How Spider-Man: Far From Home Can Wrap Up Marvel's Phase Three

How Spider-Man: Far From Home Can Wrap Up Marvel's Phase Three

The conclusion of Avengers: Endgame really did feel like the end of an era. The Marvel epic provided fitting closure for two of its core characters, it featured a massive battle sequence with just about every MCU character yet (hell, even Howard the Duck showed up) and could quite possibly become the highest grossing movie of all time. But Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has stood his ground on the fact that Spider-Man: Far From Home is the last film in MCU Phase 3, not Avengers: Endgame.

It doesn’t make sense, does it? What’s our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man doing – coming in, swinging past the small ocean of nerd tears Avengers: Endgame poetically manifested in us with its ending and closing this chapter of MCU history with his own movie? But after a look at the new spoiler-y trailer for Far From Home that came out this week, it’s starting to become more clear. There are some loose ends that Endgame didn’t tie up that the next Spider-Man movie will address, thus closing out Phase 3 and the Infinity Saga. Here’s why it makes sense for the summer release to end this chapter:

The Impact of Endgame

Avengers: Endgame was so focused on Earth's Mightiest Heroes undoing Thanos’ snap and bringing closure to the stories of Tony Stark and Captain America that it glazed over one important impact of the whole situation: what’s next after the giant upheaval that killed off half the population of the universe and then brought them back? While part of living creatures will be dealing with a world back at maximum population after mourning and picking up the pieces for five years, others will be coping with the time they’ve lost and the changes to the world since they were snapped out of existence.

Spider-Man: Far From Home will need to address the situation a bit before Phase 4 can begin and framing the last MCU film through the hero’s world is a clever way for the studio to do this. As Jon Watts recently explained to Fandango, Peter Parker has the “ground-level perspective” into daily life that other heroes such as Thor or Hawkeye would have. He may be rolling with the Avengers now, but under the suit he’s just a normal kid. He still needs to go to high school… which means his movie needs to deal with the shift in dynamic of that post-Endgame.

Spider-Man: Far From Home makes sense as a Phase 3 movie because it should answer a bit of our curiosities about a changed world after the Avengers’ fiercest battle yet. Although it seems like most of Peter’s immediate friends (Ned, MJ, Flash, Betty) and Aunt May are dealing with the side of being snapped and coming back, they will come in from that unique perspective of what it’s like to come back to a world you were dusted from, whereas Endgame dealt with the people who were left alive. As audiences, we need both of those sides for the storyline to find balance about the events.

The Death of Iron Man

Since the MCU started with Iron Man, the franchise has always been rooted in Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark. Avengers: Endgame didn’t answer the question about how the franchise will move on sans Iron Man. Spider-Man: Far From Home is the perfect opportunity for the MCU to explore this, especially since Tony was established in Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming as Peter’s mentor and Avengers father-figure. While as an audience we feel a bit lost about what’s next for the franchise without our favorite playboy, billionaire, philanthropist, so will Spidey.

In fact, it looks like the theme of the movie will revolve around Peter coming to terms with Tony’s great sacrifice and finding his place in the world without him being there to call up, bail him out or give him a pep talk. The trailer threw around “the new Iron Man” a couple times and will explore the hero as he tries to ignore his “great responsibility” to be a normal teenager. He can send him to voicemail, but he can’t run from Nick Fury’s call to a big mission involving the Elementals and the Multiverse.

Spider-Man: Far From Home will answer one question that Avengers: Endgame just didn’t have the time for: what’s next for the Avengers Initiative? How does it look like now? Nick Fury is calling on Spider-Man this time around, so does that mean he will be a prominent figure in the MCU now? Will he be the new Iron Man? Maybe a new dynamic all together will form within the confines of Far From Home that will wrap up and bring closure to what started with Iron Man in 2008 and give us a hint about how we move forward.

The Next MCU Saga

Another aspect of Avengers: Endgame that doesn’t make it feel like the definitive end to Phase 3 is there’s still a lot up in the air where exactly the MCU is going next. The team may have assembled and taken down their ultimate enemy when they stopped Thanos from using the Infinity Gauntlet the second time, but we don’t know enough about how that’s changed things enough to know how it will mold into the next saga. Spider-Man: Far From Home for example seems to already be giving us a hint about just why we need it to clue us in.

The latest trailer sets up the Multiverse when Nick Fury explains that the snap (although it’s unclear which one) tore a hole in our dimension and Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio is from one of the alternative worlds. This new detail made it especially clear to me why Spider-Man: Far From Home is an MCU bookend. The movie is building off the events of the MCU thus far, so it can be placed in the Infinity Saga category, but it’s also opening up a portal (quite literally) into the potential of what could be to come. Will the next phase revolve around the Multiverse? The set-up for Far From Home certainly seems to hint at it.

From here, Spider-Man: Far From Home looks to be a fitting last film in Phase 3. It does seem like a lot to cover in a Spider-Man sequel, but the new trailer seems to deliver on just about every front of touching on these unanswered questions that I didn’t think it was capable of doing before, so I’m confident it will fittingly be the end of the Infinity Saga and mark the impending beginning of a new one.

Spider-Man: Far From Home will spin its web in theaters on July 2, so be sure to keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more coverage.

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The Gambit Movie Has Been Shelved

The Gambit Movie Has Been Shelved

Earlier today, Disney announced a lot of new release date information, which included three new Star Wars movies being slotted and both the Avatar sequels and The New Mutants being delayed. But there was one movie conspicuously absent from the updated Disney calendar: Gambit. Yes, it appears that after years in development hell, Gambit has finally been shelved.

