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Tag: Movie News

  • Ben Affleck Talks Passing on ‘The Batman’ and Leaving the Role Behind

    Ben Affleck Talks Passing on ‘The Batman’ and Leaving the Role Behind

    There have been many discussions surrounding Ben Affleck‘s final run as the iconic Caped Crusader. A recent rumor has been hinting that even his return in The Flash means he’ll truly leave the role behind. The actor has openly discussed that the role and franchise commitment has pushed him down a deep end, especially when he passed on directing a Batman-focused film. In an interview with LA Times, he opens up on why he decided to move on from the project.

    Directing “Batman” is a good example. I looked at it and thought, “I’m not going to be happy doing this. The person who does this should love it.” You’re supposed to always want these things, and I probably would have loved doing it at 32 or something. But it was the point where I started to realize it’s not worth it. It’s just a wonderful benefit of reorienting and recalibrating your priorities that once it started being more about the experience, I felt more at ease.

    Ben Affleck

    In the same interview, he also opened up on how Justice League was the boiling point for the actor, especially with the weight of the production felt after the tragedy when Zack Snyder lost his daughter. It’s not the quality of the film but the experience that pushed him away.

    It was really “Justice League” that was the nadir for me. That was a bad experience because of a confluence of things: my own life, my divorce, being away too much, the competing agendas and then [director] Zack [Snyder]’s personal tragedy and the reshooting. It just was the worst experience. It was awful. It was everything that I didn’t like about this. That became the moment where I said, “I’m not doing this anymore.” It’s not even about, like, “Justice League” was so bad. Because it could have been anything.

    Ben Affleck

    Even with his short run as Batman, Affleck made the role his own and the lesson he learned is something valuable we all can take away. There’s something about tackling a project that you are passionate about that truly redefines your approach. If he forced himself to make a Batman film he had no connection with, it may not only add more pressure to the director and actor but also become apparent in his work. It’ll be exciting to see what other passion projects he chases in the future.

    Source: LA Times

  • Pixar’s ‘Turning Red’ No Longer a Theatrical Release, Heading to Disney+ Exclusively

    Pixar’s ‘Turning Red’ No Longer a Theatrical Release, Heading to Disney+ Exclusively

    Disney seems to be quick in making release decisions when it comes to their Pixar films. It transitioned the studio’s last few films like Soul and Luca to exclusive releases on Disney+ in a heartbeat. With the rising threat of the Omicron variant, Disney seems to have pulled the plug on yet another Pixar project that was initially set to hit theaters and moved it to their streaming service.

    Pixar’s upcoming film Turning Red has been pulled from its intended theatrical release and will instead be made available exclusively on Disney+. The film will still keep its March 11th release date but there are no plans to offer a theatrical showing. The animated feature will stream like any other show or movie on Disney+. We also have to note that it will not be a part of the premier access program that Disney started at the beginning of the pandemic with the release of Mulan.

    Turning Red is a film about a young girl whose ability to turn into a giant red panda, the only catch is that she only turns into this giant red panda when her emotions get the best of her and isn’t able to control some sudden transformations.

    Turning Red is set to star Rosalie Chiang, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Sandra Oh, James Hong, Wai Ching Ho, Tristan Allerick Chen, Hyein Park, Ava Morse, Addie Chandler, and Orion Lee. The film was directed by Domee Shi and features music by frequent Disney collaborator Ludwig Göransson

    Source: Twitter

  • New ‘The Batman’ Images Offers a Closer Look at Batman Confronting Catwoman

    New ‘The Batman’ Images Offers a Closer Look at Batman Confronting Catwoman

    The Batman is set to hit theaters in just a couple of months with Matt Reeves bringing an all-new Gotham City to big screens with a new Batman played by Robert Pattinson. The film has taken quite a while to hit screens with the ongoing pandemic impacting both the production and release. However, the film looks unlikely to move again – at least, as of now.

