Social media can be a powerful tool, one that, when used properly, leads to all sorts of outcomes of varying degrees of importance, like, say, learning the premiere date of BoJack Horseman season 5. In a clever bit of social media marketing, Netflix used the endlessly irritable BoJack Horseman account to announce that season 5 of the critically acclaimed adult animated series will hit the streaming service in September. The announcement made for a well-planned effort between the official accounts for BoJack and Netflix, with another user, whose question as to when the series would return, ended up serving as the catalyst for the official statement. The exchange between @abbyrougish and @BoJackHorseman makes it almost impossible not to read the words in Will Arnett’s voice, which certainly adds some flavor to what might otherwise have been just an average press release from Netflix. If you dig down past the initial exchange, you’ll see that Netflix jumps in for a well-timed rebuke of the account’s handling of the situation, and a mild threat to “revoke” its Twitter privileges. Check out the initial exchange/announcement below: In addition to getting audiences excited about September, Netflix followed up the news with an official release that also included a brand new image from season 5 that's sure to fire up the engines on the internet speculation machine, which have been cooling since the Westworld finale on Sunday. BoJack Horseman isn’t normally so cryptic in its marketing, so it will be interesting to see what’s actually happening in the surprisingly bloody image. It’s worth noting that BoJack is the only regular character in the image, and that although he’s clutching his bloody chest after presumably having been shot by the reptile woman in front of some astonished onlookers, he’s also wearing a badge on his belt and is dressed like a TV detective. So unless BoJack Horseman season 5 sees its title character attempt a dramatic career change, chances are BoJack landed a role on a cop show or movie. Then again, given the show’s penchant for fantastical sequences, this could also be a dream of some sort. At any rate, it’s fun to have something to pick over while waiting for the first season 5 trailer and more as we creep toward September. If you recall, season 4 ended in a relatively upbeat place for BoJack and his newfound sisters Hollyhock, which certainly gives the series some interesting new avenues to explore. BoJack Horseman season 5 will stream on Netflix on Friday, September 14.

Facebook is introducing a new feature soon called "Keyword Snooze," with one of its intended uses being to block TV spoilers from users' news feeds. In 2018, social media is more entrenched in the lives of people across the globe than its ever been, whether it be Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, or the Mark Zuckerberg-created 800-pound gorilla known as Facebook. To put things in perspective, the world has over 7 billion people inhabiting it, and over 2 billion of those people are active Facebook users. Facebook is definitely a very useful creation in many ways. It allows people to easily keep in touch with friends and family that might live far away, and stay abreast of the happenings in their lives. It also lets people reconnect with folks they may have long-since lost touch with, for whatever reason. Facebook's trademark News Feed also enables users to keep up on what's going on with both pop culture and the world at large, via sites they've "liked" and interacted with in the past. Unfortunately, there are definite drawbacks to Facebook as well, as there are with any social media platform. Facebook can often be used as a way to spread bigotry and hatred from one like-minded person to another, or - as famously witnessed during the 2016 U.S. presidential election - to circulate and perpetuate "fake news" stories with no basis in fact. For those too busy to take in all the latest TV shows and movies live though, logging onto Facebook also carries with it a huge risk of running into unwanted plot spoilers before one can watch the program in question. That's one area where Facebook's new "Keyword Snooze" feature will come in, according to EW. The way the Keyword Snooze feature will work is actually rather simple. When users see a story in their feed containing a certain keyword - whether it be posted by someone they personally know, or a media outlet - they can open a menu of keywords available to snooze from that post. To avoid spoilers, one could, for example, block the keywords "Game of Thrones" or "The Walking Dead" or "Westworld." Then no posts containing those blocked words or phrases would appear in that users News Feed for 30 days. Sadly, blocks aren't permanent, for those looking to completely ban words like "Trump," "Clinton," or "Kardashian" from their feeds forever. Notably, snoozing keywords does not apply to ads, so users may still see ads about a snoozed subject. The new feature quietly went live earlier today, to a percentage of Facebook users. The company plans to continue rolling the feature out to more and more users over the coming weeks, so those not able to make use of the snooze button yet may want to keep an eye out going forward. While this likely won't completely save fans from encountering unwanted spoilers, one can bet it'll be getting a lot of use around the time Avengers 4 hits theaters.

Maisie Richardson-Sellers has confirmed that she will return as Amaya Jiwe aka. Vixen in DC's Legends of Tomorrow season 4. Amaya's fate on the show was left somewhat up in the air at the end of season 3. Upon defeating the demon Mallus, Amaya decided it was time to leave her adventures on the Waverider behind her, and return to her home village to fulfill her destiny. That also meant bidding farewell to her teammate-turned lover Nate Heywood aka. Steel. While Amaya isn't directly mentioned in the Legends of Tomorrow season 4 synopsis (save for a reference to Nate being "heartbroken"), she does appear in the poster artwork for season 4, along with new series regular John Constantine and the returning Legends crew. Richardson-Sellers has now weighed in on the subject of her return as Amaya, in order to clear up any confusion that fans might have on the matter. Richardson-Sellers has posted a message to her Twitter account that confirms Amaya's return in Legends of Tomorrow season 4, and promises this season will be "weirder & more wonderful than ever". She has further indicated that more details will be revealed about Vixen's role in season 4 during the show's Ballroom 20 panel at San Diego Comic-Con next month. You can check out a screen grab of her social media post, below. Legends of Tomorrow season 4 will focus on the Legends' efforts to contain "Fugitives", aka. magical creatures from folklore and legend that they inadvertently allowed to enter our world during their battle with Mallus. It would only make sense for Amaya to lend her pals on the Waverider a helping hand in their mission, given that she has magical abilities of her own thanks to her Spirit Totem. However, it's not clear yet if Richardson-Sellers will be a series regular in season 4 or just a recurring cast member. Amaya and Nate's love story reached its a bittersweet, but inevitable conclusion back in season 3, following the revelation that (eventually) Amaya wipes Nate from her memory in order to move on in her life. For that reason, there is a risk that Legends of Tomorrow will soften the emotional impact of that payoff by bringing Amaya back into the fold in season 4. On the other hand, the character has established an enjoyable dynamic with the rest of the Legends by now, so her return this season is quite welcome in that respect. And who knows, the show may yet reveal some unexpected twists and turns in Amaya's journey to her final destination. DC's Legends of Tomorrow season 4 premieres Monday, October 22 on The CW this fall.

Brad Bird's long-awaited sequel Incredibles 2 has passed the $500 million mark at the worldwide box office, less than two weeks after its release. The first film was released in 2004 and introduced the Parrs, a family with superpowers trying to live normal lives in a world where superheroics were outlawed. Incredibles 2 picks up three months after the end of the first movie, and begins with the Parr family once again fighting crime as the Incredibles, until a botched mission turns the tide of opinion against Supers. Helen a.k.a. Elastigirl is recruited to carry out superheroics that double as publicity stunts, to quell the public's fears about Supers, while Bob a.k.a. Mr. Incredible agrees to stay at home and look after the kids. Incredibles 2 got off to a powerful start at the domestic box office, with a $182 million opening weekend, and now BoxOfficeMojo reports that the movie has crossed the $500 million mark at the worldwide box office - after less than two weeks in theaters. That's especially impressive when you consider that the movie has yet to open in key international markets like the UK, Japan and France. Though this delayed overseas release (a result of Disney/Pixar wanting to avoid the World Cup furore) means that the majority of Incredibles 2's box office so far is domestic, it has landed big in markets like China, Australia and Mexico, where it has so far grossed $21 million, $14million and $12 million, respectively. Incredibles 2's box office performance so far virtually guarantees that it will end up outperforming the first movie, even accounting for inflation. The Incredibles grossed $633 million worldwide upon its release in 2004, and performed very well overseas - especially in the UK, where it grossed $61.9 million. Unfortunately, Brits will have to wait until July 13 for their own chance to see the sequel. So far the reviews for Incredibles 2 have been overwhelmingly positive, with the film scoring a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and audiences have been similarly impressed if the A+ CinemaScore is anything to go by. As the film opens up in more and more markets over the next few weeks, we can expect to see its worldwide box office total get some major boosts. By the end of its run, Incredibles 2 stands a good chance of hitting the billion-dollar mark globally, and its already an incredible success for Disney and Pixar.