Ever since Gambit was officially announced back in 2014, five years after Taylor Kitsch played the first live action incarnation of Remy LeBeau in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, it’s been repeatedly been delayed, and when last we heard, it was supposed to come out on March 13, 2020. However, now Disney has acquired 21st Century Fox, and rather than continue that studio’s pattern of pushing Gambit back, the Mouse House has opted to just take the movie off the board entirely.

Barring some surprise announcement later down the line, the five-year saga of attempting to give Gambit his own solo movie has ended. That’s a shame for Channing Tatum, who’s been attached to play Tatum since Gambit officially entered development. Maybe he’ll find another opportunity to play a superhero down the line, but throwing energized playing cards is not in his future.

Even if Disney had been willing to still release Gambit, there’s no way it would have been ready to go by that March 2020 date. Following the departures of Rupert Wyatt, Doug Liman and Gore Verbinski over the years, Gambit had still not found a replacement director. The movie also changed a lot from how it was originally conceived, but alas, we won’t get to see this particular tale unfold.

Gambit’s removal, as well as the cancellation of all the other X-Men spinoffs in development, further signals the end of the X-Men franchise that began in 2000. Dark Phoenix is wrapping up the main X-Men film series next month, and while Disney is insistent that we’ll see The New Mutants next year, it’ll likely just be a standalone tale rather than spawn sequels.

The only thing that will be staying the same when it comes to Marvel’s mutant properties is Deadpool, as Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige recently said that there are no plans to change the Merc with the Mouth. But other than that, it’s believed that the X-Men franchise will be rebooted to fit within the Marvel Cinematic Universe continuity, although it will be a while until that happens.

Maybe there’s a future for Gambit within the MCU’s forthcoming X-Men adaptations; just because he was never able to star in his own movie doesn’t mean he can’t be an important player in ensemble pieces. Regardless, fingers crossed that someday there’s a book written about all the effort that went into trying to get the Gambit movie off the ground.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for all the latest and greatest updates concerning Marvel movies. You can learn what’s coming to the MCU in our comprehensive guide, or you can plan your trips to the theater later this year with our 2019 release schedule.

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Cillian Murphy's Odds To Play James Bond Have Gone Way Up

Cillian Murphy's Odds To Play James Bond Have Gone Way Up

The next James Bond movie has been slightly delayed, but the movie is happening, and Daniel Craig will be back in the lead role. Of course, it seems quite likely that Craig will be done after this next film and whatever happens, at some point, sooner rather than later, Craig will be done playing Bond, but the role will certainly go on. The question of who the next James Bond will be will exist until there is one, and right now the odds on Cillian Murphy getting the role just got a lot better.

When I talk about the odds, I'm speaking quite literally, as I'm talking about bookmakers in Britain who actually do keep odds on who the next James Bond will be. Cillian Murphy had seen odds of 7/1 but those odds have just dropped to 100/30 (slightly worse than 3/1 if you don't want to do the math). He's not the front runner, but he's now in second place behind Tom Hiddleston and Richard Madden who both have 2/1 odds.

If there's a reason the odds have gotten so much better for Murphy, it's not entirely clear. His name has never been entirely absent from any conversation about the next James Bond. When Danny Boyle was set to direct the next film, but before Daniel Craig had agreed to return, Yahoo says Murphy's name had come up a possible replacement, but obviously it never came to that.

Murphy may be best known for playing the villain Scarecrow in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins. He also had a role in Nolan's WWII epic Dunkirk and has had a successful TV run on the series Peaky Blinders.

Considering the time that it took to get Daniel Craig to commit to playing James Bond one more time, it seems likely this will be his last go-round as the super spy, though the film has not been announced to be his last. If he hasn't already told producers this is his last, then assume we'll all go through the "will he, won't he" one more time as Eon Productions tries to get him to do one more movie, before the producers even consider looking elsewhere.

Once we get there, however, there are a lot of interesting candidates. Everybody from Idris Elba to Tom Hardy has been rumored as a possible Bond in the past. Expect all of them to get thrown into the mix once again. Even an actor who might not have been a hot prospect a couple years ago when producers were last looking could be in a very different place a couple years from now when the hunt is on again. There will probably be some young actors who aren't even on our radar now who will also be contenders.

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Star Wars Galaxy's Edge: Everything We Know About Walt Disney World's New Land

Star Wars Galaxy's Edge: Everything We Know About Walt Disney World's New Land

Star Wars' existence in Disney theme parks actually pre-dates the company's purchase of Lucasfilm, but everybody knew it was only a matter of time once the purchase happened before Star Wars' presence saw a massive increase in Anaheim and Orlando. That is set to happen later this year when Walt Disney World in Florida, and also Disneyland in California, see a major upgrade in the form of a new land called Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.

While we won't get to really see or truly experience Star Wars Galaxy's Edge until the land opens later this year, there's still a lot that has been revealed about the new area and what it will contain. Here's everything that we know about the newest part of the Disney parks.

When Star Wars Galaxy's Edge Will Open

Originally, Walt Disney World had been given a window of Late Fall 2019 for the opening of Star Wars; Galaxy's Edge with Disneyland set to open in the summer of the same year. This meant a lot of people were surprised when the actual opening dates were revealed as Disneyland was announced to see the land open May 31 with Walt Disney World following on August 29.

