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Tag: wolverine

  • Daniel Radcliffe Addresses Wolverine Rumors, Possible Harry Potter Reboot

    Daniel Radcliffe Addresses Wolverine Rumors, Possible Harry Potter Reboot

    TBS

    Daniel Radcliffe has a now show, “Miracle Workers” on TBS, so of course that’s the right time to ask him about potential Harry Potter reboots and that crazy internet rumor that he’s the new Wolverine.

    The Internet buzz prompted artwork like this, by Bosslogic, with Radcliffe’s Wolverine featuring some Potter-esque lightning-bolt slashes.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BtvXzVcngtl/

    In a Wired video (in which he also explained that no, he and Elijah Wood are not related), Radcliffe joked, “There’s going to be a new Wolverine movie, in which it starts off with Hugh Jackman being put into a hot wash. And then when he comes out, it’s me. So yes, I’m very happy to announce that here.”

    Talking with IGN, he elaborated it could be “a comedy where Wolverine has got tiny? And now I’m not as equipped to fight but I’m still really sharp? That would be great…. Daniel Radcliffe is… Baby Wolf!’ I’d actually be really happy with that. I don’t think we have helped the issue with this interview. All I’m doing now is thinking of taglines. But there’s no truth in it.”

    Still, he’s game: “If some super talented writer wants to write Baby Wolf and turn it into a massive franchise, I’m in.”

    There’s also no truth, he says to rumors that he was in “The LEGO Movie 2.” “I was not cut out of the LEGO Movie [sequel], if we’re quashing rumors,” he said. “The producers of LEGO said they had wanted to get Harry Potter in there and hadn’t, they didn’t get him in for some reason, and that turned into ‘Dan Radcliffe was cut from the LEGO Movie.’ And I was like, ‘I wasn’t! I wasn’t in it!’ I would’ve loved to be cut from the LEGO Movie. I didn’t have the chance!”

    He also anticipated that we’ll see a new Harry Potter at some point, telling IGN, “I’m sure there will be some other version of it; I know I’m not the last Harry Potter I’m gonna see in my lifetime. We’ve already got a few more,” he said, referring to Jamie Parker and Gareth Reeves have already played the role in the play “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.”

    “It will be interesting to see how long those films stay… it feels like there’s a sacredness around them at the moment, but that’ll go, the shine will wear off at some point,” he said. “It’ll be interesting if they reboot them and just do the films again or do a series; I’m fascinated to watch.”

    “Miracle Workers,” in which Radcliffe plays an angel trying to stop God (Steve Buscemi) from destroying humanity, premieres tonight on TBS.

    [Via IGN]

  • Marvel’s Worst Comic Book Movies Ever

    Marvel’s Worst Comic Book Movies Ever

  • Box Office: ‘Logan’ Shreds the Competition With $85.3 Million

    By Brent Lang

    LOS ANGELES, March 5 (Variety.com) – “Logan” tore into the weekend box office, opening to a massive $85.3 million and proving that moviegoers will show up in force for R-rated comic book movies. The superhero spinoff marks Hugh Jackman‘s last turn as Wolverine after 17 years of donning the adamantium claws.

    As the movie business grows more saturated with stories about costumed vigilantes, studios are trying to find ways to differentiate their own comic book adaptations. Like “Deadpool” before it, “Logan” demonstrates that adults will turn out for tentpole fare that is bloodier and more profane than your average X-Men movie.

    “Logan” was produced by 20th Century Fox and cost $97 million to make. Set in the near future, it follows Wolverine and an ailing Professor X (Patrick Stewart), who leaving their hiding place on the Mexican border to help a young mutant (Dafne Keen). James Mangold, who previously collaborated with Jackman on 2013’s “The Wolverine,” directed the movie and co-wrote the screenplay. Critics embraced the film, hailing it as a comic book movie with bite, with Variety’s Owen Gleiberman writing that “Logan” “…brings the saga to a satisfying finish.”

    Despite “Logan’s” dominance, Blumhouse and Universal’s “Get Out” kept going strong. The low-budget thriller racked up $26.1 million, bringing its domestic haul to $75.9 million. That’s an impressive return for a film that cost less than $5 million to make.

    Lionsgate’s “The Shack” took third place, earning a solid $16.1 million in its first weekend in theaters. The faith-based drama stars Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer and cost $26 million to produce. “The Shack” centers on a man (Sam Worthington) whose religious beliefs are tested following a family tragedy.

