It’s nice to see that all three original writers are back on board, meaning that the sequel will probably keep the flavor and heart of the first movie.
When initially announced in 2016, the prospect of a spin-off of Jumanji (1995) left a lot of viewers concerned. However, upon release, the quirky all-star movie quickly won over audiences and became the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2017 and 40th-highest-grossing film of all time.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle – or Back to the Jungle?
Now that the sequel has been officially announced – with a set date of December 2019 – fans are wondering how the high school crew will end up back in the game. In previous interviews, the cast members have shared their ideas for possible sequels.
JB: Exactly. Who’s behind the curtain on this game.
Meanwhile, Nick Jonas wants his character to be played by…Christopher Walken? Well, alright. If any franchise could get away with it, it’s the one that cast Jack Black as a popular teenage girl and made it work unironically.
Since the sequel is still unnamed, it’s hard to guess at what it might hold. It’s relevant to note that while Jack Black, Karen Gillan, Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart are all slated to return, Nick Jonas (sadly) has not yet been confirmed. However, if it’s going to enter a pitched battle with the new Star Wars movie in theatres, it’ll have to be good.
What are your thoughts, hopes, and dreams for the sequel to Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle?
Pixar – the studio that loves to make you cry over toys, grandmothers, and 30-second marriage montages.
But this Father’s Day, I ask that you wipe your tears, and instead reach out your arms.
Because Pixar has got some daddy issues.
Here are five moments when Pixar was (not so) silently pleading for a hug.
*Note: Spoilers ahead, and maybe tears, so read at your own risk.
5Finding Nemo
An obvious place to start maybe, but aside from Andy’s missing dad (and no, he’s not dead), Finding Nemo was the first real clue that Pixar had some unresolved feelings.
This one starts out nice and slow, with Marlin’s fish wife and one thousand of his fish babies eaten by a barracuda in the first ten seconds.
So now Marlin is an overprotective shut-in for his one remaining son. Nemo, said son, exhibits a deep desire to see the world and experience life, rather than be the prisoner of his father’s grief.
You know.
A kid’s movie.
4Inside Out
Inside Out was lauded by critics and psychologists for its portrayal of emotional health, especially in regards to how it treated “good” feelings vs. “bad” feelings. Riley, the girl whose mind is the setting of the film, must learn to accept both joy and sadness.
But the source of Riley’s tension can be overlooked. She’s stressed because her family moved from Minnesota to San Francisco, away from her hockey team and normal pizza.
But the emotional conflict that drives her to eventually run away is rooted in the mask she is asked to wear by her mother, on behalf of her father.
Soon after moving into the new house, there is a scene in which Riley lies on the floor of her still-unpacked room. Her mother enters, and they have the following exchange:
Riley: Where’s Dad?
Mom: On the phone. This new venture is keeping him pretty busy. Your dad’s a little stressed — you know, about getting his new company up and running. I guess all I really want to say is: thank you. You know, through all this confusion you’ve stayed… well, you’ve stayed our happy girl! Your dad’s under a lot of pressure. But if you and I can keep smiling, it would be a big help. We can do that for him, right?
That last line is key. Riley feels pressured, both by her mother and watching her parents argue about the moving truck, to put on a smile, even if she doesn’t feel like she can.
Riley has to push down her feelings, suppress the “bad,” in service of her father’s career.
3The Incredibles (1 & 2)
Bob Parr, a.k.a. Mr. Incredible is strong. Really strong.
But maybe not strong enough.
That’s the underlying conflict behind The Incredibles, and what that conflict means changes as the movie develops. Bob isn’t strong enough to retire, or to say no to such a great offer, or to beat Syndrome.
But then, at the climax of the movie, the true source of Bob’s concern is revealed.
Bob: I have to do this alone.
HELEN: What is this to you? Playtime?
BOB: No.
HELEN: So you can be Mr. lncredible again?
BOB: No!
HELEN: Then what? What is it?
BOB: I’m not…
HELEN: Not what?
BOB: I’m not strong enough.
HELEN: Strong enough. And this will make you stronger?
BOB: Yes. No!
HELEN: That’s what this is? Some sort of workout?
BOB: I can’t lose you again! I can’t. Not again. I’m not… strong enough.
Bob has conflated his masculinity, his identity as a superhero, and his very competency as a father with the only thing he knows how to do: be strong. If he’s not strong, then he could lose his family.
He can’t see the truth: the family doesn’t need him to be strong, just present.
14 years later, Incredibles 2 delivers the fantastic news that Bob has overcome his insecurities, the family is fine and all is well in the-
Just kidding.