There's a catch however. With the earlier date it was announced that only one of the E-ticket attractions, Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run would be open to the public. The other attraction, Rise of the Resistance will come later as part of a second phase opening. No date was given for when that will happen beyond both parks seeing phase two come sometime in 2019. It seems likely each park will see the second attraction close to the original opening date.

How To Get Into Galaxy's Edge

With the popularity that Disneyland and Walt Disney World already have, combined with the popularity of Star Wars, it's clear that Galaxy's Edge is going to be a popular place when it opens. However, Disney is doing what it can to alleviate crowds.

For the first three weeks of Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland, May 31 to June 22, a separate reservation will be necessary to access the new land. On May 2 reservations were made available to the general public, but they were all taken in less than two hours. Now, the only way to get in during that opening period is by booking a stay at a Disneyland resort hotel. A hotel reservation will get you access to a four hour long reservation at Galaxy's Edge during one day of your hotel stay.

Once the reservation period has ended a "virtual queueing system" will be utilized to prevent a standby liner from forming.

There has been no reservation system announced for Disney's Hollywood Studios.

How Galaxy's Edge Will Be Different

One of the ways that Star Wars Galaxy's Edge will be a unique land for a Disney park is that it is being designed to feel, in its entirety, like it exists as a planet in the Star Wars Universe. The idea is that this isn't simply a space in a theme park that looks like Star Wars, but an actual part of Star Wars canon, just like any movie. The name of that planet is Batuu. It can be found on the outer edge of the galaxy, thus the name of the land, but is also a location of importance to both the Resistance and The First Order. We've never seen Batuu before, as it's a brand new creation by Disney. However, the Star Wars multimedia machine has already begun to sprinkle the location throughout other forms of Star Wars media as a way to prepare us for the planet.

Of course, even Disney's largest single land expansion ever isn't going to feel like it's actually a whole planet, so the focus will actually be a single settlement on that planet

Black Spire Outpost

While Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge will exist on its own planet, the focus of the land will be on a specific place on that planet. Named for the petrified trees that have transformed into the planet's unique geology, Black Spire Outpost will be the hub of activity where guests will find the attractions, the restaurants, and the merchandise available for sale. The Black Spires actually received a reference in Solo: A Star Wars Story, showing that this new area will be intimately tied to the larger Star Wars universe.

Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run

There will be two E-ticket attractions as part of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. The most exciting is probably the one that will put you in the pilot seat of the Millennium Falcon. Within the story of the ride, Pirate Hondo Ohnaka, known to Star Wars fans from his appearances in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Rebels animated series, has made a deal with Chewbacca. He will help fund a refurbishment on the Falcon if Chewie will let him use it to run some less than legal goods through the galaxy. As a guest, you're actually a freelance smuggler, looking to make some cash by signing up to work for Hondo.

Groups of six riders will be given one of three crew positions, pilot, gunner, or engineer. When it comes time to actually do your flying, It isn't just a ride. Guests will have to actively use the controls in the Millennium Falcon cockpit in order to successfully execute the mission. If gunners don't fire fast enough, the Falcon will take damage. If that happens, engineers may have to extinguish fires.

While it apparently won't be possible to completely fail the mission, different outcomes are possible. You'll even be able to see the damage that you've done. With numerous possibilities for the ride, the re-rideability of the attraction looks to be quite high, even if you weren't simply looking to fly the Falcon again and again, although who wouldn't want to do that?

Rise Of The Resistance

The other major attraction at Star Wars Galaxy's Edge is an attraction that will put you in the middle of a battle between The Resistance and the First Order. Rise of the Resistance will see guests become members of the Resistance and go on a mission on their behalf before being captured by a First Order Star Destroyer. Then guests get into trackless ride vehicles for an escape that promises to be one of the biggest and most exciting rides of any theme park ever.

Rise of the Resistance is the marquee attraction of Star Wars Galaxy's Edge. It's biggest selling point may be that the attraction is simply massive. Based on the description the experience will have multiple segments that will see guests both walking and riding between them. A resistance flight deck with full-sized X-Wings will be in one area. While full size First Order AT-ATs will be in another.

In addition to the awesome set pieces, guests will also feel like they're part of the Star Wars universe because several characters from the current trilogy will also be part of Rise of the Resistance. Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and Adam Driver have all recorded scenes that will be part of it all.

The Food

One of the highlights of any Disney vacation is all the great food the park has on offer and we can be sure that Star Wars Galaxy's Edge will not be an exception. It has been confirmed that blue milk will be on offer, as well as countless other delicacies of the galaxy far, far away. Black Spire Station will also have a cantina available. There will also be a table service restaurant as well as a separate quick serve-type establishment. This is likely going to be a tough reservation to get, as many will surely want to eat in the galaxy far, far away.

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge will also bring what may be the single biggest change to Disneyland in its entire history as it will be the first place alcohol has ever been available to the general public. Star Wars themed cocktails as well as a selection of wine and beer made exclusively for Galaxy's Edge will be available at Oga's Cantina. You can bet finding a seat will be tough there, in fact, the word is the layout has been designed mostly for standing room for simply that reason, so that more people will be able to fit in the space. If nothing else, you'll be able to listen to some solid music as RX-24, or R3X, the original Star Tours pilot, has found a new job as a DJ.