Ant-Man and the Wasp isn't just the 20th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it's the 20th to receive a fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes. It's been a remarkable run for Marvel Studios since launching the MCU with Iron Man in 2008, consistently taking over the box office and producing films ranging from solidly entertaining to borderline transcendent. Avengers: Infinity War just set a new standard for the mega-franchise, grossing over $2 billion worldwide to pair with a fine 83 percent score on the review aggregate website. However, Infinity War's shocking downer of an ending leaves fans awaiting the fate of many of the MCU's most iconic characters. In the meantime, Ant-Man and the Wasp comes along with a chance to continue the MCU's incredible run of success with a thrilling sequel, with the benefit of Paul Rudd's Scott Lang not appearing on-screen in Infinity War. Based on its aggregate score on Rotten Tomatoes, it looks like the sequel is already off to a strong start. Ant-Man and the Wasp reviews went up this morning, and now Rotten Tomatoes has given the film a certified fresh rating, based on a 90 percent score from 63 reviews. So in turn, the MCU is now 20 for 20 earning fresh scores on the popular review aggregator. As of this writing, its score is currently the eighth-highest in the MCU on the Tomatometer, behind Captain America: Civil War's 91 percent and ahead of Captain America: The Winter Soldier's 89 percent. Praising the "effortless charisma" of stars Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly, the Rotten Tomatoes consensus for Ant-Man and the Wasp describes the sequel as "a lighter, brighter superhero movie" that delivers "a much-needed MCU palate cleanser." The implication here is obvious. Avengers: Infinity War certainly had plenty of thrills and laughs, but after the emotional gut-punch of the ending and Thanos' dark, sinister character arc, the MCU needed Ant-Man and the Wasp to bring pure fun. Based on the majority of Ant-Man 2's early reviews, the sequel offers just that. For all the weighty grandeur and impossibly high stakes that made Infinity War one of the most epic and unforgettable MCU entries, fans needed a breath of fresh air and a chance to just sit back and enjoy the ride. Rudd can surely be counted on to put a smile on people's faces, a much happier one than the one Thanos got from the Infinity Stones. Despite sitting at 90 percent right now, there are only 63 reviews counted toward the score. There's likely to be over 300 reviews on the Tomatometer when it's all said and done, which could ultimately drop the score into the 80's. But it seems Ant-Man and The Wasp will end up staying certified fresh, regardless. Either way, the MCU continues to go on a remarkable run of avoiding even a mediocre reaction, let alone rotten.

Jessica Chastain confirms she's now filming IT: Chapter 2. Warner Bros.' big hit of last year came with bringing Stephen King's revered horror novel to the big screen. The young and mostly unknown cast combined with the terrifying portrayal of Pennywise gave IT the perfect mixture for success. The movie went on to gross over $700million worldwide, making all talks of a sequel a formality. WB brought back director Andy Muschietti and the writers from the first movie, but have added a lot of talent to the sequel. Pennywise's return to Derry, Maine, 27 years after the events of the first film resulted in the studio casting older versions of everyone's favorite members of the Loser's Club. While a few potential breakouts are in the mix, the cast is led by Chastain as an older Beverly Marsh and James McAvoy as an older Bill Denbrough. McAvoy was the first to report to set, but now Chastain is joining the production. Chastain took to Instagram to confirm her time on IT: Chapter 2 has begun. While she didn't have as much fun as McAvoy did with his announcement, she instead showed the believability of her playing the older Bev. As seen below, Chastain shared a photoshopped picture that is half of her face and the other half of Sophia Lillis, who played Bev in the first film. Chastain starting production on IT: Chapter 2 is the final step in what has been a long journey to get to this point. She's been linked to the role of older Beverly right from the start of the sequel talk. Although the plans were scrapped, there was at one point a plan to have Chastain appear in a post-credits scene for IT to tease the sequel and time jump. She was the first actor to join the IT sequel officially and now can finally begin work. With both McAvoy and Chastain now confirmed to have started filming, the only mystery that remains is who else has joined them so far. The rest of the grown up Loser's Club will be portrayed by Bill Hader (Richie), Jay Ryan (Ben), Isaiah Mustafa (Mike), James Ransone (Eddie), and Andy Bean (Stanley). Considering the excitement that IT: Chapter 2 has already generated, a proper image of the full cast assembled will hopefully arrive soon. In the meantime, production will continue in Canada as the rest of the cast is finalized. Over the last few days, Xavier Dolan and Will Beinbrink joined in supporting roles, the latter as Beverly's husband. Teach Grant and Jess Weixler also came aboard the sequel in key roles. A few other roles may still need to be filled as production continues, so fans should keep an eye out for more.

David Yost is still interested in pursuing a reunion movie featuring the original cast of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Yost played the first live-action version of Billy Cranston, aka the Blue Ranger, on the original Power Rangers TV series in the early 1990s. Unfortunately, he eventually left the series after season 4 due to facing homophobic bullying from the production crew. In the show, his character left Earth to travel to the planet of Aquitar in order to find a cure for his rapid aging. While Yost left his Power Rangers career behind all those years ago, he has continued to work in television as a producer, and has partnered with DoSomething.com for their You Got the Power Campaign, which is designed to combat bullying. But now, it looks like he wants to get the team back together for a reunion film. In an interview with ComicBook, Yost said he has always heard fans asking for a reunion of the original cast, saying, "I get to travel around the world to different conventions and...all I hear is we want to see a reunion of the original cast. ...I've never understood why this wasn't in the plan, or why the people that own the franchise just never really wanted to try that out, but I hear it and hear it." And so, Yost has gone as far as to write the opening of a Mighty Morphin Power Rangers reunion movie himself. He also said that his production dream team would include Amy Jo Johnson, who played Kimberly Hart the Pink Ranger. Johnson has also expressed interest in not only reuniting the cast, but directing the movie. She has directed two short films and self-produced the 2017 movie The Space Between. Yost said he has worked with Johnson on “several of her films and shorts.” He also been producer on the movie Alien Hunter, associate producer on the reality show Temptation Island, and segment producer on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. While those projects are all considerably different than Power Rangers, there's no denying that Yost is a fan of the superhero team. The Power Rangers franchise was rebooted in 2017 with a live-action Power Rangers movie that featured a more diverse cast, but it ended up underperforming at the box office and received mixed reviews from critics. The movie also teased a sequel featuring a rebooted version of Tommy Oliver, the most famous ranger in the franchise; something that may not go over well with fans. Tommy Oliver, played by Jason David Frank, has continued to make appearances in the television franchise. He is slated to return in Power Rangers Ninja Steel, the latest version of the the franchise. However, it is unfortunate that the movie would not see a full reunion. While Frank would undoubtedly return as would Austin St. John, Thuy Trang who played Trini Kwan the Yellow Ranger was killed in a car accident in 2001. Yost has already promised that the movie would pay homage to her and it would be interesting to see how that would be done. There are many directions that the movie to go in, and many possible directions to take the characters in, especially since Hasbro has been talking about a potential Power Rangers reboot. But for now, the movie is only a dream.

