Elden Ring Nightreign will soon hit stores, keeping fans busy for a while, but the franchise is also heading to the big screen, and we might have the first cast reveal for the film. Deadline is reporting that Elden Ring, which is being directed by Alex Garland, is in talks with Kit Connor to star in the film in an unknown role. Connor worked with Garland on their Warfare project, so we might have a reunion on our hands, but sources do stress that several factors need to be worked out before this is 100% done. That said, those same sources also say that both Garland and Connor want this to happen.

Garland is writing and directing the film, with Peter Rice, DNA’s Andrew Macdonald and Allon Reich, George R.R. Martin, and Vince Gerard producing. The film is being developed by A24 and Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc., and it will be the fifth project Garland has worked on with A24. In fact, Garland has developed all but one of his films with A24, including the most recent release of Warfare.

In addition to his role as Tommy in Warfare, Connor has been a standout in Netflix’s Heartstopper as Nick Nelson, though he’s also worked in the video game space with roles in A Plague Tale: Requiem, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, and Dreams. Up next for Connor is an untitled Heartstopper project and Rapture, which are both in pre-production, while One of Us and A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow are both either completed or in post-production.

Few video game properties are as hot right now as Elden Ring, which has now shipped over 30 million units. The game launched in 2022 and quickly became a massive hit, and since then the studio has released an expansion (Shadow of the Eritrea) and the latest release, which is titled Elden Ring Nightreign, though Nightreign changes things up a bit from the previous formula.

[RELATED: 10 Best Elden Ring Bosses (Including Shadow of the Erdtree), Ranked]

Nightreign is a standalone adventure in the Elden Ring world, so you don’t have to own the original game to jump right in. When you do jump in, though, there are some major differences, including the fact that Nightreign is a multiplayer-focused title where you and some friends take down the game’s powerful bosses together. You have eight unique characters to choose from as you make your way across an evolving map, and over the course of three nights, you will end up facing a powerful Nightlord to gain powerful new items and experience to help with your continuing adventures the next day.

ComicBook’s Tanner Dedmon reviewed the game and called it the boss rush he’s always wanted. You can find an excerpt from his full review below, and you can find his full review right here.

“Most series and studios find themselves typically relegated to either single-player or multiplayer with only the occasional crossover between the two, but famed Dark Souls creator FromSoftware finds itself in an odd spot with Elden Ring Nightreign. I don’t think anyone would honestly consider Elden Ring a multiplayer game, but it does the job surprisingly well from years of Souls experience culminating in a pretty coherent, engaging online experience. Elden Ring Nightreign then is both the summation and flipside of that experience – it’s friend-focused first and foremost with a dash of solo play, and it’s the best version of a multiplayer Souls experience that I’ve seen so far,” Dedmon wrote.

Are you excited for an Elden Ring movie? Let us know in the comments, and you can talk all things gaming and movies with me on Bluesky @knightofoa!

The post Elden Ring Movie Star Revealed as Warfare Star Boards Video Game Adaptation appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Michael Cera is having a busy 2025. He’s part of the star-studded ensemble of Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme, and later his year he’ll also re-team with Scott Pilgrim vs. The World director Edgar Wright for a reboot of the ’80s action flick The Running Man, which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger. It’ll be the first time the actor and director have worked together on a film since the smash hit Scott Pilgrim. Speaking exclusively with ComicBook, Cera shared his excitement for The Running Man, which hits theaters this November, as well as promising that viewers can expect a nonstop, “breathless” ride.

In the original 1987 The Running Man Schwarzenegger played Ben Richards, a falsely convicted policeman in an alternate, dystopian America who must participate in a TV game show where convicts, runners, must battle killers for their freedom. In Wright’s reboot, Glen Powell (Twisters, Hit Man) is playing Ben Richards. Not much is known about Cera’s role, but from what we do know, Wright claimed the new film is “very much” different from the original.

Cera Calls Wright’s The Running Man Reboot a “Really Fun Ride”

Cera told ComicBook that The Running Man is “a really crazy movie. I’m so excited for people to see it. I’m so excited to see it myself. I only can speak about my chunk of the movie, but Edgar did show me a little bit of what else they shot and it just looks like a really fun ride. It’s a breathless movie. It just doesn’t stop. It shoots out of a cannon and just keeps going.”

RELATED: Edgar Wright’s Running Man Remake Gets Exciting Update

Cera will play a naïve rebel who tries to help Powell’s character. The Running Man is based on a Stephen King novel published in 1982 under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, that was, funnily enough, set in 2025. Given Wright’s ability to blend action, intrigue, and dark humor, he makes for a perfect choice to bring an updated version of The Running Man to life in an America that increasingly feels dystopian. In addition to Powell and Cera, The Running Man will feature actors Colman Domingo, Katy O’Brian, Josh Brolin, Lee Pace, and William H. Macy.

Cera’s Role in The Phoenician Scheme Mirrors His Part in The Running Man

Cera is no stranger to star-studded ensembles. In The Phoenician Scheme, he plays Bjorn Lund, a Norwegian entomologist employed by Zsa-zsa Korda (played by Benicio del Toro) to tutor his nine sons and ends up falling for his daughter, a nun played by Mia Threapleton. Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Willem Dafoe, Rupert Friend, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Bill Murray also feature in auteur Anderson’s latest caper. Despite the marked difference in Anderson and Wright’s filmmaking styles, it’s interesting that Cera plays a guileless, good-natured character in both. Cera certainly knows his brand, but the range of projects makes for a fresh performance every time and avoids the typecasting curse.

The Phoenician Scheme hits limited theaters on May 30th and opens nationwide on June 6th. Edgar Wright’s The Running Man will open on November 7th.

The post Scott Pilgrim Star on Reuniting With Director Edgar Wright for Arnold Schwarzenegger Reboot appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Ralph Ineson is a skilled actor, but there’s only so much a mortal man can do to get into the character and mindset of an immortal cosmic being. Ineson plays Galactus in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and he explained his process for embodying the character in a new interview with Empire published on Thursday. While it’s an impossible task by design, Ineson said that he started by simply being aware of Galactus’ sheer size and scale in relation to his own environment. That included driving through mountain tunnels “just imagining that as his windpipe and his trachea,” and visiting high places when he could.

“I also went to a lot of tall buildings,” Ineson explained. ‘We went to a wedding at the top of the Gherkin building in London, and I spent most of the afternoon just staring out, ruminating. I got in trouble with my wife — she was like, ‘You’ve got to say hello to the bride and groom at some point!'”

Simple as it may seem, it makes sense for an actor like Ineson trying to get into the headspace of an unfathomable character like Galactus. Marvel has been touting the movie character’s faithfulness to the original comics, likely due to the previous depiction of “Galactus” on the big screen that left so many disappointed. According to Marvel Comics, Galactus generally presents himself just shy of 30 feet tall, and weighs over 16 tons. However, he can change his size and his form, and his size sometimes changes based on how many worlds he has devoured recently.

[RELATED: The Fantastic Four: First Steps Is More Important for the MCU Than You Realize]

“He’s a cosmic force. He’s a god, of sorts,” Ineson said. He even jokingly compared his new character to his fan-favorite role on The Office, saying, “I don’t think Galactus is evil. But Finchy’s a proper c—.”

For a character like Galactus, comic book faithfulness is a bit of a moving target, as he has been retconned many times. On top of that, the MCU always bends characters, settings, and stories to its own unique purpose, keeping readers on their toes and avoiding spoilers. In First Steps, Galactus will appear in an alternate timeline from the rest of the MCU, but we know that these two timelines will crossover and interact in Avengers: Doomsday. It’s unclear if Galactus will travel to Earth-616 as well, but it’s certainly possible.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps hits theaters on July 25th. In the meantime, the next MCU release is Ironheart, premiering on June 24th on Disney+.

The post Ralph Ineson Prepared For Galactus Role In the Weirdest Way (But It Makes Sense) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Your Disney+ subscription now includes a whole new world: rewards. Disney announced on Thursday that it has launched the Disney+ Perks program, which offers Disney+ and bundle subscribers rewards, subscriber-only discounts, everyday savings, and access to one-of-a-kind experiences and limited-time sweepstakes — including a chance to attend the Hollywood red carpet premiere of Freakier Friday or a vacation on the Disney Cruise Line’s new ship, the Disney Destiny. The always-on program is live as of May 29 for U.S. subscribers with additional international rollouts to follow later this year.

Disney+ Perks is available for free to current Disney+ and bundle subscribers. To enroll in the program and access your rewards, simply visit the website (disneyplus.com/perks) or the new “Perks” tab below select titles and login with your Disney+ credentials. As long as you have an active Disney+ subscription, you’ll automatically have access to the offerings.

RELATED: Everything Coming to Disney+ in June 2025

The Disney+ Perks dashboard is where you’ll access your subscriber-only benefits, which are sorted into three categories: Special Offers, Sweepstakes, and Dropping Soon, where members can keep track of current and upcoming Perks.

At launch, Disney+ and bundle subscribers will have access to:

• A chance to win tickets to the Freakier Friday World Premiere and be among the first to see the all-new sequel before it arrives in theaters August 8
• A chance to win a 4-night cruise on the Disney Destiny, the newest ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet, sailing from Ft. Lauderdale beginning November 2025
• A 6-month free DashPass membership from DoorDash (for New to Doordash subscribers only)
• 20% off on adidas.com and in the adidas app
• 15% off purchases at Funko.com and Loungefly.com
• A 3-month free trial of CLEAR+
• A 2-month Super Duolingo free trial
• Free in-game emoji from Disney Emoji Blitz
• Early access to the closed release of Disney Pinnacle by Dapper Labs, a monthly Mystery Capsule + until June 26th to claim a $10 Dapper Credit
• Special summer savings at Walt Disney World Resort: Stay 2 nights or longer at select Disney Resorts Collection hotels and get rates starting from $99 per night at Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
• Free MONOPOLY GO! and Star Wars TIE fighter in-game TOKEN

Disney also announced that Hulu Perks will launch on June 2. The streamer’s first-ever suite of offerings will complement the Disney+ Perks program by unlocking even more benefits for Hulu and bundle subscribers throughout the summer, including prizes from and inspired by Hulu originals like The Handmaid’s Tale and Only Murders in the Building.

Upcoming Hulu-exclusive Perks include chances to win tickets to Lollapalooza, a taping of ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and passes to San Diego Comic-Con 2025, plus Perks from partners like Microsoft, Pure Green, LG Electronics, and more. Entering a sweepstakes is as easy as accessing your Perks dashboard and clicking a button.

“Our fans are some of the most passionate in the world, and Perks are our way of thanking them for subscribing to Disney+,” said Samantha Rosenberg, Executive Vice President, Marketing, Disney+. “Whether it’s access to in-demand experiences that only Disney can offer or everyday savings and special discounts from top brands, we’re building two complimentary programs that are all about celebrating our viewers.”

Disney notes that new Disney+ and Hulu perks “will drop regularly, giving fans more reasons to check in, discover something new and engage with the stories they love.”

The post Disney+ Launches New Perks for Subscribers: Here’s How to Claim Rewards & Benefits appeared first on ComicBook.com.

While it took decades for Top Gun: Maverick to materialize, all signs point to the next Top Gun installment having a much quicker route to movie theaters. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and Maverick screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie recently confirmed that an idea had been cracked for Top Gun 3. While this doesn’t mean production is imminent on the project, other positive comments from key Maverick participants like Glen Powell do indicate that a third Top Gun is gearing up to get off the tarmac.

It’s obvious why Paramount Pictures, Skydance Media, and other Top Gun: Maverick financiers would be eager to see another installment soar into theaters. After all, Maverick was a massive cultural phenomenon that made over $700 million domestically alone. However, Top Gun 3 is always doomed to live up to Maverick since the specific external circumstances informing that film won’t be around for this installment.

Maverick Was An Ode to The Past That Top Gun 3 Can’t Replicate

Top Gun: Maverick was an old-fashioned light-hearted summer blockbuster full of jets going zoom and dudes learning to embrace each other. However, it was also a tip of the hat to pivotal figures of late 20th-century American blockbuster filmmaking. For one thing, Maverick was dedicated to the late Tony Scott, the filmmaker responsible for the original Top Gun and countless other seminal blockbusters. The tragic loss of this figure has forever changed the world of action cinema. Returning to Maverick allowed for a celebration of the movie that launched Scott’s career.

In hindsight, Maverick was also a last hurrah for Val Kilmer, an integral cast member to the original Top Gun and so many additional motion pictures. Though he passed away three years after Maverick’s release, this massive box office hit was Kilmer’s last role. Returning to Top Gun not only allowed its producers to cash in on the 1986 film’s brand name – it also allowed Tom Cruise and company to celebrate icons deeply associated with the original Top Gun. Movies live forever. Flesh-and-blood people don’t. Maverick ultimately wrung surprising levels of pathos out of that reality.

[RELATED: Hollywood Doesn’t Need Tom Cruise to Be that Crazy Stunt Superstar Anymore]

Without that element in play, what drives Top Gun 3? Frankly, at this juncture, it can’t help but look like just an attempt to print money after Maverick’s success. Audiences responded to Maverick because of its unexpected emotional vulnerability; it’ll be hard to mimic that again for Top Gun 3 since surprises are rarely as shocking the second go-around. But real-life mortality isn’t the only external element that Top Gun 3 won’t be able to tap into as easily as its predecessor.

Top Gun: Maverick Was A Major Moment For Movie Theaters

Top Gun: Maverick hit theaters 14 months after Godzilla vs. Kong’s late March 2021 debut indicated North American movie theaters were finally getting back to pre-March 2020 business. In those 14 months, titles like Venom: Let There Be Carnage and especially Spider-Man: No Way Home had made gobs of money. However, Top Gun: Maverick was a culmination of Tom Cruise’s one-man crusade to save movie theaters during COVID; he refused to unload the film on streaming, delaying its release for years until audiences could enjoy the full theatrical (and IMAX premium) experience. After so many years of uncertainty, Maverick delivered a dose of blockbuster theatrical spectacle that truly suggested movies were back. It also had the precise timing of being the first non-superhero movie blockbuster of the 2020s, making an extra special event for the wider moviegoing audience. Top Gun 3 is always going to come up short against those real-world circumstances that Maverick benefited from. For one thing, blockbuster theatrical movies are once again a cultural staple. Barbie, Oppenheimer, A Minecraft Movie, Lilo & Stitch (and other films) have all become major box office hits.

Top Gun: Maverick was credited with “saving theaters.” With multiplexes no longer in need of saving, Top Gun 3’s purpose becomes foggier beyond just satisfying Paramount Pictures shareholders. Granted, if Maverick’s visual audacity is maintained for the threequel, at least Top Gun 3 can still impress the eyes with IMAX-ready spectacle. That might be enough for a summertime spectacle; however, marching on with Top Gun 3 innately ignores that Top Gun: Maverick benefited from external circumstances that don’t happen every day. Ignoring that could send Top Gun 3 crashing to the ground sooner, rather than later.

Top Gun: Maverick is now streaming on Paramount+.

The post Top Gun 3 Can Never Recapture the Milestone Magic of Maverick appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The release of a new movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is always a monumental event. There are so many things to consider, such as potential cameos, post-credits scenes, and character introductions. However, before worrying about the future, it’s important to look at the past to figure out which MCU projects are worth watching before heading to the theater. The only problem with that is that it’s a lot harder to keep track of who shows up in what and which shows and movies matter going forward. Even films like Captain America: Brave New World, which seem pretty straightforward, have countless callbacks that don’t make sense without viewing a handful of other projects.

While Brave New World‘s theatrical run is already over, the movie is now available to stream on the Disney+ streaming platform, meaning a whole new audience is ready to discover it. However, they won’t have a good time unless they watch all of the MCU projects on this list ahead of time.

1) Avengers: Endgame

While Sam Wilson’s journey in the MCU begins long before Avengers: Endgame, the movie reveals enough about his character to understand what he stands for. He returns from being dust and immediately goes to help the Avengers in the Battle of Earth, even dropping Steve Rogers’s iconic “On your left!” line along the way. But Sam’s biggest moment in Endgame comes after the fight is over.

With the Infinity Stones still in the Sacred Timeline, Steve goes on a solo mission to return them. Sam is present when his friend leaves, but he grows concerned when Cap misses his return window. Steve chooses to go back in time and be with Peggy, and after returning as an old man, he hands his shield to Sam, who promises to do his best.

2) The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Not long after the events of Endgame, Sam gives up to the shield to the United States government in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier because he doesn’t think he’s worthy. John Walker becomes the new Captain America, which forces Bucky Barnes into action because he doesn’t want anyone ruining the name. Sam and Bucky also have to worry about a group of super-soldiers who are causing problems all around the world.

Throughout the entire series, Sam wrestles with what it means to be Captain America, and he learns more about what the government does to Black people who don the stars and stripes. However, he makes a decision about his future at the end of the show that sets the stage for his first solo movie.

[RELATED – 10 Captain America Movie Mistakes You’ll Never Be Able to Unsee]

3) Eternals

Eternals seems like a movie that the MCU wants everyone to forget. Despite introducing a new team of heroes to the franchise, there have been almost no references to the Chloé Zhao-directed movie since its release. Brave New World doesn’t care about any of that, making the end of Eternals a major part of its plot.

At the end of Eternals, Sersi and her allies have to fight against Ikaris, who wants to allow a Celestial, Tiamut the Communicator, to destroy the Earth. They save the planet, but there are still consequences, with the body of the Celestial finding a home in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

4) The Incredible Hulk

Since Edward Norton’s recast, The Incredible Hulk has been the black sheep of the MCU. The only olive branch that was extended to it was the return of William Hurt’s Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross in Captain America: Civil War. However, Brave New World once again bucks the trend by making the events of The Incredible Hulk important to its story.

Both of the major villains in Brave New World made their debuts in The Incredible Hulk, and their history becomes the backbone of the threat that Captain America faces. It may seem strange to return to a Phase One MCU movie this late in the game, but it’s required viewing ahead of the fourth Captain America movie.

Captain America: Brave New World is streaming on Disney+.

Are you planning on watching these MCU projects before Captain America: Brave New World? Are there any other movies and shows that you think are worth watching? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Which MCU Movies & TV Shows to Watch Before Streaming Captain America: Brave New World on Disney+ appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe loves to revisit moments from earlier in the franchise. Despite Iron Man 2 featuring no connections to Spider-Man, it turns out that Peter Parker is present at the Stark Expo, and Tony Stark even saves him from a Hammer Drone that isn’t looking to take prisoners. However, not all of the major retcons happen off-screen, such as Captain America: The Winter Soldier confirming that Bucky Barnes is responsible for the death of Tony’s parents. But The Winter Soldier‘s retcon has nothing on the major one from Captain America: Brave New World, which changes the events of Captain America: Civil War in a massive way.

Beyond Sam Wilson, Brave New World‘s biggest connection to Civil War is Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, who becomes president in the 2025 movie. His rise to power isn’t as straightforward as it seems, though, as there’s someone behind the scenes who’s pulling the politician’s strings.

Thunderbolt Ross’ Actions Are Not His Own During the Infinity Saga

Ross’ MCU debut comes in The Incredible Hulk, where he’s hunting Bruce Banner. He recruits Emil Blonsky, a decorated member of the British Royal Marines, to his cause, and they get to work. The duo corners Banner at a college, but after he turns into the Hulk, there’s no stopping him. Blonsky suffers serious injuries, which is a massive blow to his ego. So, when he runs into Samuel Sterns, who has been working with Banner’s blood, he forces the scientist to inject him with the dangerous substance, turning him into the Abomination. Unfortunately, Sterns doesn’t get away scot-free, being exposed to the blood during Abomination’s escape.

Sterns’ whereabouts remain a mystery until Brave New World, when he kickstarts a plan to show the world who Ross really is. It turns out Ross found Sterns after the attack on Harlem and threw him in a black site where he could use him for various projects. Ross’ main objective was to heal himself of an illness, but when it became clear to Sterns that his captor was never going to let him out, the villain changed course. While his career was taking off, Ross was slowly turning into a Hulk, the very kind of creature he had hunted for years. However, Sterns may have caused even more damage by supplying Ross with an idea that tore the Avengers apart.

[RELATED – Iron Man & Spider-Man’s MCU Relationship Was Great (But This Part of It Never Made Sense)]

The Leader May Be Responsible for the Sokovia Accords

Brave New World makes it clear that Ross uses Sterns’ superhuman intelligence to weigh different options when he’s in a tough spot. After Harlem, the only big conundrum for Ross is the creation of the Sokovia Accords in Civil War. He doesn’t believe the Avengers can operate on their own anymore because of all the damage they leave in their wake, so he brings Tony Stark the idea to have everyone register with the United Nations. Tony’s all for it because he feels guilty about his past transgressions, including creating Ultron. Steve Rogers, on the other hand, wants to be able to choose his missions without government interference.

The moral debate pushes both Iron Man and Captain America to the edge, and the two heroes create new teams to fight one another. Ross is in the middle of all of it, wanting to bring in Steve and his group as soon as possible to end the conflict. He doesn’t get his wish, of course, with Steve getting away and making up with Tony before Helmut Zemo shows them the tape of Bucky killing Maria and Howard Stark. The revelation makes things worse, and we find that the Avengers are splintered when Thanos and his Black Order roll into town in Avengers: Infinity War.

Ross clearly didn’t intend to leave the Earth near-defenseless when he pushed the Sokovia Accords. Still, there’s a scenario where Sterns came up with the idea and understood the ramifications of the political decision. After all, Brave New World‘s post-credit scene reveals that he’s smart enough to know that the multiverse is becoming more and more of a threat, which isn’t even in the same ballpark as breaking up Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

So did Zemo best the Avengers? Or was it really the Leader all along? Did Samuel Sterns create the Sokovia Accords for Thaddeus Ross? What other MCU events do you think he was involved in? Let us know in the comments below!

Captain America: Brave New World is streaming on Disney+.

The post Captain America: Brave New World Is Making Me Rethink Civil War in a Major Way appeared first on ComicBook.com.

There’s no shortage of expectations for Fantastic Four: First Steps, as this will be the third time around for Marvel’s first family. No one is more aware of the stakes in play than Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, who was actually a producer on Tim Story’s Fantastic Four movie and its sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. After the disappointment of the 2015 reboot Fant4stic, the franchise ended up back in Marvel’s hands, and Feige sees this as an opportunity to finally get the characters right on the big screen.

In an interview with Empire, Feige made it clear how important the Fantastic Four are and why they need to be done the right way. “I think that there are no four characters that are more important for the history of Marvel,” Feige said. When the opportunity came up to work with them again, he embraced that second chance.

“When Disney bought Fox, it was really an unexpected dream come true,” Feige said. “It came at the perfect time, to help us launch into a new era. They are Marvel’s First Family, and I really wanted to do them justice.”

While there are elements from the first two Fantastic Four films that fans look upon fondly, other elements have shown their age, especially after the MCU started rolling and really diving into characters while also building out a layered world. Even with the mixed reception of the sequel, many fans still look at that film’s Silver Surfer as excellent, so it’s not like everything was negative back then. That said, this is Feige’s chance to fix what didn’t work and improve upon what did and do it with an established universe and a talented cast. If it was ever going to work, it would certainly be with this scenario, and time will tell if that actually happens.

[RELATED: Kevin Feige Has One Big Criticism of the MCU (And He’s Right)]

Feige knew he would need someone to pull those classic Fantastic Four elements together and make them interesting and relevant for a modern audience, and that responsibility fell to WandaVision’s Matt Shakman, as well as channeling “classic Fantastic Four energy.” When Feige was working on the previous Fantastic Four films, he says, “There was still a bit of fear of being silly”, but that’s times have very much changed, and many superhero elements are just part of mainstream culture. “In another time, some might consider the notion of somebody with a big, angular helmet walking through a city goofy,” Feige said. “I consider it awesome.”

While Shakman has had to be vague regarding plans for the film, he did lean into some of the same things Feige has hinted at regarding those classic elements on the big screen. “It’s different in so many ways,” Shakman told Collider. “I wish I could be specific. I wish I could say more. But we are doing things very differently from a story standpoint, from an approach to the filmmaking standpoint, that really fits the material. I wish I could say more. I would love to, but I can’t. But I think it’s going to be unlike anything you’ve seen before, and certainly unlike anything at Marvel that you’ve seen before.” You can check out the official description for Fantastic Four: First Steps below.

“Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvel’s First Family-Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Sue Storm/ Invisible Woman, Johnny Storm/Human Torch, and Ben Grimm/The Thing as they face their most daunting challenge yet. Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal.”