In the sequel, Bob no longer feels that he has to be strong to keep his family together. But he does exhibit insecurities around his capability to just be the dad his kids need him to be.
Now that Helen is the breadwinner, Bob has to help with the math homework, empathize with his daughter’s personal struggles, and try to understand a baby.
And being strong doesn’t help with any of that. He learns the “new” math, tries to help his daughter (despite her wishes) and finally figures out the baby, but only by sacrificing his health and mental well-being.
Despite Bob’s best efforts, he continues to fail, in his own mind, at being the kind of father that his family needs and deserves.
2The Good Dinosaur
You forgot about The Good Dinosaur, didn’t you? Pixar’s red-headed stepchild, as it were. Or maybe that’s A Bug’s Life? Cars 2?
In any case, The Good Dinosaur laughs at Pixar’s previous daddy problems. Grief-ridden helicoptering? Emotional masking for dad’s happiness? A general sense of incapability? Child’s play.
Because you’ve no doubt forgotten the plot of this one, here’s the gist: Arlo is the runt in a family of dinosaur farmers – that is, dinosaurs that farm – and is very timid. His dad wants him to take on a little more responsibility, and generally grow up a bit, so he tasks him with guarding the farm. Arlo catches a caveboy in a trap but lets him go. Arlo’s dad is disappointed and takes Arlo with him to go find the caveboy in a canyon.
Then Arlo gets scared of the lightning, trips, and falls.
And then his dad dies in a flash flood.
Remember The Lion King, when Mufasa gets run over by wildebeest and Scar’s like “Simba, this your fault” and Simba is like “oh dang you’re right it is.”
It’s just like that, except that there’s no one lying to Arlo, it just straight up is his fault, and he watches his dad die in front him.
All because he wasn’t brave or responsible enough to do his part to help the family.
1Up
Didn’t expect this one, did you? Up is infamous for its beautiful montage scene, depicting Carl and Ellie’s life together, and her subsequent passing.
But less talked about is Russell, the 6-year old Wilderness Explorer, in search of his final “Help the Elderly” badge.
Russell isn’t just trying to get his badge so he can become a Senior Explorer. He’s doing it so his father will give him a second of notice.
RUSSELL: See these? These are my Wilderness Explorer badges. You may notice one is missing. It’s my Assisting the Elderly badge. If I get it I will become a Senior Wilderness Explorer! It’s gonna be great! There’s a big ceremony, and all the dads come, and they pin on our badges…
And later:
CARL: Well, why didn’t you ask your Dad how to build a tent?
RUSSELL: I don’t think he wants to talk about this stuff.
CARL: Why don’t you try him sometime? Maybe he’ll surprise you.
RUSSELL: Well, he’s away a lot. I don’t see him much.
CARL: He’s got to be home sometime.
RUSSELL: Well, I called, but Phyllis told me I bug him too much.
CARL: Phyllis? You call your own mother by her first name?
RUSSELL: Phyllis isn’t my mom.
Carl: Oh.
Russell: But he promised he’d come to my Explorer ceremony to pin on my Assisting the Elderly badge, so he can show me about tents then, right?
Yep. Russell’s parents are divorced, or at least very much not together.
His dad isn’t around very much, and Phyllis, his dad’s new lady friend, isn’t keen on helping Russell build a relationship with his father.
Russell thinks that by getting this final badge, he canget past Phyllis and finally sit and eat ice cream and count cars with his dad again.
So, end of the film, Russell is at his ceremony, and low and behold, who is there to pin his badge?
Not his dad.
In short, if you happen to see a Pixar this Father’s Day, go ahead and give them a hug.
They really need it.
Happy Father’s Day from everyone at Monkey’s Fighting Robots!
If you’re like us then you are impatiently waiting for the exclusive Spider-Man game on Playstation 4 to come out.
Well, not only is Spider-Man going to swing onto our consoles in September, but the character from the game will also officially become part of the Marvel canon in the same month as well.
For a few weeks now, the publisher has been teasing its upcoming event dubbed, Spidergeddon with ‘Spidergeddon is nigh!’ (see image below). Sounds intense, right? You’ll notice that, in the image, a silhouette is missing. Enter the PS4 version of Spidey. It will serve as a follow-up to 2014’s Spider-Verse event, which introduced many exciting new characters, like fan favorites, Spider-Gwen and Silk.
The event takes off with a two-part series in Edge of Spidergeddon, which both solicits revealed new characters in the fold like Spider-Punk and SP//dr.
Spider-Man hits shelves on September 7 via Insomniac Games on the PS4, while Spidergeddon #0 releases on newstands everywhere on September 26. Read more about the upcoming PS4’s Spidey’s appearance in the comics HERE.
