This Was A Great DC Team Up

It seems that this year is the year of "hero vs. hero," with Batman fighting Superman, and Captain America getting ready to take on Iron Man, so this past Monday's Supergirl was a nice change of pace, giving us a team-up instead of a fight.  The title for the episode was "Worlds Finest" and it definitely lived up to it's name.  Apparently, I'm not the only person that enjoyed the epsiode, Supergirl saw a jump of 31% over it's last two episodes that aired, enjoying 7.2 million viewers.  So why did this episode work so well? 

When Arrow debuted four years ago, it gave us a superhero series that was dark and brooding, but during season two it introduced us to Grant Gustin's Barry Allen and when his own series began the following year it gave us a lighter and more comedic superhero show.  The lighter tone seemed to resonate with viewers, and The Flash has quickly become the CW's most popular program.  With the overwhelming success of Arrow and The Flash, the show's executive producers Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg decided to shop around Supergirl, which ended up getting picked up by CBS.  Supergirl followed the same tone as The Flash, giving us a more light-hearted show, but not without weekly villians and good match ups.  It debuted strong, but viewership began to fall off as the season progressed.  At the time of writing this, CBS still hasn't renewed Supergirl for a second season yet, but after the Supergirl/Flash crossover, that may soon change.  It would be a smart move for CBS to renew it for a second season.  Both Arrow and The Flash found their strides during their second seasons, so not giving Supergirl a second season wouldn't be fair to the show.

The crossover episode takes place on Supergirl's Earth, an alternate Earth from the one that Flash lives in.  According to Barry Allen, there are multiple Earth's that exist in the same space, but they vibrate at different levels, so they aren't able to interact with one another.  Barry was trying to get back to his own Earth when he accidentally popped into Kara's world.  The two immediately hit it off, and the two actors definitely have chemistry when on the screen together.  This isn't the first time Grant Gustin and Melissa Benoist have worked together.  They both appeared on the show Glee that aired on Fox.  The episode was written so that people that have seen one show and not the other would still be able to enjoy it, and not be lost as to who Kara or Barry are.  It was a funny and light-hearted episode, and I hope that it won't be the last time that they get to team up.

Supergirl airs on CBS Monday nights at 8 pm (EST).  The Flash airs on The CW Tuesdays at 8 pm (EST).  If you haven't watched either of these shows, you really should give them both a try!

Not Good News For Batman v Superman

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice broke more than a few records this past weekend, but the one that has Warner Bros. most nervous was the Friday to Sunday drop in movie-goers.
After pulling in $420 million globally over the weekend (very impressive!), the combination of critic's reviews and bad word of mouth seemed to halt it's incredible debut.  People seem to agree that the movie's dark tone didn't work for the film.  Even super-fanboy geek Kevin Smith said that the movie lacked heart.  Ouch.  So after raking in $82 million on Friday, Sunday's take dropped to $37 million, which roughly is a 55% drop in sales.  That's the largest Friday to Sunday drop in movie history, it's even larger than the drop that last year's Fantastic Four had which was 48%.  Again, ouch.

This surprises me quite a bit.  Why?  Even with all of the negative reviews, everybody...and I mean everybody that I've talked to that's seen the movie said that Ben Affleck was an amazing Batman, Gal Gadot stole the show and out shown the two title characters, and Jesse Eisenberg nailed it as Lex Luthor.  They also said that the fight scenes and car chases were some of the best that have been done, so the only thing that I can think of is that the script for the movie sucked.  I'll find out for myself later this weekend.  Even with all of the poor reviews, I'm looking forward to seeing it.

Something else that I read about the film has left me scratching my head...the movie cost $250 million to make, it pulled in $420 million it's opening weekend, and the article I read said that in order for the movie to break even, it will have to pull in $800 million.  In order to make a profit, it'll have to make $1 billion.  Wha...?  Look, I love movies, but I'm not going to lie and say that I understand the financial side of the movie business.  I understand that on top of the costs for making the movie, they also have to promote the film, domestically and internationally, and a percentage of the box office take goes to the theaters, but $800 million to break even?  That doesn't make sense to me.

One of the things that Batman v Superman has going for it is that there really won't be any competition at the box office for it until May when Captain America: Civil War gets released, so that may help it reach its goal of breaking even, or even a profit.

Have you seen the movie yet?  If you have, let me know what you thought of the movie in the comments section down below.  I trust the fans more than the critics, so let me know your actual thoughts on the movie.

Wait...Jimmy Olsen Was In Batman v Superman?!?

Blink and you may have missed him. 

If you haven't seen the movie yet, be warned...***SPOILERS*** ahead!

Some people who went to see Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice this past weekend noticed that Jimmy Olsen was shown to have appeared in the movie during the end credits.  So where was he?

Turns out that Jimmy Olsen was the CIA reporter that meets up with Lois Lane while she's on assignment in Africa.  You know, the one who dies.  So why kill off such an important character in the world of Superman?  Here's what director Zach Snyder had to say about Jimmy Olsen:

