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Which MCU Role Did Emily Blunt Miss Out? (Photo Credit – Prime Video)

Imagine being this close to landing an MCU role and then having to walk away. Heartbreaking, no? That was Emily Blunt’s reality with Black Widow in Iron Man 2. The role eventually went to Scarlett Johansson.

In a candid chat on The Howard Stern Show, Blunt confessed that she was initially in talks to become the fierce, badass Natasha Romanoff. But then came the dealbreaker: Gulliver’s Travels, a movie she didn’t even want to make, took priority thanks to a pesky contractual obligation. Cue the heartache. “It was a bit of a heartbreaker for me because I take such pride in the decisions that I make,” Blunt said. And well, Black Widow alongside Robert Downey Jr.? That would’ve been legendary. “I wanted to work with Robert Downey Jr.,” Blunt added.

Instead, Johansson ended up stepping in.

Having started as a child star, Scarlett Johansson has given several acclaimed performances in a range of genres, from drama and rom-coms to action-packed ventures like The Avengers and Lucy. However, one pivotal rejection nearly derailed her versatile career.

Scarlett Johansson in The Other Boleyn Girl | Credit: Universal Pictures

The MCU star was left questioning her path in the competitive world of acting after her most popular role as Black Widow was initially offered to Emily Blunt along with facing the rejection for the Oscar-winning film, Gravity.

The Rejections that Left Scarlett Johansson Questioning Her Potential

Scarlett Johansson has been one of the most acclaimed and highly celebrated actresses. Initially receiving widespread recognition for her performance in Sophia Coppola’s Lost in Translation, the actress soon found herself trapped in a cycle of typecasting of “hyper-s*xualized” roles.

Lost in Translation | Credit: Focus Features

Johansson opened up about her struggles...

Over the years, Emily Blunt has been known for her roles in films like A Quiet Place, The Devil Wears Prada, Fall Guy, Pain Hustlers, and more. However, back in 2009, the actress had a chance to join the MCU in a role she almost played but lost to another Hollywood star.

Although Blunt would have loved to join the superhero-verse as Black Widow, it was a dream that never ended up being realized. After all, due to scheduling conflicts, Scarlett Johansson was eventually given the role.

Emily Blunt in The Devil Wears Prada (image credit: 20th Century Studios)

It might be hard to imagine anyone other than Johansson playing the superspy now. However, years after the miss, Blunt ended up revealing why she had to pass on the iconic role.

Why Emily Blunt turned down Scarlett Johansson’s iconic role

Emily Blunt was initially set to appear as Black Widow in 2010’s Iron Man 2,...

Spoiler Alert !!!One Piece manga spoilers ahead

Not a single chapter goes by without Eiichiro Oda surprising fans with the latest developments in One Piece. Chapter 1126 left fans with another cliffhanger as more than half of the Straw Hat pirates suddenly disappeared. Soon after, Nami is seen in a room created out of Lego pieces.

It is clear that the Straw Hats were taken away against their will, as Nami’s immediate reaction before waking up was to wonder where she was. But this incident isn’t caused by Kuma, so rather than a training arc, you need to prepare for another mystery to unfold.

Who Kidnapped Nami in Chapter 1126 of One Piece? Nami in One Piece (Credits: Toei Animation)

As chapter 1126 comes to a close, fans find out that Luffy, Nami, Zoro, Sanji, Chopper, and Uspopp have disappeared. While the rest of the Straw Hats are yet to be found,...

Although Richard Harris might have thought he was the target of a prank, Clint Eastwood was certain he wanted the legendary actor for one of his finest films.

Richard Harris passed away in 2002 after leading an extremely successful career as an actor. It has been over two decades since his passing but his legacy is still alive, especially in the hearts of Harry Potter fans. He played Professor Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter films, the latter of which was released after his death.

Richard Harris as Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets | Credits: Warner Bros. Pictures

Despite being best known as our favorite Hogwarts professor, Richard Harris had many other iconic roles in his portfolio including Gulliver in Gulliver’s Travels, King Arthur in Camelot, and so on. Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven is one such film that might be considered as the best work of his career.

In a recent high-profile fundraising event, several renowned luminaries came together to endorse Joe Biden’s presidential campaign. Attending the event held at the Peacock Theater, in Los Angeles, Hollywood stars George Clooney, Julia Roberts, and more reportedly raised a substantial $30M.

Jack Black in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle | Columbia Pictures

However, while the event attracted significant attention, highlighting Hollywood’s support for the Democratic nominee, all hell broke loose on X, after actor/comedian Jack Black joined the stars. Standing in favor of the president, as Black endorsed Biden’s campaign efforts, netizens expressed their disdain, arguing that celebrities should stay out of politics.

