Full Toy Story 4 Trailer Brings Back Bo Peep And Even Andy

Full Toy Story 4 Trailer Brings Back Bo Peep And Even Andy

After being introduced to a handful of new characters for the upcoming Toy Story 4, the only question remaining was exactly how they were all going to fit into whatever story the new movie was planning to tell. Now, with the first full trailer, we have our answers. We know how Woody and Bo Peep get reunited, and what the broader themes of the story will be. We meet even more new characters, and even get to see some old friends we didn't expect, like Andy himself. Check it out.

The trailer allows us to get to get to know the odd new toy of Forky a lot better. He's at the center of the story as Woody decides the craft project needs protection as Bonnie's favorite new toy. However, Forky doesn't feel like a toy and attempts to run away, which results in he and Woody getting separated from the rest of the group. From there we see Woody and Forky meet Bo Peep, and a collection of other interesting toys, while trying to get back to Bonnie.

Bo Peep appears to be found inside some sort of antique shop. Woody and Forky walk past her lamp and Woody instantly recognizes it. Although, the pawn shop is apparently the toy equivalent to a haunted hose, as the others toys inside it seem to be as scary as anything found inside Sid's house. Gabby Gabby is the name of the doll, voiced by Christina Hendricks. She appears to command a small army of ventriloquist dummies, which is just creepy.

What's potentially more interesting than some of the movie's new friends, is the return of a very special old one. The trailer contains a pair of flashback sequences that show Andy once again. One replays the moment from the end of Toy Story 3 where Andy gave his toys to Bonnie, but the other shows a scene of an even younger Andy playing with his toys. It's hard to tell if this part of a significant flashback sequence in Toy Story 4, but if it is, we might get to actually see some earlier events in the story that we never saw, like the loss of Bo Peep.

It wouldn't be a Pixar movie if it didn't bring the emotion and even this brief trailer has the potential to get you to feel something inside. The shot where Bonnie discovers her toys gone is already heartbreaking. I can't even imagine how I'm going to feel watching the entire film.

In addition to the new trailer, Toy Story 4 also released a new poster which brings all the characters, new and old, together. Check it out.

Ultimately, Toy Story 4 is a movie about self discovery. Forky doesn't understand what he is. He's a toy, but he feels like he's supposed to be something else. Bo Peep has been abandoned for years and no longer needs a child to define her purpose. Woody, it seems, will begin to question the things he's always believed about his own existence.

Many have questioned the decision to even make a Toy Story 4, with the ending of the third film being viewed by so many as a perfect cap on the trilogy. One really has to wonder just how Pixar believed it could top that. It apparently wasn't easy. There are certainly some directions this story could go that have the potential to be as emotionally impactful as Toy Story 3, though I'm not sure I want to think about them. It's too painful.

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Full Downton Abbey Trailer Reveals A Visit From The King And Carson's Return

Full Downton Abbey Trailer Reveals A Visit From The King And Carson's Return

Downton Abbey won’t be hitting theaters until September, but Focus Features has wasted no time giving us early glimpses regarding what to expect. Following a quick teaser trailer a few months ago, we’ve finally gotten a good look at the grandeur and the opulence of the new season.

It’s 1927 and the King and Queen are coming to Downton. Yes the King and Queen! What does that entail? Take a look.

People are in a tizzy about the big and unexpected visit, to the point where Lady Mary asks the now-retired Carson to return to his post at the manor.

There’s more seemingly going on, as Lady Mary seems to be contemplating leaving Downton Abbey altogether, although her trusty maid Anna seems to be at least attempting to talk Lady Mary out of whatever she’s planning.

Although we’ve seen a teaser, a lot of this is big news, particularly Carson’s return, but also just knowing the very royal premise of the movie is quite exciting. It looks as if the household has changed somewhat since we've last seen it, but as much as things have changed, they've also stayed the same.

In fact, the same old “the world is continually modernizing” narrative that has been a major component throughout the history of Downton Abbey will certainly be present in the big screen venture, which should feel very familiar to fans of the show.

Most of the cast is present in the trailer for Downton Abbey, including Maggie Smith’s Dowager Countess, who once joked her character would be over 100 by now. She also point blank said she didn’t want a movie repeatedly, but she’s definitely going to be back for the big screen venture, as are most of the major characters from the TV series (or at least those who were around at the end of the show). All in all, it's nice to see everyone get a little screen time in this trailer.

The trailer closes with a grand entrance from the “Your Majesties,” although we don’t get to see their faces or full looks yet. In fact, the movie has cast quite a few newcomer actors and actresses who haven't made appearances in this first full trailer yet. For now, Downton Abbey fans will need to content themselves with talking about the premise, the returning characters and, of course, whether or not we enjoy Lady Mary's current haircut.

Still, we're still quite a bit of a ways away from the release of Downton Abbey later in 2019. Downton Abbey will officially hit theaters on September 20th, but if you'd like to see what's heading into theaters in the meantime, take a look at CinemaBlend's full movies schedule.

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Full Avengers: Endgame Trailer Just Answered A Major Question Fans Have Been Asking

Full Avengers: Endgame Trailer Just Answered A Major Question Fans Have Been Asking

It's an extremely exciting time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With Captain Marvel now in the rear view (and making tons of money at the box office), the next movie down the pipeline is the highly anticipated Avengers: Endgame. Phase Three will come to a close, as The Russo Brothers complete the narrative of the current MCU, and follow-up on the surviving heroes in the wake of Thanos' finger snap of death (aka The Decimation).

The trailers for Avengers: Endgame have been slowly coming out, teasing the dark world Thanos left behind after wiping out half the galaxy. One of the biggest questions surrounding the upcoming release was the fate of Tony Stark and Nebula, who were left stranded on Titan after the snap destroyed the rest of the group who were fighting Thanos on his home planet. The first clips of Endgame showed Tony recording a goodbye message to Pepper Potts, although the final look at the blockbuster revealed than Iron Man and Nebula somehow make it home, and suit up with the rest of the survivors.

Whip out the Yaro Root, because it looks like Tony Stark and Nebula will somehow be rescued from being stranded on space. While the new trailer for Endgame doesn't reveal exactly how the not-so-dynamic duo will make it back home, there's some shots of Karen Gillan's signature character engaging in combat. And the piece de resistance was when the extended shots of The Avengers in their cool new suits, with Nebula and Tony seen alongside Black Widow and the rest of the heroes.