Docking Bay 7 will be the table service restaurant at Black Spire Station. Recognizable by the transport ship on the roof, Docking Bay 7 is the home of Chef Strono “Cookie” Tuggs, who honed his craft at the castle of one Maz Kanata before taking his show on the road and finding himself on Batuu.

Ronto Roasters will be the quick service food location, providing roasted meat that's been cooked on what used to be a pod racing engine. Considering that the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ restaurant used to be on the location of Galaxy's Edge, it's a nice way to pay homage to the popular spot that we no longer have.

There are a couple of other places to grab a bite or something to drink. Kat Saka's Kettle will offer a variety of flavored popcorn. There will also be a Milk Stand allowing you to try the popular blue or green milk from the Star Wars universe. These beverages will actually be fruit flavored smoothie's when you find them on Batuu.

The Merchandise

Nobody knows how to sell stuff quite like Disney and no place is the company better at it than inside the theme parks. However, merchandise is where one of the more interesting aspects of Star Wars Galaxy's Edge comes in. Rather than being full of t-shirts and ball caps with the Star Wars logo like you might expect, none of that will actually be available inside the new land. Instead, the shops will be part of the lands theming, containing only the sorts of items you might expect to find in an alien marketplace. There will certainly be plenty of clothes and toys, but only items designed to look like they came from Batuu.

The highlight of the cool stuff on display is likely the shop that will let you buld your own lightsaber. This is going to be serious business as you'll need to schedule a time for your lightsaber build. There will be many different options to choose from that will let you build a blade in your own special way. Expect to pay something around $100 just for the hilt, and $50 more if you actually want to be able to attach a blade. But it sounds like the final product will look like something you see in the movies, so that will likely make things worth it.

A droid building shop will be available, allowing you to build your own remote controlled R2 or BB unit, and who doesn't want of those.

There will be a toy shop, run by a Toydarian, because why not. It will house plush dolls that look like your favorite Star Wars characters, because they've become famous throughout the galaxy,

There will also be clothing shops so that you can dress like a member of either the Resistance or the First Order. There will actually be different shops depending on which side you want to join, because, again, the storytelling is even built into the shopping.

The Technology

While we know a little about the big things that Star Wars Galaxy's Edge has planned, what Disney Parks are better than anybody at is the small stuff, the little details that help flesh out the world so it feels real. Quite a few of those little details are hinted at in the form of patents that Disney has filed for in recent months. We've seen one that could create the look of blaster fire, and another that could create holograms in an attraction. Based on descriptions, it sounds like both of these will be used as part of the Rise of the Resistance ride.

However, what may be even more interesting is the way Disney is going to use your smartphone to create an even more immersive Star Wars experience. Via the existing Play Disney Parks app, a whole host of new experiences will be available to guests.

One game will let you use your phone to "hack" surveillance boxes set up around Black Spire Station by the First Order. Once hacked, you can either deactivate them, to help the Resistance or reactivate them to help the First Order.

You'll also be able to use the app to translate Aurebesh writing found throughout Batuu, a lot of things won't be in English, since nobody on Batuu speaks the language.

You'll also be able to use the app to pick up and complete odd jobs. These can also be handled in different ways and the decisions you make will help dictate whether you end up joining the First Order or the Resistance.

In addition, the events of some of the attractions will also carry over into other aspects of the land. If you bring the Millennium Falcon back in less than ideal condition from Smuggler's Run, then a bartender might make reference to that when you visit the cantina.

The Hotel

One thing that won't be opening in the late fall of 2019 at Walt Disney World, but is on its way, is a special Star Wars-themed hotel that will be attached to Galaxy's Edge. More than simply being a place to keep your stuff while you're in the park, the hotel is set to be an attraction unto itself, where guests check in for a set number of days for an all-inclusive, completely immersive, Star Wars experience. You'll be able to dress the part and interact with other guests and staff as if you were on board a starship flying through the galaxy, far, far away. It sounds like nothing anybody has ever experienced and we can't wait to check in.

Needless to say, Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge is promising a lot. With Disney's history, there's a good chance it will be successful in pretty much everything it wants to do. The only real question is, just how insane will the crowds be when it opens and how much of a problem will those crowds be in trying to enjoy the immersive Star Wars world. We'll find out later this year.

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Looks Like Bond 25’s Script Is Getting Help From Killing Eve’s Phoebe Waller-Bridge

Looks Like Bond 25’s Script Is Getting Help From Killing Eve’s Phoebe Waller-Bridge

Another chapter of the James Bond franchise is closing soon. Barring some last minute change, the still-to-be-titled Bond 25 will mark Daniel Craig’s last mission as 007, so it goes without saying that this movie will need to stand out and wrap things up with a bang. To improve the likelihood of that happening, Killing Eve creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge has been recruited to polish Bond 25’s script.

Last September, following the departure of director Danny Boyle and writer John Hodge from Bond 25, longtime James Bond franchise contributors Neal Purvis and Robert Wade were brought in to rework the upcoming movie’s script. However, when making a major motion picture, sometimes it becomes necessary for another writer or several to join the proceedings. Scott Z. Burns hopped aboard in February to work on the script, and now Phoebe Waller-Bridge is picking up where he left off.