Jack Black Attended the Fundraising Event with Luminaries to Endorse Joe Biden

Amid America’s hyper-divisive political landscape, several Hollywood A-listers joined forces to attend Joe Biden’s June fundraising event held in Los Angeles. Taking the stage at the Peacock Theater on Saturday night,...

As many of you may know, Emily Blunt was nearly cast as Black Widow in ‘Iron Man 2.’ However, she had to decline the role due to contractual obligations for ‘Gulliver’s Travels.’

Superhero movies have a polarizing reputation in Hollywood. Some established directors and actors mock them, while others credit them with revitalizing their careers. For instance, Robert Downey Jr.’s career was rejuvenated with ‘Iron Man,’ and Tom Holland soared to stardom with ‘Spider-Man.’

During the promotion of their latest film ‘Fall Guy,’ Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling delved into the subject of superhero movies. Gosling’s revelation that he aspired to portray MCU’s Ghost Rider surprised Blunt.

Both actors expressed pride in not having appeared in a superhero movie thus far, a sentiment Blunt openly reiterated. However, it appears Gosling may have had a change of heart in the meantime.

I’m just trying to help...

Emily Blunt as some of you know, was almost cast as Black Widow in ‘Iron Man 2’ but she had to pass on the opportunity to play the character due to her contractual obligations to do ‘Gulliver’s Travels.’

As we all know, superhero movies have quite a polarizing reputation in Hollywood, with some established directors and actors mocking them, while others owning their careers to them, as was the case with MCU’s Robert Downey Jr. whose career was revived with ‘Iron Man’ and Tom Holland, who was launched into stardom via ‘Spider-Man.’

Recently, while promoting their latest movie ‘Fall Guy’ Emily Blut and Ryan Gosling touched upon the topic of superhero movies, Ryan Gosling stated previously that he would like to play MCU’s Ghost Rider which left Blunt shocked.

Apparently, the two were proud of not being in a superhero movie so far, which is something that Blunt had no problems stating,...

Emily Blunt was last seen in the action comedy The Fall Guy, in which she starred opposite Ryan Gosling. The film satirically depicted many of the behind-the-scenes incidents that occur on the sets of large-scale blockbuster films of the present day. Blunt played the role of a director who was helming an epic sci-fi fantasy in the film.

Though diverse, Blunt’s filmography is lacking in the superhero genre. While the actress has been in musicals and adventure films, she has yet to don a costume, which she revealed in a recent interview that she wears as a badge of honor. However, Blunt was almost cast as Black Widow in Iron Man 2 and had to give up on the opportunity due to contractual obligations.

Emily Blunt Dissed Superhero Films In A Recent Interview

Emily Blunt in The Fall Guy

Emily Blunt has been one of the most prolific actresses working in Hollywood right now.

Documentary fans have a lot to be excited about this month on HBO and Max. April begins with the premiere of The Synanon Fix, a docuseries that follows the rise and fall of the cult-like drug rehabilitation program Synanon. The documentary Brandy Hellville and the Cult of Fast Fashion takes a deep-dive into the controversial “one size fits most” clothing brand Brandy Mellville and the impact of fast fashion on the planet.

An American Bombing: The Road to April 19th looks at the surge of political violence and anti-government sentiment that led to the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing, and the effects still felt nearly 30 years later. HBO is also returning with a second part to their popular docuseries The Jinx, with filmmakers continuing their investigation of Robert Durst.

But if documentaries aren’t your thing, there’s still plenty of popular films hitting Max in April, like Scott Pilgrim vs. The World,...

It's a new month, and HBO and Max will be showering their subscribers with gifts all April long! This month, the Wbd properties will welcome the arrival of unscripted projects like the premiere of Conan O’Brien’s new travel comedy series “Conan O’Brien Must Go” and the fourth season of the Emmy Award-winning drag-centric “We're Here.” Plus, Park Chan-wook and A24’s “The Sympathizer” limited series and the highly anticipated continuation of “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst” will all be available to stream throughout the month.

Find out everything coming to Max this April, including The Streamable’s top picks to add to your watch list!

Sign Up $9.99+ / month Max.com What are the 5 Best Shows and Movies Coming to Max in April 2024? “Alex Edelman: Just For Us” | Saturday, April 6

Filmed in front of a live audience at Broadway’s Hudson Theatre in August 2023, Alex Edelman brings his solo special,...

Filmmaker Andrew Jarecki continues his investigation of convicted murderer Robert Durst in The Jinx – Part Two, a six-episode documentary series premiering on Max on April 21, 2024. The streaming service’s April lineup also includes the seven-episode limited series The Sympathizer, based on Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and starring Oscar winner Robert Downey Jr in multiple roles.

Comedian Alex Edelman hosts a brand new comedy special, and Conan O’Brien visits favorite fans from his podcast series in the four-episode unscripted series Conan O’Brien Must Go. The documentary series The Synanon Fix exploring the drug rehabilitation program joins Max’s lineup on April 1st. And the streaming service has set April premiere dates for the documentaries Brandy Hellville & The Cult Of Fast Fashion and An American Bombing: The Road To April 19th.