Personally, I'm hoping that the two stranded characters aren't rescued too quickly. Tony Stark and Nebula seem like a hilarious character pairing, and we didn't get to see them interact all that much in Infinity War, given that the focus was on the fight against Thanos. Nebula's no nonsense attitude will be an interesting foil to Iron Man's typical sassy mouth, especially with the two forced together for a long period time-- while also dealing with their shared grief.

Still, it's exciting to see those two characters will be part of the main narrative of Endgame, and not just left on the sidelines in space. The surviving heroes make a motley crew, as Rocket, Nebula, War Machine, Ant-Man and Captain Marvel join the original team.

As a reminder, check out the trailer below.

Noticeably missing from the trailers is Danai Gurira's Okoye, who watched in horror as T'Challa faded to dust. Okoye is in the Endgame poster so she'll definitely have a role, although it's unclear how she'll factor into the story. Is she helping to run Wakanda in the place of her king? Also, did Shuri really die as well?

The final trailer for Avengers: Endgame revealed that Tony Stark and Nebula eventually make it to Earth, but it's unclear exactly how this will come about. The duo's situation certainly looks precarious, as the first footage revealed that they were out of food, water, and low on oxygen. Furthermore, Tony seems to think that he's actually going to die, as he records a final message for his lover Pepper Potts.

It's unlike Iron Man and Nebula to go down without a fight, so the motley duo will probably be pulling out all the stops to ensure their survival. One brief clip from Endgame showed them working on some tech within the Guardians' ship, The Benatar. So perhaps they'll find a way to signal help, be rescued, and eventually brought back to Earth.

There's quite a few theories swirling around regarding how Tony and Nebula might be rescued from being lost in space. One of the most popular involves none other than Pepper Potts. A popular Endgame theory says that Pepper will don her own Iron Man armor, and take on the heroic mantle of Rescue. In addition to being a chance for Gwyneth Paltrow to kick some major ass, the name Rescue may tease that she goes into space to save her husband and business partner.

The rumors about Pepper Potts have gained steam thanks to photos Gwyneth Paltrow shared from the set of Avengers: Endgame. The posts showed her in a motion capture suit, so fans put the math together. Furthermore, possible leaked merchandise may have revealed the Rescue suit in advance. So yeah, the fans are hyped.

It also seems possible that Brie Larson's Captain Marvel could possibly rescue Nebula and Tony. Her massive powers thrive in space, and Carol Danvers is presumably venturing across space in response to Nick Fury's pager from the end of Infinity War. While the Captain Marvel mid-credits scene showed Carol appearing in the Avengers facility, maybe she picked up Tony and Nebula on the way? That, or she travels back into the cosmos to rescue them, and assemble the surviving heroes for their final conflict with Josh Brolin's Thanos.

Marvel fans will no doubt be relieved that Tony's story didn't end in space, and that he'd finally be reunited with the likes of Captain America and Black Widow in Endgame's big battles. But Nebula's inclusion in the Avengers is even more fascinating, and show what a big arc Karen Gillan's signature character has already had in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 took the blue girl from vengeful villain to an emotionally and physically traumatized antihero. While she remained focused on killing her adopted father Thanos, audiences saw as she and her sister Gamora finally made peace.

It should be interesting to see how Nebula vibes with the various heroes. As many of the humans venture into space for the first time, Endgame should mark her first time on Earth. Just when we thought the fish out of water stories had run their course, we've got the likes of Rocket and Nebula on Earth, and finally interacting with the other characters. They're the only two Guardians left after Thanos' snap of death, so perhaps they'll also lean on each other in regards to their shared grief.

Answers will come when Avengers: Endgame finally arrived in theaters on April 26th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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Frozen 2 Will Feel Like A Superhero Movie, According To Idina Menzel

Frozen 2 Will Feel Like A Superhero Movie, According To Idina Menzel

We’re only months away from the release of Disney’s Frozen 2, and yet the details on how the new film will follow up its blockbuster predecessor are still pretty scarce. Even with a teaser trailer available to the public, there’s still a lot of questions about what this film will be about, and fans are still openly speculating in the absence of actual information.

But we now have a little more to go on in terms of how Frozen 2 will continue the story, as Queen Elsa herself, Idina Menzel, gave a little taste of what’s to come in a recent interview. Specifically, Menzel had this to say:

It's a real girl power, badass kind of superhero type of movie. They're really strong, the two sisters, and it's exciting. The music is beautiful.

So those folks that took the Frozen 2 teaser trailer released a couple months ago and redubbed it to Alan Silvestri’s theme from The Avengers were kind of onto something there. In fact, this plays into a theory that some Disney aficionados were discussing recently, in which the plot of this new film would not only see Elsa and Anna searching for their parents, but also would see an expansion of powers for the Queen of Arendelle.

Then again, there’s the possibility that Anna might have some powers, metaphorical or physical, to be discovered in Frozen 2 herself. We have seen her show familiarity with a blade in our first look at the film, so she could be a skilled fighter. And then there’s always the possibility that much like her sister, she could have powers over the elements herself.

Other than the remaining remark that the music Academy Award winners and Frozen stalwarts Robert and Kristen Anderson-Lopez will be providing is going to be “beautiful,” there’s not much more that Idina Menzel has told The Hollywood Reporter about Frozen 2. Though fans are probably thankful for that, as they wouldn’t want anything spoiled before getting their next look at just what Elsa, Anna, Kristoff and Olaf are going to be up to this next time out.

It’s pretty much a given that Frozen 2 will be a box office juggernaut, much like its predecessor. Those who latched onto that first film just haven’t let it go, and their response to the ensuing shorts, Frozen Fever and Olaf’s Frozen Adventure, is only further evidence that once the sled starts rolling on Frozen 2, it’s going to be hard to stop it. One even has to wonder, if Frozen 2 is a superhero movie experience, could it put up superhero numbers upon release?

We’ll find out soon enough, when Frozen 2 thaws the hearts of its audience on November 24. If you’re looking for more of the animated offerings 2019 will bring, our release date schedule for the rest of the year is up for grabs. Also, if you’re wondering what Disney Animation is going to be providing down the line, for 2019 and beyond, check out our Upcoming Disney Animated Movies schedule as well.

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Frozen 2: What We Know So Far

Frozen 2: What We Know So Far

Frozen was the biggest movie that the animation division of Disney had seen in a very long time. Between the fact that the film put a major twist on the princess tropes that Disney themselves had helped to create, and the fact that the movie had that song you couldn't escape, Frozen was absolutely everywhere. While Disney Animation frequently avoids making theatrical sequels to their animated movies, it was obvious that if an exception was going to be made, Frozen would be it, and after rumors implied one was probably happening, it was eventually confirmed to be on its way.