According to The Observer, Daniel Craig specifically requested for Phoebe Waller-Bridge to bring “her wit and quirkiness” to the Bond 25 screenplay. Craig is reportedly a fan of the other TV series she created, Fleabag (which just concluded its second and final season in the U.K.), and felt that she could do a good job with livening up Bond 25.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge has recently been in New York City performing a stage version of Fleabag, and while in the Big Apple, she met with Daniel Craig about polishing the Bond 25 script to add more humor and the kind of “offbeat style of writing” she’s known for. So while the story as a whole doesn’t sound like it’ll be overhauled, tonally Waller-Bridge will be making some adjustments.

This marks the second major cinematic franchise that Phoebe Waller-Bridge gets to contribute to. Last year, she appeared as L3-37, Lando Calrissian’s droid partner in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Waller-Bridge’s other notable credits include The Iron Lady, Goodbye Christoper Robin, Broadchurch and Crashing.

Phoebe-Waller Bridge working on Bond 25 is the latest step in this movie’s long journey to rolling cameras, but assuming the changes Phoebe Waller-Bridge are met with approval, then production should finally begin in a few weeks. Cary Fukanaga of True Detective and Maniac fame was brought in to take over as director from Danny Boyle, who exited the project due to creative differences.

Aside from Daniel Craig reprising James Bond for the fifth and final time, Bond 25 will also see the return of Lea Seydoux’s Madeleine Swann, Ben Whishaw’s Q, Naomie Harris’ Eve Moneypenney and Ralph Fiennes’ Garteth Mallory, who succeeded Judi Dench’s character as M. No new characters have been announced yet, although Rami Malek is being eyed to play the villain.

Originally set for release this November, Bond 25 was pushed back to February 2020 and is now scheduled to hit theaters on April 8, 2020. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on its progress, and don’t forget to look through our 2019 release schedule to learn what’s headed to the silver screen a little sooner.

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Us’ Music Was Started Before Filming Even Began

Us’ Music Was Started Before Filming Even Began

The horror genre has been in a serious renaissance over the pat few years, partly due to releases that came from Blumhouse Productions. Rather than stale or overly gory sequels, new and exciting properties have been brought to theaters, making tons of money in the process. Perhaps the most notable is Jordan Peele's Get Out, which won an Oscar and showed the vision and directorial talent he had.

Jordan Peele followed up Get Out with Us, which was met with similar box office and critical success. Us was scarier than its predecessor, and relied more on horror tropes than thriller instincts. The music was a major part of the movie, especially ahead of its release. The tethered cover of "I Got Five On It" is bone chilling, and composer Michael Abels recently revealed the film's score was being worked on even before filming began. As he put it:

Jordan had me read the script before he had shot any of the film. This was a similar process to Get Out in that respect. Then, he is very conscious of the power of music and film, and particularly in suspense and horror. So, he’ll tell me the type of music that he’s thinking of, and, in the case of Us, he said, ‘Clearly, the whole story is about duality in both the mirror image and yet the alternate image, so why don’t you try experimenting with some sounds that don’t go together, a couple of deliberately unconventional choices, and see what happens.’ I did that and I came up with some demos, some examples of me just experimenting with things that I wouldn’t have otherwise experimented with if he hadn’t told me to go and play in that sandbox.

Once again, Jordan Peele is proven to be a methodical filmmaker, which is why both of his first two movies have resonated with audiences. There's special care taken to each frame, and that includes the music and sounds that accompany Us and its predecessor.

Michael Abels' comment to Uproxx shine a light on the creative process of Us, which pre-dates its principal photography and editing steps. Sound is a major aspect of horror production, which Jordan Peele definitely seems to understand. Music can set the tone of each scene, and elevate the terrifying and bizarre parts of the movie. Us does just that with its creep score, which buoys the tension of the movie as things descend (literally) into madness.

Get Out also used music in interesting ways, with a score that included Swahili music, as well as a suspenseful score. Meanwhile, Us used hip hop, and distorted the iconic track into a terrifying musical theme. Smart money says Michael Abels is brought on Jordan Peele's third movie, whenever and whatever that might be.

Us is still in theaters now. In the meantime, be sure to check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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Disney+: Everything We Know About The New Streaming Service

Disney+: Everything We Know About The New Streaming Service

More and more, people are getting their TV and movie content exclusively from streaming sources. While Netflix is clearly the undisputed king of the various streaming services, several companies have begun to take their slice of the pie and one of the most promising of those is the new service coming from the Walt Disney Company, simply titled Disney+.

With one of the most extensive catalogs of content, dating back almost 100 years, Disney has the potential to bring a lot of muscle to its new streaming service. Is it going to be worth it for you to add it to your existing options, or possibly even replace another service with it? Here's everything we know about Disney+ to help you make that decision.

When Will Disney+ Launch And What Will It Cost?

Back in August of 2017 we first learned that Disney was planning to launch its own streaming service. From day one we knew that Disney was expecting a 2019 launch and as we moved closer to that date, we were told the service would come near the end of the calendar year. The service was also given an official name at the end of 2018, Disney+, a name that made sense considering that Disney's ESPN SVOD service used the same nomenclature. That was as far as we knew until a special Disney Investor's Day event in April of 2019, which finally gave us two key pieces of information.

Disney+ will launch in the U.S. on November 12, 2019. Disney seemed to use U.S. and North America interchangeably during the announcement so it looks like Canada will be getting the service at the same time.

Western Europe will get Disney+ during a roll out that will start at the end of 2019 and go into early 2020. The Asia Pacific region will see Disney+ starting at the end of this year, but is expected to take into 2020 to fully complete. Eastern Europe and Latin America will begin to see Disney+ near the end of 2020.