The Fantastic Four First Steps hits theaters on July 25th.

Are you excited for Fantastic Four: First Steps? Let us know in the comments, and you can talk all things Marvel and MCU with me on Bluesky @knightofoa!

The post MCU Fantastic Four Could Redeem Kevin Feige for Past FF Movie Mistakes (& It’s About Time) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Milly Alcock admits that she was once she had secured the role of Supergirl in the DC Universe, her honest reaction was “absolute fear.” The 25-year-old just graced the cover of Elle, with a profile interview about her rise to mainstream fame from House of the Dragon to Sirens to Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. She had gone through the long and secretive audition process with many other hopefuls, but once she came out on top she was left with even more terror for what came next. Thankfully, Alcock said that she sees fear as a major part of acting, and overcoming it as a part of her job.

Alcock recalled that DCU mastermind James Gunn was the one to inform her that she got the role as Supergirl, via text. “I was kind of in disbelief,” she said. “I was initially like, ‘What have I done?’ I then invited all my friends over to the house and we drank champagne.” The actress explained how this new fear moved in to take the place of the fear she felt throughout the audition process.

“During a screen test, you’re in a room with all the other women [vying for the same part] and you’re all dressed as the character,” she explained. “[The studio] will get you lined up in the makeup truck and put the same makeup on you all and then test you on a stage. For Supergirl, it was myself and another girl. It was really scary; I thought I was going to vomit! But it’s just fear! That’s what happens! This job has been a journey of overcoming my own fear.”

[RELATED: Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow Set Photos Show Milly Alcock In Costume (& S Logo)]

Later in the interview, Alcock mused on the nature of fame, and balancing that with the craft of acting. It sounds like public scrutiny is a major reason for her “absolute fear” of taking on a big role like this, but she takes it all in stride as part of the job. Alcock is already expected to be a major part of the DCU — she will make her debut this summer with a brief appearance in Superman, then her movie Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow will hit theaters on June 26, 2026.

Those two movies have already been filmed, and we can be reasonably certain we’ll see them along with Peacemaker Season 2. Lanterns is also filming now, and expected to premiere in early 2026. Beyond that, the future of the DCU is all speculation. The franchise has a Clayface movie in pre-production and five more movies in development, along with up to five more seasons of TV in development. Most of that will contribute to the story arc called Chapter One: Gods and Monsters, which we don’t know much about yet.

Alcock is poised to be one of the most prominent faces of this burgeoning franchise, and her “healthy” fear might be one of her greatest strengths in that role. Superman hits theaters on July 11th, while Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is currently scheduled for June 26, 2026.

The post Milly Alcock’s Reaction To Landing Supergirl Role Will Surprise You: “What Have I Done?” appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Daredevil: Born Again was a critical hit for Marvel Studios, but that word of mouth didn’t lead to high viewership figures. It wasn’t even the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s biggest TV show of the past year. According to data compiled by Variety, Agatha All Along was the top Marvel series, accumulating 9 million viewers (based on total 35-day viewing). That is a considerably larger audience than Daredevil: Born Again, which saw 5.8 million viewers by the same metrics. That’s a difference of 3.2 million viewers between two of the MCU’s high-profile Phase 5 TV shows.

When compared to the larger television landscape, neither Agatha All Along or Daredevil: Born Again was a viewership juggernaut. Among the top 100 shows of 2024-25, Agatha ranked 45th, while Daredevil came in 92nd place.

A spinoff of WandaVision, Agatha All Along premiered on Disney+ last fall. It earned positive reviews, particularly for Kathryn Hahn’s performance in the titular role. Despite the success, a second season of the show hasn’t been greenlit yet. However, Marvel executive Brad Winderbaum has mentioned the studio is open to that possibility if the right story presents itself. Hahn would be excited to return if Agatha All Along Season 2 ever gets off the ground.

[RELATED – Kathryn Hahn Comments on Agatha All Along Season 2: “Would Be Thrilled to Come Back”]

Daredevil: Born Again, a continuation of Netflix’s Daredevil, launched in early March. Even before the first season debuted, Marvel Studios was moving forward with a second season. Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 is set to release on Disney+ in March 2026. Set photos from earlier in the year teased some notable developments, such as Matt Murdock’s new superhero costume.

This is another troubling sign for Daredevil: Born Again. Despite the positive reviews, it also failed to chart on Nielsen’s ratings list of the top 10 original streaming shows (a first for Marvel Television). Considering Daredevil star Charlie Cox’s fan-favorite status, it’s surprising to see Born Again struggle so much with viewership. One possible reason for this is MCU fatigue. Since Disney+ launched, Marvel has launched a bevy of TV series, so many that even Kevin Feige realized the studio had to slow down its output. It’s become increasingly difficult for casual audiences to keep up with MCU offerings, meaning people may have opted to skip Born Again entirely.

It’s also plausible that viewers who didn’t watch Netflix’s Daredevil felt alienated by Born Again since they were unfamiliar with the storylines and character arcs being continued. Hopefully, things pick up when the second season arrives next year. As Marvel scales back, the studio will be producing fewer movies and TV shows annually. This means Daredevil: Born Again is a key project for them moving forward. Ideally, they’d like it to be a hit. Strong reviews are great, but strong viewership figures that drive subscriptions are even better from a business perspective.

The post Marvel’s Biggest TV Show of the Last Year Might Surprise You appeared first on ComicBook.com.

When talking about contemporary horror with substance, it’s impossible to ignore the name Mike Flanagan. Over the last decade, the director and screenwriter has established himself as one of the most consistent figures in the genre, skillfully balancing the essence of horror with emotionally resonant plots, dense dialogue, and themes like grief, faith, trauma, and redemption. With a distinctive and much-discussed creative vision, Flanagan has built a filmography that goes well beyond simply trying to scare – his stories often strike a psychological, spiritual, and emotional chord. From The Haunting of Hill House to Midnight Mass, along with some strong Stephen King adaptations, he has shown that horror doesn’t have to stick to convention.

Flanagan experiments, takes risks, and constantly looks to evolve his work. From undeniable successes to a few more uneven titles, each of his projects reveals a different facet of a filmmaker who knows how to turn fear into something more reflective. But among them all, which stands out as the best and which falls short?

12) Absentia

The beginning of it all. Absentia feels like an early sketch of the filmmaker Mike Flanagan would eventually become. It’s his first feature, made on a tiny budget, and while it’s rough around the edges, you can already see some of the key elements that would later define his work – a creepy atmosphere, emotional themes, and a focus on grief, disappearance, and the fear of the unknown. The idea is there, and it’s interesting, but the execution doesn’t quite hold up. The writing, direction, and acting are okay, but nothing really grabs you, mostly because the movie feels uneven and a bit inconsistent.

Absentia ends up being more of a curiosity than a must-watch. It’s valuable if you want to understand where Flanagan started, but compared to what came after, it feels amateur.

[RELATED: The Life of Chuck Teaser Promises Another Compelling Stephen King and Mike Flanagan Collab]

11) Before I Wake

Good idea, poor execution. Before I Wake is easily Flanagan’s most inconsistent film. The premise has a lot of potential, but the movie gets stuck trying to juggle family drama, fantasy, and horror, and ends up not fully committing to any of them. There are a few visually strong moments, but the tone is all over the place, and emotionally, it just doesn’t land. The plot feels like it’s going in circles, never really pushing any of its ideas far enough. That said, you can still sense Flanagan’s usual sensitivity trying to break through – the themes are there, even if they’re not well explored.

Before I Wake is a bit immature, but it doesn’t feel dishonest. It’s clear that there was heart behind the project, even if the result doesn’t quite come together. For anyone following Flanagan’s work, it might be worth watching just to see where he was trying to go.

10) Ouija: Origin of Evil

Flanagan took a generic bomb and managed to turn it into something decent. But that’s just it – decent. In Ouija: Origin of Evil, the ’60s aesthetic works in the film’s favor, along with some solid direction and strong performances, especially from the child actors. Still, we’re clearly in familiar territory: jump scares, haunted house tropes, and a plot that doesn’t leave much of an impression. It feels like Flanagan was playing by the studio’s rules while quietly trying to push against them. The result is a film that’s technically competent, but limited – both by its origin as a franchise sequel and by the genre formulas it never fully escapes.

Ouija: Origin of Evil is worth checking out mostly to see what Flanagan can do with weak material. He elevates a franchise that started at rock bottom, and that’s no small feat. But despite the improvements, the film still feels disposable.

9) Oculus

Oculus is where Flanagan begins to find his voice. The movie is a narrative experiment where reality and illusion blur, and horror comes from the instability of what is seen. The story is, at its core, about distorted memories and inherited guilt. And even with a limited budget, the filmmaker already shows his fixation with more fragmented narratives and pain as the driving force behind the story. On the other hand, the pacing could be better, as the execution is a little repetitive. The characters are shallow and the emotional development is weaker. The film is more interesting as a sketch of Flanagan’s style than as a complete film.

Oculus has a structure that carries the filmmaker’s ambition. But, ultimately, it’s not so memorable. It is merely revealing and an important step in his career.

8) The Midnight Club

Flanagan decided to speak to a younger audience here, and this is clear in the (relative) lightness of its tone. The Midnight Club is a pleasant series with heart, but one that never really manages to move you. The horror stories are good, but the episodic structure hinders engagement. The most beautiful thing about the series is the idea of giving a voice to those who are dying. The characters talk about fear, regret, and fantasy as a form of resistance. But it lacks depth – it lacks the weight that marks his other works. It’s good, but perhaps the most “neutral” of his filmography.

The Midnight Club has good intentions, but its execution is uneven. The drama works in part, but it still lacks a little intensity. It has potential, but not the impact that Flanagan manages to achieve in other works.

7) Doctor Sleep

Doctor Sleep has a thankless task: to be the sequel to both versions of The Shining – King’s book and Stanley Kubrick’s film. Flanagan tries to please both sides, and as a result, the movie falters at times. It’s a good and very valid attempt at conciliation, but the story alternates between introspective drama and supernatural action without balance. Yes, the direction is solid and there are some strong moments, especially with the return to the Overlook Hotel – an honest fan service. Also, it transforms Danny Torrance into a broken man trying to rebuild his life, and that alone is worth the effort. It’s an ambitious film, but you can’t always get it right.

Doctor Sleep is quite interesting as a proposal rather than as a final result. Its merit lies precisely in its sincere attempt. It’s as if the filmmaker could say that he respects the story and legacy of The Shining, but wants to tell something else.

6) Hush

Minimalist, direct, and cruel. Hush is an exercise in language, and that’s what makes it so special. Here, Flanagan delivers a work that is pure narrative control. The fact that the protagonist is deaf completely changes the rules of the game: sounds are no longer warnings, but threats. It’s a suspenseful film that never lets up, where every technical choice counts towards creating just the right amount of tension. In other words, with Hush, the director simply shows that he doesn’t need ghosts to haunt an audience. With few elements, he does it perfectly.

Very well executed, Hush is a simple story that grabs your attention. It’s not ranked as one of Flanagan’s best works because it still lacks the emotional or narrative weight of his other great productions.

5) Gerald’s Game

Few people believed that this King’s book could be turned into a good movie. But Flanagan not only proved that it was possible – he made it a statement of identity. With Gerald’s Game, he takes a simple situation and turns it into a psychological nightmare about abuse, memory, and resilience. With this film, the director grandly proves what time and practice can do to shape someone professionally. Here we see his obsession with past pain manifesting itself more clearly. It’s a movie that shows how he masters intimate horror, the kind that comes from within and not from scares.

Gerald’s Game is a difficult adaptation that worked. With few resources and a lot of creativity and courage, the viewer remains interested in the story at all times. The performances are essential, but the greatest merit lies in transforming a minimalist premise into a tense psychological study.

4) The Haunting of Bly Manor

Let’s cut to the chase: The Haunting of Bly Manor suffers from coming right after The Haunting of Hill House, because it’s not a sequel in terms of impact, only in aesthetics. But that doesn’t diminish it. If the first season was about loss and grief, this one is about love – in all its forms. It’s a more contemplative, more subtle work, and for that very reason, it’s often underrated. Flanagan takes the horror out of the picture to let the drama breathe, so the result is a story that scares less but touches more deeply. For some who are expecting something more terrifying, it’s a sure rejection, but the slow-paced narrative is intentional, which also shows a different and cool vision of Flanagan for us to watch.

More melancholic, The Haunting of Bly Manor is a sensitive story with good dialogue and a moving ending. It is highly cohesive in what it sets out to do, although not exactly the director’s most memorable project.

3) The Fall of the House of Usher

This series is a celebration of the grotesque. In The Fall of the House of Usher, Flanagan flirts with excess (and has fun doing it). It’s a story laden with brutality that, rather than metaphors, offers a raw exposure of a lineage rotten to the core, paying the price for its own mistakes. By freely adapting Edgar Allan Poe, he creates a scathing critique of capitalism, ego, and the legacy of power. There’s something cathartic about seeing the characters being swallowed up by their own corruption. The aesthetics are impeccable, the editing is sharp, and the use of literature as a basis shows a more sarcastic side of Flanagan.

With The Fall of the House of Usher, the filmmaker unabashedly shows that he can also be literary, but quite cruel when he wants to be. It’s a well-constructed and versatile series with a consistent pace and mastery, but perhaps it lacks the emotional weight that is his trademark. It’s great in execution, but more cynical than engaging.

2) The Haunting of Hill House

Mike Flanagan is now a big name, but it’s only with The Haunting of Hill House that he becomes serious business. The show redefines the use of trauma in horror, transforming a haunted house story into a fable about the weight of childhood. It’s about unresolved pain, and ghosts serve perfectly as a metaphor for everything we bury and pretend we’ve forgotten. The structure of the episodes is brilliant, precisely because it’s crafted layer by layer. Besides, the character development is very careful, and the famous Episode 6, with its almost uninterrupted sequence shot, is simply a masterclass in filmmaking.

The Haunting of Hill House is haunting, yes – but more than that, it is deeply human. And perhaps that is why it is so scary. It is a significant milestone in Flanagan’s career, because it’s basically the turning point, when it goes from being promising to becoming essential.

1) Midnight Mass

Midnight Mass is the heart of the filmmaker’s career. But it’s not just his best work – it’s his most personal, most painful, and most daring. Here, he abandons the adaptation format and delivers something entirely his own, a profound reflection on faith, addiction, regret, and, above all, the desperate need to find meaning amid chaos. There is something almost theatrical about the long monologues, but they never feel gratuitous, because each line is like a scar being opened. This is where horror ceases to be merely aesthetic and becomes existential, which places Flanagan in the position of artist and thinker. In other words: if you want to understand what drives him, this series is the key.

The horror is intimate, the characters are flawed and human, and the ending is, paradoxically, the most hopeful and tragic of all. He takes a risk and hits the mark. With tight control over the script, direction, and theme, Midnight Mass has Flanagan’s greatest emotional and philosophical density. It marks the peak of his career.

The post Every Mike Flanagan Movie & Series Ranked appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill can be seen in their pre-DC superhero roles in some new fan art for Avengers: Secret Wars, and fans would doubtlessly be thrilled to see them in the actual film. The new fan art was shared to Instagram by Arifinity, and also includes an added credit of “Concept inspired by @thegloriouspictures,” with the art showing Affleck and Cavill in their respective Marvel roles of Daredevil and Wolverine. Prior to his debut as the Dark Knight in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Ben Affleck made his comic book movie debut in 2003’s Daredevil, portraying the blind lawyer Matt Murdock who leads a double life as the masked vigilante Daredevil. Cavill, meanwhile, first established himself as Superman in 2013’s Man of Steel, and later jumped into the Marvel sphere with a surprise cameo as “the Cavillrine” in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine, paying off years of online fan casting and art of Cavill succeeding Hugh Jackman as Wolverine.

The fan art of Affleck and Cavill as Daredevil and Wolverine can be seen below.

While Cavill’s Wolverine cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine is more of a fun Easter egg than a proper performance in the role, Affleck’s Daredevil performance had bigger ramifications for his career in superhero movies. Following the release of Daredevil (and Affleck’s deleted return cameo as Matt Murdock in the 2005 spin-off Elektra), he expressed significant dissatisfaction with the finished film, which led him to declare that his superhero days were over. Of course, that changed with Affleck donning Batman’s cowl in the DCEU.

RELATED: One Deadpool & Wolverine Moment Made Henry Cavill Sick

Based upon the eponymous 2015 Marvel Comics story, Avengers: Secret Wars is set to be the culmination of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga, bringing past and current MCU stars into a crossover with many stars of pre-MCU Marvel Comics-based movies. Confirmed returns of the latter include numerous cast members of the Fox X-Men movies, including Alan Cumming’s Nightcrawler, Rebecca Romijn’s Mystique, Kelsey Grammer’s Beast, James Marsden’s Cyclops, Sir Ian McKellan’s Magneto, and Sir Patrick Stewart’s Professor Charles Xavier. At writing, there’s no word yet on whether Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine will make his second MCU appearance after Deadpool & Wolverine in Secret Wars, or whether Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parkers will web-sling into the multiverse adventure after their much-applauded returns in 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. However, both seem like good bets to see among the vast ensemble of the cast of Avengers: Secret Wars.

While a return of the Cavillrine in Secret Wars would be relatively easy to facilitate, the brevity of Cavill’s appearance in Deadpool & Wolverine also means that fans probably shouldn’t expect it to be much more than another quick cameo if it were to happen. The return of Affleck’s Daredevil, by contrast, is more complicated. As seen in Deadpool & Wolverine, Affleck’s Daredevil is stated to have been killed by the villainous Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin) in the multiversal dumping ground of the Void (though Affleck’s Daredevil was on the list of possible cameos for the movie).

Of course, Daredevil’s demise is nothing to a little sci-fi writing couldn’t undo to bring him back into action for Secret Wars. Ultimately, fan art like the rendering of Affleck’s Daredevil and Cavill’s Wolverine often gives fans a fun glimpse into exciting “What If?” scenarios. In this case, the question of “What if Ben Affleck’s Daredevil and Henry Cavill’s Wolverine returned in Avengers: Secret Wars?” is one so intriguing, it’s hard not to hope it ends up happening.

Avengers: Secret Wars will be released in theaters on December 17th, 2027.

The post Ben Affleck’s Daredevil, Henry Cavill’s Wolverine Return in Avengers: Secret Wars Fan Art (& We Need It) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Before Ryan Reynolds starred as the motor-mouthed mercenary in 2016’s Deadpool, the Van Wilder actor had multiple comic book-based bombs under his utility belt. Reynolds starred opposite Wesley Snipes as vampire hunter Hannibal King in 2004’s Blade: Trinity, battled Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine as the mouthless Wade Wilson/Weapon XI in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and most infamously, wielded the power ring of DC superhero Hal Jordan in the 2011 commercial and critical flop Green Lantern.

But in between Green Lantern and the hilarious smash hit Deadpool is a little-remembered misfire: 2013’s R.I.P.D, based on Peter M. Lenkov’s 1999 Dark Horse comic book series of the same name.

RELATED: Marvel Star Ryan Reynolds Reveals He Considered Killing Off Deadpool in Deadpool & Wolverine

The four-issue series follows Detective Nick Cruz, who is gunned down in the line of duty and joins the soon-retiring Sheriff Roy Powell in the afterlife’s R.I.P.D.: the Rest In Peace Department. Patrolling the dead beat as God’s police force, Cruz and Powell’s first case is to track down Cruz’s killer just as demons Snuff and Speck escape Pandemonium — the capital city of Hell — and wreak havoc on Earth in search of archangel Michael’s Satan-slaying sword.

If you’re looking to revisit R.I.P.D., the movie is now available to stream with an Amazon Prime Video subscription. (Other Ryan Reynolds movies currently streaming on Prime are Safe House, The Hitman’s Bodyguard and The Hitman’s Bodyguard’s Wife, IF, and thrillers Safe House and Buried.) Reynolds and Bridges lead a cast that also includes Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds), Stephanie Szostak (Iron Man 3), and Robert Knepper (Prison Break) with James Hong (Everything Everywhere All at Once) and Kevin Bacon (X-Men: First Class).

Directed by Robert Schwentke (Red), the supernatural action-comedy pairs Boston Det. Nick Walker (Reynolds) with Old West lawman Roicephus “Roy” Pulsipher (Jeff Bridges), both murdered by their former partners. Rather than take his chance with Judgement, Walker agrees to join the R.I.P.D. and find “Deados”: dead people that have escaped Judgement. When they uncover a plot that could end life as we know it, the new partners have to turn grudging respect into top-notch teamwork to restore the cosmic balance — or watch the tunnel to the afterlife begin sending angry souls the wrong way.

R.I.P.D. was panned by critics and audiences alike with a grave C+ CinemaScore. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, R.I.P.D. was D.O.A. with 13%, below Blade: Trinity‘s 24%, X-Men Origins: Wolverine‘s 37%, and Green Lantern‘s 25% approval from critics. The consensus, that the movie is a lifeless mishmash of Men In Black and Ghostbusters, contributed to R.I.P.D. bombing at the box office in July 2013. It grossed just $78.3 million at the global box office against a reported budget of $154 million.

The post You Can Now Stream Ryan Reynolds’ Worst Comic Book Movie (& It Isn’t Green Lantern) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

WARNING: Spoilers for Smile and Smile 2 ahead.

The Smile franchise has quickly become one of the latest horror franchises to find success, grow legs, and terrify audiences in recent years. It spawned a sequel, released in 2024, that helped plant seeds for the future third entry in the franchise. It’ll also raised the stakes from one victim to many by exponentially upping the number of witnesses to the final murder, putting more people at risk than we’ve seen in either movie up to this point. Does this indicate a skyrocketing body count? A possible panic in the streets? Or is it an open door full of failure by the minds behind the franchise? While difficult to broach, we’ve seen this type of plot change sink many a horror movie in previous years. Some of these horror projects went from the great to the disappointing very quickly, and we’re hoping Smile doesn’t follow suit.

The ending of Smile 2 sees the main heroine, pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), take the stage for her big show at the Herald Square Garden and is soon left horrified after realizing the events of her day were an illusion created by the Smile entity (or “Smiler”) that has tormented victims in both films. In front of the massive crowd, she ends up confronted by the monster and gets possessed. After a few beats, she turns, smiling at the audience, and brutally stabs herself in the eye with her microphone.

It’s not only a far more brutal demise than Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) got in the first movie, but also dooms everyone watching Skye’s concert during the slaying.

In Good Company

Smile is right at home with similar movies released in the past decade. It Follows creates a similar tone for its story, where an unknown creature steadily follows its cursed victim until they are dead. Other similar films include Truth or Dare in 2018 and The Ring in 2002, adapting the original Japanese films and books. Both movies feature a seemingly invincible supernatural force that moves to kill its victim within a time frame. The Smile Entity acts as a parasite, wearing its victims down and feeding on them before moving to the next victim, similar to The Ring‘s Samara Morgan, who kills her victims 7 days after viewing her cursed video cassette. The only way to avoid your fate is to copy and show the videotape to someone else.

[RELATED – 7 Movies to Watch After Smile 2]

The Ring‘s third installment in 2017 is where fans of Smile seriously should take note. Much like Smile 2, Rings takes the rules set in the original film and expands them to affect a larger group of victims. In Rings, the cursed video from the original story ends up going viral and spreads through email. A similar thing happened in Truth or Dare back in 2018, where Lucy Hale’s Olivia uploads a video extending her game to everybody online and thus buying her more time to survive.

Smile 3 Needs to Pay Attention to Failed Franchises

With an entire crowd of victims created in Smile 2, any potential third entry will have to navigate these waters while keeping its predecessors in mind. Both Rings and Truth or Dare suffered critically and financially, crafting open-ended finales that played on the possibility of a sequel. Critics slammed Blumhouse Productions, calling it a “backwards stumble” for the company on the heels of Get Out or Happy Death Day. But Rings seemed to be hit harder by criticism, with only an 8% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Some called it a “botch job” and complained it rehashed old plot points while undermining the mythology established in the original films.

Both films felt flat and seemingly dashed any hopes for a sequel, unless you want to think about Fantasy Island as a pseudo-Truth or Dare sequel. Most won’t go for that, so the pressure is on for the filmmakers behind Smile to either hit the landing with its plot, taking the larger group of victims and using it to grow the franchise, instead of rehashing the first two films.

This extends to the promotion of the film, which also represents a stumble for Rings after the trailer gave away its big plot twist at the end of the film. It’s a road map for what to avoid when you’re making a new horror franchise; raising the stakes and lifting the bar for a sequel warrants a lot of care and attention, with fans always frothing at the mouth and waiting to unload if they’re left unhappy.