“We just did it as this little aside because we had been tracking where we thought the movies were gonna go, and we don’t have room for Jimmy Olsen in our big pantheon of characters, but we can have fun with him, right?"
Even though he didn't get to say anything in the theatrical release of the movie, he will be getting to say his line when "Ultimate Edition" comes out on DVD and Blu-ray later this summer.  In that scene, he goes up to Lois and says, "Lois Lane, I'm Jimmy Olsen, photographer, obviously...you know, I've been assigned to you for this mission," or something along those lines. 
Snyder originally wanted to hire a big named actor to play the role, so fans would be caught off guard when he ended up getting killed.  His first thought for the role was Jesse Eisenberg, before he ended up being cast for Lex Luthor.  Snyder, who was talking to EW said, “I thought, if it were Jesse Eisenberg and he got out and he goes, ‘I’m Jimmy Olsen,’ you’d be like, oh my God, we’re gonna have Jimmy Olsen in the whole movie, right?’” Snyder says. “And then if he got shot, you’d just be like, ‘What!? You can’t do that."  He continued, “I said, ‘I want to do this misdirect and you’d be great. You’d be a great Jimmy Olsen,’” the director says. “And he’s like, ‘Yeah, that’s cool,’ and he was being very Jesse in the meeting. Introverted but constantly going, ‘Okay, I see, uh-huh. So it’s sort of a pop-culture redirect, you’re gonna do, because of the certain status of an actor…”  At the time of this interview, they were considering Bryan Cranston for the role of Lex, but ended up changing his vision of the character and gave the role to Eisnberg.

Batman V Superman Dominates The Box Office!

Sorry this is a little late going out, but I've been a little under the weather this past weekend.  I wasn't able to go and see Batman v Superman : Dawn of Justice, but I've read a lot of the news reports and have talked to a lot of people that went and saw it...and not just once, but two or three times.  In all, Batman v Superman pulled in over $424 million in it's opening weekend, making it the highest opening comic book movie EVER, and it showed that there is a bit of a disconnect between comic book fans and movie critics.  Before it's release late Thursday evening, there were a slew of articles that said the movie was horrible, but with an opening like the one it had showed that people are going to see this in droves, and not just once, but two or three times.  Fans are embracing this movie like no other.  And who can blame them?  This is the first time that we get to see the Holy Trinity on the silver screen at the same time.  By the way, that would be Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, just in case you didn't know who I was talking about.  And speaking of Wonder Woman, from what everyone has been telling me, she stole the show.  She was the most talked about character from the film out of everyone I talked to, which bodes well for Warner Bros.' Wonder Woman solo film that is currently filming as we speak.  The true test of this movie's staying power will be next weekend when we see how much the movie drops off from this past weekend.  That will be when I get to go see it.  So I've got to go, kids.  I've got a doctor's appointment to make, but I'll be back again tomorrow.  Same Bat time, same Bat channel!

Remember Those Opening Credits Ini Deadpool?

The opening credits to the movie Deadpool were the first indication of what kind of movie we were about to be treated to.  I have never seen anything like them before, and I was laughing out loud while reading them...especially when it came to the writer's credit, or "the real heroes" of the movie.  But what gave them the inspiration to create them like that?  Blur Studios put them together (note: Blur studios was co-founded by Deadpool director Tim Miller) and Frank Balson (also with the company) explained exactly how they came to be in an interview at Silicon Valley Comic Con:

“The idea for the title sequence was actually already in the script from the very beginning, at least the main part: frozen moments in the middle of this f*cked up car accident. Originally, the titles were supposed to be actual titles, with actual actors’ names and stuff like that.  Very early on in the process, Ryan [Reynolds] was the only one who had been cast at that moment, and we started working on the pre-vis for the whole film. We started working on that sequence because it was going to define that whole car chase. It needed to finish exactly in this freeze-frame moment and look good.  We looked at different ways to put the guys, and were just going, ‘Okay, that’s a really cool thing to have’. At the time, since we didn’t know who was going to be in the movie, I was like, ‘okay, what do we have? So we have the hot chick, the bad guy, the CGI character,’ and just put all those names in there."

When the movie was nearly finished, they showed what they had to Tim Miller, Ryan Reynolds, and the film's producers, before they had a chance to go back and change the credits to show everyone's actual names.  The decision was made right then and there to keep it the way it was, and it also gave us one of the truest line of credits ever to be put up on the silver screen!

If you enjoy reading my blog, be sure to let other people know about it and feel free to write me about things that you're interested in or about, and I'll look into whatever it is and I'll write up posts letting you know what I find out.  You can either contact me in the comments section below each post or contact me through Twitter @Comconoclast or email at comconocave@gmail.com.  Enjoy the weekend everybody!

Zendaya Confirms Role In Marvel's Spider-Man

Even though he hasn't even made his cinematic premier yet, that won't happen until May, the upcoming Spectacular Spider-Man is gearing up to be one of the most anticipated movies of 2017.  We already know that Tom Holland will be playing the lead role of Peter Parker (a.k.a. Spider-Man...yeah, I know.  That was kind of pointless to mention.), Marisa Tomei will be playing Aunt May, and now we have confirmation that Zendaya will be appearing in the film as well.Yesterday Zendaya made the confirmation herself while making an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, but she didn't reveal who she'd be playing.  Here's what she said about getting the role:“It’s very exciting. When it comes to the acting space, I’m basically unknown. I’ve never been in a real movie before or anything like that, so I had to start from the bottom like anyone else. I auditioned and auditioned and auditioned and [broke] down those walls because a lot of people do have that pre-conceived notion of who I am based off previous things I’ve done, so you got to really break that down and go hard, put in the work, take all the meetings, take all the auditions.”There has been a lot of speculation on who she's going to be playing, but the most common theory is that she'll be cast as Michelle Gonzales.  In fact, if you go to IMDB.com she is only listed as "Michelle".  Now she could be playing Michelle Gonzales, but another theory is that she'll have the name Michelle, but that Michelle will actually be a number of different Spider-Man characters rolled into one person.  By the way, Michelle Gonzales is a criminal defense lawyer and Peter Parker's roommate in the comics...in case you didn't know who she is.Who do you think she'll end up playing?  Leave your thoughts in the comments section below and let me know your thoughts.  Spectacular Spider-Man is set for release July 7, 2017.