Here's a breakdown of everything we know about Frozen II so far, starting with a look at the exciting first official trailer for the upcoming hit!

What Have We Seen From Frozen II?

The tone is probably a bit more epic and tense than most people were expecting, but that only makes us that much more excited to see what is coming when the film finally arrives. The trailer doesn't give away a great deal of the film's story, but it does give hints, and when we combine those hints with everything else that has been revealed, the picture becomes a bit clearer.

When Is The Frozen II Release Date?

Frozen II was originally set for release on November 27, 2019. This is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving in 2019, which is a release date that Disney has had nailed down for years. It's the same spot where the original Frozen was released back in 2013.

However, Disney recently decided to move Frozen II up and the film is now set for release on November 22, the previous Friday. No major tentpole releases were planned for that weekend and so Disney apparently decided to give itself the extra weekend to so that Frozen II would have possible chance. At this point the only other major releases set for November are the Charlie's Angels reboot and the next Terminator movie. Both will be released the first weekend of November, leaving things open for Frozen 2 to take over the box office until Star Wars: Episode IX hits in December.

What Will Frozen II Be Rated?

This early it's impossible to know what the MPAA rating of Frozen II will be, but the studio's recent efforts, including the original Frozen, have been rated PG rather than the more traditional G, and there's a good chance that Frozen II will follow suit. And, it's a safe bet we won't see anything beyond PG. Disney Animation has never gone that far before, and we wouldn't expect Disney to do anything that might cause families to reconsider which members should be attending the film.

The Directors

Frozen II is set to be co-directed by Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck. This will be good news for Frozen fans as it means both of the directors of the original Frozen will be making their return. Chris Buck has been very Frozen focused since the original film, with his other major project in the intervening years being the writing and directing of the Frozen Fever animated short.

Jennifer Lee has been a bit busier since the original Frozen, while she co-write and directed Frozen Fever as well, she also co-wrote the story for Disney's other recent smash hit, Zootopia, and she also wrote the screenplay for the adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time. This may be Lee's final gig as a director as she was named the head of Walt Disney Animation Studios following the departure of John Lasseter, so those duties may take her away from hands-on film making.

The Writers

Jennifer Lee wrote the original screenplay for the first Frozen and, based on comments from Kristen Bell, it appears she was involved in writing the sequel as well. However, officially, the only screenplay credit Frozen 2 has belongs to Allison Schroeder. Schroeder was previously nominated for an Oscar for her work on the screenplay for Hidden Figures and she also previously worked with Disney as part of the team that wrote the live-action Winnie the Pooh movie, Christopher Robin. We do know that the songs for the new film will be written by the same husband and wife team of Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez who wrote the music for the first film and brought us the epic "Let it Go."

What Will Frozen II Be About?

The new trailer is very careful not to reveal too much about the actual story of Frozen II. We see our group of heroes, Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven going on some sort of journey together, though where they're headed and why we aren't told. The one hint the trailer does give are these crystals that we briefly see in the trailer. They appear to be surrounding Anna and she is clearly distressed by them. They also show up in the sequel's first poster. We don't know what they are, but they're important.

Chris Buck has said that we'll see more of Elsa enjoying her new found freedom, something that was touched on in the Frozen Fever short. In addition, Josh Gad has said he would like to see Olaf grow up a bit, since he is essentially a child in the first film and should hopefully mature, at least a bit, in between films. Kristen Bell has said her own personal struggles as her life changed helped inform the next stage of Anna's character growth as well.

Elsa

In the first Frozen, we watched Elsa ascend to the throne of Arendelle and come to terms with her magical abilities. There really wasn't anything specifically set up for Elsa to do next, so while she'll almost certainly take a lead role in the new film, who knows what she'll be doing. She currently stands as one of the few Disney heroines who doesn't have a romance during her film, so, perhaps, that will happen here. If it does, there's a significant contingent of fans who would love to see Elsa's love interest be female. Considering the way the original Frozen was willing to go against Disney's own established traditions, perhaps they'd be willing to take this major step as well, one that we're sure will happen one day.

The first trailer opens with Elsa fighting against the waves, though for what purpose we don't know. She's clearly focused and determined. This is a side of Elsa we didn't really see in the first film. She has a strength of Will that is driving her forward which will likely carry the entire movie.

Anna

Much like her sister, we see a very different Anna in the Frozen II trailer than we saw in the first film. In the clip's final seconds, we see Anna grab Kristoff's sword and swing it at something or someone coming up behind them. She doesn't hesitate and really seems to know how to use the weapon. While we mostly see Anna and Elsa together in the trailer, we also see Anna by herself, making a leap of faith over a large gap between rocks.

Anna was, possibly, the more interesting princess in the original Frozen. She is, at least, the one who fell in love with a character she just met, in traditional Disney fashion, though, by the end, it was her act of true love that broke the spell that was hurting her. At the film's close, Anna and Kristoff had begun a relationship. Depending on how much time will have passed between Frozen and Frozen II we could see that relationship become more serious, or, if they want to drive home the idea that the pair are taking it slow, we could see them together, but without making the relationship itself important to the story.

Olaf

Olaf took center stage a couple of years ago as the lead character in the holiday special Olaf's Frozen Adventure. When it comes to Disney sidekick characters Olaf is pretty popular. In the first film, he was solid comic relief without being over the top or childish. Could Olaf taking on a larger role in the holiday special be an indication that he'll be more important in the theatrical sequel?

If that's the case, the trailer hides it well, as we barely see the walking snowman at all. He appears a couple of times, but the trailer never focuses on him at all.

One of the never answered questions in Frozen is why Elsa's magic has the power to give Olaf life. If that question is in any way at the center of the film's plot, it could very likely mean that Olaf will be quite important.

Kristoff and Sven

The other two characters that we know we'll see in Frozen 2 are Kristoff and his reindeer Sven. Much like Olaf, the pair are largely relegated to the sidelines of the new trailer. However, one of the more epic moments that we do see includes Kristoff riding Sven and leading a charging herd of other reindeer. Sven, like everybody else in the trailer, looks incredibly serious and determined. Is he riding to somebody's rescue? We'll just have to wait and see.

Other Characters

We do know from what Kristen Bell told us that Frozen II will include a pair of brand new characters, though she was certainly tight-lipped about them, which means we don't know anything beyond the fact that they'll exist. Are these new allies or is one of them a villain? While Disney animated films have had some of the best villains in movie history, not all films even have traditional villains. The original Frozen being a prime example.