What Can Fans Expect From Smile 3?

Smile and Smile 2 director Parker Finn seems aware of this and revealed he has already started to work on the third entry, revealing the depth he seems willing to take the franchise.

“There was information I had for myself that wasn’t expressed in the first film that I took the opportunity to bring into the new one, so what Smile 2 is doing is showing us new things,” Finn told SFX Magazine. “We felt like we’d uncovered the mystery in the first one, but we’ve maybe only scooped a single glass of water out of the ocean.”

Finn also echoed this during a chat with Collider on a potential third movie.

“I think there are a lot of interesting roads that any future Smile could go down. For me, I love all the stuff that goes bump in the night, and all the really frightening things of the big concept of Smile and the Smiler,” Finn told the outlet. “But really, for me, Smile is a vehicle to tell really intense and hopefully thoughtful character stories, and so I’d wanna make sure, regardless of if more than one person might have it, that we still find a way to really invest intimacy into the storytelling. That’s super important to me. But I think there are some really interesting tricks still up the sleeves of Smile.”

So it is safe to say that Smile 3 has a long road to travel before it earns the same praise as its predecessors. Fans are sure to flock to see the film when it is finally released, but its success and future rely on avoiding the pitfalls of the past.

Smile 2 and the original film are available to stream on Paramount+, with the original film still holding a 79 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and the sequel improving on that, with critics calling it a success and praising star Naomi Scott. But the sins of those past films that earned comparisons, and the responses from some critics who felt the sequel closed the door on the franchise perfectly.

Will Smile 3 be a success, or is it destined to fall flat like Rings and other similar projects? Should the Smile franchise make a jump to a weekly TV format? Let us know in the comments.

The post Could Smile 3 Make Similar Mistakes as Another “Cursed” Horror Franchise? appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps star Ralph Ineson opens up about playing Galactus in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and explains why he believes the antagonist isn’t “evil.” Speaking with Empire ahead of the film’s release this summer, the actor discussed his experience bringing the character to life, detailing his preparation process for portraying the role. While Galactus is definitely an opposing force to Marvel’s First Family in the movie, threatening to destroy Earth, it doesn’t necessarily mean he has malicious intent. Like any good actor behind a compelling villain, Ineson doesn’t think his Galactus is nefarious.

“He’s a cosmic force. He’s a god, of sorts,” Ineson said, describing Galactus in the film. “I don’t think Galactus is evil.”

The Fantastic Four: First Steps marks the first time Galactus has been depicted in a live-action film since 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. The version seen in that movie was heavily criticized, as Galactus was depicted as a cloud. As seen in First Steps marketing materials, the MCU’s take on Galactus will be comics-accurate. Trailers have teased the character’s massive scale and imposing figure.

[RELATED – The Fantastic Four: First Steps Is More Important for the MCU Than You Realize]

In the comics, Galactus was notable because the character broke established trends for villains in superhero stories. Rather than being an evildoer hellbent on world domination or conquering the universe, Galactus consumes planets so he can live. If he stops devouring worlds, he’ll cease to exist, so he does what he does in order to survive.

Specific story details about Galactus in The Fantastic Four: First Steps have largely been kept under wraps during the promotional campaign. All that’s really been revealed is the fact he has marked Earth as his next target. If the film follows the source material, one can see how Ineson doesn’t see Galactus as “evil.” Like anyone else, he’s just trying to live. There’s potential here for a very compelling portrayal of the villain, who is widely considered to be one of the best Marvel characters. Perhaps First Steps‘ take on Galactus could paint the character as a tragic figure, cursed by his perpetual hunger for planets. It would be fascinating if Galactus was torn and conflicted about things, understanding his actions are fueled by an unfortunate necessity.

If Marvel Studios delivers on this promise, Galactus could emerge as one of the most captivating villains in all of the MCU. The franchise’s best antagonists are ones that are well-rounded, relatable characters who aren’t just mustache-twirling evildoers out for power. Marvel has arguably struggled in the villain department during Phases 4 and 5 by attempting to craft sympathetic figures as foils for the heroes, but this is an instance where that approach could pay off. Obviously, Galactus is someone who needs to be stopped, but the character is so much more than a world-consuming monster. First Steps can demonstrate that in a way that hasn’t been on screen before.

The post MCU Galactus Star Thinks the Planet-Eater Isn’t “Evil” (& He May Be Right) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

There’s an argument to be made that Anakin Skywalker is the greatest Jedi in Star Wars history. Sure, Obi-Wan Kenobi wins more duels and Luke Skywalker plays an instrumental part in bringing down the Empire and bringing balance to the Force, but they don’t achieve as much as Anakin, and the Chosen One pulls off all his amazing feats in just a few years. He wins countless battles in the Clone Wars, takes down Count Dooku, and successfully trains his apprentice, Ahsoka Tano, before she leaves the Jedi Order due to circumstances outside of his control. Despite all the notches in his belt, however, the Jedi Council never trusts Anakin.

The problems start all the way back in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, when Qui-Gon Jinn brings Anakin to the Jedi on Coruscant and asks to train the young boy. The Council thinks he’s too old, and they only agree to let him start training because Qui-Gon believes he’s the Chosen One. Most of the Jedi aren’t convinced, though, so they act as roadblocks in Anakin’s journey, even embarrassing him by putting him on the Council without making him a master, which only happens one other time in a galaxy far, far away.

Anakin Skywalker Isn’t the Only Jedi Knight to Sit on the Jedi Council

Anakin has little left to prove in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. He proves himself a capable warrior during the Clone Wars, so when the opportunity arises to face off against his nemesis, Count Dooku, he’s ready for it. Anakin easily defeats the Sith Lord and kills him at the request of Chancellor Palpatine, who is the Jedi’s mentor. The leader of the Republic is so impressed by Anakin’s growth that he asks the Jedi to put him on the Council. Anakin is over the moon because he believes he’s ready to take that next step, but Mace Windu and Co. don’t trust Palpatine and believe he has ulterior motives. They’re right, of course, but they take their frustration out on Anakin, putting him on the Council but not promoting him.

Without knowing any better, Anakin sees the move as an insult, believing that the Jedi don’t appreciate his accomplishments and dedication to the cause. However, there’s another Jedi in the room who went through the same thing: Ki-Adi Mundi. Supplementary Star Wars material, including visual guides and merchandise, has confirmed that Mundi was put on the Jedi Council while he was still a Knight. While his reaction to the decision wasn’t documented, it’s unlikely he was all that happy at the time. Mundi still had it better than Anakin, though, because the Jedi eventually made him a Master.

[RELATED – Andor Was Right to Leave Out Big Character Cameos (And Star Wars Needs to Learn From It)]

The Jedi Never Embracing Anakin Leads to Their Downfall

The Jedi spurning Anakin and asking him to spy on Palpatine is the beginning of the end for the Order. Windu makes Anakin feel unwelcome at his first meeting, and Obi-Wan doesn’t help matters by talking about how great an honor it is to sit on the Council. With nowhere else to turn, Anakin seeks out Palpatine’s advice, and the politician has all the answers. Palpatine even provides the young Jedi with a solution to his Padmé Amidala problem. Of course, Anakin is eating out of the palm of the Dark Lord of the Sith’s hand, being a pawn in the scheme to destroy the Republic and build the Empire.

Despite it being clear that Palpatine is a bad guy, it’s hard to blame Anakin when he doesn’t take Windu’s side during the fight in the chancellor’s office. Anakin really tries to do the right thing, but the moment in the Council Chamber is likely in the back of his mind while Windu and Palpatine argue about the right course of action. Maybe things would’ve turned out differently if Mundi had been the one to talk to Anakin, explaining that things can still end up just fine after getting passed over for a promotion.

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith is streaming on Disney+.

Did you know that Ki-Adi Mundi was put on the Jedi Council while he was still a Knight? Do you think knowing that would’ve helped Anakin in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith?

The post Star Wars Fans Forget That Anakin Wasn’t the Only Jedi to Face This Shameful Moment appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Marvel fans think they may have spotted some major heartbreak coming down the pike with Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. The two films will be the culminating events of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s current “Multiverse Saga” storyline, and a lot of fans thought they already knew that the two-part story would play out a lot like Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, but suddenly that expectation is not so certain. Because if this long-running fan theory is right, Marvel Studios has already put a coded foreshadowing in front of us that Secret Wars will have a dark ending.

Here’s how the theory about Avengers: Secret Wars‘ ominous ending breaks down:

Do Avengers Movie Logos Hide A Secret?

This Reddit thread from “EntertainmentEast729” breaks down how Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Avengers: Endgame all had title logos where the “A” in “Avengers” was flanked by a full circular curve. However, the logo for Avengers: Infinity War only had a half-circle around it, which some interpreted as a secret hint that the Avengers squad wouldn’t make it out of the film alive.

[RELATED: Marvel Comics Moments We Need to See in Doomsday & Secret Wars]

Well, if you look at the official logos for Doomsday and Secret Wars that Marvel Studios has previously displayed, it’s clear that it is the Secret Wars logo that only has a half-circle, while Doomsday‘s logo is flanked by a full circle. Ergo, in keeping with the line of Marvel fan theory, Marvel Studios is allegedly letting us know that Avengers: Secret Wars will end in tragedy for the superhero team… which fans should kind of expect.

It must be said: this entire theory could arguably get debunked based on font and formatting. “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Secret Wars” are the longest titles in the franchise: the size of the circle flanking the “A” may depend on how much space there is between the “A” in “Avengers” and wherever the subtitle is positioned. For instance, single-word subtitles like “Endgame” and “Doomsday” get centered, leaving much more design space for that larger circle; “Infinity War” and “Secret Wars” stretch longer across that bottom row, perhaps cutting the circle down in size. It really depends on how you interpret the design of the “Age of Ultron” subtitle: if it was reduced in size to accommodate the circle, or if it was done to keep this coded messaging alive.

How Will Avengers: Secret Wars End?

Avengers: Secret Wars is expected pick up the fragments left over (literally and figuratively) from Avengers: Doomsday, with Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom presumably following the villain’s comic storyline and pulling together his own “Battleword” reality from the destroyed fragments of the Marvel Multiversal, after mass incursions wipe out all realities. In the 2010s “Secret Wars” event, the surviving Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men and other Marvel heroes (and villains) fought God-Emperor Doom and his forces to ultimately recreate a new Big Bang that birthed a new prime Marvel Universe, with various alternate universe elements (like Miles Morales, or Reed Richard’s villainous variant, “The Maker”) mixed into the main Marvel Universe.

Assuming the MCU follows a similar arc with its version of Secret Wars, the reboot of the “Sacred Timeline” will be a death of sorts of the MCU as we’ve known it. Narratively, the entire reality the characters of the MCU knew will shift, change, and expand in different ways to accommodate characters like the Fantastic Four, X-Men, and more (Miles Morales?) now existing alongside the Avengers. Behind the scenes, it’s also clear that veteran stars of the franchise could move on, while newer actors who may have expected big arcs in the franchise have to also say goodbye to those hopes, as bigger franchise characters like the X-Men step into the spotlight. In that sense, the Avengers’ “winning” at the end of Secret Wars is a hard concept to envision in the traditional sense, as defeating Doom (or whomever else is in the way) means also saying goodbye to the universe they (and we) knew.

So, maybe this Avengers logo theory isn’t so crazy after all – what do you think?

Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars have been delayed. Their respective new release dates are December 18, 2026, and December 17, 2027

The post New Avengers Fan Theory May Reveal Bad News for Secret Wars’ Ending appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Ready or Not and Scream screenwriter Guy Busick is enjoying more success with the release of the revival of the Final Destination franchise with Final Destination Bloodlines. The screenwriter has found a successful group of like-minded filmmakers in Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, a collaboration that started with Ready or Not and will continue with co-screenwriter R. Christopher Murphy in Ready or Not‘s sequel. During a recent interview with ComicBook, Busick addressed what fans can expect in the upcoming follow-up and how it’ll address the finale of the first film.

As it turns out, he’s got some lofty goals for where the series could go in the future. When asked how he sees the sequel avoiding the dreaded sophomore curse, Busick revealed he took a cue from his work between Scream V and VI to “throw out the rule book.”

“For us, it was a complete meal. It was a one-and-done. We were all really proud of the movie. We love how it turned out. We love the fact that it did resonate in the horror community. It was the most special to make and I got to write it with my childhood friend, Ryan [Christopher Murphy],” he told ComicBook. “When Searchlight said, ‘We want to do another one.’ We were like, ‘Okay, we have to make sure there is a reason. It can’t just be to do this again.'”

Busick is also using a pair of classic sequels as a benchmark to aim for while writing the horror sequel: Aliens and Terminator 2. For him and Murray, these are the films that bring the best of both worlds from their sequels.

“What’s the crazy one? Things that we reference … Radio Silence, the producers, Ryan and myself … over and over again are Aliens and Terminator 2,” he said. “How do you blow it up in a way that isn’t even the same genre, but hits all the notes and has the same DNA? Here I Come is a horror movie with humor, just like the first one. But what’s the crazy, bigger world of it?”

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For Busick and Murphy, they got excited after forming their pitch and presenting it, pinpointing a “reason to exist” for the sequel, and a way to bring back Grace, played by horror star Samara Weaving.

“Samara is such a brilliant actor. We were like, ‘We want to do it again with her. We just have to make it make sense.’ When we hit the idea, we were like, ‘Yes, we get more Sam. We get more Grace,'” he said. “It’s been so rewarding. Ryan and I both went up to set this last week and just got back yesterday.”

While he kept most of the details under wraps, Busick did confirm some of the timeline funkiness we’ll see in the sequel. He also teased the larger world of Ready or Not and the other families that might have made their own deals with the devil.

“[The] movie picks up the second after the first movie ends. Grace wakes up in the hospital. No time has passed for her. The last thing she remembers is her in-laws exploded, including her new husband. They exploded in front of her and covered her in blood. She went outside and had her cigarette. The EMTs and fire department came. The credits roll and it picks up right there,” he told ComicBook. “Worldbuilding was important to us in that even in the first one, we were asking ourselves, ‘The Le Domas aren’t the only family that has done that.’

“We were like, ‘Okay, there is a bigger story. So, who are the other families and are they connected? Could there be a network of families that have made these Faustian bargains with the mysterious Le Bail character? And what would that look like?’ he continued. “Those questions just became a lot of fun to chase.”

Ready or Not: Here I Come is currently in production and will likely aim for theaters in 2026. Weaving is returning as Grace, while other famous names have joined the cast. This includes Buffy alum Sarah Michelle Gellar, Abigail star Kevin Durand, iconic horror director David Cronenberg, and Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood.

Do you think expanding the world of Ready or Not is the right direction for the sequel? Give us your thoughts in the comments.

The post Ready or Not 2 Writer Compares Sequel to Aliens and Confirms Timeline appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a much-beloved, yet traumatic rite of passage that many of us encountered at the right age to delight and terrify in equal measure. The film is based on the Roald Dahl book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which is arguably even darker than this 1971 cinematic adaptation. With the celebrated Dahl tome as inspiration, director Mel Stuart brings the spirit of the novel to life with aplomb, creating a world that is initially inviting, and eventually, quite imposing. The film catches up with young Charlie Bucket (Peter Ostrum) shortly before he secures a coveted golden ticket, allowing him to set foot inside Willy Wonka’s mysterious chocolate factory.

Once Charlie and a handful of his youthful counterparts make their way inside the mysterious factory, each succumbs to temptation, which results in fitting, yet terrifying, consequences. The ramifications of their actions are surprisingly gruesome for a children’s movie, but this is no ordinary children’s movie.

With much love for the celebrated film, I am looking back on seven developments from this celebrated offering that terrified me and likely did the same to anyone else who experienced this cultural touchstone at an impressionable age.

7) Mr. Slugworth Tries to Corrupt Charlie Bucket

If you’ve seen the film, you know that the man who pulls Charlie aside after the lad triumphantly unwraps the golden ticket isn’t who he claims to be. The sinister-looking gentleman is a spy sent by Wonka to test Charlie’s moral fiber to see if he’s worthy of taking over the factory. Regardless of his true intent, the Slugworth imposter is intense and unsettling, his presence marks one of the first truly unnerving developments within the film, adequately setting the stage for what’s next.

In addition to being more than a little jarring, this sequence is also legitimately emotional as we see young Charlie confronted with the chance to do something unethical (sell the Everlasting Gobstopper prototype to the phony Slugworth) in exchange for the kind of security for which his family has long been desperate. That adds an additonal layer of intensity to this already uncomfortable exchange between boy and clandestine corporate spy.

6) Violet Beauregarde Becomes a Giant Blueberry

Who knew chewing gum would be the (near) end of the perpetually chatty Violet (Denise Nickerson)? When she finds herself unable to resist an experimental new gum Wonka is testing, Violet finds herself in a real bind, eventually turning blue and puffing up into a spherical shape.

This sequence is equal parts comical and terrifying because of how far removed the setup is from the realm of possibilities combined with how dark the subject matter actually is. Wonka’s factory is a place where the laws of life (and physics) rarely apply. Accordingly, most impressionable viewers did not know whether to laugh or sob when Violet met her unfortunate fate following a bout of ill-advised gum-chewing.

5) Charlie and Grandpa Joe’s Near-Death Experience

Like all of the children admitted to the factory, Charlie has a momentary lapse in judgment. Fortunately, his traumatic life lesson is slightly less dire than those of his peers and never goes so far as to truly end his tour of the factory.

The scene in question sees Charlie and Grandpa Joe (Jack Albertson) surreptitiously sipping Wonka’s Fizzy Lifting Drink, which allows those who imbibe it to float. Although the pair eventually realize that they can lessen the effects of the tonic by burping, prior to that realization, the audience is left to watch in horror as Grandpa Joe and Charlie careen closer and closer to a ceiling fan-related demise. This is surprisingly dark stuff, guys.

4) Veruca Salt’s Trip Down the Egg Chute

Anyone who has seen Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory knows that Veruca Salt (Julie Dawn Cole) is a very strong-willed young woman. She doesn’t like hearing no, perhaps because her father (Roy Kinnear) goes out of his way to eschew boundaries (and common sense) in service of making his beloved daughter happy.

[RELATED – 54 Years Later, Fans Are Still Confused by This Element of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory]

Perhaps if she’d experienced more structure in her home life Veruca wouldn’t be so averse to accepting the idea that she simply can’t have everything she wants. As it stands, she has no such realization, which sees her demanding a golden goose, only to be deemed a bad egg by Wonka’s surprisingly sentient factory. Wonka leads us to believe that she stands to be incinerated when she reaches the furnace after she hits the bottom of the chute, a statement he finally debunks with an offhanded remark at the end of the film. No wonders we are still traumatized after all these years.

3) Mike Teavee’s Harrowing Brush With Screen Stardom

Mike (Paris Themmen) is a young man who likes to be entertained, unfortunately, he also lacks self-control and his parents do nothing to teach him about the numerous merits of moderation.

The lack of proper role modeling is especially evident when Mike outright ignores Mr. Wonka’s persistent warnings and jumps inside the Wonkavision machine in an ill-advised attempt to make his onscreen television debut. Mike’s ending is especially scary because his fate is slightly less ambiguous than that of most of his peers. We’re given cause to believe the other children are in serious peril, but we know without a doubt that Mike ends his tour in rough shape. By the time he exits the Wonkavision screen, Mike is small enough to fit inside his poor mother’s purse.

2) Augustus Gloop in the Chocolate River

Augustus (Michael Bollner) is a young man with a never-ending appetite, a character trait that doesn’t serve him particularly well in the chocolate factory. That’s right, young Augustus goes for a drink from the chocolate river only to fall in and get sucked into a pipe where he gets hopelessly stuck.

What makes this sequence so frightening is the idea that Augustus clearly appears to be on the verge of suffocation and his whimsical chocolatier host is just passively sitting by with nothing more than a look of mild amusement on his face.

1) The Tunnel of Terror

While many of the near misses Charlie and his counterparts experience in the factory are properly frightening, nothing in the film is scarier than the infamous tunnel sequence.

When Wonka and company board a boat inside the factory, what should have been an idyllic cruise through the massive building turns into something decidedly more sinister. Things get really uncomfortable when Wonka begins reciting a poem of sorts coupled with some particularly unsettling screen renderings. The pictorials playing on the boat ride include a millipede crawling over a man’s face and a brief clip of a chicken getting beheaded. This is not what most would consider family-friendly, G-rated stuff. That unrestrained approach, however, is likely a large part of what makes Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory such a long-lasting (and terrifying) memory for anyone who saw the film at a tender age.

What do you consider the most traumatic scene in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory? Be sure to let us know in the comments section below.

The post 7 Traumatizing Moments From Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory That Still Haunt Me appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Jackie Chan is in a rush to reunite with Chris Tucker on Rush Hour 4. It’s going on three decades since fast-handed Hong Kong Chief Inspector Lee (Chan) originally joined forces with fast-talking L.A.P.D. Detective Carter (Tucker) in the Brett Ratner-directed buddy cop comedy Rush Hour, which spawned two sequels: 2001’s Rush Hour 2 and 2007’s Rush Hour 3.

Chan, 71, has been attached to a long-awaited fourth installment since 2007, when New Line Cinema started fast-tracking Rush Hour 4 before the agile martial arts legend — then 53 — aged out of performing his own stunts.

“I don’t know. Ask the director, ask the studio, ask the writer. Hurry up,” the Karate Kid: Legends star told ScreenRant when asked about a new Rush Hour movie. “Otherwise, Chris Tucker and me [will be] 100 years old. We’ll be old men doing Rush Hour.”

RELATED: Karate Kid: Legends Kicks Off With Franchise’s Lowest Rotten Tomatoes Score in Decades

Chan also confirmed he still hopes to do a third Shanghai movie with Owen Wilson. “I want to do [another] Shanghai Knights, Shanghai Dawn,” Chan added of the long-in-the-works threequel. “Shangai Noon, Shanghai Knights, and Shanghai Dawn. The script is still going on. I want to do a Rush Hour 4.”

Franchise producer Arthur M. Sarkissian, who also executive produced the Rush Hour reboot TV series that aired 13 episodes on CBS before being cancelled in 2016, said in 2007 that a fourth movie would have a shorter wait between installments.

“I’ve spoken to Chris Tucker,” Sarkissian told Worst Previews at the time. “I said, ‘We’ve waited six years to do Rush Hour 3 and if we wait another six years, Jackie is going to be way too tired to do this stuff.’ So Chris is on board — he said he would love to do it. But we have to make sure it stands on its own. And it hinges on how successful Rush Hour 3 is for the studio to say we want to make another one.”

The Paris-set third movie took in $258 million at the global box office, below the $347.3 million of Rush Hour 2, which saw an increase over the 1998 original’s $244 million.

When Rush Hour 4 never materialized, Ratner suggested in a 2011 interview that reuniting the two stars and the director would be “too expensive.” Ratner, who helmed such films as the Silence of the Lambs prequel Red Dragon and X-Men sequel The Last Stand, hasn’t directed a film since the Dwayne Johnson-starring Hercules in 2014. Warner Bros., which released all three Rush Hour movies through New Line Cinema, cut ties with Ratner when multiple women, including actress Olivia Munn, came forward with allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct against the filmmaker.

By 2012, Sarkissian revealed he was working on Rush Hour 4 with Chan and Tucker. “I’m trying to do it closer to how I did Rush Hour 1, more down to earth, more gritty, introduce two new characters and make it real the way the first one was,” he told Crave Online at the time. “I personally was not happy with the third one. I thought 1 and 2 were very good. I think 3 got out of hand a little bit.”

“It’s not a matter of just bringing them back to do another segment of that or a sequel to it by putting them in another city and having them bicker. I don’t want that,” the producer added. “I want something new.”

Chan and Tucker confirmed the fourth movie was in development in 2016, and that the actors turned down multiple scripts over “the last seven years.”

“Next year, probably [we will] start. I hope — if Chris Tucker agrees,” Chan said in 2017, adding, “It’s not about money. It’s about time to make [it]. We’re all, like, old men. I told Chris Tucker, ‘Before we get old, please, let’s do Rush Hour 4.'”

Chan can next be seen opposite Ralph Macchio in Karate Kid: Legends, in theaters May 30.

The post Rush Hour 4 Gets a Big Update From Jackie Chan (Could It Still Happen?) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Nearly 23 years after its release, Lilo & Stitch is at the top of the streaming charts this week. The original 2002 animated movie is making a major resurgence as the new live-action remake dominates the box office. In fact, according to Flix Patrol, the whole franchise is benefiting. Lilo & Stitch (2002) the number one movie on Disney+ this week by a long shot, while four spinoffs and sequels are in the top 10 as well. The only title missing is Lilo & Stitch: The Series, which is not in the top 10 TV shows on the platform. The booming numbers may represent fans comparing the two version of this story, as well as younger viewers’ hunger for more content, among other factors.