Series & Films Arriving On Max In April 2024

April 1

American Renegades (2018)

Basquiat (1996)

Black Swan (2010)

Body of Lies (2008)

Bridget Jones’s Diary...

"Kung Fu Panda 4" topped the box office over the weekend, managing to overtake last week's champion "Dune: Part Two." Make no mistake, nobody is crying for Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi epic as the sequel managed to stay atop the charts internationally over the weekend. But with the latest entry in the "Kung Fu Panda" franchise, Universal has yet another animated hit on its hands. More than that, the movie's success out of the gate has cemented Jack Black's status as an unquestionable movie star capable of putting butts in seats.

The latest from DreamWorks Animation pulled in $58.3 million over the weekend, easily giving it the number one spot over "Dune" ($46 million). It's impressive for a few reasons. For one, pre-release expectations had Black's return as Po the panda pulling in less than $40 million. So the fact that the film outperformed expectations en route to a chart-topping performance is...

Universal Studios is the studio behind the Kung Fu Panda franchise. In a controversial interview with the co-director of Kung Fu Panda 4, it seems that Universal Studios may allegedly have a fame-related mandate for their movies!

Reportedly looking past talent and who would fit the role better, the co-director of Kung Fu Panda 4 talked about how Universal Studios allegedly has a mandate that they have been rumored to apply everywhere. Hiring only “stars” to lend their voice to these animated characters, the people weren’t so impressed with the decision.

Jack Black voiced the role of Po in the Kung Fu Panda franchise

Universal Studios’ Alleged Mandate Might Upset Fans For Kung Fu Panda 4

A moderator on Reddit recently announced that he got to talk with the co-director of Kung Fu Panda 4 and the questions were really interesting. Amidst the plethora of questions that the people had in mind,...

The Kung Fu Panda universe has earned an unparalleled level of respect and commendation from fans ever since it was first launched on the big screens in 2008. And inevitably enough, a major credit for this skyrocketed fame goes to none other than Po’s voice actor, Jack Black. Thanks to his immaculate animated voice-acting skills, viewers got roped into the saga like wildfires in Savanna.

Kung Fu Panda

That being said, when Jack Black was initially offered this fan-favorite role, he wasn’t all too sure about taking it on. After all, jumping from the live-action genre to the animated one isn’t the easiest, especially when it is the lead character that you have to voice. But amazingly, DreamWorks actually used one of Black’s own masterpieces to convince him to voice the beloved Dragon Warrior!

SUGGESTEDThe $104M Chinese Action-Comedy DreamWorks Doesn’t Want You to Know Reportedly Inspired...

Despite having chances of once again flourishing in the industry like before, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is seemingly taking the hard way by making brutal changes to its characters and transforming the franchise into what fans’ have been terming as “M-She-u” lately.

While this change is clearly not sitting well with fans — especially those who have been attached to the onscreen projects and comics alike right from the start — the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot film has reportedly been caught up in this fire as well.

The Silver Surfer in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

According to the insights shared by industry insiders Jeff Sneider and John Rocha on their podcast The Hot Mic in November last year, Marvel is seemingly gender-swapping the Silver Surfer; the very character who has only appeared once onscreen in 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.

Even though this concept is more...

Alec Mills, a camera operator on five James Bond films before becoming a cinematographer on the Timothy Dalton-starring The Living Daylights and License to Kill, has died at 91.

Mills died on Monday, his son, Simon Mills, announced. He was living in an assisted-care home in Denham, Buckinghamshire, England, he said.

Mills operated a camera on Peter Hunt’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), Lewis Gilbert’s The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Moonraker (1979) and John Glen’s For Your Eyes Only (1981) and Octopussy (1983).

Glen then tapped him as his director of photography on The Living Daylights (1987) and License to Kill (1989), both starring Timothy Dalton.

Mills also was a camera operator on Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1969), Roman Polanski’s Tragedy of Macbeth (1971), Gulliver’s Travels (1973), John Guillermin’s Death on the Nile (1978) and Richard Marquand’s Eye of the Needle (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1982).

Mills helped found the Guild of...

Alec Mills, who served as a camera operator on five James Bond films before graduating to cinematographer on the Timothy Dalton-starring The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill, has died. He was 91.

Mills died Monday, his son, Simon Mills, announced. He battled dementia and was living in an assisted care home in Denham, Buckinghamshire, England, he said.

For 007 movies, Mills operated a camera on Peter Hunt’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), Lewis Gilbert’s The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Moonraker (1979), and John Glen’s For Your Eyes Only (1981) and Octopussy (1983).

Glen then made him his director of photography on the only two Bond films to star Dalton, The Living Daylights (1987) and Licence to Kill (1989), with the latter shooting mostly at Churubusco Studios in Mexico City.

