FINALLY! After months on speculation we finally have our new Batman. Earlier this month Deadline reported that the search for the new Caped Crusader had dwindled down to Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult. Yesterday, it was reported by The Wrap that both actors were doing screen tests for the role. And today, it looks like we got the results of those screen tests with Pattinson winning the role. This is amazing news, but the thing that got me most excited about this story is how Deadline in their report confirmed Pattinson will be the face of Matt Reeves’ trilogy. What a time to be a Batman fan! To have a trilogy directed by Christopher Nolan and Matt Reeves is truly a blessing. I also want to spare a thought for Nicholas Hoult for missing out because this is a role of a lifetime. However, since he done screen tests I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up playing a different role in the movie. Clearly Matt Reeves and the studio think highly of him. Either way I’m finally happy we got confirmation. It was also reported the project is set to start filming at the start of next year. So keep your eyes peeled this summer. I think we’re going to be hearing a lot more casting news for The Batman
Just an hour ago social media exploded when Variety dropped a bombshell on us. They finally gave us what we have been waiting for. Who will be taking over the mantle from Ben Affleck as the caped crusader? Variety are pretty confident Robert Pattinson will be stepping into the iconic role. They claim a deal hasn’t been made yet, but Matt Reeves had him in mind while writing the script. While I was just taking in this news Deadline also released their own report on the potential casting. Both outlets agree that a deal hasn’t been made final yet. But where they differ is Deadline claiming that Robert Pattinson isn’t the only person in contention for the role. Deadline states that both Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult are at the top of Warner Bros. list. However, Deadline’s report does seem to imply that Pattinson is the favourite for the role by claiming “the bat suit isn’t filled yet and that they like both guys, with Pattinson holding the edge”. This is a bit frustrating isn’t it? We finally get the news we wanted, but nothing has been confirmed yet. I guess we gotta sit tight and be patient, as if we haven’t already been doing that for several months. I have a feeling it will end up Robert Pattinson taking the role. But you never know with Hollywood.
Let me know what you think of these potential castings
The cast for James Gunn’s upcoming ‘The Suicide Squad’ movie is all but completed now. Just in the last couple of minutes The Wrap have reported that Michael Rooker is in talks to play King Shark. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone since Michael Rooker and James Gunn have a great relationship from their work together on the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Now it looks like that relationship is going to further blossom DCEU. Rooker is going to be joining the likes of Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Jai Courtney, Viola Davis, John Cena and Idris Elba in the newly formed Suicide Squad. I’m Just surprised we haven’t heard anything about Dave Bautista joining the cast yet.
James Gunn’s ‘The Suicide Squad’ is set to be released on August 6, 2021
Who is Shark King?
After making a brief cameo in “Superboy” Vol. 4 #0 in late 1994, Karl Kesel’s creation made his first full appearance in “Superboy” Vol. 4 #9. Born in Hawai’i as Nanaue, the humanoid shark that would become known as King Shark is actually the son of a shark god, who is in turn known as “The King of All Sharks.” Early on, his supernatural origins were doubted and King Shark’s appearance was dismissed as a particularly aggressive mutation, one that also gifted him with superhuman strength and endurance, regenerative tissue, and shark-like physiology. (He’s been designed with both Great White stylings and that of a humanoid Hammerhead, the latter seen in The New 52.)
Earlier today Marvel released a new clip from their upcoming movie Avengers: Endgame. The clip shows us the remaining Avengers, plus new recruit Carol Danvers at Avengers HQ coming up with a plan to kill Thanos. Now, this clip dropped around midday. And I thought nothing of it. I mean I was still hyped and it was great to see these characters strategise and clash heads. But fast forward a couple of hours later, it seems like I missed a crucial part of this clip. And it turns out that I wasn’t the only one.
Just as Thor goes up to approach Carol you hear a voice say “I have telepathy”. Listen closely down below (Turn up your volume really high)
Crazy right? Once you hear it you can no longer unhear it. From this clip it sounds like Carol’s voice. I’m no expert on the Captain Marvel character so this came as a surprise to me. But it kind of makes sense in the context of the clip. Straight after that line is said she isn’t phased by Thor summoning Stormbreaker right next to her. Maybe she read his mind and saw it coming. Other people have said the voice could possibly be Scarlet Witch as she’s communicating to the Avengers from the soul world. I personally don’t buy this theory. But what do you think of this line?
It looks like Warner Bros./New Line Cinema already new they had a winner on their hands with Shazam! before the movie’s release. Yesterday the movie made a strong debut at the box office by making over $53M in its opening weekend. Now, it seems Warner Bros. are pushing already planning ahead for the sequel. The Wrapreported earlier today that writer of the movie Henry Gayden, will be returning to pen the script for the sequel. This is great news for me because I personally thought the script was the strongest aspect of the movie. And why change something that isn’t broken? Hopefully, this also means director David F. Sandberg will also be returning for the sequel. Warner Bros. seem to be on a role now. Earlier in the year they gave us a release date for an Aquaman sequel and now the wheels are being put in motion for the Shazam! sequel. It’s nice to see the universe growing without the likes of Superman and Batman at the forefront. Each character is big enough to hold their own.
