The Dead Don’t Die Trailer: Watch Bill Murray Face The Zombie Apocalypse (Again)

The Dead Don’t Die Trailer: Watch Bill Murray Face The Zombie Apocalypse (Again)

A decade ago, Bill Murray lent his talents for a small, but memorable appearance in Zombieland, although unfortunately for the fictionalized version of the Ghostbusters star, things didn’t end well for him. Now Murray is back to face down another zombie apocalypse, only this time he gets to be one of the stars of the show. This summer sees the release of Focus Features’ The Dead Don’t Die, and you can watch the trailer for the Jim Jarmusch-directed and written movie below.

I have to say, even for a zombie comedy, the characters in The Dead Don’t Die are handling the undead invading their small town rather cavalierly. Even after it’s discovered that Centerville (population: 738) is dealing with a zombie epidemic rather than an issue with wild animals, none of the main characters seem that frightened. Bill Murray’s Cliff Robertson and Adam Driver’s Ronald Peterson are particularly unfazed, although that’s probably a good thing since they’re responsible for keeping the peace with Chloe Sevigny’s character. If the police officers are freaking out about the zombies, then what chance do the other townsfolk have of staying safe?

Along with the previously mentioned actors, The Dead Don’t Die’s cast includes Tilda Swinton, Selena Gomez, Austin Butler, Steve Buscemi, Rosie Perez, Calbe Landry Jones, Danny Glover, Sarah Driver, IZA, Carol Kane, Iggy Pop and Tom Waits. Swinton’s character, like the three police officers, also seems to be handling the zombie invasion calmly. Granted, working at a funeral home, she’s used to dead bodies, but when two of the corpses she’s basically decorating open their eyes, she simply inquires if they’re “together.” Even after zombies have overrun Centerville, she’s confident she can defend herself against the undead with a katana in her hands. Look, if there aren’t any police officers around, I have no trouble sticking close to the Scottish swordswoman.

One of the other funny things shown in the trailer for The Dead Don’t Die trailer is that these zombies gravitate towards things that they did when they were alive, like play tennis or drink coffee. In the case of Carol Kane’s zombie, she asks for chardonnay, and I can’t figure out if a zombie on booze will make them more or less dangerous. In any case, while things are dire in Centerville, The Dead Don’t Die will definitely be a more lighthearted entry to the catalog of zombie movies, so here’s hoping those who manage to avoid being bitten by the undead will keep their cool and either defeat their slow-moving adversaries or escape to another town to warn others about this epidemic.

The Dead Don’t Die scares its way into theaters on June 14. If you’re curious about what other movies are coming out later this year, look through our 2019 release schedule.

Star Wars Website Seemingly Confirms Doctor Who Alum Matt Smith

Star Wars Website Seemingly Confirms Doctor Who Alum Matt Smith

One of the stranger mysteries surrounding Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has been whether or not Doctor Who alum Matt Smith is actually in the movie. The actor’s casting was first reported last August, but his name was not on the official cast announcement and the actor himself denied having a role in the film. Star Wars Celebration shed some light on the final chapter in the Skywalker Saga with the reveal of the movie’s title and first trailer, but regarding Matt Smith, we were left in the dark.

That darkness may be beginning to abate though, because in the movies section on Disney’s United Kingdom website, the page for The Rise of Skywalker lists out the returning cast as well as the newcomers. There, sandwiched between Keri Russell and Dominic Monaghan, is the name Matt Smith. This seemingly confirms that yes, in fact, the Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith is in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

It doesn’t get much more official than Disney’s website, so unless someone is messing with us or has been given the wrong information, this is the most conclusive evidence we’ve had so far that Matt Smith will indeed be in this movie. If that’s the case and Disney was just going to confirm it in this unceremonious fashion, why the prior secrecy?

Even though the original casting announcement seemed to offer more transparency than expected with regards to Mark Hamill returning and how Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia would be brought back, Matt Smith’s name was not included. And Matt Smith denied being in the film, which would seemingly indicate that he wasn’t allowed to talk about it.

