We’ve now reached the point in film journalism when rumors are being debunked before they even reach the embryonic stage. A pre-emptive debunking. In this case, it’s in regards to Spider-Man: Far From Home, Marvel and Sony’s sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming, and one character who will not be showing up in it. Not that anybody ever said he was going to. So why is this a story?
The answer is simple: Marvel.
What we know about Far From Home is still pretty slim. Tom Holland will return as Peter Parker and the story will pick up just minutes after Avengers 4. He’s expected to go on a vacation across the pond with some friends, and it’s in London where he’ll presumably battle the villain Mysterio, played by Jake Gyllenhaal. Doctor Strange has one of his sanctums set up in London, and that has led some to speculate he could make an appearance. Well…no. That’s not happening. Marvel’s Kevin Feige took a cleaver to that rumor before Slashfilm’s Peter Sciretta could get it spreading around too fast…
Peter: I’m wondering ’cause London there is a sanctum there. Is Doctor Strange gonna be the one in this one?
Kevin: No.
Peter: No?
Kevin: I could be coy about it but no.
Peter: (shocked that he gave a direct response) Okay.
Kevin: I don’t wanna get people excited. But Benedict and Holland have liked the idea of working together.
Spidey was shadowed by Tony Stark all throughout Homecoming, but he’s an Avenger now and doesn’t need a mentor. I expect we’ll still see another superhero teamup with him, but it won’t be someone as obvious as Doctor Strange. If we’re lucky it’ll be someone we haven’t seen before, or a character who could use the extra screen time.
Spidey and Strange were a pretty likeable duo in Avengers: Infinity War, though, and Feige must know he has a good thing going there. Since Doctor Strange 2 is definitely going to happen at some point, don’t be surprised if a certain wallcrawler makes an appearance.
Last night Marvel continued their summer dominance with the release of Ant-Man and the Wasp! The Marvel sequel features Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly as the diminutive crime-fighting duo as they venture into the Quantum Zone. But you won’t need to go subatomic to get Funko’s Pop! Vinyls for the new movie, they’re available for order right now.
Anyway, the first wave of figures is mercifully small, no pun intended. We have two versions of Scott Lang aka Ant-Man, one helmeted and one without. Honestly they aren’t too different from earlier versions of Ant-Man’s figure. We also have two types of Wasp figures, and like Ant-Man’s the rare “Chase” version features her without a helmet. The film’s mysterious villain, the Ghost (played by Hannah John-Kamen), also gets two figures including an “invisible” Walmart variant.
These figures are expected to ship in July, but you can get them right now from our friends at Entertainment Earth. When you click on any of our below links and make a purchase we get a small commission that helps us keep the lights on, at no cost to you at all. Every little bit helps, and we thank all of you continue to support us and our sponsors. Thanks!
Still suffering from Star Wars Rebels withdrawal? I feel ya, but our mutual pain may be about over. Star Wars Resistance, the new animated series from Rebels creator Dave Filoni might be closer than we knew, and today we’re getting a first look at some of its characters, including some familiar faces.
Character designs were revealed during a recent Disney France Partners Event, and while it’s not a great image you can pick out at least two recognizable faces from the current live-action trilogy. On the right you can pick out the roly-poly robot BB-8, who became so popular with Star Wars: The Force Awakens. In the back to the left you can see ace fighter pilot Poe Dameron, who will be voiced by Oscar Isaac. In the center you can see the series’ central protagonist, Kazuda Xiono, a skilled pilot recruited by the Resistance to infiltrate the First Order to get a sense of their strength.
On the left where all the dark siders are gathered, the metallic form of Captain Phasma is seen, and she’ll be voiced by Gwendoline Christie. The rest of the announced voice cast includes Christopher Sean, Suzie McGrath, Scott Lawrence, Myrna Velasco, Josh Brener, Donald Faison, Bobby Moynihan, Jim Rash, and Rachel Butera.
The anime-inspired series will take place prior to The Force Awakens, which opens up a wealth of possibilities in story and characters. We could see Filoni pick up some of the dangling Star Wars Rebels threads (Hey Ezra, where ya at?), or expand background of characters from the live-action movies.
A tweet from a Disney France employee says the series could premiere on Disney XD this October, which isn’t that far off. While it isn’t confirmed yet, an announcement could be around the corner.
For some pretty interesting fan theories on Star Wars Resistance, check out this vid from the folks at Star Wars Latin America.
When it comes to sagas involving giant robots, they don’t get much bigger than Gundam. The robot, which was most recently seen in Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One, is finally getting a live-action Hollywood movie from the folks behind Pacific Rim, Jurassic World, and Kong: Skull Island.
Legendary and Gundam’s Sunrise made the announcement at Anime Expo 2018. Gundam basically wrote the book on the entire mecha genre with its launch in 1979 by Yoshiyuki Tomino. The franchise has expanded to include manga, anime, video games, and novels, with its influence spread far and wide. Details on the movie are scarce, but the official press release does a good job of encapsulating the Gundam universe…
The original Gundam series is set in the Universal Century, an era in which humanity’s growing population has led people to emigrate to space colonies. Eventually, the people living in the colonies seek their autonomy, and launch a war of independence against the people living on Earth. Through the tragedies and discord arising from this human conflict, not only the maturation of the main character, but also the intentions of enemies and the surrounding people are sensitively depicted.