Lilo & Stitch (2025) just hit theaters on Friday, and it exceeded all expectations in its opening weekend. The movie broke the record for Memorial Day weekend box office sales that has stood for over a decade. At the same time, reviews of the movie are mixed, with many critics and fans disliking some of the changes made to the story and the characters. It should be no surprise that some of those viewers went home to revisit the original, recalibrating their memories of the story and making comparisons.

Lilo & Stitch sits squarely at the top of the Disney+ movie charts for this week, followed by the streamer’s at-home preview, Lilo & Stitch: A Special Look. Behind that is Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch has a Glitch at number 3, with Stitch! The Movie coming in fifth place. Finally, the movie Leroy & Stitch is the number 8 movie on the platform this week.

[RELATED: Lilo & Stitch Review: Nobody Needed This, But I Still (Mostly) Loved It]

These are not in order of release, chronology, or critical acclaim. The original Lilo & Stitch was followed up quickly with Stitch! The Movie, released directly to home video on VHS and DVD. That movie also served as the beginning of Lilo & Stitch: The Series, which aired on ABC and the Disney Channel from 2003 to 2006. The series is streaming now on Disney+, and with 65 episodes, it’s not too great of a commitment for young fans going on summer vacation soon.

The TV series culminated in the movie Leroy & Stitch, which originally aired on TV to conclude the story. Meanwhile, Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch has a Glitch was another direct-to-video sequel that was released at the same time. Chronologically, it was set between Lilo & Stitch and Stitch! The Movie, so it didn’t interfere with the overarching narrative there.

Lilo & Stitch (2025) is in theaters now, while the rest of the franchise can be found on Disney+.

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Fans of Keanu Reeves’ Constantine (2005) movie have been on a rollercoaster ride of hope and disappointment and renewed hope for years now, but it finally started looking like real progress was being made on Constantine 2, at least until we got this latest update. Actor Peter Stormare also appeared in Constantine, with his brief but iconic scene as Lucifer, aka the Devil. Stormare is currently promoting his new film, Stand Your Ground, and he was asked where things stand with Constantine 2. DC fans may not want to hear it, but Stormare hints that development on the sequel may not be going as hoped.

In regards to the Constantine 2 script, Stormare tells The Direct that, “It’s a lot of back and forth, because… I think Keanu [Reeves], who I know pretty good, is not so happy with the scripts and usually what comes out of the studios…” He later stated that Reeves has a specific vision for what he wants Constantine 2 to be: “I think Keanu says, ‘I’ve done John Wick. This movie is spiritual. It’s about demons and regular people. And I wanted to keep it that way.’ And we talked about that… I think Keanu, he wants to do a sequel that is very close to the first one.”

Stormare goes on to break down how the first Constantine side-stepped the typical superhero movie formula. Director Francis Lawrence (The Hunger Games sequels and prequels) leaned deeper into the supernatural lore surrounding John Constantine, while adapting the DC comics material into his own distinct stylised world, which both fit perfectly in step with Reeves’ post-Matrix fame and carved out a new lane for the actor, as a surly, unlikable (but noble) anti-hero. Now, two decades later, Marvel and DC are major blockbuster movie franchises, and comic book movies now come with a certain level of formulaic expectations. For those who made Constantine, the idea of losing that “go against the grain” spirit in favor of a generic popcorn sequel is not the biggest sell.

[RELATED: What Will It Take For The Penguin Season 2 to Happen?]

“The first one wasn’t that successful in the beginning, it became a sleeper and became a cult movie, and now it is one of the biggest cult movies ever,” Stormare explained. “But to do a sequel, the studios want to have, you know, cars flying in the air. They want to have people doing flip-flops and fighting action scenes.”

It was made clear that Stormare hasn’t seen these scripts himself, but is getting the official rundown from Keanu Reeves himself. And it seems the two actors are in sync about what they don’t want this sequel to be.

“It turns into an action movie, and not like going deeper and deeper into the characters,” Stormare continued. “I think he [Keanu] wants to do this character again, Constantine, as grounded as it was in the first one. It took a long time to become a cult movie, it really worked, and it will work on the audience again. You don’t have to add a lot of action and shootouts. You have other movies. Don’t turn it into big Marvel… [Don’t turn it] into us flying around in harnesses all the time and shooting each other up. Don’t bring in the big guns. Let it be.”

For his part, Francis Lawrence has previously stated his intention to feed the fans who have come around on his interpretation of John Constantine – and even make the R-rated film that he wanted to make originally.

“I certainly think there is a bigger fan base and certainly it’s become a kind of cult classic, which has been really exciting to see and very strange, but it’s something we’ve always loved… I’d say more than any of my other movies, Constantine has been something that I felt like was really worthy of a sequel. There is a world that you can really explore and there’s a character that we certainly loved and really wanted to explore… So we’re like, ‘F–k it, let’s go and do a sequel and really make an R-rated movie. Give us an R, let us make a real R-rated movie.'”

Constantine 2 is still reportedly in development.

The post Keanu Reeves Is Not Happy With Constantine 2 (& He’s Got a Point) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps is gearing up for its highly anticipated release this summer, and it’s only a matter of time before tickets go on sale. Before those pre-orders become available, theaters need to book showtimes, which means they need to know how long the film is. First Steps has a new run time, and it’s a little shorter than the figure that was initially reported. The movie’s landing page on the official AMC Theatres website has been updated to indicate that it is 2 hours, 10 minutes (130 minutes) long.

Despite this change, First Steps remains the longest Fantastic Four feature film. The Tim Story-directed movies from the mid-2000s ran for 106 minutes and 92 minutes, while 2015’s reboot from director Josh Trank was 100 minutes. First Steps is also the longest Marvel Cinematic Universe installment released this year. Thunderbolts* ran for 127 minutes and Captain America: Brave New World was 119 minutes.

Back in February, the website for the UK-based theater chain Odeon claimed The Fantastic Four: First Steps would be 140 minutes. While it’s possible this figure could change again at some point over the next couple of months, it’s reasonable to assume AMC has received new information as the chain prepares for the film’s release this summer.

[RELATED – The Fantastic Four: First Steps Is More Important for the MCU Than You Realize]

The new First Steps run time comes out in the midst of Disney/Marvel putting together a big marketing push for the summer tentpole. In addition to releasing a new trailer that offered fans a look at the MCU’s Silver Surfer, the studio has looked to raise awareness by airing ads highlighting the cast’s chemistry during ESPN’s coverage of the 2025 NBA playoffs.

It’s unclear why the First Steps run time is different now than it was a few months ago. One possibility is that the original figure from Odeon was merely a placeholder. Another is that different chains might have received different information about the film. Perhaps at one point, The Fantastic Four: First Steps was going to be a bit longer before some footage was left on the cutting room floor. Every film has deleted scenes, so the run time could have fluctuated as the movie made its way through the editing process.

Some might be surprised that The Fantastic Four: First Steps is slightly shorter than initially believed. As the kickoff to the MCU’s Phase 6, the film has a lot on its plate, introducing viewers to a new set of characters and an entirely different setting (First Steps takes place in a 1960s-inspired retro-futuristic reality). The Fantastic Four are set to be key figures in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, so First Steps needs all the time it needs to properly flesh everything out and get audiences acclimated with the new take on Marvel’s First Family. But arguably what’s even more important is how First Steps uses its time. Whether it’s 130 minutes or 140 minutes, what matters most is entertaining viewers with a well-paced story. As long as First Steps is that, Marvel fans won’t care about missing an extra 10 minutes.

The post Fantastic Four: First Steps Run Time Is Shorter Than Expected appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Jeremy Renner reflected on his near-death experience in his recent memoir, My Next Breath, and claimed that he went through a version of death that offered him peace and calm before he was revived. According to Variety, the Avengers star recently expanded on his experience during an interview with Kelly Ripa on the Let’s Talk Off Camera podcast. Renner called the 2023 accident a “magical” experience that left him “pissed off” after he was revived and realized he was back on the ground after the accident. As he explains to Ripa, he felt in the moment that he was a “man who didn’t want to come back,” and it has brought a new outlook to him upon his return.

“It’s a wonderful, wonderful relief to be removed from your body,” Renner told Ripa. “It is the most exhilarating peace you could ever feel. You don’t see anything but what’s in your mind’s eye. Like, you’re the atoms of who you are, the DNA, your spirit. It’s the highest adrenaline rush, but the peace that comes with it … it’s magnificent. It’s so magical.”

The Hawkeye star also admitted that he was prepared to go away forever and had made peace during his experience.

[RELATED – Is Avengers: Doomsday Actually an Avengers vs X-Men Movie?]

“I didn’t want to come back,” he continued. “I remember I was brought back and I was so pissed off. I came back, I’m like, ‘Aww!’ I came back and saw [my] eyeball and I’m like, ‘Oh sh-t, I’m back.’ Saw my legs. I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s gonna hurt later.’ I’m like, ‘All right, let me continue to breathe.’”

Renner had revealed in his memoir that he had briefly died 30 minutes after his shocking Sno-Cat accident on New Year’s Day 2023. As Variety notes, Renner was hospitalized for blunt chest trauma, including eight broken ribs, a broken right knee, a broken ankle, a broken left leg and ankle, and a broken clavicle and shoulder.

“I could see my lifetime,” Renner wrote in the book. “I could see everything all at once. In death, there was no time, no time at all, yet it was also all time and forever.”

The actor explained how his second chance at life has opened the door to changing up his life in a way that puts his fears at ease.

“[To] really be able to be back here and live it on my terms as the captain of my own ship. And get on it or off it, I don’t give a f-ck. I’m going to live life on my own terms and for nobody else. [It’s] very clear. The white noise is ripped away,” Renner added.

Now that he’s back to work and feeling much healthier, Renner is also ready to return to his role as Hawkeye for the next Avengers entries, even if Season 2 of his Disney+ series has fallen due to budget issues and a pay dispute. He wants to return, though, when the schedules can work out.

Renner can be seen in Mayor of Kingstown on Paramount+, and he’ll be appearing in Rian Johnson’s third entry in the Knives Out series, Wake Up Dead Man. It’ll hit theaters and Netflix in the fall.

Will Hawkeye Season 2 ever happen? How much will Hawkeye factor into Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars? Let us know in the comments!

The post Jeremy Renner Admits He “Didn’t Want To Come Back” From Near-Death Experience During Snowplow Accident appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Harry Potter was a milestone, and that’s no surprise to anyone. The franchise stood out in world cinema not just for being a strong adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s books, but also for blending fantasy, adventure, and drama in a way that felt truly unique. But the truth is, the real heart of the story lies in the characters – they’re what give real depth to the universe. Over the course of eight movies, people got the chance to follow storylines filled with growth, loss, tough moral choices, and inner struggles. And with so many characters, it’s hard to say who mattered most or who deserves the spotlight for great character development.

With that in mind, here are the 10 best characters in the Harry Potter film franchise. Who had the strongest arc? Who made a real impact on the plot? Who stood out from the very first movie? It’s not just about who’s the most charismatic – it’s about who truly moves the story forward.

10) Rubeus Hagrid

Rubeus Hagrid is the first welcoming face of the wizarding world for Harry – and by extension, for the audience. Not only does he introduce the protagonist to magic, but he also represents pure goodness in a universe full of moral conflicts. With his rough yet affectionate manner, Hagrid plays the role of protector, friend, and even a quasi-father figure, especially during Harry’s early years at Hogwarts. His loyalty to Dumbledore, his love for magical creatures, and his constant willingness to help make him one of the most human and emotionally grounded characters in the saga. Even without taking part in major battles or strategic decisions, he provides the emotional backbone of several key moments.

He doesn’t go through a dramatic arc of transformation, but his consistency, his heart, and his deep connection to the core values of the series make him impossible to overlook. He’s the kind of character who, even when out of the spotlight, quietly holds the story together with affection and humanity.

[RELATED: 7 Best Harry Potter Villains, Ranked]

9) Sirius Black

Sirius Black is one of the most magnetic characters in the saga, with a presence that leaves a strong impression in every film he appears in. Introduced as a threat, he quickly proves to be a crucial ally and one of Harry’s most meaningful connections. His relationship with the protagonist is full of affection and identification, but above all, hope – for the first time, Harry catches a glimpse of a life beyond Hogwarts, one where he isn’t alone. This promise of family and freedom makes Sirius’ presence especially powerful in the story. And it’s exactly that expectation that makes his death so heartbreaking.

Even with limited screen time, Sirius represents everything Harry longs for and fears losing: a home, a sense of belonging, and a link to the past. He doesn’t go through a full arc of redemption or personal transformation, but his emotional and symbolic weight is undeniable. His impact comes less from his actions and more from what he means to Harry.

8) Neville Longbottom

Neville Longbottom is perhaps the character with the most surprising and rewarding growth arc in the franchise. Introduced as a clumsy, shy student and often the target of jokes, he gradually evolves into one of the bravest wizards at Hogwarts. His transformation is subtle, built up moment by moment, until his insecurity gives way to quiet determination. By Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, he steps up as a true leader, facing Voldemort without hesitation and destroying one of the most critical Horcruxes – no small feat. He embodies the hidden strength and value of characters who develop far from the spotlight.

What makes Neville so significant is that his heroism doesn’t come from a prophecy, a famous lineage, or raw talent, but from the conscious decision to act despite fear. His impact on the story may come later, but it’s essential to how everything ends.

7) Draco Malfoy

Some people’s favorite character isn’t the hero – it’s the morally gray one. Draco Malfoy begins as the classic antagonist: arrogant, judgmental, and always trying to undermine Harry and his friends. Early on, he serves more as a symbol of house rivalry and pure-blood elitism than as a fully fleshed-out character. But starting with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Draco goes through a notable shift. He stops being just a smug bully and becomes a conflicted young man, caught between the crushing weight of family expectations and a war he’s clearly not ready to face.

This humanization of Draco is one of the most compelling aspects of the saga’s second half. He never fully redeems himself, but his reluctance to commit murder and his visible torment show that he’s not inherently cruel. His role in the story is crucial because it reminds us that not all villains are evil by nature. He adds much-needed nuance to the series’ moral landscape and helps blur the line between good and evil in a way that feels honest and grounded.

6) Ron Weasley

Ron Weasley is often underestimated, but his role in the Harry Potter films is crucial – not just as Harry’s best friend, but as a bridge between the audience and the wizarding world. Ron brings humanity to the journey from the start: he experiences jealousy, insecurity, fear, and anger, which makes him feel deeply real. Coming from a large family with little prestige, he often feels overshadowed by others. But it’s exactly by confronting these insecurities that Ron grows. He’s not the brightest or the bravest, but he’s always there, returning to the group even after failures, always choosing to stay.

In the movies, he doesn’t lead the story, but he supports much of it. Still, his screen time sometimes reduces him to comic relief, and as a result, his arc is a bit less developed. Some of his struggles are resolved quickly or superficially, which puts him a step below other characters with more distinct transformations. However, his presence is constant and highly relevant.

5) Lord Voldemort

The main antagonist is so powerful that he cannot even be named. Lord Voldemort is the villain whose threat looms over the entire story, even when he is physically absent. He embodies fear, absolute power, and an obsessive quest for immortality and control. In the films, he is cold, calculating, and ruthless, willing to destroy anything and anyone who stands in his way to achieve his goals. As the symbol of evil, he is essential to the plot’s development, serving as the ultimate obstacle Harry must overcome to fulfill his destiny.

However, unlike other characters, Voldemort has no development or transformation arc. He remains firm in his ambition and disdain for humanity, reinforcing his role as a purely antagonistic force. His importance lies less in internal change and more in the impact he exerts on the world around him. He is the classic villain: a dark force without nuance, yet indispensable to giving meaning to the story.

4) Hermione Granger

Hermione stands out from many characters, even those considered powerful in the story. She’s the brains of the operation – one of the most consistent and capable figures. Known for her sharp intelligence, mastery of magic, and strong sense of justice, Hermione is responsible for getting Harry and Ron out of countless tight spots, not just with spells but with planning, strategy, and knowledge. Her dedication to both her studies and the greater good elevates her beyond the role of “sidekick,” making her one of the greatest forces in the saga. Without Hermione, it’s hard to imagine the group making it through to the end alive.

She also brings emotional maturity to the trio, balancing Ron’s impulsiveness and Harry’s intuition in an essential way. While she doesn’t experience a drastic transformation arc, she remains indispensable. Hermione is, without exaggeration, the foundation that holds the story together.

3) Albus Dumbledore

The archetypal mentor, Albus Dumbledore is wise, enigmatic, and always a step ahead of everyone else. He guides Harry not only with magical knowledge but also through profound moral and philosophical lessons. What makes him even more fascinating is that he is not an infallible figure. The movies gradually reveal his flaws: his manipulation of information, guilt over past decisions, and the heavy burden of secrets he chooses to keep. This duality between the idealized mentor and the flawed man adds important dramatic depth, especially in the final chapters when his youth and past come to light.

Dumbledore is a key figure in the narrative. He orchestrates the most complex plans, indirectly shapes Harry’s entire journey, and remains one of the few wizards Voldemort truly fears. As Hogwarts’ headmaster, he commands the story from behind the scenes with both intelligence and human vulnerability. His impact on the plot is enormous, and his death marks a major turning point in the saga.

2) Severus Snape

Severus Snape is truly an enigma, and that’s what makes him so compelling. At first, he comes across as harsh, cold, and often cruel. For much of the saga, he seems like a potential villain, but the revelation that he’s been a double agent all along, driven by a silent love for Lily Potter, completely changes his arc and positions him as one of the greatest heroes in the story. His moral complexity elevates the franchise’s tone: Snape doesn’t act out of idealized nobility, but out of guilt, loyalty, and love – yet his actions ultimately have a decisive impact.

He protects Harry from the shadows, deceives Voldemort, and stays true to his mission despite being hated by almost everyone. His death and the revelation of his story reshape not only how we view him but also how we understand Harry. Snape represents a difficult, imperfect, and painful redemption, making him one of the most memorable characters in the entire saga. Few characters influence the plot so powerfully even after death, and Snape does so with lasting force.

1) Harry Potter

For many, Harry Potter himself might not seem like the best character, since much of his journey is shaped by destiny. However, what makes him strong isn’t just that he’s “the chosen one,” but how he handles that responsibility. He’s courageous, yes, but also vulnerable, impulsive, and at times, uncertain. His story is one of loss, sacrifice, and carrying a burden heavier than most can imagine. Even so, he never abandons his morality, loyalty, or commitment to doing what’s right – even when it means challenging authority.

Throughout the saga, Harry matures through adversity: he learns to trust himself, question those around him, and, above all, understand that being a hero isn’t about glory, but about making hard choices. He confronts Voldemort not out of revenge, but from a deep sense of responsibility and compassion. Harry may not be the brightest or most powerful, but he is undoubtedly the most human – and for that reason, he is rightly the franchise’s most complete and important character.

The post 10 Best Characters in the Harry Potter Franchise, Ranked appeared first on ComicBook.com.

It turns out that even the folks who make Pixar movies can’t resist the tear-jerking moments the studio’s famous for. ComicBook’s Chris Killian spoke with the creative team behind Disney/Pixar’s latest film, Elio, about their inspiration and influences bringing the story of a young space fanatic on a cosmic misadventure to life. ComicBook also asked Team Elio which movie from Pixar’s catalogue wrecked them emotionally, whether they worked on it or not. Out of the twenty-eight films from the iconic animation studio, one was the obvious winner. While there are plenty of heartfelt Pixar films to choose from, Coco was the answer that most members of the Elio team gave as the movie that wrung the most tears out of them.

Elio director Madeline Sharafian said, “You know what’s funny is that I worked on Coco, and I would see every screening of it as I was storyboarding on it, and I cried every time. It didn’t matter how many times I’d seen it and how much I knew it was coming.”

Coco Was the Most Popular Answer Among Pixar Employees

Elio production designer Harley Jessup also worked on Coco, but says the movie still gets to him. “The end of Coco, I worked on it, and, you know, [when I’m] giving presentations about it, I learned do not play the last sequence, because I’ll just be all choked up and crying.”

RELATED: Coco 2 Confirmed by Disney & Pixar (But Fans Will Have to Wait)

Jessup confessed, “There’s something so cool, beautiful, touching about the ancestors all being together.” Given that an animated movie takes several years to complete and how closely Sharafian and Jessup’s roles had them working on the project, that’s high praise for Coco‘s ability to emotionally resonate with not just its audience, but with its creators.

Up and Inside Out Also Hit Pixar’s Filmmakers Hard

Unsurprisingly, Up, specifically the opening sequence set to composer Michael Giacchino’s moving piece “Married Life,” was also mentioned more than once. Elio producer Mary Alice Drumm and lighting art director Ernesto Nemesio cited the montage from Up as particularly heart-wrenching.

Domee Shi, one of Elio‘s three directors, had a specific scene from Inside Out that still gets her every time, even though they worked on it as a story artist. “It’s not the Bing Bong scene,” Shi said. “It’s the scene after where [Riley’s] crying in front of her parents. That always gets me, because it feels very real. Her voice is so soft and vulnerable, and it just feels like a very real, well-observed moment between a kid and a parent.”

Coco, Inside Out, and Up are only three films from Pixar’s pantheon of enduring animated movies. The fact that older films like Toy Story or Finding Nemo didn’t come up demonstrates Pixar’s commitment to storytelling excellence and ensuring each new release tugs on our collective heartstrings.

But will Elio do the same? The story follows a young boy obsessed with space and with an active imagination. When Elio finds himself on a cosmic adventure, he must form new bonds with alien lifeforms, navigate a crisis of intergalactic proportions, and somehow discover who he is meant to be. Production designer Jessup believes Pixar’s latest offering will have “a strong emotional effect.”

Elio hits theaters on June 20th.

The post These Are the Pixar Movies That Emotionally Wrecked People Who Work at Pixar appeared first on ComicBook.com.

One of the more intriguing characters in James Gunn’s upcoming Superman film is the brash yet endearing Green Lantern known as Guy Gardner, and bringing that beloved character to life is the ever-talented Nathan Fillion. Fans have seen several glimpses of Gardner in the trailers, and Fillion’s take on the character is catching their attention. That will likely only increase when the film actually releases, but you might be surprised who inspired his take on the character. Fillion was speaking with the DC Studios Showcase Official Podcast, and that’s when he revealed which sitcom legend inspired his version of Guy.

Hosts Frankey Smith, Tyler Coates, and Coy Jandreau had a few questions for Fillion regarding bringing Guy Gardner to the big screen, including how he blends Gardner’s braggadocios nature with his more endearing qualities. That’s when Fillion revealed that he looked to Golden Girls’ Sophia for inspiration, who was brought to life by the amazing Estelle Getty.

“You know, I took my inspiration from the oldest cast member from Golden Girls, where she just, whatever she wanted to say, just there was no filter. She just said, Thank you, Estelle Getty. Thank you. Just whatever it is, there it is, he’s just gonna say it. Part of his origin was he was at one point hit by a bus, and was in a coma. So I just say that’s the thing that flipped the switch. That’s the thing that caused a little bit of brain damage. Now he’s just…off a little bit,” Fillion said.

The crew also asked about Gardner’s trademark bowl haircut, which Fillion was intent on bringing to the big screen. “There was some talk about different hairstyles. There was some talk about some different types of things we were going to go. I was team bowl cut the whole way. It’s canon. It’s set. I said, If we don’t do a bowl cut, we’re going to hear about it,” Fillion said.

[RELATED: Superman Makes the Man of Steel His Own Worst Enemy and I’ve Never Been So Excited]

Fillion was also asked if there were higher stakes in playing a character that is’t as mainstream, and Fillion actually felt the opposite. “I think if anything else there’s a freedom. I think the real stakes and that kind of stress would probably be on David. You know, you’re playing Superman. Good luck. People have a lot of expectations. But if you’re coming in with something that’s a little fresh for some people, it’s all on you. Like, hey, I get to decide how this is gonna go,” Fillion said.

Smith then asked a question all of us Lantern fans want to know, and that’s about the constructs Guy will use in the film. When Smith asked if we’ll see any constructs in the film, Fillion said, “Absolutely”, but when asked what they are like, Fillion had to tease things a bit more vaguely. “Exactly what you’d expect from Guy Gardner. I mean, if you said, ‘Hey, there’s an emergency. We need a Green Lantern,’ Guy Gardner is the guy you hope you don’t get,” Fillion said. “There’s thousands of them out there, all over the universe. ‘God, please not Guy. Not Guy.’ You got Guy. ‘Damn it! Damn it!'”