That secrecy now looks especially interesting in light of the first teaser trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. That trailer ended with Emperor Palpatine’s laugh, and with Ian McDiarmid’s appearance on stage, we now know that the Saga’s main villain will be in Episode IX in some form.

That is a massive reveal with major implications and something that could have remained hidden as a surprise. So if Disney is willing to reveal the return of the Emperor but hide Matt Smith (other than his name on the UK website, which could be a big uh-oh for someone), just who the heck is he playing?

Speculation has ranged on this matter, but the prevailing consensus seems to be that he will be a bad guy. The two possibilities that I’ve seen thrown around the most are that he’s either a Knight of Ren, the dark siders who again failed to make an appearance in the trailer, or that he has something to do with Palpatine.

The Knights of Ren are still being held back, so it is entirely possible that Matt Smith’s character could be among their ranks, but the Palpatine angle is what I’d put my money on. With Ian McDiarmid in the movie, it doesn’t seem like Matt Smith will be Palpatine, but some sort of clone or apprentice would be neat. Perhaps when the next trailer arrives, we’ll get a better idea what Matt Smith’s role in this movie will be, but right now he is one of the biggest question marks.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opens on December 20. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to see what’s headed your way this summer, and for all your movie news, stay tuned to CinemaBlend.

Kevin Feige Has Settled A Captain America Avengers: Endgame Debate

Kevin Feige Has Settled A Captain America Avengers: Endgame Debate

Warning: SPOILERS for Avengers: Endgame are ahead!

It goes without saying that Avengers: Endgame was filled with a lot of exciting moments, but one of the biggest was when Steve Rogers called Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, to his hand and wielded it in battle against Thanos and his forces. It was a payoff four years in the making, as Avenger: Age of Ultron first hinted at Steve Rogers’ worthiness to lift Mjolnir when he slightly budged the hammer during a party in Avengers Tower.

However, since Avengers: Endgame’s release, there’s been debate among fans about how long Cap has been worthy to wield Mjolnir. Was he always able to do so, or did Cap reach peak worthiness sometime after Avengers: Age of Ultron, perhaps not until right before that shocking moment in Endgame? Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige was asked about this during a recent Reddit AMA, and this was his answer:

We think he was always worthy and was being polite in Age of Ultron.

There you have it. Rather than Steve Rogers straining to simply budge Mjolnir in Avengers: Age of Ultron, to Kevin Feige and the rest of the MCU brass, he was capable of lifting Mjolnir over his head back when he and Earth’s other Mightiest Heroes had just cleaned up the latest HYDRA mess and were about to battle a genocidal robot. Steve just didn’t want to embarrass Thor, so he decided to leave the hammer where it was.

The MCU did a great job highlighting Captain America’s heroism and how he was a good man with or without the Super Soldier Serum, but the criteria for being worthy enough to lift Mjolnir has always been a little murky. Still, of all the times for Cap to finally use that weapon in battle, Avengers: Endgame, the last chapter of the Infinity Saga, was an excellent place for that to happen.

One theory I’d seen making the rounds on the internet of late is that the one thing that had previously prevented Steve Rogers from lifting Mjolnir was because he knew that his friend Bucky Barnes had killed Tony Stark’s parents as the brainwashed Winter Soldier, but he didn’t tell Tony. Once that information came out into the open in Captain America: Civil War, that was the last obstacle separating Cap from Mjolnir, but as Kevin Feige explained, that wasn’t the case at all.

Steve Rogers is the fifth person shown onscreen being capable of wielding Mjolnir, after Thor, Odin, The Vision and Hela. Alas, Steve’s time with the hammer was short, because as you’ll remember, Mjolnir was destroyed by Hela in Thor: Ragnarok, and the only reason Thor was able to use it again was because he snatched it when he and Rocket Raccoon time traveled to the events of Thor: The Dark World. Once Thanos and his minions were turned to dust by Iron Man and the universe was safe, Cap returned Mjolnir and the Infinity Stones to their proper time periods.

