Matthew Monagle
Commissioner Gordon Looks Hard-Boiled in His First ‘Justice League’ Photo
Warner Bros. has made plenty of decisions with its DC Cinematic Universe that don’t sit quite right with fans, but credit where credit is due, the casting of J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon is not one of them. Simmons — now available in a bulked up version 2.0 — is one of our generation’s great character actors, the rare talent who can switch from utterly terrifying to kindly paternal in the blink of an eye. Since Batman looks to Gordon as both a hard-boiled police officer and a surrogate father figure, Simmons is the perfect addition to both the standalone Batman movie and the Justice League film.
Chris Pratt Would Like Peter Quill to Meet the Punisher in ‘Avengers: Infinity War’
As good as many of the Marvel movies have been — and they’ve been very, very good — perhaps my favorite part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is its complicated web of secrecy and lies. Each cast member has to be prepared to talk about Marvel movies at a moment’s notice, to speak to the entire design of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, without giving away proprietary information or giving entertainment reporters the wrong kind of soundbite. If Disney were smart, they would launch an Aaron Sorkin-produced television series about the politics of press junkets. I would watch the heck out of that.
The Original ‘Powers Rangers’ Cast Were Not Invited Back for the New Movie
These days, if you reboot a franchise, you give the original cast members a couple of seconds of screen time. It’s pretty much a win-win scenario as far as producers are concerned. Fans who believe that sequels and remakes are heresy will be somewhat satiated by the involvement of original cast members, while newcomers won’t have any idea why the crowd around them is cheering for that background character. Sure, it’s fan service, but let’s be honest: some properties need a little bit of fan service more than others.
Stan Lee Reveals His Next Three Marvel Cameos
The fact that Stan Lee is guaranteed to appear in nearly every single Marvel movie is one of those small little charms of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that I hope never goes away. Sure, some people probably view it as an annoying break in the fourth wall, but it also reminds audiences that we are watching a superhero comic book movie. These movies don’t need to choose between being cartoonish and deadly serious; they can be both, often at the same time, and Stan Lee always helps drive that point home.
James Gunn Has a Special ‘Groot Version’ of the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ Script
“I am Groot.” With the exception of one small variation, this is the only thing we hear from Vin Diesel’s Groot throughout Guardians of the Galaxy. What makes this such a funny running joke isn’t the fact that he only says the one phrase, though; it’s the fact that Rocket Raccoon understands him perfectly, unearthing complicated sentiments and emotions from three simple words. Translating Groot’s dialogue would be like un-bleeping the profanity in an episode of South Park: you pretty much already know what Groot is saying, and the jokes just work better this way.
Mackenzie Davis Responds to Those ‘Deadpool 2’ Rumors
Sometimes, when you have a surprise hit on your hands, you get a little bit of freedom to go outside the box with your casting choices on the sequels. That seems to be the approach taken by the producers of Deadpool 2, anyways. A few weeks ago, we wrote about the rumors that Kyle Chander and Mackenzie Davis were atop the wishlist for Cable and Domino, respectively, in the next Deadpool movie. And now Davis has spoken openly about her lack of conversations regarding the role.
‘Star Wars’ Actor Kenny Baker Passes Away at Age 81
Sad news today for fans of the Star Wars films and Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits: Kenny Baker, the man who brought droid R2-D2 to life, has passed away at the age of 81. According to The Guardian, Baker’s passing comes after a long battle with an unspecified illness.
Check Out the First TV Spot for ‘Doctor Strange’
Television spots are always something of a mixed big. On the one hand, you’re rarely going to see new content in television ads, and the new trailer for Marvel’s Doctor Strange is certainly no exception. On the other hand, though, just the fact that a television spot exists means that the release of the movie is just around the corner. To its credit, this new spot also really highlights the things we’re already excited to see: freaky inter-dimensional travel and the impassive teachings of Tilda Swinton’s Ancient One.
Margot Robbie Wants to Play Harley Quinn ‘Forever’
By now, you’ve probably had a chance to see Suicide Squad in theaters. And whether you liked it, hated it, or fell somewhere in between (this last category applies directly to me), you probably walked away impressed with the manic energy actress Margot Robbie brought to the character of Harley Quinn. She was unquestionably the highlight of the film and one of the few things capable of uniting Suicide Squad fans and opponents alik
‘Deadpool 2’ Producer Promises Jokes About Superhero Sequels
File this one under Least Surprising News of All Time: according to producer Simon Kinberg, the upcoming sequel to the surprise hit Deadpool will poke fun at superhero sequels. No word yet on whether the character of Deadpool will continue to make movie references, talk to the camera, and poke fun at the successes and failures of 20th Century Fox’s X-Men franchise.
Milla Jovovich Teases First ‘Resident Evil: The Final Chapter’ Trailer
Some day, we’re going to look back at the career of Milla Jovovich and realize she was one of our more underappreciated action stars. While we spend our time arguing with Twitter eggs about representation in movies like Suicide Squad and Ghostbusters, Jovovich and her husband-director Paul W.S. Anderson have just been over in their own little corner of Hollywood, churning out modestly budgeted pulp action movies with a strong female lead. The upcoming Resident Evil release will be the sixth film in the franchise. Six!
Jared Leto Wants Joker To Go Head-to-Head With the ‘Batfleck’
Odds are you’ve probably rolled your eyes more than a few times after hearing Jared Leto’s approach to playing the Joker in the upcoming Suicide Squad. We’ve talked here before about the actor’s refusal to break character and his uncomfortable gifts to his costars; what we should also remember is that Leto’s Joker seems to be the perfect version of that character for Zack Snyder and David Ayer's vision of the DC universe. If Leto’s take on the Joker proves the quiet optimists like me right, DC Films would do well to give audiences a chance to see Ben Affleck’s Batman and Jared Leto’s Joker in action.