The trailer does show off a pair of new character in one brief sequence. A young woman is standing on some fallen leaves and a moment later a young man appears to be blown up in the air from under the pile. Evan Rachel Wood and Sterling K. Brown are reportedly lending their voices to Frozen II and so these two could be their characters, but the scene doesn't tell us much, except possibly that somebody in the movie might have magic wind powers.

There's a decent chance that we'll see the Duke of Weselton again, if only in a brief cameo. The character was voiced by Alan Tudyk, and he has been lending his voice to every Disney feature in recent years, so there's a good chance we'll see that character again. If not, expect to hear Tudyk's voice, but in a less recognizable place. He played a chicken in Moana, so he could voice an animal, or something else that doesn't speak, if they don't want a character to sound too much like the Duke of Weselton.

The other major character from the original Frozen who is a question mark at this point is Hans. He was the underhanded prince who tried to marry Anna in order to gain the throne. At the end of the film, he's sent back to his home, where his elder siblings were, apparently, none to happy with his plot. We see Hans briefly at the end of Frozen Fever, so perhaps he, or the rest of his family, will also play a part in the sequel.

Frozen Fever

The first piece of Frozen material that we got following the film was the animated short Frozen Fever. It followed Elsa's attempt to throw a birthday party for her sister. While it's easy to write this off as simply a bit of fun, and it is mostly that, the short does include some material that's potentially relevant to the sequel. First, we see Elsa conjure dresses for herself and Anna using magic. While we saw Elsa do this in Frozen, these dresses are green and distinctly non-ice related. It would appear that her magic has some additional power beyond simply the ability to make ice. We also see her accidentally create tiny snowmen (called "snowgies," if you're wondering) due to her being sick. At the end of the short, we see the snowgies move into Elsa's ice palace with Marshmallow, the abominable snowman. We could potentially see them in Frozen 2.

Olaf's Frozen Adventure

Olaf's Frozen Adventure is Disney's newest holiday special that saw a brief theatrical release along with Pixar's Coco before debuting on television. It follows Olaf's attempts to find a holiday tradition for Anna and Elsa, something they never found themselves due to being separated for so long because of Elsa's powers. Ultimately, it's discovered that the two did have a tradition, as Anna would make Olaf-inspired gifts for Elsa every Christmas. This gave us a look at a previously unknown part of their lives that took place during the "Do You Want to Build a Snowman" montage in the first film. It's possible there could be more information during that part of their lives that could be created in order to give Frozen II a place to start.

We don't have that much longer to wait until Frozen II is finally out in theaters, so more news on the film will likely be coming along on a regular basis in the intervening months. As such, be sure to keep your eye on this guide, so you can stay on top of all the new details as they become available to us!

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Frank Oz Still Liked The Last Jedi, Doesn't Think The Audience Expectations Matter

Frank Oz Still Liked The Last Jedi, Doesn't Think The Audience Expectations Matter

This December will mark two full years since Star Wars: The Last Jedi arrived in theaters, and the fandom hasn't stopped discussing and dissecting Rian Johnson's wild sequel. The director purposefully subverted fan expectations, and challenged everything we were meant to believe about the galaxy far, far away. Lucasfilm was clearly happy with Johnson's work, as he's been given his own trilogy to develop within the Star Wars universe.

But The Last Jedi seemed to split the fandom, and is arguably the most divisive installment of the beloved space opera. Some fans took umbrage with the risks and changes to the Star Wars canon, while others appreciated Rian Johnson's vision and the challenging material. The legendary Frank Oz returned to the franchise to play a Force Ghost version of Yoda, and the Muppets icon recently spoke to his feelings about The Last Jedi, and the idea of living up to fan expectations. He said:

I love the movie. All the people who don’t like this ‘Jedi’ thing is just horse crap. It’s about expectations. The movie didn’t fill their expectations. But as filmmakers, we’re not here to fulfill people’s expectations.

Spoken, Yoda has. While Star Wars is a franchise that is beloved by generations of moviegoers, Frank Oz doesn't think that should expect the creative process. Instead, directors should make their own Star Wars movie, regardless of what the fandom wants. What's more, this isn't the first time he's defended The Last Jedi.

Frank Oz's comments to IndieWire once again echoes how everyone involved in The Last Jedi is ultimately proud of the movie that hit theaters. While it was subject to extreme trolling and backlash by angry fans, Oz is fond of the most recent Star Wars sequel, and doesn't seem to be worried about things like fan expectations. After all, that's just not what filmmaking is about to him.

The stakes were high for The Last Jedi, after J.J. Abrams did a ton of set up in the Force Awakens that needed to be resolved. Rian Johnson purposefully went against popular fan theories, challenging what the franchise was capable of. Luke Skywalker was a jaded recluse, Leia was revealed to have Force Abilities, Supreme Leader Snoke was unceremoniously killed off, and Kylo Ren revealed that Rey's parents were nobodies who dumped her on Jakku. Fans couldn't have predicted all these plot twists, and some purists had issues with the liberal changes made to the official canon.

Regardless of backlash, everyone involved in the Star Wars franchise seems pleased with The Last Jedi, and Rian Johnson's work. The cast and director came to the film's defense when trolling happened, and Jonson is still moving forward with his own trilogy. So in the end, Frank Oz's comments may be right.

The Skywalker Saga will come to an end when J.J. Abrams' Episode IX arrived in theaters on December 20th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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Fox Almost Made A Marvel Crossover Movie Starring The X-Men, Fantastic Four And More

Fox Almost Made A Marvel Crossover Movie Starring The X-Men, Fantastic Four And More

The superhero movie landscape looks a lot different than it did at the beginning of the decade. For one thing, back then, the film rights to properties like X-Men and the Fantastic Four still belonged to 20th Century Fox, a studio a long ways away from being owned by a certain Mouse House. As such, the chances of seeing these Marvel characters share screen time with those in the Marvel Cinematic Universe wasn’t possible.

However, evidently at one point Fox was considering making its own Avengers-level crossover superhero movie. During his recent appearance on Fatman Beyond, screenwriter Zack Stentz, who co-wrote both X-Men: First Class and Thor, was asked which of his movies that he’s written that will never come out is his favorite, Stentz answered:

My ex-partner and I, when we were working at Fox and working on X-Men: First Class, we did a secret movie for them that, I can't tell you what the plot was, but I can tell you that it used all of the characters, all of the Marvel characters that Fox had at the time in 2011. It used the X-Men. It used the Fantastic Four. It used Daredevil. It used Deadpool. Daredevil was still at Fox at the time. And it was a really cool freakin’ script. We almost had Paul Greengrass directing it, which would've been so cool, but he had another project to do instead. It didn't end up going, but it was a script I was really proud of and it would've been really good.