Even on the off chance that Mjolnir is somehow brought back into the picture in the MCU, don’t count on seeing Steve Rogers hold it again. After dropping off Mjolnir and the Infinity Stones, Steve decided to go further back into the past and live his life with Peggy Carter. Now over 100 years old in the present day, Steve passed on the Captain America mantle to Sam Wilson, and it doesn’t look like Chris Evans plans on revisiting the character again.

The MCU, however, isn’t going anywhere, even with Avengers: Endgame having wrapped up a lot of plot threads. Spider-Man: Far From Home is next on July 2, and you can scan through our Marvel movies guide to learn what’s coming after that.

Why Airlines And Studios Should Allow First Run Movies On Flights

Why Airlines And Studios Should Allow First Run Movies On Flights

When it comes to flying, there can be a lot to complain about. Leg room is always an issue, the food is subpar at best, and somehow there's never enough room for luggage. For all the complaints one can find with flying on a commercial flight, however, the television and film selections are usually pretty solid. Most new Digital releases can be found on flights, and sometimes you don't always have to pay to see them!

As good as movie options on airlines typically are, they could always be better. In fact, it would really be the best if studios would collaborate with big companies to allow first run movies to play on flights. Like some in-flight services, it could be offered as a luxury to passengers for an added fee. It doesn't seem like it would be all that hard to implement and could be something that could be mutually beneficial to studios and airlines.

Why Is This A Good Idea?

For airlines, the pros behind providing first run films on flights is obvious. Movies may not be the deciding factor in someone's airline choice, although it's more than fair to say the right movie could potentially factor into choosing an airline. For example, if I were choosing a flight the Friday Avengers: Endgame opens and I saw one provider had it available on my flight, I'd likely choose them provided my flight was as long as its runtime. Plus, there's potential for happier customers who are watching first run movies instead of no movies or content they've already caught before.

Of course, there would probably be some on the flight who wouldn't care about the film or might choose a different flight if it were cheaper or had better times, for example. That's unfortunate, but not a deal breaker as airlines already have a system in place for those to pay for additional content. As long as the price for a film is left off of the plane ticket, folks shouldn't complain.

Of course, theater chains might be less pumped, as many are already scrambling to bring audiences back to movie theaters with various ideas. Giving airlines first run rights likely wouldn't sit well with some at first, especially those with theaters already in some airports. Granted, that's an experience only a select few airports offer worldwide, and it's more than fair to say this an arrangement shouldn't hurt the average theater's bottom line.

After all, it's not like someone is going to book a flight cross-country every time a movie they want to see premieres. Additionally, folks flying to and from locations probably aren't planning to go to a theater that day anyway, although I suppose an argument could be made this might inhibit an eventual trip to a theater. With that in mind, perhaps this is why this plan has not happened yet. But I say theater chains should really get involved!

How Theaters Should Get Involved

This is why it's a good thing theaters can get in on this action as well, and make the allure of watching first run movies on flights even more attractive. Sure a new movie on a flight is awesome, but imagine being able to watch the latest and greatest movies during those crushingly long layovers at airports? Suddenly, six hours sitting in a random terminal sounds a lot more bearable.

There are some logistical issues with this of course, seeing as people would be flying in and out of airports at varying times, and choosing any combination of movies to view. The bottom line is that simply building a movie theater to accommodate this experience is impractical, and would be the wrong way to approach this.

With that said, if a theater chain had a row of kiosks available to travelers getting off flights to resume their movie, that would be great. A kiosk prevents multiple people from crowding in (comfortably anyway) to piggy back on one purchased film, and would allow another person a reasonable amount of privacy to relax and enjoy the rest of their film and possibly another while waiting on a connection.

So How Would This Work? 

Presumably, a person's progress on a film would be linked to their plane ticket and could be scanned at a kiosk, or they could be given a QR code to photograph with their smartphone to pull the film back up at the airport. Either way, a method like this would be necessary, as buying the rights to view a film twice when the first viewing was interrupted would be something most consumers wouldn't tolerate.