This will be a big year for the webslinger, heading into 2019. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse looks incredible and will surely introduce the Miles Morales character to a whole new audience, bringing him front-and-center. While we’re at it, how insanely awesome is it that he is rocking the Air Jordan 1’s in the movie poster?
What do you think will happen during Spidergeddon? Are you digging Spidey’s white emblem? Are we going to lose a fan-favorite during the event? What kind of new characters are you expecting? Lot of questions need answering! Let us know in the comments section below.
Not only does Batgirl have a new creative team, but Barbara Gordon is also coming back to Gotham City, as well as getting a new look.
In September, Sean Gordon Murphy, who designed the new costume, along with new writer Mairghread Scott, will add an a different spin to the character, debuting with Batgirl #27.
“This is supposed to be a version of the costume that she was working on when she still lived with her dad,” Scott explained. “She can’t get out back to Burnside, and this is like the emergency. So the version that she was working on [back in the day] that she had stashed here just in case. It helps us with the story a little bit too, because it’s a little less bright — we wanted her to be more stealthy, and we want her to be able to integrate some more tech with the belt.”
The new costume lets go of the traditional mask, as well as the modern purple-and-yellow scheme that fans are used to. It’s a touch to the classic blue-and-yellow ear of the character, while, as Scott stated, provides more of a tactical advantage as opposed to her prior gear.
The new team takes over the series with issue No. 26 in August, but keep an eye out for Batgirl #27, which will debut Batgirl’s new costume, on September 26.
What do you think of Barb’s new threads? What is your favorite Batgirl costume? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
The adult version of the Losers Club is complete as all seven members are now all grown up for IT: Chapter 2, fresh off the announcement that Bill Skarsgård has signed on to return as Pennywise ‘The Dancing Clown’.
That’s right, the team that championed the nightmarish Pennywise in the 2017 reboot of IT are now their adult versions. So, with that, let’s meet the team that will soon take on Stephen King’s killer clown, which will again be directed by Andy Muschietti.
The ‘Old Spice Commercial Guy‘ has been tasked with serving as the member that stays behind in Derry to keep an eye out for a possible return of Pennywise, Mike Hanlon, who was formerly played by Chosen Jacobs. In the book, he suffers from a drug addiction as a way of coping with his nightmares of the shape-shifting clown.
The not-so-subtle New Kids on the Block fan and Pennywise researcher, Ben Hanscom, is not the bullied version anymore, which was portrayed by Jeremy Ray Taylor in 2017. He grows up to shed his hefty disposition in the book and becomes a successful architect. The ‘H’ carved into his stomach remains, but so does his longtime crush on fellow Loser, Beverly.
Here is your adult version of Stanley Uris (or Wyatt Oleff). This is the most-reluctant character to return to Derry to battle Pennywise, should he return. In the original film, you might remember him getting pulled into the jaws of the killer clown, after being lured into the sewers, face-first.
Fans of the series remember one of Pennywise’s favorite lines, “Eddie!”, in reference to his character, Eddie Kaspbrak. In the first film, he dealt with an overbearing mother that deemed him a hypochondriac, played by Jack Dylan Grazer.
Beverly Marsh, is all grown up. Most know her as ‘Bev’, the girl that the entire Losers Club was infatuated with and the one with an alcoholic father. In 2017, she was played by Sophia Lillis, who confronts her father to join the club and develop a social life outside of an abusive home.
His mutant abilities as Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films won’t help him much as ‘Stuttering’ Bill Denbrough. Inheriting the role from Jaeden Lieberher, he was the leader of the Losers Club and Georgie’s older brother. By book standards, he will have grown to become a successful author.
We couldn’t think of a better casting job than that for Richie ‘Trashmouth’ Tozier, which was done masterfully by Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard in 2017, than this Saturday Night Live alum. The character serves as the comic relief with a potty mouth.
What do you think of this cast? Are you excited for the sequel? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
The latest episode of MY HERO ACADEMIA is both the origin story and the final chapter for All Might.
SPOILERS BELOW
MY HERO ACADEMIA picks up from last week, in the middle of the climactic super-fight. All Might faces off against the villainous All For One, and he doesn’t do great. Throughout the fight, All Might loses more and more of his inherited quirk. All Might is also confronted with the reality that the villain Tomura Shigaraki is the grandson of Nana Shimura, his mentor. Despite his ever-weakening body, All Might conquers One For All, putting the villain away… for now.