Marvel Studios’ president Kevin Feige reveals that Black Panther opened new doors for Marvel, claiming that the film’s success has encouraged the studio to pursue more diverse movies in the future. Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther was an immediate success upon release, being celebrated by audiences and critics alike for its poignant storytelling, political themes, and diverse cast. Black Panther has been embraced most especially by the black community in the United States, as the film provided an unprecedented level of racial representation for African Americans in a Marvel film. Just recently, Coogler’s Black Panther won Best Actor (with Chadwick Boseman’s lead performance as T’Challa, King of Wakanda) and Best Movie at the 2018 BET Awards. And the film continues to serve as a major cultural movement. Earlier this week, the Smithsonian Institution announced it would be displaying one of Boseman’s costumes, Black Panther’s shooting script signed by Coogler, pages of a spec script, and production photos in the National Museum of Afircan American History and Culture in a move to recognize the resonance and importance that Black Panther has carried with audiences around the world. In an interview with Coming Soon for Marvel's Ant-Man and The Wasp, Kevin Feige briefly discussed Black Panther as well as how they are looking into furthering their representation of marginalized communities. Speaking to how Black Panther served as an important example for Marvel, Feige said: "The success of Black Panther, like a lot of things with the history of Marvel Studios, has just emboldened us to just continue doing that and to continue heading forward with that. …It gives you something fun and entertaining to watch on screen because that’s what I wanna see when I go to the movies, but you’re getting a message. Empathy is a great word that you’re saying, and Ryan Coogler used to say something great when people would ask him, 'Will non-people of color be able to see this movie?' and he was like, 'Yes. I’ve watched white characters for so long and connected with them.'” Marvel has already begun to position itself to become more inclusive and diverse through some recent project developments. In addition to the upcoming Captain Marvel film and the Black Widow movie being in development, Feig recently suggested that the MCU may soon have more female heroes than male heroes on the big screen, which could be bolstered by a possible all-female team-up movie that keeps being discussed among the shared universe's stars. Feige also confirmed this week that the MCU is looking to bulk up its LGBTQ representation as well, with future projects aiming to include characters of multiple sexual orientations. With all of these potential projects in the air, as well as Marvel’s new diversity-oriented focus, it certainly appears as though Black Panther has indeed started a new and exciting age for the MCU, in which Marvel fans of all backgrounds and sexuality can see themselves represented on the big screen.

A glut of superheroes, a Star Wars prequel and a musical sleeper hit have helped catapult U.S. box office takings beyond $6 billion inside the first half of the year for the first time. In what has already proven a stellar year for blockbuster fare, record-breaking releases like Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War have sent national aggregate records tumbling. However, it's worth noting that, while certain studios like Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros. Pictures, and Universal Pictures are experiencing record-high revenue from their movies - each studio crossed $5 billion at the worldwide box office last year - the number of ticket sales in the United States has dropped significantly. In fact, 2017 was one of the worst years for movie ticket sales in decades. And it looks like the disparity is continuing to grow as 2018 has already broken a box office record of its own. The Wrap reports the 2018 domestic box office has crossed $6 billion in just six months, which beats the previous best six-month total of $5.64 billion, which was set in 2017. And although a slower second half to the year is predicted, the 12-month total appears well on track to beat 2016's record of $11.3 billion. Right now, Black Panther is leading the way with almost $700 million from the U.S. alone - a remarkable showing which has made the February release the highest-grossing superhero movie of all time. It may struggle to hold onto its record-breaking status, however, as Avengers: Infinity War has already raked in $669 million domestically and continues to close the gap. But the superhero spell over the movie-going public extends beyond these two. Less than a month after the latest Avengers installment hit cinemas, Deadpool 2 arrived - and it has gone on to top $300 million, putting it among a select group of R-rated movies to reach that benchmark. A rather more family-friendly brand of heroism is racing up the 2018 chart too. Pixar's The Incredibles 2 was not released until midway through June, but has already raked in an incredible $360 million - including an opening weekend haul of $182 million which made it the most successful animated movie opening of all time. But while these caped and costumed crime-fighters are responsible for the lion's share of the 2018 receipts, they are certainly not alone in performing well, and their supporting cast transcends a wide variety of genres. Dwayne Johnson's body-swap adventure caper Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Hugh Jackman's P.T. Barnum-inspired musical The Greatest Showman grossed $360 million in January, despite lukewarm openings at the tail end of 2017. Two of cinema's favorite franchises returned this year too, and while each series has arguably seen better days - commercially and critically - Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom ($181 million) and Solo: A Star Wars Story ($203 million) have each contributed significant sums to the 2018 total. Perhaps the most surprising film on the list of this year's high-performers though is A Quiet Place. John Krasinski's inventive, near-silent horror enjoyed a modest opening in April, but has since gone on to earn $187 million, fuelled by positive reviews and strong word of mouth. In the battle of the studios, Disney is the clear winner in the year-to-date figures. Disney's ownership of Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar gives it four of the year's top five 2018 films so far, and an overwhelming market share of 36.4 percent, relegating 20th Century Fox's 12.8 percent to a distant second place.

Drew Goddard is open to returning to the Cloverfield franchise. Back in 2008, Paramount Pictures and Bad Robot helped the creative trio of J.J. Abrams, Matt Reeves, and Goddard launch what appeared to be a standalone disaster flick with a monster twist. The original Cloverfield stood apart from similar films thanks to a hand-held camera and the success of it allowed for much more. In the years since, Bad Robot has been retrofitting movies to exist in this universe. Dan Trachtenberg's 10 Cloverfield Lane was the first and was followed up by Julius Onah's The Cloverfield Paradox. The anthology style universe appears to have stopped though. Paramount's Overlord was at one point thought to be another secret Cloverfield film, but Abrams affirms that's not the case. Instead, Abrams announced that a proper Cloverfield sequel is in development. While no creative team has been announced, it would be in the franchise's best interest to get the original team back together - and it certainly sounds like Goddard is up for another adventure. Slashfilm spoke with writer/director Drew Goddard about the possibility of him returning to this universe. Goddard wrote the screenplay for Reeves' original film and has executive produced all the subsequent entries. When he was asked about the direct sequel that's in the works, Goddard says he isn't involved with that project but is open to doing something else with the Cloverfield brand down the line. "I heard about that. I’m certainly not currently writing or directing it, but I also wouldn’t rule anything out. Look, I love that universe. I love J.J. I love [director] Matt [Reeves]. I think we all feel like we want to get the band back together eventually, so…" Even though Goddard was only the writer of the first film, his name has only grown since this film. He made his directorial debut with Cabin in the Woods and is set to follow that up later this year with the release of Bad Times at the El Royale. He's also remained a busy writer with both of those films, along with writing the scripts for hits like World War Z and The Martian. He isn't just accomplished on film either as he played important roles in bringing The Good Place and Daredevil to air. Plus, with X-Force on the horizon, there's a chance his name is only going to get grow. As far as a potential return could come, Goddard offers plenty of skills to help return Cloverfield to glory. Goddard's remarks and schedule all but officially rule him out of writing or directing a proper Cloverfield 2. But, if that film is as well-received as its predecessor, then he could get involved with the third film in a few years. With known IPs reigning supreme these days, he could even help bring Cloverfield to the small screen if that's a path Bad Robot ever wants to explore. Given his talents as a writer, director, and producer, hopefully Goddard can make a true return to Cloverfield sooner rather than later.