Mills also was a camera operator on Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1969), Roman Polanski’s Tragedy of Macbeth (1971), Gulliver’s Travels (1973), John Guillermin’s...

Jonathan Swift published his popular fantasy-cum-political-satire "Gulliver's Travels" -- a.k.a. "Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships" -- in 1726. Gulliver, in traveling to faraway and bizarre lands, finds several countries and kingdoms whose entire societies are focused on trivial matters, often to the point of ruination. In Lilliput, the citizens are six-inch-tall royals, and the country has split into factions over which side of the egg is more appropriate for cracking. Gulliver also visits the giant country of Brobdingnag, the floating island of Laputa, and several other fantastical places. To this day, Swift's novel is a provocative and pointed read, poking fun at governmental idiocy in general, and foolish obsessives in particular. 

Rob Letterman's 2010 film adaptation of "Gulliver's Travels" is ... not provocative. In fact, it's downright dumb. The 2010 film...

One of the earliest character integrations into the MCU, after a post-credits Nick Fury appeared in Iron Man, was the mysterious secretary Natalie, who was later revealed to be Natasha Romanoff, an agent for S.H.I.E.L.D. with the codename Black Widow, in Iron Man 2. Established actress Scarlett Johansson, who had already gained acclaim with projects like Lost in Translation and tried her hand at big-budget action with The Island, would begin her journey with the franchise which would make her a household name.

Down the line, it would be revealed that Emily Blunt had almost played the role, but had been forced to opt out due to a pre-existing contract. According to Deadline, Blunt weighed in on the experience when she recently appeared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. Blunt would get quite…well, blunt…on the topic. “Come on, the best girl got it,...

Back in 2014, Emily Blunt starred alongside Tom Cruise in “Edge of Tomorrow”, a time-tripping sci-fi action flick from director Doug Liman.

In a recent interview with the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, Blunt confirmed that she’d totally be onboard for a sequel — and has already seen a script.

“I wish there could be one,” she said of a potential sequel.

“There was [a script] that Doug kind of slung, slithered over to me,” she told host podcast hostJosh Horowitz. “I mean, I would love to make it a reality but I just don’t know when or how. And how many ‘Mission Impossibles’ does [Cruise] need?”

Read More: Emily Blunt Recalls Time Tom Cruise Told Her To ‘Stop Being Such A P***y’

Asked to confirm that she wasn’t the “impediment” to an “Edge of Tomorrow” sequel, she replied, “I’m so ready. I’m not the impediment, I promise.”

During her podcast appearance,...

One of the joys of growing up in the 1960s is that you were treated to cartoons from earlier eras, long before limited animation filled the Saturday morning airwaves. Among those gems were the work of Max and Dave Fleischer, including Popeye, Gulliver’s Travels and, of course, Superman. Since then, they have fallen into public domain and were widely available, but never in the best condition.

Until Warner Bros. Home Entertainment got involved. First came a DVD set in 02006 and now we have a Blu-ray collection, mastered from the original film negatives. All seventeen episodes from September 26, 1941 through July 30, 1943 are here.

For those unfamiliar, the fairly formulaic stories involve a problem, Lois Lane (Joan Alexander) getting into trouble, Clark Kent (Bud Collyer) changing in the phone booth (the trope introduced in the second short), and Superman to the rescue. This si the early Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster Superman, so...

Gene Roddenberry’s vision of space-age utopia has always been one of idealism and intelligence, of peace and prosperity. From the start, he wanted Star Trek to showcase the best of humanity, confronting modern-day issues and appearing as an aspirational model for society. So, naturally, when it came time to hurl us 300 years into the future, he did it by building on stories from 400 years in the past.

Having cut his teeth writing on early Westerns and police procedurals, Roddenberry wanted to elevate his sci-fi weekly into something more than typical genre television – he wanted to appeal to intellectuals. And how better to appeal to the thinking person than with a library’s worth of bookish influences.

Classic literature was right there in Roddenberry’s original pitch: Captain Kirk was described as a Horatio Hornblower-type, while the show itself was referred to as Gulliver’s Travels in space. His sequel series,...

Scarlett Johansson questioned her acting career after being turned down for Alfonso Cuarón’s “Gravity.”

The “Lost in Translation” actress reflected on her trajectory in a new interview with Variety, citing the devastating loss of being turned down for the Oscar-winning space epic. Marion Cotillard and Natalie Portman also screen-tested for the lead role of a scientist trapped in space, and Blake Lively and Johansson were considered before Sandra Bullock was ultimately cast in the Best Actress-nominated part.

“I got turned down for two roles — the first was ‘Iron Man 2’ and then the other one was Alfonso Cuarón’s ‘Gravity,'” Johansson said. “I had wanted that role so much. It was sort of the straw that broke the camel’s back. I felt really frustrated and hopeless. Like, ‘Am I doing the right job?'”