Simon Pegg Joins Ready Player One

Simon Pegg has to be one of the busiest people in movies today.  From his "cult classic" movies Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World's End, he also recently appeared in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and is one of the main actors (and more recently, writer) for the Star Trek movies.  Now, he can add Ogdon Morrow to that list. 

Ogden Morrow is one of the creators of a company that gave the world a free VR system to enjoy called "Oasis" in the book Ready Player One.  It's other creator and programmer, James Halliday, passes away at the beginning of the book, so don't worry, I'm not giving anything away there.  Before his passing, Halliday created an "easter egg" hunt that takes place throughout the worlds of Oasis.  The winner of this easter egg hunt wins his share of the company and all his wealth.  He did this because he has no heirs or family.  He also wants people to learn about the things that he loved the most growing up, and it all ties into the search for the egg.  It covers everything from Dungeons and Dragons to 80's television shows, movies, video games, and music.  And if you want to win this hunt, you have to know everything from this decade inside and out.

Ready Player One was written by Ernest Cline back in 2011 and it was recently announced that it had been picked up by Warner Bros. to be made into a movie.  Steven Spielberg has signed on to direct the film, and should begin filming as soon as he finishes up his current project, The BFG.  Other actors that have been cast for the film include Tye Sheridan as the main character of the book, Wade Watts (a.k.a. Parzival), Olivia Cooke as Samantha Cook (a.k.a. Art3mis) and Ben Mendelsohn as Nolan Sorrento (a.k.a. the big bad guy of the story).

If you haven't had a chance to read this story, I highly recommend doing so before the movie comes out, because I really don't know if they will be able to fit everything into the film due to copyrights of the other properties.  If you're not much of a reader, pick up the audiobook, it's a great listen narrated by the always enjoyable, Wil Wheaton.

Ready Player One is scheduled for release March 28, 2018.

Just A Thought About Indiana Jones 5...

Happy Tuesday, boys and girls!  Sorry about yesterday, but I needed a three-day weekend and was a little busy getting other things done.  But I'm back, and I've got some things for you to think about!

I was reading an article on screenrant.com that was titled "Will Indiana Jones 5 plot the same course as Star Wars: The Force Awakens?"  which was talking about the story and how to please old and new fans alike.  They made some good points, but that's not what got me thinking.  I've discussed this with a couple of people, and they think that I'm way off on this, but I still want to throw this out there.

First, a little build up.  After Disney bought Lucasfilm from George Lucas which gave them the rights to not only Star Wars but Indiana Jones, there was a lot of talk about Indiana Jones getting a "reboot" and that Disney was going to cast a younger actor in the role of Henry Jones, Jr.  While all of this was going on, two things happened.  First, Kathleen Kennedy came out and said that there were no plans in the immediate future to make a new Indiana Jones movie, which we now know isn't true since they announced one for 2019.  Second, Steven Spielberg said that there would only ever be one Indiana Jones, and that was Harrison Ford.  We also know that both Spielberg and Ford will be returning for this next installment, which looks to be the last one.  So what if they actually make this the last Indiana Jones adventure?

It was the title of the article I was reading that got me to thinking.  What if they really do follow the same plans as The Force Awakens for Indiana Jones 5 and they have Indy die at the end of the movie?  It would definitely put an end to the franchise, right?  And wouldn't Ford and Spielberg want to go out with a bang?  Remember it was Ford's idea originally to kill Han Solo off in Return of the Jedi, so what's to stop them from doing the same to Indy?  Have him go out in some epic battle and go down in a blaze of glory?  It would stop all of the talk about someone new playing Indy, and it would cap off Ford and Spielberg's run together in the series.

I know Spielberg said that Ford will be the only Indiana Jones..ever.  But let's be serious.  Disney purchased Lucasfilm for a lot of money.  Granted, it was primarily to get Star Wars, but why let another great series go to waste and just throw it away after one movie?  Spielberg may not direct another actor as Indiana Jones, but that's not to say they can't hire a new director  to do a new Indiana Jones movie with a new actor. Heck, they're looking for a young Han Solo as we speak, so why not a new Indy?

So what do you think?  Am I way off in my thinking like my friends have been telling me, or is it possible that they could actually do this?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, and tell me what you think.

Lobo Movie Begins To Move Forward...Again

To begin with, this has nothing to do with "sheriffs" or "BJ and the Bear".  And if you get those references, welcome to my world.

Warner Brothers has been trying to put together a Lobo movie since 2009, but it's never seemed to go anywhere.  That is, until the other day when it was announced that Jason Fuchs was hired to write the script for it.  Fuchs is no stranger to comic book movies, he's the one that wrote the script for the upcoming Wonder Woman film.  But the main question that we need to ask is, which version of Lobo will we be getting?

Lobo rose to the height of his popularity back in the comic book boom of the '90s.  He had a gritty look, sported dirty dreadlocks, a mustache, wore a sleeveless leather vest and drove a space trotting chopper.  He could go head-to-head with Superman and hold his own, which is saying something.  He was known for his heavy drinking and violent fights.  Then, DC introduced the "New 52".  Now he's more refined, clean shaven and has a leaner body.  This new look has irritated many comic book readers who liked the "old" Lobo.

My guess is that they are going to go with the "old" Lobo, simply because of how Deadpool dominated the box office earlier this year.  Lobo is the closest thing that DC has to the Merc With A Mouth, and I'm sure that they are going to want to try and profit off of that.  If they can somehow blend Deadpool and Guardians of the Galaxy, they could potentially have a huge hit.  Considering that this is also the company that gave us Green Lantern though, I'm not going to hold my breath.