Some new videos have revealed more info on the new Doom movie – including the return of the iconic BFG 9000. This won't be the first time a movie version of Doom has been attempted, of course. Dwayne Johnson, Karl Urban, and Rosamund Pike all starred in the 2005 adaptation, which featured a team of marines being sent to Mars to prevent an outbreak of genetically engineered monsters. Despite a decent cast and a substantial budget, the movie's poor script and dull first hour let it down, though the first-person shooter sequence was a lot of fun. Doom was a box-office dud, and even Johnson has acknowledged it didn't work. He even threw shade at the movie while promoting his much more successful video game to movie translation Rampage; Doom's Twitter threw the shade right back. Talk of a 3D Doom reboot was mentioned years ago, but news of a new movie heading into production was kept quiet until actress Nina Bergman suddenly announced she had signed on back in April. It's since been confirmed the new Doom will go straight to DVD, and that actress Amy Manson will play the lead character. Details about the movie have mostly been gleaned from the social media accounts of the cast and crew, and now a video on Doom Movie's Twitter account has confirmed Manson's character is called Joan Dark. Interestingly enough, that's also the name of the lead from another famous FPS game Perfect Dark - but that's almost certainly a coincidence. Twitter Ads info and privacy It wouldn't really be Doom without an appearance by the BFG 9000, and now an audition tape by actor Akie Kotabe confirms the famous weapon will appear during the story. Kotabe's audition tape also drops other plot hints for the new Doom, with the dialogue even managing a subtle way to mention the title. Some fans were upset when they learned the new lead would be a female character, instead of the mute hero from the game's dubbed Doomguy. While no photos of the character have appeared, director Tony Giglio took to social media recently to debunk the rumor the character wouldn't appear. It's a good time to be a Doom fan; in addition to the fantastic game reboot from 2016 and news of the movie, a new video game sequel was recently announced called Doom Eternal. Like Doom II, Eternal will see Doomguy battle hordes of demons on Earth, with only his trusty double barrel shotgun for company.

Paul Feig and Emma Thompson are joining forces on an original holiday romance film titled Last Christmas. Feig has made his name as the go-to male director for comedies starring women over the past several years, starting with his breakout hit Bridesmaids in 2011. Since then, Feig has called the shots on the Melissa McCarthy-led action/comedy hits The Heat and Spy, as well as the Ghostbusters movie reboot (which reunited him with McCarthy and her Bridesmaids costar Kristen Wiig yet again). Feig will try his hand at something a little different later this year, when he releases the mystery/thriller A Simple Favor, starring Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick. The filmmaker isn't done branching out as a storyteller, either, and will follow-up up that movie with the romance Last Christmas, which is based on a script that Thompson cowrote with Bryony Kimmings (a relative unknown). THR reports that Last Christmas is a romance set in London, but doesn't have any plot details to offer beyond that. Feig is set to direct the movie with Thompson producing, in addition to serving as cowriter. There's nothing in THR's article that suggests Thompson also plans to costar in the film, but seeing as Feig nearly directed her in the upcoming comedy Late Night (which Mindy Kaling wrote and costars in), it's certainly a possibility. Thompson has picked up Oscars for both her acting and writing in the past, and has remained active as a performer/screenwriter of late. Over the past eight years alone, Thompson has written and costarred in three movies, including the kid-friendly sequel Nanny McPhee Returns, historical romance/drama Effie Gray, and romantic comedy sequel Bridget Jones's Baby. She also has roles in upcoming films like Johnny English Strikes Again and the Robert Downey Jr.-headlined Voyage of Doctor Dolittle, along with Late Night. All things considered, Last Christmas sounds promising already, regardless of whether Thompson acts in the film or works strictly behind the camera. Similarly, as is the case with A Simple Favor, it's good to see Feig moving beyond broad comedies as a director, while at the same time remaining committed to telling stories written by and focused on women. If all goes well, Last Christmas may even prove to be a heartwarming flick worth revisiting over the winter holidays for years to come. We will bring you more details on Last Christmas as they become available.

Simon Pegg would love to work with Edgar Wright on another movie project in the near future. The pair are not just frequent collaborators. Wright and Pegg have a friendship that has spawned numerous projects including Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World's End. Pegg and Wright began their friendship and collaborative relationship in the late '90s with the TV series Spaced. Pegg starred in the short-lived series while Wright served as director. But the introduction would lead to a fruitful, creative partnership that has lasted well over a decade. Pegg and Wright have worked together on a number of projects since Spaced. Not only have the pair had great success with the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, comprised of the aforementioned Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World's End, the pair has also worked on a few shorts related to their features. Along with acting, Pegg has worked on concepts and writing with Wright. According to an interview with ComingSoon, it's only a matter of time, and availability, until fans are treated to another Pegg/Wright feature. While discussing his latest film Terminal, the conversation shifted to when fans would see Pegg and Wright reunited on screen. When asked about future projects, and whether they would involve longtime friend/collaborator Wright, Pegg gave a positive answer. Oh yeah, that’s like a given. The only reason we haven’t is just timing. Me and Edgar and Nick [Frost] are not colleagues, we’re friends. We go back a long time and we have a relationship that transcends work, but if only to hang with each other for an extended period we’ll make another film again. It’s just with our various commitments we have to find the time to write and make it. Me and Edgar talk about it all the time, and whenever we’re together we start brainstorming and we have certain ideas we want to develop. It’s just a question of “when,” not “if.” New projects with Wright weren't the only topic of discussion. Pegg talked about working on Terminal and fellow collaborator with Wright, Nick Frost, with whom Pegg is working on a comedy. While the film wasn't critically acclaimed, Pegg enjoyed the opportunity to work alongside actors Margot Robbie and Mike Myers. "Most of the scenes I have are with Margot, and it was really fun to sit across from her and spar. You could pretty much put all our scenes into a short play and have it be dinner theater, you know? That was really fun." While Pegg already has a heavy future schedule with Mission: Impossible - Fallout as well as a few new projects, fans can rest assured that another collaboration with Wright is just around the corner. Both artists have gained quite the amount of success since their early days on Spaced. They have both been tremendously supportive of one another. Each making the other's career. But their projects, like the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, always show the partnership between the two of them. It's a unique, and wonderful relationship in the entertainment industry. And one that will only spawn more entertaining projects in the future.

