Moviefone Editorial

Tag: @movieid:20090262

  • The Rock Wants to Make a Movie With Chris Pratt & Keeps Teasing an Idea: ‘Stay Tuned’

    #RockPratt is now a thing, and it is glorious.

    You can’t blame Dwayne Johnson for bro-crushing on Chris Pratt. He’s not the first. Between Marvel movies and “Jurassic World” movies, the Pratt blockbuster bandwagon is a solid swipe-right for The Rock.

    Apparently The Rock’s own fans first suggested a Rock/Pratt matchup, and Johnson addressed the idea — and added a movie tease — while praising Pratt’s “Avengers: Infinity War” on its box office success:

    What if Chris Pratt responds to suggest it be “Pratt & Rock” instead of “Rock & Pratt”? Would that be a dealbreaker?

    The Rock seems serious about this team-up, and he and fans keep tweeting about #RockPratt:

    It doesn’t look like Chris Pratt has responded yet to this very clear professional wooing. (He may be too busy scrolling through Instagram comments about “Infinity War.”) But Rock & Pratt did have a funny recent exchange on Instagram about working out. They are both in the gym quite a bit for their respective action movies.

    “Rampage” and “Avengers: Infinity War” are both in theaters. Pratt is also busy promoting “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” which opens June 22.

    Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook.

  • Dwayne Johnson Threatened to Quit ‘Rampage’ Over Original ‘Sad Ending’

    Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson basically spoiled the ending to every movie he’ll ever make.

    He knows his brand, and his audience. He’s not exactly aiming to fill Daniel Day-Lewis’ shoes. He’s an action hero, with an emphasis on hero, and he wants to save his audience from feeling bummed out.

    Johnson has a new profile in Rolling Stone, sharing his philosophy when it comes to showing the audience a good time. A good time means no sad endings.

    “No one’s going to see me play a borderline psychopath suffering from depression. I have friends I admire, Oscar winners, who approach our craft with the idea of ‘Sometimes it comes out a little darker, and nobody will see it, but it’s for me.’ Great. But I have other things I can do for me. I’m gonna take care of you, the audience. You pay your hard-earned money – I don’t need to bring my dark sh*t to you. Maybe a little – but if it’s in there, we’re gonna overcome it, and we’re gonna overcome it together.”

    That philosophy almost led him to quit “Rampage” and tell them to get another actor for the role.

    Mild SPOILER ALERT for “Rampage.”

    Johnson revealed that the original “Rampage” script ended on a much darker note. Here’s that section of the Rolling Stone profile:

    “So the script comes in, and I’m reading it,” Johnson says. “And at the end of it – George dies! I’m like, ‘No. Did I miss something? George can’t be dead.’ But I go back, and yeah.”

    Johnson says this moment became “the number-one topic of discussion” between himself, the director and producers, and the studio. “I don’t like a sad ending,” he says. “Life brings that sh*t – I don’t want it in my movies. When the credits roll, I want to feel great.” His concerns went up the chain of command, and “we had a big meeting where they gave me all the reasons they thought George should die,” he says. “He sacrifices himself saving the world. Killing these animals who had ill intentions to harm mankind. He sacrifices himself like a brave soldier. OK. But this is a movie! There’s a crocodile the size of a football stadium – we’re not making Saving Private Ryan.”

    “Dwayne rarely digs in, but on this he was very adamant,” Flynn says. “It was back and forth for about two months.”

    According to Johnson, it was about more than just George. “My problem is I have a relationship with an audience around the world,” he says. “For years I’ve built a trust with them that they’re gonna come to my movies and feel good. So every once in a while, you have to drop this card, which is: You’re gonna have to find another actor. We need to figure something out, otherwise I’m not gonna do the movie.”

    In the end, they landed on a compromise that made both sides happy. But everyone agrees that Johnson had the right instinct. “He understands the audience and his relationship with the audience better than anyone,” Peyton says.

