NO ROLE FOR VIN DIESEL IN MARVEL'S INHUMANS

Since Marvel Studios launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a post-credits scene in Iron Man, the film franchise has grown to include a number of superheroes — including the latest to join the world in Doctor Strangeearlier this month. Plus, additional Marvel Comics heroes have been introduced through the MCU’s TV offshoots, like Netflix’s street-level corner of the MCU, and ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. In particular, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. introduced a specific type of superpowered being, The Inhumans, in the show’s second season and has since developed their mythology within the live-action universe.

A movie following The Inhumans royal family was planned to be included on Marvel Studio’s big-screen release slate — originally slated to premiere in2018 before being pushed to 2019. However, earlier this year The Inhumansmovie was pulled from the release schedule and, more recently, it was announced ABC will debut a TV series based on Black Bolt and the royal family. Now, although Vin Diesel (who voices Groot in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy series) has teased hisinvolvement in The Inhumans as Black Bolt for many years, it’s likely he won’t star in the TV series.

During a Q&A on Facebook, Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn was asked whether Diesel would pull superhero double-duty and star in The Inhumans television show in addition to reprising his role as Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Gunn told fans they shouldn’t expect to see Diesel’s take on Black Bolt now that the project is headed to TV:

“The Inhumans is going to be a TV show. Unless Vin wants to take a huge pay cut and sign up to do a TV show it seems unlikely.”

Of course, it seemed all but set that Diesel would play Black Bolt in The Inhumans movie since the actor teased an “Inhuman” role on social media twice in 2014 — once alongside a photo of Groot, and again with an edited photo of himself wearing an Inhumans shirt. Even as recently as a year ago, Diesel was teasing Marvel Studio head Kevin Feige’s “genius” planfor the actor in the MCU, although he later seemed to imply he was waiting to be “wooed” by Marvel. Now, with little known about what is planned for The Inhumans TV series, it appears Marvel may need to search for a new lead.

That said, Marvel TV is producing The Inhumans with the help of IMAX, which should hopefully elevate the look and feel of the series beyond what viewers expect of broadcast television. Certainly, since Marvel is premiering the first two episodes in IMAX, it’s indicative of a more cinematic series. But, there will still undoubtedly be a pay cut as Gunn mentioned, as well as a longer commitment since The Inhumans is expected to run for a full 22-episode debut season.

Still, there has been a general trend in Hollywood of movie actors making the jump to TV — although usually for a limited series on a cable or premium network. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen who Marvel casts in The InhumansTV series — but fans likely shouldn’t get their hopes up for Diesel to portray Black Bolt.

American Horror Story: Roanoke Season Finale Review & Discussion

You have to hand it to American Horror Story: Roanoke. After a bloated and largely incoherent fifth season suggested the series had run aground creatively, Ryan Murphy and Co. returned to offer up a visually stripped-down sixth season that began by teasing the audience as to the nature of its theme, and continued to alter its narrative in sometimes surprising ways over the next few weeks. The effect turned Roanoke into a welcome change of pace that made the inevitably outlandish twists feel more in line with the framework of the show-within-a-show premise. That’s a far cry from how AHS normally approaches its storylines – which is to say, the series never met an idea it didn’t like and didn’t think it could somehow shoehorn into the narrative, regardless of any justification for it being there.

Initially set up as the sort of semi-spooky, could-be-true reenactment series that occasionally haunt certain cable channels, Roanoke seemed at once a titanic shift in the series’ longstanding format and an examination of the show’s own exploitative sensibilities. The shift from the unfocused and overly polishedHotel to a storyline eager to explore similar themes of celebrity, narcissism, class, and race, surprisingly found itself with a much stronger platform from which to launch such reflections. What’s more, once the season revealed its biggest twist – that the reenactment series was the aforementioned show within a show, putting stars Sarah Paulson, who played the reenactment version of Lily Rabe’s Shelby Miller, and Cuba Gooding Jr., who played the TV version of André Holland‘s Matt Miller, side-by-side to confront a real supernatural threat and a bunch of backwoods cannibals, the season did what no other installment of American Horror Story has done: it actually became more interesting and more focused the further it delved into its story.

Yes, the twist is in keeping with theAHS way of doing things – suddenly positioning actors and their “real-life” counterparts together in an increasingly outlandish horror setting is the kind of thing Murphy would try to pull off – but to its credit, Roanokedoesn’t just alter its format for the sake of presentation, it also found a surprisingly interesting way to use found-footage. In fact, the implicitly (and sometimes no-so-implicitly) politicized nature of why the characters are so committed to continue filming everything they see and take part in makes Roanoke‘s later episodes standouts in the series. And as the season prepares for its finale in the wake of last week’s many character deaths, there is a chance that AHS may have successfully done what few television shows do this far into their run: make a case for the series’ stylistic reinvention by showcasing what a boon it has been for the show’s storytelling.