Man, this takes me back. While the X-Men, Fantastic Four and Deadpool were obviously Fox-only Marvel characters up until the Disney transaction went through, it’s easy to forget that Daredevil was also part of that group for a long time. The Man Without Fear only starred in one movie, and while Fox tried to get a reboot off the ground by 2012, that fell through and the rights went back to Marvel, paving the way for the Daredevil Netflix series.

Having Paul Greengrass direct this Fox crossover movie also would have been a cool choice, as the man had proved his action mettle with The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. Going off the loose time frame Zack Stentz laid out, I suspect Greengrass turned down this opportunity in favor of directing Captain Phillips, which went on to be nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe, among other accolades.

Had Fox moved forward with this movie featuring the X-Men, Fantastic Four, Deadpool and X-Men, this might have placed the Fox Marvel franchise on a higher pedestal. Granted, the X-Men film series has been chugging along steadily for nearly two decades, which includes the surprise success of Deadpool, but along with Daredevil barely getting a chance to shine, the Fantastic Four movies didn’t fare particularly well, with the 2015 reboot ending up a critical and commercial bomb.

Perhaps new life could have been breathed into all these characters had they been able to join forces in such an epic tale, although I worry introducing Deadpool here might have resulted in the character not being adapted as well as he was in 2016. It’s also a good bet that this movie would have taken the X-Men down a much different path than they are now.

Fast-forwarding to now, all of these properties now rest under Marvel Studios, and while the plan is to keep Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool around, it’s expected that the Fantastic Four and X-Men will are rebooted down the line. Daredevil was cancelled over a month after Season 3 premiered, and it remains to be seen if we’ll ever see Charlie Cox’s version of Matt Murdock again or if the character will be rebooted again to better fit within MCU continuity.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for updates concerning Marvel’s plans for any of the above characters on the big or small screens. Those of you who are curious about what the MCU has lined up next can look through our comprehensive guide.

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Forrest Gump Was Originally Getting A Sequel, And It Sounds Wild

Forrest Gump Was Originally Getting A Sequel, And It Sounds Wild

Forrest Gump was the rare film that succeeded at the box office while also being a major award winner. With something like that, you can practically hear the studio green-lighting the sequel, but one never happened. However, it turns out a sequel actually came quite close to happening. Eric Roth, who won an Oscar for his screenplay of the original Forrest Gump, actually completed work on a script for a sequel. Unfortunately, the new script had just about the worst possible timing. According to Roth...

Literally, I turned it in the day before 9/11. Tom and I and (director Robert Zemeckis) got together on 9/11 to sort of commiserate about how life was in America and how tragic it was. And we looked at each other and said, ‘This movie has no meaning anymore,' in that sense.

Forrest Gump was a movie that was built entirely out of optimism. The main character almost always had a positive outlook and attitude that carried him through life. On 9/11, you can bet that few people were feeling such optimism. Clearly, the team behind the first film looked at this new sequel and just figured the world they were now in was not a place where a Forrest Gump 2 made any sense.

Of course, even if things had gone differently, one has to wonder just how well a sequel to Forrest Gump would have actually worked, because this story was weird. The first film was all about watching Forrest Gump coincidentally find himself part of major historical events, and the sequel would have continued that idea, while moving the story closer to the modern day. This included, as Roth tells Yahoo, somehow making Gump part of the O.J. Simpson murder case.

I had (Forrest) in the back of (O.J. Simpson's) Bronco. He would look up occasionally, but they didn’t see him in the rearview mirror, and then he’d pop down.

Needless to say, putting Forrest Gump in O.J.'s famous white bronco is an...interesting choice. It was certainly a moment that everybody watching the film would remember, but not exactly in the best way. It's not quite the same as watching him report the Watergate break-in.

Forest Gump also had a tendency to have certain skills that made him incredibly good at various activities. In the original movie it was football and table tennis. In the sequel, we would learn that Forrest Gump was an excellent ballroom dancer, a skill which would apparently result in him dancing with Princess Diana at one point.

Forrest would also begin a new relationship in the sequel, with a Native American woman. This would lead to what actually may have been one of the major reasons the script died. It included a sequence that would likely have been viewed very poorly as a post-9/11 movie.

The big event in that, which you could see was only diminished in tragedy, I guess,because it's the same tragedy. Every day he'd go wait for his native American partner. She taught nursery school at, sort of a government building in Oklahoma City. And he was sitting on the bench waiting for her to have lunch, and all of the sudden the building behind him blows up.

Somehow, I feel like the decision to not make a sequel to Forrest Gump was probably the right one, regardless of the reasons why it didn't happen. While enough time may have passed now for moments like these to have a similar impact to the original movie, back in the early 2000's these sorts of things would have been too fresh in our minds. It feels a lot less like the pleasant nostalgia of the first movie a lot more like making references for their own sake.

What do you think of these ideas for a Forrest Gump sequel? Let us know in the poll below

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Forrest Gump Is Getting A Bollywood Remake

Forrest Gump Is Getting A Bollywood Remake

Have you ever imagined the iconic line “Run Forrest Run” being said in Hindi, perhaps as the titular character starts off an extravagant musical number? Life really is like a box of chocolates, because an upcoming Forrest Gump movie will be the latest Hollywood hit to be remade by Bollywood.

The 1994 Best Picture winner has caught the eye of Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan, who will take on the Tom Hanks role and co-produce an Indian version of the movie to be titled Lal Singh Chaddha, per Variety. The remake will be developed by both Viacom 18 Motion Pictures and Khan’s production company.

Aamir Khan explained during the press announcement in Mumbai that he has always loved the Forrest Gump script, complementing the Oscar winner’s “life-affirming story” that is a feel good film for the whole family. The superstar hopes to come back from his 2018 commercial failure Thugs of Hindostan, the highest-budget Bollywood film ever, which lost big at the box office after many negative reviews.

The Bollywood star’s movies put together has also made the most at the box office worldwide than any other Indian actor. So it makes sense for Aamir Khan to take on the role famously played by America’s sweetheart, Tom Hanks, of course!

The recent announcement of the Indian Forrest Gump also came with the production’s plans to start filming this October and be released in 2020. It would certainly be interesting to see how Bollywood adapts the film, which has draws on many moments in American history such as Elvis Presley, the Vietnam War, racial desegregation, Watergate and Apple computers. Will the movie take on the events of the American film or draw on elements of Indian history?