    “That’s Dwayne’s genius,” says Flynn. “And watching it with an audience, he was 100 percent right.”

    As Collider noted:

    “This is incredibly fascinating insight into the ‘Dwayne Johnson Brand.’ … In an era where movie stars have been replaced by franchises and known IP, Johnson has keenly established a brand in which he himself is the IP—people come to Dwayne Johnson movies to see Dwayne Johnson. It doesn’t always work out, as evidenced by ‘Baywatch,’ but in addition to solid hits like ‘Central Intelligence’ you get something like ‘Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,’ which becomes a worldwide phenomenon.”

    Many people do want to head to a popcorn movie for a good time, not a deep time. But audiences have proven from “Game of Thrones” to “Lord of the Rings” — and “Titanic,” once the highest-grossing movie in the world — that they are completely on board for big-budget movie/TV storylines that run the gamut of emotions from A to Z, not just A to B+.

    But now we know that’s just not the Dwayne Johnson way, so you don’t have to worry that you’ll ever be bummed out by any of his action movies. Instead of comfort food, it’s comfort kick-ass.

    “Rampage” is now in theaters.

    Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook.

  • Box Office: ‘Rampage’ Barely Beats ‘A Quiet Place’

    After much nail biting and hand wringing, it looks like “Rampage,” Dwayne Johnson‘s destruction-filled adaptation of the classic arcade game, won the box office race with $34.5 million. For a while it looked like John Krasinski‘s horror tale “A Quiet Place” would take the top spot (especially given the inherent spookiness of a Friday the 13th weekend), but that ended up at #2 with $32.6 million, which is still admirably impressive (it’s down just 35% from last weekend) and puts it just below the vaulted $100 million mark. (Unlike the $120 million+ “Rampage,” “A Quiet Place” had a modest budget of just $17 million.)

    Elsewhere, newcomer “Truth or Dare” from Universal and horror hitmaker Blumhouse, surprised by over-performing with $19 million, enough to put it in the #3 spot, ahead of Steven Spielberg‘s whirligig “Ready Player One,” which in its third week remains in the top 5 with $11.2 million. So far, Spielberg’s nostalgia-filled joyride has collected just north of $114.6 million, which is great but not terrific considering its steep $175 million production costs (and that’s before you consider what Warner Bros. spent marketing the movie).

    Universal’s R-rated comedy “Blockers” rounded out the top 5 with $10.3 million, bringing its total to $36.9 million. It also is worth nothing that Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther” was #6 despite a big push earlier in the week to announce the movie’s home video release in May. Disney is telling people “it’s coming to your living room” and they’re still rushing out to the theaters to see it (it’s down just 39% from the week before). That’s truly incredible. Also incredible: its $673.7 million domestic haul. Way to go Wakanda.

    What did you watch this weekend? Let us know!

  • Dwayne Johnson Reveals Battle With Depression, Tells Fans ‘You’re Not Alone’

    Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson typically plays action heroes and comedic characters on the big screen, but this week, he took on a different, more personal role: Mental health advocate.

    In an interview with the UK’s Express, Johnson opened up about his decades-long battle with depression, as well as his desire to assure any fans that are also struggling that they are “not alone.” According to the actor, his depression began back in the mid-’90s, when he was cut from the Canadian Football League. Shortly after, his girlfriend broke up with him.

    “That was my absolute worst time,” he told the Express, adding, “I reached a point where I didn’t want to do a thing or go anywhere. I was crying constantly.”

    Johnson also discussed his mother, Ata, and her own struggle with depression, which led her to attempt suicide right in front of him when he was 15. The actor previously touched on that harrowing experience in an Instagram post back in February, writing:

    She got outta the car on Interstate 65 in Nashville and walked into oncoming traffic. Big rigs and cars swerving outta the way not to hit her. I grabbed her and pulled her back on the gravel shoulder of the road.
    What’s crazy about that suicide attempt is to this day, she has no recollection of it whatsoever. Probably best she doesn’t.