That being said, it’s interesting how ‘Chapter 10′ feels like the show is slipping back into a more comfortable version of itself. Given that the season reached its creative climax last week – or perhaps even before – the finale felt the need to wrap everything up in a way that was largely free of the tension that had existed throughout the previous nine episodes. This isn’t anything new for American Horror Story; the series has long employed disjointed explorations of the narrative’s aftermath as a way of concluding the season. But this time around, all the jumping around, and the inconsistent introduction of new and old characters alike, was not in keeping with the story that came before. For as much as Roanoke did its own jumping around, it would typically be excused as a reasonable function of the new format’s structure, and more often than not worked to make the season’s story stronger than it has been in years.

Finally, there’s the fake ghost-hunting show, which is more in keeping with how the rest of the season went, as it takes the found-footage format and again uses it to underline what the show wants to say about America’s obsession with fame and putting itself on camera all the time. But the real purpose of the show is to allow for more bloodletting and to inexplicably bring Lee back to the Roanoke house, as she searches for her daughter Flora. To that extent the ghost-hunters episode affords some exciting moments, but it also highlights just how choppy and disorganized the hour actually is. The aimlessness of the finale’s search for answers and for a fitting denouement to what has, up to this point been an interesting step forward for the long-running series, is heightened by all the jumping around and the various shifts made as the hour works toward the suggestion that the real survivor of the Roanoke Nightmare is not Lee, but Flora.

It is a half-baked redemption story for Lee that even the show doesn’t seem entirely convinced of. Part of this is the season’s inability to paint Lee as the complicated-but-still-sympathetic mother whose redemption might carry some weight, but most of problem lies with Flora herself. The little girl was given only the thinnest of characters, and her occasional appearances – when was the last time she was even seen? Chapter 5? – aren’t enough to make Lee’s sacrifice feel all that compelling. And that’s not only disappointing from the standpoint of Lee’s character, it feels as though Adina Porter’s performance deserves something more than for her to spend eternity looking after a ghost child so her kid can have a full life. It’s not that her choice was the wrong one, it’s the fact that the show only gave Lee that one choice that feels so unfulfilling.

There’s something to be said about how American Horror Story: Roanokewent about trying to upend its formula and try something new. To that end, the season was a success. But the show still struggles to present a narrative that doesn’t end up as being emotionally shallow. There were hints of a creative turnaround throughout the season – strong hints, in fact. But as ‘Chapter 10′ wraps up, the viewer is left to wonder if the show simply stumbled onto those hints and had no idea what to do with them.

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American Horror Story will return to FX in 2017.

Guardians of the Galaxy 2: Vin Diesel Teases ‘Goofy’ Baby Groot

One of the biggest concerns for most people heading into Guardians of the Galaxy was how well Marvel Studios and director James Gunn would be able to bring a talking raccoon and tree to life on the big screen. As fate would have it, Rocket Raccoon and Groot, voiced by Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel respectively, become breakout characters from the film as the contrasting duo pulled at the heartstrings of every audience member. Heading into Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the return of both characters is something that many are waiting for, but this time there will be a difference in their relationship.

For the sequel, Groot will remain in his Baby Groot form from the end of Guardians and their encounter with Ronan. The size change not only affects their relationship, but also the entire persona of Groot potentially, ashe may not have his memories from the first film. Now, instead of being just naive, Baby Groot will also be even more goofy.

Diesel was asked by Collider about Baby Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and said that this won’t be the same Groot audiences came to know and love from the first film. Instead, he is embracing the new prefix to his name and is learning everything again, just like a baby would. The result of this appears to be another fun take on the character.

college level Groot. He’s not fully grown yet, but he’s a man. Once he sacrifices himself at the end of the movie, now he has to start all over, so to speak. So we’re going to see this goofy, adorable, baby Groot thing running around the screen. Just kinda learning as he goes. I think people are going to love this movie.”

Diesel is certainly right in thinking people are going to love the movie and more specifically his character if it continues on the same lines of the first. Guardians of the Galaxy was a smash hit for Marvel Studios and immediately elevated the unknown Guardians to the top of the proverbial food chain. Groot in particular was a big reason why the first film worked so well with his child-like behavior and mannerisms giving him the chance to be the star of some of the funniest moments in the film.

Based on the reactions alone from the first sneak peek for the film and the love that Baby Groot got out of SDCC this year, he seems poised to be even a bigger fan favorite then before — if that is possible. He has so far only been briefly shown in the footage, but should be a scene stealer nearly anytime he appears in trailers or TV spots in the lead up to the full film.

