Movies

In a trailer for “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw,” due Aug. 2, Dwayne Johnson says, “I’m trying to save the world, which, for the record, will be my fourth time. ‘Cause I’m really good at it.”

Well, yes.

The foundation, or rock, if you will, of Johnson’s film career is the confidence he brings to being humanity’s savior on repeat. Four times? That was just yesterday.

By plane, by train, by automobile and even sinking boat, this action star has made the fate of the world his business. Here’s a look at the many ways Johnson’s characters have helped keep civilization intact.[A guide to the best of the 2019 summer movies.]

‘Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw’
In this first spinoff film from the 18-years-running “Fast & Furious” franchise, Johnson is back as the lawman he began playing in 2011 with “Fast Five.” In that one, he helped take down a drug lord. The world saving began in “Fast & Furious 6,” in which Hobbs gets the street-racing, butt-kicking team together to take down an international terrorist stealing components to make a highly destructive device.

In “The Fate of the Furious,” Hobbs and the team help to stop a cyberterrorist hellbent on nuclear destruction. “Hobbs & Shaw” pairs him with an old adversary, Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) to help stop a cyber-genetically enhanced terrorist (Idris Elba), also hellbent on destruction.

Where to watch: Rent or buy “Fast & Furious 6” and “The Fate of the Furious” on Amazon, iTunes, Vudu and YouTube, among other sites.

‘Skyscraper’
In this high (like, really high) concept thriller, Johnson plays a super-everyman, leaping onto a tall building in a single bound. His character may not be saving the whole world here, but he’s saving his family, who mean the world to him.

As Sawyer, a security analyst for a record-setting Hong Kong skyscraper, he finds himself battling thugs who, in a quest to get what they want, don’t mind burning down the tower with Sawyer’s wife and kids inside. Pulse-pounding action has him hanging by a thread and, at one point, by his own prosthetic foot.

‘Rampage’
If a gorilla, a gray wolf and a crocodile are all exposed to a pathogen that turns them into mutated, oversized, havoc-wreaking killing machines, you might want to get somebody on that. Enter Johnson’s primatologist with a few ideas. “Let’s go save the world,” he says in that film before firing up a helicopter to head into a half-destroyed Chicago hellscape. All in a day’s work.

‘Central Intelligence’

This espionage buddy comedy with Kevin Hart came with the tagline “Saving the world takes a little Hart and a big Johnson.” See what they did there?

Johnson plays a C.I.A. agent who elicits help from an old high school acquaintance, Calvin (Hart), for a tiny task: thwarting an enemy of the state who stole encryption keys to the American spy satellite program with the intent to sell them. Action, jokes and world-saving ensue.

‘San Andreas’

It’s pretty difficult to save the world from an earthquake, but the helicopter rescue pilot Johnson plays here does his best. He and his wife, Emma (Carla Gugino), put aside their relationship struggles in the midst of disaster in Los Angeles and travel by broken road, smoky sky and raging sea to rescue their daughter in San Francisco. California’s landmarks, and much of its population, are decimated in creative ways, but a family is brought back together in the process.

‘Hercules’

Johnson goes B.C. here to play the demigod son of Zeus in a way that the Nutty Professor’s family would love. “Before he was a legend, he was a man,” the trailer says. But don’t worry, the film provides plenty of opportunities for that man to be mighty and majestic. Wielding a spear, donning a lion head as a helmet, defeating armies and killing a wolf with his bare hands — it’s all part of his repertoire.

‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation’

Johnson’s character here isn’t called Roadblock for nothing. He and his team discover that the American government has been infiltrated by the baddie Zartan. He gets several countries to disarm their nuclear programs and has fashioned Project Zeus, a series of weapons of mass destruction that could obliterate several cities. Not on Roadblock’s watch. He won’t stop until Project Zeus is deactivated. A real American hero.

'Doom'

This time, Johnson is saving Mars. In 2046, a research facility has been set up on that planet, and attacked by mutants. How did they come to be? Through science that got a little weird. A team of Marines, with Johnson’s Sarge at the helm, goes in to take care of business. Life lessons, and genetic engineering lessons, are learned in the process.

‘The Scorpion King’

In one of his first major action film leads, Johnson is solid as, well, you know. This gives him the opportunity to save the prehistoric world. As Mathayus, he plans to take down the tyrannical ruler Memnon for the Scorpion King crown. That happens through sandstorm battles, bow-and-arrow artistry and fights with flaming swords.

