IT Chapter Two: What We Know So Far

IT Chapter Two: What We Know So Far

SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains massive spoilers about Stephen King's novel, IT, as well as director Andres Muschietti's adaptation. If you have not read the book and/or haven't seen the movie, and don't wish to know details of the story, you may want to check out another one of our wonderful articles!

For years it was said that Stephen King's IT was an unfilmmable novel -- but director Andres Muschietti has proven that idea to be very wrong. While it's true that the entire story couldn't be crammed into just one movie, the filmmaker did an impressive job bringing to life half of the epic in his adaptation, and now audiences are hotly anticipating the follow-up, IT Chapter Two. And that's the project that we're here today to discuss.

IT has managed to become one of the most successful horror movies of all time, and, as such, the sequel has quickly started moving through development. But when will it come out? Who is going to be at the helm? What can we expect from the main characters? We'll dive into all of that and more below and on the next few pages, so read on and learn What We Know So Far about IT Chapter Two!

What Is IT Chapter Two's Release Date?

When IT was released in 2016, Warner Bros. had ideas about a sequel, but they also weren't confident enough in the possibility to carve out a release date for the project. That changed very fast when the the film had the biggest horror movie opening of all time, and now we know that IT Chapter Two will be hitting theaters everywhere on September 6, 2019.

Despite the many limitations of a fall release - specifically the fact that families around the country are busy getting their kids back to school - the first IT did spectacularly when it came out in September 2017, so it's very little surprise that Warner Bros. would go back to that well for the follow-up. As for why the turnaround is so fast, surely part of it is because the studio wants to capitalize on success as quickly as possible - but the other major issue is the cast of young stars who are growing older and more mature every day.

What Will IT Chapter Two Be Rated?

Andres Muschietti's IT may feature child actors in almost all of the main roles, but the film is hardly made for movie-goers of the stars' age set. Unlike the 1990 miniseries that had to be somewhat censored due to network television restrictions, the movie fully leans into the profanity and violence that is featured in the original novel, and the MPAA delivered it an R rating as a result. And, while we can't say with absolute certainty just yet what the final grade will be on IT Chapter Two, there is less than a one percent chance that it's anything other than R.

The reality is that the MPAA doesn't deliver ratings until a theatrical cut is put together and near ready to go to theaters, so it will be a while before anything is made official. That being said, Andres Muschietti was very clear with his intentions to make his version of IT an R-rated adaptation, and there is no reason to believe that there will be a change of heart in that department when the sequel gets made (especially because the R-rating proved to not be an issue when box office figures were collected).

What Will IT Chapter Two Be About?

As alluded to earlier, IT was an adaptation of only half of Stephen King's original novel. The book's narrative actually takes place across two different time periods: the late 1950s, when the main characters are children; and the mid-1980s, when the main characters are 40-year-old adults. Obviously the first film exclusively focused on the kids (changing the setting to 1989), but IT Chapter Two will be centered around the adults and take place in the year 2016.

The story will pick up 27 years after the first movie (in case you couldn't do that math yourself), and will find The Losers Club forced to reunite in Derry, Maine when they learn that It has returned and started a new killing spree. With the exception of Mike, who stayed behind in the town while everyone else left, all of the Losers completely forget about what happened to them as kids, and find their memories start to return when they get back to the haunted burb.

It should be noted that while IT took on a completely linear narrative, that will not be the case for IT Chapter Two. As noted earlier, it has been confirmed that the young stars of the first movie -- Jaeden Lieberher, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Chosen Jacobs, Wyatt Oleff, Jeremy Ray Taylor and Jack Dylan Glazer -- will all be back for the sequel, and will be featured in flashback sequences that reveal more about the nature of It and how the evil entity can be defeated.

Who Will Direct IT Chapter Two?