    Warner Bros.’ “The Lego Batman Movie” and Lionsgate’s “John Wick: Chapter 2” rounded out the top five, earning $11.6 million and $4.7 million, respectively. That pushes the Lego spinoff’s box office total to $148.6 million and gives the John Wick followup a domestic gross of $83 million.

    Fresh off its best picture win, A24’s “Moonlight” grossed over $2.5 million and crossed the $25 million mark. The indie studio expects the coming-of-age drama to be the highest-grossing film in its history. That said, “Moonlight,” which focuses on a young man growing up gay in Miami, is one of the least widely seen best picture winners, trailing the likes of “Spotlight” ($45 million, domestically ) and “Birdman” ($42.3 million, domestically). It has grossed more than “The Hurt Locker,” the 2009 victor that made just over $17 million stateside.

    Bleecker Street’s “The Last Word” opened to $35,620 in limited release. The story of an aging businesswoman (Shirley MacLaine) who enlists a writer (Amanda Seyfried) to pen her obituary, screened in four locations last weekend.

  • ‘Logan’s’ Original Opening Scene Would Have Broken Your Brain

    [SPOILERS AHEAD. Big ones. So don’t read any further if you have yet to see the movie.]

    “Logan” is, hands-down, Wolverine’s best solo movie. And if director and co-writer James Mangold had his way, it could have opened with one of the best (and darkest) X-Men movie moments ever.

    At the film’s recent press day, Mangold shared with Moviefone his original plans for how Hugh Jackman‘s last time poppin’ the claws was supposed to open. It was a scene that only got as far as the original story treatment, one that ended up in Patrick Stewart’s hands. Which is fitting, because it involves the event that puts his character, Charles Xavier, on the broken path “Logan” finds him on.

    “The idea was — all (or most of) the X-Men were dead. And that Charles had accidentally killed them,” Mangold revealed, almost like a mic drop.

    “I had an opening where Logan comes into [Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters] and finds that a tragedy has occurred. He would have found certain X-Men, and, Charles at the center of it.”

    So, basically, Logan would have found most, if not all, of the X-Men dead or dying with their father and teacher tragically being the cause of it all.
    The seizures Charles suffers throughout the film would have started at least a year prior to the events of “Logan,” in Westchester, NY, where Xavier’s school is located. (The seizures resemble a more violent and scarring form of Charles’ ability to freeze people and time, which he exhibited in both the first two “X-Men” films.)

    The final film alludes to this tragic event at least twice, but only through dialogue. We never see it on-screen. The most we ever learn about it comes via a radio broadcast in the second act, which tells us that Charles’ psychic seizure in Oklahoma City is identical to an event that happened at the school, which killed several people — civilians and mutants.

    So, why did Mangold cut it?

    “The more I drilled into it, the more it turned into feeling like a standard X-Men movie,” the director said. “The point here would be to say just enough to understand what the characters are feeling. But not enough that you open up the gates of the kind of expositional madness that is part of the comic book [movie] world.”

    Mangold found it more rewarding to take a “less is more” approach for the audience, so “that it would be up to [them] to figure out what went down and who died.”

    But, Mangold added, that “maybe we will define it at a later date.” Here’s hoping that means we’ll see this scene in some form on the Blu-ray.

    “Logan” hits theaters Friday. Buy your tickets here.

  • ‘Logan’ Director James Mangold Reveals How You Get Away With Harpooning a Little Kid

    Fans can’t stop gushing about awesome, and R-rated, “Logan” is. And it’s all because of James Mangold.

    The director and co-writer of Hugh Jackman‘s last turn as Wolverine recently told Moviefone how he got away with making one of the best, and most R-rated, comic book movies ever made. Especially that scene where a little girl gets harpooned right through the heart.

    He also revealed how he and his co-writer pulled off two of the film’s best emotional moments — so emotional, they might make you cry.

    Moviefone: “Logan” is great. I love how it — the action — everything comes from a character-first place. And I can’t believe you got away with so much R-rated stuff.

    James Mangold: Me too!

    Was there ever any push-back from the studio on some of the more violent beats? Like, that first fight with X-23 — did they ever say “um, does this little kid have to get harpooned through the heart?”

    [Laughs]. I think if we had previewed or tested the movie, and audiences rejected the movie on the basis of violence, I think we probably would have gotten some push back. But when we tested the film, the audiences were like: “AWESOME!” The reality was that, we hit a vein; something that audiences really wanted to see — which was a totally feral lead character, who is famous for his berserker rage… it just seems logical that you would allow him to exhibit that rage. If for no other reason to let it finally be felt for the audience.