To celebrate Alien's 40th anniversary in 2019, 20th Century Fox has launched a short film competition for fans. Alien became an instant classic upon release in 1979 thanks to Ridley Scott's taut direction, H.R Giger's art design, and the amazing cast, including Sigourney Weaver as Ripley. James Cameron's Aliens followed in 1986, tilting the genre from horror to action, and one that expanded the mythology while delivering great set pieces, characters, and dialogue. The sequels since then have nearly all been met with mixed responses; the relentlessly bleak Alien 3 is divisive to this day, Resurrection is considered a silly mess, the Alien Vs Predator movies are often ignored by fans, and Ridley Scott's prequels – Prometheus and Alien: Covenant – widened the universe but suffered from messy stories. While the franchise still produces plenty of spinoffs in the form of video games, comics, and books, it appears the movie series is currently on hold following Covenant's underwhelming box-office. The original Alien celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2019, and to commemorate the day, 20th Century Fox has announced a new competition that will allow six fans to make a five to nine-minute long short film set in the universe, and there's up to $246,000 in prizes on offer. The competition is in association with Tongal and is open to fans from the U.S. only. Anyone tempted by the competition better put their thinking caps on too; the deadline for the initial pitch is July 3. Twitter Ads info and privacy The Tongal site lists plenty of rules around the competition too, such as filmmakers not being allowed to use pre-existing characters or events from the Alien universe. The short is also expected to be in the style of the original, so intense and catastrophic. There are even some scenario ideas on the site, including "Space crew discovers the body of a Facehugged victim outside their ship" and "A small child is stalked by a Facehugger searching for a host." There will no doubt be lots of other events to celebrate the Alien anniversary, but for now, this is a chance for some lucky fans to show off their love for the series. The fanbase has been quite divided over the current direction of the series, which has focused less on the beast itself and more on Michael Fassbender's crazed A.I. David. Covenant even seemed to imply David himself created the Xenomorph, and while the movie ended on a massive cliffhanger, it seems Fox is reluctant to commit to another Alien installment of his story, despite Ridley Scott's intriguing pitch for the next chapter. Alien fans also mourned the cancellation of Neill Blomkamp's proposed Alien 5, which would have ignored the events of 3 and Resurrection, and brought back Ripley, Hicks, and Newt. Fox seemed keen on the concept for awhile before putting it on ice and Blomkamp has since admitted to having moved on from the project.

Jared Leto starring in Morbius the Living Vampire won't change his position as the Joker in the DCEU. Since making a turn into the world of acting, Leto has built up an impressive résumé. Dramatic turns in Requiem for a Dream and Dallas Buyers Club proved his ability, but he made a splash a few years back by joining the DC Universe as the Joker. His portrayal was purposefully different from Heath Ledger's memorable turn but it still split viewers. Despite the differing opinions, Leto has remained part of Warner Bros.' plans for the future of the DC world. Leto's been linked to starring in Suicide Squad 2 on multiple occasions and could even be a candidate for Birds of Prey. There's also been a Harley vs Joker movie discussed and most recently a standalone movie for Leto. Now, it looks like he'll get a standalone movie with a different comic book movie universe after signing on to star in Morbius the Living Vampire for Sony. However, his status as the Joker isn't changing. In Variety's coverage of Leto's new superhero role, they cleared up any confusion about his future as the Joker too. They've been told that Leto playing Morbius "does not affect" him playing the clown prince of crime. That is as far as the report goes, so those interested in seeing more of Leto as the Joker have nothing to worry about, even if he's joined a Marvel property. Early indications on Morbius point to the film starting production sometime this year, which could take up the bulk of Leto's schedule. Even though he's still going to be WB's Joker, when exactly the project does begin filming could limit where he could possibly appear. As of right now, there's no DC movie productions happening for the rest of the year, unless Birds of Prey moves a bit faster than currently expected. While Leto's Joker status may not be changed right now, it very well could depending on how both of these franchises progress. If Morbius is a success, Sony is surely going to want a sequel with Leto returning. This would be years away from right now, but between other acting projects and Leto's music career, there's only so much time he can spend in either universe. He may have been a polarizing part of Suicide Squad, but Leto is still a rather big name. Plus, if Morbius does wind up being a hit, then it could further incentivize WB to push Leto's Joker movie forward to capitalize. Whatever the case may be, it looks like audiences may need to get used to seeing Leto in both roles.

Solo: A Star Wars Story director Ron Howard states recent reports regarding the franchise's spinoff films are not "entirely accurate." After being acquired by Lucasfilm, Disney was eager to expand the galaxy far, far away beyond the Skywalker saga by producing standalone anthology movies that told other stories. While the first one out of the gate, Rogue One, was a smashing success, Solo floundered at the box office. Despite generally positive reviews, Howard's film will go down as the first Star Wars installment to lose money. In the aftermath, numerous questions have been raised about Star Wars' future. It was only a week ago word was Lucasfilm was putting other spinoffs such as Obi-Wan and Boba Fett on hold as they reevaluate their strategies. The studio maintains there are still numerous movies in development, which is a sentiment Howard seems to share. TMZ caught up with the director and asked him about the other Star Wars standalone films. Howard had this to say: "I don't think it's entirely accurate. I think that was reported, but I don't think that's what I understand. Everybody at Lucasfilm and Disney really cares about the fans. I think it's an ongoing process of discovering what it can be and what it can all add up to. It's a process, and personally, I like that they take some chances, take some risks and see how people respond to it." It is worth mentioning that at no point were any Star Wars spinoffs reported to be outright canceled, so Howard's comments essentially line up with what's been said. In these early days of the franchise renaissance (The Force Awakens came out less than three years ago), Lucasfilm seems to be something of a fluid situation where they're experimenting with different concepts and seeing what works. Solo came up short of expectations, though mainly because of its exorbitant budget and lackluster marketing campaign. That may cause a film like James Mangold's Boba Fett to have a smaller price tag (in order to maximize potential profits), but there's no need to pull the plug on anything just yet. One commercial disappointment is not a franchise killer, and Star Wars had done very well at the box office the past three years. What remains to be seen, however, is when Lucasfilm will unveil plans for these movies. They have officially confirmed projects like Rian Johnson's new trilogy and David Benioff & D.B. Weiss' series, but have remained mum on Obi-Wan and others. That may have been an intentional move on the studio's part as they waited for the response to Solo, and announcements are incoming for a later date. After all the behind-the-scenes turmoil Star Wars has endured over the past couple of years, Lucasfilm would probably like to make sure everything is locked in place before going public with a film. Obi-Wan allegedly lost director Stephen Daldry long ago, so a lot of things are up in the air.

Dwayne Johnson has confirmed a December 13, 2019 release date for Jumanji 3. Last year's Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (a soft reboot set in the same universe as the 1995 Jumanji movie) was an unexpected smash success that grossed $961 million at the global box office. Critics were similarly pleased by the film, which changes the eponymous board game into a video game. As such, it was a no-brainer when Sony announced that it would be developing a third installment in the family-friendly action/adventure series. Johnson and his Welcome to the Jungle costars (Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black) are already lined up to return in Jumanji 3, along with director Jake Kasdan, and cowriters Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg. Back at CinemaCon in April, Sony head Tom Rothman confirmed that the film is being targeted for a Christmas 2019 release, much like Welcome to the Jungle hit theaters during last year's winter holiday season. Now, the sequel has a launch date firmly set in stone. The Rock confirmed the December 13, 2019 date for Jumanji 3 by posting the following video announcement to his Instagram account. Johnson didn't reveal much about the film beyond that, though he mentioned it will include "new characters" that weren't featured in Welcome to the Jungle, in addition to the returning in-game heroes: Smolder Bravestone (Johnson), Ruby Roundhouse (Gillan), Sheldon Oberon (Black), and Franklin Finbar (Hart). With Jumanji 3 now officially on the table, December 2019 is very crowded, as far as film releases go. The third Jumanji will hit theaters a week before Star Wars: Episode IX and the Wicked movie musical arrive on the scene, along with Kenneth Branagh's Death on the Nile adaptation. Sony is still holding onto that December 18 release date for its live-action Masters of the Universe reboot, but it seems reasonable to assume the studio will ultimately move the fantasy adventure elsewhere (rather than pit it against the Jumanji sequel). Welcome to the Jungle, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and Hugh Jackman's musical The Greatest Showman all became big hits at the box office last December, despite being released in theaters over the same week. As such, it's possible Jumanji 3, Episode IX, Wicked, and maybe even Death on the Nile will similarly thrive when next year's winter holidays roll around. It's less likely that the Jumaji franchise will emerge victorious over Star Wars in their second show-down (even with a head-start this time), but Jumanji 3 may yet give J.J. Abrams' trilogy conclusion a run for its money, based on what happened last time.