The foreign genre is known for its huge song-and-dance numbers and melodrama, and some aspects of Forrest Gump certainly can be translated this way. It’s a larger-than-life story with a mix of romance, drama and comedy, and it would be a blast to see this kind of retelling.

India has remade tons of Hollywood movies in the past including Ms. Doubtfire, Christopher Nolan’s Memento, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, When Harry Met Sally and another Tom Hank’s led movie, Big. The genre certainly seems to be fans of what the industry in America has produced and keeps finding inspiration by them.

Forrest Gump was the highest-grossing movie of 1994 – it made $677 million worldwide, though only made $46,282 in Indian theaters. The movie still holds the top spot for a summer drama release and received high-critical praise. Forrest Gump was nominated for 13 Oscars and won six for Best Picture, Best Actor for Tom Hanks, Best Director for Robert Zemeckis, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing and Best Visual Effects.

It’ll be exciting to see how Lal Singh Chaddha does when it comes out in 2020. Anyone want to delve into a Bollywood Hollywood remakes marathon after this?

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Former Bond Girl Halle Berry Has Some Suggestions For Who Should Replace Daniel Craig

Former Bond Girl Halle Berry Has Some Suggestions For Who Should Replace Daniel Craig

The next James Bond movie is currently in production and Daniel Craig is on board to play the role one more time, but once the film is over, the world will need a new James Bond. Dozens of names have been thrown around, dating back to before Craig confirmed his return. Everybody has an opinion, and that includes former Bond girl Halle Berry.

The Die Another Day actress was asked on Today who she would like see take on the iconic role after Daniel Craig steps down. She's got a pair of gentlemen she'd like to see, saying...

I’d want to see Hugh Jackman or Idris Elba. I would go for him.

Halle Berry would probably have a lot of support when it came to either of these two names. Idris Elba's name has been rumored as a Bond possibility for quite some time, there were even rumors at various points that he was in talks to take the part, but Elba continuously denied those reports.

As far as Hugh Jackman goes, we know the actor had a shot at auditioning for the role back when it was last available, but turned down auditioning because he was already working on the X-Men franchise and didn't want to get buried in two major film series at once. It's unclear if he would be at all interested now that he's done playing Logan.

If there's one major stumbling block to either of Halle Berry's choices here, it's probably age. Daniel Craig is currently 51 years old. Hugh Jackman is only a year younger than that and Elba is only slightly behind at 46. When Craig was cast he was in his late 30s and one assumes that the plan would be to cast an actor at that age, if not younger, so that they can make several more movies over the next decade or so.

Still, there's no reason James Bond couldn't be an older character. In the same way that some have campaigned to see James Bond change race or gender because, in addition to the benefit of opening up the character to a more diverse cast, it would also open up the stories that could be told, allowing James Bond to age could potentially do the same thing.

Halle Berry is potentially also one of the people interested in seeing James Bond change genders. When she's initially asked who she'd like to see take over the James Bond role, she says "a woman." While she laughs it off at first and claims she was joking, many who have suggested the same thing haven't been joking.

We almost certainly won't hear anything about the future of James Bond until after Bond 25 is released. The studio won't want to suck all the air out of the new film, so even if a replacement is already being considered, and there's no way to know if that's the case, it will likely be at least a year, and probably much longer, before we know who the next James Bond will be.

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Forget John Wick, Detective Pikachu Dominated The International Box Office

Forget John Wick, Detective Pikachu Dominated The International Box Office

After three weekends atop the domestic box office charts and plenty of broken records, Avengers: Endgame finally fell from its perch as John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum took first place with an incredibly impressive performance. But while John Wick was catching bodies and the attention of domestic audiences, our friends overseas were still trying to catch ‘em all helping Detective Pikachu to dominate the international box office.

Over the weekend, Detective Pikachu made $53.8 million from 72 foreign markets, giving it the top spot at the international box office for the second straight weekend, according to Variety. A nice $17.2 million chunk of that came from China, where Pikachu and friends have done particularly well with a $70.3 million total. Detective Pikachu also added $2.25 million from Mexico, $3.5 million from the United Kingdom, $2.1 million from Germany and debuted in Russia to $4.3 million.

Detective Pikachu’s weekend performance overseas brings it to $193.4 million internationally, which, combined with its domestic performance, totals out to a solid $287.4 million worldwide. That is testament to the power of the Pokémon brand all over the world and its viability as a future franchise/cinematic universe. Given the interest of those involved, the myriad possibilities and this continued box office success, those outcomes seem more and more likely.

John Wick may not have been able to outgun Pika power, but the hitman still collected his share of gold coins from overseas moviegoers. In the United Kingdom, John Wick 3 opened to a cool $4.6 million, followed by Russia with $3.8 million, Austalia with $2.8 million and Mexico with $2.1 million. All in all, John Wick 3 debuted in 66 markets over the weekend and made $35 million.

That puts the international opening weekend for John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum at $92 million. That’s pretty impressive considering that the first John Wick didn’t hit that number in its entire worldwide run and 2017’s John Wick: Chapter Two’s final domestic total was just over $92 million.

It may not have been enough to topple a Ryan Reynolds-voiced Pikachu with international audiences, but this is illustrative of how the organically grown John Wick franchise, which didn’t have the benefit of existing IP, is still getting bigger for Lionsgate.

Elsewhere on the weekend charts was, of course, Avengers: Endgame, which added another $46.8 million overseas to its absurd run to bring it to $1.88 billion internationally and $2.6 billion worldwide. It has now passed Avatar to become Number 2 on the domestic charts (Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ $936.6 million is almost certainly out of reach) and now trails only James Cameron’s film for the all-time international and worldwide box office crowns.

You can catch both John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and Detective Pikachu in theaters now. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to see all of this summer’s biggest movies and for all the latest box office coverage, stay tuned to CinemaBlend.

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Ford V Ferrari Trailer: Watch Christian Bale And Matt Damon Race Behind The Wheel

Ford V Ferrari Trailer: Watch Christian Bale And Matt Damon Race Behind The Wheel

We're only just now getting into the summer movie movie season, but that means it's now time to take a look forward to the end of the calendar year and the films on the way. The awards season films are beginning to make themselves known and one has to assume that Ford V Ferrari is looking to be an early front runner.

The first trailer for the Matt Damon/Christian Bale vehicle (see what I did there), is here and from first glances this one looks like it could be pretty good, with a pair of performances from strong actors and exactly the sort of underdog story that audiences tend to enjoy. Check out the trailer below.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans race is a test of endurance for both automobile and driver that, in the 1960s, was basically owned by Ferrari. Ford V Ferrari will follow the attempt by the American Ford Motor Company to build a car, and find a driver, capable of overthrowing the champion. Matt Damon plays car designer Carroll Shelby and Christian Bale is Ken Miles, the slightly hot-headed driver brought on board to handle the new car.