Superman soars into theaters on July 11th.

Are you excited for Fillion’s take on Guy Gardner? Let us know in the comments, and you can talk all things Superman and DC with me on Bluesky @knightofoa!

The post Nathan Fillion Based His Superman Character on a Surprising Sitcom Legend appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Hello again, Sidney. Six movies, multiple Ghostfaces, and three decades after the original Woodsboro murders, Neve Campbell‘s Sidney Prescott is picking up the phone one more time in Scream 7. (Campbell chose not to return for 2023’s Scream VI, with the New York-set sequel namechecking Sidney when Courteney Cox’s Gale Weathers reported that she and her husband, Mark, took their kids “somewhere safe.”)

The torch had passed to the Carpenter sisters, Sam (Melissa Barrera) and Tara (Jenna Ortega), with Sam having a connection to the OG Ghostface: she’s the daughter of the late Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich), Sidney’s ex and the masked killer who committed the Woodsboro murders with accomplice Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard) in 1996’s Scream.

RELATED: Scream Star Says Their Return for Scream 7 Was Supposed to Be a Surprise: “It Was a Spoiler”

Sam, Tara, and Meeks-Martin twins Chad (Mason Gooding) and Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) formed the “Core Four,” which is down to two. Barrera was fired by production company Spyglass Media Group over her comments about the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in which she expressed support for the the Palestinian cause, and Ortega announced her own exit in the wake of Barrera’s firing.

The original Scream 7 with Barrera and Ortega “was a completely different thing,” writer Guy Busick tells ComicBook in an interview pegged to Final Destination Bloodlines, which he also co-wrote. “We weren’t able to use what we had in the previous iteration for this one. [We] just had to start from scratch, which was a bummer.”

“We were excited about what we had for that movie. We wanted to do one more ‘Core Four’ movie,” Busick continues of the four friends introduced together in the 2022 legacy sequel Scream. “We know the fans love those characters. We love those characters. We created those characters. I would love to see, in some universe, the continuation of their characters, in some way. But we weren’t able to port over the stuff from the other story. It was like, ‘Okay, here is what the universe dealt us.’ We always wanted to do a Sidney movie and so it was like, ‘All right, let’s get into it and why now and why this one?'”

So, why bring back Sidney now, and why in Scream 7? After all, Gale told Sam and Tara in VI, “She deserves her happy ending.”

“I don’t want to give anything away about the reason [Scream 7] had to be a Sidney movie because there’s a really cool reason,” Busick teases. “In all these movies, you have to ask, ‘Why now? What is the thing Scream is commenting on now?’ Scream is always in a conversation with the audience about the state of movies, the state of horror movies and in particular, franchises.”

Busick seems to suggest that the meta-horror franchise’s seventh entry is a commentary on the trend of the legacy sequel. 2018’s Halloween, 2022’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 2023’s The Exorcist: Believer, and 2025’s I Know What You Did Last Summer, decades-later sequels and quasi-reboots that brought back original characters and actors. 2022’s Scream got in on the legacy-quel by reuniting the trio of Sidney, Gale, and Dewey (David Arquette) for the first time since 2011.

“There is a really specific reason why Sidney is in this movie. I will say there is a reason and we were happy with it when we cracked it,” Busick says. “We went to Neve Campbell and said, ‘This is why. This is why Sidney now.’ Neve was like, ‘Oh, I get that.’ I pitched Kevin [Williamson] this first, too. He got it and then I pitched the studio. I came up with the story with my co-writer on [Scream] 5 and 6, James Vanderbilt.”

Scream writer-creator Williamson, who also penned the screenplays for 1997’s Scream 2 and 2011’s Scream 4, is making his series directorial debut after taking over from Happy Death Day director Christopher Landon (who dropped out from the “dream job that turned into a nightmare” in December 2023).

Busick credits Vanderbilt with the idea bringing the Meeks-Martin twins into Scream 7 without the other half of the Core Four.

“I believe it was James that came up with it. I want to give credit where credit is due, but it was an organic way why they would be in this movie,” Busick adds. “I don’t want to spoil anything, but I will say it’s through Gale. She’s the connective tissue in 5 and 6 and she’s in this. New York was obviously a big part of that. She bonded with those four and there’s a reason why these two come to this town where the action is happening.”

Whether that town is Woodsboro, California, or the as-yet-unnamed town where Sidney is in hiding, Busick couldn’t say. “It’s not New York,” he offers. “I don’t want to be the one to spoil where it is. It’s an unspecified amount of time [after VI]. I might get contradicted by other people, but in my mind, more than two years. I would say at least two years. It could be two years, but I would say two years plus.”

Adding to the mystery: Dewey, who was killed off in 5, is somehow returning. Arquette reprises his role alongside Lillard (Scream) and Scott Foley’s Roman Bridger (Scream 3), both killed-off Ghostfaces.

New cast members include Joel McHale (Community) as Sidney’s husband, Mark, and Isabel May (1883) as Sidney’s daughter. Actors cast in undisclosed roles include Anna Camp (Pitch Perfect), Mark Consuelos (Riverdale), Ethan Embry (Grace and Frankie), Asa Germann (Gen V), Sam Rechner (The Fabelmans), Michelle Randolph (Landman), Jimmy Tatro (Theater Camp), Celeste O’Connor (Madame Web), and Mckenna Grace (Sunrise on the Reaping).

Scream 7 slashes into theaters on Feb. 27, 2026.

The post Scream 7 Writer Reveals Why Sidney Returns and How Sequel Handles the “Core Four” appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Like with any other profession, it’s always nice to win an award. Perhaps with the sole exception of the film industry, but that’s just when it comes to the Golden Raspberry Awards, which sarcastically “celebrate” the biggest cinematic duds of the previous calendar year. “The Razzies,” as they’re most frequently called, are the opposite of the type of award a performer wants to “win,” whether it’s for their specific performance or for the film they’re starring in. Though, as bad as the movie you were hoping would take off instead getting trounced at the Razzies is, it is assuredly worse to get a nomination for your specific performance.

It’s a hard thing to shake off and, worse yet, sometimes the Razzies don’t even really get it right. They’ll nominate your performance because the movie housing it cleaned up when it came time to announce the nominations. Sometimes it’s worthy of that nomination, sometimes it’s better than the movie surrounding it and should be acknowledged as such.

1) Adam Sandler for Mr. Deeds, Happy Gilmore, and Big Daddy

Adam Sandler holds the record for the most nominations in a single year, with a massive 11 of them in 2012 alone, and he deserved every last one of them. But for his work in 1996’s Happy Gilmore? Not at all. Same thing for his “win” in 2000 for 1999’s Big Daddy. There’s even a strong argument to be made he didn’t deserve it for his lead role in Mr. Deeds.

His other nomination the same year as Mr. Deeds, Eight Crazy Nights, was well deserved. But that’s not all. The Razzies have always had it out for Sandler and, to be fair to the Razzies, they’re often right to nominate him. For instance, in 1997 for Bulletproof, in 1999 for The Waterboy, in 2001 for Little Nicky, in 2008 for I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, and, of course, in 2012 for Jack and Jill. At least the success of Uncut Gems in 2019 got him the Razzie Redeemer Award nomination in 2020.

2) Tom Cruise for War of the Worlds

Tom Cruise has had a long career and, for the most part, he and his movies have avoided the Golden Raspberry Awards. But there are some exceptions. And, of the exceptions, some make sense and some don’t.

When it comes to the ones that don’t make sense, there’s Worst Screen Couple for Interview with the Vampire, an award that he and Brad Pitt “won.” Then there’s his Worst Actor nom for War of the Worlds, which comes out of left field. It’s not his best work, but it’s far from one of the worst lead performances on 2005. It makes sense he was nominated for Cocktail and The Mummy, but War of the Worlds?

3) Hayden Christensen for Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith

Hayden Christensen deserved his Worst Supporting Actor nomination for Star Wars: Attack of the Clones was well deserved. But for Attack of the Clones he can’t be fully held accountable, as many of his scenes were fueled by George Lucas’ attempt at romantic dialogue.

Worst Supporting Actor for Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, though? It’s more like the Razzies were jumping on the bandwagon of shading the actor more than recognizing it as the improved performance it was. Not to mention, he wasn’t even “Supporting” in Revenge of the Sith, he was the lead.

4) Megan Fox for Jennifer’s Body

She was also nominated for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen that same year, and it feels like her nom for Jennifer’s Body was more for her work in that Autobots movie than for her work in the cult classic, as if they were just lumped together without any attempt to judge the performances separately for their own merits.

The fact the film has become a cult classic is fully logical. It’s a smart movie, and it’s well-acted, which includes Fox’s performance.

5) Ben Affleck for Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice

Let this entry stand as a defense of both Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill’s work in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. This seems to be a case of the Razzies finding an entire movie to be weak more than the individual levels of quality in the two lead performances. In short, they just don’t deserve to be lined up next to Gerard Butler for Gods of Egypt, Robert De Niro for Dirty Grandpa, and Ben Stiller for Zoolander 2.

Jesse Eisenberg, however, very much deserved his Worst Supporting Actor nomination for his work as Lex Luthor. The same goes for Affleck in terms of his nominations for Jersey Girl, Surviving Christmas, Gigli, Paycheck, and fellow superhero movie Daredevil.

[RELATED: Lady Gaga Roasts Joker Folie a Deux on SNL (And It’s Hilarious)]

6) Sylvester Stallone for Rambo: First Blood Part II

Sylvester Stallone deserved his nominations for Rambo: Last Blood, Bullet to the Head, Escape Plan, Tango & Cash, Rocky V, Oscar, The Specialist, Assassins, Driven, Judge Dredd, Grudge Match, and Over the Top. He also deserved his “wins” for Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, Expend4bles, Rhinestone and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over.

He did not deserve to be nominated for Worst Actor for Rambo: First Blood Part II, however, much less “win” for it. He also arguably didn’t deserve to be nominated for Lock Up, Daylight, or Cobra. But First Blood Part II is the real standout. It’s a pretty iconic performance and there are several moments where he sells the character’s conflicted and trauma-laced past as well as he did in First Blood. Ironically, though, he did deserve it for his lethargic return to the role of John Rambo in Rambo III.

7) Kristen Wiig for Wonder Woman 1984

As a whole, Wonder Woman 1984 doesn’t work. And it’s certainly a massive disappointment considering the strength of the original film. And, as a character, Barbara Minerva is one of its problems. She’s written to be overly sheepish then overly confident, with nothing in between, and that’s how Kristen Wiig played her. That’s the fault of the script and filmmaker, not Wiig. You could put Meryl Streep in that role and she wouldn’t do any better.

Wiig did deserve the nom for Zoolander 2, though. But like with many other entries here, that was due in large part to the role she was tasked to play and the script she was working with. At least she came off better than Benedict Cumberbatch.

8) Jason Statham for Meg 2: The Trench

Meg 2: The Trench is about as good as a PG-13 sequel to a PG-13 movie about a gargantuan prehistoric shark could be. It’s not high art, but it’s certainly better than fellow Worst Picture nominations Expend4bles, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Exorcist: Believer, and “winner” Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey.

It’s also a bit of a mystery why Jason Statham was nominated however. Up until this point action legend Statham had never been nominated for a Razzie, he was essentially the opposite of the oft-nominated Stallone (though, to be fair to the Razzies, Statham is a much better actor than Stallone). But Meg 2 is just an odd first time to get the nom. Had it happened for In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale, sure, that would make a degree of sense.

9) FKA Twigs for The Crow

The Crow (2024) had such a hard time getting to the big screen it had such a surplus of negativity working against it that it was never going to succeed. Then again, The Crow should never have been remade to begin with.

As it turned out, the 2024 take was just fully average, even with Bill Skarsgård in the lead. It’s the type of movie you forget as soon as the credits roll. So, its nomination for Worst Remake, Rip-off or Sequel wasn’t entirely unwarranted. What was entirely unwarranted was FKA Twigs’ nomination for Worst Supporting Actress. Her chemistry with Skarsgård was undoubtedly the best part of the remake, and there’s no chemistry with just one strong performance in play.

10) Bryce Dallas Howard for Argylle & Jurassic World Dominion

Bryce Dallas Howard has been nominated for the Razzie’s Worst Actress award twice and neither time was warranted. First was in 2023 for Jurassic World Dominion. Not only is Jurassic World Dominion a turgid and bland Jurassic movie(on top of the Jurassic World trilogy being a letdown), but the character arc of Howard’s Claire Dearing is the best part of it. And, per usual, Howard does a great job with the role, especially given the scripts’ limitations.

Then there’s her 2025 nomination for 2024’s Argylle. That’s another case of the movie being worse than her performance. It’s not an awful film, hence its lack of a nomination for Worst Picture (which went to Madame Web, as did Worst Actress to Dakota Johnson), but its entirely forgettable. It’s not at all fair to say that Howard’s work in it is one of the worst performances of 2024, and the same goes for Ariana DeBose, who was nominated for Worst Supporting Actress for her roles in both Argylle and Kraven the Hunter.

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In 2009, Chris Hemsworth screen tested for the role of Thor as Marvel was just starting to build its grand cinematic universe, and once fans met him in 2011’s Thor, it became apparent that Marvel had knocked this particular casting out of the park. Marvel previously released a video celebrating Hemsworth’s legacy as the Asgardian God of Thunder back in 2022, but today a new caption from Hemsworth himself was added when he shared it on social media, with Hemsworth reflecting on the role that has been such a big part of his life over the past 15 years while also nodding to his Avengers future.

Hemsworth’s caption accompanies the video, and you can find the caption right here. “Playing Thor has been one of the greatest honors of my life. For the last 15 years I’ve held Mjolnir and then Stormbreaker as the God of Thunder, but what made it truly special… was sharing it with all of you. Your passion, your cheers, and your love for this character have meant everything to me. Thank you for making my journey through the Marvel Cinematic Universe unforgettable.. Next up, Doomsday!” — Chris Hemsworth

As reactions to Hemsworth’s post come in, there is a sense that this is perhaps him celebrating his legacy in the MCU because he might be finishing up with the role soon. As Hemsworth indicated in the caption, he is set for Avengers: Doomsday, so fans will see him on the big screen in the Thor role at least one more time. With the stakes attached to Doomsday, though, it would be easy to see this being Thor’s swan song, or at least setting up for it as part of Secret Wars.

That’s all just conjecture, mind you, as we know literally nothing about future plans for Thor or Hemsworth. That said, with Loki also making his return in Doomsday, it would be something special to have that reunion happen before one of them or both of them decide to finish up with the franchise.

[RELATED: Why Marvel Delayed Avengers: Doomsday & Secret Wars Revealed (& It’s a Good Thing)]

In a previous interview with Happy, Sad, Confused, Hemsworth spoke about Thor’s future and what fans could expect if the character returned to the big screen. “I mean you look at Thor 1 and 2 they were quite similar. Ragnarok and Love & Thunder: similar. I think it’s just about re-inventing it,” Hemsworth said. “And I’ve had such a unique opportunity even with [Avengers] Infinity War and Endgame to do very drastic things with the character; I enjoy that, I like keeping people on their toes, it keeps me on my toes, keeps me invested. And I’ve said this before: when it becomes too familiar, I think there’s a risk of getting lazy I think, like ‘Ah, I know what I’m doing,’ you know? So I don’t know – again, I don’t even know if I’m invited back. But if I was, I think it’d have to be a drastically different version – tone, everything. Just for my own sanity [laughs].”

Avengers: Doomsday is set to release in theaters on May 1st, 2026, while Avengers: Secret Wars will release on December 17th, 2027.

What do you want to see in a future Thor film, and do you think Doomsday will be Hemsworth’s final time as Thor? Let us know in the comments, and you can talk all things Marvel and movies with me on Bluesky @knightofoa!

The post Chris Hemsworth Sparks Marvel Retirement Rumors With New Thor Comments appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Released in 2017, Beyond Skyline showed its lackluster 2010 predecessor the correct way to pull off its ambitious and world-threatening alien invasion storyline. Directed by Liam O’Donnell, who took over from the Brothers Strause to spearhead the Skyline franchise, Beyond Skyline became a huge improvement on the film series’ original instalment. While the Skyline franchise has all but fallen under the radar, Beyond Skyline was, surprisingly, a success story for the film series.

Frank Grillo debuted in Beyond Skyline as Detective Mark Corley, who helps his estranged son, Trent (Jonny Weston), out of jail in Los Angeles just as an alien invasion begins. The events of the 2017 sequel take place concurrently with the storyline of Skyline, which kicked off the franchise with Eric Balfour and Scottie Thompson starring as Jarrod and Elaine. Beyond Skyline had a much more successful run than its predecessor, however, and this could soon be repeated in the franchise’s next instalment.

Beyond Skyline Was a Massive Improvement on the Original Skyline Movie

In the original Skyline movie (2010), Jarrod and Elaine visit their best friend Terry (Donald Faison) in LA for his birthday, though the celebration is interrupted by an invasion of aliens who use hypnotic, immobilizing light as a weapon. They hide with other characters in Terry’s high-rise apartment, but they all eventually succumb to the alien invaders. Jarrod becomes an alien-human hybrid, and the biology of their unborn child is altered, allowing Lindsey Morgan to appear as an age-accelerated Rose, their daughter and Mark Corley’s adoptive daughter, in Beyond Skyline and subsequent sequels.

While Skyline’s special effects received high praise, this wasn’t enough to save the movie from a flat and boring storyline with underdeveloped characters and poor writing. Skyline has a whopping 14% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but, in this instance, it’s a blessing the series continued, as Beyond Skyline, released seven years later, has a critics’ score of 70%. While the thin plot, lack of character development, and predictability earned Beyond Skyline mixed reviews, the sequel is considered a vast improvement on the original.

Frank Grillo’s performance in Beyond Skyline brought the sequel more star power and sheer talent, while also upping the entertainment factor, as Grillo is an incredibly charismatic actor. The sequel was also more action-heavy, high-octane, and visually striking, which kept audiences engaged throughout. These are areas where the 2010 original faltered, so it was great to see the sequel deliver a stronger, more accessible story, while progressing the franchise in some interesting ways and maintaining the intimate themes of the original.

The Skyline Franchise’s Next Movie Can Copy Beyond Skyline’s Best Traits

Lindsey Morgan returned as Rose Corley in 2020’s Skylines, set 15 years after the original invasion; however, an upcoming 2025 sequel, Skyline: Warpath, is expected to focus on another Beyond Skyline character. Iko Uwais will be reprising his role of Sua in Skyline: Warpath, which will focus on the human resistance against the alien invaders, five years after the original invasion. It’s suspected that both Frank Grillo and Lindsey Morgan will be returning, too, though this is yet to be determined. Bringing the story back to Earth is the best choice for the franchise.

Skylines took the story into the deepest reaches of outer space, as Rose Corley took the fight to the aliens’, now known as Harvesters, homeworld. Skyline: Warpath will be much more relatable for audiences, bringing the story back to Earth while also excitingly advancing the franchise by introducing the mysterious Radial Gauntlet. The prospect of Frank Grillo’s return, following an absence in the 2020 sequel, is also very exciting and could bring some gravitas and connective tissue back to the series.

Back in 2022, O’Donnell suggested to Deadline that the upcoming sequel could be “our own niche version of a Fast Five/Avengers type of sequel… bringing together the characters from previous instalments.” It seems the storyline has since been altered to focus more on Sua and the human resistance on Earth, but the door is clearly open for Frank Grillo and more to return. This means Skyline: Warpath could repeat the success of Beyond Skyline, and move on even further from the disappointment of the original Skyline movie.

Beyond Skyline premiered on December 15, 2017, and is currently available to watch on Netflix. Skyline: Warpath is expected to release in 2025, with Liam O’Donnell returning to direct, but the sequel doesn’t yet have a confirmed release date.

What are your opinions on the Skyline franchise? Let us know in the comments!

The post This 2017 Sci-fi Sequel on Netflix Makes the First Movie Obsolete appeared first on ComicBook.com.

If there’s one thing people know about Tom Cruise, it’s that he never backs down from action – literally. For more than three decades, the actor has built his entire reputation on wild, often borderline insane stunts that even veteran stunt professionals might avoid. We’re talking about scaling skyscrapers, high-speed car chases, and jumping out of planes – all done by him, no stunt double in sight. The Mission: Impossible franchise became the perfect platform for this daredevil persona. But at some point, sticking to this formula stops feeling exciting and starts looking like something dangerously close to unnecessary recklessness.

In Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, of course, it was more of the same. Cruise pulled off another jaw-dropping feat – hanging from the wing of an airplane at 8,000 feet, facing wind speeds of over 140 mph. It’s an impressive moment, no doubt, and it shows incredible physical and mental dedication. But still – does it make sense anymore for someone (who’s well into his 60s, by the way) to keep putting himself through this level of danger? Because it’s not just for show – we’re talking about real bones, real joints, and, frankly, some good old common sense on the line.

At this point, Cruise is in that phase of life when most people would start seriously thinking about slowing down and sparing their bodies. Sure, it’s obvious that he enjoys pushing boundaries and has an admirable work ethic, but let’s be honest: Hollywood no longer relies on him alone to deliver jaw-dropping action. Technology has advanced tremendously, stunt teams are at the top of their game, and plenty of other actors are more than capable of stepping into the adrenaline-fueled spotlight.

Take Keanu Reeves in John Wick, or Jason Statham in nearly every action movie he’s been in. They handle intense, choreographed scenes without needing to dangle from planes or throw themselves into real-life peril. And with today’s CGI and effects, audiences can enjoy the thrill without anyone being genuinely at risk. Marvel movies are a great example – massive set pieces, edge-of-your-seat action, and all created with tech and precision. Hollywood has embraced safety, innovation, and actors who don’t need to push their physical limits just to make a scene hit.

[RELATED – The 5 Most Daring Stunts in the Mission: Impossible Franchise]

That doesn’t mean action movies have lost their intensity. Far from it. Audiences today still want excitement, but they’re also more conscious. They want to be amazed, but they don’t want to worry that the lead actor might have broken a rib in the process. We’re no longer in the ’80s. Films can be spectacular, characters can defy logic, but the balance between spectacle and safety now falls to special effects teams and skilled stunt performers.

So Cruise’s brand of “I do it all myself” isn’t a necessity anymore – it’s just his personal choice. And honestly, it’s starting to feel like too much. The most concerning part isn’t that he still wants to do it, but that he doesn’t seem to recognize how much the industry has evolved – that he doesn’t need to keep throwing himself into these extreme situations to stay in the spotlight. People can admire his commitment and talent without needing him to turn into a real-life cartoon character who never gets tired or hurt.

Hollywood is still making high-stakes, high-octane films, with fresh faces and veterans who know how to sell action without going to extremes. One of Cruise’s most iconic stunts was in Mission: Impossible – Fallout, when he pulled off a dangerous high-altitude parachute jump. It was the kind of stunt very few actors would even consider. And even now, the question lingers: was it about standing out? Innovating? Some might even call it a touch of showboating. Maybe there’s an adrenaline addiction involved, but it might be time to realize that cheating death again and again isn’t exactly the definition of art – or relevance.

It’s probably time for Cruise to give himself a break and let the stunt doubles and digital effects take the reins. He’s already proven everything there is to prove. He showed us what it means to be the ultimate action star – and that legacy is cemented in film history. Now, what we want to see is how he reinvents himself, takes on new challenges, and uses all that experience in roles that don’t require risking his neck every few minutes. Hollywood has already moved on from needing him to do everything, and it’s doing just fine.

Mission: Impossible wrapped after eight films (at least, in theory), and hopefully, this is his moment to slow down. No one’s indestructible, and even the biggest legends need to look after themselves. We all admire Cruise’s bravery, but it’s time he took a breather. The industry keeps evolving, and the world of stunts now has a new generation leading the charge – one that, thanks to technology and a bit more common sense, makes it to the end credits in one piece. And that’s impressive in its own right.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is now playing in theaters and IMAX. The rest of the franchise can be streamed on Paramount+.

The post Tom Cruise Doesn’t Need to Be Hollywood’s Stunt Superstar Anymore appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Earlier this month, Disney+ launched a 24/7 Star Wars livestream called “In A Galaxy Far, Far Away,” and it didn’t take long for fans to get hooked. Sadly, the stream was always meant to be a temporary feature celebrating several big milestones in the Star Wars franchise, and after 18 days, it ended last week. Now, fans are wondering why a feature like this can’t go longer, and why streamers don’t offer more of these kinds of streams, playlists, and shuffle buttons. Many enjoyed the feeling of jumping in and out of a broadcast, recalling the sensation of finding a favorite movie or TV show running on cable in the days before streaming. Now, many are imagining the potential of a stream like this running all the time.