Jared Leto is set to star in Sony's Morbius the Living Vampire. With so many comic book movies hitting theaters on a yearly basis, every studio is trying to create a universe of their own and find actors who can lead these hopeful franchises. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe still reigns supreme, it's received an extra shot of superpowers with Sony sharing Spider-Man. That deal doesn't bring everything under the MCU umbrella though, and Sony's adamant to pump out more Marvel-related projects. Venom kicks off their spinoff universe this year, but they've got much more planned. One of the projects that has been the subject of discussion is a movie centered around Dr. Michael Morbius, a scientist who becomes a vampire after trying to cure his own disease. There hasn't been much news on the possible project, though, but now it is taking a major step forward. THR reports Suicide Squad star Jared Leto is heading over to Marvel and will star in Morbius the Living Vampire. Not only will the Oscar-winner double up on superhero movie roles, but his latest project already has a director. Daniel Espinosa is going to direct the project, after previously helming Life for the studio. Update: Jared Leto has now confirmed his involvement with Morbius on Twitter. Sony securing both Leto and Espinosa is a major step forward for Morbius and could make this a fast-tracked project. The script for Morbius is written by Burk Sharpless and Matt Sazama. The duo most recently tackled Lost in Space for Netflix. Espinosa was previously in the running to direct Suicide Squad 2 (a project that also would've had Leto attached), but it will be with Morbius that he finally gets to venture into the comic book movie world. Leto meanwhile is no stranger thanks to his work as the Joker, but it looks like this movie will take precedence over the rumored Joker standalone movie. The Morbius movie does not yet have a release date, but it may just be a matter of time. Variety reports it is likely to start filming this year, making a 2019 release date very possible. Just how quickly Sony moves on this remains to be seen. They still need to launch Venom in October, so the response to that could dictate whether or not Morbius continues its quick development. But, with Leto reportedly having a hand in the director search, now that the two biggest pieces are in place, we could see the film actually start to move even quicker. Leto's band 30 Seconds to Mars finishes its tour in September and with no pressing film projects on Leto's schedule, he's certainly free to start on Morbius the Living Vampire this fall. As more details come in, we'll be sure to share the news.

The Walt Disney Company has cleared its latest hurdle in the company’s bid to buy assets from 21st Century Fox, winning U.S. antitrust approval. While the deal still needs to go through several other regulatory bodies, Disney is one step closer to closing the purchase. The merger between Fox and Disney has been quite a protracted negotiation, with the potential to upend film and television intellectual property, specifically consolidating the film rights to the majority of Marvel Comics characters under one studio. While Fox tentatively accepted Disney’s initial $52.4 billion offer late last year, the bidding has only increased in the subsequent months. The ensuing drama has seen a fierce battle between Disney and rival Comcast to court Fox. Earlier this month Comcast placed a $65 billion all-cash offer on the table, only for Disney to respond with a sweetened bid of $71 billion, which Fox accepted. According to Bloomburg, the Department of Justice approved the deal this morning, provided that Disney forgoes Fox’s regional sports networks, citing monopoly concerns by consolidating ESPN, which is owned by Disney, and Fox Sports. The DOJ approval complicates Comcast’s offer, as the Fox/Disney merger is looking more and more likely. A major factor of the negotiation for the Murdochs has been timeliness of regulatory clearance, which Disney has proven. Despite the unlikeness of a rival bid pulling Fox away from the already agreed upon proposal, Comcast is “now mulling its next steps, including teaming up with private equity investors in its pursuit of Fox assets” and potentially coming back with an offer close to $90 billion. Despite Comcast’s overt pleas, Fox has repeatedly shown a disinterest in selling to anyone but Disney. The Disney/Fox merger would place a staggering amount of content under the already saturated Disney umbrella. While Disney has acquired everything from Marvel to Lucasfilm in previous years, the potential of owning Fox’s extensive catalog of film and TV would allow Disney to compete with streaming rivals Netflix and Amazon, a field which the company has been itching the enter for some time now. This deal has the potential to shake up the film industry entirely, yet how it will do so remains to be seen. Despite Solo’s lackluster performance, Disney has been dominating the box office, and placing such properties as Deadpool and Avatar under their banner will probably only increase their focused blockbuster output. Still, Comcast shouldn’t hold its breath for a possible deal, as those chances are growing slimmer by the day.

Top Gun 2 is currently casting the key role of Goose's son Riot, and Nicholas Hoult, Glen Powell and Miles Teller are reportedly all vying for the part. A recent character breakdown revealed that the Top Gun sequel, officially titled Top Gun: Maverick, will include the grown son of Anthony Edwards' "Goose" Bradshaw, the wingman of Maverick who of course died in the original Top Gun. The sequel sees Tom Cruise's Maverick taking on the role of flight instructor and becoming a mentor to a new generation of hot shot Navy pilots. Released in 1986, the original Top Gun catapulted Cruise to super-stardom while grossing $176 million at the domestic box office (which translates to $436 million if adjusted for ticket price inflation). After years of rumors about a potential sequel, last year Cruise officially announced that Top Gun 2 was on, with Tron: Legacy helmer Joseph Kosinski later being named to direct. Earlier this year, Cruise marked the official start of production on the long-awaited sequel to one of his biggest hits. With Top Gun: Maverick now officially underway, Paramount and Cruise have accelerated the process of locking down the movie's cast. One key role yet to be filled is that of "Riot" Wrigley, the son of "Goose" Bradshaw, who seeks to become a fighter pilot like his father and winds up under the wing of his dad's former wingman Maverick. As reported by THR, Nicholas Hoult, Glen Powell and Miles Teller are the three actors currently vying for the role of Riot, with at least one round of testing reportedly taking place in Clearwater, Florida where Cruise lives. Dylan O'Brien and Austin Butler were also in the running at an earlier point. The previous casting breakdown that broke the news of Goose's son being in the movie described the character this way: Supporting Male (20-29) Goose’s son. All-American good looks. Rode a football scholarship to an Ivy League degree. He is in love with Sugar. He distrusts Maverick and dislikes what he stands for, although they have a lot of similarities. Eventually, comes to respect Maverick and uses his techniques. He is forced to eject in enemy territory and Maverick comes to save him. Riot's distrust of Maverick is certainly tied to the fact that his father died while flying with the loose cannon pilot. Goose's death provided a key moment in the original Top Gun, as guilt over the incident nearly drove Maverick to quit the Top Gun program. That guilt was the thing Maverick had to overcome in order to rise up in the third act and ultimately triumph. It seems as though the conflict between Riot and Maverick will be at the center of Top Gun 2, and a lot of that conflict will be born of the fact that the two men are a lot more similar than they care to admit. Riot definitely sounds like a plum role, so it's no surprise to see three actors with solid track records vying for the part. Who among the trio of Hoult, Powell and Teller will ultimately be chosen to take a ride into the danger zone with Tom Cruise in Top Gun 2? That will likely be revealed in the not-too-distant future. But will the winning actor get to take his shirt off and play beach volleyball with Cruise?

