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Lex Luthor Will Be A 'Slimy Businessman' With Hair In 'Batman V Superman'

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Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel already stepped away from the beloved character in more ways than one.  Some of these moves were bold and controversial, but I still respect him for his willingness to make tough decisions.  There’s no reason to think he’s going to back off any time soon, and he might have made another decision that will no doubt arouse the ire of Superman purists.

One of defining aspects of Superman’s arch-nemesis Lex Luthor is his chrome dome.  There are comics and adaptations where he has hair, but he’s always doomed to lose it.  That may be the case when it comes to Jesse Eisenberg‘s Luthor in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.  Hit the jump for more.  The movie opens May 6, 2016 and also stars Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, Callan Mulvey, Tao Okamoto, and Laurence Fishburne.  

[Potential Spoilers Ahead]

According to Batman-News, there were some LexCorp scenes filming over the past couple of days, and Eisenberg reportedly has “a lot of hair.”  It’s also not his typical curly hair, but “a bit longer, kind of loose and wavy, and it’s dirty blonde.” (In the comics, Lex’s hair is red) So perhaps it’s something along the lines of his do for 30 Minutes or Less or Now You See Me?  Batman-News also notes that these scenes take place towards the beginning of the movie, so there’s the possibility of Lex going bald later in the picture.

As for the character’s demeanor, Batman-News says, “Luthor has spastic mannerisms, like a 20-something guy that pounds energy drinks all day.”

ComicBook.com is in agreement about the character’s look and also agrees with Batman-News’ report that Holly Hunter‘s character is a U.S. Senator.  In the aforementioned scene that takes place in early in the film, the senator and a congressman visit with Luthor, and “Lex seems ‘to embarrass or be very disrespectful to the congressmen on his way out.’”  ComicBook.com also elaborated on Lex’s unsavory character:

Our source also offered that they felt that Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice’s interpretation of Lex Luthor is much better than it might sound from initial descriptions, describing him as “a slimy businessman we can all despise.” Our source indicated, “You are going to hate this guy. You are going to root for him to be punched by Supes when he weasels his way out of legal trouble. He is cocky and confident because he is THAT good at what he does. He’s a billionaire who knows he is more powerful than the Senator and Congressman visiting because he’s a billionaire.”

So is Eisenberg’s Luthor like Mark Zuckerberg on steroids?  Is he going to tell the senator and the congressman that he could buy the capitol and turn it into his pool room?  ComicBook.com adds that this LexCorp is like “Apple/Google, colorful and consumer friendly public image but serious potential for Lex’s deviousness.”

Finally, in another possible clarification on the casting, ComicBook.com says:

Japanese actress Tao Okamoto (The Wolverine) is playing Lex Luthor’s assistant, who is named “Mercy.” In the comic books and Superman animated series, Mercy Graves is Lex’s personal assistant and body guard, where she is portrayed as highly intelligent and experienced in hand-to-hand combat.  That hand-to-hand combat is probably only going to be good against Batman, and even then I wouldn’t bet against the Dark Knight taking more than a minute to knock her out.

SEE ALSO: 'Game Of Thrones' Actor Will Reportedly Play Aquaman In The 'Batman V Superman' Movie

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TGI Fridays Got Rid Of Flair Buttons Because Of 'Office Space'

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Pieces of Flair, Office Space

Office Space didn’t explode in popularity when it was first released. In fact, analysts initially considered it a bit of a failure because of its low box office.

In the subsequent years, however, the film started getting recommended and passed around like an undiscovered gem until a really high percentage of the population had seen it. Now, it’s firmly entrenched as one of the more quoted and watched movies of the 1990s, and apparently, it had a lasting effect on the restaurant industry, as well. 

You know those pieces of flair Jennifer Aniston repeatedly bitched about in Office Space? Well, they were based off the real life buttons many servers actually had to wear at the time at a number of chain restaurants including TGI Fridays. A few years after the film came out, however, the chain discontinued the use of flair. Why? Apparently because people wouldn’t stop making Office Space references about it. 

Here’s a portion of what Office Space creator Mike Judge told Deadline… 

"One of my ADs asked once at the restaurant why their flair was missing and they said they removed it because of that movie Office Space. So, maybe I made the world a better place."

We all owe Mike Judge a huge thank you because, I think, I speak for everyone when I say, flair was disgustingly ugly.

An overwhelming majority of movies come and go without having any lasting impact. Whether they’re good, bad or mediocre, people stop talking about them within a few years, and within a decade or so, they’re barely remembered at all. Fortunately, a lucky few of them stick with people. They offer something unique enough and memorable enough that we collectively decided to keep quoting and watching. 

That’s the thing about Office Space. The technology might be out of date, but the way the characters interact and the nightmarish picture of mid-level management and bad bosses rings just as true now. The world is filled with Bill Lumberghs. There’s nothing Mike Judge can do to change that. Not even his hysterical new workplace comedy Silicon Valley can rid the world of shitty, passive aggressive bosses, but flair is certainly a good place to start. 

SEE ALSO: 11 Classic Movies That Were Originally Box-Office Bombs

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Kevin Hart’s New Movie Is Going To Have A Huge Weekend At The Box Office

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Kevin Hart is going to dominate the box office this weekend.

The comedian's new film "Think Like A Man Too," a sequel to 2012's break-out remake "Think Like A Man," is projected to make between $34 and $40 million this weekend.

Right now, Fandango tells us ticket sales for Hart's film are outpacing his last film "Ride Along." That movie, starring Ice Cube debuted to $41.5 million and went on to make $153.3 million. 

Almost immediately, Universal announced a sequel is in the works.

If "Think Like a Man Too" performs just as well, that would mark Sony Picture's second big comedy hit in two weeks since "22 Jump Street"debuted to a massive $60 million last weekend.

We've previously noted how Hart has become a box-office machine rolling out low-budget hit after hit.

"Think Like A Man" opened to $33.6 million in 2012, costing just $12 million to produce. "Ride Along" was estimated to cost $25 million.

This weekend's other new release, Clint Eastwood's "Jersey Boys," is most likely to have a sour opening going up against so many sequels ("22 Jump Street,""How to Train Your Dragon 2," and "Think Like a Man Too"). There's also the staying power of recent hits "Maleficent" and "Edge of Tomorrow" that are aimed toward a younger demographic than Eastwood's drama.

The reportedly $40 million film is estimated to make between $10-15 million.

SEE ALSO: The most expensive movies ever made

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Vin Diesel: It Has Been 'Awkward And Uncomfortable' Adjusting To Paul Walker Visual Effects In 'Fast & Furious 7'

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After Paul Walker's death last November, Universal made the decision to retire his character, Brian O’Connor, in the next installment.  