    Not your typical scene on our comedy #ballers, as I cracked a beer open toasting my character’s brother, William who committed suicide. Got me thinkin’ though bout how many of us have been affected by suicide of our friends, family. Struggle and pain is real. We’ve all been there on some level or another. My mom tried to check out when I was 15. She got outta the car on Interstate 65 in Nashville and walked into oncoming traffic. Big rigs and cars swerving outta the way not to hit her. I grabbed her and pulled her back on the gravel shoulder of the road. What’s crazy about that suicide attempt is to this day, she has no recollection of it whatsoever. Probably best she doesn’t. Shits of a scene to shoot – didn’t like it – but it did reminder that we always gotta do our best to really pay attention when people are in pain. Help ’em thru it, get ’em talkin’ about the struggle and remind ’em that they’re not alone. We got lucky that day when I was 15 and that ain’t always the case.

    A post shared by therock (@therock) on

    Speaking with the Express about that incident, Johnson said, “We both healed but we’ve always got to do our best to pay attention when other people are in pain. We have to help them through it and remind them they are not alone.”

    In a follow-up post on Twitter, Johnson thanked fans for their support, and reminded followers that “depression never discriminates” and that it’s important to “not be afraid to open up” about it. The message struck an immediate chord.

    Kudos to Johnson for being so honest about his personal struggles, and hopefully providing some inspiration to those who need it.

    [via: Express]

  • 11 Things We Learned on the Set of ‘Rampage’

    In less than a month, “Rampage” will smash into theaters.

    In the Summer of 2017, Moviefone got to visit the set of the monster movie (based on the 80s arcade game) and talked to stars Dwayne Johnson and Naomie Harris, director Brad Peyton, and producers John Rickard and Hirame Garcia. Johnson plays Davis, an ex-military type who has a skyscraper-sized, genetically-engineered albino ape for a best friend. Naturally.

    Things get real complicated when super-sized monsters — in the form of a wolf and alligator — join the city-smashing melee and Johnson and his furry pal get caught in the middle. Here’s everything we learned!

    1. They aren’t too worried about being lumped in with other video game movies.

    “It’s a great opportunity because the game is so old that, at the time, it was just ‘you drink a potion and become big,’” producer Hirame Garcia said. “So it gave us a lot of opportunity to really root it in science and something that’s really happening, and get to the rampaging monsters in the most realistic and authentic way.”

    2. The action is intense. And we mean intense.

    We’ll let Naomie Harris explain: “I mean, from, like, being in a helicopter — you know, they actually created a helicopter on a rig so that when we were crashing, it actually feels like you’re crashing — to creating this huge government plane inside, where we’re on harnesses and pretending that the back of the plane is blown out, and we’re being strung up from the ceiling.”

    3. They used WETA for the special effects.

    When asked why they decided to use the effects house that also worked on films like “Lord of the Rings,” Dwayne Johnson said: “Find those filmmakers who really did it right, those department heads and those companies who did it right, see if they responded to the script, which they did.”

    4. The plot of “Rampage” could actually happen! Well… kind of.

    “So, everything that’s happening in this movie is actually real,” producer John Rickard revealed. “There’s one piece of it that is science fiction, that may become real in the next five to ten years, that they’re working on now. So, Crispr is real. It’s the ability to take attributes — like, it’s really unzipping DNA, pulling out bad attributes, putting the good ones in. And also, if you wanted to, you could take attributes from other animals and plug those into them.”5. Dwayne Johnson really cares about delivering for his fans.

    When asked what would surprise people about her co-star, Harris answered: “He has such a level of passion and an understanding of what his fans love and what they need, and he’s really careful about that. So many stages in the movie, he’ll say, ‘Okay, I don’t think the audience will really like this, or they’re not gonna be moved by this, or they’re gonna love this particular moment.’ He’s really in-tune with what his audience wants. I’ve never seen anybody as in-tune as that.”

