It’s A Challenge Getting John Wick 3’s Weapons To International Shooting Locations

It’s A Challenge Getting John Wick 3’s Weapons To International Shooting Locations

The John Wick movies are full of highly stylized and choreographed violence. That's why we love them. The action is a beautiful thing to behold as are the locations where that action takes place. John Wick franchise director Chad Stahelski says that shooting on location is important to him, but doing so isn't always easy, because it frequently means trying to explain why you're trying to bring a truckload of guns into a foreign country. In the case of the upcoming John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, that meant explaining to the nation of Morocco why they needed so many guns in order to be allowed to film there in the first place. As the director explains...

We had a truckload of [modified for filming] firearms that we were bringing into another country. That doesn’t guarantee you an invitation. You have to really explain it.

If the guns were all modified for filming then they likely couldn't actually function as real guns, but that likely isn't enough to impress officials when they see all the, otherwise, real weapons, you want to bring into their country. Sure, you're making a movie, but do you really need that many guns?

Well, it is a John Wick movie, so...yeah.

While the first John Wick movie stayed in New York, the second film took the story, and the title character, to Italy. For Chapter 3, John Wick will travel to the Sahara Desert. The production filmed the scenes in Morocco. Director Chad Stahelski tells THR his desire to film on location comes from a love of classic action movies like the work of Steve McQueen and early James Bond films, which always filmed on location. While these days you can take a movie anywhere in the universe with a green screen big enough, Stahelski still sees value in filming on location, but it does come with its own set of hurdles.

How much of John Wick 3 will take place in Morocco isn't clear. Chapter 2 had a strong opening that took place in Italy before the bulk of the action returned to New York. We know that the new film will open in New York, with Wick on the run from every assassin looking to cash in on his bounty, but he'll find himself in the desert looking for help from Sofia, another assassin played by Halle Berry.

While getting all those weapons into Morocco for filming might have required a bit of extra work, I feel confident that it will all be worth it. The John Wick series has created some of the most memorable action sequences of any recent films and whatever it was that led the production to film in the desert, we can be confident that the location for used to its fullest potential.

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum hits theaters May 17.

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Why Horror Directors Make Great Superhero Films, According To David Sandberg

Why Horror Directors Make Great Superhero Films, According To David Sandberg

There’s a pattern that seems to be forming in the DC Comics film canon, and it’s something that stretches all the way back to Superman: The Movie. As it turns out, some of their biggest ticket directors in the comic realm have backgrounds in horror filmmaking, with Richard Donner and Tim Burton putting in strong efforts in earlier ages, and now Aquaman’s James Wan and Shazam! director David Sandberg getting to continue the precedent in the modern age. All of this builds a case for one pretty awesome conclusion: horror directors are fantastic hires when you want to make a superhero movie.

It’s something that feels right to say after seeing Shazam!, as the mix of superpowered mythos, a heartwarming foster family, and some pretty creepy stuff involving the Seven Deadly Sins all come into frame. While the film is more than likely ok for your kids to see, there’s still some material that might creep them out, as part of the character’s underlying story is the fight of virtue versus evil, with seven figures representing each side of the fight.

While sitting down with CinemaBlend, David F. Sandberg, half of the pair behind the redemption of the Annabelle series with Annabelle: Creation, talked about how the hypothesis of horror directors being particularly adept at the superhero genre could be supported because of the following reason:

Maybe, I mean it takes a lot of work to get horror right. Like a lot of filmmaking skills that all needs to sort of come together. That, I guess, prepares you for other genres as well.

Consider all of the effort that goes into a film like Annabelle: Creation: there’s a lot of effects work, maintenance of the balance of tone and scale, and most importantly, the efforts to make sure the personal story of the characters don’t get lost in the more fantastical pieces of the film’s story. Those are all of the same factors that apply with any comic book movie you can think of.

Spinning all of those plates isn’t easy, and it’s certainly not impossible for a director or writer to pick up on. But if you’re someone like David F. Sandberg, or the many other horror professionals who have jumped from scares to super powers, having experience with the latter helps immensely when you try to tackle the former.

It’s even more amazing when you think about how Sandberg’s previous film, the first sequel in the Annabelle series, operates on a very similar track as Shazam! Both films, at their heart, are tales of orphans who bond through a series of extraordinary events, with one eventually being embued with a special connection to powers greater than themselves. Except while Annabelle: Creation progressed with a more insidious aim at its core and resulted in quite a few fatalities, Shazam! opts for a more friendly and much less scary way of doing things.