“One For All” embodies what the series is all about – the importance of hope. Toshinori (All Might) has to go through the same struggle to succeed despite losing steam that Midoriya has. All Might continues to fight, even as his body is decimated. At the fight’s darkest hour, the world rallies around All Might, including Midoriya, Endeavor, and civilians. It’s through that courage that All Might is able to attack with the all-powerful and incredibly-named “United States of Smash.”
While it’s an incredible win for the heroes, it comes with huge consequences. Technically, this episode was also the death of All Might. While Toshinori succeeds in putting away All For One, it’s clear that he uses all of his strength. That loss is what makes his message to Midoriya so important. Toshinori can no longer hold onto the remains of One For All, now that he has passed the Quirk onto Midoriya. All Might may have won the fight, but if One For All ever escapes (and he most certainly will), All Might cannot help.
This episode bookends both sides of the legendary saga of All Might. “One For All” shows us All Might’s origin, without distracting from the fight. We learn as much about Shimura as we need to feel All Might’s anguish and drive to honor her legacy. Toshinori uses All Might to avenge his mentor, while passing along a warning to his mentee. All Might may be gone, but as evidenced by the cheering crowd, he will never be forgotten.
The second season of Netflix’s wrestling comedy G.L.O.W. capitalizes on the potential of what the first season brought to the ring.
G.L.O.W, the series based on the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling of the 80’s, returns to Netflix on June 29th. When it comes back, viewers will get the same amount of fun and fighting that made season one a hit. However, season two takes everything up a notch, and surpasses the first season on nearly every front.
The central conflict is far stronger than the framework for the previous season. Season one mostly stuck to covering the Ruth-Debbie struggle, and how it affected the creation of G.L.O.W. However, the second season digs more into the power struggles amongst the wrestlers and producers. The go-getter Ruth (Alison Brie), the experienced actress Debbie (Betty Gilpin), and grizzled Sam (Marc Maron) all fight for control of G.L.O.W. The show does a great job jumping between the three, as each creative tries to claim power. It’s a far better arc for the show than Ruth and Debbie fighting over a husband. It’s all about making sure that one of them, and their “vision,” winds up on top.
There are some wonderful side character plot lines as well. The other wrestlers don’t get quite as much exploration as the leads, but some absolutely shine. Tammé Dawson, aka Welfare Queen (Kia Stevens) and Debbie have powerful mirrored storylines about motherhood. Likewise, themes of racism plague several wrestlers, including Welfare Queen and Arthie Premkumar (Sunita Mani). Season two works so well because it feels more and more like a well-rounded ensemble showcase.
This new season is all about show business, and all the problems that come with it. Along with the various characters fighting for power, there are other societal problems that plague the wrestlers. For example, the sexual politics in show business are painstakingly prevalent, and all too reminiscent of today’s landscape. Alison Brie’s Ruth helms the most pivotal and heavy scenes, bringing raw and visceral emotion to the screen. G.L.O.W also tackles racism and sexual identity, much of which is played wonderfully by the slept-on Sunita Mani.
The writing and directing of G.L.O.W. is beautiful across the board. The shots are crisp and the writing is sharp, so all the wrestlers feel like real characters. The season is also fairly consistent across the board, picking up steam with each episode. There is a dud or two along the way, and a few wrestlers who don’t quite get their due. However, the well-polished conflict at the heart of G.L.O.W, and the clear passion infused into the series by everyone involved, makes it a television powerhouse.
Morgan Neville’s Won’t You Be My Neighbor? is an illuminating look at how one man’s convictions were able to shape a generation.
While society was undoubtedly afflicted with any number of issues back when his television career started in 1966, Fred Rogers believed that kindness was always the answer, and most problems resulted in some way from a lack of love. His message was moving, and his impact was profound. Won’t You Be My Neighbor? shows everyone how necessary courage is when showing kindness and the thunderous impact it can have.
What’s fascinating is how simple the sets of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood were and how original their show was in comparison to other children’s television of the day. Won’t You Be My Neighbor? is meticulous in explaining the show’s humble beginnings and how they mirrored Rogers’ faith. It was never about impressing children with a shiny set; it was about the simple yet resonant message he shared. At one point, the iconic television figure had intended to become a minister, but after coming home from seminary and seeing how children were entertained on television, he resolved that society should be using this medium to educate children as well.
Rogers often made a statement with just the simplest of acts. Won’t You Be My Neighbor? dives into one of the more memorable episodes involving Officer Clemmons (François Clemmons). In 1969 during the height of civil rights tension in the south, Rogers wrote an episode where he and Clemmons shared a kiddie pool together and put their feet in to cool off. The visual of both of their feet in the pool is powerful and sent the message, contrary to popular opinion, that two different races can co-exist peacefully.