Patty Jenkins has revealed the first image of Kristen Wiig as Barbara Minerva in Wonder Woman 1984. The Wonder Woman sequel is now officially in production and, as its title indicates, picks up with Diana (Gal Gadot) in the '80s. Chris Pine is also back in the film as Steve Trevor (though how he's come back remains to be seen), while Wiig costars as Miss Minerva - a character who eventually transforms into the sequel's villain, Cheetah. In her traditional comic book origin story, Dr. Barbara Ann Minerva was an ambitious British archaeologist who gained her Cheetah abilities after she discovered (or, rather, happened upon) a ritual in the lost, ancient, city of Urzkartaga. Other characters have become Cheetah over the years in the world of DC Comics, but Barbara has served as the villain since the New 52 reboot back in 2011. Now, she's making her way to the big screen at long last in Jenkins' upcoming sequel to her own hit DC Extended Universe film, Wonder Woman. Jenkins posted the first image of Wiig in Wonder Woman 1984 to her Twitter account, much like she did with the first images of Gadot and Pine in the film. You can check out the photo, below! In addition to showcasing Wiig's '80s fashion sense in the film, this Wonder Woman 1984 image alludes to Barabara's eventual transformation into an animalistic supervillain. However, it's not clear just yet how, exactly, the Wonder Woman sequel will go about having her do that. Jenkins' first DCEU movie wasn't afraid of embracing the pulpier supernatural and fantasy aspects of the Wonder Woman comic book mythology, so it stands to reason that Wonder Woman 1984 won't be, either. At the same time, the film could make some key changes to Barbara's backstory, in order to fit the '80s Cold War thriller tone that it appears to be going for. According to a previous report, Wonder Woman 1984's Cheetah will start out emulating Diana (presumably, when she's still Barbara), before she turns to evil. Such a tragic arc would be in keeping with most previous comic book iterations of the character and present Diana with a very different threat to defeat than Ares and the cartoonish human villains in the first Wonder Woman movie. Fingers crossed, Jenkins will reveal the first official image of Wiig transformed into Cheetah when (possibly) Wonder Woman 1984 makes its way to San Diego Comic-Con next month.

The first reviews are in for Marvel's Ant-Man & The Wasp. Early social media reactions to the Ant-Man sequel have been by and large positive, which is encouraging. It's been a big year for Marvel Studios already, between the Marvel Cinematic Universe turning ten, and both Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War becoming massive pop cultural events. For related reasons, the sillier and more standalone Ant-Man & The Wasp promises to provide audiences with a breath of fresh air, while wrapping up the MCU's film slate for 2018 on a more upbeat note than Infinity War. That's not to say Ant-Man & The Wasp isn't relevant to the larger arc of the MCU. The movie takes place before Infinity War and focuses on Scott Lang, Hope van Dyne, and Hank Pym's attempt to finally rescue Janet van Dyne (Hope's mom and the original Wasp) from the Quantum Realm. While that story is mostly self-contained in nature, it will serve to get the movie's characters into place for next year's Avengers 4. It sounds like the film does its job well at that, based on what critics are saying thus far. Ant-Man & The Wasp was directed by Peyton Reed, who (naturally) was keen to top his efforts on the first Ant-Man with the sequel. It seems that he succeeded too, thanks in no small part (pardon the wording) to Evangeline Lilly as Hope, who co-headlines the second Ant-Man film alongside Paul Rudd as Scott. For more on that, read these SPOILER-FREE Ant-Man & The Wasp review excerpts (with links to the full reviews included). Molly Freeman All in all, Ant-Man and the Wasp represents Marvel Studios at its best. The movie balances exciting action, well-timed humor, and a heartfelt emotional storyline to great effect, letting the heroes shine in their own unique way while also tying the movie into the larger MCU. After the weighty and stuffed team-up that was Avengers: Infinity War, Ant-Man and the Wasp provides a return to form for Marvel. Meg Downey Above all else, Ant-Man and The Wasp is yet another in the MCU’s winning streak. It’s not quite a heist movie, not completely a romcom and not totally an action-adventure, but instead delights in dancing between genres. Its comedy is wonderfully offbeat, its heart is huge and emblazoned on its sleeve, and its intentions are wildly optimistic and bright. It’s so bright, in fact, that it may help to soothe that Infinity War ache, if only for a little while. Laura Prudom Boasting some of the most creative action scenes and finely-calibrated comedy in the Marvel universe so far, Ant-Man and The Wasp doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it certainly knows how to make the ride even more fun. After the doom and gloom of Infinity War, this savvy sequel is a welcome change of pace, and a reminder that the MCU is malleable enough to tackle just about any genre and tone without losing its sense of identity. Angie Han The stakes are small, in that the fate of the world never hangs in the balance. The drama is low-key, since most of the personalities are. The jokes are hilarious, because this is a cast who knows how to make a gag land. It's comfy. It's easy. It's as warm as an old blanket knit by your grandma, and as chill as a Sunday afternoon spent catching up with your longest friends. And I don't know about you, but in these apocalyptic times - both onscreen and off - a bit of that sweetness and light is just what I need. Dan Jolin But as massive as Scott grows - or as wibbly as things get in the mercurial jellybean hurricane that is the Quantum Realm - the film still feels comparatively minor and light-hitting. There’s no getting away from the fact that Ant-Man And The Wasp, as fun as it is, lacks the sheer, mind-blowing heft of Infinity War. Or, for that matter, the scope and thematic muscle of Black Panther. Or the all-the-way-out-there, inventive deliriousness of Thor: Ragnarok. In this new era of Marvel over-achievement, it really does feel like a lesser work. Todd McCarthy The result is an effects-laden goofball comedy in which anything goes and nothing matters. Not that this is an entirely plot-free extravaganza or just an excuse for comic riffs. But the filmmakers are so cavalier about the idea that any of this is supposed to make any sense that there's a certain liberation in not burdening two human-brained insects with the fate of the entire universe. If the filmmakers don't pretend to take the proceedings too seriously, you don't have to either. Owen Gleiberman In “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” [director Peyton] Reed keeps the entire movie - one-liners, Macy’s Parade effects, hand-to-insect-wing combat - spinningly aloft. Always an inspired director of comedy (“Down with Love,” “Bring It On”), Reed has learned how to operate the heavy machinery of a Marvel superhero movie yet keep it all light and fast and dizzying. His combat scenes don’t overpower. They’re well spaced out and actually make visual sense... Rodrigo Perez “Ant-Man & The Wasp” somehow manages to organize laughs, action, theme, small MCU connections and even fairly touching ideas about family, responsibility and what it means to be a hero all housed inside of an undersized blockbuster. It never reinvents the wheel and it might even be a little slight, but for what it is and based on its own merits “Ant-Man & The Wasp” proves size is relative and always in the tiny eye of the beholder. On the whole, critics seem to feel that Ant-Man & The Wasp makes for an agreeable palate cleanser after the universe-threatening stakes of Infinity War and the dramatic heftiness of Black Panther. It appears the sequel further benefits from Reed's gained experience behind the camera, resulting in some of the more inventive and funny set pieces featured in an MCU movie thus far. Even the more tepid critical responses note that the sequel is a noticeable improvement on its predecessor, not only in terms of spectacle, but its emotional core and story as well. The other thing that most of these reviews agree on is that Ant-Man & The Wasp is not really mandatory viewing for those who want to stay up to speed on what's happening in the MCU, ahead of next year's one-two punch of Captain Marvel and Avengers 4. In this case, however, that arguably comes as refreshing news. Given just how sprawling the MCU's overarching narrative has become at this stage, Ant-Man & The Wasp sounds all the more appealing because it's a silly yet heartfelt superhero adventure - one that mostly stands on its own and features multiple great female characters, no less.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson has responded to criticism concerning the film's high body count and its subversion of franchise traditions. Even after Episode VIII has been out for six months, viewers continue to passionately debate its various pros and cons. A sizable portion of the fan base did not like what Johnson did with the material, as some of his creative choices changed the very fabric of the film series. Luke Skywalker's portrayal, Rey's parentage, and the fate of Supreme Leader Snoke remain hotly-contested due to the bevy of fan theories they generated for two years after The Force Awakens. One would think that the dust would have settled by now, but there seems to be no end in sight for the backlash. It wasn't too long ago an anti-Disney group harassed Last Jedi star Kelly Marie Tran off social media, and a some viewers even campaigning to raise funding to produce an Episode VIII remake so the narrative is up to their standards. Now, someone is trying to use the words of George Lucas to illustrate how Johnson ruined Star Wars. Twitter user SYNCHRONIC DESIGN posted an image of a transcript of a conversation between Lucas and veteran Star Wars writer Lawrence Kasdan, where the two debated over killing a character. Lucas argued he wanted everyone to stay alive since "this is a fairy tale" and it was intended to have a happy ending. Johnson responded by sharing images of multiple deaths in the original trilogy, as well as explaining that Last Jedi "100% distills what the spirit & heart of SW" is to him and saying the new Star Wars films need to be personal - as the originals were for Lucas. It's been noted that Lucas and Kasdan had disagreements over killing a main hero character (possibly Han Solo) to raise the emotional stakes of Return of the Jedi. While we can't say for certain, this magazine clipping could be taken from those discussions (and cherrypicked by SYNCHRONIC DESIGN to make a point). Kasdan only joined the franchise with The Empire Strikes Back, which was written in the late-70s. Lucas' comment to Kasdan, "You're a product of the 1980s" makes it seem likely this was from development on Return. Lucas, of course, wasn't averse to killing characters off, but at the time he thought Return of the Jedi was going to be the last movie and he wanted to close things out on a high note. As for Johnson's thoughts, the argument can be made Last Jedi honors the themes of Star Wars. His deconstructive approach will forever be polarizing, but as a lifelong fan, he sought out to tell the story that represented the core ideals he took away from the earlier movies. Obviously, all films are subjective, and when something as large as Star Wars is involved, there's no pleasing everyone. However, it may be time for everyone to take a step back and just agree to disagree. No side is going to win this argument, and the discourse has reached a point where it's becoming exhausting (even for those who live and breathe Star Wars). For the time being, Johnson isn't leaving the galaxy far, far away, as he's hard at work figuring out his new trilogy, so Lucasfilm must have agreed he knows what makes the series so great.