Back when a Lobo movie was first being discussed, it had been said that Brad Peyton was going to direct it, with Dwayne Johnson possibly playing the lead role, but that fell through and Johnson said that the movie was dead in the water.  Now that it's back on track, they'll have to find a new actor to play Lobo, since Johnson will be playing Black Adam in the DCEU (DC Extended Universe).

So which version do you want to see?  Do you even want to see a Lobo movie?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section down below..

Chewbacca To Join Han Solo In Anthology Film

Yesterday I talked about Harrison Ford and how he was returning his iconic role of Indiana Jones.  So today, let's talk about the other role he made famous...Han Solo. 

Ever since Disney purchased Lucasfilm back in 2012, they've been moving nonstop with new Star Wars movies.  This past December gave us Star Wars: The Force Awakens and this December we'll get the first of the Anthology Films that take place in the Star Wars universe, but stand apart from the "Chaptered Series," Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.  Disney's plan is to release one Star Wars movie every year, alternating the Anthology movies with the Chapter movies.  After Episode VIII, the next Anthology film will focus on a "young" Han Solo.  I put "young" in quotes because three of the actors that are being discussed for the role are between the ages of 24 and 26.  Considering that Ford was 33 when he first played the character of Han, that doesn't set them that far apart.  And since the Han Solo movie won't come out until 2018, that'll put the possible actors around 26 and 28, possible 29.  Very close to the age that Ford was when A New Hope was released.  The three actors that are being talked about the most for the role are Alden Ehrenreich (Hail Caesar!), Jack Reynor (Transformers: Age of Extinction), and Taron Egerton (Kingsman: The Secret Service).  But what can we expect from the movie?

The one thing that has been confirmed is that Chewbacca will be starring in the movie alongside Han Solo.  Bob Iger, Disney's CEO, had this to say on the movie:

"We have others in the works, including one, which is an origin story about Han Solo and Chewie.  And that'll come after 'Star Wars VIII' in 2018.  And there will possibly be more thereafter."

The interesting line out of that is that it's going to be an "origin story".  That could mean a lot of things, but the most popular thought on this is that it's going to show how Han and Chewie first met and became best friends.  My hope is that at some point they show the two on a job for Jabba the Hutt making the Kessel run in 12 parsecs.  They always talk about it, so now I want to see it take place.  But that's just me.

What do you want to see from the film?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.  The Han Solo Anthology film is scheduled for release on May 25, 2018.

Ford And Spielberg Set To Return For Indiana Jones 5

When Disney purchased Lucasfilm back in 2012, all of the news seemed to focus on the fact that they had bought the rights to the Star Wars franchise.  It was just a side note that they had purchased the rights to Indiana Jones, as well.  The problem at the time was that they didn't have the distribution rights to the character.  That was still with Paramount.  A little over a year later, they were able to get that as well, and then rumors started swirling around that there was going to be a new Indiana Jones film soon.  Unfortunately, Kathleen Kennedy and Alan Horn (Lucasfilm president and Disney chairman, respectively) said that while they are looking into continuing the adventures of Indiana Jones, no new film was being discussed at the time. 

This didn't stop fans from talking about it, though.  There were rumors that they were going to recast Indiana Jones with a younger actor, that Harrison Ford was only going to show up as Indy at the beginning of the film, and then it would flash back to his past where the new actor would take over the role.  These rumors were quickly squashed by Steven Spielberg, who said that there would only ever be one Indiana Jones, and that would be Harrison Ford.

Well, true to his word, Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford have signed on to do the fifth installment of the Indian Jones series.  It was announced by Horn who said:

“Indiana Jones is one of the greatest heroes in cinematic history, and we can’t wait to bring him back to the screen in 2019. It’s rare to have such a perfect combination of director, producers, actor and role, and we couldn’t be more excited to embark on this adventure with Harrison and Steven.”

It's going to take that long because Spielberg is currently working on The BFG, and then is set to begin filming Ready Player One right after that.  Once that is completed, then he'll begin Indiana Jones 5 (no title for the film has been given) with Harrison Ford.  It should be mentioned that even though both Ford and Spielberg are set to return, George Lucas isn't mentioned as being a part of the movie.  Considering he was the one who scripted Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls, this should be welcome news to many fans who hated that movie.  No word on whether or not Karen Allen will return, but I seriously doubt that they'll bring Shia LaBeouf as Mutt.  The guy's just too toxic to hire for a movie of this importance.

Indiana Jones 5 is scheduled to be released July 19, 2019...less than a week after Harrison Ford's 77th birthday!

There's Some Star Trek Infighting Going On...

With this year being the 50th anniversary of the television show Star Trek, CBS was hoping to introduce the franchise back to television to help celebrate this fact.  Unfortunately, it looks like the soonest that we'll be able to see this new series won't be until January of next year.  Why, you might be asking, are they waiting until next year?  The devil's in the details...

When CBS and Paramount split back in 2006, the one property that they couldn't seem to agree on was Star Trek.  Paramount claimed that it was a movie franchise, while CBS claimed that it was a television series.  Well, they are both right.  Star Trek may have started out on television, but it's movies have been a big draw for fans as well.  So Paramount retained the rights to the movie side of the franchise, and CBS retained the television side of the franchise.  Here's the little rub for CBS and it's new television show that's in production:  under the agreement between the two companies, CBS can't release their new show for a full six months after the premier of the movie Star Trek Beyond.  Since that movie doesn't come out until July 22 of this year, the earliest that CBS will be allowed to air their new television show would be January 22, 2017.