The movie looks to be hitting the Oscar bait Yahtzee, as it has a pair of Academy Award winning lead actors and an Academy Award nominated director (though not actually for directing) in James Mangold. It's also a movie based on a true story about overcoming the odds. We're sure to get at least one of those every awards season. It's also got a prime, mid-November release date.

While Ford V Ferrari may seem factory made to win awards, that doesn't mean the movie won't work on its own and overall the trailer does make the film look interesting. It's not overly dramatic and serious, as so many awards season movies can get. That can also help the movie find an audience, something that doesn't always happen with these end of the year films, no matter how many awards they rack up.

It's been a few years since we've gotten ourselves a good racing movie, unless you want to count Cars 3. While racing isn't necessarily something every audience member is going to be a huge fan of, it's an easy thing for them to understand, and it has built in drama that will make for an exciting climax.

Also, the trailer takes the easy way out by using The Rolling Stones "Gimme Shelter" as background music, but there's a reason this is millionth film to do that, the song works.

If Ford V Ferrari does become a major Best Picture contender, it could make history. As the movie is a Fox production, that means it's now technically a Disney movie, which means the Mouse may have just bought itself a win in an Oscar category it has never taken home.

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Ford V Ferrari First Look: Matt Damon And Christian Bale Are Off To The Races

Ford V Ferrari First Look: Matt Damon And Christian Bale Are Off To The Races

Later this year, Christian Bale and Matt Damon will be teaming up for a film that looks sure to be a frontrunner during awards season. The two Oscar-winners will be co-starring in Ford v Ferrari, which is directed by James Mangold (Logan). The actors are already promoting the movie, and now we finally have a few more details, including the first photos from the film. Check them out in the gallery below.

Set during 1966, Ford v Ferrari tells the story of two men who attempt to give Ford a competitive advantage over racing champion Ferrari during the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France. Christian Bale plays English racer Ken Miles, who teams up with American car designer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) to create the revolutionary car that will give Ford a run for its money.

The film is described as a "David vs Goliath vs Goliath" story that focuses on the men who had their boots on the ground while the titanic corporations duked it out. While the film is based on true events, it's not really about those events, James Mangold told Entertainment Weekly. It's really about two men who overcome challenges to create something they are passionate about.

Considering the talents of Matt Damon and Christian Bale, this is likely a movie to keep an eye on when it comes time to vote for Best Actor. For what it's worth, the two actors seem to share a pretty fun chemistry. Bale and Damon appeared as the honorary starters for the Indy 500 this weekend. Bale was asked how the Batmobile would do in the race, and Damon had a fun add-on.

Another big thing that we are sure to hear a lot about once press for this film heats up is that it had a focus on practical effects. These aren't CGI cars racing around a track. James Mangold was insistent that real racing be utilized for the film. The director minimized the CGI use in Logan as much as he could, and he feels it ultimately makes for a much better film as it allows more room for the characters.

Logan put James Mangold on the map, and nothing more really needs to be said about the acting chops of Christian Bale and Matt Damon. The film also stars Caitriona Balfe (Outlander), Tracy Letts (Lady Bird), Josh Lucas (Sweet Home Alabama), and Jon Bernthal (The Punisher).

You can expect to see Ford v Ferrari race into theaters on the very awards friendly date of November 15, 2019. That's still a whole summer away, so keep up to date on everything hitting theaters this year with our 2019 movie release guide. For more movie news and updates, keep it right here at CinemaBlend and we'll post new information as soon as it is available.

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Ford May Be Making Pickup Trucks Into Movie Theaters

Ford May Be Making Pickup Trucks Into Movie Theaters

Nowadays, there are so many ways to enjoy a movie other than the traditional theater experience. Netflix has started producing its own high-profile films for cinephiles to tune into conveniently at home, along with the ability for moviegoers to take their favorite films on the go to their phones, laptops and such.

What if you could turn the back of your pickup truck into its own movie theater with minimal installation required? Ford Motors has just patented an accessory for a pickup bed that does just that, per a Fox News report. Take a look at the design from the patent below:

The system is made of two telescoping supports that can mount into the receptacles built into the side of the pickup truck bed. The design allows for a movie projection screen, television or projector to be placed along with a place for a speaker system. It even allows for a TV screen to have the option to swivel.

It’s specifically designed to work on a Ford F-150 or Super Duty truck, and is meant to be better than a custom setup, because it doesn’t require drilling holes into the bed, which can lead to corrosion down the line. Ford has not announced plans to release a manufactured version of the design for purchase, but considering they patented it, this could be on the way.

This is an exciting idea, especially for tailgaters and campers who have dreamt of having a high-quality movie experience before the big game or under the stars next to their tents. Of course, there’s always the careless consumer, who might decide to keep TV on while on the freeway and distract other drivers from the road.

The design follows some other recent innovations to go along with pickup beds such as the Honda Ridgeline, which offers a bed-as-a-speaker system and the 2019 GMC Sierra 1500, which allows for an auxiliary stereo system to be built into a folding MultiPro tailgate. So it was only a matter of time before “pickup truck movie theaters” started being designed as well.

This is an idea that certainly only caters to an owner of a truck who often park them in places that demand for entertainment such as this but it’s certainly a unique one that can spice up one’s definition of movie night.

In the past, there was also a bed that could turn into a movie theater, that had a projector installed to the headboard and panels that can come down at the sides, for a comfy at-home movie viewing. It’s no wonder movie theaters are offering subscription services and Netflix to up-ing their game with special releases, given all the new innovations to make viewing movies easy and different.

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Five Feet Apart Reactions Highlight The Divide Between Fans And Critics

Five Feet Apart Reactions Highlight The Divide Between Fans And Critics

Sometimes fans and critics just don't agree, resulting in some wildly different opinions on a single movie. Thankfully, there isn't just one right opinion and everyone else is wrong, but it's interesting to see what films can cause such different takes. The latest is Five Feet Apart, a young adult romance drama that audiences seem to love while critics were much less hot for it.

Five Feet Apart stars Haley Lu Richardson and Cole Sprouse as two people with cystic fibrosis who enter a relationship but have to stay five feet apart from each other at all times to avoid cross infection.

