Ralph Fiennes Almost Turned Down Playing Voldemort In Harry Potter

Ralph Fiennes Almost Turned Down Playing Voldemort In Harry Potter

There are certain film villains who are on the upper echelon in terms of being iconic and beloved by moviegoers. Darth Vader is the big bad of space, while Lord Voldemort is a wizard in the Harry Potter franchise who characters fear to even speak of. So when it came to adapting the Dark Lord for the silver screen, Warner Bros. had the difficult task of finding an actor to play the snake-like scourge on the Wizarding World.

Ultimately the great Ralph Fiennes played Lord Voldemort, playing the character for a whopping five Harry Potter movies. Fiennes' performance was layered and super creepy, but it turns out that the Schindler's List actor originally didn't want to take the role of he who must not be named. He recently explained this, and how his family helped him change his mind. As he tells it,

The truth is I was actually ignorant about the films and the books. I was approached by the production. Mike Newell was directing the film that they wanted me to be in… the first time Voldemort was going to appear physically. Out of ignorance I just sort of thought, this isn’t for me… Quite stupidly I resisted, I was hesitant. I think the clincher was that my sister Martha – who has three children who were then probably about 12, 10 and 8 – she said, 'What do you mean? You’ve got to do it!' So then I rewound my thinking.

It looks like we all owe Ralph Fiennes nieces and nephews a big thank you. While he was originally hesitant to join the massive Harry Potter franchise, the younger members of his family were able to convince him otherwise. Because if you can play the villain of the beloved novels and movies, why would you turn it down?

Ralph Fiennes' comments from The Jonathan Ross Show (via Digital Spy) are sure to baffle Harry Potter fans, who have grown to love his performance as Voldemort. Fiennes was completely transformed into the dark wizard, with prosthesis forming his snakelike appearance, while the actor adjusted his voice and posture to fully inhabit Voldemort. As such, it's impossible to think of anyone else playing the adult form of Tom Riddle.

Ralph Fiennes had previously spoke to his trepidation about playing Voldemort. The actor reportedly wasn't a fan of the first two Harry Potter movies, which were directed by Chris Columbus. The franchise took a more adult turn when Fiennes eventually popped up in The Goblet of Fire, which may have been what the actor was hoping for-- especially when playing the most evil Wizard ever.

It should be interesting to see if Voldemort becomes part of the Fantastic Beasts franchise. There are still three more movies on the way, as the timeline gets closer to the one explored in the Harry Potter franchise. Voldemort visited Grindelwald in prison in Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1, so they've clearly got some type of a relationship. Could Ralph Fiennes end up popping up again as you know who? Fingers crossed.

Ralph Fiennes is currently filming Kingsman: The Great Game, and is expected to reprise his role as M in Bond 25. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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Daniel Craig Thinks James Bond Could Change Gender Or Race

Daniel Craig Thinks James Bond Could Change Gender Or Race

Daniel Craig is coming back to play James Bond one more time, but the actor admits that this is almost certainly his last go-round as the super spy. That means the part will need to be recast for the film that comes after Bond 25, and when that happens, some have suggested that the part should go to a woman or a person of color. Craig himself seems quite open to that possibility, saying that nobody should be eliminated from consideration for the part automatically. According to Craig...

The right person for the job, I think that's what it should be. I think that everybody should be considered.

Since the character's inception, James Bond has always been a white dude. While the actors who have played him have come from all parts of the UK, and even once from Australia, the rest hasn't changed much. However, James Bond, being part of one of the longest running film franchises ever, has now become more icon than man, and there are those that believe that the character can move forward as a different race or even a different gender and still be James Bond.

James Bond certainly isn't the same character today that he was when Sean Connery originated him for the screen. The character has evolved with the times and there's no reason the character couldn't continue to evolve in this way.

At the same time, while Daniel Craig says that everybody should be considered for the role of James Bond, he also tells ET that the larger issue is that the number of great roles for women and African Americans is more limited than it should be. He seems to feel that this is part of the reason there is interest in roles like James Bond.

For women and for African Americans, there should be great parts anyway, across the board. It shouldn't have to be Bond that takes... it doesn't need to be Bond. It just needs to be written -- some good parts.

At the end of the day, the fact that James Bond as a character has survived and thrived for so long, and that there is no equivalent character played by a woman or a person of color, is certainly part of the issue. All actors want to play great roles, but some of them, surely, want to play popular ones too, and there are few bigger than James Bond. At the end of the day, whether a person can play James Bond should come down to a talent and not the happenstances of birth.

Hopefully, as Craig says, everybody will be considered and when the time comes to find a new James Bond, the right person will get the job. Until then, we have one more adventure with the current Bond, that will hit screens next year.