Fans of Baby Groot should get a chance to see even more of him rather shortly with a trailer expected by the end of the year. Until the trailer arrives, imagining Baby Groot getting himself into trouble or fighting bad guys will have to do for now.

Source: Collider

Star Wars: Rogue One Gets A Dolby Cinema Poster

In just about a month (as of this writing), audiences will return once again to the galaxy far, far away for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the first standalone anthology film in the franchise. Though Disney has beendownplaying the movie’s commercial expectations, Rogue One should end up being one of the biggest hits of the holiday season. Lucasfilm’s marketing campaign has generated much excitement, teasing a hard-hitting war drama with a strong emotional hook – and Darth Vader to boot.

With Rogue One‘s release date fast approaching, the studio’s advertising efforts have focused mainly on television spots, but there are still other items left to be unveiled. Lucasfilm has already revealed a bevy of posters for the movie, many of which showcasethe cast of new characters. Now, another one-sheet has been released, one that encapsulates the tone director Gareth Edwards is striving for.

Dolby Cinema took to their Twitter account to share a special Rogue Oneposter. Some fans may notice that the artwork is the same as a Russian poster that came out back in October. You can check it out below:

Depicting a lone Rebellion helmet laying in the water as Imperial forces advance, the poster does a great job of setting the stage for the basic conflict in Rogue One. A staple of the original trilogy was the underdog nature of the Galactic Civil War, where the scrappy Alliance fought for their lives against a well-resourced Empire. That dynamic is readily apparent here, as several stormtroopers and three Imperial walkers serve as an imposing threat. Arguably, the visual style of this particular poster is more eye-catching than the ones that have been previously seen. Many fans would probably want to hang this on their wall, especially since minimalist designs tend to be well-liked amongst moviegoers.

The one-sheet appears to be set on the planet Scarif, a tropical world the Empire occupies during construction of the Death Star. Trailers have shown that this location will be used for a beachfront battle reminiscent of World War II, which would be a first for the series. It’s encouraging that Rogue Oneis introducing new elements and concepts to the live-action films, since that is one of the primary appeals of the spinoffs. The point of these projects is to make the galaxy feel larger and more expansive, meaning that it makes sense for audiences to be transported to planets that haven’t been seen before. If Edwards was reusing locales from the earlier movies, that would be a wasted opportunity. Nostalgia is great, but it shouldn’t be a crutch. The team behind Rogue One seems to understand that.

The Zookeeper’s Wife Trailer: Jessica Chastain Saves Lives in WWII

Based on the non-fiction book of the same name written by Diane Ackerman in 2007, The Zookeeper’s Wife tells the story of a working wife and mother, Antonina Żabińska, who found herself under siege by the Nazis in 1939 Poland while working as the caretaker with her husband, Dr. Jan Żabiński, of the Warsaw Zoo. The World War II drama is directed by Welsh filmmaker Niki Caro (McFarland, USA) based on an adapted screenplay by Angela Workman, and stars two-time Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain (The Martian) as Antonina Żabińska; as well as Daniel Brühl (Captain America: Civil War) as the Reich-appointed chief zoologist, Lutz Heck.

Placed between a rock and hard place, Antonina and her husband Jan (Johan Heldenbergh) decide to join forces with the Resistance in order to covertly save lives from an area that quickly becomes known as the Warsaw Ghetto. Unfortunately, their actions aren’t among the safer options for citizens living in Nazi-occupied Poland, and their fight to protect Jewish citizens comes at a high cost to their own safety as a nuclear unit. For more on that, watch the newly-released The Zookeeper’s Wife trailer, featured above.

The Zookeeper’s Wife trailer teases a harrowing tale of the actions taken by two of the bravest European citizens during the height of Nazi Germany inThe Zookeeper’s Wife proper. Chastain once again appears to be in tip-top acting form as Antonina Żabińska, and the film itself looks as though it could be something special. On that note: we also have the official poster for The Zookeeper’s Wife, which you can check out below:

Following the release of this month’s Hacksaw Ridge, Caro’s The Zookeeper’s Wife may provide filmgoers with another engaging recount of World War II – here, from the perspective of Europeans who were directly in harm’s way during the rise of Nazi Germany. Chastain and Brühl have enough collective talent between them to keep audiences interested in watching this specific, harrowing true story of resistance in the face to tyranny.

Caro came to prominence as a director with the release of her Oscar-nominated 2002 film Whale Rider, and in the time since she has built herself a stable position as one of the more respected directors currently working. Only time will tell how well her latest directorial effort is received, so here’s to hoping for the very best from The Zookeeper’s Wife.       

The Zookeeper’s Wife opens in U.S. theaters on March 31, 2017.

Source: Focus Features