Another person who could appreciate the parallels between David F. Sandberg’s theory of why horror directors work particularly well in a superhero project is producer Peter Safran, another teammate from the Annabelle: Creation side of things. Adding some further praise to the efforts that Sandberg had made with Shazam!, Safran said the following:

I think horror filmmakers don’t really get the due that they deserve, in terms of the quality of filmmakers that they actually are. And we’ve found with James Wan, and now with [David F.] Sandberg that these guys can make the jump into the superhero genre really, really well.

Though the deeper historical context of horror directors in the world of superhero films certainly wasn’t lost on David F. Sandberg or Peter Safran, as you’ll be able to see below in the clip from our sitdown at the Shazam! junket.

There’s a lot of moving pieces that go together to make a film like Shazam! work, and thanks to the expertise of Mr. Sandberg, the finished product works as beautifully as it does.

Shazam! is in theaters now. Just say the magic word and use your favorite ticketing app, and you’re there! But if you’ve already seen the film, take a look at our discussion about the end credits scene, and what it means for the series. Also, don’t forget to listen to our ReelBlend interview with Sandberg and Safran, if you’re curious to hear more from the pair. It looks like there’s plenty more fun where this came from.

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James Gunn And Michael Rooker May Be Re-Teaming For Suicide Squad 2

James Gunn And Michael Rooker May Be Re-Teaming For Suicide Squad 2

James Gunn and Michael Rooker have already worked together once in the superhero realm through the first two Guardians of the Galaxy movies. While Rooker’s time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is over, now that Gunn is also lending his talents to the DC Extended Universe, it’s looking like these two might get to reunite in Suicide Squad 2, a.k.a. The Suicide Squad.

According to The Wrap, Michael Rooker is currently in talks to play King Shark in Suicide Squad 2. He’s been a part of the officially-designated Task Force X in recent years, particularly during the New 52 era, and it was reported last week that he’s one of the characters that will make up the team when it returns to the big screen.

Introduced in 1994’s Superboy #0, King Shark, a.k.a. Nanaue, is said to be the son of the Shark God, and he flip-flops between being a straight-up super villain and a tragic anti-hero. His abilities include superhuman physical attributes across the board, breathing underwater, enhanced senses, a regenerative healing factor and, of course, razor-sharp teeth.

Outside of the comics, King Shark’s most prominent appearance has been on The Flash, where he was originally a marine biologist named Shay Lamden who was transformed by the particle accelerator explosion on Earth-2. King Shark has also popped up in DC Super Hero Girls, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies and Batman: Assault on Arkham. He was originally supposed to appear in 2016’s Suicide Squad, but he was eventually replaced by Killer Croc.

Joining Suicide Squad 2 would allow Michael Rooker to keep up his streak of acting in all the movies James Gunn has directed. Along with his time as Yondu, Rooker is also well-known for playing Merle Dixon on The Walking Dead, and his recent projects include appearing two episodes of True Detective and starring in the upcoming Fantasy Island movie from Blumhouse.

Although it was initially described as a ‘total reboot,’ Suicide Squad 2 will still be tied to the previous Suicide Squad movie, as evidenced by the return of Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney’s Captain Boomerang and Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller. However, the better term for this movie is ‘relaunch,’ as it will mostly feature a brand-new cast of characters.

Assuming Michael Rooker finalizes a deal for Suicide Squad 2, he would join Idris Elba, David Dastmalchian and Daniela Melchior as one of the new faces. Elba was originally supposed to replace Will Smith as Deadshot, but he’ll now play a new character, while Dastmalchian and Melchior have been tapped to play Polka-Dot Man and Ratcatcher, respectively. John Cena is also being eyed to portray Peacemaker.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for word on if Michael Rooker does indeed join Suicide Squad 2, as well as any other major updates on the project. If you’re curious about what other DC movies are currently in development, look through our handy guide.

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New Dark Phoenix Clip Has The Mutants Debating What To Do With Jean

New Dark Phoenix Clip Has The Mutants Debating What To Do With Jean

It's no secret that comic book movies are everywhere. The superhero genre has been dominating the filmmaking world for years, with a variety of studios working on their own cinematic universes. But the X-Men franchise was there before any of it, dating back to the original film's release in 2000. The long-running property looks like it's coming to an end with Simon Kinberg's Dark Phoenix, the whopping 12th film in the series.

Dark Phoenix is the X-Men franchise's second go at the titular comic book plot, putting Game of Thrones' Sophie Turner in the spotlight as Jean Grey. Jean's terrifying cosmic power will divide the mutants after they take over her body and mind, and a new clip teased that coming conflict. Check it out.