This also seems to allude to the fact that these two properties will definitely be set in different time periods.  Heck, they might be taking place in alternate realities all together, so each can do their own thing and tell their own stories without having to worry about stepping on the others toes.  The one thing that I'm sure of is that the Star Trek brand has been having a tough year.  With the news that the movie has had some writing problems, and the release date having been moved up from it's original date, the ongoing law suit that CBS and Paramount are having with the fan film Axanar, and now this release date for the television series having to miss the 50th anniversary of the franchise all together, things could be going better for Star Trek.  As long as both the movie and the television show perform well for fans, then I don't think it will be much of an issue.  But right now, things look to be in disarray.  Let's hope they pull through all of this and come out on top.

Huge Spoiler Shown In Latest Captain America: Civil War Trailer

Blink and you'll have missed it!

Okay, first the obvious...there aren't "potential" spoilers ahead, but there are definate ***SPOILERS!!!*** ahead!

As you know, last week gave us the second full Captain America: Civil War trailer, and with it we got to see our first look at the MCU Spider-Man.  It's easy to understand how it dominated all of the conversations about the upcoming movie. It was such a big deal that a lot of what else happened in the trailer kind of got overlooked.  But thanks to computers and online viewing, it didn't take long for somebody to go through the trailer frame by frame to see if we missed anything, and boy did we ever!  Take a look at the picture below:



Do you see what they enlarged in the upper left corner?  If you're having trouble making it out, it's Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes (a.k.a. The Winter Soldier) lying on the ground with his bionic arm ripped off.  One can only assume that it takes place during the fight that Iron Man, Captain America, and the Winter Soldier are having that shows Cap and Bucky teaming up against Iron Man in the first trailer that was released.  Does this show us the outcome of the entire fight/movie?  Who knows?  I think that this one particular scene might have accidently made its way past the people putting the trailer together, or they thought that it was so small, or so quick of a scene that nobody would notice it.  Welcome to the age of Fanboys armed with computers!

So what do you think about this scene?  Does it give too much away, or do you think that there's a lot more to be told after this scene that it doesn't make any difference knowing about it now?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section down below.

Captain America: Civil War hits theaters May 8, 2016.

First Look At Marvel's Spider-Man

"Alright, I've run out of patience...Underoos!"

How can you ask for a better introduction to the world then that?

So the second Captain America: Civil War trailer hit around noon yesterday, and as it was predicted, we got our first look at the MCU Spider-Man.  If you haven't seen it yet, I posted a link to the trailer on my Twitter page, @Comconoclast, and you can watch it there.  It was a very short scene, but it was big enough to get everyone talking about it.  As you can tell from the photo above, they went with an older look for the wall-crawler, even using an older log on his chest.  His costume is bright, as opposed to the last Spider-Man costume that Andrew Garfield wore.  The thing that I noticed the most of the costume was that his eyes "moved."  There was talk that they wanted his costume, primarily his eyes, to be able to show his emotions through his mask, so he wouldn't have to keep taking it off every time they wanted the audience to know what he was feeling.  I'm not sure what the purpose for them are in the movie's storyline, but that was the reason I heard that they did it. 

One of the questions I was asked after watching the trailer was if I thought War Machine would die.  The short and simple is...I don't know.  Look, there were a few different reports all claiming certain things that involve War Machine.  The fist one that I heard (by the way...***POTENTIAL SPOILERS!!!***) was that after Captain America dies at the end of the movie, there's a scene that has three different people grabbing ahold of Cap's shield, one of them is James Rhodes (a.k.a. War Machine).  There's also a report out there that at least three Avengers are going to die in this film, and one of them is Rhodes.  So who do you believe?  My advice to you is don't worry about it.  Go into the movie not knowing and be surprised by whatever happens.

What were your thoughts on the new trailer?  Did you like it, not like it, change you mind about seeing it, not seeing it, what?  Leave your comments in the section down below.

Captain America: Civil War hits theaters May 6.

New Captain America: Civil War Trailer May Feature Spider-Man

We may finally be getting our first look at Tom Holland's Spider-Man in the form of a new Captain America: Civil War trailer that will be released later today online.  This is a bit of a departure for the Russo brothers, considering that they've been trying to keep everything that's Spider-Man related under wraps.  To tell you the truth, I've been enjoying the secrecy surrounding him because it's making me look forward to the film even more.  Too many trailers for movies tend to give everything away before the film has even been released, so not knowing what Spider-Man's role in the film (or even what he looks like) has been kind of refreshing. 

So where is Spider-Man's allegiance going to fall?  Is he going to be on Team Cap or team Iron Man?  With less than two months left before it's release, fans are getting pretty excited to find out.  There has been a lot of speculation on the size of Spider-Man's role in the film, and since we haven't seen him anywhere yet in the trailers, a lot of people are thinking that it's going to be a very small role.  However, since the Russo brothers had said before that they had always planned on Spider-Man being apart of the movie (even before the deal between Marvel and Sony had even been made) I'm leaning the other way.  While he won't be the main focus of the movie (obviously), I don't think he's going to be just a cameo appearance, either.  I think that he may even play a pivotal role in the film, but that's just based on a hunch, and from what I know of the comic book story of Civil War.

If he ends up stealing the show, fans won't have to wait very long to be able to see him again.  Tom Holland's stand alone film (rumored to be titled The Spectacular Spider-Man) is coming out next year, and there has already been some casting news about the film.  Pop singer Zendaya has been signed to the film in a "key role".  While they haven't said who she will be playing, they have referred to her character as "Michelle," which is more than likely just a code name to keep her identity a secret.  She could be playing Michele Gonzales from the comic books, or they could be casting her as a new Mary Jane or Gwen.  We'll just have to wait a year or so until we find out.