The film opened in theaters this weekend, and for the most part critics haven't been too smitten. Five Feet Apart has received mostly middling reviews, with critics writing that although the film features some strong performances (notably from Haley Lu Richardson), it gives in to too many cliches. The film is at 54% on Rotten Tomatoes at this point, but audiences are having much stronger reactions to the romance drama.

The audience score is currently at 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, highlighting the divide between audiences and critics on this one. I personally tend not to place too much trust in user reviews, but fans are ranking it pretty high on other review aggregators. CinemaScore, which solely measures the audience's perception of a film, gave Five Feet Apart an "A" ranking, which really good. It's important to remember that CinemaScore surveys people right after they've seen the movie, so it usually gets them at their most passionate.

I don't think that it's too surprising that there's a divide on this one. Five Feet Apart is clearly going for a specific demographic, which critics don't seem to belong to. So, you could view this as the film playing well with the audience it was made for, but doesn't do much to appeal to others.

The more interesting reaction might be in the cystic fibrosis community. Evidently, those who possess the disease at the center of the film are mixed. According to Cystic Fibrosis News Today, some like the film and believe that it will bring a lot more awareness to their disease. However, others are insulted because they view the film as a way to profit from a disease.

The cystic fibrosis community is also divided on the portrayal of living life with the actual disease. Apparently, the movie only shows patients who are very ill, and not the ones who go on to lead successful lives. Additionally, the rule is that you have to stay six feet away from someone, not five.

You can decide where you fall on Five Feet Apart, which is out in theaters everywhere. For everything else premiering this year, be sure to check out our 2019 movie release guide.

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First Terminator: Dark Fate Trailer: Sarah Connor Is Back With A Vengeance

First Terminator: Dark Fate Trailer: Sarah Connor Is Back With A Vengeance

The sci-fi genre has been rather popular since it's inception, but there are a few titles that stand out among the rest. Chief among those properties is James Cameron's Terminator, which has never really been far from theaters. The fan favorite installment of that franchise is Terminator 2, and the upcoming sequel Terminator: Dark Fate is a direct sequel to that movie.

Moviegoers have been seriously excited about Terminator: Dark Fate, particularly because it marks the return of actress Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor. Luckily for us, the first trailer for Dark Fate has just been released, and it didn't disappoint. Check it out below.

Does anyone else have chills? The Terminator and Sarah Connor are both back, and the duo has quite the fight ahead of them.

The first Terminator: Dark Fate trailer opens with the trio of new characters. Mackenzie Davis' newcomer Grace is shown trying to keep Dani (Natalia Reyes) and her brother Miguel (Diego Boneta) away from danger. Specifically, the newest Terminator model, which is able to split itself into two separate entities. Played by Gabriel Luna, Dark Fate's big villain had a ton of screen time, and may be the most deadly version of the Terminator that we've seen in the franchise's long tenure.

Just when all seems lost, the trio of newcomers are saved. Not by Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800, but Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor. The decades since we saw her in Terminator 2 have hardened the iconic heroine even further, and she quickly disposes of the new villain through some heavy artillery. Namely, by shooting him with a massive gun, and then setting the bad guy aflame with another weapon.

While Sarah Connor may have saved Grace and Dani, smart money says taking down the new Terminator won't be quite that easy. Gabriel Luna's character has a ton of screen time in the first trailer, and may be even more deadly than Robert Patrick's T-1000 from T2. But Grace is also a new type of Terminator, one that identifies as a human. So clearly the Terminator canon is going to be going through some exciting changes.

Related: Terminator: Dark Fate Used A Clever Sarah Connor Callback To Reveal New Poster

Terminator fans may be hyped to see Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger back on screen together, but the most exciting scene from the first Dark Fate trailer comes in the final moments-- in an epic plane chase sequence. In what will no doubt be a thrilling experience in theaters, we see the Gabriel Luna's character crash into another plane, in an attempt to procure and/or murder Dani. We also see Grace dangling in the air, hanging onto debris that is slowly parachuting toward the ground.

Overall, the first Terminator: Dark Fate trailer was purposefully vague regarding its plot, as the film won't arrive until the fall. So we should expect more trailers to arrive in the coming months, revealing more about what to expect from the highly anticipated sequel.

Terminator: Dark Fate is set to arrive in theaters on November 1, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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First Sonic The Hedgehog Trailer Gives Him Wild New Powers

First Sonic The Hedgehog Trailer Gives Him Wild New Powers

Studios have continued to try and crack the code of turning video games into movies the way they have with comic books and the result has been films with a lot of different looks and styles. Now, we have one of the most popular video game characters ever getting his first big screen adventure and it's...interesting, to say the least. Check out the first trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog and see what the blue speedster can do in a world of humans.

Of course, the movie starts showing off just how fast Sonic is, that's his whole gimmick, but here Sonic apparently can move so fast that he goes full Quicksilver in a sequence where the world around him appears to be standing still. Even Sonic doesn't usually go quite that fast.

In addition to that, we see a sequence where the famous gold rings that Sonic collects in the video game can apparently be used as portals that transport Sonic's human friends from on place to another. i guess now we know why he picks so many of them up.

Sonic is a character born in the 1990s and that vibe permeates the trailer. Possibly not more so than in seeing Jim Carrey's version of Dr. Robotnik, which is born from a very old school Jim Carrey performance. It feels like something out of an Ace Ventura movie and to be honest, I can get behind that. It's certainly not the version of Dr. Robotnik I was expecting, and I'm not sure what it means to the film as a whole, it may not really work, but if you're a fan of old school Jim Carrey, it's nice to see.

For those fans a little thrown off by Carrey's look, the end of the trailer gives us a version of Robotnik more in line with the classic video game version, though how one becomes the other we don't know.

For fans of the classic video game, there are plenty of fun references in the trailer. The Paramount logo is scene surrounded by gold rings. James Marsden's police officer is a resident of Green Hills, a reference to the first level of the original Sonic the Hedgehog video game. Even the film's tagline about every hero having a "Genesis," is a cute reference to the Sega video game console on which Sonic had his best adventures. Possibly his only good ones.

The plot of the film is a bit vague based on the trailer. Sonic needs to "save the planet" though it's not clear here from what. Robotnik appears to be chasing Sonic, not the source of whatever Sonic is trying to save us from so what that is we don't really know.

Sonic the Hedgehog fans were more than a little concerned when the first posters came out for the new film. The character's look was a little disconcerting. I'm not sure this trailer is going to alleviate anybody's fears. It's a little over the top and Sonic still looks, odd. Having said that, Sonic has been portrayed as being full of attitude in pretty much all of his incarnations so this isn't all that out of line even if it seems a bit much.

Sonic the Hedgehog hits theaters in November.

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