Additionally, a way of tracking one's progress in a film and transferring it would be handy for those with connecting flights. Pausing a film and then being able to seamlessly resume it on the next flight would be remarkably simple, which quite frankly, would be a godsend considering how stressful making a connecting flight can be. Of course, there'd probably be instances where airlines wouldn't honor each others purchases, so this plan isn't full proof.

A third party were to do the legwork on making this a thing. That would at least encourage mass adoption across airlines, and resolve the headache of them having to directly interact with each other. It's a niche market, but surely there's enough demand for one company to do it well and usher in a brave new movie experience? I don't have a business degree, I just have ideas.

I also have a mild anxiety of flying that would be severely lessened by the fact I'd get a chance to see a new movie. As mentioned, the options on flights are sometimes pretty solid, so a move like this would merely be an upgrade to one of the nicest parts of a flying experience. That is, until VR on planes becomes a thing and I can simulate any other type of experience that isn't flying high in the sky.

Readers, would you pay the extra money on a flight for a first run film? Sound off in our poll, and hop down to the comments for any additional thoughts you may have. For more on things happening with theaters, check out one form of transportation that may be getting a unique viewing experience in the future.

Captain Marvel’s Costume Could Have Looked Extremely Different

Captain Marvel’s Costume Could Have Looked Extremely Different

It's a very exciting time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While all eyes are on what will happen when Phase Three comes to a close with Avengers: Endgame, moviegoers are also celebrating the long awaited arrival of Brie Larson's Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel. Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's Marvel blockbuster told a 90s set origin story, expanding the universe while also doing some set up for her role in Endgame.

Captain Marvel's onscreen origin was ripped largely from the comics, including the war between the Kree and Skrulls. During filming, it was revealed that the character would be wearing a green incarnation of her costume, something that originally made fans pause. Ultimately her red and blue suit made its way onto the silver screen, although new concept art revealed her costume could have looked very different. Check it out below.

Honestly, who is that? The above image comes to us from Instagram, and shows a version of Carol Danvers who looks almost robotic in appearance. As the Kree warrior known as Vers, this armor is a far departure from the suit that she and the rest of Starforce rocked in Captain Marvel. The rest of the team would have presumably been outfitted the same, although the artist specifically mentioned that Vers was an elite Kree pilot. As such, she might have been given some equipments unique to the rest of Starforce.

The above image also doesn't contain Captain Marvel/The Kree's insignia on the chest. Instead, there's a subtle pin on her right chest plate. This is another unique change to the character, as Carol Danvers has her own logo in the MCU. The entire look gives a robotic feel, although it should be noted that she is at least wearing Captain Marvel's signature red color.

Another concept image took more liberal changes to the costume, although its close to the Kree suit from Captain Marvel. Check it out below.

This look is definitely close to the look Vers was rocking through the majority of Captain Marvel's runtime. We see the suit with her mask on, although a bit of her human skin is shown popping through. While she's no longer robotic in appearance, the artist did make more risky changes to her look than the one eventually settled on.

For one, Captain Marvel's mask puts her hair into a ponytail, rather than the badass mohawk that was shown in the movie. It's a softer and perhaps more logical hairdo, although seeing her hair fall in and out of the mohawk during Captain Marvel was an unexpectedly exciting moment in the final film. The suit also features Vers rocking a much different logo than the one seen on the costumes of Starforce and The Supreme Intelligence in the movie. The insignia looks like an illustration of Saturn, which is inspired by the comics but admittedly more goofy

Ultimately, the costumes in Captain Marvel were fairly accurate to the comics, although less revealing and without Captain Marvel's signature sash around her waist. She spent most of the film in the signature Kree green, but eventually changes the suit's color ahead of the final battle in Act 3. Inspired by the Air Force and Monica Rambeau, she takes the red and blue, and then promptly kicks all the ass with her powers unleashed.