So keep your eyes online for the new trailer today, and let me know how you like it after you see it.  You can leave your comments in the section below.  Captain America: Civil War opens May 6.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows Looks Back To 80's Cartoon Series

I honestly don't understand why Michael Bay gets such a bad reputation as a movie maker.  Yes, his movies aren't overly complicated when it comes to plot lines, but they are always fun to watch.  There's action and comedy, and it always has that "Michael Bay" touch.  That's why when he released Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles two years ago, even though the critics panned it, I knew that it was going to be a fun movie.  It was.  Just for the record, usually when a movie critic says that something is a horrible waste of time and money, I go see it.

It's easy to forget that the sequel is being released later this year, what with all of the talk being focused on the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Captain America: Civil War dominating the fanboy news cycles, but this one is looking to be a hit in it's own right.  One of the reasons is because it's going to draw a lot of people that were fans from the 80's cartoon in to watch it, even if it's just out of pure curiosity.  Why?  Let's look at what we can expect from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows...

First off, Michael Bay won't be directing this one.  This just had to be pointed out.  Bay laid the ground work for the sequel with the original film, but this time around Davis Green will be its director.  Just wanted to point that out before going any further.  Okay, back to the movie itself.  Like I said, this is starting to look like the fan favorite 80's cartoon of our Heroes in a Half Shell.  Here are the facts.  First, our heroes are finally getting their "Party Van."  And I have to admit, it looks pretty sweet!  But that's a pretty weak reason for fans of the cartoon to go see the movie, so I'll move on.

Let's look at some of the players that are going to be appearing in the film.  Obviously, we're going to be seeing Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Donatello, but we are also going to be seeing the return of Splinter, April O'Neil and Vern Fenwick (O'Neil's buddy cameraman).  The Shredder and Eric Sacks (Shredder's pupil and one of the main baddies from the first film) are also coming back.  The new comers to this movie are what makes things exciting.  First, Stephen Amell is going to be playing Casey Jones, the New York City masked vigilante that wields a hockey stick as his weapon of choice.  Next we Bebop and Rocksteady, played by comedian Gary Anthony Williams and WWE superstar Stephen "Sheamus" Farrelly, respectively.  Baxter Stockman will be introduced as the mad scientist that creates the mutagen that transforms the two into their famous cartoon appearances.  Finally, we have Krang, the evil brain in a robot body that hails from Dimension X, a portal to which will somehow be opened to in the film.

So tell me...are you looking forward to seeing this movie, or is it just me?  Does the fact that Michael Bay has handed the reins to the film over to David Green worry you, or does it even matter?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows hits theaters June 3, 2016.

One New Player Confirmed, One Suspected For Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

Before I get started with the news of the one, possible two new additions to the movie Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, let me explain why I'm looking forward to seeing it.  Ever since I heard that Michael Rooker was returning to the film (along with Chris Pratt), and that Kurt Russell had joined to play (possibly) Star Lord's father, I started to get excited for the three-directional conflict that is going to be taking place.  Let me explain.

At the end of the first movie, we learned two things.  One, Peter Quill (a.k.a. Star Lord) switched the orbs before giving Yondu the "Infinity Stone," which actually turned out to be a Troll doll.  Conflict number one.  Then, we learned that Yondu had been hired to deliver Quill to his father, but instead kept him on as part of the crew of the Ravagers.  Now we know that Quill's father is going to be in the sequel, this sets up conflict number two.  See why I'm looking forward to this movie?  I can't wait to see how the three of them interact once they are all in the same place at once.  Should be fun to watch.

So here's the news on the new additions to the film.  First, Tommy Flanagan has been signed on to play Yondu's right hand man with the Ravagers.  This is a little confusing, since Sean Gunn (actor who played Kraglin, Yondu's former (?) right hand man) is still listed as being apart of the movie.  I guess this could be conflict number three.

The second actor that is being rumored to have joined the cast is none other than Sylvester Stallone.  While he hasn't been confirmed, he has been spotted in Atlanta, where the movie is being filmed, holding a script, and getting into a car that James Gunn usually reserves for Chris Pratt.  This isn't much to go on, but it is curious.  And, since I'm probably one of two people that liked Tango & Cash, it would be fun to see Kurt Russell and Stallone in another movie together.

So what do you think about these two (possible) additions?  Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.  Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hits theaters May 5, 2017.

.

Possible Rogue One Trailer Leaked Online

Usually over the weekend I stay away from my computer, I like to decompress and relax. The problem with this is that sometimes I miss out on certain things that get posted and then quickly taken down.  This is what happened to me this past weekend.  Apparently, the trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story made it's way online.  At least, whoever leaked it said that it was.  One of the things that leads credence to this person's claim was that it was immediately removed, and all reposts of the trailer on YouTube have been removed by the site as well.  The website that reported this, WeGotThisCovered.com, said that it looked official, but at the same time they said that it's effects work was not very good, and they found it hard to believe that Disney would release something of such poor quality.

It was being reported last week that Disney is in fact close to releasing a trailer for the film, but they aren't sure which trailer to reveal first.  From what it sounded like, there are three or four that they are choosing from.  Once they decide which one to show us first, then the editing and clean up to the shots could begin, giving the leaked trailer even more authenticity.  However, since the trailer was taken down before I was able to view it, I can't say for sure.  The one thing that I did see before it was removed was a still frame of some AT-At's against a sunset/sunrise.  It reminded me of that scene in Star Wars: The Force Awakens that showed the three Tie Fighters flying in front of a rising sun.