Neville also spends a great deal of time establishing that our favorite television host wasn’t perfect. Clemmons goes into great detail about how he had a tough time adjusting to the idea that he was a homosexual and Rogers’ role in that process. As the years went on, Rogers became less concerned about his initial beliefs and more about letting him know his worth. Won’t You Be My Neighbor? does not characterize Rogers as being a saint but the film does show that he always strived to improve in all areas every day he was alive.
Neville makes ample use of family members, friends and colleagues from the show to demonstrate how authentic everyone’s favorite neighbor was. Rogers never had a TV persona. What we saw was who he was, and that’s precisely why everyone loved Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Won’t You Be My Neighbor? tells the story of how he once made an appearance at a station in Boston and how the line looped around numerous city blocks just for a chance to meet the man who liked us just the way we were. Rogers’ presence was comforting and his words reassuring.
Public television turned to their most recognizable figure during its harshest moments. When children were hurting themselves pretending to fly like Superman, Rogers did a week on superheroes. Mister Rogers’ Neighboorhood often tackled life-altering events such as death, divorce and even war. PBS also brought him out retirement for a series of PSAs to help others cope with the events of September 11, 2001. Won’t You Be My Neighbor? shows how even in our darkest moments, kindness and love can uplift others.
Neville best crystalized Mr. Rogers by revisiting the last commencement address he gave at Dartmouth University in 2002. Rogers wanted the world to take stock of how kindness has impacted us all and recognize we had the power to affect others positively. He stated:
I’d like to give you all an invisible gift. A gift of a silent minute to think about those who have helped you become who you are today. Some of them may be here right now. Some may be far away. Some, like my astronomy professor, may even be in Heaven. But wherever they are, if they’ve loved you, and encouraged you, and wanted what was best in life for you, they’re right inside your self. And I feel that you deserve quiet time, on this special occasion, to devote some thought to them. So let’s just take a minute, in honor of those that have cared about us all along the way. One silent minute.
Neville immediately asks various luminaries connected to Rogers and the audience who they thought of. For me, it was my mother and father who even during the worst of times managed to guide me with kindness and compassion. Perhaps Rogers’ greatest gift to us all is an appreciation of what once was and what could be if we were kinder to one another. Won’t You Be MyNeighbor? is a gift wrapped in nostalgia with lessons which are timeless.
Paramount has announced that it has pulled the sixth Transformers movie from their schedule, and the studio is already rumored to be eyeing the reboot button. The most recent film in the series, Transformers: The Last Knight, was considered a disappointment despite making $600 million worldwide, and none of the films has ever received a positive Rotten Tomatoes score. However, there is still one more Transformers film on the release schedule, Bumblebee, which hits in December. Four of the Transformers were financial successes — two of them even made over $1 billion worldwide — so the series must have done something right.
I enjoyed the special effects, the action and Peter Cullen saying awesome things in the Michael Bay films. Scenes involving Optimus Prime flying around with a jetpack and fighting a robot dinosaur appealed to my inner 10-year-old. But the films were bogged down by Bay’s juvenile humor which boiled down to sexism, racism and toilet jokes as well as his military fetishism. Old-school fans have been longing for a reboot of the series.
My criteria for a reboot would be as follows:
The films need to appeal to families. So tone down the swearing and sex jokes.
Match the special effects and action of the Bay films.
To that end, here are 10 directors who I believe would be able to reboot the series.
Brad Bird
Director Brad Bird on the set of MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL, from Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions.
Brad Bird is an animator turned live-action director and a veteran of Disney. He is best known for making The Incredibles for Pixar and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. His whole filmography shows he would be a great fit for the Transformers franchise. Whether in animation or live action, Bird can craft an exhilarating action sequence and still gives his films a lot of emotional depth.
With The Incredibles, Bird made a great revisionist take on the superhero genre, as the actions of superheroes have huge consequences. Meanwhile, The Iron Giant was a touching American adaptation of Ted Hughes’ children’s novel of the same name. The Iron Giant was a Spielberg-esque about a boy befriending a giant alien robot, the kind of story we would expect from the start of a new Transformers series.
All of Bird’s films have had a distinct look. The visuals in The Incredibles were influenced by ’60s era Bond films. The Iron Giant was set in the ’50s, and Tomorrowland went for a retro-futurism look. So it would be easy for Bird to honor the ’80s origins of the Transformers franchise and give the reboot an ’80s look.
Bird was considered to direct Star Wars: The Force Awakens but lost out to J.J. Abrams. His last live-action film, Tomorrowland, was a box office disappointment, but making a Transformers rebootcould be part of a deal allowing him to make a dream project afterward like 1906.