“In A Galaxy Far, Far Away” was streaming 24 hours a day for 18 days straight on Disney+ this month, concluding on May 22nd. It marked several big occasions of the Star Wars franchise — May the Fourth, the conclusion of Andor, and the 20th anniversary of Revenge of the Sith. The stream played nothing but Star Wars content continuously, and by now, there’s plenty of that to go around. Disney+ has all 11 Star Wars movies, plus most of its TV shows and many shorts and specials as well.

The stream helped introduce fans to parts of the franchise they hadn’t gotten around to, or hadn’t even heard of in some cases. Many who are not typically animation fans found it easier to get into a show like Star Wars: Rebels this way, for example, while others finally got hooked on a show like Skeleton Crew that they’ve been meaning to check out. This was a great, low-pressure way for families to get involved in each others’ interests as well.

[RELATED: Andor Was Right to Leave Out Big Character Cameos (And Star Wars Needs to Learn From It)]

One possible reason the stream was short-lived is because of the cost of broadcasting. Fans have speculated that Disney was required to pay residuals to the casts and crews of these productions every time their work played on a livestream. By contrast, an on-demand streaming app does not typically demand the same cost. However, Disney always advertised the stream as temporary, and has not specified a reason why it won’t continue.

Streams like this are often popular, and commenters are left wondering why the can’t go on. However, it’s not clear if this kind of chatter relates to real-life use. In 2023, Netflix discontinued its “shuffle button” features, claiming that they were not used enough to be worth supporting. Those were marked either “surprise me” or “play something.”

Star Wars fans will need to answer the call to adventure themselves for now. The franchise is streaming on Disney+, but the livestream is officially over.

The post Major Star Wars Feature Removed From Disney+ After Just 18 Days (But Why?) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Benicio del Toro’s take on the Collector quickly became a Marvel Cinematic Universe fan favorite, but the actor hasn’t been invited back to the franchise since the Infinity Saga ended. In an interview with ComicBook to promote his new movie The Phoenician Scheme (out in select theaters May 30th and nationwide June 6th), del Toro addressed his possible future in the MCU. When asked about reprising his role in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, del Toro cast doubt that such a development is in the cards. However, he would be open to the opportunity if one ever presented itself.

“I don’t know. I mean, it’s like, you gotta get invited to play in that international tournament, and I’d love to play in it, but fingers crossed that’ll happen soon,” del Toro said. “I haven’t been invited yet for a second round.”

Del Toro made his MCU debut back in 2013’s Thor: The Dark World, appearing in a mid-credits scene where Volstagg and Sif give the Collector the Aether in an effort to keep it separated from other Infinity Stones. The Collector returned in Guardians of the Galaxy and most recently was seen in Avengers: Infinity War, when Thanos travelled to Knowhere to retrieve the Reality Stone. Del Toro also voiced the Collector on an episode of What If…?.

[RELATED – The Fantastic Four: First Steps Is More Important for the MCU Than You Realize]

Avengers: Doomsday is currently in production. In late March, Marvel Studios put together a record-breaking livestream event to announce 27 actors who are in the film. Shortly after, Kevin Feige confirmed there are additional Doomsday casting announcements that will be made at a later date. No actors who are primarily associated with the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise were confirmed as part of the Doomsday ensemble.

As fun as it would be to see del Toro back as the Collector, it’s hard to find a natural place for the character in the Multiverse Saga. As mentioned in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, he sold Knowhere to the Guardians, and his whereabouts are currently unknown. The Collector isn’t a superhero, so he isn’t going to get called into service to help in the fight against Doctor Doom. He was always more of a supporting player, and given his connection to the cosmic side of the MCU, the Collector likely wouldn’t appear again unless there was another Guardians of the Galaxy-related project. Though Star-Lord has a future in the franchise, it’s unknown if Marvel will ever move ahead with Guardians of the Galaxy 4, so audiences might have seen the last of the Collector.

That doesn’t mean del Toro can’t have a Marvel future himself. If Robert Downey Jr. can return years later to play Doctor Doom, anyone can play multiple characters in the MCU. An Oscar winner, there’s no shortage of roles del Toro would be a strong fit for, so if the right part emerges, Marvel would be smart to keep the actor in mind. Perhaps after Avengers: Secret Wars and the X-Men become the focus, del Toro will get another call.

The post Fan-Favorite Avengers Star Admits They Haven’t Yet Been Invited Back to the Franchise After Endgame appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Stitch is inevitable. Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch remake made waves at the box office over Memorial Day weekend, which turned out to be a record-setting weekend for Disney: not only did the reimagining of the 2002 animated movie set the record as the biggest 4-day Memorial Day weekend opening of all time domestically with $182.7 million, but the studio is reporting that Lilo & Stitch took in a massive $37 million on Monday. That’s the fourth highest-grossing domestic Monday ever, surpassing the $36.8 million that Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame made on its first Monday back in April 2019.

Disney also holds the top spots for domestic Mondays. Marvel’s Black Panther clawed its way to the biggest-ever Monday over Presidents Day with $40.15 million in 2018, outdoing the $40.1 million of the previous record holder, 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The third-best Monday belongs to the $37.1 million webbed up by 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, which was produced and distributed by Sony Pictures but co-financed by Disney.

RELATED: Mission: Impossible 8 Breaks Box Office Record 25 Years After Tom Cruise Scored Best Memorial Day Ever

With Lilo & Stitch taking the fourth-best Monday and Endgame moving to fifth place, the blue alien has edged out the other Disney-owned blue aliens: 20th Century’s Avatar: The Way of Water, which took in $32.2 million the Monday after Christmas Day in 2022. Stitch also outperformed 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick, the Tom Cruise starrer that was the biggest Memorial Day Monday ever before the little blue alien came along this weekend.

According to Disney, Lilo & Stitch is the No. 1 film in the world with a cume of $361.3 million at the global box office so far. Cruise’s eighth and final Mission: Impossible film, The Final Reckoning, opened in second place, which means that Stitch has twice now dethroned the movie star. Mission: Impossible 8 also set its own series-best opening at $79 million and another $112 million overseas for a total worldwide start of $191 million.

When counting the combined grosses of Lilo & Stitch and The Final Reckoning, as well as holdovers like Final Destination Bloodlines, Sinners, and Disney/Marvel’s Thunderbolts*, 2025 is now on record as the biggest Memorial Day weekend box office in cinema history.

“The love that people have for Lilo & Stitch continues to grow, and the goal with this new retelling was for audiences to be able to enjoy these characters on the big screen again and hopefully have just as much fun watching it as we had making it,” Alan Bergman, co-chairman, Disney Entertainment, said. “We are tremendously proud of this history-making launch, and I want to give my thanks to our teams who have done such great work as well as to the fans who have made this exceptional opening possible.”

“Stitch is an example of what Disney actually does best,” David Greenbaum, President of Disney Live Action and 20th Century Studios, added. “An extraordinary animated film from 2002 that becomes a series that then over time creates a real fanship, which leads to us looking at the idea of creating this wonderful film that we now are bringing out to the world.”

Lilo & Stitch has pushed Walt Disney Studios past the $2 billion mark at the global box office, making Disney the first studio to achieve the milestone this year.

Walt Disney Animation’s Moana 2 (released over Thanksgiving in 2024), Mufasa: The Lion King (released over Christmas), Searchlight’s A Complete Unknown, and 2025’s Captain America: Brave New World, the live-action Snow White, and Thunderbolts* all contributed to the $2 billion total.

Disney’s upcoming 2025 slate includes Pixar’s Elio (June 20), The Fantastic Four: First Steps (July 25), Freakier Friday (August 8), Tron: Ares (October 10), Predator: Badlands (Nov. 7), Zootopia 2 (Nov. 26), and Avatar: Fire and Ash (Dec. 19).

Lilo & Stitch — which stars newcomer Maia Kealoha as Lilo, Sydney Elizebeth Agudong as Nani, Billy Magnussen as Pleakley, Tia Carrere as Mrs. Kekoa, Hannah Waddingham as the Grand Councilwoman, Courtney B. Vance as Cobra Bubbles, Zach Galifianakis as Jumba, and Chris Sanders as the voice of Stitch — is playing now everywhere.

The post Lilo & Stitch Box Office Haul Breaks Avengers: Endgame Record appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Rings of Power, nightmarish Nazguls, ethereal elves, second breakfast, and dwarves who burrow into your heart and refuse to leave — The Lord of the Rings has it all. It’s surprising that, even after two decades since their release, the films still reign supreme in the hearts of millions around the world. The cinematography? Breathtaking. The music? Rousing. Aragorn, son of Arathorn? Let’s just say, if Viggo Mortensen goes to space today, the headlines would read “Aragorn Goes to Space.” And the action sequences? Where do we even begin? In the Meandering Mines of Moria or before the Black Gate? Or perhaps that is a rhetorical question. We begin, of course, in a fortress, one whose inhabitants will change the course of the war irreversibly. 

This is why “The Battle of Helm’s Deep” is, without a doubt, the single best action sequence in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

The Battle of Helm’s Deep: Carefully Chaotic and Endlessly Enjoyable

“So it begins”, says Théoden (Bernard Hill) as he takes his stand in a battle whose effects would echo far beyond the reach of the Horn of Helm Hammerhand. And there he and his formidable friends have stood for two decades, on guard and unshakeable, just as mesmerizing as the first day we saw a golden-haired elf slide down the stairs on a shield. For no matter how hard, eager contenders have tried to copy or surpass this battle through the years, not many have come very close to this cinematic masterpiece.

The climactic moment of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is the Battle of Helm’s Deep (or Hornburg), where King Théoden’s forces clash with Saruman’s (Christopher Lee). It is the first large-scale and drawn-out battle we witness in the War of the Rings, and it is a critical one, too, as Rohan and their allies could not afford to lose such an important defense point to Saruman’s forces. One could go so far as to say that the events of this battle lead to a domino crash that finally results in Sauron’s defeat. Its unending importance to the plot aside, there is a repertoire of reasons behind its unfading popularity. We have lovable villains, a suffocating sense of dread, hope, loss, and friendship. The Battle of Helm’s Deep gets everything right, and then some.

RELATED: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Are a Miracle for One Major Reason

In this sequence, the film proves that the grittiness and grim aesthetic of war don’t always need to be portrayed through a lack of light. At every point during the battle, the audience is aware of what’s happening since the entire scene has enough light to see everything that’s going down. And then there is the cinematography. The camera moves in a way that makes the entire sequence look like a long shot. It covers everything, moving over and beyond shots of our heroes caught in their own mini-battles, the walls of the fortress and the valley and fields beyond where the Uruk-hai move, and the innocents hiding in corners, holding on to their own for dear life. The audience is aware of what the entire battlefield looks like, how the forces are divided, and what is happening on which side overall.

This means we are aware of the shifting tides of the battle, watching strategies unfold, and our heroes become leaders. It draws the watcher in, right into the middle of the skirmish. We feel the Uruk-hai stomp their feet and chant death wishes. We see the first arrow let loose from the human side and feel its implication even before it sinks into the waiting collarbone of an orc. Elves, mighty and enchanted, fall before us. Friends share glances and final cheers and comfort across the field, even as hope dwindles.

The atmosphere feels tense, the skies are grey, and rain descends on armor, adding to the strange sense of discomfort. There are several other scenes that feel momentous. We watch as a young boy joins the war, with a sword taller than his body. “A good sword”, Aragorn calls it, turning from a hero to a leader. Unlike in the books, the elves arrive to offer their allegiance, reminding the audience that this is not just a fight of Men but of the free world. Gimli and Legolas’ banter soothes some of the scares, before slowly fading into nothingness. Yet, as dawn descends, hope rises from the east and the dreadful battle draws to a close, but not before engraving itself in the minds of every wide-eyed watcher for eons to come.

You can stream the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy on Max or rent/buy it on Prime Video or YouTube.

The post This Is the Best Action Scene in The Lord of the Rings Franchise appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Superman director James Gunn has debunked recent rumors concerning the film’s run time. On the social media platform Threads, a fan asked the filmmaker about headlines claiming Superman is 122 minutes long (2 hours, 2 minutes). Gunn cleared things up by confirming that is not the movie’s official running time. According to him, there are still a handful of VFX shots to finish before the final picture is locked and ready to go. The plan is for that work to be completed this coming weekend, meaning Superman will be ready to hit the big screen in the near future.

“That is not correct,” Gunn said when asked about the Superman run time. “It’s almost totally locked – meaning we’re just finishing a couple VFX shots over the weekend – but that’s not the running time.”

Speculation about Superman‘s run time started to spread earlier this week when it was claimed that international distributors had learned the information ahead of tickets going on sale soon. The reported run time was noteworthy because it would have made Gunn’s reboot the shortest Superman film in nearly 40 years. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace is only 90 minutes long.

[RELATED – David Corenswet Had Hilarious Response to James Gunn’s Superman Casting Call: “Prove It”]

As the first theatrical release in the DC Universe franchise, Warner Bros. has been busy giving Superman a major marketing push. The studio recently unveiled a new official trailer that established some of the film’s themes and teased some hard-hitting action sequences. Looking to build off spring box office hits such as A Minecraft Movie and Sinners, WB is very excited for Superman, which is arguably the studio’s most important release this year.

The rumored Superman run time raised some eyebrows considering all that’s on the film’s plate. Serving as the introduction to the DC Universe for most of the moviegoing audience (save for the people who watched Creature Commandos on Max), Superman will laying a lot of foundation for the shared universe moving forward. The titular Kryptonian is just one superhero appearing in the film, and some of those other characters are set to return in future DC Universe projects (see: the Peacemaker Season 2 trailer). A lot can be accomplished in two hours (which is how long it took Gunn to make viewers fall in love with the Guardians of the Galaxy), but an argument can be made Superman needs a little more breathing room in order to properly establish all of its key elements. It’ll be interesting to see what the final run time actually is.

It would be surprising if Superman is shorter than what the rumors indicated. Even though Gunn is eschewing the classic Superman origin story and just jumping right into the action, the film still has to acclimate viewers to a whole new universe and different iterations of famous characters. Running under two hours would run the risk of short changing things, though a protracted run time presents its own hurdles. Ultimately, what it boils down to is how well Superman is paced and constructed on a storytelling level. Gunn has knocked multiple comic book adaptations out of the park in his career, so Superman will hopefully be a continuation of that trend.

The post James Gunn Debunks Controversial Superman Rumor (But What’s the Truth?) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Whether it’s horn-rimmed glasses worn by George Reeves’ Clark Kent in The Adventures of Superman or the bumbling, mild-mannered disguise adopted by Christopher Reeve in Superman: The Movie, the Man of Steel knows what it takes to protect a secret identity. But in James Gunn’s Superman movie starring David Corenswet in the title role, there’s another character with a well-guarded mystery identity: the Hammer of Boravia, one of several villains making their way into the DC Universe.

The gold-armored avenger of Boravia has been identified as such in everything from the film’s toyline to a Daily Planet newspaper photographed on the set, but curiously, there’s no word on who’s portraying the hi-tech terrorist seen trading blows with Superman in the trailers. The same goes for Ultraman, yet another masked mystery man clad in an identity-concealing costume who appears to be in league with General Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) and Superman’s nemesis Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult).

RELATED: Superman Trailer Breakdown: Justice League Cameo, Villains & DCU Easter Eggs Explained

And like the Hammer of Boravia, the identity of the actor playing Ultraman is being kept under wraps. But a Funko figure appears to reveal a SPOILER: the Hammer of Boravia and Ultraman are one and the same.

A new look at the second wave of Superman Funko POP! figure series — exclusively revealed by ComicBook — shows the Hammer of Boravia and a limited-edition chase variant Ultraman displaying the number 583, suggesting that the two figures are the same character, just in different suits. (Meanwhile, Mr. Terrific is 584, and the Guy Gardner Green Lantern is 585.)

The latest Superman trailer hinted that the Hammer of Boravia is a precursor to Ultraman: he can be seen unleashing what Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent described as an “ocular laser strike” on the LordTech building, which resembles Superman’s heat vision. In the comics, Ultraman is, essentially, an evil Superman with similar powers, including his red-eyed heat vision. Ultraman can also be seen accompanying Luthor and another powered meta-human, Angela Spica/the Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría), as they invade Kal-El’s Fortress of Solitude in the arctic, implying that Luthor is also behind the so-called Hammer of Boravia.

No surprise there: Gunn has already confirmed that Superman’s archoe is the movie’s main villain. “The primary protagonist of Superman is, shockingly, Superman. The main villain of Superman is, shockingly, Lex Luthor,” the writer-director shared on Threads in response to rumors that Ultraman is Superman’s evil clone.

Superman — starring David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho, Nathan Fillion as the Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, with Skyler Gisondo, Sara Sampaio, María Gabriela de Faría, Wendell Pierce, Alan Tudyk, Neva Howell, Pruitt Taylor Vince, and Frank Grillo — is only in theaters July 11.

The post New Superman Villain’s Secret Identity Accidentally Spoiled Ahead of the Movie appeared first on ComicBook.com.

When Disney bought Star Wars in 2012, it left a lot of projects in limbo. Among them, Star Wars: Underworld, a live-action TV series that would bridge the gap between Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: A New Hope while focusing on the seedier side of the galaxy. Fans who were looking forward to Underworld and its companion video game Star Wars: 1313 were understandably disappointed when the projects were abandoned, but to paraphrase Luke Skywalker, nothing is ever really gone.

Star Wars has a long history of recycling ideas from canceled projects, and in true franchise fashion, several elements from Underworld eventually found their way into various animated series, books, and even a film or two. Here is a list of 10 concepts from Star Wars: Underworld that were reused for other projects.

1) Saw Gerrera’s Live-Action Debut

Before his standout role in Star Wars: Rogue One and Andor, Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker) showed up in the fifth season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars (voiced by Andrew Kishino). Saw is far from the only Star Wars character to get his start in animation before making the leap to live-action, but unlike Ahsoka Tano and Bo Katan Kryze, Saw was supposed to be flesh and blood in the first place.

George Lucas initially created the Rebel extremist for Star Wars: Underworld, but when the series was abandoned, he asked Dave Filoni to incorporate the character into The Clone Wars.

2) Director Krennic Was Originally Working With Jyn Erso and the Rebels

Like Saw Gerrera, Rogue One‘s Director Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) was also supposed to make his debut in the abandoned Underworld. Apparently, the outline for what would eventually become Rogue One was developed during pre-production on the show, with one big difference: Krennic was supposed to be a Rebel spy.

In the earliest drafts of Rogue One, Orson Krennic was also a double agent, working for the Imperial Security Bureau and secretly leaking intel to Jyn Erson. While this might have been a cool concept in theory, after watching Ben Medelson gleefully chew the scenery as Rogue One‘s resident villain, we prefer the version of Krennic we have now.

3) Han and Chewie’s Bromance Was Supposed to Start Earlier

Say what you will about Solo: A Star Wars Story, but the movie did a good job telling the origin of Han Solo’s (Alden Ehrenreich) friendship with Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo). If George Lucas had his way, however, the pair would have met a lot earlier than 2018. While the two best friends would have still hooked up around the same time chronologically, the story would have been told through the live-action Star Wars: Underworld series rather than a one-off anthology movie.

Considering how many iterations Solo went through before it hit theaters, there’s a good chance Han and Chewie’s first meeting would have played out differently on the small screen. Unfortunately, fans will probably never know for sure unless Lucasfilm decides to publish the 50 or so Underworld scripts that were written before the project was cancelled.

4) Lando’s Most Humiliating Defeat Would Have Been Must-See TV

Another bit of long-time Star Wars lore that Solo made canon was Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover) losing the Millennium Falcon to Han Solo during a card game. Much like Han’s introduction to Chewie, the infamous Sabaac game, where Lando gives up his favorite ship, was planned to happen in an episode of Underworld.

It is unknown whether the two events would have occurred in one Han Solo-themed episode of Underworld or separate episodes. Given how George Lucas and Dave Filoni structured The Clone Wars, though, it’s highly likely that Underworld would have had a Han Solo origin arc at some point, spread out over several chapters.

5) Palpatine Finally Gets a First Name

It’s hard to imagine millions of Star Wars fans losing sleep over not knowing the Emperor’s first name, but we’re sure someone was curious. Those handful of fans were no doubt ecstatic when author James Luceno included that bit of trivia in his 2014 novel Tarkin. Luceno, however, will be the first to tell you that he didn’t create the moniker “Sheev” —George Lucas did, and he originally planned to unveil it to the world via Underworld.

It’s anybody’s guess how long Lucas had been sitting on Sheev before 2014, but Luceno suspects the creator had the name in his back pocket for a long time, probably before Underworld was even a thought in his mind.

6) John Williams Returns to A Galaxy Far, Far Away

Fans were divided over most aspects of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, but one thing everyone agreed on was that John Williams’ score slapped. While Disney’s decision to bring the maestro back for Star Wars: The Force Awakens was a good one, if producer Rick McCallum had his way, Williams would have returned to the franchise even sooner. McCallum, who worked closely with George Lucas on the prequels, had initially played with the idea of asking Williams to return as composer for Star Wars: Underworld before the project was abandoned.

Underworld would have marked the first time Williams composed anything Star Wars-related for the small screen. With the show never making it past the planning stage, fans would have to wait until Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022) to hear the composer’s first contribution to the Star Wars on television.

7) The Church of the Force Gives Non-Force Sensitives a Taste of Jedi Life

Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary by Pablo Hidalgo officially introduced the Star Wars fandom to the Church of the Force, an organization made up of non-Force users who worship the Force and study the ways of the Jedi. While technically, the Church was represented in The Force Awakens through member Lor San Tekka (Max Von Sydow), the group’s name is never mentioned onscreen. Hidalgo would reveal during an episode of the Star Wars Book Worms podcast that the Church of the Force was supposed to be a part of Star Wars: Underworld, though he suspects George Lucas came up with the general concept even earlier than that.

8) The Pyke Syndicate Was Central to Underworld

With a name like Underworld, it only makes sense that the series would focus on Star Wars’ various outlaws. Chief among these would have been a brand new gang of cutthroat miscreants, the Pyke Syndicate. George Lucas envisioned Underworld‘s Pykes as one of the galaxy’s biggest criminal empires, a role they eventually fulfilled when they showed up in the fifth season of The Clone Wars. Lucasfilm would finally fulfill Lucas’s initial vision of a live-action Pyke Syndicate with 2018’s Solo before giving them an even bigger role in 2021’s Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett Disney+ series.

9) Even Kratos Is Powerless to Resist the Influence of Star Wars

Perhaps the weirdest project to rise from the ashes of Star Wars: Underworld is 2018’s God of War reboot. According to the game’s director, Cory Barlog, the seeds of what would eventually become God of War were planted during his tenure at Lucasfilm when he was allowed to read some of the scripts that had been written for Underworld.  “It was the most mind-blowing thing I’d ever experienced.” Barlog told VentureBeat in 2016.

The director went on to describe a script depicting a young Palpatine’s fall from grace that particularly tugged at his heartstrings. “They made the Emperor a sympathetic figure who was wronged by this [expletive] heartless woman. She’s this hardcore gangster, and she just totally destroyed him as a person. I almost cried while reading this.”

We don’t know how that story specifically inspired Barlog to resurrect the then-dormant God of War series, but gamers everywhere should be glad it did.

10) The Return of Boba Fett

Fan favorite character Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) was always destined for greater things. When George Lucas unceremoniously fed him to the Sarlaac in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, fans refused to believe that was the end of the character. The fans would be proven right when Lucas resurrected the character for Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, although not in the way they expected. Instead of the armored warrior with the stones to stand up to Darth Vader, Fett returned as a little kid (Daniel Logan) who basically got all of his cool stuff from his dad. It wouldn’t be until Star Wars: The Mandalorian that fans would finally get to see the Boba Fett they remembered in action, and boy was it worth the wait.

Had Star Wars: Underworld not gone the way of the dodo, however, fans would have been treated to the return of Boba Fett much sooner. While Underworld’s Boba Fett would have been closer to the little kid version — Daniel Logan even started training with Darth Maul actor Ray Park to prepare for the role — we can assume Fett would have gotten to do a lot more than he did in Clones. Luckily for fans, most of Fett’s Underworld arc was later incorporated into The Clone Wars with Daniel Logan reprising the role, albeit not in the way he expected.