A new video shows how director Peyton Reed created the car chase scene in Ant-Man and The Wasp. Paul Rudd's size-altering superhero was conspicuous by his absence in Avengers: Infinity War, with a throwaway line confirming the character was on house arrest, but Scott Lang is set to return in a solo sequel in the first Marvel movie since Thanos' infamous finger snap. Lang won't be coming alone either, as following on from the first Ant-Man's post-credits scene, Evangeline Lilly will finally suit up as The Wasp. One of the main selling points of Ant-Man is the character's ability to change his size at will, as well as to change the size of objects around him. In the first movie, this superpower allowed for scenes that were both impressive and hilarious in equal measure from the Thomas the Tank Engine attack to the briefcase fight sequence between Ant-Man and Yellowjacket set to the soundtrack of The Cure. The trailers released for Ant-Man and The Wasp have already showcased a number of intriguing new set-pieces for the sequel, perhaps the most notable being a car chase that involves a shrinking car. A new video from Marvel Entertainment has shed some light on exactly how this spectacular effect was brought to life. In the behind-the-scenes segment of the video, Marvel Studios took a Hyundai Veloster that was presumably provided as part of a product placement deal and were allowed to make any modifications necessary. The main change was the addition of a shrinking lever over the dash screen, allowing Luis to go from tiny to regular size in seconds. The video also shows how the various shots of the scene were divided into on-set filming with car-mounted cameras and green-screen filming with actor Michael Peña. Since the video doesn't provide too much in the way of technical specifics as to how the shrinking effect was made, the most interesting part for fans will likely be the footage itself. As Reed implies in the clip, the aim for the Ant-Man sequel was to amplify the elements that were well-received in the first movie and that aim certainly seems to have been accomplished judging by the material shown here. The popular Luis appears to have a more significant role this time around and Ant-Man looks set to continue its role as one of the more comical entries in the MCU while also providing a unique visual spectacle. From the video's interview segments, it's clear that playing with scale was a key feature in the production of Ant-Man and the Wasp, nowhere more so than in the car chase sequence where manipulating scale provides both humor and a sense of awe. Constant advances in CGI technology may mean that filmmakers now have to work harder to impress movie fans with visual effects but Ant-Man and The Wasp's shrinking car looks set to be one of the most memorable Marvel set-pieces yet.

Fox has set new release dates for director Drew Goddard's Bad Times at the El Royale and Joe Wright's The Woman in the Window. Both Goddard and Wright are going dark with their latest films, with Bad Times serving as Goddard's long awaited followup to his cult hit horror/comedy debut The Cabin in the Woods. Meanwhile, Wright is coming off directing last year's WWII drama Darkest Hour, which snagged Oscars for Gary Oldman's performance and the makeup/hairstyling that transformed him into Winston Churchill. Bad Times remains set to open in theaters this October, but will arrive a week later than previously scheduled. Meanwhile, Woman in the Window is now slated to reach theaters just under a year after Bad Times, putting it in a position to serve as 2019's own Gone Girl and/or The Girl on the Train (read: the next best-selling psychological thriller book turned hit October movie). According to Deadline, Fox has shifted Bad Times back a week this fall to October 12, rather than October 5. The noir mystery takes place in the 1960s and features an all-star cast that includes Chris Hemsworth, Dakota Johnson, Russell Crowe, Jon Hamm, and Jeff Bridges, among others. Goddard's movie is now set to open at the box office against Damien Chazelle's Neil Armstrong film First Man, Sony's R.L. Stine sequel Goosebumps: Haunted Halloween, and the Timothée Chalamet true story-based drama Beautiful Boy. Deadline reports that Fox has also set Woman in the Window to arrive on October 4, 2019. Adapted from A.J. Finn's newly-published novel by actor/writer Tracy Letts (Bug, Killer Joe), the film stars Amy Adams as Anna Fox: an agoraphobic child psychologist whose life is upended after she sees (or thinks she sees) her neighbors commit a crime. For the time being, Woman in the Window's opening weekend competition includes Ang Lee's sci-fi assassin thriller Gemini Man and an untitled live-action Disney fairy tale film. Bad Times and Woman in the Window both sound promising at the moment. The Bad Times trailer paints the movie as being intriguingly creepy, with shades of Cabin in the Woods and Coen Brothers noir thrillers like Blood Simple. Similarly, the talent involved with Woman in the Window alone is exciting, as is the news that Wright is returning to genre fare after his venture into Oscar bait territory with Darkest Hour. Who knows - this Rear Window-esque mystery could even become the movie that finally lands Adams an Oscar for her acting, if all goes well.