    With marketing and promotion kicking off for the film, some new stills have been released via USA Today featuring new looks at Batman and Selina Kyle. The first image features Bruce Wayne in the Batcave while the other offers a familiar look of Batman and Catwoman on top of a Gotham skyscraper. We’ve seen quite a bit from this rooftop interaction between the two, but this looks to be one of clearest looks yet and gives us a great look at Selina’s Catsuit.

    As we get closer and closer to the release of The Batman we can probably expect Warner Bro. to ramp up their marketing. Another trailer for the film was just released around a week ago focusing on the relationship of Batman and Catwoman, which will be an essential part of the film’s upcoming story.

    The Batman is currently set to release in theaters on March 4th, 2022 with Robert Pattinson in the titular role alongside Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, and Colin Farrel.

    Source: USA Today via Twitter

  • Closer Look at Thor’s Battle Armor in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’

    Closer Look at Thor’s Battle Armor in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’

    One of the many Marvel Studios’ projects releasing this year is Thor: Love and Thunder, the fourth entry into the Thor franchise and the second one from director Taika Waititi. Thor returns following the events of Avengers: Endgame where we last saw him jet off into space with the Guardians of The Galaxy. We recently got a good look at Thors all-new look from the upcoming film via some promotional artwork, and now it seems there’s a bit more to it with yet another look being unveiled. 

    Alongside Jane Fosters’ brand, the new look is Thor sporting a blue and gold armored look, however, this armor is a bit different than the one we previously saw. New artwork reveals Thor’s all-new gold and blue-winged helmet with a bird’s beak at the center. Along with the helmet, Thor is sporting golden armored sleeves for the god of thunder along with a bit more silver than we saw before.

    https://twitter.com/m_newsiverse/status/1479484837106966528?s=20

    Thor’s look in this film looks to be inspired by the battle armor he once donned in the comics, all the way back in 1987’s Thor #378. The armor was initially used by Thor following Hela placing a curse on the God of Thunder, rendering his bones to be as weak as glass and unable to heal as fast as he once was. There’s no indication that this will play any factor in Thor: Love and Thunder, and as of right now, it seems to be an homage to a look the character once sported. 

    Thor: Love and Thunder is currently set to hit theaters on July 8th, 2022

    SOURCE: Twitter

  • Andrew Garfield Was Sold On ‘Spider-Man No Way Home’ With His Redemption Arc

    Andrew Garfield Was Sold On ‘Spider-Man No Way Home’ With His Redemption Arc

    Spider-Man: No Way Home had to juggle quite a lot throughout its runtime. Not only did it act as a perfect send-off to Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire‘s runs on the character while also keeping the focus on Tom Holland‘s version. Yet, it not only managed to keep that balance perfectly but even gave the returning cast smaller arcs in the film. A highlight for many was the redemption arc surrounding Garfield‘s version of Peter Parker.

    His last film ended with the death of Gwen Stacy due to him not being able to save her. It’s something that stuck with him to this day and is highlighted once he has his first meeting with Peter, who is also going through quite a dark moment. Luckily, the film gives him a second chance to make up for not being able to save Gwen after the MCU’s version of MJ was falling. In an interview with Variety, Garfield shares his excitement about being able to give his version of Peter Parker a redemption.

    Oh my god, I don’t even know where to start with that. It’s too big. Gwen had agency. In our film, on her final day, she shows up. I tried to restrain her from showing up to that scene with Electro [Jamie Foxx]. I knew that it was too dangerous, but she chose to be there. She had a hand in her own destiny in that way, and the movie is about fate. I will say the image of my catching [Zendaya’s] MJ — that was really beautiful and it kind of sold me on the whole thing.

    Andrew Garfield

    It certainly hit many viewers, as Garfield‘s Parker teared up while holding MJ. This moment perfectly highlights how much this film manages to accomplish with smaller moments. It makes you wonder, with the active interest of him returning to the role if there is more to this redemption that can be carried over in a potential continuation. It also echoes strongly Holland‘s Peter story as he also has to find a way to not give in to his inner darkness.