It should be interesting to see if/how Captain Marvel's costumes are changed as her tenure in the MCU continues. Characters like Black Widow, Iron Man, and Captain Marvel are constantly being given updates on their signature look. And with the decades in between Captain Marvel and her eventual appearance in Avengers: Endgame, the first suit might have some wear a tear. Unfortunately, her brief scene in the final Endgame trailer she was in civilian clothes, so it's unclear what she'll look like in The Russo Brothers' highly anticipated blockbuster.

Carol Danvers has gone through a ton of different looks in the comics throughout the years, so the fandom was eager to see what she'd look like in Captain Marvel. While the red and blue suit may be the most modern version of her costume, it certainly wasn't the first. She'd previously had a black leotard costume with a yellow lightning bolt, as well as a crop top costume. Additionally, modern red and blue palette has been used for a ton of different suits, with some of them being little more than a bathing suit for the massively powerful superhero.

In the end, Brie Larson and Marvel Studios wanted to take a step away from the skimpy Captain Marvel suit, and cover Carol Danvers up appropriately during her cosmic and Earth-based adventures. What's more, the costume ended up being a uniform for most of the film's characters, including Yon-Rogg, The Supreme Intelligence, Korath, and Minn-erva. But Carol Danvers made her new allegiance known by changing its color.

While it makes sense that Captain Marvel's costume was adjusted for the MCU, I'm hoping the character's sash/belt eventually makes an appearance. On the page, it gives her a sense of movement. And although Marvel Studios generally tries for more functional and realistic adaptations of comic book costumes, it would excite purists to see that small addition sometime in the future.

Smart money says Carol Danvers will be given a suit in Avengers: Endgame to match the rest of the survivors. She hasn't been shown in the white and red getup, but most of the heroes were shown in matching uniforms during the final trailer. And since that trailer also kept Captain Marvel's appearance until the very final moments, it makes sense that she wasn't shown in the epic long shots in the Avengers facility.

Kevin Feige has teased that Captain Marvel will be a major focus in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Phase Three comes to a close. With Endgame just a month away, it won't be long before the studio can finally share its plans for the future with the public.

Captain Marvel is in theaters now, and Avengers: Endgame will follow suit in April 26th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Spider-Man: Far From Home's Stars Are Confused About That Endgame 'Plot Hole'

Spider-Man: Far From Home's Stars Are Confused About That Endgame 'Plot Hole'

SPOILERS from Avengers: Endgame ahead.

There should be a class at Peter Parker's high school covering Spider-Man: Far From Home's connections to Avengers: Endgame. There are things I get, but also a few questions and plot conveniences I suspect we're supposed to just accept since (deep breath) none of this is real.

Now that Avengers: Endgame is in theaters explaining how Peter Parker even could get a sequel to Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home is ready for its debut. That leaves the Spider-Man cast to answer any lingering spoilery questions, and they are not up to the task.

Tom Holland, Jake Gyllenhaal, Zendaya, Cobie Smulders, and Jacob Batalon were all on Jimmy Kimmel Live when Kimmel asked about the five-year time jump in Avengers: Endgame. If five years have passed for everyone, why are Peter, Ned, MJ, and others still in high school? The cast members looked at each other and laughed.

Tom Holland: Why … why are we still in high school? [laughs]

Jacob Batalon: I mean, it might be one of the biggest plot holes of all time.

Cobie Smulders: I don’t want to pull that thread. I don’t know.

It doesn't seem like the kind of thing they'd avoid talking about for fear of spoilers, since the question itself comes from knowledge of Avengers: Endgame. They may just not understand. Did the time jump idea just not come up during Far From Home filming?!

Avengers: Endgame co-writer Stephen McFeely did address this "plot hole" with CinemaBlend. He said any of the teens who look the same age would've been part of the 50% that turned to dust during The Decimation of Avengers: Infinity War. When they returned in Endgame, five years hadn't passed for them. To McFeely, it makes perfect sense:

That one seems easy to me. Isn't it clear that anybody who looks the same blipped, and they're back just like [Peter] is? I don't know what happens in [Spider-Man: Far From Home] at all, but I can only assume that most of the main characters got blipped, and maybe some ancillary characters are now older, and then you'll get some comedy from that? I don't know.