Since many of the film's big scenes were yet to be filmed, Walker’s brothers Caleb and Cody will help complete unfinished scenes.   

However, a number of groundbreaking facial-replacement visual effects will also be used to preserve his likeness.  

The process hasn’t been an easy one for the incredibly close cast and crew. 

Recent rumors from The Hollywood Reporter have claimed star Vin Diesel has been difficult on set, with the actor spending a lot of time in his trailer. 

Subsequently, Diesel, who often shares updates on current projects with his fans on Facebook, posted a lengthy note Tuesday explaining the difficulties of working on set with the VFX team.  

“The whole crew has had to adjust to this awkward and uncomfortable process of pixels over people. Aside from the obvious strains it places on the director, the challenge is not to allow it to compromise what makes the character so special.” 

According to Diesel, Walker was very involved in decision making on the franchise saying, “there wasn’t a scene in the saga he didn’t want to discuss, improve... even with just a changing of a line or adding a specific nuance to enrich a moment.” 

The actor makes it clear he wants to ensure Walker’s character O’Connor is portrayed correctly on screen in the sequel. 

“Fast and Furious 7” will be released April 10, 2015. 

Read Diesel’s full note below: 

"There wasn’t a scene in the saga he didn’t want to discuss, improve... even with just a changing of a line or adding a specific nuance to enrich a moment. 

He did it with the pride of knowing, that over a decade of portraying Brian, through four directors, multiple writers and new producers he was able to maintain the inner core of the character he created. Those work ethics and drive to be both truthful, and in his own way, evolve the decade spanning character is what made his character as iconic as it has become. 

He always knew I would fight for him… whether it was to protect his deal or to protect his integrity… and he knew that if it made for a better film, I was going to do whatever it took… it is why together, we won best duo... twice, 12 years apart. 

With our new ambitious vfx team, the whole crew has had to adjust to this awkward and uncomfortable process of pixels over people. Aside from the obvious strains it places on the director, the challenge is not to allow it to compromise what makes the character so special.

Happy Toretto Tuesday..."

SEE ALSO: Vin Diesel gave a Dubai princess a muscle car after filming "Fast & Furious 7"

AND: Paul Walker's two brothers will fill in for actor in "Fast & Furious 7"

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Harrison Ford Broke His Leg While Filming ‘Star Wars: Episode VII'

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The Millennium Falcon's betrayal of Han Solo was worse than initially thought.

Earlier this month, Harrison Ford was said to have broken his ankle when the door of his famous ship fell on his leg on the set of “Star Wars Episode VII.” Now it turns out that the 71 year-old actor suffered a broken leg, which required more intense medical care, as reported by the BBC.

Also read: Harrison Ford Out From ‘Star Wars’ Filming for 8 Weeks Due to Broken Ankle

“Harrison's left leg was broken in the accident,” his rep, Ina Treciokas, confirmed to TheWrap. “His surgery was successful and he will begin rehab shortly. He's doing well and looks forward to returning to work.”

Disney has also confirmed that shooting on the massive J.J. Abrams film will remain on schedule as Ford recuperates, which is reported to be up to an eight week stretch.

SEE ALSO: Harrison Ford Suffers Injury While Filming 'Star Wars: Episode VII'

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5 Established Directors Who Went Way Out Of Their Comfort Zones

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jersey boys 600x400“Clint Eastwood’s ‘Jersey Boys’ opens in theaters this weekend” is a sentence I never thought I’d write, but there it is, in all its completely factual glory. It was only a matter of time before Hollywood got their hands on the insanely popular property, but I never thought that Dirty Harry would be in the director’s chair.

Eastwood hasn’t had a huge box office hit since “Gran Torino” back in 2008, and ‘Jersey’ has serious potential to be his biggest moneymaker to date. The Broadway show has grossed over $450 million since opening in late 2005, and if the aggressive marketing for the film is any indicator, Warner Bros. is expecting (or at least hoping) that the film will pay off just as well.

Clint Eastwood has never tackled something quite like this before, and here are five examples of other established directors who have gone out of their comfort zones and crafted something outside of their own mold.

1. Robert Altman / Popeye (1980) 

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While Robert Altman may be a household name solely for creating “M*A*S*H”, film buffs regard him as one of the best American directors of all time. Prior to making this odd little flick, Altman was coming off a streak of now-classics like “McCabe & Mrs. Miller”,  “The Long Goodbye”, “Nashville” and “Three Women”, just to name a few.

“Popeye” was Altman’s take on the popular comic strip-turned-animated series and it’s one of the strangest, goofiest and just plain weird comic book adaptations ever made. “Popeye” is a musical, and the song-and-dance numbers are just as kooky and bizarre as everything else on-screen.

Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall are both fantastic and Altman’s direction turns what could have been a complete mess (and many, including critics and audiences at the time, believe this to be the case) into something that has stood the test of time and gained cult status. 

2. Mike Nichols / Wolf (1994) 

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Yup, the director of “The Graduate”, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and “Working Girl” made a movie about a werewolf starring Jack Nicholson. Nicholson is great and the supporting cast is full of amazing actors like Christopher Plummer, Michelle Pfeiffer, James Spader, and Richard Jenkin, but the movie just isn’t all that great.

It’s tonally very strange; at times it plays like a comedy and others it tries too hard to be a thoughtful art film with an obvious agenda. For example, the transformation from man to wolf is framed by a lame metaphor, and honestly all I want to see in a movie called “Wolf” is Jack Nicholson wreaking some havoc.

Nichols went on to direct the Nathan Lane comedy “The Birdcage” a couple years later and the most recent movie he made was the underrated “Charlie’s Wilson War” back in 2007. Both of these films are better than “Wolf.” 

3. David Lynch / Straight Story (1999)  

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Between “Lost Highway” and “Mulholland Drive”, David Lynch directed a G-rated Disney movie. Yes, the same David Lynch that brought the world “Eraserhead” and “Dune” made a sappy film that my parents would probably enjoy more than myself.

The film stars Richard Farnsworth in his final screen appearance (which earned him an Academy Award nomination) and also features the always fun to watch Sissy Spacek and Harry Dean Stanton. “Straight Story” distinctly lacks any of the elements commonly associated with the work of David Lynch.

This isn’t a head-scratching, surrealist piece of avant-garde work of art, but rather a simple family drama oozing with sentimentality that likely airs frequently on The Hallmark Channel. I’m not quite sure what compelled Lynch to take the job, but he certainly did it justice, as the film is his best reviewed and most universally liked by critics.  Hardcore Lynch fans may find little to work with, but this isn’t for them.  