Naturally the main reason one goes to a Godzilla movie is to see the eponymous creature fight other monsters, but it’s also important to have human characters involved to anchor the story. In the MonsterVerse franchise, most of those humans are part of or affiliated with Monarch, which has studied these Titans for nearly three-quarters of a century.

While 2014’s Godzilla and 2017’s Kong: Skull Island provided some information on Monarch, this month’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters pulling the curtain back even further on this organization. I recently interviewed King of the Monsters production designer Scott Chambliss, and he explained that Monarch’s headquarters is representative of the clash between man and nature in the movie. Speaking about the inspiration for designing these headquarters, Chambliss said:

Our story boiled down to its most essential archetype is one of man vs. nature, and the Monarch HQ was the perfect environment in which to visually express this. Located deep in the heart of an oceanic mountain miles below the water’s surface, Monarch brought together all the human and technological engineering firepower conceivable to house its monumental and labyrinthine HQ within an utterly hostile environment...one that didn’t even exist until they created the initial negative void itself.

Although Kong: Skull Island’s post-credits scenes showed Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson’s characters being held inside one of Monarch’s interrogation rooms, that’s hardly a good look into the kind of work space the agency’s employees operate in. Fortunately, Godzilla: King of the Monsters will not have that issue, and clearly Monarch is not lacking for funds if it can set up its headquarters within an underwater mountain.

More importantly, though, is how Godzilla: King of the Monsters reflects the core archetype through both the artificial elements making up Monrach’s base and its natural home. Scott Chambliss provided additional details about what to expect from the headquarters, saying:

Within the compound you see evidence of both: the technologically advanced monitoring, scientific, and manufacturing floors expressed in the language of advanced fortified architecture within the larger and very visible raw volcanic rock volume that houses it. This isn’t the kind of metaphoric visualizing that is intended to be showily theatrical. It is instead a presentation of starkly contrasting ingredients- raw, powerful nature and utterly refined human engineering- which is by itself an interpretation of our archetype. I’m very curious to see if this translates into the final film in any meaningful way.

In the present day MonsterVerse, the two main representatives of Monarch have been Ken Watanabe’s Ishiro Serizawa and Sally Hawkins’ Vivienne Graham. Both will be back for Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and in addition to meeting some of their other coworkers, we finally get to see the kind of environment they’re in when not doing fieldwork.

Scott Chambliss also confirmed that it was incredibly difficult to put together the Monarch headquarters set. As he put it:

The great volume of Monarch HQ made it by far the most demanding build of our movie. All the scenic and technical arts of set creation were employed here, down to robotic set dressing components. A large number of complicated parts working together comprised our final Monarch HQ world.

It’s hard to say just how much time Godzilla: King of the Monsters is spending inside the Monarch headquarters, and obviously the main draw of this latest MonsterVerse tale is witnessing Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra and King Ghidorah collide out in the open. Still, considering how little we’ve learned about the organization, it’s cool to see Monarch will have a bigger presence for this third entry.

Along with Ken Watanabe and Sally Hawkins reprising their roles, Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ main cast includes Millie Bobby Brown, Vera Farmiga, g, Bradley Whitford, Charles Dance, Thomas Middleditch, Aisha Hinds, O’Shea Jackson, David Strathairn and Zhang Ziyi. Michael Dougherty directed and co-wrote the script with Zach Shields.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters rampages into theaters on May 31, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for continuing coverage. In the meantime, head to our 2019 release schedule to find out what movies are coming out later in the year.

AVENGERS ENDGAME saw the death of Iron Man, but a stunning new fan theory may prove Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark will cameo in Spider-Man Far From Home.

After a decade of MCU movies, Iron Man died to save the universe in Avengers Endgame. And from the new Spider-Man Far From Home trailer, we can see Peter Parker is struggling to move on without his mentor. Nevertheless, a clue in one scene may prove we’ve not seen the last of Downey Jr’s Tony Stark just yet. Reddit user Dkmistry23 writes: “So watching the Spiderman: Far from Home trailers, there's a specific shot where you hear Peter Parker saying, "Oh my God", while taking off a pair of sunglasses in the back of a car. It's clearly an important shot, being featured in most of the trailers.”

They continued: “These sunglasses are very distinctive in their style, and aren't the style that I'd associate with Peter Parker in any of his appearances and lead me to believe that they aren't his.

“They do, however, look very similar to the style that you would associate with Tony Stark, specifically Tony Stark during IW and Endgame.

