British actor Callum Turner (Green Room, Victor Frankenstein) is in talks to join the wizarding world as Newt Scamander’s (Eddie Redmayne) brother for the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them sequel.
Theseus Scamander is mentioned in passing in the Fantastic Beasts film. He is Newt’s older brother, and was a hero during World War I. After the war, he became an auror, tasked with tracking down Grindelwald (Johnny Depp).
Not much else is known about the Fantastic Beasts four sequels. Jude Law has recently been cast as a young Albus Dumbledore, who is set to take on Depp’s Grindelwald. The two had an epic duel in 1945, which was mentioned in the Harry Potter series. The Fantastic Beasts series will inevitably lead up to that battle.
David Yates, who directed the final four Harry Potter movies and returned for Fantastic Beasts, is set to return for the next movie.
Eddie Redmayne, who will remain as the prime protagonist throughout the series, recently said that the sequels will keep the “Fantastic Beasts and” portion of the title, with the second part changed for the sequels.
The sequel is already scheduled to hit theaters in November 2018, with the third film planned for November 2020. This probably means we’ll see the fourth Fantastic Beasts in 2022 and the fifth and final movie in 2024.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is an extension of the wizarding world created by J.K. Rowling, set decades before Harry Potter and his adventures in Hogwarts.
What do you think of Callum Turner joining the Wizarding World? Let’s discuss in the comments!
Colossal has the appearance of an odd creature feature but is profound and heartfelt.
Summary
Colossal opens with a scene that appears to be ripped from any number of Japanese monster flicks. We see a little girl in the middle of a park in Seoul, South Korea searching for her lost doll only to be terrorized by a large monster. We quickly jump to 25 years later to see Gloria (Anne Hathaway) stumbling into her boyfriend’s apartment after a long night of drinking. Her boyfriend (Dan Stevens) appears to be at his wit’s end and demands that she leaves. With nowhere to go and without a penny to her name, she departs to New Jersey and heads back to her parents’ vacant home. Moments after arriving in her hometown, Gloria runs into an old classmate of hers named Oscar (Jason Sudeikis). Oscar quickly becomes very focused on her well-being offering her a job and some old furniture for her new home. They start to hit it off and decide to go out drinking one night. Gloria and Oscar end up in a playground nearby which apparently has mystical powers as well. We quickly learn that when they step foot into the playground, an avatar (one of them resembles a robot, the other a “kaiju”) appears in downtown Seoul causing havoc and destruction around. At first, Gloria seems to be having the time of her life, but then she quickly realizes that her actions have severe consequences.
Acting
Anne Hathaway delivers another solid performance as Gloria. While on the surface she comes off as a slacker, in reality, Gloria is ill. She’s using booze and a laissez-faire lifestyle to mask her inner demons, not the least of which is the rage she has bottled up inside. The last good thing she had was her boyfriend, Tim, and when he is gone due to her lifestyle choices, she’s alone.
In many ways, it’s her illness that connects Gloria to Oscar. Jason Sudeikis’s character certainly has his demons to fight. He feels repressed as his life has not amounted to a whole lot. Instead of looking for a way to improve his life, Oscar spends his nights with his good friend Jack Daniels. While Gloria’s rage stems losing everything, Oscar’s stems from not amounting to anything. Even though Oscar certainly has feelings for Gloria, part of him can’t even stand her. Sudeikis embodies all of these things and manages to take his “good guy” image and smash into a cold hearted mix of rage and regret. Seeing this transformation was certainly the highlight of the film for me and the best role of Sudeikis’s acting career.
Writing/Direction
Writer/Director Nacho Vigalondo crafted a narrative that is incredibly balanced between absurdity and poignancy. Every scene that we have of Gloria trying to have some fun with her monstrous avatar includes real moments of reflection. For Gloria and Oscar, reality has always been a difficult thing to navigate. The arc of the story has moments of pure hilarity mixed in with sprinkles of awkwardness. At times you’ll feel uncomfortable, but overall it’s a satisfying story.
What stood out was how Viglondo was able to switch between such an intimate film to one where we are witness to large scale destruction. It would have been an error had he decided to stick with one type of film or the other. Colossal is a movie focused on how people cope with their inner “monsters” but seeing the impact of those demons was indeed crucial.
Overall
Colossal will certainly go down as one of the bigger surprises in 2017. What appeared to be a light-hearted creature feature ended up being about the demons we all face. While this film won’t get much of a run at the box-office while The Fate of the Furious is on the majority of screens; that doesn’t mean it should be ignored. These types of films deserve our support and should be on your radar this weekend.
It’s 1947. The second world-war is over but the cold war is just beginning. Critics rave about David Lean’s film adaptation of Great Expectations. Or, for the more lighthearted movie-goer, Miracle on 34th Street and Friz Freleng’s animated Rabbit Transit also hit the big screens.
In the world of comics, things were changing. The distant moans and groans of the emerging horror genre could be heard with the publication of Avon Periodicals’ Eerie #1. Timely Comics cancelled their All-Winners title with issue #21. Timely’s rival National/DC cancelled their More Fun Comics title with issue #127. And, in a sad turn of events, Wonder Woman’s creator, William Moulton Marston, died. He was only 53. But, just as this pioneer of super-heroines died, a new super-heroine, the brainchild of Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino, was on her way. She didn’t carry a magical lasso. Instead, she was a martial arts expert who looked great in a blonde wig.
Golden Age Black Canary – A Thundering Origin
“Hey, Thunderbolt, can you just come whenever I’m in trouble rather than whenever I accidentally say something?”
Proving that behind every good woman is a goofy jackass, the Black Canary, AKA Dina Drake, started out as a supporting character in Johnny Thunder’s monthly stories in Flash Comics. For those unfamiliar with Golden Age Johnny Thunder, Johnny is an exceptionally lucky, if clumsy, guy who can summon a genie-esque, sentient thunderbolt whenever Johnny says the words “say you.” If you’re wondering, yes, Johnny Thunder comics are about as good as they sound. Luckily, though, the Black Canary ditched Mr. Thunder for her own monthly title by 1948 and never looked back.
Instead of the hackneyed Johnny Thunder tailing after her, with Flash Comics #92 and the first solo appearance of Black Canary, readers meet Larry Lance. Lance is a down-on-his-luck private eye who works out of Dinah Drake’s flower shop to save money on rent. And, though he works with Black Canary on every single case, he doesn’t figure out that Dinah and Black Canary are the same woman … some private eye.
Golden Age Black Canary – Feminist in Fishnets
One interesting element that came out of having Black Canary start out as a supporting character to Johnny Thunder was the power dynamic that her relationships with men presented. Rather than the chauvinistic, if traditional, story of a beautiful woman acting as either an object of passion for the male lead (Betty Dean, Rathia, Betsy Ross) or as his charming but generally brainless assistant (Namora, Lady Dorma, Betsy Ross), the old power dynamic is turned on its head. Instead, Black Canary is the able-bodied and brilliant investigator. Her male counterparts are just window dressing or unwitting victims of her enemies.
It’s also worth noting that rather than having special powers, the Golden Age Black Canary just beats guys up. Much like Golden Girl (Betsy Ross’s super-pseudonym), she just knows how to kick butt, but unlike Golden Girl she has no bulletproof clothing.
Golden Age Black Canary – Split Personality
More than some of her contemporaries, the Golden Age Black Canary’s superheroine persona seems rooted in a desire to escape from her official identity as Dinah Drake. Unlike other super-folk, Batman for one, the Black Canary isn’t on a crusade against crime. Instead, she seems to get a thrill out of her super-job. That her crime-fighting garb consists of a blonde wig, leather jacket, black bathing suit, fishnets, and utility choker (not belt) definitely supports this notion. And, though these costume elements are the result of springing from a generally chauvinistic medium (Golden Age comics), Dinah Drake’s transformation into the Black Canary reads as a sloughing off of patriarchy in favor of her own sense of unbridled sensuality.
Instead of donning a suit of armour and doing battle with the night, Black Canary seems as if she’s connecting with a secret and sensual part of herself every time she dons her fishnets. Dinah Drake’s tightly wound black bun is replaced by a flowing blonde shoulder-length wig and her all-business personality as a semi-successful florist makes way for that of a kickass martial arts expert freed by the night, or the wig — it’s hard to say.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 looks like it will have even better visuals than the first movie! A bunch of new images from the Marvel sequel were revealed in Entertainment Weekly’s Summer Movie Preview, and tease a beautiful looking planet, as well as the new line-up of Guardians all, assembled together.
“Set to the backdrop of ‘Awesome Mixtape #2,’ Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.”
‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2’ stars Chris Pratt as Star-Lord/Peter Quill, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket Raccoon, Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot, Michael Rooker as Yondu, Kurt Russel as Ego The Living Planet, Karen Gillian as Nebula, Dave Bautista as Drax, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Sean Gunn as Kraglin, and Sylvester Stallone in a currently unknown role. The film is directed by James Gunn.
Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi attended the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 premiere and took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s next film.
Turning up to the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 premiere and it looks like the Taikapaths are out in full force! Love my fans!!! pic.twitter.com/kfU1OkNqPa
“G.o.t.Galaxy v2 is sick! @JamesGunn has made abeautiful, fun, crazy, and emotional film.”
Are you looking forward to GotG Vol. 2? Why or why not? Be sure to sound off in the comments below.
“Set to the backdrop of ‘Awesome Mixtape #2,’ Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.”
GotG Vol. 2 stars Chris Pratt as Star-Lord/Peter Quill, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket Raccoon, Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot, Michael Rooker as Yondu, Kurt Russel as Ego The Living Planet, Karen Gillian as Nebula, Dave Bautista as Drax, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Sean Gunn as Kraglin, and Sylvester Stallone in a currently unknown role. The film is directed by James Gunn and hits theaters on May 5.
Waititi’s installment in the MCU, Thor: Ragnarok, hits theaters on November 3.
The release of Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur reboot is getting closer, and Entertainment Weekly just dropped an awesome new image. The new still shows Hunnam’s destined King, alongside Astrid Bergès-Frisbey’s Mage and of course, his iconic sword Excalibur.
Check out the image below!
EW also revealed an interview with Charlie Hunnam, who discussed his experience making the movie and working with director Guy Ritchie.
“It was challenging, to begin with because there was an uncertainty about the tone. Guy’s [initial] intention was to make something that was outside of his wheelhouse, and make a more classic, straightforward, and somewhat somber film — which is obviously not what we ended up with.”
When young Arthur’s father is murdered, Vortigern (Jude Law), Arthur’s uncle, seizes the crown. Robbed of his birthright and with no idea who he truly is, Arthur (Charlie Hunnam) comes up the hard way in the back alleys of the city. But once he pulls the sword from the stone, his life is turned upside down, and he is forced to acknowledge his true legacy whether he likes it or not.
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is directed by Guy Ritchie and stars Charlie Hunnam, Jude Law, Annabelle Wallis, Eric Bana, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Hermione Corfield, Katie McGrath, Millie Brady, Djimon Hounsou, Aidan Gillen, Georgina Campbell, Poppy Delevingne, Mikael Persbrandt, and Peter Ferdinando.
This scene is shaping up to be a pretty iconic one for Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman! Entertainment Weekly has released a new piece of Wonder Woman concept art, showing Diana stepping from the trenches into battle. The artwork clearly reveals the moment that we’ve seen in each of the trailers, in which Gadot’s superhero leaves the trenches and dodges enemy fire, creating what is already an iconic scene for the character.
Wonder Woman’ hits movie theaters around the world next summer when Gal Gadot returns as the title character in the epic action adventure from director Patty Jenkins. Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when an American pilot crashes on their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat. Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers…and her true destiny.”
Wonder Woman stars Gal Gadot as the title character, Chris Pine, Robin Wright as Antiope, David Thewlis, Danny Huston, Elena Anaya, Connie Nielsen, Ewen Bremner, and Lucy Davis.
Earlier this week Marvel Studios revealed the official set list for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2, and ever since fans have wondered about one song in particular. The list revealed a track titled Guardians Inferno performed by David Hasselhoff and director James Gunn’s band The Sneepers. Luckily we don’t need to wait any longer as the song has just been officially released, and it’s just as hilarious, beautiful and retro as you’d expect from a Guardians of the Galaxy rap, performed by The Hoff.
Listen To Guardians Inferno In The Player Above & Check Out The Full Set List Below!
Set to the backdrop of ‘Awesome Mixtape #2,’ Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 stars Chris Pratt as Star-Lord/Peter Quill, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket Raccoon, Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot, Michael Rooker as Yondu, Kurt Russel as Ego The Living Planet, Karen Gillian as Nebula, Dave Bautista as Drax, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Sean Gunn as Kraglin, and Sylvester Stallone in a currently unknown role. The film is directed by James Gunn.
“I will say there’s some characters that are great, and I have talked to Kathleen Kennedy and John Knoll about ideas,” he says.
A few years ago, del Toro spoke of a film on Jabba the Hutt. His angle would be “the rags to riches” approach of Tatooine’s crime lord.
“I would do the sort of Godfather saga the Jabba the Hutt had to go through to gain control,” he says. “One, because it’s the character that looks the most like me, and I like him. I love the idea of a Hutt type of mafia, a very complex coup, you know? I just love the character.”
Normally, del Toro doesn’t like talking about such things, because he doesn’t want people speculating on what movies he’s making. Whenever he mentions a possible project, the media tends to jump on the news and treat it as gospel.
“Every time I say ‘good morning’ somebody says, ‘Guillermo is doing ‘Good Morning!’, so I will not comment on this,” he jokes. “I look like a kook.”
Whether or not a Jabba film is in the works, it would be a great addition to the Star Wars Universe. Disney and Lucasfilm would be wise to consider del Toro’s pitch.
Michaela Coel, star of the Netflix series Chewing Gum is the latest front runner to replace Peter Capaldi as the adventurous Time Lord on Doctor Who. Thank you, Nerdist, for reporting the news and giving us a wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey headache.
Earlier this week, Monkeys Fighting Robots reported that Kris Marshall had been cast as the 13th Doctor, having already begun filming. While Marshall may have a role in the final series for Capaldi and Steven Moffat, it might not be as the next Doctor.
If this news is true, however, Coel would not only be the first female Doctor, she would be the first Doctor of color as well. Coel recently had a breakout role as the star, writer, and producer of the Chewing Gum, which is currently streaming on Netflix.
Time Lords and Time Ladies can swap genders and races. In the sixth series, Melody Pond’s “Mels” transformed into River Song. Last series we saw a Time Lord general go from a white male to a black female. And, of course, there’s also the Master, who regenerated into Missy.
As of now, BBC have said officially that no casting for series 11 has taken place.
It is difficult to not speculate and gravitate towards any news regarding who next pilot the TARDIS. However, we should all appreciate Peter Capaldi’s performance as the Doctor, and see how his final adventure unfolds.
Regardless of who the next Doctor is – be them young or old, white or of color, male or female – the casting should be more about what the actor can bring to the table as the Time Lord. Can they portray those common character elements that make the Doctor the Doctor, while bringing their own flair? That is what matters most.
What do you think about Michaela Coel potentially taking on the role of the Doctor? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!