Does anyone else have chills? Despite the X-Men's long tenure in theaters, it looks like new ground is being broken with Dark Phoenix. And Jean Grey's struggle with the Phoenix Force will also cause new alliances to be formed

This new Dark Phoenix clip shows the mutants in Central Park. It looks like Jean has traveled to New York City during her conflict with the Phoenix Force, and both the X-Men and Brotherhood are attempting to find her. Professor X and Magneto share some choice words with each other, debating what Jean had done, and the implications that come with the two groups doing battle with each other.

Obviously what the character are referencing is Jean's (accidental?) murder of Jennifer Lawrence's Mystique. Mystique's death was spoiled during the full Dark Phoenix trailer, and looks like that action will have a grave affect on the rest of the characters, as well as the blockbuster as a whole. And from this new clip, it looks like X-Men have already begun defecting to Magneto's cause.

Most notably, it looks like Nicholas Hoult's Beast is going to be joining the villain side of the argument when Dark Phoenix arrives in theaters. This plot twist certainly tracks, as Beast and Mystique shared a romantic connection, most notably in First Class. It looks like her death will hit the big blue guy hard, and he's on a mission for justice regarding Sophie Turner's character.

Related: Looks Like Dark Phoenix Might Have The Smallest Opening Of The X-Men Franchise

Dark Phoenix was reportedly always planned to be the final installment in the long-running X-Men franchise, so it should be interesting to see what narrative choices Simon Kinberg and his team settle on. If its truly poised to be the grand finale, Kinberg should be able to kill off as many characters as he wants, with no real consequences. So perhaps Mystique isn't the only mutant to meet the wrath of Jean's new abilities.

Luckily, answers are coming shorty. Dark Phoenix will arrive in theaters on June 7, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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Jordan Peele Isn't Too Worried About Us Spoilers

Jordan Peele Isn't Too Worried About Us Spoilers

Although not quite as critical as something like The Sixth Sense, Jordan Peele’s Get Out is one of those movies that you really didn’t want spoiled for you. The writer/director’s follow-up Us seems very much cut from a similar cloth, with the early word indicating that there are reveals aplenty in this film. Plus, the marketing campaign is even employing the hashtag #KeepItBetweenUs. That said, Jordan Peele isn’t too worried about Us spoilers, as he explained:

People want to keep the secrets. Also, if you spoil something, your friend probably punches you in the shoulder or something. I think we've developed into a culture that respects the idea that spoilers are no fun.

Jordan Peele seems of the belief that spoilers will not be a major problem for Us, not because the film can’t be spoiled, but because audiences will do the right thing and keep the film’s secrets so that other people can enjoy it. Basically, he thinks that people know better and all you’d be doing by spoiling the film is making people angry and opening yourself up to some friendly retaliation.

In his comments to Digital Spy, Jordan Peele actually raises quite an interesting point about the culture around spoilers. With the rise of social media, the ability to spoil movies has increased exponentially. B concurrently (and perhaps consequently) a taboo has also risen about spoilers. People now generally agree that spoilers suck. Spoiling a movie for someone else is really poor form and a pretty crappy thing to do, so most people try not to do it.

Jordan Peele also mentioned that this taboo around spoilers makes it fun to have seen a movie and to know its secrets. When you do and refuse to spoil it for someone else, that lends the film an air of mystery that gets other people excited to see it as well, building the buzz and enhancing the experience.

Because of this culture around spoilers, Jordan Peele doesn’t see them as being a big issue for his sophomore film. With any luck, he’s right. If so and people adhere to common decency and wait for everyone to see Us before discussing it in spoiler-ific detail, especially in a public forum, then there is nothing to worry about and audiences can enjoy the film and have the purest way possible.

By the early reactions out of SXSW, the movie is quite the experience too. Unlike Get Out, Us is true horror movie that will have people watching through their fingers and will give people plenty to discuss when the film ends.

Us is currently enjoying a perfect 100% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes in advance of this weekend’s opening so the buzz is definitely high here that this is a good movie showing that Get Out was no fluke. The film is tracking at a $40-$45 million opening weekend.

Us opens in theaters on March 22. Stay frosty and beware of spoilers and check out our 2019 Release Schedule for all the other big movies that should be on your radar this year.

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Avengers: Endgame Writers Have An Easy Answer For The Spider-Man Confusion

Avengers: Endgame Writers Have An Easy Answer For The Spider-Man Confusion

SPOILER WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Avengers: Endgame. If you have not yet seen the film, read on at your own risk!

Thanks to its time travel wackiness and an unannounced future slate of Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, Avengers: Endgame is a film that has audiences asking a lot of engaging questions while coming out of screenings – and one of the most significant has been about Tom Holland’s Peter Parker and his high school classmates. Because the blockbuster jumps ahead in the timeline five years, some have wondered why it is that many of Peter’s friends appear to be basically the same age in the upcoming Spider-Man: Far From Home as they were when we last saw them in Spider-Man: Homecoming and Avengers: Infinity War.