IT was a film that was notably in the works for a long time under writer/director Cary Fukunaga, but when that fell apart due to behind-the-scenes issues, Andres Muschietti was the director that Warner Bros. decided to call. It was a fairly risky proposition for the company, putting the brand in the hands of a filmmaker who had only made one movie - 2013's Mama - but Muschietti wound up absolutely killing it, and will be back at the wheel steering things for IT Chapter Two.

The Argentinian filmmaker has repeatedly talked about his vision for how IT Chapter Two would play out, going back to when the first movie was still in production, and given the box office numbers that IT put up it was impossible to believe that Warner Bros. would bring on anybody else to make the follow-up. Thankfully, they made the right call, and Andres Muschietti will be able to fully complete his vision of Stephen King's terrifying world.

Bill Denbrough

Stephen King really loves to write about writers (see: The Shining, Misery, Salem's Lot, The Dark Half, etc.) and IT is one of the many titles in that trend. Specifically, Bill Denbrough grows up to leave Derry and become a best-selling horror author -- one whose books have been repeatedly adapted for the movies (sound familiar?). He completely loses his stutter, and gets married to the beautiful actress Audra Phillips, who we eventually learn bears a striking resemblance to Beverly Marsh. When he learns that he is needed back in Derry to take on Pennywise again, his stutter returns, and he is forced to abandon the London set of a film for which he wrote the script, asking Audra to cover for him. She does, but also winds up following him to the United States, which results in grave consequences.

Bill is the true leader of The Losers Club and the one that all of the others look up to -- but he is hardly without his own personal demons. Into adulthood he remains ever haunted by what happened to his brother, Georgie, as he believes that it was his fault and that it completely tore his family apart. Subconsciously, his work stems from the trauma he experienced when his young sibling was killed by Pennywise, and it remains fodder for It when Bill returns to his hometown.

Actor Jaeden Lieberher went on the record saying that he wanted to see The Dark Knight star Christian Bale take on the challenging part of Bill Denbrough in IT Chapter Two, but the production has landed a different comic book movie star instead. The man who plays young Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films, James McAvoy, has been tapped to play the adult version of Stuttering Bill, making it the first time he's done a Stephen King adaptation. It isn't, however, the first time that he's had the chance to work with the new sequel's female lead...

Beverly Marsh

Played by Sophia Lillis, Beverly Marsh gets one of the few complete arcs among the members of The Losers Club in IT -- particularly in the realm of overcoming the advances of her horrible, abusive father. She also finally ignites the spark between herself and Bill Denbrough, giving him the kiss she's always wanted to deliver. Unfortunately it's in their last moment together before she moves out of town and they don't see one another for another 27 years.

Beverly Marsh winds up being a woman trapped, going from one abusive relationship to the next. In Stephen King's book, Beverly marries a man named Tom Rogan, who shares some vile traits with her father, and finds occasion to beat her with his belt when he believes she is disobeying him. Despite this, however, Beverly is living well, making a home in Chicago as a well-known fashion designer. It's noteworthy that she also never fully forgets Bill, as she happens to be a fan of his books while basically only remembering that they grew up together. Their shared spark returns after they reunite in Derry to stop the return of Pennywise.

There was a good amount of debate surrounding who should play adult Beverly in IT Chapter Two, with Amy Adams getting a lot of mention, but Sophia Lillis said that she wanted the part to be played by Jessica Chastain... and she actually got her wish. Chastain notably not only previously worked with Andres Muschietti on his directorial debut, Mama, but, as alluded to, has already worked a lot with star James McAvoy. Not only did they make X-Men: Dark Phoenix together, but also the trio of films known as The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby.

Mike Hanlon

Because they managed to escape the wretched, evil den that is Derry, Maine, six out of the seven members of The Losers Club go on to be immensely successful professionals -- but Mike Hanlon is the exception. As the group member with the deepest ties to the town, he designated himself as the Watchmen, and stayed behind in Derry to make sure that It would not come back following its defeat. Unfortunately, Mike discovers that the Losers were not able to completely kill the evil entity, and he winds up calling all of his former friends back so that they can take on Pennywise once again, as they promised they would.