4. Paul Verhoeven / Showgirls (1995) 

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Three years after the wildy popular “Basic Instinct” and two years before the underappreciated “Starship Troopers”, Paul Verhoeven was given a large budget to make an NC-17 rated “adult” film.

“Showgirls” gets a bad wrap, but there are many, myself included, that believe the film is a cleverly over-the-top satirical romp that just so happens to feature a lot of naked women (including star Elizabeth Berkley). While the subject matter may be markedly different for Verhoeven, the goofy, sardonic tone that runs through all his films remains in tact. Theatrically,  “Showgirls” was a huge bomb — it only grossed $20 million domestically during its entire run and the film’s budget was $45 million. 

5. David Gordon Green / Pineapple Express (2008) 

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David Gordon Green’s career has to be one of the most perplexing in the history of Hollywood. He started out on the art-house indie circuit and first broke through with his debut feature “George Washington”, which would later be released on home video by the prestigious Criterion Collection. He followed that with a few more indie releases (I’m a big fan of 2008’s “Snow Angels”), and then seemingly sold his soul to Hollywood and cranked out three studio comedies in a row.

To be fair, I find “Pineapple Express” to be loads of fun, but as much as I wanted to enjoy “Your Highness” and “The Sitter”, they just didn’t work. He’s also a huge part of one of my favorite TV series “Eastbound & Down”, having directed twelve episodes over the course of its three seasons. So while I do enjoy the occasional juvenile comedy, I’m glad to see that Green’s last two films have been substantially smaller and it appears he’s going back to his indie roots. 

“Prince Avalanche” starring Emile Hirsch and Paul Rudd (available on Netflix) was a fun but ultimately forgettable venture back to low-budget indie territory, but this year’s “Joe” starring Nicolas Cage (in one the best performances of his career) is one of my favorites of the year and a true return to form. 

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Ben Affleck May Be Getting His Own Solo Batman Movie

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When first looking at the rumored line-up for DC Comic's building cinematic universe, it's hard not to notice the surprising lack of Batman. Over the last 25 years or so - and especially in the last 10 - DC has leaned on the Dark Knight like no other hero in their stable, but if the revealed schedule turns out to be true, then the next four years are going to be completely lacking in solo Caped Crusader movies. It's one of the elements that has made many call the "leaked" title roster into question, but if a new rumor is to be believed then we won't have to wait too much longer for the next Batman movie. 

Sources have told the folks over at Latino-Review that in addition to movies like ShazamSandmanJustice LeagueWonder Woman and more coming out over the next four years, we can also expect a new solo Batman movie some time in 2019. Reportedly the working title of the project is The Batman, though obviously at this early stage that could change in a heartbeat, and the project is expected to be the first solo movie for Ben Affleck's version of the legendary vigilante. 

The interesting extra bit of information that L-R adds is the possibility that Affleck won't just be working in front of the camera on the rumored film. In their report, they note that Affleck's next directorial effort, Live By Night, is going to be going into production in the summer of 2015 with an October 2016 release date in the crosshairs. If The Batman isn't actually being planned until 2019, the actor-cum-filmmaker could easily take the production by the horns and helm it himself. Whether or not he would be actually interested in the gig is a whole other question, but given his history with and affinity for comics, I wouldn't imagine that he would dismiss the job out of hand. Given that the film is so far away, however, the answer to this question may not be available until years and years from now. 

While we may not be getting a solo Batman movie in the next four years, it's not like he's disappearing from the world of features entirely. As the title implies, he will be a huge part of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - coming out in 2016 - and he will of course play a vital part in the upcoming Justice League film, which is rumored to come out in 2017. So, at the very worst we will be going two years without Batman on the big screen, but fans experienced longer gaps than that waiting for Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy to unfold. 

We can probably expect to hear a lot more about the future of the DC Cinematic Universe at San Diego Comic-Con next month, so stay tuned as more info becomes available in the coming weeks. 

SEE ALSO: Lex Luthor Will Be A 'Slimy Businessman' With Hair In 'Batman V Superman'

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Here's How Angelina Jolie Could Have Looked In 'Maleficent'

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Tattoos, Maleficent, Angelina Jolie

Part of the fun of keeping up with a hit movie is learning what changes almost happened during production, which might have resulted in a different film than the one you currently adore. Angelina Jolie’s latest creation, Maleficent, is the latest example of a big-screen character that went through several revisions before director Robert Stromberg settled on the look he preferred, and now we get to see some of the alternate designs that were under consideration. 

Concept artist Steffen Reichstadt -- whose credits include NoahX-Men: Days of Future PastEdge of Tomorrow and the upcoming Dawn of the Planet of the Apes -- shared images of possible Maleficents on his official page. Some are EXTREMELY different from the finished design, as you can tell above. There’s almost a cat-like quality to the costume and facial tattoos Reichstadt put on that first Maleficent design. And with this next one, he continued to alter the face of Angelina Jolie – something the A-list actress might eventually have opposed? 

Maleficent, scales, JolieThat look has almost a bird-like quality, and also calls to mind the tricks used on Jennifer Lawrence’s Mystique in the X-Men movies (which, coincidentally, also feature Steffen Reichstadt’s designs). 

This third alternate Maleficent design is a lot closer to what they eventually settled on. It doesn’t obstruct Angelina Jolie’s face, but it allows her free-flowing hair to stay out, and incorporates her horns into her head, instead of making it part of a head-dress. The wings are far more pronounced in this upcoming shot, and the costume has unique tweaks. I like this one a lot: 

Jolie, Maleficent, GothSteffen Reichstadt is beyond busy, with multiple films in theaters at the moment. In addition to Disney’s Maleficent, he also worked on Tom Cruise and Doug Liman’s Edge of Tomorrow, and offers up a different look to the movie’s signature Mech suits on his official site. Here’s one alternate shot: 

Edge of Tomorrow designBe sure to head on over to his official site to surf his amazing designs and think about what could have been for multiple summer blockbusters! 

SEE ALSO: Angelina Jolie Is The Best Part Of ‘Maleficent’

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'Looper' Director Rian Johnson Will Make The Next 'Star Wars' Movie

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J.J. Abrams will only get to direct one "Star Wars" movie.

Deadline reports "Looper" director Rian Johnson will step in to direct "Star Wars: Episode VIII."

Johnson will write and direct both Episodes VIII and IX, according to Deadline.

However, The Wrap is reporting Johnson is only set to direct "Star Wars: Episode VIII."

Johnson's 2012 film "Looper" starring Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt was a breakout hit making $176.5 million. The director is also known for 2006's "Brick."

Johnson since tweeted out a clip from "The Right Stuff" with Scott Glenn's character saying "Please don't let me f--- up." 

"Star Wars: Episode VII" is scheduled to be released December 18, 2015. 