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Though it was one of the year’s first major blockbuster releases, Captain America: Brave New World had a rough go of things during its theatrical run. The Marvel Cinematic Universe installment is hoping to find new life on streaming. Today, Marvel released a short Brave New World promo to announce that the film is now available to watch on Disney+. The video, which you can watch in the space above, heavily revolves around Sam Wilson’s fight with Red Hulk (which was a centerpiece of the marketing campaign) and contains other out-of-context action shots.

Captain America: Brave New World had been available to purchase digitally, and the Blu-rays hit shelves earlier this month. Now, the film can be watched at home for “free” with a Disney+ subscription.

One of the last feature films of the MCU’s Phase 5, Captain America: Brave New World premiered back in February, marking Anthony Mackie’s first time portraying the titular character on the big screen. The movie received mixed reviews, earning the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score for a Captain America film. Brave New World also became one of the lowest-grossing installments in MCU history, making just $415.1 million worldwide.

[RELATED – 10 Captain America Movie Mistakes You’ll Never Be Able to Unsee]

Despite the underwhelming response to Brave New World, Captain America is set to be an integral figure throughout the rest of the Multiverse Saga. Anthony Mackie is set to reprise the role in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. The actor is hopeful he’ll continue to play the character for the next decade.

While Captain America: Brave New World didn’t perform well in theaters, that isn’t indicative of how it will do on streaming. History is full of box office bombs and disappointments that found their audience at home. Most recently, sci-fi film Mickey 17 became the top film on HBO Max despite struggling at the multiplex, so Brave New World could have a similar fate. Because of the word of mouth, Brave New World was never considered to be a must-see on the big screen. However, watching something from the comfort of your living room is a much more appealing prospect. It wouldn’t surprising if Captain America garnered a decent following on streaming as people catch up on what they missed in theaters.

Brave New World is arguably hitting Disney+ at the right time. Avengers: Doomsday is currently in production, and the MCU got back on the right track with the premiere of Thunderbolts*, which earned positive reviews. With hype for The Fantastic Four: First Steps gradually building ahead of its debut this July, there’s plenty of excitement for what the MCU has in store over the next couple of years. Given how integral Sam Wilson should be to the upcoming Avengers films (see: his legal dispute with the New Avengers that’s referenced in the Thunderbolts* post-credits scene), there should be a fair amount of interest in checking out this key part of his arc to see how all the pieces come together.

The post Captain America: Brave New World Is Now Streaming: How to Watch appeared first on ComicBook.com.

It’s not uncommon for movies of the same era to end up feeling similar. Sometimes it’s corporate shenanigans, like what happened with Antz and A Bug’s Life. Other times, it happens because films are playing around with the same themes or tropes. This is especially true when they’re based in the same genre. Enter two beloved sci-fi films from the ’90s and early ’00s, Stargate and Atlantis: The Lost Empire. These two movies are basically the same thing, and oddly enough, people don’t talk about it much. While one movie did come out before the other, it’s more likely they were just playing around with the same common sci-fi tropes and elements of the time.

Stargate is a 1994 sci-fi film that ultimately kicked off a whole television franchise, plus a few spin-off series, so it’s safe to say this film was a smash hit. Then there’s the Disney classic, Atlantis: The Lost Empire. This film was released a bit later, in 2001, and it didn’t do as well as Stargate. There are a few theories as to why, including the film’s journey into sci-fi itself, which Disney isn’t as well-known for. However, we’re not here to talk about why one movie flourished while another went underrated; we’re here to talk about how these movies are the same.

The Leading Characters Are the Same People

Let’s start with the most obvious — the two leading characters of the films are essentially the same person, and you can’t convince us otherwise. Both characters are overlooked experts in their fields; Dr. Daniel Jackson in Stargate is an Egyptologist and linguist with unorthodox theories about ancient civilizations, while Milo Thatch in Atlantis is a cartographer and linguist and a believer in the story of Atlantis. In both cases, the character is shunned despite (or because of) their knowledge, ostracized for their extreme or out-of-the-ordinary theories.

Likewise, both Daniel and Milo are experts in ancient languages who are picked up by major military/exploratory organizations, throwing them headfirst into an adventure they had zero time to prepare for. On the adventure, each character serves as the translator and moral compass for the team. Daniel instantly takes to the people they’ve found, and even accidentally marries one of them (long story). The same goes for Milo, who puts himself in harm’s way for the sake of the newly rediscovered Atlanteans.

Finally, there’s the way their journeys flow. Both are academic recluses who become adventuring heroes with hearts of gold. This opens the door to a romantic subplot; Daniel quickly falls in love with Sha’uri, the woman he accidentally marries. Meanwhile, Milo has a bit of a slower-burn romance, with Milo and Kida becoming friends first, with the implication that more will come.

[RELATED: Over 20 Years Later, This Sci-fi Series Is Still Worth Rewatching]

Similar Plots and Core Elements

Next, let us discuss the similar themes and tropes that both Stargate and Atlantis: The Lost Empire have. In particular, the beginnings of each movie are shockingly one-to-one. The academic gets pulled in to advise on a unique situation, which showcases the theories that made them an outcast in their field. They are then whisked away on an adventure that is fully planned by an outside organization. Magic, right?

From there, the adventures focus on trying to find or rediscover other civilizations. For Daniel, it’s about understanding what was theoretically left behind on the other side of the Stargate (though he would later learn that actual people live on this planet). For Milo, his adventure begins with a bit more action, as many perils lie between him and Atlantis. When finally found, he immediately gets swept up in their story.

To put things another way, we have similar core concepts, as both stories combine magic and mythology with science and technology, creating this weird mishmash prevalent at the time. It works, but that’s why it comes up so frequently. This takes us into the next dominant theme, as their discoveries force conversations about assumptions based on legends. Finally, the two academics rebel against authority. For Daniel Jackson, he’s trying to prevent the Colonel (Jack O’Neil) from blowing up the Stargate. Meanwhile, Milo is in a desperate race to protect the very heart of the Atlaneans. Obviously, both situations result in conflict, though not always in the way viewers might expect.

[RELATED: Over 20 Years Later, This Is Still Disney’s Most Underrated Movie]

A Fun Sci-Fi Romp Through Hidden Histories

At the end of the day, it might be tempting to assume that a lot of Atlantis: The Lost Empire was inspired by Stargate. However, there’s never been any confirmation here, so it’s better to assume the creative team was playing with similar themes over outright copying.

What’s interesting is the drastically different response to each film. Stargate had a warm reception and did well at the box office. It would then go on to establish Stargate: SG-1, which would likewise inspire different stories. Conversely, Atlantis: The Lost Empire flopped at the box office. This was partially due to the competition at the time (Shrek was still in theaters). It’s a shame the film didn’t do well, as there’s unexplored potential in the sci-fi genre for Disney films.

We’re grateful that both of these delightful films exist. While we joke that they’re basically the same thing, they’re also some of our favorite movies, so we’re not going to complain.

Stargate is available to stream on Pluto TV or Amazon Prime Video. Atlantis: The Lost Empire is available to stream on Disney+.

The post We Loved Both of These Classic Sci-Fi Films (But They’re Pretty Much the Same Movie) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Animated sequels often face a mountain of skepticism, with audiences and critics alike wary of cash-grabs that dilute the original’s magic. The burden of expectation is immense, as these follow-ups must not only recapture the charm and appeal of their predecessors but also justify their own existence by offering something fresh, innovative, and ultimately, more compelling. Yet, a surprising number of sequels have met this challenge and spectacularly soared above it. These films demonstrate that with vision, creativity, and a commitment to expanding rather than merely rehashing, a sequel can indeed outshine the very movie that spawned it, creating richer worlds, deeper characters, and more resonant stories.

We’ve selected our favorite animated movie sequels that are even better than the originals. Each movie here took the foundation laid by its predecessor and built something grander, more emotionally impactful, or visually stunning. They stand as testaments to the idea that a continuing story can, and often does, become the superior telling.

1) Shrek 2

DreamWorks Animation’s Shrek was a pop culture phenomenon, but Shrek 2 took everything that made the original a hit and amplified it to create a superior film. The sequel brilliantly expanded the fractured fairy tale world by introducing the kingdom of Far Far Away, a hilarious parody of Hollywood, and enriching the narrative with memorable new characters. Plus, the arrival of Puss in Boots (voiced by Antonio Banderas) instantly provided one of cinema’s most charismatic and scene-stealing animated figures. This, combined with the formidable and genuinely funny villainy of the Fairy Godmother (voiced by Jennifer Saunders), gave the film a comedic and dramatic edge that surpassed the original.

Beyond the sharper humor and broader world-building, Shrek 2 delved deeper into the characters’ relationships and insecurities. Shrek’s (voiced by Mike Myers) struggle to gain acceptance from Fiona’s (voiced by Cameron Diaz) parents and his own anxieties about whether he was truly good enough for her added a layer of emotional complexity that resonated more profoundly than the simpler romance of the first film. The soundtrack was once again a masterclass in pop integration, and the overall pacing and visual gags were executed with even greater confidence, cementing Shrek 2 as the high point of the franchise and a masterclass in animated comedy.

2) Toy Story 2

Pixar’s Toy Story changed animation forever, yet Toy Story 2 achieved the near-impossible feat of improving upon a masterpiece. For starters, the sequel deepened the emotional landscape of its characters, particularly through the introduction of Jessie (voiced by Joan Cusack) and her heartbreaking backstory of abandonment, encapsulated in the unforgettable “When She Loved Me” sequence. This exploration of a toy’s fear of being outgrown or forgotten added a poignant new dimension that elevated the entire franchise beyond its already impressive beginnings.

Toy Story 2 also expanded the world and the stakes, taking Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) out of Andy’s (voiced by John Morris) room and into the clutches of a greedy toy collector, Al McWhiggin (voiced by Wayne Knight). This grander adventure introduced a host of beloved new characters, including Bullseye and the initially antagonistic Stinky Pete/The Prospector (voiced by Kelsey Grammer), whose motivations added complexity to the narrative. Finally, Toy Story 2 balanced thrilling action sequences, such as the airport luggage chase, with its signature humor and heartfelt moments, creating a richer and ultimately more satisfying experience than its groundbreaking predecessor.

3) Kung Fu Panda 2

The original Kung Fu Panda was a delightful surprise, but its direct sequel, Kung Fu Panda 2, transformed a charming story into an epic. The film achieved this by introducing one of animation’s most compelling and tragic villains, Lord Shen (voiced by Gary Oldman), whose peacock design was as beautiful as his backstory was dark. Shen’s connection to Po’s (voiced by Jack Black) past provided a deeply personal conflict for the Dragon Warrior, forcing him to confront his origins and find inner peace in a way that was far more profound than his initial training allowed.

Kung Fu Panda 2 surpassed the first film with its breathtaking animation, particularly in its depiction of ancient China and explosive action sequences. In addition, director Jennifer Yuh Nelson brought a unique visual flair and emotional depth to the story, exploring themes of genocide, adoption, and the healing of trauma with remarkable sensitivity for a family film. The stakes felt significantly higher, and Po’s journey of self-discovery was more nuanced, making the sequel not just a great action-comedy but a genuinely moving piece of storytelling that built upon its predecessor’s strengths in every conceivable way.

4) The Rescuers Down Under

While Disney’s 1977 film The Rescuers is a charming adventure, its 1990 sequel, The Rescuers Down Under, soared to new heights, quite literally, by delivering a more thrilling experience. This sequel marked a significant leap forward in animation quality, utilizing the then-nascent computer animation technology to create breathtaking flight sequences with Marahute the eagle and sweeping vistas of the Australian outback. This enhanced visual scale alone set it apart from the quieter, more modestly animated original.

[RELATED: 5 Underrated Disney Sequels You Need to Watch]

The Rescuers Down Under also benefited from a more dynamic plot and a roster of engaging new characters. The stakes felt higher as Bernard (voiced by Bob Newhart) and Miss Bianca (voiced by Eva Gabor) journeyed to Australia to save a young boy named Cody (voiced by Adam Ryen) from the nefarious poacher McLeach (voiced by George C. Scott). The addition of the hilarious albatross Wilbur (voiced by John Candy) and the ruggedly charming kangaroo mouse Jake (voiced by Tristan Rogers) also provided excellent comedic relief and romantic rivalry, respectively. The Rescuers Down Under’s faster pace, grander sense of adventure, and superior animation make it a rare Disney sequel that definitively outshines the original.

5) How to Train Your Dragon 2

The first How to Train Your Dragon was a critical and commercial success, but How to Train Your Dragon 2 elevated the saga into a mature fantasy. The sequel expanded the world immensely, revealing new lands, diverse dragon species, and the existence of other dragon riders, including Hiccup’s (voiced by Jay Baruchel) long-lost mother, Valka (voiced by Cate Blanchett). This reunion added a profound emotional layer to Hiccup’s journey as he navigated his responsibilities as a leader and confronted the complexities of family.

What truly set How to Train Your Dragon 2 apart was its willingness to explore darker themes, including the consequences of war, the burden of leadership, and the pain of loss. Furthermore, the antagonist, Drago Bludvist (voiced by Djimon Hounsou), was a genuinely menacing threat, and the film didn’t shy away from heartbreaking moments that significantly impacted its characters, including the death of Stoick the Vast (voiced by Gerard Butler). Coupled with even more stunning animation, particularly in the breathtaking flight sequences and epic dragon battles, the sequel delivered a visually spectacular experience that surpassed its already excellent predecessor.

6) Cinderella III: A Twist in Time

Direct-to-video Disney sequels are often dismissed, but Cinderella III: A Twist in Time from 2007 is a remarkable exception that not only improves upon its immediate predecessor, Cinderella II: Dreams Come True, but also offers a more engaging and empowering narrative than the 1950 original in several aspects. The film’s clever premise sees Lady Tremaine (voiced by Susanne Blakeslee) acquire the Fairy Godmother’s (voiced by Russi Taylor) wand and reverse time, erasing Cinderella’s happily ever after and enchanting Prince Charming (voiced by Christopher Daniel Barnes) to marry Anastasia (voiced by Tress MacNeille) instead. This setup provides far higher stakes and more compelling conflict than the original.

The true strength of Cinderella III: A Twist in Time lies in its portrayal of Cinderella (voiced by Jennifer Hale), who actively fights for her happiness rather than passively waiting for rescue. She displays courage, resourcefulness, and determination in her efforts to break the spell and reclaim her relationship with the Prince, who also gets more character development as he begins to realize something is amiss. In the end, Cinderella III: A Twist in Time explores themes of true love and inner strength with surprising depth, making it a dynamic and satisfying story that boldly reinterprets and enriches the classic tale.

7) Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

The original Puss in Boots spin-off was a decent adventure, but Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, is a stunning artistic triumph that far surpasses its predecessor in ambition and execution. The film immediately captivates audiences with its unique, painterly animation style that blends CGI with 2D-inspired flourishes, creating a visual experience unlike anything else in mainstream animation. This stylistic leap alone signals a bold new direction, but the narrative depth is what truly elevates it.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish presents a more mature and vulnerable Puss (voiced by Antonio Banderas) as he confronts his own mortality after burning through eight of his nine lives. The introduction of the terrifying Wolf (voiced by Wagner Moura), a physical embodiment of Death, provides a chillingly effective antagonist that can entertain children while forcing adults to face existential dread. Alongside delightful new characters like the optimistic Perrito, voiced by Harvey Guillén, and a surprisingly complex Goldilocks (voiced by Florence Pugh) and the Three Bears crime family, Puss embarks on a quest that is both a thrilling adventure and a profound exploration of fear, regret, and the value of life, making it one of the best animated movies ever, period.

8) Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse redefined what animated superhero films could be, but 2023’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse took that revolutionary foundation and expanded upon it with breathtaking ambition. The sequel plunges Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) and Gwen Stacy (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld) into an even wider multiverse, introducing an astounding array of new Spider-People, each with their own distinct visual style. The sheer diversity and creativity in the animation from scene to scene, and dimension to dimension, is an unparalleled visual feast that pushes the boundaries of the medium even further than the first film.

Beyond its stunning visuals, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse offers a more complex narrative. It delves deeper into the personal sacrifices and ethical dilemmas inherent in being Spider-Man, particularly through the compelling antagonist Miguel O’Hara/Spider-Man 2099 (voiced by Oscar Isaac) and the heartbreaking challenges faced by Miles and Gwen. The film skillfully balances epic multiversal stakes with intimate character moments, crafting a story that is both expansive and deeply personal, culminating in a jaw-dropping cliffhanger that left audiences desperate for the next chapter.

9) Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted

While the first two Madagascar films had their charms, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted is the undisputed high point of the franchise, delivering a relentlessly energetic, visually vibrant, and consistently hilarious adventure. The film sees Alex the Lion (voiced by Ben Stiller), Marty the Zebra (voiced by Chris Rock), Melman the Giraffe (voiced by David Schwimmer), and Gloria the Hippo (voiced by Jada Pinkett Smith) joining a down-on-their-luck European circus as their latest, most convoluted plan to get back to New York. This premise unleashes a kaleidoscope of colorful new characters and spectacular set pieces.

The introduction of the menacing Capitaine Chantel DuBois (voiced by Frances McDormand) in Madagascar 3 provided the series with its most formidable antagonist, a seemingly unstoppable animal control officer whose pursuit of the gang is both terrifying and hysterically funny. The circus sequences, particularly the “Afro Circus/I Like to Move It” mashup, are pure animated joy, showcasing a level of visual invention and comedic timing that surpassed the earlier installments. Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted fully embraces its chaotic energy, resulting in a more focused, entertaining, and creatively inspired film that fires on all cylinders.

10) Rugrats in Paris: The Movie

The first Rugrats Movie successfully brought the beloved Nickelodeon characters to the big screen, but Rugrats in Paris: The Movie surpassed it with a charming new setting. The sequel centers on Chuckie Finster’s (voiced by Christine Cavanaugh) longing for a new mother, a poignant theme that provides the film with a strong emotional core often missing from other kid-friendly fare. This quest takes the babies, including Tommy Pickles (voiced by E.G. Daily), Phil DeVille and Lil DeVille (both voiced by Kath Soucie), and Angelica Pickles (voiced by Cheryl Chase), to Paris, offering a delightful new backdrop for their adventures.

Rugrats in Paris: The Movie excels by introducing memorable new characters, including Chuckie’s eventual stepsister Kimi Watanabe-Finster (voiced by Dionne Quan) and her mother Kira Watanabe-Finster (voiced by Julia Kato), as well as the wonderfully over-the-top villain Coco LaBouche (voiced by Susan Sarandon). The film balances its heartfelt moments with the Rugrats’ signature slapstick humor and imaginative play, creating a more well-rounded and engaging experience than its predecessor.

Which animated sequels do you believe definitively surpassed their originals? Share your picks in the comments!

The post 10 Best Animated Sequels Better Than the Original appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The entire Marvel Cinematic Universe owes Tony Stark a debt of gratitude. When he enters that cave in Afghanistan, he sets off a series of events that culminate in the Avengers assembling and battling against all kinds of threats. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows for Tony, though, because as soon as he returns from captivity, he has to deal with Obadiah Stane, who wants the head of Stark Industries gone so he can take over. Stane is all about weapons, while Tony, after seeing what his creations are capable of, turns over a new leaf and tries to protect the world with his Iron Man armors instead of helping destroy it.

The innovation that Tony uses most often in his pursuit of world peace is the Arc Reactor, which he discovers how to miniaturize to power his armors. Every one of Tony’s new creations uses the Arc Reactor in some way, but he conveniently forgets all about it when designing technology for a good friend who needs all the help he can get.

Tony Stark Always Had Time for Peter Parker

After fighting crime with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes for a few years, Tony finds himself in need of reinforcements when Steve Rogers and a few others refuse to sign the Sokovia Accords. He needs to bring in Captain America before Thaddeus Ross sends his men after the hero, and the only way to do that is to recruit a young hero from Queens. Spider-Man joins the fray in Captain America: Civil War and immediately gets on Tony’s good side, earning a new suit with all kinds of bells and whistles.

Tony and Peter Parker’s relationship only grows stronger in Spider-Man: Homecoming, which sees Spider-Man, despite making a few mistakes, earn a spot in the Avengers and an even more impressive suit. Peter turns it down initially, wanting to focus on keeping his neighborhood safe, but that goes out the door when Thanos’ Black Order arrives on Earth. Spider-Man fights alongside Iron Man with the Iron-Spider suit, even losing his life on Titan when Thanos acquires all of the Infinity Stones.

For five years, Tony deals with the guilt of losing Peter, so when an opportunity to bring the young hero back knocks on Iron Man’s door, he comes running. The Avengers go back in time, get the Infinity Stones, and bring everyone back, including Spider-Man. Thanos loses the Battle of Earth shortly after and dies, but he takes Tony with him, leaving Peter and everyone else devastated. Being a good mentor, Tony leaves Peter with some additional goodies in Spider-Man: Far From Home that help him defeat Mysterio, but, for some strange reason, Arc Reactors are nowhere to be found, leaving the Wall-Crawler without a full arsenal.

[RELATED – Marvel Finally Has The Hulk Replacement The MCU Has Missed Since Endgame]

The MCU’s Tony Stark Keeps the Best Toys for Himself

Despite making Peter two suits and giving him access to a machine to make another, Tony never features a major Arc Reactor in his Spider-Man designs. It’s mentioned that the Iron Spider suit contains “miniature arc reactors” in its design schematics, but we never see Tony convey that to Peter onscreen, or see Peter examine the pivotal technology and make use of it later. Initially, it may be that Tony doesn’t feel like he can trust Peter with the secret of such power, as Arc Reactors can dish out serious damage. However, when everything is on the line in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, it feels like a massive oversight to have Spider-Man jump into battle without Peter also mastering the Arc Reactor’s power.

At the very least, Tony should have shown Peter the ropes when it came to his proprietary technology, especially because Spider-Man has to fight against it in Spider-Man: No Way Home. While trying to help the villains from the other universes, Peter uses a Stark Industries Fabricator, which has an Arc Reactor as its power source. Electro immediately recognizes the power in front of him and steals it to make himself stronger. Peter has trouble holding his own against the electric villain, and it takes Doctor Octopus pulling a fast one to get the Arc Reactor off the board.

Tony does so much good for Peter, acting as a mentor at a time when the young hero needs one. Peter also owes Tony his life, as he would’ve stayed dust if Iron Man hadn’t got off his butt and retrieved the Infinity Stones. Despite all that, however, he lets him down by refusing to fully show him what makes the Iron Man armors truly special.

Do you think Iron Man screwed up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe by never giving Spider-Man an Arc Reactor? How would that power have changed Peter Parker’s journey? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Iron Man & Spider-Man’s MCU Relationship Was Great (But This Part of It Never Made Sense) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The streaming lineup on Prime Video is always shifting, with movies and TV shows constantly being added and removed from the roster every month. This means great and sometimes unexpected titles are always popping up on Prime, giving subscribers more solid options to stream. This week, another great movie arrived on Prime Video’s homepage, and it’s one of the most acclaimed thrillers from the last year.

Amazon’s streaming service just added September 5 to its lineup, after the movie spent several months on Paramount+. Director Tim Fehlbaum’s film was met with hordes of critical acclaim when it was released late last year, and its recent addition on Prime gives it a bigger audience that it has had to this point.

The thriller tells the incredibly tense story of the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany, when a group of Israeli athletes were taken hostage by terrorists. The film views the story through the eyes of an American sports broadcasting team, who have to pivot to covering a real, terrifying story in the midst of a major sports event.

[RELATED: Everything Coming to Streaming in June 2025]

New Movies on Prime Video

September 5 is the latest film to hit Prime Video, but it’s far from the only great addition the service has made this month. Below, you can check out a list of all the films that made their way to Prime in early May.

Agent Cody Banks
Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London
All Quiet On The Western Front (1930)
All The Money In The World
Animal House
Another Simple Favor
Are We There Yet?
Babe
Babe: Pig in the City
Barbershop
Barbershop 2: Back in Business
Because I Said So
Blood Diamond
Body of Lies
Boo! A Madea Halloween
Born On The Fourth Of July
Cinderella Man
Coogan’s Bluff
Dante’s Peak
Death Wish (2018)
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
Earthquake
Fried Green Tomatoes
Fury
Gattaca
Get On Up
Her
Heroes (1977)
How High
In The Heat of the Night
It’s Kind of a Funny Story
Jarhead
Jersey Boys
John Q
Legally Blonde
Loving
Mallrats
Overboard
Play Misty For Me
R.I.P.D. – Rest in Peace Department
Ray
Ride Along
Space Cowboys
Starsky & Hutch (2004)
The Beguiled
The Exorcist
The Flintstones (1994)
The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
The Karate Kid (2010)
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Traffic
Two Mules for Sister Sara
White House Down
You’ve Got Mail

The post Prime Video Now Streaming One of 2024’s Highest Rated Thrillers appeared first on ComicBook.com.