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John Wick Director Says He Could Make More Sequels For The Rest Of His Career

John Wick Director Says He Could Make More Sequels For The Rest Of His Career

The John Wick film franchise has only been growing in popularity as it has progressed, and while many might have thought that John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum was looking to wrap up a solid trilogy, the truth is that sequels are still very much a possibility. Franchise director Chad Stahelski says that he could potentially end up just making these movies for the rest of his carrer, and if that, happened, that'd be ok. According to Stahelski...

I enjoy making these movies because there’s no limit. We create our own mythology, and we have a studio (Lionsgate) that both stays out of our way and supports us on the wacky decisions. If people go see the movie, and it makes money, and they came back to us, Keanu and I have ideas for days. It’s a fun world. I could live here for the rest of my career. If people like it and want to watch more, I could think of way worse ways to spend your career. We’ll let the audience figure that out.

While we don't need to dive too deep into spoiler territory, it seems quite likely that John Wick: Chapter 4 is a strong possibility, and the new movie looks to have even set the stage for a spinoff film. The franchise is only growing from here, but Chad Stahelski tells EW that he's cool with that.

The director says he was far from this confident when the series began. He felt the first John Wick would bomb and end his directing career before it ever got started. Instead, the film was a solid success that has since spawned two sequels, each a bigger box office hit than the last. While we're only at the first weekend for the newest film, it had a bigger opening than either of the two previous movies.

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum made more money at the domestic box office this past weekend than the original; movie did in its entire domestic run. The same was true globally. John Wick: Chapter 4 hasn't been officially confirmed, but it seems to be an almost foregone conclusion. Pencil it in for May 2021.

Based on the franchise's success, the biggest hurdle to getting lots more John Wick movies is probably not going to be the studio. Lionsgate will almost certainly want to keep this train rolling. If the creatives behind the series were getting tired of it, that would be an issue, but by all accounts, they're not.

In addition to Chad Stahelski saying he's willing to keep making the movies, Keanu Reeves as also said he'll keep making them as long as the audience is interested. With both the lead actor and the director willing to keep making these movies it seems quite likely we'll keep getting them, which, if the quality level remains as high as it has been, will make a lot of fans very happy.

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum is in theaters now.

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Ian McShane's John Wick 3 Teases Are Big, Good And ... Cryptic

Ian McShane's John Wick 3 Teases Are Big, Good And ... Cryptic

God love Ian McShane. The man is a gift, and he is never dull. The 76-year-old actor is out there promoting American Gods, the Deadwood movie, the Hellboy reboot, and -- of course -- the new John Wick movie. McShane's Winston returns for John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, which opens in May. Ask him about the movie, and this is what he'll say:

That will be big and that will be good.

Slow your spoilers, man! That was Ian McShane to the New York Times, as part of a larger interview about his many upcoming projects. It ain't much, but he's right that the third John Wick movie will be big -- it's meant to have the highest death count of the franchise so far, and the director said it's about 20% more movie than Chapter 2.

The follow-up question to Ian McShane added more potential clues. Or it might just confuse you.

Ian McShane's John Wick character Winston is the owner of the Continental Hotel, which is neutral ground for the criminal underworld. John Wick (Keanu Reeves) did a major no-no in the second movie to kill on Continental grounds. He was excommunicated, with a $14 million global contract out for his life. Everyone is after him. But Winston, that old softie, gave Mr. Wick a one-hour head start. Winston also gave John a Marker for potential use as a favor.

Ian McShane was asked if there would be payback against Winston for letting John Wick get away. Here's his answer:

Well, the High Table doesn’t like anybody stepping out of line so maybe they’ll take me to task, giving John an out, even. And you’ve got Laurence Fishburne and me, and maybe we get together, maybe we’re unvirtuous. Who knows? Because nothing is the same.

Nothing is the same? Yes, Laurence Fishburne is also returning as underground crime boss The Bowery King, and one of the first photos promoting John Wick 3 showed Winston and The Bowery King standing together. Here is that photo:

Are they plotting to help John? Just plotting to help themselves if the High Table turns on them? What's this about nothing being the same?

Ian McShane had previously teased a lot of "shifting alliances" in John Wick 3, so maybe that ties into this potentially unvirtuous team-up.

Speaking of the High Table, John Wick 3 sees the addition of Anjelica Huston as The Director, a member of the High Table who has a connection to John Wick's past. Halle Berry joins the movie as assassin Sofia, who also has a connection to John's past. So we're going to get to know more people who knew John way back when. It sounds like maybe not everyone on the planet will be trying to kill John to get that money, but he'll be facing quite a few foes ahead -- some new, some familiar. Thankfully he has his own dog by his side, plus two more that Halle Berry's Sofia has on hand.