I have questions. This won’t go the way of the forever-teased Robotech movie, will it? When will Legendary give us the Pacific Rim/Gundam/Godzilla crossover we fans deserve? And who is the lucky chap who will play Gundam’s most awesome villain, Char Aznable?
So about that Child’s Play reboot MGM is working on…well, it’s still happening. And I guess that’s a good thing if you’re a fan and you want it to reach a new generation unfamiliar with the greatness that is Chucky. And for those who have been devoted to the original franchise since the beginning there is even better news, because the franchise is about to grow significantly, and all of the aspects you love are sticking around.
Okay, first the mildly bad news: the MGM reboot will NOT feature Brad Dourif as the voice of Chucky. He, like Child’s Play creator Don Mancini, have been there from the start but Mancini turned down any involvement in this new project. However, Mancini and Dourif will both be part of the developing TV series and future in-continuity sequels. That’s right, Mancini will continue to keep the original Chucky out there and killing, regardless of what MGM does with their film that promises a “technologically advanced” murderous doll. With a TV show and more sequels we could be on the cusp of a Chucky-naissance.
So you basically have three ways to get all of the Chucky action you can handle. I’m probably not going to break my neck to see any of them, but if I have to it’s the original recipe version that appeals most. [BloodyDisgusting]
Donald Trump doesn’t like Sacha Baron Cohen. I’m guessing the feeling is mutual. In 2012 the Trumpster lashed out at Cohen, a “third rate character”, for pulling an embarrassing prank on Ryan Seacrest at the Oscars. He ended the diatribe by telling Cohen he should “go to school” because he “doesn’t know shit” about being funny, apparently. Well, Cohen finally has his diploma.
Yesterday Cohen tweeted out a teaser which is a video of everything described above, including the “go to school” bit. It ends with a caption that reads, “Sacha graduates SOON.”
— Sacha Baron Cohen (@SachaBaronCohen) July 4, 2018
Sounds like Cohen, who has been keeping a low profile lately, has something Trump related in the works. It may have something to do with Trump University, the pseudo business school our con-man President opened to fleece students. Or it’s just an attack on Trump himself, and frankly I don’t care as long as it’s funny and takes him down a peg. Or two.
We haven’t seen an original work from Cohen in years, not since 2012’s The Dictator which, now that I think about it, would be a pretty good title for a movie about Trump. His most recent films, Grimsby and Alice Through the Looking Glass, were both really terrible. He spent some time attached to the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody before leaving over creative differences. Next for him is a Netflix series titled The Spy, which is expected this year.
I’m not a fan of Cohen per se, but I see the potential in what he could do to someone like Trump who is notoriously thin-skinned. Case in point, the below video which features the first encounter between Trump and Cohen’s rapper character Ali G. Trump would later lie and say he immediately left the interview, a claim Cohen refuted.
As if the pairing of Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham wasn’t enough reason to get hyped for Fast and the Furious spinoff Hobbs & Shaw, now you can add Idris Elba into the mix. That’s almost too much testosterone for one movie to control. Elba is in final talks to play the movie’s villain, meaning we can expect him to be on the receiving end of a brutal barrage of punches and one-liners.
Further details around Elba’s role aren’t available, and that’s not a surprise. We don’t actually know much about the plot franchise writer Chris Morgan is cooking up, although we do know it will involve The Crown star Vanessa Kirby as Owen Shaw’s sister who happens to be an MI-5 agent.
Elba’s obviously no stranger to blockbuster franchise movies, having played major roles in three Thor movies, Avengers: Infinity War, Star Trek Beyond, and last year’s unfortunate The Dark Tower. He was recently at Sundance with his directorial debut, Yardie, opening later this year.
Directed by David Leitch, Hobbs & Shaw opens July 26th 2019. [Variety]
With A Quiet Place still fresh in everyone’s minds, John Krasinski is now one of the hottest directors working today. And while we will continue to see him wield his newound power as a director and producer, his bread is buttered in front of the camera. Next up for him Amazon’s action-packed Jack Ryan series, and a new trailer for the Tom Clancy adaptation reminds us Krasinski is a long ways away from The Office.
If you have a hard time seeing Krasinski as an action hero, you might want to watch this new trailer in which he plays a more intense version of CIA analyst Jack Ryan. The character has been featured in numerous thriller novels and five movies played by four different actors: Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck, and Chris Pine. It wasn’t until recently the character began to be reimagined as less of a desk jockey/diplomat and more of a take-no-prisoners soldier. The Krasinski seen here will be familiar to those who saw him in Michael Bay’s 13 Hours.
