Tag: Movie News

‘Doctor Strange 2’s Writer Teases Wanda’s Fate After that Ending

It’s crazy to think that after all that time, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has finally been released in theaters. Wanda Maxmioff continued down a darker path since she got her hands on the Darkhold but still found it in herself to try and make up for her actions after a confrontation with Doctor Strange and America Chavez. As the film came to a close, she did one last heroic move to ensure that no one else would ever fall victim to the evil that lurks within the Darkhold.

Yet, it seemingly came at the cost of her life as the tower of worship came crumbling down upon her. We do briefly see a curious red flash that may indicate that she somehow made it out alive but nothing concrete. luckily, in an interview with Variety, Doctor Strange and Loki scribe Michael Waldron teased what her fate may have ended up being.

I think that’s up for interpretation. She made some kind of sacrificial act that destroyed the Darkhold in every universe, which is protecting Wanda in every universe from being seduced by the Darkhold. Whether she’s dead or not remains to be seen. I know what it’s like to love characters and to not want them to be gone and to hate when they do bad things. But that’s that’s part of the fun of watching stuff and getting swept up in it.
Michael Waldron

He definitely makes a good point about the joys of seeing these characters evolve. It does seem likely that Wanda will return in the future, but the question is where her character will be. We may be entering her final redemption arc as she uncovers the truth behind her past and perhaps uncovers a new layer to the Scarlet Witch that wasn’t kept within the Darkhold’s pages. There’s a lot of potential and it certainly seems like Elizabeth Olsen is on board if they are planning any future projects.

Source: Variety

May 10, 2022
‘Descendants’ Getting a Disney+ Spinoff

The Pocketwatch, currently a working title, will serve as a sequel movie to the Descendants. Like those films, The Pocketwatch will be a music and dance-filled original movie. While the Descendants films featured the teenage children of some of Disney’s most iconic villains, The Pocketwatch will take audiences down the rabbit hole and into Wonderland, as made famous by Alice in Wonderland.

The Disney+ original movie will feature seven new songs, as well as Disney classics. It’ll also feature Red, the daughter of the Queen of Hearts, as well as Chloe, the perfectionist and athletic daughter of Cinderella and Prince Charming. The synopsis suggests the two will need to work together to save Wonderland.

In order to prevent an impending coup in Auradon – one that looms during the celebration of a new royal baby – Red must join forces with Chloe to travel back in time, via the White Rabbit’s pocket watch, to stop an event that would lead to grave consequences.

The film will be directed by Jennifer Phang, who has helmed titles such as Half-Life and Advantageous, from a script by Dan Frey and Russell Sommer (Magic: The Gathering). Production designer Mark Hofeling returns for The Pocketwatch, as well as producer Gary Marsh and casting directors Alexis Frank Koczara and Christine Smith Shevchenko. Ayo Davis, president of Disney Branded Television, gave the following statement on the new spinoff:

With a captivating script and Jennifer Phang’s directorial vision, we’re setting a new high bar of creativity and imagination, with a movie that ups the ante on story, song and dance to entertain young viewers, their families, and the global fan base that grew up with the aspirational story of ‘Descendants.’ We join them in anticipation as we prepare to deliver a great new entertainment experience to Disney+.
Ayo Davis

The Descendants proved to be a huge success for Disney. Not only did the Disney original movies nab powerhouse ratings with each new installment, but the first two movie soundtracks have been certified gold, and nearly 7 million dolls and 9 million books were sold based on the franchise. It remains to be seen whether or not any cast members from the original films will return, however, Disney seems hopeful The Pocketwatch will capture the same buzz as its predecessor.

Production on The Pocketwatch will kick off this fall.

Source: Variety

May 10, 2022
‘Scream 6’ Brings Back Four More Cast Members

The sixth installment of the Scream franchise has secured four more cast members.

It was announced today that Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding and Jenna Ortega will return for the sixth Scream film. The actors will reprise their roles from 2022’s Scream, joining the recently confirmed Courtney Cox as Gale Weathers. As it stands, final girl Sydney, as played by Neve Campbell, is not yet confirmed, although the actress has been approached about the project.