Was anyone able to watch this trailer before it was removed?  If you did, let me know what you saw, and what your thoughts were on it.  You can leave them in the comments section below, you can email me at comconocave@gmail.com, or you can visit the Comconolcast Facebook page. 

Could Sabretooth Return For Wolverine 3?

The X-Men movie franchise has to be one of the most screwed up in the history of cinema.  I know hearing this will probably piss off a few people, but the truth hurts sometimes.  Let me explain,

Nothing in this cinematic universe has any sort of truth.  Too many actors have played the same character, and each version of the character seems to have a different history.  This has been attempted to be explained away by the powers that be at 20th Century Fox and Bryan Singer saying that X-Men: First Class reset everything.  Well, not everything.  Things were screwed up long before that film ever was made.  Case in point?  Sabretooth.

In the first X-Men, released back in 2000, Sabretooth was played by Tyler Mane.  He did a great job of capturing the comic book look for Sabretooth, but seemed to be unable to do more than grunt here or there.  Still, Mane did a great job.  Nine years later, X-Men Origins: Wolverine came out, and we were introduced to a new Sabretooth.  Keep in mind that this is a full two years before X-Men: First Class was released.  In this film, Logan and Victor are brothers.  In X-Men, they aren't.  There is a good back story to the two brothers, and I really enjoyed the first 20 minutes or so of this movie.  The rest I've been trying to forget ever since then.  Out of the two movie versions of Sabretooth, Liev Schreiber's version in Origins was hands down the best of the two.  Many fans agree on this, as well, even though they hated the movie.

Now that Hugh Jackman has announced that Wolverine 3 will be his last movie portraying Logan, it sounds like the movie studio is wanting to pull out all of the stops and let him go out with a bang.  They've already announced that the movie will be loosely based on the comic book story Old Man Logan, but there will have to be a lot of serious changes made from it before it reaches the big screen.  The biggest one is that they won't be able to have Wolverine tricked into killing off all of the X-Men.  That would kill any future X-Men project if they were all dead, or give us another alternate timeline that would just confuse fans even further.  Plus, he'll need to have someone to travel with on whatever quest or journey that they're going to have him go on.  It just makes sense to do this because unless you're Tom Hanks living on an island, you need someone to interact with...that's not a volleyball.

This is why Schreiber would be the perfect choice.  They already have a history together, there's obviously conflict between the two, and this could set up for a great adventure.  So is this even possible?  MTV News recently caught up to Schreiber and asked him this very question.  Here's what he had to say:

"We've talked about it.  I don't know.  I mean, he's mentioned it to me.  Old Man Logan story, that's appealing.  That's something I can do.  'Old' being the operative word.  Old Man Sabretooth."

Schreiber hinted at being interested last year on Jimmy Fallon's The Tonight Show.  Here's what he said back then:

"I heard that the storyline is Old Man Logan, and when I heard that I thought, well, you know, there's Old Man Logan, there could be Old Man Sabretooth.  I don't know if I'm invited."

Let's hope that he is!  Wolverine 3 is scheduled to be released March 3, 2017.

Is This Going To Be The Title Of Star Wars: Episode VIII?

At the end of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, we see that Rey is one step closer to her purpose, her destiny.  While she was living on Jakku, she said that she dreamed of a world covered in water, and that there was an island in the middle.  She saw the same island in her "lightsaber vision" while she was at Maz's place.  Then, she flew there after the Resistance completed the map that would lead them to Skywalker.  That was when we first got to see Luke again, 30 years after the Battle of Endor.  But where are they?

Rumors have been swirling around that Luke is at the Jedi Knights "First Temple," where it all began.  Of course, these were just rumors.  Now that production has begun for Episode VIII, things have started to slip out as far as what we can expect from the next installment.  The biggest thing so far?  The possible title of the movie.  A "mysterious" photo appeared on Reddit, and was almost immediately taken down, that showed what might be new name of the film.  That title was Star Wars: Tale of the Jedi Temple.

I know, it's kind of hokey, but it's still better than Attack of the Clones.  If this is the actual title, then it looks like the next chapter is going to delve into the history of the Jedi Knights.  We know that Daisy Ridley and Mark Hamill have both done a few re-shoots for Episode VIII that take place back on the island that they were at.  Ridley was talking to MTV in an interview and had this to say about it:

Me and Mark [Hamill] have been rehearsing a lot, and it's really amazing.  When we went back to Skellig to do the opening of VIII, it was so crazy doing the same scene with a different crew of people.  He's amazing to rehearse with, and I'm very excited to be doing the rest of the stuff."

Episode VIII is still just under two years away from being released, so we probably won't hear a lot more about this film until after Rogue One leaves theaters this December.  Episode VII is scheduled for release December 15, 2017.

It's A Star Trek David Vs.Goliath

It's the fanboys going head-to-head with the copyright holders of Star Trek (CBS and Paramount).  If you haven't heard before, there is a film being produced by professionals that are also fans of Star Trek called Axanar.  It covers the war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire.  It's raised all of the money needed to create it through fundraising and have repeated on numerous occasions that they are not profiting from this project, and all money raised has gone into the production of the film.  CBS and Paramount sued Axanar's production company with a cease and desist order, claiming copyright violations.  So that's the end of that, right?

Wrong.  Here's what Axanar's PR rep Morey Altman had to say about the suit:

"1.  The motion filed Monday on behalf of Axanar Productions and Alec Peters identifies what we view as deficiencies in the original complaint. Specifically, of all the copyrights owned by CBS and Paramount that relate to Star Trek, none are specifically referenced as being violated meaning it's not clear what the potential damages are or, more importantly, what Axanar Productions might be able to do to change its production and no longer infringe on the copyright.