What will Winston's role be in all of this be? We'll have to wait and see. Ian McShane also echoed what he had previously said about maybe doing a voice-over for The Continental TV spinoff series, but not appearing himself as Winston. There haven't been many details on that John Wick series yet, but it's meant to be set in Los Angeles, as opposed to the New York hotel of the John Wick films.

John Wick 3 -- directed by Keanu Reeves' former stunt double from The Matrix -- opens in theaters May 17, as one of the many films to keep an eye on with our 2019 movie release date schedule. Here's what the "Parabellum" of the title means, per Keanu himself.

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The Batman’s First Two Villains Have Reportedly Been Revealed

The Batman’s First Two Villains Have Reportedly Been Revealed

Last night, the news broke that Robert Pattinson, at the bare minimum, is one of the top contenders to play Batman next on the big screen, if not close to signing a deal. We’ll have to wait and see if Pattinson does indeed end up leading The Batman or if the eponymous role will go to someone like Nicholas Hoult, but for now, some news about Batman’s rogues gallery in the upcoming DC Extended Universe movie has come out. Get ready for some Batman Returns déjà vu, because evidently Penguin and Catwoman will be among the film’s baddies.

To be up front, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard that Penguin, real name Oswald Cobblepot, will appear in The Batman. Last summer, it was reported that both the Caped Crusader’s next movie and Birds of Prey were considering using the beak-nosed umbrella enthusiast. Since then, it’s been revealed that Birds of Prey is using Roman Sionis, a.k.a. Black Mask, as its main antagonist, and he’ll be accompanied by Victor Zsasz. Then in January, word came in that Penguin would indeed show up in The Batman, although this hasn’t been officially confirmed.

However, THR did reveal today that “another purrfect character” will appear in The Batman. Granted, while Catwoman isn’t technically outright named, unless director/writer Matt Reeves is wanting to give the significantly lesser-known Batman baddie-turned-anti-hero Catman his time to shine, then we can reasonably assume this is Selina Kyle who’s being talked about.

Penguin and Catwoman have been part of The Batman mythos since almost the very beginning, although nowadays the latter is frequently depicted as an anti-hero who is still the Dark Knight’s most recurring love interest. The characters, played by Danny DeVito and Michelle Pfeiffer, respectively, famously teamed up in 1992’s Batman Returns, and while that movie remains Penguin’s last live action theatrical appearance thus far, Catwoman was played in 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises by Anne Hathaway. Penguin and Catwoman were also recently main characters on the TV series Gotham, played by Robin Lord Taylor and Camren Bicondova, respectively.

It’s also worth noting that it doesn’t look like Penguin and Catwoman will be the only villains to appear in The Batman. Matt Reeves has previously said that the movie will feature a “rogues gallery,” and THR has heard from a source that as many as six bad guys could show up, with Collider hearing rumors that Riddler could be part of this group.

Aside from the 1966 Batman movie, which saw Joker, Riddler, Penguin and Catwoman teaming up, the live action Batman movies have never exceeded having three villains per story (not including organized crime figures), so to potentially see half a dozen colorful baddies show up is intriguing. Hopefully this doesn’t result in the story being weighed down by so many people, but Spider-Man: Homecoming did prove you can have a collection of supporting and minor villains who don’t take away from the menace of the main threat.

No specific story details for The Batman have been revealed yet other than Matt Reeves saying it will be a noir-driven tale that highlights Bruce Wayne’s detective skills. And while the actor who plays Batman next, whether it’s Robert Pattinson or someone else, will be younger than Ben Affleck’s iteration, this movie will not be an origin story.

The Batman is scheduled to begin production within a year and will hit theaters on June 25, 2021. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for continuing coverage, and if you’re wondering what else is coming down the DCEU pipeline, look through our comprehensive guide.

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Quentin Tarantino Says Star Trek Movie Is Still A ‘Very Big Possibility’

Quentin Tarantino Says Star Trek Movie Is Still A ‘Very Big Possibility’

After more than a decade away from the television realm, the Star Trek franchise is finally getting small screen representation again through CBS All Access’ Star Trek: Discovery, and more shows like Picard, Lower Decks and the untitled Nickelodeon series are on the way. On the film side of things, though, things are murky, as it doesn’t look like Star Trek 4, i.e. the next installment of the Kelvin timeline, is happening anytime soon, if at all.

Star Trek: Discovery has made its epic return to CBS All Access. New season is now streaming. Try 1 week FREE!

Then there’s the mysterious Star Trek movie that Quentin Tarantino pitched to Paramount in 2017, which The Revenant writer Mark L. Smith is writing. There haven’t been any major updates on the development of this project lately, but now Tarantino has said that there hasn’t any major movement on it, the prospect of him directing a Star Trek movie is still on the table. In his words:

It's a very big possibility. I haven't been dealing with those guys for a while 'cause I've been making my movie. But we've talked about a story and a script. The script has been written and when I emerge my head like Punxsutawney Phil, post- Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, we'll pick up talking about it again.