The most exciting piece of information about Disney+ is the price. It will go for $6.99 a month, with an option to purchase a full year in advance for $69.99. That will make Disney+ about half the price of what Netflix now goes for, and it will be only one dollar more a month than what Hulu costs with ad support, and Disney+ will be ad free.

It also seems highly likely that an option to bundle Disney+ with ESPN+ and Hulu will come at some point. Disney made it clear the company is interested in the bundle option, but it will require approval of the Hulu board. While Disney is now the majority shareholder of Hulu following the purchase of Fox, it's not the only company that gets to make the decision, as Comcast/Universal is still a significant shareholder. We could still see an official bundle announced before November, but it could also come later.

How Can I Watch Disney+?

During Disney's Investor Day, the company made it clear that it wants Disney+ to have as wide a device footprint as possible, so that people using the service will have access to it on whatever device they want to use. The image above was used during the presentation and makes it clear that whether you have a Smart TV, a game console, or any other video streaming device, Disney wants the new service available on it.

However, at the event, Disney confirmed that, as of now, only two devices, Roku TV, and Sony's PlayStation 4, are currently set to have the app at launch. Although, with several months to go before Disney+ is available, there are likely to be many more partnerships made with TV manufacturers, game console makers and other streaming devices before day one.

Of course, you'll also be able to watch on your home computer, and tablets and smartphones are virtually certain to have Disney+ in their app stores on day one.

How Will Disney+ Work?

If you're familiar with most existing streaming video apps, Disney+ doesn't look all that different. The app divides the content into five main categories, Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic. You can select any one of them to be able to see a wider section of options in that category, but you can also view by genre or search for a specific title in order to find what you're looking for.

Overtime, the service will learn your preferences based on what you watch, and so it will automatically recommend movies and shows you might want to see. To that end, multiple profiles can be created by different family members, which means each person will get their own set of recommendations.

On the technical side, content will be available in 4K HDR for those with compatible screens for viewing.

Another very cool feature is that the entire library of content will be available to download to your mobile device with no restrictions or limitations. This means if you're jumping on a plane or are going to be someplace else where you won't have wi-fi, you can download everything you need to keep watching while you're offline.

What Can I Watch On Disney+?

The short answer to that question is, a lot. With almost 100 years of material to draw from across multiple divisions, in movies and on television, Disney+ promises to launch with an incredible amount of timeless content, and continue adding to that as time goes on. Here's a breakdown of what we know is coming to the service.

Walt Disney Animation Studios

Walt Disney released the studios first hand drawn animated feature in 1937, and ever since then, Disney has defined theatrical animation for generations. With the upcoming Frozen II, Disney will release its 58th theatrically animated film, and 39 of those films will be available to watch on Disney+ on day one. This includes every movie in the "Disney vault," films that see their home releases routinely pulled from circulation before re-releasing them a few years later.

In addition to the films that will be available on day one, more will be added over time, including Frozen II which was confirmed to hit the service in the summer of 2020.

Here's the complete list of confirmed Disney animated features set for Disney+.

101 Dalmatians

Aladdin

Alice in Wonderland

Aristocats

Bambi

Beauty and the Beast

Big Hero 6

Bolt

Chicken Little

Cinderella

Dinosaur

Dumbo

The Emperor’s New Groove

Fantasia

Fantasia 2000

Fox and the Hound

Frozen

The Great Mouse Detective

Hercules

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Jungle Book

Lady and the Tramp

Lilo and Stitch

The Lion King

The Little Mermaid

Meet the Robinsons

Moana

Mulan

Peter Pan

Pinocchio

Pocahontas

The Princess and the Frog

Sleeping Beauty

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

The Sword in the Stone

Tangled

Winnie the Pooh

Wreck-It Ralph

Zootopia

Frozen II (Summer 2020)

In addition to the theatrically animated movies, a selection in the Disney+ app demonstration shown included an option to watch Mickey Mouse short films. Many of Disney's shorts will likely be included in the service, though we don't know what will be available day one and what will be coming later.

Finally, one brand new series related to Disney animation will be a documentary series titled Into the Unknown: Making Frozen II. No specific date was given for the series, but it was seen as part of the "Coming Soon" portion of the Disney app, which means it likely won't be a day one product. Though, since Frozen II is set to release shortly after Disney+ launches, we probably won't have too long to wait.

Pixar

Pixar is a much younger company that Walt Disney Animation, but they're just as loved by fans. Toy Story 4 will mark the 21st Pixar animated feature. Pixar CCO Pete Doctor confirmed that the first 18 Pixar films will be day one releases for Disney+. Only Coco, Incredibles 2 and Toy Story 4 won't be available to view when Disney+ launches, but all three will be available by the end of the service's first year.

In addition to theatrical films, many of Pixar's shorts will also be available on the service. It appears that all of Pixar's theatrically released shorts, along with Red's Dream, The Adventures of Andre and Wally B. and Tin Toy, which were never put in theaters, will all be on the service on day one.

Several brand new Pixar projects were also announced for Disney+. Forky Asks a Question will see the newest member of the Toy Story crew, Forky, voiced by Tony Hale, coming to terms with his new existence as a toy. Each episode will see Forky ask the other toys in Bonnie's room about life's most difficult questions, such as, What is love? What is Time? and What is Cheese? Ten short episodes have been created and the series will be a day one addition to Disney+.