    6. They got a lot of weird pitches.

    “Let’s just say I said no to ‘Rock-zilla,’” Brad Peyton said with a laugh. “It was presented in a room much like [the one we’re in], and I was like, ‘That’s a hard pass from me.’ That sounds really not grounded at all. It’s like a ‘Saturday Night Live’ skit a little bit.”

    7. They decided to change George’s color from the video games to set him apart from other famous primates.

    “We’re very aware of the landscape. You have ‘King Kong,’ you have ‘Planet of the Apes,’ but the fact is, in a story like this, George does have the greatest capacity, the mental capacity, of any of those creatures,” Garcia revealed. “One of the things we wanted to do is, even being aware of the dynamics out there, [with] a story like this, is to try and separate it from the others as rooted in a real heart connection between Davis and George. They’re essentially best friends.”

    “In that attempt of how do we make this feel fresh from what’s happening in ‘Apes,’ and what’s happening in ‘Kong,’ what about an albino gorilla? On paper, it’s kind of daunting at first. You’re like, ‘Oh, is he going to look fluffy?’ But when we started to get mock ups, and you see how badass he looks and get in it, you’re like, ‘Wow, this is striking, I’ve never seen this.’ We felt like it was a great opportunity.”

    8. Jason Liles, who wears a motion capture suit to play George, is the real deal.

    “When he comes on set, he comes on as George — with his emotions and with his facial expressions, and with his grunts — and there are modulating grunts that gorillas have for different meanings,” Johnson told us.

    “His sign language, when he’s in pain, especially when the serum is taking effect, and he knows that something’s wrong with him. I was really blown away, and really captivated, by his performance — which really reminded me of how remarkable motion-capture acting is. And now, after being on set with Jason, someone’s who’s committed to the role, months and months of studying gorillas and being on these apparatuses where he’s a silverback for weeks and weeks and weeks, running up and down the Santa Monica stairs. It’s really just spectacular.”

    9. Brad Peyton really, really wanted Naomie Harris in the movie.

    “Look, I just wanted her in the biggest way,” Peyton said. “You get pressure from all different places to look at different actors and different things, and my goal is to make the best movie with the best acting possible. And she is a fantastic actor and really wanted to do it, and I was not gonna get off the phone until thought I heard a ‘yes.’”

    The director went on to say: “I just thought this is really like a… she’s really intelligent as a person. She’s really intelligent, she’s really sweet, she’s really passionate, and that’s exactly what the characters need to be. I thought this is the way to go. I haven’t seen an actress like this do this character, in this type of movie, ever. And she’s so honest and hardworking, and I was like: ‘That’s the type of person I want on my set. That’s the type of person I want to work with.’ That’s the kind of person I am, so I really related to just talking to her. That’s when it becomes fun and easier, and I knew she was right, and, so, I kind of pushed everything aside and was like, ‘I gotta get her on the phone! I gotta talk to her!’ And yes, it was a long call on her way to, like, a “Moonlight” Q&A, so I could hear the cabbie in the background — in London — talking to her the whole time. Yeah, I just really, really wanted to work with her, so I held her hostage on the phone.”

    10. You might end up rooting for the monsters.

    “Davis [Johnson’s character] was the head of an anti-poaching unit for a military unit in Rwanda, so he’s coming from a place where he’s an animal lover,” Garcia told us. “He’s actually not a big fan of humans. He has a hard time trusting them, because he’s seen what they can do. Part of his arc is really learning through Kate that he can start to trust people again. But George is his family and his best friend. We wanted to make sure that we’re sensitive to the fact that all the animals are victims in this.”

    11. Unlike most monster movies, this one isn’t all about “taking out the monster.”

    The Rock went on to say: “One of the things that we like about our [movie’s] dynamic is, even though they’re trying to stop these creatures, our heroes, it’s always about killing the monster, stopping the monster. Here, we’re actually trying to save the monster. Our story is essentially about a man trying to save his best friend. That’s our journey and, ultimately, Davis is doing everything he can while everyone’s freaking out and, unfortunately, these creatures are being triggered to rampage out of their control. To that end, Davis is trying to save them. And he’s still trying to save the world, but, ultimately, he just wants to save his friend and bring his friend back — because his friend never asked for this.”

