George Clooney Told Ben Affleck Not To Play Batman

George Clooney Told Ben Affleck Not To Play Batman

It's no secret that superhero movies are everywhere. While all eyes are currently on the contents of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the genre goes back way before Tony Stark announced himself as Iron Man. On the DC side of things, there's been quite a few silver screen adaptations, especially when it comes to iconic heroes like Superman and Batman. The latter was mostly recently played by Ben Affleck, but it turns out that a former Bruce Wayne actually discouraged him from taking the role.

George Clooney had a brief stint as Batman, appearing in the final Joel Schumacher installment, Batman & Robin. The movie itself is known as one of the worst Batman movie, and Clooney has been the butt of countless jokes-- especially when it comes to his Bat nipples. Ben Affleck has officially hung up his cowl and cape, and Clooney recently revealed that he tried to talk him out of the role in the first place. As George Clooney puts it:

I actually did talk to him about it. I said, ‘Don’t do it.’ It was only from my experience, which is, you know.

It's been over 20 years since Batman & Robin hit theaters, and it looks like the experience still stings. Christopher Nolan's Dark Night Trilogy may have proved that a Batman movie could have quality, but that didn't stop George Clooney from discouraging Ben Affleck about taking on the mantle on the big screen.

George Clooney's comments to THR might not come as much of surprise, given how infamous Batman & Robin has become over the years. The over the top blockbuster was the final nail the Batman franchise's coffin, and is widely considered one of the worst movies of all time. So you can't blame Clooney for being a cautious regarding the Dark Knight's life on the big screen.

Ultimately Ben Affleck might have been wise to heed George Clooney's advice, as Batfleck had a rough go as Gotham's Protector. While Affleck brought a hulking physical presence and sense of jadedness to Bruce Wayne, the movies themselves left something to be desired. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was super divisive among the fandom, and sad Affleck became a viral meme.

Related: Ben Affleck Confirms He's Done Playing Batman

Justice League fared even worse critically, and was also a box office flop for the DCEU. And after dealing with substance abuse issues, Ben Affleck decided to drop out of the role, rather than reprising it in Matt Reeves' The Batman. So while it was a longer run as The Bat than George Clooney, Affleck's tenure was ultimately cut short.

The next DC release is Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) on February 7, 2020. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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Upcoming Marvel Movies: Release Dates For Phase 3 And 4

Upcoming Marvel Movies: Release Dates For Phase 3 And 4

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has big plans for the future. To keep it all straight, we've laid out the next few years' worth of Marvel Studios films, which will take you through all of the official titles announced for Phase 3 and Phase 4.

Spider-Man: Far From Home - July 5, 2019

Closing out Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be Spider-Man: Far From Home, and it's expected to reflect something that has to do with Peter Parker's (Tom Holland) Junior year of high school - specifically as he travels to Europe on a summer vacation trip. Marvel President Kevin Feige has confirmed that we will see the ramifications of Avengers: Endgame through Peter's eyes, which by itself sounds fascinating. Jake Gyllenhaal will be playing the role of Mysterio - becoming the first person to portray the character in live action. Beyond that, the film is a mystery, though we expect plenty of details to drop in due time.

There are certainly a number of threads that can be picked up by this Spider-Man sequel. Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) knows her nephew's secret identity, and Peter... well, he died. How will they rebound? We'll find out this summer. Find the most recent updates on Spider-Man: Far From Home HERE.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3

The road to making Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 has been an odd one so far. Initially it looked like the film was going to be one of the earliest titles released as part of Marvel Phase 4, but then all hell broke loose when James Gunn lost the directing gig thanks to offensive Tweets he wrote nearly a decade ago. After that whole ordeal the filmmaker decided to make a move over to the DC Extended Universe - agreeing to script and helm the upcoming The Suicide Squad - but now everything appears to be back on track, as Gunn has been reinstated and is once again set to make the conclusion to his Guardians Of The Galaxy trilogy.

James Gunn has always said that the next sequel in the Guardians franchise will bring an end to the story of THIS version of the Guardians team. which includes Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Groot (Vin Diesel), Nebula (Karen Gillan) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff). It's not entirely clear how the tale will be concluded, and the project has been pushed back until after Gunn can complete work on The Suicide Squad, but to say that our excitement is at maximum about the project's latest developments would be an understatement.

Black Widow

Fans spent years calling for Marvel Studios' first female-led superhero movie, and for the longest time it seemed like a Black Widow solo film would be the perfect solution to the request - what with Scarlett Johansson's character's being arguably the most popular heroine in the franchise. That didn't wind up happening, as both Evangeline Lilly's Hope van Dyne and Brie Larson's Carol Danvers broke the glass ceiling respectively with Ant-Man & The Wasp and Captain Marvel - but that doesn't mean a Black Widow movie isn't happening. In fact, it's currently set up to be one of the titles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase Four.