Johansson continued, “The work I was being offered felt deeply unfulfilling. I think...

In 2009, Chris O’Dowd bought a one-way ticket to Los Angeles. Back then, he was known as the dishevelled, 6ft 4in star of The It Crowd, playing work-shy Roy “Have you tried turning it on and off again?” Trenneman. On the cusp of 30, he’d just been told that, after three series of the Channel 4 sitcom, the show’s budget was being slashed. There was a threat that the next run would be cut down from six to four episodes. “I remember thinking, ‘Well, if I’m in a really big show on TV, and I can’t really pay my rent with what that would pay, then this isn’t a system that’s sustainable for me,’” he says, sipping from a bottle of fizzy water. Just as well, then, that the flight to America changed his life. He met his future wife there. And backstage at a Louis Ck gig,...

Emily Blunt has been scouted for superhero roles all the way back to the earlier phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

But in the past, she was a little reluctant to do superhero movies because of how they treated their female characters.

Superhero movies left Emily Blunt feeling cold Emily Blunt | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Blunt’s name has been orbiting the superhero genre for years now. She was once in the running to play Black Widow in Iron Man 2. But scheduling issues kept her away from the role. At the time, Blunt clarified that she was contracted to do the feature Gulliver’s Travels. However, doing the film because of obligations wasn’t easy for the star.

“It was a bit of a heartbreaker for me because I take such pride in the decisions that I make, and they mean so much to me, the films that I do. So that was tough,...

Experimental rock whiz Yves Tumor is back with a new song, “Echolalia,” which will appear on their next album, Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds), out March 17 via Warp Records.

“Echolalia” is anchored by a restless rock grove, out from which spin woozy keys and Tumor’s hushed, rapturous vocals. The song arrives with a music video directed by Jordan Hemingway, which finds Tumor in a sticky Gulliver’s Travels-like situation: a giant in a strange world, tied to the ground,...

With the new month come new arrivals to all TV and movie streamers, including Hulu. The August 2022 slate contains many classic re-watch options as well as new seasons of original shows and new movies as well.

For those who couldn’t get enough of Keke Palmer in Jordan Peele’s latest movie “Nope” (2022), one of her breakout films “Akeelah and the Bee” (2006) has landed on Hulu. Tom Hanks’ “Cast Away” (2000), Natalie Portman’s “Black Swan,” the first two “Despicable Me” films and Tobey Maguire’s “Spider-Man” trilogy also arrive this month.

FX’s “Reservation Dogs” Season 2 arrives exclusively on Hulu Aug. 3. The Hulu Original film “Prey” arrives Aug. 5. “Legacy: The True Story of the L.A. Lakers” premieres on Hulu Aug. 15. Another exclusive heading to Hulu later in August is Steve Carell’s limited series “The Patient,” available to stream Aug. 30.

Here’s what’s new on Hulu in August 2022.

Also...

You ever notice how HBO’s releases tend to do the heavy lifting in HBO Max’s content library? That makes plenty of sense given that HBO has a track record of producing hits well before the streaming era even began. Well, a similar concept is now playing out over on Hulu. Like many monthly releases before it, Hulu’s list of new releases for August 2022 is highlighted by a whole bunch of FX TV shows.

The initiative once known as “FX on Hulu” is no more but that’s not stopping the cable network-turned quality TV brand from churning out some intriguing titles for the streaming world this month. It all starts early on with season 2 of the delightful comedy Reservation Dogs on Aug. 3. That is followed up by the docuseries Children of the Underground on Aug. 13, Little Demon on Aug. 26, and The Patient of Aug. 30. The most interesting of the bunch,...

The very first film produced under the Studio Ghibli banner was Hayao Miyazaki's "Castle in the Sky" in 1986. Miyazaki's screenplay was based partly on Jonathan Swift's 1726 novel "Gulliver's Travels," which featured a floating island called Laputa populated by a people known as the Balnibarbi, who have devoted their lives to academics and the arts. In keeping with Swift's satirical nature, the Balnibarbi were also completely useless, having found no practical use for their studies. Miyazaki depicted Laputa has having long been abandoned, now only overseen by rusty, ancient robots. Miyazaki told most of Laputa's story through its design, and was careful to include visual references to...

The post Studio Ghibli's Scripting Process Is Practically Nonexistent appeared first on /Film.

[Editor’s note: The following post contains spoilers for “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.”]

The third “Fantastic Four” reboot, and first as a Marvel-owned property, has already lost one director and seemingly gained a new star.

The gasps were audible in theaters around the world as (spoilers) John Krasinski was revealed as Reed Richards aka Mr. Fantastic, “the smartest man in the world” and leader of the Illuminati. We already knew that a new “Fantastic Four” film was in the works thanks to a 2021 promotional video for upcoming Marvel titles that included the “Fantastic Four” logo after Disney acquired the 20th Century Fox property. Yet after years of Krasinski hinting at the role, the “Office” alum officially donned the stretchy blue onesie to become the MCU superhero.

So, how did we get here? Let’s jump back into this multiverse for a moment and rewind the clock to chart Krasinski’s epic Marvel debut.

John Krasinski Was Almost Captain America

We never thought we’d ever ever say this,...

“Gulliver Returns,” a Ukrainian-produced animation film, will be released in the U.S. following a deal between Shout! Studios and sales agent All Rights Entertainment.

The film is adapted from the Jonathan Swift 18th century satire “Gulliver’s Travels” and adopts the framing conceived by Ukraine’s actor-turned-president Volodymyr Zelensky’s that Gulliver is not a giant in size, but a giant in heart and courage.

A new synopsis has world traveler, giant and adventurer Gulliver invited to return to Lilliput, the town he previously saved from the enemy fleet of the neighboring Blefuscu. But when Gulliver returns as an ordinary man, the town folks are less than welcoming. Meanwhile, the invincible Blefuscu armada is at the gates of the city and threatening another attack. Gulliver will have to prove that it is not necessary to be a giant to do great things, but that a little bit of luck, bravery,...

May 2022 represents the calm before the storm for Amazon Prime Video. Early June will see the arrival of the much-hyped third season of The Boys. Before all that, however, Prime has some other streaming goodies to tide you over.

This month is highlighted by a handful of intriguing original series. Season two of Amazon’s sleeper hit The Wilds premieres on May 6. This pulpy mystery series about a group of teenage girls marooned on an island is Prime Video’s version of Lost or Yellowjackets so give it a watch if that kind of thing sounds up your alley. Also arriving on May 6 is the true crime docuseries The Unsolved Murder of Beverly Lynn Smith.

Canada’s finest comedy goobers The Kids in the Hall return in a rebooted version of their sketch series on May 13. The week after that J.K. Simmons will try his hand at sci-fi once again...

An original sci-fi series starring two Oscar winners, the second season of a buzzworthy teen show and the return of a beloved cult comedy series are just some of the new additions to Amazon Prime Video in May.

Below, you can peruse a full list of the movies and TV shows that are being added to Amazon Prime Video in May 2022. The second season of the Prime Video original series “The Wilds” debuts on May 6, telling the story of a group of girls who have been stranded on an island as part of an experiment.

And on May 13, the iconic Canadian sketch comedy troupe “The Kids in the Hall” return for a slew of new episodes, reunited for the first time in years.

If it’s original sci-fi you’re into, J.K. Simmons and Sissy Spacek play a couple who have a portal in their backyard in the new series “Night Sky,...

With one episode left in its season, “The Thing About Pam” has seen viewership numbers rise each week while enthralling viewers with a stranger-than-fiction true crime story. The NBC limited series stars Oscar winner Renée Zellweger in a transformative performance as the title character, Pam Hupp, and is certain to get Emmy voters chattering.

See Renee Zellweger could add Emmy to awards collection for transformation in ‘The Thing About Pam’

The series details the 2011 murder of Betsy Faria, which resulted in her husband Russ’ conviction. When his conviction was overturned, the crime set off a chain of events that exposed a diabolical scheme involving Faria’s friend, Pam. The limited series is based on coverage from “Dateline NBC” and is titled after the “Dateline” podcast.

“The Thing About Pam” would become the first major player in the limited series category for NBC since the turn of the century. The network won in 1996 for “Gulliver’s Travels.

The first set photos from the upcoming film Renfield has been revealed, showcasing Nicolas Cage as Dracula for the first time, and it’s pure Nicolas Cage perfection.

“We’re still pinching ourselves that ‘Nic Cage playing Dracula’ is an actual thing that our eyeballs will soon be able to witness. New photos from the set of Chris McKay’s horror-comedy Renfield, which stars Nicholas Hoult as the put-upon assistant of a certain famous vampire, now make us even more eager to see Cage in action.”

Read more at Gizmodo

The latest trailer for The Offer, starring Miles Teller and an all-star cast, reveals the true story behind how the legendary film The Godfather was made (but almost wasn’t).

“Paramount+ has released a new trailer for the upcoming ten-episode series The Offer, following the mayhem behind the production of The Godfather. The trailer shows Oscar-winning producer Albert S. Ruddy,...

ReviewThe script is chock-a-block with references to old Mohanlal films. Such an indulgence can be forgiven if it was limited to a few scenes, but it becomes jarring after a point. Sowmya RajendranIt’s no secret that Mohanlal has been trying to expand his market beyond Kerala for the past few years. The star, still the darling of the masses in Kerala, appears to be miffed by the reception to his recent films, particularly Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham. In an interview with Manorama channel that went viral, Mohanlal can be seen praising the Telugu audience for how they reportedly “support” Telugu films and respect their stars. But is that the case here, he asks and laughs dismissively. Perhaps it is this that led director B Unnikrishnan to abandon the Oxford English dictionary used in his last Mohanlal film Villain and turn to Telugu instead. Written by Udaykrishna, Aaraattu employs not only...

BBC America has announced new cast for Killing Eve ahead of the premiere of the fourth and final season of the acclaimed drama series. Camille Cottin, who recurred as Hélène in Season 3 of Killing Eve, has been promoted to series regular for the upcoming season. Additionally, Anjana Vasan (We Are Lady Parts) and Robert Gilbert (The Tragedy of Macbeth) have joined as series regulars and Marie-Sophie Ferdane (I Am Not An Easy Man) will recur in the series starring Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer.

In Season 4, Eve (Oh), Villanelle (Comer), and Carolyn (Fiona Shaw) are in very different places. Following Eve and Villanelle’s exchange on the bridge, the former is on a revenge mission, while the latter has found a brand-new community in an attempt to prove she’s not a “monster.” Having killed Paul, Carolyn goes to extraordinary lengths to continue to chase down The Twelve and the...

A kids’ version of the 18th-century satire could have been ripe for laughs – but this is subpar knockabout stuff

Size really doesn’t matter in this nonsensical kids’ animation reimagining Gulliver’s Travels. Because according to its version of Swift’s 18th-century satire, although Lemuel Gulliver did once visit a land called Lilliput, the people there were not in fact very small. However, after he left, the Lilliputian king – a right royal nincompoop – decreed that Gulliver was a giant. So when he returns to Lilliput as a man of average stature he is arrested as an imposter. Which makes zero sense and the movie only gets sillier from there.

Wayne Grayson voices Gulliver, a silver-tongued smarmy swashbuckler who sails the seas indulging in a bit of light plundering. One day he gets word from his mates on the island of Lilliput – who he once helped out of a jam – that they...

While the other streaming services set up recurring franchises, Hulu has opted to get a bit more experimental with its original offerings in August 2021.

Hulu’s list of new releases this month is highlighted by three original series concepts with promise. Reservation Dogs premieres on August 9. Co-created by Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok), this story will follow four indigenous teenagers in Oklahoma as they stave off boredom and adulthood. Next up is Nine Perfect Strangers on August 18. This miniseries, based on a book of the same name, is produced by David E. Kelley and features staggering cast of Nicole Kidman, Melissa McCarthy, Luke Evans, Samara Weaving, and more.

Only Murders in the Building is likely the biggest thing to look forward to in August though. Premiering on August 31, this comedy stars Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez as three true crime-obsessed friends who stumble into a true crime of their own.

Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between.

Today, Conor and I get blunt. Emily Blunt! As Jungle Cruise opens in theaters and on Disney+, our Blunt B-Sides include: The Adjustment Bureau, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Arthur Newman, and Wild Mountain Thyme. Additionally, we discuss the star’s first two films which broke her through and her eventual rise to leading lady status a few years later.

There’s heavy chatter on what exactly makes Blunt so dynamic, a detour into how Gulliver’s Travels prevented her from playing Black Widow for Marvel, and how two of these B-sides recall the Katharine Hepburn/Spencer Tracy films from Hollywood past.

Other topics include Matt Damon’s criticisms of Tony Gilroy’s The Bourne Ultimatum script, the...

Marvel‘s “Black Widow” finally releases this week and will likely be the final MCU outing for actress Scarlett Johansson. The actress has been playing the former Russian spy Natasha Romanoff since joining the massive superhero sandbox in 2010’s “Iron Man 2” after Emily Blunt had to exit the role over a scheduling issue with the long-forgotten Jack Black comedy “Gulliver’s Travels.”

Read More: Marvel Phase 4: The Films & Shows That Will Lead The MCU Into The Future

When she did sign on to appear in the “Iron Man” sequel, she had to sign a massive deal, not unlike other early MCU peers like Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, and Samuel L.

Continue reading Kevin Feige Says Days Of Signing Marvel Actors To Massive Longterm Studio Contracts Are Over at The Playlist.

Emily Blunt has revealed that she was originally asked to play the superhero Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Iron Man 2 in 2010. Blunt explained that she was forced to turn down the role due to her having to commit to shooting the widely panned fantasy comedy film Gulliver’s Travels starring […]

The post Emily Blunt Expresses Reluctance To Star In Superhero Movies: ‘I Don’t Like Them!’ appeared first on uInterview.

It’s only been four years since Barry Jenkins emphatically put his stamp on Hollywood with “Moonlight,” and now he’s putting his stamp on the world of television with the Amazon series “The Underground Railroad,” adapted from the Pulitzer-winning novel of the same name by Colson Whitehead.