    “Rampage” hits theaters everywhere April 13.

  • Dwayne Johnson’s ‘Rampage’ Moves Earlier Due to ‘Avengers’ Release Date Change

    Dwayne Johnson is going to “Rampage” a little earlier than planned.

    Disney’s decision to move “Avengers: Infinity War” from May 4 to April 27 is having a domino effect. Now, Johnson’s action flick will be released on April 13, one week earlier. Warner Bros wanted to retain a two-week cushion between “Rampage” and the Marvel movie.

    “Rampage” is based on the 1980s arcade game. Johnson plays a primatologist who has a deep connection with a gorilla he raised from birth named George. But then George, a crocodile, and a wolf are exposed to a genetic compound and grow to enormous size and proceed to, well, rampage across North America. Johnson and a genetic engineer (Naomie Harris) race to find an antidote and save the world.

    It’s rare for big tentpole movies to change dates so late in the game. Disney’s public reasoning for the “Avengers” shift is so that the movie can open worldwide on the same day. It’s also likely that the studio wanted more room between “Avengers” and the next tentpoles, “Deadpool 2” (May 18) and “Solo: A Star Wars Story” (May 25).

  • New ‘Rampage’ Trailer Pushes Dwayne Johnson to Save the World (Again)

    The Rock is ready to roll and save humankind once again.

    Warner Bros. dropped a new trailer for “Rampage,” a movie based on the 1980s arcade game. Dwayne Johnson stars as a primatologist who has a deep connection with a gorilla he raised from birth named George. But then George is exposed to a genetic compound and he, a crocodile and a wolf all grow to enormous size and proceed to, well, rampage.

    These new apex predators battle each other for supremacy, tearing across North America and destroying everything in their path. It’s up to Johnson and a genetic engineer (Naomie Harris) to find an antidote and save the world.

    The trailer looks pretty much like Johnson’s other action thrillers. As usual, he’s a fairly ordinary guy who finds himself in extraordinary circumstances. Luckily, he has the physique to handle them.

    “Rampage” also stars Malin Akerman, Joe Manganiello, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and opens in theaters April 20.

  • ‘Rampage’ Trailer Sets up Dwayne Johnson to Save the World Once Again

    The world needs a hero again, so naturally, Dwayne Johnson is leading the charge.

    Warner Bros. Pictures released the official “Rampage” trailer Thursday, just a day after unveiling new photos from the upcoming film. Not surprisingly, the preview is an action-packed and intense two-and-a-half minutes; it features genetically-altered beasts, destruction, and both mistakes and heroics.

    Thanks to the trailer, we see how three regular animals — a gorilla, a wolf, and a crocodile — become mutants. We also meet primatologist Davis Okoye (Johnson) and discredited genetic engineer Dr. Kate Caldwell (Naomie Harris), both of whom end up trying to save the creatures and all the people they are poised to harm. As if those stakes weren’t high enough already, we witness the bond between Davis and the gorilla, George.

    Watch the trailer below.

    The film is directed by Brad Payton and also stars Malin Ackerman, Joe Manganiello, Jake Lacy, Marley Shelton, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

    “Rampage” hits theaters April 20.

  • ‘Rampage’ Movie Releases First Photos & The Rock Issues a ‘Big’ Challenge for Fans 

    ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY Presents Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson at Stan Lee's Los Angeles Comic-Con on Saturda,, October 28, 2017You should watch The Rock‘s challenge video below for the Kevin Hart/cat insult alone.