As he emphasized, he doesn't know what happens in Spider-Man: Far From Home. That wasn't part of his job to explain. The first Far From Home trailer showed several characters from Spider-Man: Homecoming. Not only do we have Peter and Ned and MJ, there's also Tony Revolori back as Peter's bully Flash Thompson, and Angourie Rice as Betty Brant.

So they were all part of the 50% snapped, and now they're back and returning to high school? Are their classmates all people who used to be five years younger than them? Are their former classmates now in college? Will that angle be explored at all, or not part of the overall story?

Spider-Man: Far From Home is set after the events of Avengers: Endgame, but still shows Peter Parker in mourning for Tony Stark. The story also shows Peter going to Europe on a school trip with his classmates. Nick Fury tasks him with a mission, and he meets up with Quentin Beck/Mysterio. So far, it sounds like a lot of the mystery will be about Mysterio and the Elementals, and not so much dusted high school kids coming to grips with the fact that half of their classmates lived without them for five years. (Save those storylines for The Leftovers and Manifest, I suppose.)

Spider-Man: Far From Home opens in theaters on July 2, as one of the many movies worth keeping an eye on with our handy 2019 movie schedule.

Aladdin Box Office: Disney Opens Big On Memorial Day As Brightburn And Booksmart Struggle

Aladdin Box Office: Disney Opens Big On Memorial Day As Brightburn And Booksmart Struggle

Dumbo, who? Disney rebounded from that movie's disappointing opening early this year, finding a whole new world of money with Aladdin. The 2019 live-action remake is making good use of Memorial Day weekend, and it's expected to make over $100 million just at the domestic box office alone by the time the four-day holiday is over. There wasn't much magic at the box office for anyone else, with Aladdin leaving everybody in the dust, including the three repeats just behind it -- John Wick 3, Avengers: Endgame, and Detective Pikachu. You have to head down to #5 to find the first other newcomer in Brightburn, followed by Booksmart.

Check out the full top 10 chart from the domestic box office. The results below are just for the usual three-day Friday-to-Sunday tally, and more money will be made Monday to finish out Memorial Day weekend.

If Aladdin can reach $110 million on Monday, that will make it one of the top five Memorial Day openings ever, per Box Office Mojo stats. It seems to be trending toward the higher end of the initial estimates for its opening weekend box office. That said, there's no chance it will take the #1 Memorial Day weekend spot from the reigning champion, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, which nabbed $139 million in its four-day debut.

Aladdin has already made more than $120 million at the international box office, for a current worldwide total of $207.1 million. It should easily pass Dumbo, which only has a current domestic total of $112,701,413 and a worldwide total of $348,096,055.

Speaking of Dumbo, though, it got a boost from Aladdin's opening. It actually just missed the top 10, placing #11 with a $1.046 million weekend. That's a +238.2% jump over its 18th place finish last week. Sometimes it seems like Disney is stacking these releases too close together, but as we saw from Captain Marvel when Avengers: Endgame came out, the releases don't cannibalize each other so much as give the previous film a nice ticket boost.

John Wick 3 was the top dog last week, finally dethroning Avengers: Endgame as #1 title on the weekend charts. They are both still toward the top this weekend, along with Detective Pikachu, which left the indie newcomers struggling for air. Brightburn is a superhero movie, but not a big studio comic book movie. It was made on a shoestring budget, so that $7.5 million isn't exactly a failure, but does it bode ill for the potential to continue the story from here? Same with Booksmart, which is one of the best-reviewed films of the year. It's earning raves, but only $6.5 million at the box office.

It's always tough to be a small film out there, but especially around a big holiday weekend like this. Brave of them to even try to take on Aladdin, John Wick, and Endgame with some counter-programming. But would another time of year have been more advantageous?

Looking ahead, next week is going to be another monster at the box office -- literally, with Godzilla: King of the Monsters ready to take your money. Rocketman will also open to try and claim the non-blockbuster crowd.

Who took your money this weekend and why? Poll time.