Bo Peep, the Toy Story character who returns to the fold in Toy Story 4 will be getting a Disney+ original short film. Lamp Life will tell the story of what happened to the character prior to the events of Toy Story 4.

Monsters at Work will be a new series dedicated to the world of Monsters Inc. Both Billy Crystal and John Goodman will reprise their roles as Mike and Sully for the show. The series will follow the new Monsters Inc. after the events of the original film, as the monsters continue to gather their power needs by utilizing the Laugh Floor.

Finally, an unscripted series that takes a look behind the scenes of Pixar was also announced. It sounds to be a similar documentary project to the Frozen II series. No official title was given, but episodes will begin to arrive sometime in the first year and are expected to continue to be released into the future.

Marvel Studios

One of the most exciting things about Disney+ might be the idea that the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe might be available in one place. Being able to watch the entire story from Iron Man through Avengers: Endgame is the cinematic equivalent of spending your weekend reading comic books and drinking soda. However, it looks like the MCU won't be complete on Disney+, at least not early on.

Through the end of 2019 there will be a total of 24 movies that make up the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Of those 24, only four will be available on day one, and only eight more are currently scheduled to be added within the first year. Here's the complete list...

Day One Releases

Captain Marvel

Iron Man

Iron Man 3

Thor: The Dark World

Year One Releases

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Avengers: Endgame

Avengers: Infinity War

Black Panther

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Guardians of the Galaxy

Iron Man 2

Thor: Ragnarok

If this is truly the entire list of MCU films set for the first year, it leaves half of the films out for the first year. There may be existing licensing deals in place that will keep the films off Disney+, though it's always possible the company might continue working to make these movies available sooner than is currently announced. One also wonders if the two Spider-Man films will ever appear on Disney+, considering that they're actually Sony movies.

Several exclusive Marvel shows have also been confirmed for the service. Marvel Hero Project will follow young people who are trying to be real life heroes by affecting positive change in their communities. Marvel's 616 is an anthology documentary series that will explore Marvel's history of superhero characters and the historical, cultural, and societal context in which those heroes were created.

While several TV shows have been created over the years that had ties to the MCU, Disney+ will be the home of the first series specifically designed to extend the the story of several characters from the films. Three series have been officially announced. WandaVision will star Elizabeth Olson and Paul Bettany and follow the story of Wanda Maximoff and The Vision. Falcon and the Winter Solder will see Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes team up. The third confirmed series will center on Loki, who will be played by a returning Tom Hiddleston.

Another MCU related series will be What If. This new animated series will explore how the MCU could have turned out differently if events had played out in different ways. The first episode has been confirmed to explore what would have happened if Peggy Carter had been given the Super Soldier Serum, and Steve Rogers had instead fought in World War II inside an armored suit created by Howard Stark. It sounds like in most, if not all cases, the MCU actor will return to voice their animated counterparts.

None of these new projects were given specific launch windows, making them all likely to be year one series at the very soonest.

Star Wars

While the Star Wars film franchise predates Marvel movies by several decades, it was much slower to grow, and as such, the brand doesn't have quite as much legacy content to go on Disney+, the good news, however, is basically all of it will be on Disney+ within the first year. The original trilogy, the prequel trilogy, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will all be day one releases. The other three films, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Solo: A Star Wars Story, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, will all be on Disney+ by the end of the first year.

Two original Star Wars series have been announced for Disney+ as well. The Mandalorian will be a day one series which will star Pedro Pascal as a gun for hire in a period about five years after the events of Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi. Another, as yet untitled, series will act as a prequel to Rogue One and star Diego Luna, reprising his role of Cassian Andor, along with the voice of Alan Tudyk returning to give life to K-2SO.

The animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars will debut a brand new season on Disney+. All previous seasons, as well as Lucasfilm's other animated series Star Wars Rebels are also confirmed for the platform, via icons seen in the Disney+ app demo, but exactly when they'll arrive has not been announced.

Several nonfiction Star Wars series will also be coming to Disney+, and will, apparently, focus on the people who have helped bring the galaxy far, far away to life, such as those responsible for creating the sets and props.

Disney Live Action

Disney may have gotten its start as an animation studio but the company's live-action history is just as distinguished. Whether you're a fan of Disney's classic era or more focused on the more recent family adventures, a slate of over 30 live-action films were confirmed for Disney+ launch, with several more, including some of this year's theatrical releases, set for the first year of the service.

There are classics here like Mary Poppins but there are also some less than blockbuster flicks. It's almost nice to see The Haunted Mansion and Muppets Most Wanted on here. They might not be everybody's favorite, but they're probably somebody's favorite, and it's good that Disney isn't trying to bury them. Here's everything that was confirmed.

Day One Releases

101 Dalmatians

102 Dalmatians

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Alice in Wonderland

Bedknobs and Broomsticks

Dumbo

Freaky Friday (2003)

The Haunted Mansion

Hocus Pocus

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids

Mary Poppins

Miracle

The Muppets

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets

Newsies

Old Yeller

The Parent Trap (1961)

The Parent Trap (1998)

Pete's Dragon (1977)

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men's Chest

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

The Princess Diaries

The Princess Diaries II: Royal Engagement

Remember the Titans

Rocketeer

The Santa Clause

The Santa Clause 2

The Santa Clause 3

Saving Mr. Banks

Secretariat

Treasure Island

Tron

Tron: Legacy

Year One Releases

Aladdin

Alice Through The Looking Glass

Beauty and the Beast

Christopher Robin

Cinderella

Enchanted

The Lion King

Maleficent

Muppets Most Wanted

The Mighty Ducks

National Treasure

In addition to the back catalog, several DIsney+ original live-action movies were confirmed for the first year of the service. Noelle will star Anna Kendrick as the daughter of Santa Claus. When her brother, the heir to Santa, goes missing, she'll go into the real world to find him. The movie is confirmed for "soon" after the launch of Disney+, and considering it's a holiday movie, may be the first addition to the launch lineup.