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Chinese Sponsor In ‘Transformers: Age Of Extinction' Demands Removal From Film And Marketing

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With only a week until “Transformers 4: Age of Extinction” opens in China, a prominent sponsor is demanding that Paramount remove their image from the film and marketing materials because of a dispute.

Beijing Pangushi, an investment company, this week announced that it was pulling out of a sponsorship deal with Paramount, complaining that Paramount and other partners did not give them full value of showing their buildings in the blockbuster movie.

Pangushi said the alleged failure to deliver caused them ”huge financial loss and bad reputation of our company,” a translated press release stated.

A spokesman for Paramount said the two sides were working on settling the dispute. “Pangu Plaza has a prominent placement in Transformers 4 and it looks beautiful onscreen,” a Paramount spokesperson said in a statement. “We regret that Pangu is not currently satisfied with certain aspects of our collaboration and are working to resolve its concerns.”

Paramount and its partners announced last year that it had reached an agreement with investment giant Beijing Pangushi Investment Co., Ltd. to display a number of Beijing landmarks in the Michael Bay-directed film. The deal called for the company's flagship building, the Pangu Plaza Hotel, to be displayed in the movie, as well as two Olympic venues, the Beijing National Stadium and Beijing National Aquatics Center.

See video: ‘Transformers: Age of Extinction’ Payoff Trailer: Mark Wahlberg Finds Optimus Prime

However, the investment company has pulled permission for their licensed content to be used in the film, and declared that Paramount and co. could not use Beijing Pangushi's image, logo, or views of the building in either the marketing or the film itself — demanding that Paramount remove those elements from the film.

“When marketing and distributing TRANSFORMERS 4: AGE OF DISTINCTION, [Paramount] is not allowed to use our company's image, logo, our building's inside and outside views and its recognition elements, if already used in the film, they shall all be deleted,” stated the news release.

See video: New ‘Transformers: Age of Extinction’ Promos Show Off Imagine Dragons Song, Fire-Breathing Dinobot

Beijing Pangushi has also already filed charges to the court regarding its complaint and alleged loss of reputation and money.

Also read: ‘Godzilla’ Rampages to Huge $36 Million at China Box Office

“Transformers” is banking big on the Chinese box office; the third film in the saga, “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” made $177 million in the country in 2011, and the fourth, which stars Mark Wahlberg in place of Shia LaBeouf, was designed as a co-production to help Paramount circumvent the limit on imported movies to the country. Scenes were shot in China, as well.

However, this new development could hamstring the promotion of the film, which is co-produced by the state-backed China Movie Channel.

SEE ALSO: Another 'Transformers' Sequel Will Come Out Summer 2016

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North Korea Hates Seth Rogen's New Movie

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Don't expect to see James Franco and Seth Rogen joining Dennis Rodman on any North Korean vacations in the near future.

The well-known pals have been condemned by the regime for their upcoming movie "The Interview" which pokes fun at the Dear Leader.

"There is a special irony in this storyline as it shows the desperation of the U.S. government and American society," a spokesman for Kim Jong Un told The Guardian. "A film about the assassination of a foreign leader mirrors what the US has done in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Ukraine. And let us not forget who killed [President John F] Kennedy – Americans."

The regime is understandably upset, as the movie sees Rogen and Franco playing celebrity journalists who are recruited by the U.S. government to assassinate Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

The pair is also briefed on the propaganda coming from the regime, which includes the claim that Kim Jong-Un never defecates or urinates, and he can speak to dolphins. 

It's not hard to imagine that the Hermit Kingdom might not find the idea of assassinating their leader funny, but an official response to an American comedy might be sillier than the movie.

The movie hits theaters in October. In the meantime, you can watch the teaser trailer below:

Read the whole exchange in its entirety here >

SEE ALSO: Seth Rogen's Secret To Success: Make It Cheap, Dirty, And Ignore The Studio

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10 Takeaways From The Lackluster Summer Movie Season So Far

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This summer's box office is running 10.8 percent behind last year's as we near the midway point.

That's not a shock. Last summer was the biggest in history, with $4.8 billion in domestic grosses. And while this year has its share of strong sequels, there's been nothing comparable to “Iron Man 3,” which topped $1 billion worldwide, or “Despicable Me 2,” which did nearly the same.

That said, there have been some major success stories.

Click here to see the takeaways »

Fox's Marvel mutant mashup “X-Men: Days of Future Past” was the first summer movie to hit $200 million domestically and is still going, and the studio scored a counter-programming coup with teen drama “The Fault in Our Stars,” which has taken in $85 million — on a $12 million budget.

Also read: ‘X-Men’ Kicks Off Fox's Stellar Summer

Sony has bounced back from its very tough summer 2013 with “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” and “22 Jump Street.” And it has “Think Like a Man Too,” horror thriller “Deliver Us From Evil” and the Cameron Diaz comedy “Sex Tape” — all potential No. 1 movies — yet to come.

Disney gave up the May summer kick-off slot it's had for the past couple of years to Sony and Spidey, but scored with Angelina Jolie‘s fairy tale update, “Maleficent.”

Last year at this time, Warner Bros. had three of summer's top ten movies in “Man of Steel,” “The Great Gatsby” and “The Hangover Part III,” with “The Conjuring” and “We're the Millers” on the way.  But this year, other than its Legendary Pictures co-production “Godzilla,” it has been tough sledding.

Also read: The Most and Least Liked Summer Movie Actors – Tom Cruise, Vin Diesel, Morgan Freeman, Channing Tatum

Tom Cruise‘s “Edge of Tomorrow” has been a domestic disappointment, Adam Sandler‘s comedy “Blended” missed and the Clint Eastwood-directed musical “Jersey Boys” isn't going to be breaking any records. “Jupiter Ascending,” the sci-fi epic from Andy and Lana Wachowski, has been pushed to February 2015.

Universal connected with one R-rated comedy, “Neighbors,” but Seth MacFarlane's “A Million Ways to Die in the West” was a misfire. The studio has five openings set for July and August.

Paramount and Lionsgate sat out the first half of summer, but the former is about to make a major splash with “Transformers: Age of Extinction” on June 27.

Also read: The Most and Least Liked Summer Movie Actresses – Jennifer Lawrence, Angelina Jolie, Mila Kunis, Shailene Woodley

There's still more than two months left of summer left, so things will change. But here's what we've learned so far.

Marvel Means a Massive Box Office

The season's two highest-grossing movies so far are Fox's “X-Men: Days of Future Past” ($208 million domestically, $770 million worldwide) and Sony's “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” ( $199 million, $702 million worldwide) and both are based on the comic book giant's superheroes. Also, Disney's “Guardians of the Galaxy" is looking very strong ahead of its Aug. 1 debut.