Let me know your thoughts on this news down below.
As expected the trailer for Todd Phillips’ Joker movie arrived today. And to take a phrase from Heath Ledger’s Joker for a second…it didn’t disappoint. I mean where do I start with this one? Before the trailer even dropped I was fascinated with the idea of this movie. Now this is my most anticipated movie of the year. I love the whole vibe I’m getting from this movie. It’s dark, tragic, crazy and will most likely be full of dark humour. Just as a Joker movie should be.
Here are my main talking points from the trailer:
Beautifully shot
Joaquin Phoenix is getting a lot of praise as expected and rightly so. But I want to start this off by giving Todd Phillips and the rest of the crew behind the scenes some praise. The way the movie is shot caught my eye immediately. There are some amazing shots in this trailer and I think they did a good job at capturing the 80s. Plus the music they chose fits the tone of the movie/trailer perfectly.
Joaquin’s Joker
On to the main man himself Joaquin Phoenix. I’m trying not get carried away here, but I think he’s going to kill this role. It looks like he went all out for this role. His mannerisms and the presence he commands on screen with the full make up on. I was in awe the whole time. His Joker laugh is great too. Again, I’m trying not to get carried away here, but it feels like they made a great choice by picking him for this role.
Origin
The most interesting thing about this trailer to me is the way they’re approaching the Joker’s origin story. From the moment this movie was announced people were automatically turned off because the Joker is someone who doesn’t really have an origin. But what they’re doing with this movie. I’m all for it. I’m not one of these gatekeepers. If you’re going to do it, just do it well. The way the trailer starts by showing us Arthur caring for his mother and seeing what the character has become by the end of the trailer had me hooked. I want to see this journey the character goes on. I want to see him start off as someone we can sympathise with and then it just takes a sharp turn to where we aren’t meant to be rooting for this guy. We should hate him, but love him at the same time. At the end of the day he’s a bad guy. And he’s going to do some crazy shit to people in this movie, I can guarantee you that now. I also love how they’re focusing on mental illness in this movie, something a lot of people can relate to.
God, I cannot wait for this movie. I’ve already watched the trailer more than 10 times. And I love it even more with each watch.
Here are some of my favourite shots from the trailer:
Let me know your thoughts on the trailer down below.
The Joker is set to be released later this year on October 4
What a day it has been for comic book fans like myself. Just as I finally got through and brought my tickets for Avengers: Endgame I get a notification on my phone saying director Todd Phillips has made a new post on his Instagram. Without hesitation I went to his page because I knew it would be something Joker related. Well, to my surprise it was more than that. Not only did Todd Phillips give us our first look at the poster for the movie, he also announced we’re getting a teaser trailer tomorrow!
Warner Bros. also created a Twitter account for the movie and provided us a promotional banner.
Shortly after I received a press release from Warner Bros. detailing the movie.
Check out the official synopsis for The Joker:
“Joker centers around the iconic arch nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen. Phillips’ exploration of Arthur Fleck (Phoenix), a man disregarded by society, is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale.”
One detail I found really interesting in the press release is how it states Robert De Niro is starring in the movie alongside Joaquin Phoenix. It looks like he’s going to have a major role in the movie. I honestly can’t wait for the trailer tomorrow.
Check back here tomorrow for my breakdown/reaction to the trailer.
We are only 26 days away from the release of this year’s biggest event, Avengers: Endgame. And while the marketing for the movie has been scarce (in a good way) so has information about when we can finally purchase our tickets for the movie. In my experience tickets for blockbuster movies usually go on sale with a month and a half in advance. But not for Avengers: Endgame, they’re doing it on their own terms. They have earned that right to be honest. However, it may finally look like we’ll be able to purchase our this week, on April 2nd to be exact. ComicBook.com ran this story earlier and claimed the date was confirmed to them by an inside source.
So if all goes according to plan, we are all going to be purchasing our tickets on Tuesday. I swear this April is going to feel like one of the longest months ever!
Avengers: Endgame is set to be released on April 26
This year in Spider-Man: Far From Home we will get to see one of Spidey’s most famous villains on the big screen for the first time ever. Given how great Michael Keaton was as ‘Vulture’ in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Jake Gyllenhaal, has a lot of pressure to perform going into this role. Part of what makes Mysterio so beloved amongst Spider-Man fans is the character’s iconic look, with the fishbowl helmet in particular. Back in January, when the first trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home was released we got a good at Mysterio in action. But with the character flying through the air it’s kind of hard to examine all the little details on the suit. Today some promo art has leaked which I believe gives us our best look at Mysterio’s costume yet. With art you always get to see the finer details and what the creators were going for. And I was a fan of the suit at first anyway, but with this new look I love the suit even more. It’s slowly becoming one of my favourite suits in the MCU.