While this may seem confusing to some, Avengers: Endgame co-writer Stephen McFeely has a pretty simple explanation for the situation: anyone who appears to be the same age after the events of the movie were turned to dust following Thanos’ snap, and are still the same age they were five years earlier for the same reason Peter Parker didn’t get older. Said the screenwriter,

That one seems easy to me. Isn't it clear that anybody who looks the same blipped, and they're back just like [Peter] is? I don't know what happens in [Spider-Man: Far From Home] at all, but I can only assume that most of the main characters got blipped, and maybe some ancillary characters are now older, and then you'll get some comedy from that? I don't know.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely as part of the latest episode of our HeroBlend podcast, and it was early in the interview that the subject of Spider-Man and his pals not aging came up. I’ve personally had many conversations with friends about this particular aspect of Avengers: Endgame, and while explanations similar to McFeely’s have generally resolved the debate, it’s nice to hear it directly from one of the filmmakers involved with the film.

In Avengers: Endgame the only friend of Peter Parker we actually see is Ned Leeds (played by Jacob Batalon), who apparently got snapped away just like his buddy - but the first trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home seemingly confirms that Spider-Man and The Guy In The Chair weren’t alone being affected by The Decimation. As seen in the screenshot above, apparently both Flash Thompson (Tony Revolori) and Betty Brant (Angourie Rice) also disappeared following the events of Avengers: Infinity War, given they look basically the same as they did in Spider-Man: Homecoming, and it seems that it’s also the same situation with Zendaya’s M.J.

This lingering Avengers: Endgame question was one of many that I got to ask Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely about during our interview, so if you want to hear more be sure to click play on the HeroBlend episode below and give it a listen:

Avengers: Endgame is now out in theaters everywhere, and Spider-Man: Far From Home will be hitting theaters this summer on July 2nd. For the latest updates about both Marvel Cinematic Universe titles, be sure to stay tuned here on CinemaBlend.

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Mark Hamill Is Still Upset That Han, Luke, And Leia Never Reunited In The New Star Wars Trilogy

Mark Hamill Is Still Upset That Han, Luke, And Leia Never Reunited In The New Star Wars Trilogy

The past few years have been a very exciting for Star Wars fans. Once Disney acquired Lucasfilm, the galaxy far, far away began to expand at impressive rates. The House of Mouse has released one Star Wars movie every year, starting with The Force Awakens. The current trilogy has brought back the trio of original heroes alongside the new cast, but Mark Hamill has one issue in the way this all went down: Han, Luke, and Leia never reunited.

The sequel trilogy includes OG cast members, but it's largely focused on the new class of heroes in Rey, Finn, and Poe. Instead, Han, Luke, and Leia were each scheduled to get their own big movie, which prevented them from actually sharing scenes together. When speaking about Han's death in The Force Awakens, Mark Hamill made his opinions known, saying:

I just thought, Luke’s never going to see his best friend again. You look at it in a self-centered way. I said that it was a big mistake that those three people would never reunite in any way. I guess I was wrong, because nobody seems to care! I have to stipulate that I care, but it didn’t really seem to affect the larger audience. Luke, Han and Leia will never be together again, and I’ll probably never get to work with Harrison again.

I'm not crying, you're crying. While the Star Wars franchise is taking big risks and churning out a ton of content, Mark Hamill doesn't approve of every change. When it comes to keeping the trio of heroes separate, that's one choice he couldn't vibe with.

Mark Hamill's comments to Den Of Geek make a great deal of sense, especially when it came to the relationship between Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. Han was a major presence in The Force Awakens, while Luke was noticeably absent until the blockbuster's final moments. Leia was able to share scenes with both her partner and brother, but Han and Luke weren't so lucky. And as such, Mark Hamill didn't get to work with Harrison Ford again in the franchise that launched their careers into space.

In fact, Luke's friendship with Han was totally lacking from The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. The audience didn't get to watch Luke grieve over Han's death, while Han never expressed how much he missed his best friend. So you can't help but empathize with Mark Hamill's feelings. After all, he's both the main hero and biggest cheerleader of the epic space opera.

But Disney has been pushing boundaries and expanding the Star Wars franchise in brave ways. Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi was extremely subversive and went against all the expectations of the sequel. It should be fascinating to see how the Skywalker Saga and current trilogy are wrapped up with J.J. Abrams' mysterious Episode IX.

Episode IX will arrive in theaters on December 20th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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