Ignore Women at Your Own Peril

Predominantly female audiences have driven two movies — “Maleficent” and “The Fault in Our Stars” — to No. 1 openings in the middle of superhero season. And strong turnouts by women had a lot to do with the breakout first weekends of R-rated comedies “Neighbors” and “22 Jump Street.” Melissa McCarthy's comedy “Tammy,” which debuts on July 2, should continue the trend.



Release Dates Have Been Key

This summer has seen seven different movies open at No. 1 and no film has held the top spot for more than a week. You could say that's an indication that none of this season's tentpoles have been strong enough to dominate, and that's true. But give credit to the studios, who have done a great job of picking their opening dates and timing their marketing campaigns.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here's The Long Confused History Of Sequels That Use 'Too' Instead Of '2'

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This may just be a pet peeve involving semantics, but the use of the word “too” in sequel titles over the past 30 years has been really irritating. The logical reason for having a title ending in the word — as opposed to the explanation that it’s simply different from using the homophonic number, as “2,” “II” or “Two” — is to indicate that the new movie is not so much a continuation of the original as a fresh start with a similar protagonist or premise. “Too” in this case means “also,” as in another. Sure, it can also mean “more,” but it makes greater sense if Think Like a Man Too is about new characters who must think like men rather than the same guys who must further think like men. But it isn’t.

I’m not sure of any kind of literary precedent to the “too” sequel prior to Hollywood’s apparent first use in 1984. There isn’t an easy way to filter through the history of books for examples. But it is something that occurs, and just recently there was a work of erotic fiction called “Checking Her Cherry, Too,” which must be commended for getting the usage correct. According to the official description on Amazon, “It’s not necessary to have read the first ‘Checking Her Cherry’ to enjoy this story, but after reading it, you’ll certainly want to! This sequel features different characters, but shares the same title theme.”

Clearly it’s not too difficult to understand when “too” is appropriate for a sequel’s title. The best time is when the sequel is a standalone entity, maybe a spin-off or something in name only. U.S. Marshals could have been called “The Fugitive Too,” for instance. Open Water 2: Adrift (aka Adrift) should be “Open Water Too,” also. It can even involve some same characters if it’s a whole new yet similar plot. Speed 2: Cruise Control would work as simply “Speed Too“. And as I’ve written elsewhere, I think the “too” sequel could work well for superhero movie reboots set in the same universe/chronology as previous installments.

Below is a chronological list of movies and one movie-related book with “too” in the title, most of them annoyingly named without logic. 

The Jerk, Too (1984) - This TV movie, which I assume was intended to be the pilot for a series based on the movie, would be a proper “too” sequel if it weren’t for the fact that the main character is named Navin Johnson (played by Mark Blankfield), same as Steve Martin’s role in the original. There’s not really any other link to the movie, though. Even the female lead, while named Marie, is a different person. If we accept it as a story of another idiot with the same time, the title fits.

“Fletch, Too” (1985) - The homophonic reasoning doesn’t apply to this novel, which is the ninth in Gregory McDonald’s series, except that it follows the prior book’s title of “Fletch Won.” As for the application to the story, there is another Fletch involved in a way, as the plot revolves around Irwin Fletcher’s dad, Walter Fletcher.

Teen Wolf Too (1987) - One of the best fits for the proper “too” sequel concept, this movie is a spin-off that follows a whole other teen wolf from the one in the 1985 original. It’s the first character’s cousin. Of course, it also proves a problem for this type of follow-up in that it’s really just a rehash with a new hero.

Splash, Too (1988) - A two-part TV special shown under the Disney Sunday Movie banner, this sequel’s title is all wrong. There’s not a new guy in love with a mermaid nor a new mermaid — Madison does strangely have new super powers, though. “Too” doesn’t make any sense with the word “splash” anyway. There are two interesting bits of casting here: the actor playing the Tom Hanks role from the original is Tom Waring, who also took over Hanks’s role in a TV show based on Nothing in Common; and The Jerk, Too‘s Mark Blankfield appears in this movie as a scientist.

look whos talking too posterLook Who’s Talking Too (1990) - Another proper usage can be found in this sequel to the hit inner-monologue baby comedy of the previous year. The “too” here pertains to another baby who is “talking.” This one voiced by Roseanne Barr (taking over from Joan Rivers in the sequel tease at the end of the original). Think of it as “Look Who’s Talking, Also,” and the title is perfect. They did well again with the next installment, Look Who’s Talking Now, which focused on giving dogs the inner voices. Pretty good for such a stupid franchise.

Scooby Too (2004) - According to IMDb, that was the working title in Canada for Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, which would have been our first “too” sequel in 14 years. Fortunately it didn’t catch on elsewhere because it’s a good pun with no purpose.

Teed Off Too (2006) - National Lampoon’s second installment of hidden-camera pranks on golf courses is again hosted by David Leisure. As far as I know, the only way “too” fits here is to mean “more” silly pranks.

Miracle Dogs Too (2006) - The third perfectly fitting usage came with this movie that is completely unrelated to the 2003 original, which starred future Hunger Games star Josh Hutcherson. The plot is basically a repeat, though, with another set of dogs magically curing people in another small town. There is one actor who appears in both movies, as different characters.

Pretty Cool Too (2007) - Another bad movie that at least is titled appropriately. Rolfe Kanefsky’s original Pretty Cool is a Zapped-like teen movie where a loser acquires powers to make people (hot girls, mainly) do what he wants. In the director’s sequel, a different loser acquires a cell phone with a genie inside that grants him the powers to make people (hot girls, mainly) do what he wants.

Twitches Too (2007) - Disney Channel’s hit 2005 TV movie combining Harry Potter and Freaky Friday received this sequel two years later. I might as well say it was “too years later,” because that makes as much sense as why this is a “too” sequel.

I Got Five On It Too (2009) - To figure out whether or not this title works, we have to understand the meaning of the original. Is there another situation in the sequel where someone is going in halfsies on a bag of weed? Was there such a situation in the first movie? I haven’t seen either, but I’m going to give this low-budget pot comedy a pass.

Why Did I Get Married Too? (2010) - Tyler Perry‘s sequel to his 2007 movie Why Did I Get Married? has a nonsensical title no matter how you look at it. At first it just appears to be bad grammar, a terrible translation of what it means to say, which is: “Why Did I Get Married, Again?” As in, remind me why, because the first movie wasn’t enough. Or maybe it applies to Jill Scott’s character, who is now on her second marriage. “Too” doesn’t make a good substitute for “again” either way.

Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil (2011) - By now we can believe that producers are doing everything they can to defend the use of “too” in their titles, because this one had to be difficult. But not imperfect. This sequel to the 2005 indie animated feature brings back most of the same characters, but a different one of them is hoodwinked. That’s not really the main angle of the plot, though, so it’s really just an attempt at being clever. They were already fine with the “Hood vs. Evil” part, though, and would have been better off with the numeral version.

Route 30, Too! (2012) - From the son of Jean Stapleton comes this second installment of a trilogy that is set to finish up this year. Firstly, to be fair, it’s really quite difficult to slap a numeral at the end of a title already ending in a number. No matter how you try it, out loud it still sounds like Route 32. Yet the third part is basically titled Route 30 3 (IMdb at least spells it out as “three” but the DVD art does not). As for the acceptability regarding the plot, each sequel features all new stories set on the titular highway, so that at least works.

Think Like a Man Too (2014) - Some better titles might have been “Think Like a Man Again,” “Think Like a Man Still” or “Keep Thinking Like a Man.” And if we’re going for nonsensical, I’d have preferred “Another Think Like a Man."

SEE ALSO: Lebron James Will Co-Star In An Upcoming Film With Kevin Hart

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The '22 Jump Street' Directors Have Had A String Of Unexpected Box-Office Hits

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phil lord chris miller lego movie

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are two of the most in-demand directors in Hollywood right now.

If you're not familiar with their names, then you and your kids are definitely familiar with the duo's movies: "The LEGO Movie," the "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" franchise (they wrote the story for the sequel), and both "21 Jump Street" and its sequel out this past weekend, "22 Jump Street."

"The LEGO Movie" was the unexpected break-out hit of February, and is now one of the highest-grossing movies of the year. Lord and Miller are already working on a script for a sequel.

Lord, 37, and Miller, 38, met while attending Dartmouth College and began working together on animation. 

The two have been able to make successful break-out movies on relatively modest budgets. ("The LEGO Movie" cost an estimated $60 million to make.)

One of the reasons behind Lord and Miller's success is that their films are incredibly self aware. An ongoing gag in "22 Jump Street" pokes fun at sequels. Early in the film, Deputy Chief Hardy (Nick Offerman) delivers a fantastic monologue on the subject to Hill and Tatum's characters.  

Below are the box office numbers for Lord and Miller's previous films.

They're a pair you should definitely be keeping your eye on. chris miller phil lord box office

SEE ALSO: "22 Jump Street" had a huge opening weekend

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Sony Had A Massive Weekend At The Box Office

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think like a man 2

Sony Pictures owned the box office this weekend with the two top movies. 

Kevin Hart's "Think Like A Man Too" may not have made as big a splash as expected; however, the film still topped the weekend making $30 million. 

That's slightly less than the first film. "Think Like A Man" brought in $33.6 million when it debuted in 2012.

Still, the movie helps continue Hart's hot streak at theaters. His previous two releases this year, "About Last Night" and "Ride Along," have both debuted above $25 million.

The studio's other big sequel, "22 Jump Street," had such a strong second weekend with $29 million that it nearly took the top spot away from Hart's film.

The Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill buddy-cop sequel has now made more than $149 million at theaters in two weeks. 

It's great news for Sony. Last summer, the studio was hurting after a bunch of its big films, "After Earth,""White House Down,""The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones,""The Smurfs 2," and "Elysium," all underperformed.

Those performances led to the studio announcing a reduction in the number of films put out by Sony after the company posted an operating loss of $181 million in its Q2. Sony said moving forward they would put out an estimated 18 movies, down from its typical 23 per year.

SEE ALSO: The most expensive movies ever made

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How Mark Wahlberg Went From High-School Dropout To Hollywood's Top Tough Guy

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Mark Wahlberg

Not many actors can say they've been a rapper, underwear model, producer, and ex-con, but then again not many actors are Mark Wahlberg.

Born in Boston, Wahlberg has made a name for himself as one of Hollywood's top actors, but he has also gone on to be one of the industry's best businessmen.

Starring in the upcoming "Transformers: Age of Extinction," Wahlberg continues to transform himself into an even bigger star.

See how he became Hollywood's top tough guy.

The youngest of nine children, Wahlberg was born on June 5, 1971 in Dorchester, Massachusetts — a blue-collar neighborhood in Boston.

Source: Biography



Wahlberg eventually dropped out of school at 13 and turned to a life of selling drugs and stealing cars. At 17, Wahlberg went through one of the darkest times in his life when he was arrested for assault. He served a 45-day sentence at one of the worst prisons in Boston.

Source: 60 Minutes



During this time, faith played huge part in Wahlberg's life and still does today. The actor attends church twice every Sunday and is a devout Irish Catholic. "It’s the most important part of my life," Wahlberg has said. "I don’t try to push it on anybody, and I don’t try to hide it."

Source: The Huffington Post



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The Chinese Version Of Pixar Raised $20M While Making Its First 3D Movie

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Light Chaser Animation ChinaLight Chaser Animation Studios, a Beijing-based developer of animated films, raised $20 million in a Series B investment round led by GGV Capital and Chengwei Capital while working on its first 3D feature.

Other investors in the round include Hillhouse Capital and IDG, which provided Light Chaser’s Series A funding. China Renaissance was the financial advisor for the investment.

“Light Chaser is still an early stage venture. We much appreciate the attention and support from all of our friends,” Gary Wang, the founder of Light Chaser, said in a June 20 statement on the funding. “We aim to create highest quality works that are truly original and would fuse both art and technology.”

Wang previously founded Tudou.com, which is the Chinese version of Youtube. Tudou launched in 2005 and within two years had more than 55 million video views per day. In March 2013, Wang founded Light Chaser to create animated films that show Chinese culture and already it has attracted talent from around the world. The company is working on its first 3D animated feature film called Little Door Spirits, which it intends to complete by July 2015 with a $12 million budget.

The Chinese Pixar

Sha Ye, managing director at Chengwei Capital, read Little Door Spirits’ script and saw the full story reel and said, “the film tells a novel and interesting story. You will laugh and you will be touched. I will definitely bring my kids to see this film in cinema. Light Chaser’s second film project has also been started. It’s a different style from the first one, and yet equally enthralling. We are really looking forward to them.”

Light Chaser’s first short film is called “Little Yeyos,” which means “Little Night Wanderers.” It is a three and a half minute video of several winged children fighting over a pin that reflects light.

“The movie market in China is booming, and certainly there is a very significant growth space for Chinese animated feature films,” Jixun Foo, managing partner at GGV Capital, said in the statement. “We are impressed by the vision and execution capability of Light Chaser. Within a very short period of time, they have built up an excellent team and a world-class animation production pipeline. It’s very exciting that Light Chaser’s animation and CG capabilities are already at a level close to Hollywood.”