To quote Karate Kid sensei Mr. Miyagi: “Balance is key. Balance good, karate good. Everything good. Balance bad, better pack up, go home.” It’s a lesson that applies to Karate Kid: Legends, the new movie bringing together two branches into one tree: the Ralph Macchio-fronted franchise of the 1980s and the 2010 reimagining with martial arts legend Jackie Chan in the mentor role. This time, the titular Karate Kid is Li Fong (played by American Born Chinese actor Ben Wang), a Beijing transplant whose training is guided by both Kung Fu master Mr. Han (Chan) and karate sensei Daniel LaRusso (Macchio).

Sony’s Columbia Pictures lifted the Karate Kid: Legends review embargo on Wednesday, and it sounds like Legends fails to balance its legacy characters and recycled, formulaic plot with new ideas. (One critic likened the cliche-ridden plot to a crane kick to the head.)

RELATED: How Cobra Kai’s Series Finale Sets Up Karate Kid: Legends Movie

Karate Kid: Legends currently sits on Rotten Tomatoes with a 55 percent “rotten” rating at the time of publishing. That’s below the last film, 2010’s The Karate Kid (67 percent fresh), but better than 1986’s Karate Kid II (48 percent rotten), 1989’s Karate Kid III (15 percent), and 1994’s The Next Karate Kid (7 percent), which saw Hilary Swank become the student of Pat Morita’s Mr. Miyagi. 1984’s The Karate Kid remains the best-received movie with 86 percent fresh, while the Netflix sequel series Cobra Kai is overall the highest-rated entry in the 40-year-old franchise with a 94 percent approval from critics on the review aggregator.

Based on the 1984 original film from Rocky director John G. Avildsen and franchise writer-creator Robert Mark Kamen, the sixth Karate Kid movie is directed by Jonathan Entwistle (Netflix’s The End of the F***ing World) and written by Rob Lieber (Peter Rabbit). The first Karate Kid movie to be rated PG-13 rather than PG, Legends also marks Macchio’s return to the big screen after reprising his role opposite William Zabka’s Johnny Lawrence across six seasons of Cobra Kai.

ScreenCrush: “Karate Kid: Legends [is] a legacyquel that rehashes that exact same plot for a third time. And I mean the exact same plot. This latest installment goes way beyond recycling the basic premise of a bullied teen mentored by an older martial artist … Forget about three branches from one tree; this is the first branch presented for the third time. They might as well have called it Karate Kid: Déjà Vu.”

Variety: “The film dunks us in a storyline so simple, so unironic, so cheesy-sincere, so analog that you may feel it transporting you right back to the ‘innocence’ of the ’80s. And that’s actually the best thing about Karate Kid: Legends. It’s a film that’s unapologetically basic and wholesome and, at 94 minutes, refreshingly stripped down. In its formulaic way, it works as an antidote to the bloat and clutter of your average ‘high-powered’ teenage/kiddie flick.”

The Hollywood Reporter: “Take a dose of the original Karate Kid tetralogy, add some elements from the 2010 remake, finish it off with a soupçon of the Netflix series Cobra Kai, and you have the Frankenstein’s monster of a franchise continuation that is Karate Kid: Legends. While no one could begrudge the seemingly ageless Ralph Macchio and beloved action star Jackie Chan the opportunity to reprise their roles of Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Han, respectively, this latest addition to an apparently unkillable franchise adds nothing original to the formula. It’s a formula that works, to be sure, making for a pleasant enough time filler. But that’s about it … The plot is just awful, crammed with so many cliches that you’re barely done chuckling at one before another kicks you in the head.”

TheWrap: “Unfortunately, while the team-up may be fun for fans of previous Karate Kid movies and Cobra Kai, it also misses the emotional core of these coming-of-age stories … Karate Kid: Legends feels like two movies set against each other. One is standard issue Karate Kid fare that would have done fine as its own story, and the other is leaning hard on nostalgia despite not giving Mr. Han or Daniel anything to do other than train Li. It still manages to arrive at a fairly charming albeit unsteady picture that should win over a new generation of younger viewers. But for older members of the audience, the second half of Karate Kid: Legends feels like an insecure fighter changing his approach halfway through a match.”

Mashable: “It’s easy to be cynical about sequels when Hollywood’s cinematic landscape is littered with bad examples. But then a sequel comes along that’s so good, it’ll knock you out. Karate Kid: Legends is a sensational sequel, building on the classic underdog framework of the original 1984 Karate Kid movie, while working in fresh fun, familiar faces, and a dazzling new talent [in Ben Wang].”

USA Today: “What old-school Karate Kid lovers and newer Cobra Kai fans probably should know is that Legends, directed by Jonathan Entwistle, is more of a quasi-sequel to Chan’s Karate Kid movie than a throwback to the franchise’s early days. It definitely carries over the ‘Everything is kung fu’ vibe, especially with Li and Han, and Daniel doesn’t even show up until well into the latter half of the movie. Macchio and Chan do have a fun rapport in the training scenes, when their characters get Li into fighting shape but also playfully knock him around a bit. Wang is an excellent straight man for those two, and the young actor exudes an electric, everyman appeal.”

The Playlist: “It isn’t that Karate Kid: Legends is bad; it’s more that it’s fine, and that’s disappointing for fans of the franchise. Given the opportunity to revive the film franchise on the big screen following the success of Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg’s Cobra Kai on the small screen, this film unfortunately lacks the conviction, drama, and heart that both enjoyed. What could have been a perfect storm is just bad weather. However, despite its flaws, Karate Kid: Legends feels like a natural conclusion to this decades-long journey. It’s acceptable.”

Here’s the logline: “Karate Kid: Legends unites the iconic martial arts masters of one of the most beloved film franchises of all time to tell a completely new story full of action and heart. When kung fu prodigy Li Fong (Wang) relocates to New York City with his mother to attend a prestigious new school, he finds solace in a new friendship with a classmate and her father. But his newfound peace is short-lived after he attracts unwanted attention from a formidable local karate champion. Driven by a desire to defend himself, Li embarks on a journey to enter the ultimate karate competition. Guided by the wisdom of his kung fu teacher, Mr. Han (Chan), and the legendary Karate Kid, Daniel LaRusso (Macchio), Li merges their unique styles to prepare for an epic martial arts showdown.”

Karate Kid: Legends — starring Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio, Ben Wang, Joshua Jackson, Sadie Stanley, and Ming-Na Wen — opens only in theaters May 30.

The post Karate Kid: Legends Kicks Off With Franchise’s Lowest Rotten Tomatoes Score in Decades appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Like with any other long-running major horror franchise, Friday the 13th has some installments that are better than others. Just the same, there are some installments that have a lot more familiar faces. When it comes to the big four horror franchises (Friday the 13th, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Halloween), each IP has served as a launching pad for careers that were just getting started. Halloween had the likes of Josh Hartnett, Paul Rudd, Katee Sackhoff, and, of course, Jamie Lee Curtis. A Nightmare on Elm Street had, among others, Johnny Depp and Patricia Arquette, while Texas Chainsaw was an early stop for both Renée Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey.

So what about Friday the 13th? As it turns out, over half of the franchise’s 12 total installments featured at least one actor who went onto bigger and, depending who you ask, better things.

1) Kevin Bacon in Friday the 13th (1980)

The biggest star to have been in a Friday the 13th movie just so happens to have been in the first Friday the 13th movie. Not to mention, he also happened to have the most iconic death of the franchise, no small feat considering it’s an IP based almost entirely on crafting inventive character send-offs.

Prior to Friday the 13th, Kevin Bacon’s biggest role was as jerky frat boy Chip Diller in Animal House. Two years after getting an arrow through the throat, he had a major role in the fantastic Diner, and after another two years he got his true star-making gig as the lead in Footloose. This was followed by lead roles in movies like She’s Having a Baby, Tremors, Balto, Stir of Echoes, Hollow Man, Death Sentence, and Cop Car as well as supporting roles in many major films, including Flatliners, JFK, A Few Good Men, The River Wild, Apollo 13, Sleepers, Wild Things, Mystic River, X-Men: First Class, R.I.P.D., Black Mass, MaXXXine, and Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.

2) Crispin Glover in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter

On top of featuring one of Jason Voorhees’ most iconic physical appearances, Joseph Zito’s Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter is also the most star-studded installment of the eight-film Paramount years. It has not one, but two major stars just shy of their biggest roles, not to mention Judie Aronson (Weird Science, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang), Bruce Mahler (Police Academy, Seinfeld), and Lawrence Monoson (The Last American Virgin).

The first of the two major stars in The Final Chapter is Crispin Glover, who spends most of his screentime bouncing off of Monoson’s Ted until he manages to hook up with one of the film’s two British twins. Unfortunately for him, his time on screen is short lived, as he gets a corkscrew to the hand and a cleaver to the face. The next year, Glover played his biggest role ever: George McFly in Robert Zemeckis’ Back to the Future. Since then, Glover has continued to excel in scene stealing supporting roles in movies like River’s Edge, At Close Range, Wild at Heart, The Doors, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, The People vs. Larry Flynt, Like Mike, Alice in Wonderland, and as Thin Man in the two Charlie’s Angels movies from the 2000s. He also played the lead role in 2003’s underrated Willard.

3) Corey Feldman in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter

Like another of 1984’s best horror movies, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter has a role for Corey Feldman. Though, while he was relegated to just a few scenes in Joe Dante’s Gremlins, he’s the real star of the show in Joe Zito’s slasher (well, beyond the hockey masked killer).

Prior to The Final Chapter, Feldman had worked in television, e.g. in the TV series adaptation of The Bad News Bears and had voiced the younger version of Kurt Russell’s character in The Fox and the Hound, but the part of Tommy Jarvis was really his breakthrough. Later that year he starred in the aforementioned Gremlins, and the next year he played the beloved part of Clark “Mouth” Devereaux in The Goonies. Because of that Richard Donner treasure hunting classic, he could only come back for a cameo in Friday the 13th: A New Beginning. Feldman remained a big screen presence throughout the ’80s, with roles in Stand by Me, The Lost Boys, The ‘Burbs, as well as License to Drive and Dream a Little Dream with his The Lost Boys co-star and friend, Corey Haim.

[RELATED: Why Has Another Friday the 13th Movie Been So Hard to Make?]

4) Tony Goldwyn in Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives

Scandal‘s Tony Goldwyn made his very first appearance, big screen or small, in Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives as the ill-fated Darren. After single-episode appearances in shows like St. Elsewhere, Matlock, Murphy Brown, and L.A. Law, he got his breakthrough role as the duplicitous Carl Bruner in Ghost.

Since then, his biggest movies have been The Pelican Brief, Nixon, Kiss the Girls, The 6th Day, The Last Samurai, The Last House on the Left (2009), the first two installments of the Divergent franchise, King Richard, and Oppenheimer. He also voiced the title role in Disney’s Tarzan. As for the small screen, the role of President Fitzgerald Grant III on the aforementioned hit show Scandal is undoubtedly his biggest.

5) Kelly Hu in Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan

After winning the title of Miss Hawaii Teen USA in 1985, Kelly Hu modeled in Japan and Italy and starred in a series of TV ads for Philadelphia brand cream cheese. She transitioned to acting in 1987, first with a recurring role on Growing Pains. Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, her very first movie, came shortly thereafter.

Following her appearance in the slasher sequel, her next movie was 1991’s The Doors, directed by Oliver Stone and starring the late Val Kilmer. She then had roles in the bizarre Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man, Surf Ninjas, and the Ralph Fiennes-led sci-fi cult classic Strange Days. Those were all fairly small roles, but in 2002 she starred alongside Dwayne Johnson in The Scorpion King, which she followed up with her most well-known role to date, as Lady Deathstrike in X2: X-Men United.

6) Jason Ritter in Freddy vs. Jason

It was only a matter of time before Jason Ritter followed in the steps of his equally likable father, the late John Ritter. But, instead of getting started on a series similar to Three’s Company, he starred in Freddy vs. Jason from director Ronny Yu (who had directed his father in Bride of Chucky just a few years before). Prior to Freddy vs. Jason, the younger Ritter’s biggest role in a movie had been a small part in Swimfan.

Since Freddy vs. Jason‘s release in 2003, Ritter has had roles in the movies W. (as Jeb Bush), indies like The Intervention (alongside his wife, Melanie Lynskey), and Frozen II. He’s found even greater success on the small screen, with main roles in Joan of Arcadia, The Event, Gravity Falls, Another Period, Kevin (Probably) Saves the World, Raising Dion, and Matlock as well as recurring roles in Parenthood and Girls. Ritter is currently filming Lanterns, a DCU TV series set to arrive on HBO.

7) Ben Feldman in Friday the 13th (2009)

In Marcus Nispel’s Friday the 13th, Ben Feldman plays Richie, one of the unlucky teens we follow throughout the film’s opening (the best part of the movie). And, outside his girlfriend, who gets roasted in a sleeping bag, Richie gets it the worst. Specifically, his ankle gets snagged in a bear trap, where he’s left as a screaming piece of bait until Jason runs up and plants a machete in his skull.

Prior to Friday the 13th, Feldman’s biggest role was as Travis Marello in the opening scene of 2008’s Cloverfield. Since then, he’s had roles in a few big screen projects, e.g. As Above, So Below, but most of his success has been found on the small screen, first on Drop Dead Diva, then on Mad Men (for which he received an Emmy nomination). His TV career would then carry on to HBO’s Silicon Valley and then NBC’s Superstore as one of the lead characters of the series.

The post 7 Actors That Starred in Friday the 13th Movies Before They Got Famous appeared first on ComicBook.com.

It’s about time. Marvel fans were thrilled when it was announced that Tom Hiddleston — whose trickster God of Mischief, Loki, died in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War, only for his past self to escape into a branched timeline in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame — would be looped back into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Avengers: Doomsday. The last time we saw this time-slipping alt-2012 Loki in his self-titled Disney+ series, he sacrificed himself to destroy the Time Variance Authority’s Temporal Loom, saving the branched realities of the multiverse that he then presided over from his throne at the End of Time.

Loki’s glorious purpose also meant saving his friends, including the Loki variant turned TVA fugitive Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), TVA agent and best friend Mobius (Owen Wilson), TVA repair guy O.B. (Ke Huy Quan), and B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku). The latter reappeared in last summer’s Deadpool & Wolverine, and it seems that Di Martino’s Sylvie will be making the jump to the Sacred Timeline as part of the ever-expanding Avengers: Doomsday cast.

“Playgrounds,” Di Martino captioned a since-deleted Instagram post (below) that fans have taken to mean Sylvie is in Doomsday. Di Martino’s Sylvie stunt double, Sarah Irwin, has also reportedly been spotted in the UK, fueling speculation that the character is set to return (presumably to reunite with the long-lost Loki).

RELATED: New Avengers: Doomsday Set Photo Shows Two Returning Characters

“I think, at this point, if anything comes back to threaten freewill in general, I feel like Sylvie will be there to fight the good fight. It kind of depends where the story goes, where the bigger picture goes,” the Loki star previously told ScreenRant about her role in the MCU moving forward.

“No one knows but Kevin Feige,” Di Martino continued of the Marvel Studios president and producer. “I mean, she could go anywhere. Again, the possibilities are limitless. That’s what’s so exciting about it. You just never know.”

The Anthony and Joe Russo-directed Avengers: Doomsday started principal photography last month at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, England. Perhaps not coincidentally, Buckinghamshire’s Pitstone Quarry doubled as the Void, a “metaphysical junkyard” at the End of Time that first appeared as a location on Loki, when Marvel Studios shot Deadpool & Wolverine there in 2023.

Along with Hiddleston, the Doomsday cast includes Robert Downey Jr. (Doctor Doom), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson/Captain America), Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier), Letitia Wright (Shuri/Black Panther), Paul Rudd (Scott Lang/Ant-Man), Wyatt Russell (John Walker/U.S. Agent), Tenoch Huerta Mejia (Namor), Simu Liu (Shang-Chi), Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova/Black Widow), Kelsey Grammer (Beast), Lewis Pullman (Bob Reynolds/Sentry), Danny Ramirez (Joaquin Torres/the Falcon), David Harbour (Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian), Winston Duke (M’Baku), Hannah John-Kamen (Ava Starr/Ghost), and Channing Tatum (Gambit).

The Fantastic Four: First Steps cast members Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Susan Richards/Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm/Human Torch), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm/the Thing) are all set to return, as will Fox’s X-Men movie alums Patrick Stewart (Professor X), Ian McKellen (Magneto), Alan Cumming (Nightcrawler), Rebecca Romijn (Mystique), and James Marsden (Cyclops).

Marvel Studios has dated Avengers: Doomsday to open December 18, 2026 in theaters (previously May 1), followed by Avengers: Secret Wars (also delayed from May 7 to Dec. 17, 2027).

The post Loki Star May Have Accidentally Revealed Avengers: Doomsday Return to the MCU appeared first on ComicBook.com.

After all these years, fans still hold the absurdly short-lived Firefly TV series near and dear to their hearts. While hopes of a revival have dimmed considerably, there are positives. For example, DCU Nathan Fillion is at an all-time high and the 2005 Firefly film Serenity is still flying with a 20th anniversary limited edition Steelbook 4K Blu-ray release. Pre-orders are now available here at GRUV (use code SIGNUP20 at checkout for 20% off any single item) and here on Amazon with a release date set for July 22nd. Additional details can be found below.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear as though there are any new special features on this release, but if you don’t already own it on 4K Blu-ray, it will be worth picking up for the fancy Steelbook cover. As a limited edition, it will eventually sell out for good, so reserve a copy while you can. A complete breakdown of the special features can be found below.

Serenity 20th Anniversary 4K Blu-ray Special Features:

• Includes 4K UHD, Blu-ray and a digital copy of Serenity (Subject to expiration. Go to NBCUCodes.com for details.)
• Features High Dynamic Range (HDR10) for Brighter, Deeper, More Lifelike Color
• Feature Commentery with Writer / Director Joss Whedon
• Feature Commentary with Writer / Director Joss Whedon & Cast Members Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin, Summer Glau and Ron Glass
• Alliance Database
• Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Director Joss Whedon
• Outtakes
• Future History – The Story of Earth That Was
• What’s In A Firefly
• Re-Lighting The Firefly
• Joss Whedon Introduction
• Extended Scenes
• Take A Walk On Serenity
• A Filmmaker’s Journey
• The Green Clan
• Session 416
• U-Control: Mr. Universe’s Compendium
• U-Control: Digital Tour of Serenity
• U-Control: Picture in Picture
• U-Control: Visual Commentary with Writer/Director Joss Whedon & Cast

Synopsis: “A passenger with a deadly secret. Six rebels on the run. An assassin in pursuit. When the renegade crew of Serenity agrees to hide a fugitive on their ship, they find themselves in an action-packed battle between the relentless military might of a totalitarian regime that will destroy anything—or anyone—to get the girl back and the bloodthirsty creatures who roam the uncharted areas of space. But, the greatest danger of all may be on their ship.”

The post Firefly Is Still Flying With a Serenity 4K Blu-ray Steelbook Edition appeared first on ComicBook.com.

A new photo from Marvel Cinematic Universe star Olga Kurylenko has fans believing her character Taskmaster could be returning in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. As seen on the Instagram account update_mcu, the actress shared a picture of herself in Bahrain, captioning the image “Working on a Sunday” with a flexing arm emoji. This has led to speculation that Kurylenko could be filming scenes for Doomsday, which is currently in production and seemingly has already shot some sequences in Bahrain. Recent set images detailed an on-location shoot taking place in the country.

It is important to keep in mind that this is just theorizing from MCU fans right now. Kurylenko did not detail what kind of work she was doing in her post. Check out the image in the space below:

Kurylenko made her MCU debut in 2020’s Black Widow before reprising Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster in this month’s Thunderbolts*. As many viewers suspected — due to Kurylenko’s absence from several marketing materials — Taskmaster is killed early on in Thunderbolts*. Though director Jake Schreier offered an explanation for the decision, killing Taskmaster proved to be controversial. Many fans felt Marvel missed an opportunity to further develop Antonia after her harrowing experiences in Black Widow.

[RELATED – Thunderbolts* Really Messed Up Taskmaster’s Death]

In late March, Marvel Studios confirmed 27 actors set to appear in Avengers: Doomsday. Several of Kurylenko’s Thunderbolts* co-stars were among the names revealed, but she was not announced during Marvel’s record-breaking livestream. Still, Kevin Feige has stated there are more Doomsday casting announcements to come in the future, fueling speculation about the rest of the massive ensemble.

Kurylenko has a handful of projects in pre-production listed on her IMDb page, so her trip to Bahrain may not be connected to Doomsday. Still, it feels more than coincidental that she’s in the same location where Marvel is shooting a massive blockbuster. If Kurylenko is back in action as Taskmaster, it’s unclear how she’ll be brought into the fold. The Sacred Timeline version from Thunderbolts* is clearly dead, so perhaps Kurylenko could play a Multiverse variant this time around. One possibility is that Bahrain is being used for the Void, so a version of Antonia might have been banished from her timeline for unknown reasons.

Bringing Taskmaster back for Avengers: Doomsday has potential to be a nice twist from a storytelling perspective. It would be fun to see the New Avengers’ reactions to Antonia’s mysterious return. Additionally, Marvel would get a mulligan for a character who deserved much better the first time around. After so many fans were disappointed by how the character was portrayed in her previous MCU appearances, Doomsday could be an outlet for redemption, tapping into what made Taskmaster such a fan-favorite character from the comics. It’ll be interesting to see if Kurylenko is among the other actors in Doomsday. The film has so much on its plate that fixing the franchise’s handling of Taskmaster may not be on Joe and Anthony Russo’s checklist, but for now, there’s reason to have hope.

The post MCU Star’s Photo May Spoil Dead Character’s Doomsday Return (Fixing a Marvel Mistake) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

James Gunn’s first entry into the new DC Studios line-up, Superman, is set to burst into theaters on July 11th 2025, but not without some super Funko Pop figures. As you have probably noticed, the film is stacked with characters, and this second wave of Pops fills in a lot of the gaps left by wave 1. Comicbook has your first official look at these figures, and you can check them out below!

It all starts with the Superman and Fortress of Solitude Pop Moment and the Metamorpho with Baby Joey Pop & Buddy. You’ll also find a Pop Plus of the Engineer. Look out for the Hammer of Boravia where you’ll have a 1 in 6 chance to score the DC Ultraman chase. There’s also Guy Gardner, Mr. Terrific, and a Battle Damaged Superman. You can take a closer look in the gallery below. Pre-orders are live here at Entertainment Earth and here on Amazon now. You might also find them here at Hot Topic at some point in the next 24 hours.

• Superman Superman and Fortress of Solitude Funko Pop! Moment 
• Superman Hammer of Boravia w/Chase Funko Pop! Vinyl Figure
• Superman Funko Pop! Mr.Terrific
• Superman Guy Gardner Funko Pop! Vinyl Figure: 
• Superman Metamorpho w/ Baby Joey Funko Pop! & Buddy 
• Superman The Engineer Funko Pop! Plus Vinyl Figure
• Superman Superman (Battle Damaged) Funko Pop! Vinyl Figure – Funko Exclusive
• You can keep tabs on all of the latest Funko Pop releases right here via our weekly roundup.

The first wave of Pops from the new Superman film was released on April 18th and featured a total of 5 Pop figures. That included a 10-inch Jumbo Superman, Krypto, Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, and a standard Superman in both Pop figure and Keychain form. If you’re excited about the new DC Studios and James Gunn’s Superman, then head over and check out the entire wave now. Pre-orders are available here on Amazon and here at Entertainment Earth.

If you’re interested in action figures based on the new Superman film, McFarlane Toys has you covered. They’ve announced their second wave of Superman figures, and pre-orders are also expected to go live today. Details and direct links for each of the new figures are all available right here. Inside the list you’ll also find a breakdown of the McFarlane Toys Wave 1 releases.

Written and directed by Gunn, Superman stars David Corenswet as Clark Kent, the Superman himself, opposite Rachel Brosnahan as intrepid reporter Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as the Man of Steel’s archnemesis, Lex Luthor. Since this is the first entry into the new DC universe, you can also expect to see superheroes Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), Guy Gardner Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan), and The Authority’s Angela Spica/The Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría). 

Superman hits theaters July 11, 2025.

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