For a long time it was hard to tell what information was real and what was spurious in regards to this project, but it's been confirmed that the project is happening. In July 2018 it was revealed that Cate Shorthand has signed on to direct the feature, her previous work including the period drama Lore and the horror movie Berlin Syndrome. At this time there are no official details about the story that the movie will tell, but we should have a much clearer idea of where things are going soon. Casting has already begun, and in addition to Scarlett Johansson, the movie will also feature Florence Pugh, David Harbour, and Rachel Weisz.

The Eternals

When it comes to the cosmic side of Marvel Comics, the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies have only scratched the surface. Sure, we've seen a few Thor and Guardians of the Galaxy movies, but there are millions of beings out in the cosmos that have yet to make their live-action debut. The Eternals is a tremendous step in that direction, as while we've already met one member of the titular race - Thanos - there is a whole world created by Jack Kirby that should make for tremendous cinematic exploration.

Chloe Zhao was previously in the running to take the helm of the Black Widow movie, and while she didn't get that job, Marvel Studios decided they wanted her to stick around for The Eternals. The comics tell the story of a race of beings created from proto-humans by god-like aliens known as Celestials, and it's been said that romance will be at the center of the intergalactic story - specifically the relationship between Ikaris and Sersi. The cast is starting to come together, with Angelina Jolie and Kumail Nanjiani attached to star.

Doctor Strange 2

As they have since pretty much the beginning, Marvel's plans moving forward will include mixing things up between sequels and original projects. After all, while the latter allow things to constantly feel fresh and new, the former lets us see a lot more of the characters we've previously fallen in love with. This most definitely extends to Doctor Strange, as Marvel President Kevin Feige confirmed to CinemaBlend in summer 2018 that a Doctor Strange 2 is currently in development.

Unfortunately, Kevin Feige's statement also noted that the sequel would arrive "a number of years from the first," so this is a project we potentially won't see until the back half of Phase 4. It has not yet been officially announced who will be directing the movie, but the smart money is on Scott Derrickson, who helmed 2016's Doctor Strange and received both positive praise from critics and saw great box office success.

Black Panther 2

Is anyone in the world even remotely surprised that Black Panther is getting a sequel? Sure, we don't know exactly when we can expect it, but there was no way that Marvel Studios wasn't going to take full advantage of what currently stands as its most successful feature release. The first movie did an amazing job establishing the world of Wakanda, eventually seeing it open up to the world, and Black Panther 2 will offer the amazing opportunity to fully explore what the presence of the country means for the entire planet.

Ryan Coogler has not yet officially signed on to take the helm of Black Panther 2, but one can certainly imagine Marvel making him an offer so big that it would be impossible for him to refuse. Given the very real appetite that audiences clearly have for this character and his homeland, it would make all the sense in the world for the MCU to launch the title within the first half of Phase 4.

Shang-Chi

We've seen the Marvel Cinematic Universe explore a wide number of genres over the years, from the conspiracy thriller that was Captain America: The Winter Solider to the noir roots of Iron Man 3, but in Phase 4 Marvel Studios will make their first kung fu film. Specifically, they are currently developing a solo movie for the hero Shang-Chi, a master of martial arts that was introduced into the pages of Marvel Comics back in 1973.

Like all of the other features mentioned in this section, this project is close to becoming a reality thanks to the fact that Marvel has hired a director to start sculpting a vision for what the blockbuster can be. In March 2019 the studio hired Daniel Cretton to take the helm of the project, making it as his first blockbuster. Like many other filmmakers before entering this universe, he doesn't have a ton of experience on his resume, but he definitely has some standout titles - namely the brilliant 2013 indie film Short Term 12.

Phase 4 Release Dates

May 1, 2020

November 6, 2020

February 12, 2021

May 7, 2021

November 5, 2021

February 18, 2022

May 6, 2022

July 29, 2022

Iron Man (2008)

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Iron Man 2 (2010)

Thor (2011)

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

The Avengers (2012)

Iron Man 3 (2013)

Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)

The Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Ant-Man (2015)

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Doctor Strange (2016)

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Black Panther (2018)

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Ant-Man And The Wasp (2018)

Captain Marvel (2019)

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

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Captain Marvel Has Already Hit A Box Office Milestone

Captain Marvel Has Already Hit A Box Office Milestone

Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to pump out the hits, as every single blockbuster has been a critical and financial success. This includes the newest installation, Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's 90's origin story Captain Marvel. Brie Larson finally made her Marvel debut as Carol Danvers, in a capsulated story that had connections to the greater MCU, including Guardians of the Galaxy. And it's making a ton of money at the box office.