    Source: Variety

  • Andrew Garfield is Open to Return as Spider-Man After ‘No Way Home’

    Andrew Garfield is Open to Return as Spider-Man After ‘No Way Home’

    Andrew Garfield had a rough year in the build-up to Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s release. In keeping with his NDA, he kept denying any involvement with the project, as he, Sony, and Marvel Studios desperately tried to keep the illusion alive that he and Tobey Maguire weren’t in the film. Now that it’s finally out there, many have started a movement to revive their respective franchises to tell the stories that never made it into theaters. Luckily, it seems that Garfield is open to potentially returning.

    I mean, yes, definitely open to something if it felt right. Peter and Spider-Man, those characters are all about service, to the greater good and the many. He’s a working-class boy from Queens that knows struggle and loss and is deeply empathetic. I would try to borrow Peter Parker’s ethical framework in that, if there was an opportunity to step back in and tell more of that story, I would have to feel very sure and certain in myself.

    Andrew Garfield

    There are many that are excited to potentially see The Amazing Spider-Man 3 to finally see the light of day. While it’s uncertain they’d want two separate franchises running based on the same character, he’s also become a popular choice to become the focus of Sony’s separate Spider-Man universe, which includes Venom and Morbius. There’s a lot of potential to further explore his story, especially if it spins directly out of No Way Home, and give Garfield more time to showcase the darkness that was hinted at that’s been haunting him since he lost Gwen.

    Source: Variety

  • Marvel Studios ‘Blade’ Looks to Be Building a Vampire Hunting Team

    Marvel Studios ‘Blade’ Looks to Be Building a Vampire Hunting Team

    After originally being scheduled to begin production in September of 2021 before being delayed, Marvel Studios Blade project is back pre-production ahead of an expected August 2022 start. Recently, some still shots of a Zoom meeting that included star Mahershala Ali, writer Stacy Osei-Kuffour, and the director Bassam Tariq along with Marvel Studios One-Above-All, Kevin Feige, made their way online and, over the last couple of days, some character descriptions for roles currently being cast have surfaced. And while Marvel Studios doesn’t give too much away in the character descriptions used for casting, the most recent one included one hint that may point in one very particular direction.

    Yesterday, a description for a character code named “Abid” made its way around the internet. “Abid” is described as a burly, South Asian character who has taken a vow of silence after a turbulent life. While it’s not a perfect translation of the character, “Abid” sounds incredibly similar to Taj Nital, a one-time ally of Blade and a member of one of Marvel Comics’ first group of vampire hunters.

    Taj was indeed a burly, South Asian character who was first introduced in Tomb of Dracula #3, who did not speak; however, in the comics, he didn’t speak because he had his throat ripped out by vampires, so a slight change there. Taj, along with Rachel van Helsing, the granddaughter of great vampire hunter Abraham van Helsing, worked with Quincy Harker to hunt down the world’s oldest vampire threat, Dracula. Harker, the son of Jonathan and Mina Harker from Bram Stoker’s Dracula, eventually worked with Frank Drake, a descendant of Dracula, and Blade to take on the vampire nation.

    If “Abid” is Taj, it’s possible that the other character descriptions that surfaced recently might be for Harker and Rachel van Helsing. Marvel Studios often casts in groups that will be working together, so “Huntley”, described as a man, 40-60, could be Harker, and “Faiza”, a French-speaking North African female between 20 and 40 could be a new take on Rachel. Obviously this is speculation, but it’s sensible speculation that these characters will be working together since they are casting them at the same time.

    Of course, the most exciting thing about these potential casting is that IF these characters are Harker’s vampire hunters, it’s very likely that Blade will be used not only to introduce vampires to the MCU, but also to bring Dracula in right away. Given Harker and van Helsing’s relationship to Dracula, it’s hard to imagine him not showing up if these are, in fact, those characters.

    Marvel Studios Blade will film from August until December of this year and currently has no release date.