SEE ALSO: Pixar's Next Movie 'Inside Out' Is About The Inner-Workings Of The Brain

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It Wasn't Just You — 'The Fault In Our Stars' Cast And Crew Cried While Making The Movie

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the fault in our stars john green

It wasn't just audiences who were reduced to puddles of tears while watching teen phenomenon "The Fault in our Stars." 

An adaptation of the 2012 best-selling novel of the same name, we caught up with author John Green recently who told us there were a lot of tears shed on set, too.

"I cried every day," Green told Business Insider. "Most people cried much less than I did. I'm a bit of a crier generally. But yeah, certainly there were times when everyone in the room was crying."

The film follows the relationship of two teenagers, Hazel Grace Lancaster and Augustus Waters, who are diagnosed with cancer.

While it's definitely recommended to have a box of tissues on hand while watching, Green said not all of the tears on set were for sad moments in the film.  

When the book was picked up by 20th Century Fox to be made into a movie shortly after its release in 2012, the author was there every step of the way to make sure his novel was captured correctly on screen.

"I was just so grateful to all the people who made it. I felt absolutely overwhelmed with gratitude toward the cast and crew and I was crying throughout watching the movie," said Green. "Crying because part of me was relieved, partly because I was overjoyed, [and] partly because I was sad."

"You know, I was worried that I would feel sad that it was over but instead I just felt so grateful to them for finding a way to honor the story," Green added.

SEE ALSO: The miracle cancer drug in "The Fault in our Stars" doesn't really exist.

SEE ALSO: Why "The Fault in our Stars" author wrote a fictional book about cancer

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6 Huge Hints The President Of Marvel Dropped About Their Next Phase Of Films

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thor captain america avengers

This week, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige was on hand at the CineEurope conference in Barcelona, and he brought a lot of goodies along with him.

In addition to a reel of footage showcasing Guardians Of The Galaxy, he had some updates on six different areas of the empire that were in production. On any other day, this would be played off as a standard advertising tactic, but this is Marvel Studios we're talking about here. This is the studio who hit a massive bump in the road with Edgar Wright's departure from Ant-Man and made a lot of digital ink with critics and analysts wondering if Marvel's salad days had wilted away. 

Make no mistake about it, Kevin Feige knew that this presentation needed to be nothing short of marvelous in order to restore a degree of confidence to the public. Comic readers and moviegoers alike have been scratching their heads over the fate of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Feige tried to assure fans that all is well in their universe, despite some unwanted shake ups. Did he succeed or did he just dig himself a deeper hole? Well, you'll be able to judge for yourself, as we jump into six focus points the Marvel Studios bigwig hit upon in his speech. 

1. Ant Man Is Still A Mess, But Making Progress

ant man With Peyton Reed and Adam McKay taking over the Ant-Man project after Edgar Wright's unfortunate departure, the public opinion on the project has been less than stellar. For a good long while, Marvel Studios seemed to have avoided conflicts of interest between itself and its creative artists, but with this incident currently in focus any movement is questioned with a heavy amount of scrutiny. Thankfully, Kevin Feige remarked on the current state of the project, and the status update is more hopeful than we'd thought, particularly with this remark about how much work Adam McKay would have ahead of him: 

Adam McKay, a very good writer, is reworking parts of the script - not the entirety of the script, but some of it - and it's going to, we believe, come to life in the best version of Ant-Man that we could possibly make.

While using Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish's script as the foundation for Ant-Man might seem like a slap in the face to some, it's as good of a tribute to the long and hard road that Wright walked for so many years in trying to bring the project to the screen. With new details coming at a regular interval and the cast still in tact (despite their disappointment that they won't get to work with the British funster), Ant-Man does seem like it'll make its release date without a hitch. Provided no one else decides to quit, that is. While Ant-Man is the current face of Phase 3, Doctor Strange is the character that could be the next Iron Man of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

2. We'll Probably Know Who's Playing Doctor Strange By August

Doctor StrangeThe next Phase 3 film to swing into high gear is that of the master of the mystic arts, Doctor Strange himself. With the recent news of director Scott Derrickson signing on, the project is finding its legs so to speak. With Kevin Feige expressing the importance of telling stories from the supernatural side of Marvel comics, he gave this update on just where the film is heading at this very moment: 

We're about to hire a writer to redo a draft, and we think we'll be casting probably in the next month or two, and announcing an actor, and then we get into production in the spring of next year."

Considering Tom Hardy and Benedict Cumberbatch are the latest names to swirl around the casting pool, it wouldn't be a surprise if Feige announced one of the two of them being the human form of Steven Strange. Of course, seeing as this is nothing more than rumor and speculation, Marvel and Derrickson could always throw a curveball and cast a complete unknown/low recognition actor in the role. After all, it worked for Chris Hemsworth and he's not Thor about it. A lot of goodwill and fence mending is going on at the Marvel Studios camp, especially with one remark Mr. Feige made in reference to the Sony and Fox contingents of the Marvel dynasty. More on that in a bit, but first, a Guardians of the Galaxy update! 

3. Guardians Of The Galaxy Is Definitely Franchise Bait

peter quill guardians of the galaxyWe all know The Avengers can't go on forever, and even if it does, there's still the matter of certain areas of Marvel's comic canon that are inaccessible through the relatively grounded approach of that series and its heroes. Naturally, Guardians Of The Galaxy is Marvel's gateway to the stars, and Kevin Feige told the audience that should this film succeed, there's plenty more where that came from. However, he did stipulate that good news with the following: 

There are definitely places we can take it and we have ideas of where we'd like to go with it, but really all the energy goes into the first movie first. "

While this is a money making enterprise, it's good to know that Feige and Marvel Studios aren't rushing to print money off of the back of Guardians Of The Galaxy just yet. While they do seem optimistic about certain characters breaking out into their own films, they've been stung with set backs before (The Incredible Hulk, anyone?) and know the value of playing the wait and see game. Of course, Guardians Of The Galaxy also opens the door wide open for the proper entrance of a character that's been teased so frequently in the past couple of years: Thanos. 

4. Thanos And The Infinity Gauntlet Are An Avengers End Game

the infinity gauntlet

It's been assumed ever since his appearance in the mid-credit tag for The Avengers that Thanos would be a big bad for Earth's mightiest heroes to eventually square off against. With the Tesseract's first appearance and the Aether popping up in Thor: The Dark World, fans quickly put together the pieces and surmised that a future installment of The Avengers would deal with the completion of the Infinity Gauntlet. While we didn't get a confirmation on his ultimate goal, Kevin Feige had this to say about what Thano's role would be in Guardians Of The Galaxy and beyond: 

We see him again in this movie [Guardians], we learn a little bit more about him in this movie, and he - and his band of followers - is the biggest piece of connective tissue that will eventually lead us back into Avengers films in the future."