Timmy Failure is a new movie based on a series of children's books that's being directed by Spotlight director Tom McCarthy. Stargirl is based on a New York Times best selling YA novel that will star America's Got Talent winner Grace VanderWaal. Neither of these films was given a launch window, so they may be a ways out.

Togo will follow the Alaskan diptheria outbreak of the 1920s and the chain of sled dogs that raced medication to the effected area. Disney Studios President Sean Bailey said this one was set for "a little after launch." Willem Dafoe stars.

The latest Disney live-action remake will be Lady and the Tramp. Using live actors combined with the same CGI animation that is bringing the new Lion King to life, this one promises to be special for Disney fans. The film will be available at launch.

Encore! will be executive produced by Kristen Bell and will be an unscripted series where she helps reunite old classmates who used to perform together in high school. The Imagineering Story will be a documentary series from Leslie Iwerks, the granddaughter of Disney Legend Ub Iwerks, which looks at the people who help bring Disney theme park attractions to life. Its first episode will debut on day one.

National Geographic

National Geographic has a history that actually predates Disney, but with the acquisition of Fox, the brand is now the property of the Walt Disney Company, and with it comes hundreds of hours of material to bolster Disney+.

There's an extensive list of National Geographic content coming to the service. Exactly which of these series and films will be available day one was not made clear, but all of these are expected within the first year.

Amazing Planet

Gordon Ramsey Uncharted

Photoark

Drain the Oceans

Dr. K's Exotic Animal ER

Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet

Earth Live

Free Solo

Great Migrations

Howie Mandel's Animals Doing Things

The Incredible Dr. Pol

Into the Okavango

Life Below Zero

Science Fair

Cosmos

Rise of the Black Panther

Rocky Mountain Animal Rescue

One Strange Rock

Unlikely Animal Friends

Wicked Tuna

Wild Yellowstone

Brain Games

Jane

Dog Whisperer

Running Wild with Bear Grylls

In addition, two brand new Disney+ original shows were confirmed. The World According to Jeff Goldblum will follow the insatiably curious actor as he investigates seemingly mundane objects to find the history and science behind them. It will debut on Disney+ on day one. The second series is titled Magic of the Animal Kingdom, and it will follow the biologists, veterinarians, and other animal care experts who work at Disney's Animal Kingdom at the Sea Base Aquarium at Epcot.

The Disney Channel

The Disney Channel has been around for over 30 years and in that time it has created an impressive number of original series and movies. At launch, it may be largest single segment of content on the site, as over 5,000 episodes of series and over 100 original movies will debut on Disney+. Here's what's confirmed:

Andi Mack

Cadet Kelly

Camp Rock

The Cheetah Girls

Descendants

Ducktales (2017-)

Even Stevens

Good Luck Charlie

Gravity Falls

Halloweentown

Handy Manny

Hannah Montana

High School Musical

High School Musical 2

Jake and the Neverland Pirates

Jesse

Jonas L.A.

Kim Possible

Little Einsteins

Lizzy McGuire

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

Phineas and Ferb

Princess Protection Program

The Proud Family

The Suite Life of Zack and Cody

Tangled: The Series

Teen Beach Movie

That's So Raven

Wizards of Waverly Place

Zombies

In addition to seeing every episode of the Phineas and Ferb animated series on day one, a brand new Phineas and Ferb movie was also announced. It will see the brothers attempt to rescue their sister Candice, who has been abducted by space aliens.

The most meta new series coming to Disney+ has to be High School Musical: The Musical - The Series. Rather than being a sequel or a straight remake of the original High School Musical, the new series will follow kids at the high school where the High School Musical movies were filmed, as they attempt to put on a performance of High School Musical: The Musical. It hopes to bring together fans of the original films and new fans as well. The first episode will hit Disney+ on day one.

Fox

While not being a separate section of the Disney+ app, Several TV series and movies that were purchased along with 21st Century Fox are also confirmed for the service. It would seem these will all be considered Disney shows and movies going forward, at least as far as the app menu is concerned.

The biggest announcement was the fact that 30 seasons of The Simpsons will be viewable on Disney+ on day one. The complete list of first year confirmed titles of both TV and movies is:

Bend It Like Beckham

Breaking Away

Dr. Doolittle (1998)

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Far From Home

Garfield: The Movie

The Gods Must Be Crazy

Hello Dolly

Home Alone 3

Horton Hears A Who

Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)

Malcolm in the Middle

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium

The Princess Bride

Rookie of the Year

The Simpsons

The Sound of Music

By the end of the first year Disney+ expects to have 7,500 episodes of current and library television and over 500 theatrically released films, in addition to all the original content being made for the service. That means there's a lot more on the way than what has been confirmed so far. While that's still a far cry from the size of the library that a competitor like Netflix has, Disney+ looks to have a level of quality in that library that may be impossible to beat.

Be sure to bookmark this guide, as we'll be keeping it updated with new information about Disney+ as it becomes available!

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