  • How Marvel and Sony Pitched ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ to Andrew Garfield

    How Marvel and Sony Pitched ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ to Andrew Garfield

    The open secret of multiple Spider-Men in Spider-Man: No Way Home is finally no longer a secret. While many fans believed Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield would join Tom Holland as variants of Peter Parker, it had not been fully acknowledged in the media until the film finally released. Variety has managed to speak to Andrew Garfield about his role in the film and how it came about. It’s the first time the actor can openly discuss it since being forced to deny it for months. In the interview, he highlights how Amy Pascal, Kevin Feige, and Jon Watts provided an exciting and empowering pitch for him to join the project: 

    I wasn’t expecting to ever have a conversation again about potentially playing Peter Parker. I felt very excited to just to be a fan again. But I got this call from Amy Pascal and Kevin Feige and Jon Watts with this idea. It was immediately undeniable. It sounded incredibly fun, incredibly spiritual — trippy and thematically interesting. On a base level, as a Spider-Man fan, just the idea of seeing three Spider-Men in the same frame was enough. The pitch was really, really enticing. They said, “You played this character in your way and what would you want to explore if you had an opportunity? If you were dumped into this other universe and faced with this younger you and this older you, how will you respond?

    Andrew Garfield

    It seems like there were multiple levels to Garfield being excited about the project, especially as a fan of the character. The way they let him as an actor explore the future of the character he once played is in keeping with the film’s themes of identity and responsibility. That exploration and the success of his iteration of the character specifically from this film has proved fruitful. How well those successes have landed with audiences suggests Garfield might like another go around if he can create similar thematic and emotional resonances with his role in future projects. 

    Source: Variety 

  • Andrew Garfield Improvised A Key ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Line

    Andrew Garfield Improvised A Key ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Line

    Now that Spider-Man: No Way Home was released a few weeks ago, more behind-the-scenes stories from the production are beginning to emerge. While it was an open secret that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield would appear alongside Tom Holland, there was lots of uncertainty about how they would each play their version of Peter Parker.  In relation to Marvel and Sony’s initial pitch to him Garfield spoke to Variety about how he approached his Peter in relation to the others: 

    We talked a lot about mentorship. We talked a lot about brotherhood and about what it is to be the older brother, younger brother and the middle brother. There’s also a thing of seeing someone you love walking down a path that you’ve already walked down, and you know it doesn’t lead [to] the place where you ultimately meant to go.

    Andrew Garfield

    Having each played the character of Peter Parker, Garfield said that the three actors had “deeper conversations” about their experiences with the character. It might have been these that prompted an unscripted moment in the film:

    There’s a line I improvised in the movie, looking at [Maguire and Holland] and I tell them I love them. That was just me loving them.

    Andrew Garfield

    It’s great to hear that one of the most heartwarming moments in the film was improvised and speaks to a warmth between the actors as well as the characters. It was also probably a feeling that many people in the audience had while watching alongside the characters. It’s exciting for fans to know that the actor’s comradery translated from their characters to the actors themselves. 


    Source: Variety

  • ‘Scream’ to Eyeing a Franchise Record Opening With $40M Weekend

    ‘Scream’ to Eyeing a Franchise Record Opening With $40M Weekend

    It’s an understatement to say that Spider-Man: No Way Home has been dominating the box office worldwide. The film passed a billion in record time even as the pandemic is still an issue that might once again close down cinemas in select countries. Sing 2 was a surprisingly strong contender as a younger audience was once again able to visit cinemas, but it looks like a new contender is facing the Omicron head-on. January’s next major release will be the horror veteran Scream that continues the classic franchise and may highlight horror’s strong grip even during the pandemic.

    The film is currently predicted to make $35M over four days with a more optimistic outlook even seeing git manage $40M. Canada will have some closures, but it’s unsure how much it’ll potentially affect its release. As such, the film could manage to pass the $100M mark. As of now, the film would break the franchise’s record, which is an exciting prospect. Sony’s delay of Morbius may become an advantage as the film won’t face any major new competition outside of the dominating existence that is No Way Home. It’ll be interesting to see what implications it might have going into 2022.

    Source: IndieWire, ScreenRant