James Bobin
Englishman James Bobin is also a Disney veteran, having directed 2011’s The Muppets, its 2014 sequel and Alice Through the Looking Glass (a sequel that was a massive improvement on the Tim Burton original). Bobin films are known for being bright and colorful affairs, and he has mastered making movies that please parents, children and the inner child of many adults. The Muppets was a hilarious film that had many subversive jokes while Bobin got to show off what he could do with special effects with Alice Through the Looking Glass. With Alice Through the LookingGlass, he mandated that the villains should be more sympathetic. So, if he gets to make a Transformers film, he can give some more focus to the Decepticons.
Bobin is currently making the Dora the Explorer moviefor Platinum Dunes, Michael Bay’s production company. If Bay does stay on as a producer for Transformers, Bobin would already have a working relationship with him.
Moreover, Bobin has also been linked to direct that long-rumored Men in Black/Jump Street crossover, a film that sounds like it would be a Jump Street joke. Many film fans hope it would never actually be made, and it is stuck in development hell.
Gareth Edwards
During his short career, Gareth Edwards has made some impressive special effects movies: Monsters, 2014’s Godzilla and, most recently, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Edwards started his career as a visual effects artist and made a splash with his sci-fi road movie Monsters, which was made on a budget of $500,000, and Godzilla was made as a disaster movie.
Even the harshest critic of Bay’s Transformers series would have to concede that the special effects were second to none. The effects in the 2007 film still hold up and should have won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects that year. Whoever takes over the Transformers movie franchise needs to match these high standards, and Edwards would be able to step up.
He has proven that he can handle the action that would be expected from fans, with Rogue One having some fantastic scenes, especially on and around Scarif. Imagine what he could do with the Transformers franchise.
The biggest issue affecting Edwards were issues regarding the Rogue One shoot. The filmunderwent extensive reshoots, which were handled by Tony Gilroy. In addition, Edwards has stepped away from the Godzilla sequel so he can work on smaller projects. However, since the Disney takeover of Lucasfilm, production problems seems to be synonymous with the Star Wars franchise. The Force Awakens had various rewrites. Solo was pretty much reshot by Ron Howard, and Colin Trevorrow left directing duties on Episode IX because of creative differences. A Transformers reboot could be a way for Edwards to bounce back.
Joseph Kosinski
Joseph Kosinski is a director who specialized in effects-laden films, making his debut in 2010 with Tron: Legacy and following it up with the Tom Cruise sci-fi vehicle Oblivion. Regardless ofwhat you think of their storytelling, both Tron: Legacy and Oblivion are fantastic-looking films and the former has one of the best soundtracks, thanks to composers Daft Punk.
In addition to his work in the sci-fi genre, Kosinski made drama Only the Brave based on the real-life story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a crew of firefighters who died during a wildfire in New Mexico. This film captured hard-working American men risking their lives.
Kosinski is currently attached to direct the long-delayed Top Gun sequel. If the producers of the Transformers movies want to keep the military aspects of the Bay iteration, then Kosinski would be able to combine his sci-fi experience with his more grounded films.
Travis Knight
Travis Knight is best known for his work as an animator and producer at Laika. He made his directional debut with the critically acclaimed Kubo and the Two Strings, a wonderful animated dark fantasy film based on Japanese folklore. The film follows a young boy forced on an adventure to save his mother from his powerful grandfather and aunts. In all honesty, it easily matched anything Disney and Pixar could do.
Knight’s follow-up film is Bumblebee, the first spin-off film in the Transformers franchise, and if the reboot rumors are true, this would be the last installment in this version of the series. It may seem weird to suggest a director working one version of a series to also work on a reboot, but it has been done before. Martin Campbell rebooted the Bond series, twice, Bryan Singer produced X-Men: First Class (which was a soft reboot of the X-Men franchise) and James Cameron is currently producing the sixth Terminator movie.
Although we have only seen one trailer for Bumblebee, Knight seems to have an understanding of the franchise. The film looks bright and colorful. Characters look more like the versions in the ’80s animated series, and it is going to be aimed towards kids like the franchise should have been all along. Knight may as well have a clean slate to work with.
Shawn Levy
Canadian director Shawn Levy has had a long career of making films and TV episodes, focusing mainly on comedies. His filmography is a mixed bag. He sadly has films like The Pink Panther remake and The Internship to his name, but there is one entry that acts like a calling card for the Transformers franchise: Real Steel.
On the surface, Real Steel looked like a silly sci-fi film that made some people wonder if Hugh Jackman needed a better agent. But it turned out to be a fun family film with a touching story about a father and son reconnecting because of their work on a fighting robot. Real Steel was basically sci-fi Rocky. With fantastic special effects and action sequences in which the robots remain distinct, the film is exactly what fans would want from a Transformers film.