    And I think another reason we succeeded with the film, and with the studio is that — death is not trivial at all. There are lots of PG films, comic book movies, where people are getting mowed down by the dozens and they have no names. They’re just people falling from building tops, and this movie — it feels the loss of each and every one of its characters, with a kind of finality that is different.
    To that end, two beats I love in this movie are: One, where Xavier is mumbling “I’m sorry” to the people in the Oklahoma City casino that are victim to his latest seizure. And two, one of Wolverine’s great, last lines — “This is what it feels like.” Can you walk me through how you came up with those?

    “This is what it feels like” was — that was written by (screenwriter) Scott Frank. He was my writing partner on this, and when he wrote it, I was just like: “Yeah, that’s perfect.” And the “I’m sorry, I’m sorry” beat just seemed obvious and logical to us, you know? And it was heartbreaking. Because it’s — once you get into the skin of these characters, in the twilight moment of their lives — losing control of their powers, and in the case of Charles, a degenerative brain disease — it becomes really interesting with writing the dialogue and getting under the skin of these characters becomes a really interesting proposition.

    The side-story involving the farmer played by Eriq LaSalle and his family are people he cares about… I can’t imagine getting away with that in a big studio tentpole like this.

    We had concerns about it — I had concerns. When I was writing it with Scott, we got to it and were like: “This is like a whole [mini] movie within this movie.” But it very much fit the model of the kind of road picture we were talking about, where very often, characters will have this very full, mini three-act experience in the middle of this story. So we just went for it. And again, we never got in trouble.
    DF-09788 - Hugh Jackman as Logan/Wolverine in LOGAN. Photo Credit: Ben Rothstein.How much of your original pitch ended up in the final film? What were the big emotional tentpoles you wanted to thread the action through?

    I pitched them that Wolverine would die, that Charles would die. And, in between, there would kind of be this “Little Miss Sunshine” road trip, with them driving across the country. And I pitched them that X-23 would be in the movie.

    When I finished the last one, and started thinking about the script for this one — one of the major ideas for me was to have Logan confronting the things he is most frightened of, which, in a nutshell, isn’t death or the destruction of the world… but was just, love. And intimacy. Those things he finds impossible to do.

    And that’s something his movies haven’t explored as deeply as this one. And the fans, I think they want to see that. They deserve to see that in all its R-rated, but nuanced, glory.

    In between all the exciting action and fights, it becomes this mediation on a character who is steadfast in his refusal to love. Because, like he says in the movie, “bad sh** happens to people I care about.

    “Logan” hits theaters Friday. Get your tickets now.

  • Hugh Jackman’s 6 Best Performances That Aren’t Wolverine

    Hugh Jackman’s 6 Best Performances That Aren’t Wolverine

  • Hugh Jackman Wishes He Could Have Played Wolverine in an ‘Avengers’ Movie

    One of the biggest — and really, only — disappointments for Marvel fans in this new MCU age has been that the rights to the comic powerhouse’s legendary heroes have been split among several different studios, meaning certain characters who teamed up on the page can never do so on the big screen. While Disney/Marvel and Sony worked out their differences on that issue to collaborate on a new series of Spider-Man movies, it seems that studio Fox (home to the X-Men and Fantastic Four) never will. And that’s a shame, because according to Hugh Jackman, that was the only real possibility he saw of keeping himself playing Wolverine past his upcoming swan song in “Logan.”

    In an interview with Screen Rant, Jackman was asked about his ideal Marvel movie scenario, if only those pesky rights issues were no longer a problem. Would he want to appear as Wolverine in an “Avengers” flick?

    “If that was on the table when I made my decision, it certainly would have made me pause,” Jackman told the site. “That’s for sure. Because I always love the idea of him within that dynamic, with the Hulk obviously, with Iron Man, but there’s a lot of smarter people with MBAs who can’t figure that out [laughter]. You never know.”

    While that last sentence from the actor does leave the door open ever-so-slightly for a potential Wolverine return, it seems highly unlikely — in this lifetime, anyway — that either Fox or Marvel will budge on their stronghold on these characters. And that’s probably for the best. After all, Jackman has already shaved off his Wolverine beard; it would be a pain to have to regrow that sucker.

    [via: Screen Rant]

  • Is the ‘Logan’ ‘Post-Credits Scene’ the Pre-Film ‘Deadpool 2’ Teaser?

    UPDATE: Despite reports of a post-credits scene, fans didn’t find one at the end of “Logan.” They did, however, find a pre-film “Deadpool 2” teaser, so maybe that’s the three minutes added to the length and they just moved it to the start of the film instead of the end. Director James Mangold told the Toronto Sun, “The only way we came out with a different movie was trying to do it differently. So I was pretty fanatical about saying, ‘If this is how these other movies are doing it, we’re going the other way.’ If there’s normally a cameo or an end-credit scene, we’re not doing that. That’s essentially turning it into a product that has to come out of the widget machine the same way every time and that’s not how the best movies are going to get made… in any genre.”