2.  The motion also asks for a dismissal of the suit as it pertains to the feature film, Axanar, because the film has not yet been produced - the script hasn't even been finalized -  and it's impossible to identify precisely how the film infringes on CBS and/or Paramount's various copyrights."

And to quote Blastr.com, "here's the crux of these arguments straight from the motion itself:

"Until the film has been completed, the Court will not be able to compare Defendants’ film with the relevant Star Trek films and episodes at issue to determine whether the themes, mood, setting, pace, plot and characters are substantially similar. Moreover, to the extent any of the elements Plaintiffs are complaining about are actually protectable, Defendants intend to vigorously defend their use (if any) as a fair use. Without a film, the Court cannot evaluate the purpose and character of Defendants’ film, whether it is transformative, or a parody, and the amount and substantiality taken (if any). Similarly, the Court will not be able to evaluate any de minimis use defense."

The key thing to mention out of all of this is the term "fair use."  The same article went on to explain that "you've likely heard that term show up quite a lot online recently due to corporate takedowns of small content creates on sites like YouTube, Vimeo and others. And there's an argument to made that a work, inspired or otherwise using elements from another copyrighted work, is within its legal right to exist and even draw income. But fair use is a vague and tricky concept, one whose fate is being played out right now, both legally and in the court of public opinion."

The most likely outcome for the two groups here is to try and find some "middle ground" to agree on.  There are a lot of people that want to see this project proceed, and with the the "fair use" arguement still being a "hot-button topic," CBS and Paramount may want to take this route, or feel pressured to, and find some sort of agreement with the Axanar production group.

Here's one of the trailers for Axanar that you can find on YouTube:

 

Sam Raimi Will Get World War 3 Started For Warner Bros.

There are a few things that are inevitable in life.  Death, taxes, and Bruce Campbell will have some sort of role in any film that Sam Raimi directs.  The two of them have been busy lately, bringing back Ash Willliams, the fan favorite from The Evil Dead movies and Army of Darkness, to the Starz network with Ash vs. The Evil Dead.  Season one is over and done, and now work for season two begins.  So what does a brilliant director like Raimi do in the in between time?

We heard a while back that Raimi signed on to do a remake of Jacques Audiard's A Prophet, but now we've learned that he's helping out with a film for Warner Bros. called World War 3, which is based on the "non-fiction" novel The Next 100 Years written by George Friedman.  Here's the plot summary that was released:

"In his thought-provoking new book, George Friedman, founder of STRATFOR — the preeminent private intelligence and forecasting firm — focuses on what he knows best, the future. Positing that civilization is at the dawn of a new era, he offers a lucid, highly readable forecast of the changes we can expect around the world during the twenty-first century all based on his own thorough analysis and research. For example, The U.S.-Jihadist war will be replaced by a new cold war with Russia; China’s role as a world power will diminish; Mexico will become an important force on the geopolitical stage; and new technologies and cultural trends will radically alter the way we live (and fight wars). Riveting reading from first to last, “The Next 100 Years” is a fascinating exploration of what the future holds for all of us."

Since this is a new project that was just announced, there have been no actors that have been cast, or even any writers for the film yet.  As soon as they start announcing these things, I'll let you know.  It's an interesting concept, and Raimi (if he ends up being the one to direct it) will do an incredible job, as always. The article just said that Raimi had "attached himself to another Warner Bros." movie, but it didn't say that he would be directing, so I don't want to get ahead of myself.

So what do you think?  Is this something that you'd be interested in seeing?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Is Domino Coming To Deadpool 2?

Deadpool is still amazing people in the theaters, having topped the box office for a third straight week, and pulling down $600 million internationally.  Not bad for a film that was made on a shoe string budget of $58 million!  20th Century Fox had a pretty good feeling that it had a hit on its hands, and went ahead and gave the green light for a sequel even before the movie was released into theaters.  As we know from the after-the-credits scene, X-Men favorite Cable will be joining the Merc with the Mouth.  But who else could we expect to see?

According to an article that was published by Yahoo Movies (yeah...yeah...I know.  I'm a little disappointed in having to use them for this one, too) Domino will be making her live-action debut in the follow up to Deadpool.  Domino, also known as Neena Thurman, is a mutant mercenary that had the ability to manipulate luck.  Whenever she gets into a sticky situation, she always manages to come out on top.  She's worked with Cable while part of a group called the Six Pack, and was second in command of X-Force, behind Cable.

This addition makes sense.  20th Century Fox is looking ot expand its X-Men properties with X-Force being their top priority, after Deadpool.  With the success of Deadpool, introducing X-Force members in his sequel is a smart movie, letting fans get to know who the players are from the team before launching their own standalone movie.  This will cut down on the need for "origin stories" and let them jump right into the action.  That's not to say that they won't look at these character's origins, but it won't make it the main focus of the film.

No one has been picked to play Domino yet, so let the speculation begin.  Deadpool 2 will be released...well, we have no idea when it will be released yet.  20th Century Fox did announce two dates for future Marvel projects that they own the rights to, but they could be any number of films.  It could be the new Gambit movie, X-Force, The New Mutants, Wolverine 3, Deadpool 2, or (heaven help us) Fantastic Four 2.  The dates announced for these two films are October 6, 2017 and January 12, 2018.  I'd expect that the January 12, 2018 film will be the follow-up to Deadpool, seeing as how well it did this past January with its release.

Who do you want to see in the role of Domino?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.