Levy has also found great success as a producer: his recent credits include the critically acclaimed The Spectacular Now, Arrival — which earned him an Academy Award nomination — and hit Netflix series Stranger Things. Even if Levy doesn’t want to direct, he would be a solid choice to work as a producer.
Justin Lin
Since taking over the Fast & Furious franchise, Justin Lin became one of the most in-demand action directors in Hollywood. He was able to transform the series into one of Universal Studios’ biggest cash cows.
When helming the Fast & Furious movies, Lin managed to bring back stars like Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Michelle Rodriguez and turned the street racing series into a globe-trotting action ride. Lin also introduced Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Luke Evans to the series. But his best feature as a director is his use of practical effects and stunts.
When CGI is used in the Fast & Furious series, it falls on the poor side, but Lin redeemed himself with Star Trek Beyond, matching the effects of the previous movies in the Kelvin timeline. Lin pleased Trekkies who were critical of the J. J. Abrams Star Trek movies, and he could do the same with Transformers fans who were turned off by Bay’s approach.
Lin’s films also share a theme of family and togetherness, and he could bring that to the Transformers franchise as well. The Autobots are a tight-knit group, the last good robots from their dead world, and Lin could counter criticisms of the Bay films that claim the Transformers are supporting characters in their own films. Lin is also able to handle a large cast of characters. So he could give a fair amount of screen time to the Autobots, Decepticons and human factions.
According to IMDB, Lin is rumored or attached to six movies, including two more Fast & Furious movies, a sequel to The Bourne Legacy and Space Jam 2. Yet, considering some of those films have been in development for years, it is safe to say nothing in Lin’s schedule is set in stone.
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
Like Brad Bird, the directing duo of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller has successfully worked on both animated and live-action films, such as the Jump Street series, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and The Lego Movie. With a filmography like that, Lord and Miller has developed a devoted fanbase. They turned a teen drama with a bit of a silly premise into a brilliant satire of the buddy cop genre and, most importantly, turned a film that seemed like a corporate cash-grab into a hilarious and heartfelt film for the whole family.
Under Bay, the Transformers franchise seems to have forgotten who its target audience is: kids. Lord and Miller could manage to do what they did with The Lego Movie to Transformers, making it family entertainment.
The biggest issue affecting Lord and Miller is their experience with the Star Wars franchise. They were originally set to direct Solo: A Star Wars Story but were fired by Kathleen Kennedy due to creative differences. Hopefully, they have learned from this experience and can use it to direct another big-budget studio film.
Jonathan Mostow
Jonathan Mostow is a director with plenty of experience working on movies about robots. So perhaps he could pull off a hattrick and move right into the Transformers franchise. Mostow is best known for making Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. Although the film was met with fairly positive reviews, the audience reaction has been more mixed, since it’s basically a comedy remake of Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Even so, Terminator: Rise of the Machines does have some memorable moments like the truck chase and the fight between the T-800 and the TX.
Mostow’s other robot move is Surrogates, a loose adaptation of a comic book series by John Brancato. It was an underrated sci-fi film that features Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, Rosamund Pike, Ving Rhames and James Cromwell. Set in a world where humans are able to control robot bodies with their minds, the foundations of this society are shaken when people are murdered through their surrogates.
Mostow is also known for making the World War II submarine movie U-571, a film that annoyed British veterans and historians. He also directed an episode of The Last Ship, a show produced by Bay.
Rupert Sanders
Completing this list is English director Rupert Sanders, best known for directing Snow White and the Huntsman and the 2017 Ghost in the Shell. Sanders started his career directing commercials, winning two Golden Lions at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival.
While Sanders’ films have been met with a mixed critical reaction, there is no denying that they are fantastic-looking films. Snow White and the Huntsman is a standard fantasy film mixed with excellent CGI, practical effects and costumes. Ghost in the Shell is nowhere near as bad as some film fans feared it would be, and Sanders was able to recreate the look of the anime, if not the philosophy of the Japanese source material.
Sanders is adept with action and using multiple types of special effects. If he has a good script to work with, Sanders would be able to make a PG-13 film that should be fine for older preteens to see.
It’s been a hell of a week for the so-called DC Extended Universe (a name that is still, to my knowledge, unofficial). While the internet is still reeling about Chris Pine’s confirmed role in the now-titled Wonder Woman 1984, the most impactful news has been that Geoff Johns is stepping down as president and chief creative officer of DC Entertainment. The decision was apparently designed to allow Johns to focus on the film side of things, including writing and producing the long-talked-about Green Lantern Corps. But it’s also indicative of DC Films’ ongoing effort to find a clear path to success.