Jenkins directed all ten episodes of the series, and it shows — “The Underground Railroad” is a masterpiece. It tells the story of a young slave named Cora (Thuso Mbedu) who escapes a plantation in Georgia and makes a long, arduous journey across several states while being pursued by a dogged slave catcher named Ridgeway (Joel Edgerton).

It is, in every single episode, thoroughly devastating — but Cora keeps going through it all, because what else could she do?

You might be wondering whether “The Underground Railroad,” being set in the antebellum South, is based on a true story. The answer is a definite no.

Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2016 novel The Underground Railroad depicts both the savage reality of American slavery and the danger of escaping it. Much like Gulliver’s Travels, the story takes its fugitive protagonist, Cora, on a fantastical tour through different states via a literal locomotive. Each stop along the way features horrors reminiscent of real-life atrocities. South Carolina is host to a Tuskegee-like experiment on supposedly free Negroes. North Carolina resembles both Nazi Germany and the early Oregon Territory, outlawing the existence of black people altogether. It is a world...

Ever since Disney purchased 20th Century Fox and paved the way for a new “Fantastic Four” film from Marvel Studios, fans have been infatuated with the idea of real-life couple John Krasinski and Emily Blunt taking on the roles of super-powered couple Mr. Fantastic (a.k.a. Reed Richards) and the Invisible Woman (a.k.a. Sue Storm).

Well, that flaming-hot fan theory may have just been extinguished. Blunt, who recently appeared on “The Howard Stern Show” to promote “A Quiet Place Part II,” was asked by the longtime radio host if she was going to appear as the titular comic book character.

“That is fan-casting,” Blunt said. “No one has received a phone call. That’s just people saying, ‘Wouldn’t that be great?’”

Blunt said she doesn’t believe that superhero movies are “beneath her” — in fact, she said in another interview with Entertainment Weekly that it “irked...

“I don’t like them. I really don’t,” actress admits about the superhero genre

Marvel fans might remember that it was Emily Blunt, not Scarlett Johansson, who was the first choice to play Black Widow in “Iron Man 2.” Now, Blunt wants to “clean up the story” about why she turned down the iconic role — and why we probably won’t see her in any future superhero flicks, either.

Speaking with Howard Stern on Tuesday while promoting “A Quiet Place Part II,” Blunt explained that she originally turned down the part of Black Widow because she was already contracted to star in the 2010 film “Gulliver’s Travels.”

“I was contracted to do ‘Gulliver’s Travels.’ I didn’t want to do ‘Gulliver’s Travels,” Blunt said. “I take such pride in the decisions that I make, and they mean so much to me. The films that I do… I care very deeply,...

Did you know Emily Blunt almost played Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? In 2009, multiple outlets reported that the Devil Wears Prada actress turned down the part of the future Avenger in Iron Man 2 because of scheduling conflicts and a contractual agreement with 20th Century Fox, which had her star alongside Jack Black in Gulliver's Travels. Now, in an interview on The Howard Stern Show Tuesday, May 11, Blunt revisited her decision to walk away from the role, which ultimately went to Scarlett Johansson. "I didn't want to do Gulliver's Travels," Blunt said. "It was a bit of a heartbreaker for me, because...

Emily Blunt was close to joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Black Widow in “Iron Man 2,” but a scheduling conflict with the Jack Black-starring family adventure “Gulliver’s Travels” prevented her from playing a superhero. Since then, superhero buzz has often circled Blunt. The most recent rumors would have you believe Marvel is considering Blunt for Sue Storm in its upcoming Jon Watts-directed “Fantastic Four” movie, but Blunt recently told Howard Stern (via Insider) that’s not the truth.

“That is fan-casting,” Blunt said about “Fantastic Four” casting rumors while on her promotional tour for “A Quiet Place Part II.” “No one has received a phone call. That’s just people saying, ‘Wouldn’t that be great?'”

Blunt said superhero movies are not “beneath her,” but she is no longer sure that’s a genre she wants to explore. “I love Iron Man and when I got...

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment has bought the assets of Sonar Entertainment, the well-established production entity built by Robert Halmi Sr.

The up-front cost is just $19.5 million, but the ultimate valuation will likely grow over time, as future licensing proceeds will also be split with Sonar. The initial payment is considered an advance, which will be recouped by Chicken Soup upon the sale or licensing of certain TV rights. About $1 billion has been invested into film and TV projects controlled by Sonar, according to the official deal announcement. Among the company’s current series are Hunters on Amazon Prime Video and the soon-to-premiere Mysterious Benedict Society on Disney+.

Screen Media, a division of Csse, will distribute Sonar’s library of more than 1,000 titles. Those offerings include Hal Roach Studios shorts like Little Rascals, Laurel & Hardy and Blondie and miniseries like Lonesome Dove and Dinotopia.

The acquisition covers 372 TV series and more than 700 Films.