    Original post:

    Please just say the “Logan” post-credits scene is for “Deadpool 2,” even if it isn’t.

    “Logan” comes out March 3, but it has already screened for several critics — who loved it. And not to push the “Deadpool” angle, but the guy happiest about the rave reviews seems to be Ryan Reynolds. He’s retweeted a couple of reviews. Maybe it’s just his bromance with Hugh Jackman, but maybe it’s more.

    The critics did not get to see a post-credits scene, but there were reports that Fox added three minutes to the length, fueling rumors of a stinger. Collider went ahead and confirmed there will be a post-credits scene — although they weren’t sure if it would be mid-credits or at the very end. As Collider wrote, “Right now Fox is doing advance screenings for critics without this scene and from what I’ve been told it won’t be shown until opening day. But with the way the internet works, I’m sure someone will leak what it is before it’s in theaters, or shortly after the midnight showings on Thursday, March 2nd.”

    Over at /FILM they didn’t sound thrilled with the idea of a post-credits scene since, as they wrote, “‘Logan’ is the rare superhero movie that feels complete in and of itself. Hugh Jackman has said repeatedly that this will be his last time playing the clawed mutant, and — without getting into spoilers — it’s an intensely emotional swan song for his 17-year run. Why muck that up with a wholly unnecessary teaser for another X-Men movie? Or ruin the mood with a cutesy gag?”

    There is another “X-Men” movie in the works; Sophie Turner (Jean Grey) just talked about heading out to film it this summer, before she returns to shoot the final season of “Game of Thrones.” So it’s possible that’s what “Logan” will tease. It would make sense, since Logan and Professor X are part of the “X-Men” world. But some of us still hope Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman find a way to continue their Deadpool/Wolverine bromance in one last tender scene.

    “Logan” arrives in theaters Friday, March 3.

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  • 5 Reasons ‘Logan’ Makes Saying Goodbye to Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine So Damn Hard

    [SPOILERS AHEAD. MAJOR ONES. DO NOT READ UNTIL YOU HAVE SEEN “LOGAN.” I’m serious. Like, IN-ALL-CAPS SERIOUS.]

    RIP, Hugh Jackman‘s Wolverine.

    The actor has spent the better part of two years promoting “Logan” as his #OneLastTime donning the claws and tank top. Gone are Wolverine’s spandex and unique hair. Instead, our favorite X-Men is rocking a grey beard and grey hair as he embarks on his darkest and most violent adventure yet.

    Director and co-writer James Mangold set out to deliver a definitive and R-rated comic book movie for adults. One that makes it hard to let go of Jackman’s iconic take on the character. There are a lot of good-to-great beats in “Logan.” These five make it the hardest to say goodbye. And even harder for whomever picks up the claws from here.

    1. So Many Great Character Moments
    Not the first thing you’d expect to read in a breakdown of an R-rated comic book movie, huh? Well, it’s even more refreshing to watch.

    “Logan” is largely a character-first western that happens to be a Wolverine movie. It’s about the cost that saving the world has on the very tortured man trying to defend it. A man who has killed more people than he’s had hot meals, a man who sees every one of those deaths in his sleep and wakes up forced to live with that blood on his hands.

    The movie double-downs on what this all means for our weary hero — he drinks constantly to numb the pain that his broken healing factor no longer can, he clings to the belief that he “sucks” at caring about people because “bad sh**” happens to all the people worthy of his care. This manifests dramatically in key scenes between Logan and Charles/Professor X, as the latter — despite suffering from the mutant equivalent of ALS — reminds Logan the importance of family. That the tragic hero still has time to give himself (at least) a sense of a life worth living — he just has to slash through a bunch of bodies first.

    In between all the claw-happy set pieces and violence, “Logan” delivers a resonate meditation on what it takes to be a hero. Sometimes, it does so by pulling on the heartstrings in ways that make your eyes leak tears the way Wolverine’s hands pop claws.

    Of all the Wolverine films, “Logan” comes closest to being the best.

    2. Patrick Stewart‘s Very Old Charles Xavier
    Holy shit, you guys — Stewart delivers an all-timer performance in a role that was previously not given enough interesting things to do throughout the entire franchise. (Unless you count passing off sage wisdom and exposition from the confines of a cool wheelchair interesting.)

