would be someone younger than Affleck and that The Batman director Matt Reeves was looking for someone well known. Well, evidently Twilight star Robert Pattinson was the best man for the job with those qualifications.

Weeks after he was among the rumored actors up for the Batman role, word has come in Robert Pattinson will don the cape and cowl next, with a deal set to close shortly. This makes him the seventh actor to play Batman in a live action theatrical movie, and the second youngest actor to ever bring the character to life in his superhero persona, following Christian Bale. According to Variety, Pattinson has been cast to lead The Batman even as Matt Reeves is still polishing the final draft of the script.

Robert Pattinson is best known for playing Edward Cullen in the five Twilight movies from 2008 to 2012, and his other notable credits include Queen of the Desert, Life (2015), The Lost City of Z and High Life. The Batman marks Pattinson’s second upcoming Warner Bros project, as he’s already set to star alongside John David Washington and Elizabeth Debicki in Christopher Nolan’s next movie.

It is worth mentioning that Deadline claims that Nicholas Hoult is still in the running for The Batman, though Robert Pattinson has the edge on the short list. Given that Hoult had already played Beast in four X-Men movies, it’d be nice if Pattinson gets the opportunity to leave his own mark on the superhero genre.

Although The Batman is featuring a younger version of the eponymous protagonist, it will not be an origin story in the vein of Year One. No specific plot details have been revealed yet, but it’s said to be a noir-driven tale that will highlight Bruce Wayne’s detective skills, which haven’t been explored in-depth in previous Batman movies.

As far as villains go, Matt Reeves has said that The Batman will feature a rogues gallery, with Penguin said to be one of the antagonists. Beyond that, we’ll have to wait and see what kind of stamp Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson put on this 80-year-old character that distinguishes him from past iterations. Production is reportedly scheduled to begin either towards the end of the year or in early 2020 in London.

The Batman will cast its shadow in theaters on June 25, 2021, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for continuing coverage. In the meantime, you can learn what other DC movies are on the way by looking through our comprehensive guide.

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This Rotten Week: Predicting Detective Pikachu, The Hustle, Poms, And Tolkien Reviews

This Rotten Week: Predicting Detective Pikachu, The Hustle, Poms, And Tolkien Reviews

We’ve got four movies coming out this week with themes that are all over the map. A cartoon character solves crimes, two ladies work a con game, some senior citizens go rah-rah, and there’s a famous author’s biopic. Get ready for Pokemon Detective Pikachu, The Hustle, Poms, and Tolkien.

Just remember, I'm not reviewing these movies, but rather predicting where they'll end up on the Tomatometer. Let's take a look at This Rotten Week has to offer.

A live-action Pokemon movie based around the video game/cartoon of the same name really seems like it should be a massive failure - something meant for only the superfans of the franchise or perhaps mindless youths. But they might have actually pulled something off with Detective Pikachu. It’s a buddy cop film, pairing a rather unsuspecting kid sleuth with an adorable Pikachu as they work to solve a mystery.

Director and screenwriter Rob Letterman seems to be taking Pikachu into a more funny direction with this film, and it seemingly makes for a movie that looks like it actually works. Letterman has a couple of wins with Goosebumps (77%) and Monsters vs. Aliens (73%), but also a bit miss in Gulliver’s Travels (20%). Critics are mostly positive about his latest, with the Tomatometer sitting at 70% with 37 reviews posted. Maybe it ticks down a little, but this already seems like a critical surprise.

If there's a lesson I learned from the trailer for The Hustle, it's that if you want to take power from someone, you should just run a couple of cons on them and bilk them out of all their cash. Apparently that's how you beat the bad dudes - by hitting them where it hurts the most.

It’s hard to know where critics are going to land on this movie. On the one hand, we have two great actresses in Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson carrying the comedic load and that could be enough to get the job done. On the other hand, this is a movie about two (probably) unsympathetic con-artists whose freedom comes from scamming rich dudes out of their fortunes. Ultimately comedies like this really don't seem to fall in the critics' favor, and I suspect that this remake of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels ends up on the rotten side.

Movies like Poms are generally made to appeal to a specific demographic: namely older women who don't typically get to see themselves properly represented on the big screen all that often. That being said, it's not exactly a demographic that dominates the world of film criticism, so I don't suspect that a ton of them will be going gaga over this one

Poms centers on a group of women at a retirement community who form a cheerleading squad, and watching the trailer I was initially concerned that the whole thing would feel too hokey. And then it took a turn for the sentimental and empowering, and I think it might have actually sold me. I'm not sure an overwhelming majority of critics will feel the same way, but a song by Pink playing in the background and a story of strength in spite of age has me more bullish on the film than I might have otherwise been.

At this point, most know the story of Blibo and Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gangee, Gandalf, and the rest of the folks in Middle-earth. Those dudes have had their stories told to the tune of billions of book and movie dollars. Tolkien, however, works to tell the story of the storyteller. The movie centers on J.R.R. Tolkien (Nicholas Hoult), and informs audiences about his fellowship of friends, how he found the love of his life, and the war that haunted him to the point that he was inspired to write both The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

As compelling as this story seems, critics are really mixed on the output so far. Tolkien is sitting at 53% currently, with more than 30 reviews posted. The opinions about the title are definitely wide-ranging, from “loved it” to “hated it.” This really appears to be polarizing among the critical crowd. Some loved the artistic look at Tolkien’s early life, while others don't appreciate the tone and lead performance. It really is all over the map, making me think the score winds up in the middle when it’s all said and done.

I went four for four last week, which was definitely an awesome showing for This Rotten Week. Long Shot (Predicted: 85% Actual: 83%) was almost dead on, and with a couple of more positive reviews we might find this one right on the nose. Though this movie finished very high on the Tomatometer, many of the reviews were mildly apologetic and focused a bit more on the performances than on the actual script. That being said, this is still a huge win for a comedy to finish this high.

Meanwhile Uglydolls (Predicted: 42% Actual: 35%) finished a little lower than predicted, but still within range. Animated flicks can crush it with critics when the story is tight and there are enough laughs for the adults. This movie apparently had neither. It was fairly clear from the trailer that they were working on a thin, commercial premise that focused mostly on the songs.

El Chicano (Predicted: 48% Actual: 40%) almost fell out of range, but this vigilante movie about a cop taking on a mythic persona and laying waste to the Latin gang world was just good enough to be considered a Rotten Week win. This seems like one of those films destined to be a fun watch on basic cable in about two years. There are worse fates for poorly-reviewed action movies.

Finally, The Intruder (Predicted: 35% Actual: 27%) was predictably bad. The story of a deranged dude who doesn’t want to let go of his house even though the closing papers are fully signed just didn’t have the legs with critics. This was easy to see from a mile away.

Next time we’ve got John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, A Dog’s Journey, and The Sun Is Also A Star. It’s gonna be a Rotten Week!

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