With the announcement that Josh Brolin would be stepping into the role of the power hungry tyrant who has a thing for death, Feige and Marvel Studios pretty much started setting up their throughline towards whichever future Avengers flick will deal with Thanos' end game. Odds are, this might be our Phase 3 swan song, though we do know that Guardians Of The Galaxy will definitely feed into The Avengers 3. To what extent we'll see Thanos wrecking havoc and when we'll be seeing it is at this moment, unforeseen. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is, after all, never short on possible villains – especially when the Netflix/ABC shows will be feeding into the pool as well. 

5. The Netflix Universe Will Presumably Connect To The Films

Daredevil cover2014 was the year that Marvel Studios showed that you can have your cake and eat it too as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Captain America: The Winter Solider overlapped with the most ambitious story in the history of both properties: the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. With both the film and the television show feeding into each others' stories, Marvel Studios showed that it's possible to make a television franchise work with a film universe. But can the Netflix shows enjoy the same connection? Feige thinks that not only is it possible, it's also a natural fit: 

The most important thing for us with each film is that each film works independently and stands alone as a great movie, and then the fun part is it connecting to the other world; I think the TV group is doing the exact same thing with each series."

Considering the Daredevil series has already casted actors like Vincent D'Onofrio and Rosario Dawson to its roster, the ambitions to cross pollinate the Netflix shows with the film universe (and even possibly the ABC shows) are on the table. It seems like the days of casting two different actors to play the same character through TV and Film are almost a thing of the past, which is great for continuity and promotion.

6. Crossovers Aren't Off The Table (Just Really Difficult To Negotiate)

The Amazing Spider-Man The rift between Marvel StudiosSony, and 20th Century Fox has always been a bit of a source of conflict between the three houses. However, if Kevin Feige had his way, he'd have the entirety of the Marvel canon under one umbrella, or at the very least able to cooperate enough that a crossover event would be possible without any hitches or glitches. While Feige acknowledges that Sony and Fox are doing varying degrees of well with their individual properties, thus making a wholesale buyout of the characters pretty improbable, he offered this quote about the future of the entire Marvel canon: 

 I wouldn't say anything's impossible, I've been at Marvel for almost 14 years now, and it's a very different company today than when it was a near bankrupt company just trying to get a foothold in movies when I started. So I always say nothing is impossible but I'm not sure that's going to happen any time soon."

Kevin Feige isn't a dumb man. While he's had a couple falling outs and missteps here and there, business ultimately breeds such things as an unfortunate side effect of pursuing a singular vision and making the bottom line a profitable one. To anyone that has any doubts on just how strong Marvel's pull is, this is going to be the one area to watch for future development. He's just offered an olive branch to the outer Marvel cinematic universe, and he's shown that he's willing to play ball to please the fans. What type of terms, conditions, and other legal hells will it require to get to that point? We don't know just yet, but considering he's willing to sit at the table with Sony and Marvel to make something work, and in the name of the company as well as the fans, it seems at least somewhat doable. Feige is making some big moves towards solidifying the universe at large and bringing even more excitement to the Marvel Universe in the (hopefully) near future. 

SEE ALSO: A Few Of Marvel's Future Projects May Be In Trouble

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15 Easter Eggs In 'The LEGO Movie'

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batman winking the lego movie

"The LEGO Movie" has been one of the highest-grossing movies of the year.

The surprise hit from directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord has taken in $467 million worldwide.

The animated picture came out on DVD and Blu-Ray last week. First, if you haven't seen the movie, you should check it out. If you have seen it, you've probably missed a lot of references or cameos by actors.

We watched the DVD commentary for the film over the weekend where the directors revealed a lot of Easter Eggs you may not have noticed the first time around.

Here are the ones they mentioned along with a few we've picked up on while watching.

Let's start with an easy one.

1. President Business' horns are made out of coffee cups.

His entire wardrobe is a play off of his business persona. His cape is a tie.president business coffee cups

2.Spot the non-Lego

You can see a ruler stand in for a bridge in the opening scene.

lego movie ruler

3. The card in the beginning is a hint at the movie's twist later on.

Early in the film there's a title card that reads, "8½ Years Later." That's the age of Finn, the boy we see later in the movie.

4. Emmet's soap suds are Lego pieces.

The bubbles in the early shower scene are ice cream scoops.the lego movie bubbles

5. Look closely at the posters in Emmet's house.

They're nods to Lord and Miller's previous movie, "21 Jump Street." The directors mention "Macho and the Nerd" is actually the Russian title for the film starring Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill.macho and the nerd lego movie easter egg

6. Octan, the company run by Lord Business in the film, is the fictional gas company from Lego.octan the lego movie

octan legos

7. Batman's license plate reads "BAT2DBONE."

Keep your eyes focused on the back of Batman's ride right before he flies into the sun and you may be able to make out his clever license plate. the lego movie batman license plate

8. There's a pig that explodes into a pile of sausages.

pig the lego moviesausage lego movie

9. Vitruvius' staff is a lollipop stick.vitruvius lego movie

10. A Ninjago ninja makes an appearance in the film. 

The Lego property is getting its own movie will be released next year.ninjago lego movie

11. There are a lot of celebrity cameos.

Shaquille O'Neal actually voices the Shaq Lego.

shaq lego movie

The stars of "21 Jump Street," Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill voice Superman and Green Lantern, respectively. Directors Lord and Miller said they told Hill to be as annoying as possible to Superman's character.superman green lantern lego movie
Dave Franco, who also appeared in "21 Jump Street," and Jack Johnson play construction workers.construction workers lego movie

Cobie Smulders voices Wonder Woman.wonder woman the lego movie

Actual "Star Wars" castmembers Anthony Daniels and Billy Dee Williams reprise their roles as C-3PO and Lando Calrissian. Late-night host Craig Ferguson voiced Han Solo.lego movie star wars

12. Real brick films made by fans are displayed on monitors near the end of the movie.

The videos, from a fan competition to appear in the movie, can be seen on the DVD and Blu-Ray.the lego movie fan films

13. Director Chris Miller made some of the drawings seen in the movie.chris miller drawings lego movie

14. There are Lego versions of Phil Lord and Chris Miller in the end scene of the film. 

We didn't spot them, but the directors said they were put in there unknowingly by animators.

15. You can spot a Catwoman helmet and an Oscar in the end credits.

Both are nods to animation co-director Chris McKay who has been nominated for Primetime Emmys and loves the Batman character.catwoman easter egg lego movie

SEE ALSO: The 30 most expensive movies ever made

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