Scream 6 will see Sam (Barrera), Mindy (Brown), Chad (Gooding) and Tara (Ortega) leaving Woodsboro in an attempt to start a new chapter in their lives. The characters, though new, have ties to some of the most iconic characters in the Screamfranchise. Ortega and Barrera star as sisters in the franchise, but Barrera’s character, Sam, is actually the biological daughter of Skeet Ulrich’s Billy Loomis. While Gooding and Brown play twins in the franchise and are related to Jaime Kennedy’s Randy Meeks.

The sixth Scream film will be directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett from a screenplay by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick. The project will be produced by Project X Entertainment’s Vanderbilt, Paul Neinstein and William Sherak. Kevin Williamson, who penned the first Scream film, is also on board as a producer.

Principal photography on Scream 6 is slated to kick off this summer. The film is set to hit theaters on March 31, 2023.

Source: Variety.

May 10, 2022
Taika Waititi Praises Russell Crowe’s Zeus in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’

Some time ago, Russell Crowe flat out talked about his role as Zeus in the upcoming Marvel Studios film, Thor: Love and Thunder. While the trailers are still keeping his face a secret, they did tease their take on the Greek’s God of Thunder. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, director Taika Waititi praised his friend and teased that the film will feature “a way you’ve never seen Russell before.” He goes on to highlight that:

I consider Russell a friend, and I forget that there are some friends I have who are really incredible at what they do. [laugh] When I was on set with Russell, I was like, ‘Oh shit, that’s right! You’re Russell Crowe! You’re a really amazing actor.’
Taika Waititi

It’s definitely great to see him enjoy his work with his friends and it definitely was Waititi’s connections that probably convinced Croew to give the film a shot. It’s unclear what exactly his future is going to be in the MCU, especially if he appeared as a god in a film that features Gorr the God Butcher. Though, hopefully, we get to enjoy the confrontation between Thor and Zeus, who both wield lightning and thunder. It wouldn’t be too surprising if they try to one-up each other while they share the screen.

Source: Entertainment Weekly

May 10, 2022
Taika Waititi Describes ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ as a “Midlife Crisis Film”

Thor: Love and Thunder‘s trailer promised a very different kind of film, as Taika Waititi takes Thor down a more personal story. Even as he travels the galaxy with the Guardians, he’s slowly losing his warrior spirit and is trying to take a step back. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the director talks about how the film stands out from his last entry, Thor: Ragnarok.

Ragnarok felt a bit like a party. It was quite festive. This one is still fun, and it’s got moments of being over the top, but thematically, it’s about something a bit deeper than the last film. It’s not a serious film, and it’s not a drama, but we do deal with ideas that I think a lot of humans deal with — universal themes about love and loss and our place in the world. Everyone sort of asks this question in the film: What is your purpose? What is the reason that you’re a hero, and what do you do when you have these powers.
Taika Waititi

Waititi goes on to highlight how different his approach was towards Thor: Love and Thunder, as he views it as a “midlife crisis film” for Thor, which was hinted at in the trailer.

It’s sort of like a midlife crisis film, really. That’s the question we ask everyone: Are we doing the right thing, and are we doing all we can in the world? I think right now, while the world is still healing from this pandemic, it’s a good question to ask. It’s like, well, are we doing enough to look after each other and to look after ourselves.
Taika Waititi

It’ll certainly be an interesting idea for a storyline, especially as we already explored PTSD with Iron Man 3. A story about a hero facing his midlife crisis, especially one that also further explores a romantic outing for that hero, could make for a very different style of story. The trailer already hints at it being a very different kind of Marvel film, which continues Phase 4’s re-exploration of its heroes in a post-Endgame world. Here’s hoping the next trailer offers a better look.

Source: EW

May 10, 2022
‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Crosses $200 Million Stateside

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness continues to dominate at the box office.

The latest film from Marvel Studios has already crossed $200 million at the domestic box office after earning $13.3 million on Monday. This brings the film to $200.7 million domestically as of yesterday. That’s well ahead of the first film, which finished its domestic run with $232 million in 2017. Multiverse of Madness’ numbers are on par with what Avengers: Age of Ultron did on its first Monday in 2015, which saw the film earn about $13.2 million and pulled that title through to $204.4 million after four days.

Going into its second weekend, box office experts are expecting a 60% decline for the film with estimates looking for a 3-day haul of approximately $74 million. With little to no competition, outside of Universal/Blumhouse’s Firestarter remake, the film should be able to retain the top spot at the box office for a second week and perhaps even longer. The biggest competition Multiverse of Madness will face will be over Memorial Day weekend when Top Gun: Maverick flies into theaters with estimates currently seeing the film looking to rake in between $75-$100 million over the course of its opening weekend.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness should cross the $500 million mark at the worldwide box office by the end of the week. And it should easily top its predecessor – which finished with $677 million worldwide – by the end of its theatrical run. How high the film flies, however, remains to be seen. For now, fans can relive the Multiverse of Madness in theaters.

Source: Deadline.

May 10, 2022
Michael Waldron Confirms Tom Cruise Was Never in ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’

Ever since Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was announced, rumors have run rampant about a variety of possible cameos in the movie. The biggest name attached to the film at any point was megastar Tom Cruise, who was heavily rumored to appear as an alternate version of Tony Stark in a sequence involving the multiversal Illuminati. Whispers about Cruise started after the internet revived the fact the actor was originally slated to play Iron Man in the 2008 Marvel Studios film, before Robert Downey Jr. was eventually cast in the role. However, the movie’s writer Michael Waldron revealed in a recent interview with Rolling Stone that, while the idea of exploring this other timeline did come up, the Top Gun lead never actually the filmed anything for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Yeah, that was totally made up. I mean, there’s no cut footage of Tom Cruise! But I love Tom Cruise, and I said to [Marvel Studios president] Kevin [Feige] at one point, I was like, Could we get Tom Cruise’s Iron Man? I remember reading about that in Ain’t It Cool News back in the day, that Tom Cruise was going to be Iron Man… As it was being talked about online, I was like, Yeah, that’d be cool!
Michael Waldron

When pressed to reveal if Cruise had even been contacted about the opportunity, Waldron explained that the actor was already busy working on other projects:

Well, I mean, he was shooting Mission Impossible 7 and 8… I don’t believe so. I just don’t think it was ever an option, because of availability.
Michael Waldron

While sort of anticlimactic, these quotes should put to rest any speculation that Cruise was cut from the film’s final product. Luckily, there are plenty of exciting surprises that did make the movie, and you can see them for yourself in theaters now.

Source: Rolling Stone

May 9, 2022
‘Doctor Strange 2’ Ends Weekend as 11th Biggest Domestic Opening of All-Time

While Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness remained shy of the $190M opening weekend, it did make quite a few waves by finishing at $187M. That is a small adjustment of $2M over the Sunday, but an increase is actually a good sign for the film’s legs with a B+ Audience CinemaScore rating. Worldwide, the film made a splash with $449.4M at the bo office, making almost half a billion in just its opening weekend. It’s an exciting prospect for theater owners that have been worried about just how long the pandemic would affect their business.

The film is not only Sam Raimi‘s biggest opening ever, but it’s now also the 11th biggest domestic opening in history and the seventh right behind Avengers: Age of Ultron, which was at $181.3M. As such, it’s the best performing second entry in a solo outing with Spider-Man: No Way Home holding the title for third entry with $260.1M. It’s now the second-best domestic release of the year and on its path to overtaking The Batman, which also garnered a fantastic $369.1M to date.

On Friday, it took in $90M which puts it as the seventh-biggest opening of all time, and entered the Top 10 best opening days for any MCU flick. While it’s likely going to be quite frontloaded, if it manages o keep a similar momentum that is seen with horror entries, we might be looking at a stronghold over the next weeks, but likely will echo a similar drop as Age of Ultron did.

Internationally, the film has pulled in $262.4M, which saw a slight adjustment down from its early Sunday estimates, which kept it at the overall worldwide release estimates. It’s now the sixth-highest opening worldwide going by like-by-like territories, which is no small accomplishment without a Chinese release. South Korea has been slowly becoming one of Marvel’s strongest opening locations with a massive $30M over the weekend.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

May 9, 2022
‘Moon Knight’s Jeremy Slater Offers Update on ‘Mortal Kombat’ Sequel

Now that head writer Jeremy Slater has finished work on Moon Knight, he’s already hard at work on his next major project. In an interview with The Direct, he offered a small update on the sequel of 2021’s Mortal Kombat film. While it wasn’t received warmly going by its Rotten Tomatoes rating but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming HBO Max’s most-watched film to date. In the interview, he reveals that they’re already “halfway through the script.”

It’s really fun so far. We’re about halfway through the script. I’m working really closely with the director and the studios, and the game guys, and I think—I can’t say anything about the actual story, but I think they definitely learned some lessons the last time around in terms of, ‘Here’s the stuff fans responded to, and here’s what people liked out of the movie, and here’s the stuff that didn’t work out as well as we hoped.’ So we’re really looking at this as a chance to take everything that worked in the first one and do it even better and give the audience even more, and make something that is just incredibly satisfying, and really exciting, and unpredictable.
Jeremy Slater

When asked how it might compare to his work on Moon Knight, he does highlight that it’ll keep his “sensibilities” but it definitely will continue what makes Mortal Kombat such an iconic series, its showcase of brutal takedowns of its heroes and villains.

I don’t think it’s necessarily going to have the same tone as the MCU, but it’s definitely going to have some of my sensibilities. That was part of my pitch to them. This is Mortal Kombat. We have guys who are ripping off their faces and breathing fire—it’s a weird universe, let’s embrace some of that weirdness, and let’s make a Mortal Kombat sequel that no one is expecting and that can kind of sneak in and blow everyone away. We’re still really early in that process, but I’m having a blast with this script
Jeremy Slater

The first film ended with a massive teaser of Johnny Cage finding his way into the film. It also only set up the actual Mortal Kombat tournament, as it was mostly a very Hollywood-esque prequel series leading into the main conflict from the games. Luckily, they are now unshackled and can potentially jump into it in the next film if that is the plan, as they could also be building up towards it by the end of a trilogy.

Source: The Direct

May 9, 2022
Elizabeth Olsen Gives Her Thoughts on Those Claiming Marvel is a ‘Lesser Type of Art’

There’s been an ongoing debate on the Internet ever since Martin Scorcese made a remark on how he views Marvel films, which originally was meant as a general view on the superhero industry that ended up focused on its strongest contender. Of course, the opinion of a veteran in the industry has left some waves with others jumping on board or even going against it, such as Nicolas Cage openly disagreeing with his uncle, Francis Ford Coppola, who shares a similar view to Scorcese on the matter.

Yet, the debate goes on even if there’s no real benefit to anyone in “winning” the argument. With the release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Elizabeth Olsen also threw her thoughts into the ring and highlighted an important aspect that gets overlooked in the discussion. Downplaying Marvel films as a “lesser type of art” as she puts it also diminishes the work of the people involved with the projects.

I’m not saying we’re making indie art films, but I just think it takes away from our crew, which bugs me. These are some of the most amazing set designers, costume designers, camera operators — I feel diminishing them with that kind of criticism takes away from all the people who do award-winning films, that also work on these projects
Elizabeth Olsen

She goes on to highlight that naturally, your approach as an actor is different as it is a different kind of film, to begin with. She once again highlights that throwing Marvel under the bus to somehow drag a wealth of talent down due to something one doesn’t deem art isn’t a fair discussion.

From an actor’s point of view, whatever, I get it; I totally understand that there’s a different kind of performance that’s happening. But I do think throwing Marvel under the bus takes away from the hundreds of very talented crew people. That’s where I get a little feisty about that.
Elizabeth Olsen

There likely is never going to be an end to this discussion, as one takes away what they want from the points made by various industry experts and those creatives working within the industry. Olsen‘s words ring important after a viral video has been making the round taking a quote of her facing anxiety with every new entry as some kind of statement on Marvel’s releases.

The same interview from Independent highlights that, as she simply tries to avoid the “pressure” of being a project’s main focus. No matter how one feels about the films and Marvel Studios as a company, there are still many talented people that found their beginning there and go on to develop many more films.

Source: Independent

May 9, 2022