Rumors and reports about what direction the franchise will take next — especially after the underwhelming box office response to Justice League — have run rampant. Thankfully, it is starting to sound like DC Films, under the leadership of the recently appointed Walter Hamada, is making some critical decisions behind the scenes, according to a recent piece by THR. The Flash film will reportedly be inspired by Back to the Future now (meaning Flashpoint fans might have to wait for that adaptation), and a pair of Joker-centric films, as previously reported, are definitely in the works. Whether this slate — along with the in-production Shazam! and aforementioned Wonder Woman sequel — inspires confidence in fans or not, at least the studio is making some steps forward.
Perhaps the most curious and surprising revelation in the THR story is that the current script for Matt Reeves’ The Batman focuses on a younger version of the Dark Knight, likely precluding the 45-year-old Ben Affleck from donning the cowl in Batman’s first live-action solo film since The Dark Knight Rises. After months (years?) of back and forth regarding whether Affleck would stay in the role, it’s encouraging that we’re beginning to get some sense of where The Batman is headed, including who the main villain might be. Yet, of all the ways Reeves and DC could take the Batman franchise in particular, this doesn’t feel like their best option.
Bear in mind, details at this point remain sketchy. We still don’t know if this “young Batman” angle is meant to serve as a story separate from the main DCEU — like the Todd Phillips-directed, Joaquin Phoenix-starring Joker film — or a Gotham-style prequel following an earlier incarnation of the Bruce Wayne that Affleck has been playing. Still, considering the actor’s reported reticence to return to the role, the former seems far more likely, giving DC and Warner Bros. the opportunity to reboot the character’s future role in the greater DCEU without the need for Flashpoint-level time-travel shenanigans.
The problem here is two-fold. On the one hand, the gruff, Arkham-esque hero Affleck played in both Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League is one of the few aspects of the DCEU that most fans can agree the franchise and director Zack Snyder actually pulled off. Snyder’s approach to the material has proven divisive, to be sure, but scrapping “Batfleck” entirely seems rash and, honestly, foolhardy. DC Films would be better off to keep the character intact and simply recast the role. After all, it’s not like fans won’t accept a new actor in an iconic superhero role.
If Affleck is no longer interested in playing Batman, plenty of other actors of a similar age and build could slip right into the role (Jon Hamm, anyone?), allowing future DCEU entries to continue in its course-correcting without having to muddy the narrative waters. Although Snyder’s films (oh, and Suicide Squad, lest we forget) may not have provided a strong enough foundation for the DCEU, many of the individual characters and performances (Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, Ezra Miller’s The Flash, etc.) they introduced are certainly worth salvaging. That includes the current version of Batman, whether or not Affleck keeps the part. Imagine what a filmmaker like Reeves could bring to it.
The other reason — and perhaps the more important one — that The Batman shouldn’t bother honing in on the early part of the Dark Knight’s crimefighting career is that, well, it’s an angle we’ve already seen recently depicted onscreen. With its heavy influence by Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One, Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins took a similar approach to the character. Although The Batman may not be a straight-up origin story as Begins is, it feels unnecessary to revisit an earlier Batman when the DCEU has to date successfully focused on the opposite. Even The Dark Knight chronicled the first conflict between Batman and the Joker, technically qualifying as a young Batman story itself.
Accordingly, the DCEU would be opening itself up to comparisons between its new take on Batman and Nolan’s beloved trilogy. Considering its struggle to nail down a trajectory, this is probably the worst thing the DCEU can do at this point, as it’s only been six years since Christian Bale bid farewell to Gotham City. Part of what audiences responded to with Affleck’s version was how starkly different it was not only from Nolan/Bale’s Batman but any other that had appeared on the big screen up to that point. Any exploration of a young Batman, especially now coming on the heels of Justice League, will only be setting itself up for unrealistically high expectations, a scenario that the DCEU would be wise to avoid for now. Does anyone seriously have faith in the current DC Films team to deliver a film up to par with The Dark Knight? Anyone?
While the idea of simultaneously exploring multiple versions of really any of these iconic characters isn’t necessarily a bad one, such an approach smacks of audience goodwill that the DCEU simply hasn’t earned yet. The films released so far have varied so wildly in quality and consistency that the company should place its focus on developing a concrete plan long before taking on the ambitious task of a full-on multiverse. Batman has specifically taken on so many forms since his 1939 introduction in the comics, and it’d be fun to see more of the gruff, older Batman many fans have embraced. Something tells me audiences aren’t ready to move on just yet.
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