    Maybe 15 minutes in, we’ve heard Charles say the word “fu**” or its derivative several times. That’s worth the price of admission, but “Logan” has more in store for the X-Men’s caretaker and father figure. They actually give him — and the actor — new and challenging things to play as a 90-year-old mutant burdened with the most dangerous brain and mutation on the planet. His condition manifests in the form of psychic seizures. Remember how Professor X stops time in the first two X-Men films? Okay, so, his seizures are like that — only the more violent version of that. So violent, they end up coming scary-close to putting the people Charles has sworn to protect in comas — or, as we latter learn, in the grave.

    The performance is a tricky mix of comedic and heartwarming, haunted and heroic, and it’s one Stewart pulls off effortlessly.
    His best scene, and one of his last, occurs in the second act, after Logan has carried him to bed before embarking on a side mission with the farmer and father who has taken them in. Charles tells Logan something we’ve heard only in voiceover in the second trailer, which comes off even more powerful in the completed scene: “This is what life looks like… People who love each other. A home. You should take a moment. Feel it. You still have time…”

    Sadly, time runs out for Charles at the hands claws of a surprise assailant. (The reveal of which is better left for seeing in theaters). Yes, Xavier dies. Worse, he’s murdered. And even worse, he dies before he can get to the tranquil life on the ocean Logan’s been saving up and chasing down for him. Before he can see whether or not Logan takes his aforementioned poignant, haunting advice. This movie is dripping with tragedy, and only a pro like Stewart knows the exact amount to give that story so it can be told effectively — and emotionally.

    3. The R-Rated “Berserker” Action
    “SNIKT!” indeed. The shackles of PG-13 ratings are gone. In their place, lots of claws through the head and face.

    “Logan’s” hack and slash approach to action grows repetitive — you can only come up with so many new ways to stab skulls. At the same time, it’s done at times in a very minimalistic way — no wire-fu, like in previous “X-Men” films. It all builds to a mostly satisfying oner, with Wolverine going full “Berserker Rage” to deliver wants fans have waited nearly 20 years to see.

    4. X-23
    Laura (newcomer Dafne Keen) is to “Logan” what Eleven is to “Stranger Things.”

    Huge chunks of her screentime are spent silently observing and reacting to things, and Keen excels with her intentionally minimalist work. But the real revelation comes toward the film’s third act, when she finally speaks — and punches Logan in the face. Keen’s performance gets increasingly complex as the story demands X-23 shed some tears in battle, in a scene the gives the young actor a chance to (mostly) hold her own opposite a veteran like Jackman.

    5. Wolverine’s Last Stand
    The final fight, as refreshing as it is not taking place inside a factor or lair or involving a repeat of the crap that mired the ending of “The Wolverine,” it doesn’t quite pack the visceral or emotional payoff necessary to fully bring it home. Especially Wolverine’s death scene.

    I told you — there were spoilers. And yes, Canada’s most famous mutant export finally dies. He goes out not in a blaze of glory, or even with a chance to kill the one baddie our hero has a legit beef with. He dies realizing X-23, his daughter/clone, can go on being something different than the lab made her to be. All before spending one of his last breaths feeling what both that sense of family Charles spoke about and death — that which this almost-immortal mutant has spent a life immune to.
    As “it was just okay” as the climatic action beats are, these final moments spent with a dying Logan are, for the most part, a gut-punch. Their impact fades quicker than we had hoped, given the character’s legacy and popularity. But credit must be given to Mangold for ending his R-rated, big-budget Marvel movie on an emotional note. That takes balls to give the audience a lump in their throat as they leave the theater.

    An effort that hopefully sends them back in for a second viewing.

  • Final ‘Logan’ Trailer: Watch Wolverine Mentor a Tough Little Mutant

    Hugh Jackman is getting ready to hang up his Wolverine claws, but not without giving us “Logan.”

    20th Century Fox has dropped the final official trailer ahead of the film’s March release date. The preview gives us more of the titular mutant (Jackman); his mentor, Professor X (Patrick Stewart); and his new protégé, Laura (Dafne Keen). From what we’ve seen, it’s clear that the mini-mutant is going to be a badass. The trailer shows her holding her own in confrontations with men twice her size.

    The trailer doesn’t just appeal to action lovers, though. There are also poignant moments as Professor X copes with his age and Laura starts to pull on their heartstrings. We don’t want “Logan” to be Jackman’s last run as Wolverine, but at least he seems to be going out in style.

    Check out the final trailer. The green band version is below.

    If you don’t mind a little profanity, watch the red band version of the trailer below.

    “Logan” hits theaters on March 3.