Prior to its release, it wasn't clear how much of a hit Captain Marvel would be. Audiences hadn't met the title character yet, and there was some backlash and online trolling directed toward Brie Larson. But that hasn't stopped the blockbuster from raking in the cash, as it recently broke $500 million at the global box office. And it's not even a week old.

This box office update comes to us from Variety, and shows how Captain Marvel is going higher, further, faster than the film's haters predicted. Captain Marvel's success was far from guaranteed in the time before it finally arrived in theaters, although moviegoers are clearly shelling out cash to meet the ultra powerful protagonist.

Captain Marvel is the first time a brand new character has gotten their own MCU blockbuster in years, as both Spider-Man and Black Panther appeared in Captain America: Civil War before getting their respective solo movies. And while Hope became a superhero in Ant-Man and The Wasp, fans knew and loved her from the first movie.

Pre-sales for Captain Marvel no doubt helped its strong box office performance, as the hardcore Marvel fandom ran to theaters to see the penultimate installment of the MCU's Phase Three. In fact, it was among Marvel's strongest in regards to pre-sales, so its domestic opening weekend was winning before it began. The international markets have been particularly kind to Carol Danvers, as the movie has made $325.6 million in its first week in theaters across the world.

Ahead of the film's release, Captain Marvel star Brie Larson came under fire for comments she made about diversity in the press. With the film industry's focus on inclusion both in front of and behind the camera, Larson lamented that most film critics were white men. This comment proved to be the catalyst for some serious trolling, as haters took to the film's Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes pages, and sent audiences scores plummeting.

But the haters who claimed they were boycotting Captain Marvel don't seem to have made much of a difference, given how quickly the film has ascended to the $500 million mark. It should be fascinating to see how much more money the blockbuster makes for Marvel Studios, and how Brie Larson's signature character becomes a larger presence in the greater MCU.

Captain Marvel is in theaters now, and the title character will pop back up in Avengers: Endgame on April 26th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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Why The Final Trailer Finally Got Me Excited For Dark Phoenix

Why The Final Trailer Finally Got Me Excited For Dark Phoenix

I have to be honest: Up until now, I haven’t been sold on Dark Phoenix as a theatrical experience. None of the trailers for this next and last in this run of X-Men films have made me feel as if this is a must-see blockbuster of epic proportions. Considering this is the end of an era, and the property’s popularity in the past, that had been kind of a worrying sign. Thankfully, there's been one final trailer to turn the tide for me.

When I sat down to watch this final trailer for director Simon Kinberg’s big turn at bat, I found I'm actually pretty excited to see the finished product that is Dark Phoenix. There’s a couple of really big reasons why this morning’s final trailer to the end of the X-Men universe as we know it has me absolutely hyped, and I'm glad to share them with you as we're not too far out from experiencing this pretty big happening.

Now comparing that trailer for Dark Phoenix to all others, there’s a pretty big jump in my feelings towards the material. The rhythm of this new trailer is the cleanest I’ve seen out of all of the Dark Phoenix materials, which is surprising considering there’s not all that much different in terms of what’s being presented.

All the other Dark Phoenix spots did have most of the same building blocks and story beats. Jean absorbs a weird energy source and becomes unstable, mystery character Jessica Chastain is encouraging her to embrace this new power, and the world feels like it’s going to be in for some massive hurting. This is the A-Z story we’ve been presented with, and for the most part I’ve remained skeptical, but willing to be swayed.

The swaying came with this final look at Dark Phoenix, as it lays it all of the same points we’ve seen, but with a better sense of urgency. We see a glimpse of the space rescue that starts it all, with a panicked Cyclops being a perfect catalyst to push the rest of the footage along. After that, it’s a pretty quick and sliding scale from Jean’s miraculous survival to her campaign of utter desolation. She’s embraced pain and she’s not afraid of inflicting it.

Which leads to another reason Dark Phoenix has me sold: Sophie Turner’s performance as Jean Grey. When added to the lineup in X-Men: Apocalypse, she was a key player, but still a member of a growing ensemble. Everyone knew how important she would be to the story, and it was touched upon briefly in that film as a sort of tease for the future.

Dark Phoenix definitely looks like it not only acknowledges that promise, it fulfills it entirely; and it’s because of the growth Turner is allowed to exhibit within this character. The scene in the final trailer that really sold me on Jean Grey as a threat is when she confronts Michael Fassbender’s Magneto. Up until this point, he’s felt like the most powerful mutant on the side of the protagonists in the X-Men films.