“This is all purely speculation, but given that he is sat in the back of the car, Peter is clearly being driven around by someone, and with Happy being featured so much in the trailer, I believe Happy is the driver of the car.”

They added: “With all of that in mind, looking at Peter's shocked reaction as he takes off the glasses, I think that, given that AR heads up displays that Iron Man has created in the past, the sunglasses are handed to him early in the movie by Happy as he's driving and contain a video AR message.

“The whole of Endgame reinforces the idea that Tony has finally created a life for himself that is about more than being just Iron Man.

“This is why Peter leaves New York so eagerly to take a break from being Spider-Man; because it was his mentor's last message to him, live a life and don't make it all about Spider-Man.”

Certainly, this would fit in with what we saw at the end of Avengers Endgame when Tony’s family watched a final message from him.

Plus, another reason there’s probably a surprise cameo from Downey Jr as the MCU figure is because Kevin Feige has confirmed Spider-Man Far From Home is the final film of Marvel Phase 3.

Fans had believed that it was the start of Phase 4, but clearly Far From Home is some sort of epilogue to Endgame.

And what better way than for Iron Man to hand on the mantle to Spidey for the franchise’s future.

Aladdin star Naomi Scott has opened up about the differences between tackling a new song and classics like 'A Whole New World' on the live-action remake.

Guy Ritchie's new take on the Disney animation sees Princess Jasmine (Scott) get her own solo number in the form of 'Speechless', written by Disney legend Alan Menken and The Greatest Showman's Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

But it seems tackling Aladdin's standout classic wasn't as daunting as bringing a new song into Aladdin canon.

"I think 'A Whole New World', there's a whimsical feeling and a joyful feeling to it that I think as long as you… it's almost like just enjoying it and going for the ride and you have to just enjoy it. I didn't actually feel as much pressure on that one, funnily enough," Scott told Digital Spy.

"I think that for 'Speechless', I did feel the weight of the message of the song. I think the message is so powerful, the idea that she's not going to go speechless and you do have a voice and you should speak up against injustice.

"Everyone can relate to the idea of being shut down. Did I feel the pressure? I think because it was new, you feel a bit of freedom to really make it your own, there's not someone that's gone before you. Ultimately, I was just really excited to make it feel raw. She's angry in that moment."

While 'Speechless' is new for the remake and adds a different dimension to Princess Jasmine, Scott still wanted to keep what made the character one of her favourite Disney Princesses.

"I think that you always want to get that balance right of honouring what went before, but also keeping it fresh and new. Also, I think it's been 27 years since the original and things have changed and progressed," she explained.

"What I did want to keep is how Princess Jasmine made me feel at eight years old. I wanted to keep that feeling. She was one of my favourite Princesses growing up, genuinely, because I saw myself in her and I could relate to her, she just made me feel empowered. I wanted to keep that feeling, but also make her even more ambitious."

Scott has previously spoken about one of the other major new elements in the remake in the form of Jasmine's handmaiden Dalia.

Ever since news broke that Robert Pattinson may be DC's new movie Batman, the internet has been aflame with opinions. While the former Twilight actor has had many people defending the decision, it's safe to say the rumored casting has been very polarizing. Sure, Pattinson has done some great things outside of the films he's commonly known for, but is he really Batman material?

Whether he's the right man for the job or not, one thing both sides of this argument should agree on is that now is the best possible time for DC to roll the dice on casting Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne. For those who don't quite see that just yet, I'll break down exactly why we shouldn't be yanking our hair out and boycotting just because Edward Cullen may become the Caped Crusader.

Robert Pattinson Would Play Batman During DC's Experimental Phase

After its attempts to replicate what Marvel is doing with the MCU more or less failed, DC has been more focused on creating entertaining standalone movies and have put on less emphasis on making sure they're all a part of a connected universe. While there are downsides and have been some casualties because of this decision, the result has been a more creative and free cinematic universe.

Want to reboot Suicide Squad but still keep Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn? Not a problem. Want to fix up Jason Momoa's character after his initial appearance in Justice League? No problemo. Hell, you can even make a Joker origin movie that's disconnected entirely from the Joker seen only a few years back in Suicide Squad! It sounds like chaos, but really it's similar to what comics have always done.

That is to say DC is throwing a lot of concepts at a dartboard and going with what sticks. The beauty in this process is that it's a win-win for fans, particularly those who doubt Robert Pattinson's abilities as Batman. If he flops, then there's plenty of precedent that DC will drop him and try to take another shot at a Batman movie with another actor down the road, or he'll surprise skeptics and the formerly angry will be happy.