Take a look for yourself below:
I just love the way this suit looks! Not to mention I really liked the design of Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming too. I got to admit they’re doing a good job over there at Marvel with their villains so far. With the Fox and Disney deal completed I can’t help but think what Dr. Doom will look like in the MCU.
Let me know your thoughts on the suit down below.
Spider-Man: Far From Home is set to be released on 5 July, 2019
Shazam! is the latest entry into the DCEU. After the recent success of Aquaman all eyes turned to Billy Batson, a kid who can turn into a superhero by saying the word Shazam! Tasked with bringing Shazam to the big screen for the first time is David F. Sandberg. Most known for his horror background this would seem like an odd choice given Shazam’s character. But just like James Wan, David F. Sandberg proved he can adapt his style and produce a great superhero movie. Because that’s what Shazam! is at the end of the day. I had such a great time while watching this movie. My cheeks started to hurt because I found myself smiling so much. Shazam! is a movie full of heart that grabs you from minute one and takes you even further once Billy discovers his powers.
Family
One of the main reasons why this film resonated with me so much is the use of family as its theme. Billy from a young age not only struggles to fit in, but he has an even harder time trying to find a place he can call home. And throughout the movie it has him going back to his past to look for answers. I won’t spoil it, but I found some of these scenes really emotional. By the end of the movie it’s really nice to see how things turn out for him. You see how Billy changes over time, especially with how he treats people. Because at the beginning of the movie he’s not the nicest kid, but given his upbringing you can kind of sympathise with him. It’s just so satisfying once his character makes that change.
Perfect casting
I cannot praise the movie any further if I don’t give a special shoutout to the cast here. The movie works because of them. And you know what’s the best part about it? The majority of the main cast are kids! They’re going places after this movie. As for the main star Zachary Levi he’s just perfect in the role. I knew he was going to nail the role from the first trailer. He not only embodies this version of the character so well, but he makes if feel so realistic to me if that makes sense. I would totally be acting the same way he does in the movie if I found out I could become a superhero. He and Jack Dylan Grazer play off each other so well. Every time it was just them two on the screen together I wanted more. My favourite part in movie is once Billy gets his powers he takes Freddy along with him to discover what powers he actually has. This whole 10-15 minutes section of testing Shazam’s abilities is amazing and it works so well because of the chemistry between the actors. The rest of the kids who make up the foster family are great too. Faithe Herman as Darla was a standout too. Every time she was on the screen she got a positive reaction from the audience.
Dr. Sivana
Speaking of great casting Mark Strong as Dr. Sivana provides for an interesting main villain. Surprisingly, Dr. Sivana is actually given a lot of screen time compared to other villains in superhero movies. The movie actually opens with him. So not only are we following Billy’s journey we’re also following Dr. Sivana’s arc at the same time too. He’s isn’t a throwaway villain. The writers made sure that we understand why he took this route and the impact his upbringing had on him, just like with Billy. What I liked the most about Dr. Sivana is how he’s a genuine threat to Billy and the public. One of the best scenes in the movie involves Dr. Sivana in a boardroom. It’s straight up terrifying, clearly David F. Sandberg was channeling his horror roots in this scene. This scene really stands-out in the movie and it helps solidify Dr. Sivana as a formidable opponent for Shazam.
A lack of punch
With all the praise I’ve given to this movie so far it’s only right for me to bring up what I didn’t like about it because it’s not a perfect movie. Personally, I thought the action was just average. Not that it looked bad because given the lower budget I thought the CGI was fine throughout the movie. But the action scenes/fighting didn’t show me anything different. I was expecting more to be honest. And this ties in with another issue I have with the movie which is the third act/final fight. I thought it could have been a lot better. My main issues with it are that it had the same type of action as we saw throughout the movie and I felt like it went on for too long. Other than the action, humour is a major aspect of the movie. And while for the majority of the movie it worked there were times where a joke would take me out of the moment. At this point I might be nitpicking because 90% of the jokes landed for me. Plus there genuinely were some laugh out loud moments throughout.
Closing thoughts
Overall, even the flaws aren’t enough from stopping Shazam! being a special movie. It may not make a billion dollars like Aquaman, but I think Shazam! will win the hearts of many people. It won my heart. I love this movie and I can’t wait to see it again, along with a couple of sequels in the future. At a time where it may feel like we’re getting too many superhero movies and there may be some fatigue. Shazam! is a breath of fresh air to the genre. Do yourself a favour, go out and see this movie!