Regardles, that moment where Jean breaks his ever-important helmet and she tells him that threatening her isn’t the best idea is the sharpest contrast from the Jean we saw in X-Men: Apocalypse, and it properly sets the table for the main course: a fight between the X-Men and one of their own. Sophie Turner’s simultaneously threatening and sympathetic character makes it all go round more smoothly than I could have ever imagined. If you’re going to end a series like the X-Men, at least for the time being, you need to send them off on a pretty big note.

That’s what this Dark Phoenix footage really feels like it’s setting up. It’s the end of an era, with a grand finale to something that kicked off so long ago in X-Men, and was reborn in X-Men: First Class. Much like Avengers: Endgame has been spelling out the end of the line for the first story arc in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Dark Phoenix’s last look before the big show has given weight to this apocalyptic event. There is a schism coming to the X-Men universe, and nothing will be the same once it’s concluded.

Prior to now, it hadn’t felt this serious, but now, it’s feeling pretty grave. The X-Men series has always been about fear of “the other,” with Charles Xavier and his mutants being on the side of good an acceptance. But now, with Jean Grey’s Phoenix powers, the man and his students are thrown into another microcosm of that argument; and they’re not exactly on the same side as they’ve traditionally been on.

If that’s not a note to end an X-Men story arc on, I don’t know what is; and this last trailer has given me so much to think about and anticipate with this new film. Again, all of this was in previous trailers, but the presentation in this latest one really drives all of the pieces home for me as a viewer. That’s even taking into account the fact that this trailer is more ambiguous about what exactly happens to Jennifer Lawrence’s Mystique, despite the promotional material previous to this point basically spoiling that plot point pretty obviously.

Having discussed all of that, let's take a look at the final trailer for Dark Phoenix one last time, and revel in what it portends:

This final trailer to Dark Phoenix not only has me ready to get out to see the spectacle that awaits, it also has me thinking this could be the best X-Men movie since First Class. I’m surprised that Fox didn’t lead with this sort of marketing push, because this would have been the best launching pad to a potentially huge and engrossing campaign overall. That being said, in the era of stealth release drops and streaming giants marketing a film mere hours before it’s set to debut, this could be the studio’s way of adapting to the modern marketplace.

It hasn’t been an easy road for Dark Phoenix, so revolutionary and outside-the-box methods such as this do feel like an experimental way to branch traditional theatrical promotions into the future. Whatever the case may be, I’m totally on board to see the full extent of the devastation that Jean Grey will bring to the X-Men universe. And I’ll be there on opening night to see first it among the die hard fans.

Dark Phoenix unleashes darkness upon the world on June 7th.

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Star Wars Galaxy's Edge Just Unveiled New Footage, Check It Out

Star Wars Galaxy's Edge Just Unveiled New Footage, Check It Out

While many fans are excited to see the next Star Wars movie, some of us are even more excited to live our first Star Wars experience. That what we've been promised when Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge opens at Disneyland and Walt Disney World later this year. While we've learned a lot about what things will happen when we first walk on the planet Batuu, we haven't actually seen what Black Spire Outpost will actually look like very much beyond concept art. However, some new footage was just dropped at Star Wars Celebration, and CinemaBlend has it. Check it out below.

In Star Wars movies, so much of what we see is never real. It's digital effects and movie magic. However, for Galaxy's Edge, everything is quite real. Everything from the rusted out landspeeder to the Millennium Falcon looks just as real as it does on the movie screen. In fact, some of the shots look almost identical the concept art that was released years ago, showing just how close to the mark Walt Disney Imagineering has come in trying to recreate the world of the galaxy, far, far away for us.

When music composed by John Williams is added, that's when it all really begins to feel like we're seeing a piece of Star Wars.

While there were no major reveals at the Disney Parks panel at Star Wars Celebration, like the opening date of the new land's second phase, the panel brought together all the pieces of information that we had in one place, expanding on details and confirming things that had previously only been rumor.

For people who are simply fans of Disneyland, Galaxy's Edge will offer all the things we expect from it, amazing attractions, delicious food, and cool merchandise, but for those of us that want to take the experience a step, or several steps, further, then there's going to be an immersive experience like nothing Star Wars fans have been able to be a part of before.

While the planet Batuu is a new place in the Star Wars galaxy for us, it's been around for as long as the stories that have been told. This means that if you look you'll see design elements that reference the prequels, the original trilogy, and the new trilogy as well. How Batuu experienced these events has helped shape the world that it is today. It used to be a well traveled planet, but is now on the edge of wild space, thus the look in the video that everything feels slightly rundown.

No doubt we're all waiting to live our own Star Wars experience. The day will come at Disneyland May 31, then on August 29 at Walt Disney World.

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Why Us Kicks Off With That Hands Across America Ad

Why Us Kicks Off With That Hands Across America Ad

The following contains spoilers for Us.

Three's a lot of odd, strange, and bizarre stuff going on in Jordan Peele's new film Us. However, one of the strangest things has to be the movie's opening scene. The film opens on a little girl watching television in the 1980s. Specifically, she views a commercial for the 1986 fundraising event Hands Across America. The ad isn't entirely random, as the event has a part to play in the larger story of Us. In fact, it sort of sets the tone for the entire movie, which is apparently why Jordan Peele decided to open the movie with it.

In addition to the Hands Across America commercial being important to the plot of Us, it also mirrors the film itself, because while the ad wants to be full of hope and optimism, Jordan Peele actually had a very different reaction to it. It seems that ultimately, it was the commercial which helped the writer and director figure out what he wanted to do with the movie, which is why he decided to open the film with it. According to Peele...

Old creepy commercials also come up in both, ones from the ’80s. In conceiving this movie, I arrived at the Hands Across America commercial from one of these moments of feeling as opposed to thinking. I found a real Hands Across America commercial — I don’t know what I was searching to find it, but I just had this feeling of dread watching the amusing, bright optimism on display. It took me back to a time where I was also afraid and young and vulnerable, and didn’t really know what was going on. So I probably said, ‘what if this was the first scene in the movie?’ And that began to answer questions about what I was working towards.

I'm old enough to remember the actual Hands Across America, but I'm never going to be able to think about it the same way again thanks to Us. The unwavering optimism of it all is almost terrifying, which is part of the point. Everything looks good but there's a feeling of something wrong underneath, which is exactly was Us is trying to say.

The first part of Us takes place in 1986, the same year that Hands Across America took place, but as we learn later in the movie, the commercial wasn't simply set to help set the time and place. The actual event has a part to play. Based on what Jordan Peele tells Polygon, it sounds like connecting his story to Hands Across America helped him figure out where to take the characters in his script, as he'd still had some questions previously.

It was certainly a unique and interesting way to open a movie, not to mention effective. The choice to use the commercial makes the audience wonder just what they're seeing and why, throwing them a little off balance for the story that is to come.

Us is in theaters now.

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E.L. James Admits People Are Already Circling Fifty Shades Author's The Mister For Movie Rights

E.L. James Admits People Are Already Circling Fifty Shades Author's The Mister For Movie Rights

E.L. James, the author of the Fifty Shades of Grey series, has a new book out on the shelves called The Mister. Even if you've never read the books, there's a strong chance that you are at least a little familiar with the three Fifty Shades movies. They went on to gross a combined $1 billion at the box office, and it sounds like some studios are hoping for lightning to strike twice. James claims that studios are already circling a movie adaptation of The Mister.

The author's three Fifty Shades books followed the often dicey romance of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey. While the soap opera drama they faced often placed obstacles in their path, the series is really known for and associated with sex. Things get real steamy between these two, helping to propel the series to worldwide success.

E.L. James' newest book, The Mister, is similar in concept to Fifty Shades. The novel follows an entirely different couple named Maxim Trevelyan and Alessia Demachi. Maxim is a wealthy playboy aristocrat who falls for the mysterious Alessia, whose only possession is her dark past. And they totally have sex, though it's apparently more vanilla than Fifty Shades.

The Mister has only been out for about a week, but it's already apparently gotten attention from movie studios. E.L. James told the Metro that she has been approached by studios for a film adaptation, but didn't get any deeper than that. In her words:

People are asking, yes. I have been asked. It is a big commitment.

Obviously, that doesn't mean that a movie is storming into theaters next year. It sounds like conversations have only just started and there's no guarantee that a movie will even happen. I suppose some of that will depend on book sales, but that's already off to a good start. The Mister has sold 52,674 physical copies in its first week.

For the record, it doesn't sound like The Mister is well-liked at the moment. Critics gave the book negative reviews, but it's not like the Fifty Shades films were getting Oscar nominations. Critics usually weren't fans of the movies, but that didn't stop it from making money. Just because the book isn't getting good reviews now doesn't mean that a future movie won't.

It's still too early to tell if a movie about The Mister is in the cards, but so far the signs seem positive. For more movie news and updates, be sure to stick with CinemaBlend and we'll keep you informed as new information becomes available. In the meantime, there are plenty of other movies that we know for a fact are coming out this year. Don't forget to also to hit up our 2019 movie release guide to plan all of your theater visits for the ear.

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