    In “Rampage,” an adaptation of the 1980s video game, Dwayne Johnson plays Davis Okoye, a primatologist whose best friend is a 7-foot-tall, 500-pound rare albino silverback gorilla named George. Naomie Harris costars as genetic scientist Dr. Kate Caldwell, with Jeffrey Dean Morgan as government agent Harvey Russell, and Malin Akerman as the villainous Claire Wyden.

    USA Today shared the first two photos from the movie, with the first trailer arriving this Thursday, Nov. 16. “Rampage” follows an experimental serum gone wrong, leaving George and other creatures growing enormous and going on a path of destruction.

    Here are Dwayne Johnson and Naomie Harris in action:

    In honor of the movie’s big week, The Rock issued a big challenge for his fans:

    It’s a #BigMeetsBigger kinda week. Our new #RAMPAGEMovie trailer drops this THURSDAY. My best friend in the movie is a BIG boy. Big as in a MASSIVE rare albino Silverback, named George. Here’s the challenge: post pics what’s BIG in your life. Could be you and a huge animal, a human pyramid with you at the top, you and 7ft Shaq etc. All you need is imagination, something big af and your phone. And a little tequila never hurts. I’ll highlight the TOP 5 this THURSDAY during my FIRST EVER INSTAGRAM LIVE before we launch our trailer. I’ll send the TOP 5 a bunch of free, new bad ass #ProjectRock gear. It’s @underarmour’s hottest selling collection of 2017 so get creative. Make sure you hashtag #BigMeetsBigger and #RampageMovie. Have fun. ????????????????

    A post shared by therock (@therock) on

    Shorter than my cat! Savage.

    So on Thursday, fans can expect both the trailer and Johnson’s’ first-ever Instagram Live, with his picks for the top five #BigMeetsBigger photos.

    “Rampage” opens in theaters on April 20, 2018.

    Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook.

  • See Dwayne Johnson’s Bloody ‘Rampage’ Set Photo & Hilarious ‘Dodgeball’ Video

    'Baywatch' Photo Call In Berlin“F*ck you, Jar Jar Binks!”

    Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson spent Independence Day at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, but the day before, he was hard at work getting #BloodiedAndBattered on the set of “Rampage.” And before that, he was hard at work getting hilariously ridiculous to support Ben Stiller’s “Dodgeball” charity campaign.

    The “Rampage” movie, based on the 1986 video game, has been filming since the first week of May for its April 2018 release date. Johnson shared a set photo on July 3, to show off his (and the crew’s) hard work even during a long holiday weekend:

    Back on May 2, to kick off the first day of production, Johnson posted the first photo and details about the film:

    “In our story we have three animals who fall victim to evil genetic editing, rapidly changing every strand of their DNA so they grow, evolve and mutate. Everything becomes amplified.. their size, strength, speed, agility.. and violent aggression.
    One of the animals infected – a rare Albino gorilla named, George, is my best friend.
    George, is played by 6’9 Jason Liles, pictured here. Jason has been studying gorillas for months now preparing for this motion capture role. Gorillas movements, body language, and all emotions – joy, pain, sadness, love, aggression etc. It’s insane when you get around this man and how he’s able to embody a gorilla. This is the most fascinating advanced VFX/motion cap process I’ve ever worked with in my career.
    We have the best mo-cap team in the world (WETA Digital) working on our RAMPAGE MONSTERS and you’ll get a taste of this new technology in the upcoming WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES as well as James Cameron’s AVATARS.
    With all the cool advanced technology in our movie, the #1 thing you’re gonna experience when you watch it, is FUN.
    Because when my best friend, George no happy, then me no happy. And when me no happy.. bad people become our lunch.”

    “Rampage” also stars Naomie Harris, Malin Akerman, Jake Lacy, Joe Manganiello, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. It’s scheduled for release April 20, 2018.

    The Rock also spent part of his weekend showing off a pitch-perfect (but R-rated, for f-bombs) promo for Ben Stiller’s “Dodgeball” reunion project:

    The Rock shared more “Dodgeball” related videos on his Insta, so check them out.

    Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook.