James McAvoy Would Play The Riddler For DC

James McAvoy Would Play The Riddler For DC

It's no secret that superhero movies are everywhere. The comic book genre has proved the most profitable and popular genre in the industry, so plenty of studios and filmmakers are trying to get in on the fun. With multiple cinematic universes battling for box office supremacy, a ton of talented actors have adapted iconic characters from the page to the screen. In fact, actors like Josh Brolin, Peter Dinklage, Chris Evans, and Ryan Reynolds have played multiple comic book characters in their careers.

James McAvoy has put in the hours himself, playing Professor X for the last four X-Men movies. But with that franchise's future unclear in the wake of the Disney and Fox merger, the time might come for him to hop onto another comic book franchise. When asked who he might like to play on the DC side of things, he recently revealed he was interesting in Batman's Edward Nygma aka The Riddler. McAvoy said:

The Riddler, maybe. Always liked him when I was growing up. I’ve always thought DC does really good bad guys.

Do you hear that noise? It's the sound of countless comic book fans cheering in joy. The Riddler hasn't been on the big screen since 1995's Batman Forever, as Jim Carrey played the character with ample supplies of campy energy-- fitting perfectly in with Joel Schumacher's vision for the franchise.

James McAvoy's comments come from his recent Instagram Live video, which was captured and immortalized on Twitter. While he didn't broach the subject of a DC role by himself, he did reveal which character he would like to inhabit, if given the choice. That was none other than the genius Batman villain The Riddler. He also acknowledged that DC knows what it's doing in regards to villains.

Now might be the perfect time to bring The Riddler to the DCEU, as Gotham City looks like it'll become a more important setting in the shared universe. Birds Of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) will feature plenty of Gotham City denizens, and Matt Reeves is also developing his movie, The Batman. The latter will reportedly feature Batman's rogues gallery, so could that include The Riddler?

The Riddler hasn't been seen on the big screen since back Jim Carrey portrayed him in Batman Forever. Joel Schumacher took over the Batman franchise from Tim Burton, and made it more colorful and kid friendly. As such, Carrey primarily flexed his comedic muscles for his version of Edward Nygma, sharing an over the top dynamic with Tommy Lee Jones' Two-Face.

On the small screen, The Riddler is a major character in The CW's Gotham. Played by Cory Michael Smith, fans tuned in every week to see him go from GCPD employee to super villain, as well as his complicated relationship with The Penguin. But with Gotham coming to a close this season, the timing also works out to possibly bring a new version of the character to audiences.

James McAvoy will play Professor X once more when Dark Phoenix arrives in theaters on June 7th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip tot he movies.

Toy Story 4: The Late Don Rickles To Still Voice Mr. Potato Head

Toy Story 4: The Late Don Rickles To Still Voice Mr. Potato Head

Disney has always been known for its animated blockbusters, as the behemoth studio continues producing tear inducing adventures for the big screen. There are a number of highly anticipated sequels coming down the pipeline, including Frozen 2 and Toy Story 4. The latter will catch audiences up with Andy's toys, as they continue life under the care of Bonnie. The entire cast is set to reprise their roles, including Annie Potts returning as Bo Peep. But there was a big question regarding the role of Mr. Potato Head, played by the late Don Rickles.

Legendary comic Don Rickles passed away in April of 2017 of kidney failure, and it was a loss felt by his generations of fans and the comedy community. And since he didn't record his dialogue before dying, it was unclear whether or not he would reprise his role in Toy Story 4, of if Disney was going to have to recast. But director Josh Cooley calmed those fears on social media, updating the fandom with:

Now this is exciting. Despite his death, Don Rickles will still be joining the rest of the Toy Story cast for the highly anticipated sequel. Of course, some moviegoers may be wondering how they managed to work the comic into the film.

Josh Cooley's tweet is sure to make the generations of Toy Story fans very happy. Mr. Potato Head has been a scene stealer since the original 1995 classic, and it just wouldn't be the same without Don Rickles' iconic performance as the disgruntled spud. Potato Head adds a level of cynicism to the group dynamic, even if it's sometimes at Woody's expense. What's more, his family unit with Mrs. Potato Head and the claw aliens is always the source of laughs.

Regarding how Don Rickles will be brought back for Toy Story 4, director Josh Cooley didn't offer any specifics. Rickles' name wasn't included in the original cast list, so perhaps Pixar only recently landed on the plan of action to include him as Potato Head. Smart money says the project will use archived footage from the first three films, and therefore allow Rickles' inclusion in the project. Considering this is being done in live-action for Carrie Fisher in Star Wars Episode IX, the animated version of using unused audio seems far more easy.

Toy Story 4 is going to break new ground for the franchise, bringing the iconic group of toys on a road trip with Bonnie's family. This seems to ups the stakes, as it would be easy for one of the group to get left behind. The sequel will also bring back Annie Potts' Bo Peep, who was abandoned by Andy's sister before the events of the threequel. And she's looking decidedly more badass.

The cast has teased big things for Toy Story 4, which will no doubt shatter out hearts just as it did with the last movie. Although it is exciting that Don Rickles' iconic comedy will be present in the upcoming project.

Toy Story 4 will hit theaters on June 21, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

11 Major Ways Avengers: Endgame Has Changed The Marvel Universe Moving Forward

11 Major Ways Avengers: Endgame Has Changed The Marvel Universe Moving Forward

It goes without saying, but there are MAJOR SPOILERS for Avengers: Endgame ahead! You've been warned.

Although each Marvel Cinematic Universe story has helped the franchise move forward, some movies have obviously been more important than others. Avengers: Endgame can definitely count itself among this group, if not outright take the #1 spot, as the final installment of the Infinity Saga shifted the MCU status quo several times over by the time those three hours and two minutes were over.

Needless to say there was a lot to absorb in Avengers: Endgame, but as far as where the movie leaves thing off, here are all the ways it changed the MCU, some of which we can expect to be followed up on in the future.

Black Widow Is Dead

Natasha Romanoff, who’s been in the MCU since Iron Man 2 and was one of the founding Avengers, was the first notable casualty of Avengers: Endgame. She and Hawkeye traveled to Vormir to collect the Soul Stone, and when Red Skull, a.k.a. the Stonekeeper, informed them a soul needed to be exchanged for the orange rock, the longtime friends fought over who would give up their life.

In the end, Black Widow won out, willingly falling from that cliff so that the family she’d become a part of would finally be whole again (meaning that the reports of her upcoming standalone movie being a prequel were true). Her sacrifice wasn’t in vain, as by the end of Avengers: Endgame, all of her loved ones were back together again… well, with one big exception.

Iron Man Is Dead

Tony Stark kicked off the MCU in 2008, and 11 years later, he delivered the killing blow against past Thanos and his forces by sacrificing his life. Although it looked as though the Thanos from 2014 would get the six Infinity Stones and remake the universe from scratch, Tony managed to steal the Stones from Thanos’ gauntlet, insert them into the nanotech gauntlet Hulk used earlier and turn Thanos and his minions to dust.

Sadly, the power of the six Infinity Stones is too much for any normal human to control, and after bidding goodbye to War Machine, Spider-Man and Pepper Potts, Iron Man died. His time in the MCU is over, but his legacy won’t fade away. Tony is also survived by his young daughter Morgan, who could potentially become a more important player in this franchise years from now.

Captain America Is An Old Man

After Tony Stark’s funeral, Captain America volunteered to return the Infinity Stones back to their proper places in time. From the perspective of Hulk, Falcon and Winter Soldier, who supervised Cap’s latest journey through the Quantum Realm, he should only have been gone for several seconds, but he was nowhere to be seen. At least, not as they remembered him.

After fulfilling his task, Steve Rogers decided to use the Pym Particles one last time to travel back to the 1940s, reunite with Peggy Carter and live that happy life Tony had told him to get. Thanks to a combination of good genes and the Super Soldier Serum, the now 106-114-year old Steve was sitting on a bench near where his younger self had departed, and he had one last deed to accomplish.

Falcon Is The New Captain America

Ever since he was introduced in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Sam Wilson, a.k.a. Falcon, has been one of Steve Rogers’ closest allies, so needless to say it was great to see him return alongside everyone else who was un-dusted in Avengers: Endgame’s climax. And while Steve’s superhero journey is finished, Sam’s is turning to a new chapter.

Although Captain America’s shield was destroyed by Thanos in Avengers: Endgame, while he was living in the past, Steve Rogers somehow obtained an undamaged version of his trademark weapon. By giving the shield to Sam, the elderly Steve bestowed the Captain America mantle onto him, and while Sam was initially hesitant to fill his friend’s shoes, he graciously accepted and said he’d do his best. Count on the upcoming Falcon and Winter Soldier series on Disney+ to explore this new status quo further.

Thor Is With The Guardians Of The Galaxy

Avengers: Endgame may have closed the book on Tony Stark and Steve Rogers’ stories, but not Thor’s. The God of Thunder was hit especially hard by half the universe being dusted and spent the next five years in a funk. Fortunately, he was convinced to participate in the Time Heist, and when the climactic battle was over and the un-dusted were back, Thor finally seemed like his old self again. However, even a long-lived Asgardian needs to switch things up.

Rather than continue leading the people of New Asgard in Tønsberg, Norway, Thor appointed someone new to look after the community (more on them later) and he hitched a ride back into the cosmos with the Guardians of the Galaxy. It remains to be seen if Thor will be sticking around with the team for a while or he’s only spending short amount of time with them; if it’s the former, then that bodes well for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

It’s 2023 In The Present Day MCU

As many had speculated, time travel did indeed play a big role in Avengers: Endgame. However, rather than overwrite the events of Avengers: Infinity War entirely, Endgame instead had its heroes bring the Infinity Stones back to the present to return the dusted back to life without rewriting the last five years.

So now as far as the MCU is concerned, the ‘present day’ is 2023, and those who survived the dusting back in 2018 still have all those experiences and memories of the past five years. In other words, they’re not exactly the same as they were as when they lost their loved ones to the Thanos snap. That’ll surely provide an interesting ‘separation’ of sorts between those who lived and those who were dusted. And speaking of the people who returned to life…

The Dusted Are Now Five Years Younger Than Everyone Else

Five years passed for those who survived Thanos’ genocide, but for the people who were resurrected when Hulk channeled the power of the Infinity Stones, no time had passed at all. This was made clear when Spider-Man told Iron Man how it’d just felt like he’d passed out after getting “dusty,” unaware that it’d been half a decade since Tony Stark last saw him.

Peter Parker and those who came back to life now have to life in a universe where half the population did its best to move on. One would think this will be touched upon later this summer in Spider-Man: Far From Home, because even though it’s now 2023, Peter is still in high school with Ned, Flash Thompson and Betty Brant.

An Even Younger Gamora Is Running Around

Gamora met her demise during Avengers: Infinity War when Thanos threw her off a cliff on Vormir to obtain the Soul Stone, and that version of her remains dead. But thanks the Avengers: Endgame’s time travel shenanigans, a younger version of Gamora from the Guardians of the Galaxy era is now in the present day MCU. In other words, she’s nine years younger than she would have been if she’d survived Infinity War and live on into Endgame.

Like her original iteration, the younger Gamora turned to the light and fought against her “father” when push came to shove. However, this Gamora also doesn’t have any connection to the Guardians of the Galaxy, so once the battle was over, she bailed on everyone else. It’s likely then that part of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will see Star-Lord and the gang trying to find Gamora and convince her that she belongs with them.

Valkyrie Is Queen Of New Asgard

Valkyrie made her debut less than two years ago in Thor: Ragnarok and quickly became a fan favorite. She wasn’t anywhere to be seen in Avengers: Infinity War, but it was confirmed earlier this year that she did survive the snap. Sure enough, Valkyrie retuned for Avengers: Endgame alongside Korg and Miek, but unlike those two, she got a promotion at the end of the movie.

With Thor heading back into space following Thanos’ defeat, he appointed Valkyrie the Queen of New Asgard. She’s definitely qualified to lead the Asgardian survivors in the God of Thunder’s absence, but there’s no word yet on if/when we’ll see how she’s doing in this position, whether it’s in Thor 4, a Valkyrie series for Disney+ or elsewhere.

Professor Hulk Is Here To Stay

It’s been said for years that Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame would form a special trilogy for the Hulk, and Endgame finally delivered the resolution that many had expected. After years of Bruce Banner and Hulk fighting for control, the two merged together sometime in the five years after Infinity War. The brawn of the Hulk now lives simultaneous with the mind of Bruce. Welcome, Professor Hulk!

Avengers: Endgame also left the door open for Hulk to return to the MCU down the line, and Mark Ruffalo has at least one movie left on his six-picture deal. As of yet, it hasn’t been announced if/when Hulk will return, but it’d be nice to see more of Professor Hulk down the line in a less explosive story. Just don’t get your hopes up about another solo Hulk movie, as that appears to still be off the table.

Loki Is Still Alive In An Alternate Timeline

Loki was murdered by Thanos at the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War, and as far as the main MCU timeline is concerned, the Asgardian God of Mischief is still dead. In an alternate timeline, however, he’s not only still alive, but on the loose. Some complications arose while Tony Stark was trying to retrieve the Tesseract in 2012, and it led to the freshly-captured Loki seizing the cube-encased Space Stone again and escaping from his captors.

While there is a Loki series confirmed to be airing on Disney+, it’s not clear if this alternate timeline Loki will factor into it. It’s been reported the show will involve Loki influencing various events in human history, so it’d be easy enough to have that function as a straightforward prequel without bringing in the alternate Loki. Still, at least now there’s the option to pluck this other Loki into the main MCU timeline should those in charge want to throw the character properly back into the mix.

Be sure to let us know in the comments which of these Avengers: Endgame changes to the MCU was your favorite, and stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on the future of this superhero franchise. You can learn what movies are already in development with our handy guide.

Universal Studios Hollywood Unveils New Details For Jurassic World: The Ride

Universal Studios Hollywood Unveils New Details For Jurassic World: The Ride

Universal Studios Hollywood opened its Jurassic Park attraction back in 1996. Nearly 25 years is a good long run for an attraction, but the franchise, much like the dinosaurs in the original film, has come back from the dead in recent years thanks to the Jurassic World films. So it was little surprise when we learned last year that Jurassic Park - The Ride was being shut down to make way for a new attraction. Get ready for Jurassic World - The Ride, set to open this summer.

Universal Studios Hollywood today confirmed that Jurassic World - The Ride will open sometime later this summer. No specific date was given but a number of new details about the upcoming refresh to the classic theme park attraction were unveiled. For the most part, those familiar with the classic Jurassic Park ride will likely find the new experience familiar. It will still put guests aboard rafts that will take you through a jungle like environment, inhabited by numerous dinosaurs. However, everything about the specifics of that has been redesigned and re-imagined. Newly created dinosaurs, new scenery and an all new storyline exclusive to the park have been created. The attraction will also boast an all new entrance for the rafts to pass through, including a new Jurassic World logo supported by new stone work pillars topped with flames, just like you see when entering the famous park in the movies. Likely looking something like this...

The new attraction will still sport the major high point of the previous iteration, an 84-foot waterfall drop that will bring guests splashing down to ground level. However, it will be part of an all-new sequence where a Tyrannosaurus Rex goes up against. what's being called one of the attractions "new behemoth dinosaurs." It doesn't say you'll see an Indominous Rex, but it certainly sounds like it.

In addition to the ride itself, the attraction will also include a couple of brand new areas. The Raptor Encounter will allow guests to get face-to-face with Blue and the other raptors from the Jurassic World films. Universal Studios has brought out free roaming "dinosaurs" for guests to interact with in the past and this sounds like a way to add that option permanently to the park. There will also be a Dino Play area that will give kids a chance to hunt for their own dinosaur fossils. Again, this part of the attraction seems to take strong inspiration from a segment of the films.

The new ride was developed by the likes of Industrial Light & Magic as well as franchise producer Steven Spielberg and Frank Marshall as well as director Colin Trevorrow. One certainly has to wonder if some bits of ideas from the upcoming Jurassic World 3 might make their way into the attraction.

The original Jurassic Park ride was a lot of fun so seeing it get refreshed for the current franchise, with a lot of new cool stuff to go along with it, looks pretty awesome. While no specific opening date has been given, expect to see it hit as soon as possible in order to bring in as many summer tourists as it can. There's nothing quite like a good splash down for a hot Southern California day, and this should be just what the doctor ordered.

Pet Sematary Has Screened, Here Are The Early Reactions

Pet Sematary Has Screened, Here Are The Early Reactions

Sometimes dead is better, but not better than getting an early chance to see the new Pet Sematary movie. The 2019 Stephen King adaptation premiered Saturday night, March 16 at South by Southwest, giving lucky critics and fans a first look at the horror movie before it opens wide in the U.S. on April 5.

So far, it sounds like Pet Sematary is a big win. The film highly impressed many viewers, including CinemaBlend's own Sean O'Connell, although he admitted he missed a few little things from Stephen King's original story:

Collier's Perri Nemiroff absolutely raved about the movie, praising directors Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer, along with young star Jeté Laurence as Ellie Creed.

Erik Davis of Fandango praised the film, adding that it should please fans of Stephen King's novel. He also pushed Captain Marvel's Goose out of the way to make room for Pet Sematary's Church -- as if what we really need isn't a buddy movie starring both cats.

Take me to Church! Chris Evangelista of /Film also noted that Pet Sematary isn't 100% faithful to Stephen King's novel, but that didn't damage his opinion of the movie at all. He called it one of the best King adaptations to date.

(The Ramones have a song called "Pet Sematary," if you didn't know.)

Some fans at home -- myself included, I'll admit -- have worried the Pet Sematary trailers may have given away the entire story. Critics like Heather Wixson of Daily Dead tried to put those fears to rest, adding expectations of some major twists.

Since we're talking about a horror film, Meredith Borders of Fangoria emphasized that it delivers on one major requirement -- scares.

Stephen King published Pet Sematary in 1983, and a horror movie adaptation was first released in 1989. We already know from the trailers that this film makes one semi-big change to the source material, but apparently there are more changes ahead.

The 2019 adaptation stars Jason Clarke as Louis Creed, Amy Seimetz as Rachel Creed, John Lithgow as Jud Crandall, Jeté Laurence as Ellie Creed, and both young Hugo Lavoie and Lucas Lavoie as Gage Creed.

Pet Sematary opens opposite DC's Shazam!, which will be some serious competition at the box office. Early estimates put Pet Sematary's opening anywhere from $20 million to $30 million at the domestic North American market. The movie could skew higher after all of these rave reviews -- including promises of secrets not revealed in the trailers -- driving more curious fans to the theater.

Watch Pet Sematary in theaters starting April 5, as one of the many films to keep an eye on with our 2019 movie release date schedule.

Captain Marvel Almost Had A Different Final Shot

Captain Marvel Almost Had A Different Final Shot

Spoilers ahead for Carol Danvers' origin story.

Captain Marvel has been in theaters for a week, and a mass of moviegoers have headed to theaters to meet Carol Danvers for the very first time. Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's blockbuster was a long time coming, as development and Brie Larson's casting happened many years before she finally hit theaters. But the movie is going faster, higher, further at the box office, with the title character also popping up in the final Avengers: Endgame trailer.

Marvel fans and cinephiles are already dissecting every frame of Captain Marvel, eager for an indication of the character's future, and her crossover in Endgame. And it turns out, the film's ending was changed quite a bit before hitting theaters. Marvel editor Debbie Berman previously worked on Spider-Man: Homecoming and Black Panther before turning her talents toward Captain Marvel. Berman recently revealed the original ending for the film, saying:

I did actually suggest some tweaks to the ending of this film. It used to end with Carol flying off into space alone, and I found that a bit jarring. Like, where exactly was she going? And what was she doing? It felt like we needed a stronger visual to assert a more specific justification for her leaving and disappearing for so many years. So we added Talos and his family in their spaceship waiting for her, and they all fly off together. It gave her more of a sense of purpose and made it easier to believe that she left her newfound life on Earth because she was with a friend we knew she cared about, and for a more specific mission. It gave more resonance and closure to her final moment in the film.

That's quite the change, and it sounds like the folks involved with Captain Marvel ultimately made the right choice. Carol Danvers left her solo movie with a mission, possibly explaining her long absence until Avengers: Endgame.

Debbie Berman's comments to ET show how collaborative things appeared to be on Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's Marvel debut. Editors are an extremely important aspect of the filmmaking process, and Marvel Studios appears to be a place that really internalizes critiques, and is always attempting to improve.

Captain Marvel surprise audiences with its handling of the Kree/Skrull war, especially the latter shapeshifting aliens. While the trailers and comics set the Skrull up to be villains, they were revealed to be sympathetic refugees trying to flee from the Kree. Carol ultimately realizes the truth, and vows to help the Skrull find a home, while also sending Yon-Rogg back with a warning to The Supreme Intelligence. The ending solidified her relationship with Ben Mendelsohn's Talos, rather than Captain Marvel flying into space as a lone wolf.

You can catch Captain Marvel's ending in theaters now, and the character will return to the MCU when Avengers: Endgame arrives on April 26th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Hellboy Hasn't Done Well With Critics, But Did Audiences Like It?

Hellboy Hasn't Done Well With Critics, But Did Audiences Like It?

Things were looking rough for the new Hellboy going into this past weekend after reviews were released by critics and the movie was savaged. The film now has a 15% positive score on review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, which is a slight improvement over where that number was going into the weekend. However, now that audiences have actually seen the film, Hellboy is faring slightly better with them, as the movie has a 64% audience score on RT, though it has received a C CinemaScore and opened in third place at the box office.

Hellboy's fortunes have been something of a mixed bag over this opening weekend. The best thing going for the movie right now is that about two-third of the fans that have seen the movie have liked it according to Rotten Tomatoes. While that number isn't overwhelmingly positive, getting a strong majority of the people who saw the movie to publicly say they liked it isn't ever a guarantee.

Things are a little bit rougher when it comes to the film's CinemaScore. While a score of C is, well, an average, and thus things could be a lot worse, when compared to other recent releases, Hellboy doesn't do quite as well. Of all recent movies, only Rupert Wyatt's Captive State has a lower score than Hellboy (C-). CinemaScores are tabulated based on surveys given to audiences on opening night, so things are weighted in favor of the film scoring well, as fans who go to see any movie on opening night are likely to be serious fans who have been planning on seeing the film. Most movies do better than a C with CinemaScore and few actually do worse than that.

Finally, there's the box office, which is the ultimate determination of a film's success. While most of the people who saw the movie may have liked it, the fact is not a llarge number of people actually did. Hellboy was projected to bring in something in the neighborhood of $17 million, which wasn't exactly a blockbuster movie number, but would have competed for the box office crown against Shazam!'s second weekend. However, the film ended up doing a much poorer than expected $12 million. That wasn't even enough to be the best new release for the weekend, as the comedy Little was able to do $15 million. Both films fell to Shazam! which added another $25 million to its growing total.

It's possible Hellboy could pick up business internationally. The movie opened in most territories on or before this past Friday, but international numbers have yet to be reported. If other countries were attracted to Hellboy more than people were domestically, the movie could actually turn out ok, or even become a hit if things go very differently. At this point, that's about the only thing left that could save Hellboy, which is probably sad news for those people who actually saw the film and thought it was good.