That makes sense. The news about Quentin Tarantino pitching a Star Trek movie idea came around the same time as he was starting to put together Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which included moving the film from The Weinstein Company to Sony Pictures. In the year and a half (give or take) since then, Tarantino has shot Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and is currently on the “mix-stage” of his latest movie, as he also mentioned in his interview with Slashfilm.

So for now, Quentin Tarantino’s attention remains focused on finishing Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, but once that’s in the can, it sounds like he’ll be revisiting his potential future with the Star Trek franchise. There’s still no 100% guarantee that he ends up directing this movie, but it does bode well that the script is all ready to go

Considering the current state of the Star Trek film series, this Quentin Tarantino movie might be the only way to keep things going in the near future. While it initially looked like Star Trek 4 was finally moving forward, with S.J. Clarkson being tapped to direct, last summer brought things to a grinding halt due to Chris Pine and Chris Hemsworth getting into a contract dispute with Paramount.

Then in January, it was reported that S.J. Clarkson had departed Star Trek 4 in order to direct and executive produce the pilot for the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel, and that Star Trek 4 had been “shelved.” Maybe that will change later down the line, but for now, this timeline’s USS Enterprise crew isn’t going on any more big screen adventures.

The Events That Led To Star Trek 4 Landing In Development Hell

Back to the Quentin Tarantino Star Trek movie, no plot details have been revealed yet, but Karl Urban, who played the latest version of Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy, said that from what little he’s heard, Tarantino’s idea is “bananas.” Much like how 2009’s Star Trek took the Star Trek film series in a new direction following over two decades of movies following the Original Series and Next Generation crews, perhaps Tarantino’s Star Trek movie could similarly revitalize the film series now that it’s in limbo.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for all the biggest updates concerning the Star Trek fans. Quentin Tarantino fans can look forward to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood coming out on July 26. Don’t forget to also look through our 2019 release schedule to learn what other movies are coming out later this year.

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There’s A Petition To Change Tony Stark’s Avengers: Endgame Fate, Because Of Course

There’s A Petition To Change Tony Stark’s Avengers: Endgame Fate, Because Of Course

Spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame

Avengers: Endgame has been in theaters for over a month, and the moviegoing public still hasn't stopped discussing every frame of the massive blockbuster. The Russo Brothers had an impossible task ahead of them, wrapping up a 22 movie narrative, and following the massive success of last year's Infinity War. And they succeeded in doing just that, and gave a fitting end to Captain America, Iron Man, and Black Widow.

Tony Stark's story came to an end in the final battle of Endgame, swiping the Infinity Stones and snapping Thanos and his forces out of existence forever. But the power and radiation from the stones was too strong, and it cost the original MCU hero his life. Now there's a petition that Marvel give him a happier ending. Because, of course.

The fan-made petition comes to us from Change.org, titled "BRING TONY STARK BACK TO LIFE" The online campaign has 16,852 signatures at the time of writing this story, with those passionate Marvel fans wishing that Iron Man was given a happier ending a la Steve Rogers. His sacrifice was perhaps the most emotional aspect of Endgame, but the petition and its followers maintain that Tony deserved better.

The MCU was throw into chaos following Avengers: Infinity War, as half of all life was wiped out by Thanos' snap. The five year time jump revealed that Earth was still very much recovering from such a loss, and Tony Stark and Pepper Potts were one of the few lucky ones to keep their family intact. They had each other after the dusting, and even got married and had their daughter Morgan.

Tony actually found happiness, despite Thanos' assault on the galaxy. That's why Iron Man originally rejected the idea of Scott Lang's time travel plan; he was scared of losing everything he'd gained in the past five years. Ultimately Pepper Potts encourages him to rejoin the Avengers for Time Heist, a decision that brought 2014 Thanos to the present and ultimately cost Tony his life.

Related: The Game Of Thrones Writers, After Years Of Great Work, Deserve Better Than This Petition

The petition to change Tony's fate is a symptom of a larger trend within the entertainment world, where fans feel like they can will studios and filmmakers into re-doing projects to their liking. We saw something similar happen with the series finale of HBO's Game of Thrones. Fan outrage regarding Season 8's contents launched a petition in hopes of the entire season being reshot.

It's basically an impossibility that either of these campaigns will go anywhere, but Marvel Studios is likely happy to see so much engagement from the fandom-- even those were unhappy with the contents of Avengers: Endgame. Tony Stark's death was extremely powerful, and with Robert Downey Jr.'s contract with Marvel officially up, smart money says we won't see the billionaire playboy genius philanthropist back on the silver screen.

Avengers: Endgame is in theaters now. Be sure to check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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