Here’s the synopsis: When CIA analyst Jack Ryan stumbles upon a suspicious series of bank transfers his search for answers pulls him from the safety of his desk job and catapults him into a deadly game of cat and mouse throughout Europe and the Middle East, with a rising terrorist figurehead preparing for a massive attack against the US and her allies.
Hopefully yesterday you stuffed your face full of hamburgers and hot dogs, as a way of celebrating this country’s independence on the Fourth of July. For Robin Wright, yesterday was a chance to celebrate her independence in a totally different way, in a new teaser for House of Cards‘ sixth and final season.
The video is only 12 seconds long and it features Wright as Claire Underwood, who will take over as the central character next season. While short, the message is pretty clear: she, and the entire show, are now independent from Kevin Spacey who was fired last year over sexual misconduct allegations. This is now her show, 100 % free and clear. The prior season’s finale featured Claire, who had just taken over as President after her husband resigned in disgrace, breaking the fourth wall to say “My turn.” You see that quote return in this teaser as a hashtag, too.
House of Cards returns to Netflix later this year.
*NOTE: This is an edited reprint of my review from the Sundance Film Festival.*
If you know the name Boots Riley then you know his rap group, The Coup, and the pro-black anti-establishment message that became one of their hallmarks. Riley brings that same attitude, and The Coup’s funky baselines, to his bizarre, overly-stuffed satire Sorry to Bother You, which is like Livin’ Large, Hollywood Shuffle, and Putney Swope all rolled into one.
Plus an army of genetically altered….well, I’ll keep that a secret or the studios will fillet me.
Suffice it to say there are a lot of unexpected surprises in the oddball reality Riley has created. It’s like the freakazoid cherry atop a satirical sundae of racism, gentrification, capitalism, slavery, and good old fashioned selling out to the man. Lakeith Stanfield plays Cassius Green, an Oakland native who we meet as he’s trying to bullshit his way into a much-needed job. If it were anything else the lies he’s caught telling would get him thrown out, but it’s only a telemarketing gig. “You have initiative, and you can read”, he’s told by his new boss. Cassius doesn’t care about the super low expectations, he just needs the work. He’s living out of his uncle’s (Terry Crews) garage along with his activist/artist girlfriend Detroit (Tessa Thompson), who ekes out a living twirling signs on street corners.
Cassius sucks at his job, though, at least in the beginning. With every cold call he gets a quick hang-up, which is no way to make money at a commissions-based job. Plus, there’s the promise of becoming a Power Caller, the elite big money earners who sit atop the corporate structure. They even have their own elevator. Everything startst to turn around for Cassius when a veteran caller (Danny Glover) tells him to use his white voice. “Not Will Smith white”, he says. It’s about projecting confidence, and that Cassius’ white voice sounds a lot like David Cross (because it is David Cross) seems to work because soon he’s racking up sales and becoming a Power Caller.
All of this comes at the chagrin of Detroit and Cassius’ buddies who are trying to force his employer to give them better wages. In essence, the film is a simple story of a guy selling out his friends and everything he holds dear for the promise of wealth and power. But did I mention WorryFree yet? Riley’s commentary on slavery and capitalism involves WorryFree, a company that promises three meals a day and a place to live (“Three hots and a cot”) for a lifetime of employment. They’re all the rage and CEO Steve Lift (Armie Hammer, in gonzo territory) is one of the most powerful men in the country. He takes a liking to Cassius and helps him rise up the corporate ladder, which leads to other bizarre occurrences. As Cassius slips further into becoming an Uncle Tom, a hilarious bit has him forced by Lift into rapping, to which he entertains the all-white crowd with a chorus of “Nigga shit!!” to rapturous ovation. This after Lift tries to entice Cassius to tell gangsta stories because all black people must have them.
Anyone who has heard The Coup’s lyrics knows Riley has a lot to get off his chest, but he unloads too much of it here. I haven’t even gotten to his commentary on the media and our YouTube generation, which finds Cassius going viral when an activist’s soda can hits him on the head. The most popular TV show is ” I Got The Shit Kicked Out Of Me” which is exactly as the title suggests. And still we haven’t come close to those horse/human hybrids. There’s just so much to wade through that the film doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, stuck as Riley gets sidetracked with a brand new observation.
For his debut feature, Riley already has more creativity and style than directors with ten times his experience. In an early scene, as Cassius is failing miserably to make sales, each of his calls finds him magically transported into the homes of those he’s disrupting. And of course he’s calling at the worst times; a couple having sex, an older woman dealing with her husband’s cancer diagnosis. Riley peppers each scene with enough sight gags and visual cues to warrant a second viewing, and they help set up a crackpot world where we aren’t completely shocked by the sudden introduction of something truly freakish into the narrative. Why and how they exist is something best discovered on your own because it’s just another notch on the wacko scale.
Sorry to Bother You shows Riley to be a filmmaker with a ton of promise. He has a point of view, something to say, and a distinct way of saying it. What I’m torn about is whether or not he needs to narrow the focus to make clearer points. As long as Boots keeps being Boots I’m going to be intrigued to see what his future as a director holds.