The World Is Hungry For A Solo Batman Film

As of this writing, it's been seven years since The Dark Knight Rises debuted in theaters. The world hasn't waited that long on a standalone Batman movie since the gap between Batman & Robin and Batman Begins, although the wait hasn't been quite as unbearable thanks to Ben Affleck's Batman in DC's ensemble features.

It's not for a lack of trying, as DC tried to get The Batman up and underway during Affleck's tenure, but it never seemed to work out. Instead, audiences were teased with flashes of what Affleck's Batman was capable of, which were packaged in commercially successful, but subpar in the eyes of critics and some fans. The Batman was going to have Affleck's Batman front and center, and it would be a chance for Batman to get the solo screen time fans had only been teased with before.

Now, we finally will get to see Batman in action, only he'll be played by someone else. Sure, it's not as satisfying, but even when considering casting issues, the world will be amped to see another Batman movie even if Robert Pattinson is the new Bruce Wayne. Provided the casting rumor is true, it doesn't seem likely fans will be worked up so much they'll actively boycott his first film and risk an even longer gap between Batman movies.

Robert Pattinson May Be The Perfect Batman For The Batman

Is Robert Pattinson different than past actors that have donned the cowl and cape? That depends on who you ask, but I think many would agree that Pattinson's public perception is different than other actors who have played the role. He's not a name the mainstream would associate with action movies, nor is he necessarily on a short list of actors one would describe as a "badass."

To be fair to Robert Pattinson, neither is another actor who's allegedly in contention for the role, Nicholas Hoult. Hoult's cred for the role of Batman is marginally better in that he's been in X-Men, but both are far more known for their works outside the world of superheroes and action movies. Put simply, it appears physicality will be a part of The Batman, but it doesn't appear to be the main thing Matt Reeves and crew are looking for.

We do know that Matt Reeves' vision for The Batman is a noir-driven story that focuses more on the detective abilities of Batman, and while there will almost certainly be some action, it appears the analytical side of Batman will take center stage. Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult may not be the most obvious choices for Batman to some, but that could be because this won't be the typical Batman movie everyone is used to.

DC Could Have More Than One Batman At The Same Time

Now, is it possible Robert Pattinson could continue to be a polarizing Batman even after one film? Sure, but if there are enough people on board and the box office numbers are in The Batman's favor, there's a good chance the young actor could get another film or two to further line the pockets of producers.

With that being said, is there a rule that there can only be one Batman in cinema at one time? It's never been done, but it's looking like there wil be at least two Bruce Wayne's co-existing provided The Batman doesn't have some yet-to-be-discovered tie-in to Joker. Provided both films are successful and have sequels, DC could potentially have two Batmen co-existing in two different eras.

It's not a novel concept, and while DC has typically been pretty protective of how many versions of its heroes are used throughout its media, that stance has seemingly been relaxed quite a bit as of late. In fact, this Batman may co-exist alongside Lego Batman and Titans' incoming Batman played by Iain Glen. Whether it happens with Joker or some other way, don't be surprised if DC doesn't try for another live-action Batman to share the stage with Robert Pattinson in his own set of movies.

The bottom line is this is the ideal time for DC to take a risk with an actor that the world may be iffy on as Batman, and those upset shouldn't be that worried considering the current era of DC movies. Whether the new Batman is Robert Pattinson or anyone else, let's always remember that the most unlikely of actors can deliver the best performances, and that DC is often quick to pivot when a plan doesn't come together.

Stick with CinemaBlend for more updates on The Batman (which comes out on June 25, 2021) and other big headlines in movies, television and pop culture.

While John Wick, the grieving master assassin, may not be a very nice guy, actor Keanu Reeves is well known for being a stand-up dude. Notoriously shy, there are lots of stories floating around about nice things he’s done, but hard to get anything on the record, since the actor won’t confirm or deny many of these stories.

So, we sat down with the cast of John Wick 3: Parabellum and asked them to name the nicest thing Keanu Reeves did while on set. The answers ranged from sweet and simple, like Ian McShane revealing that Reeves brought him tea while on set, to Lance Reddick describing a touching moment between the two actors. Halle Berry, who recently joined the franchise, just laughed and revealed that punctuality actually counts for a lot.

John Wick 3: Parabellum hits theaters May 17.