While a good chunk of Mike's role within the group was taken by Ben in Andres Muschietti's IT (as he is really meant to be the future historian of the seven kids), it has been confirmed that Mike will be the one to stay behind in Derry in IT Chapter Two, and will age rather horribly as a result. What's more, the director has said that his vision of adult Mike will be a librarian who is also a functioning heroin addict, using the drugs to help him deal with the suppressive evil of the town.

Chosen Jacobs, who plays young Mike in IT, has said that he would love to see Chadwick Boseman be the actor to take on the seriously dark role, but it would appear that Boseman, perhaps, is a bit too busy in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Instead, the role of adult Mike Hanlon will be played by Isaiah Mustafa, who is probably best known for his time as the Old Spice spokesperson, but has recently been starring on the television series Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments for three seasons.

Ben Hanscom

Outside of his love for Beverly Marsh and the music of New Kids On The Block, Ben Hanscom is portrayed as an immensely smart young man by Jeremy Ray Taylor in IT, and should IT Chapter Two follow Stephen King's book he will wind up going into a very profitable field. Andres Muschietti doesn't really showcase any of Ben's impressive engineering prowess in the movie, but the version of the character from the novel grows up to be one of the world's best known architects, living in Nebraska. He's single and unattached when he gets the call from Mike that he is needed back in Derry for a second round with It, but he is nonetheless stressed out -- featured in a sequence where he downs a full stein of Wild Turkey in the span of a few minutes.

One significant change that Ben goes through on his way to adulthood is that he also becomes impressively fit. While he is notoriously singled out as the "fat kid" among the members of The Losers Club, an encounter with some bullies and a horrible gym teacher during his teen years inspires him to totally change, lose weight, and become the fastest kid in his school. I'll say it now: it would be crazy if this story were not included in IT Chapter Two.

It was the story of impressive weight loss that may have inspired Jeremy Ray Taylor to choose Chris Pratt for the role of adult Ben Hanscom, as the actor famously got in great shape so that he could be in fighting form to star in Guardians of the Galaxy, but the stars didn't align on that one. Instead, the part has gone to Kiwi actor Jay Ryan - who is probably the least-known actor among the adults in the ensemble. His work on the big screen has been limited, but has has done a lot of television work, including the CW's Beauty and the Beast and Top of the Lake.

Richie Tozier

Finn Wolfhard's interpretation of Richie Tozier isn't exactly like the character in the book, as he doesn't really do as many ridiculous "Voices" -- but what they definitely do share in common is foul minds and motor mouths. He is definitely the funniest member of The Losers Club, but he also has a spectacular knack for getting people pissed off at him. All the same, his sense of humor winds up taking him far in the novel, as he becomes a member of the entertainment industry living in Los Angeles.

The adult version of Richie Tozier in the 1990 miniseries, played by Harry Anderson, was portrayed as a TV host, but Stephen King's character is a successful DJ who bails on an interview with Clarence Clemons of The E Street Band so that he can fly back to Maine and reunite with his childhood friends. They are both delighted and dismayed to discover that his sense of humor has not dissipated with age.

Making what many have argued is a rather perfect choice, Finn Wolfhard suggested that Bill Hader should be given the part of Richie in IT Chapter Two - and like the case with Jessica Chastain, the filmmakers simply couldn't make a better choice themselves. Hader will indeed play adult Richie Tozier in the sequel, getting to play more serious drama like he does on his HBO series Barry and like he did in the movie The Skeleton Twins.

Eddie Kaspbrak

Adult Eddie Kaspbrak actually winds up sharing a lot in common with adult Beverly Marsh in Stephen King's IT, as while both do very well in their respective business fields, their lives are also anchored by memories of their terrible parents. While Tom Rogan is a reflection of Beverly's horribly abusive dad, Eddie winds up marrying a woman exactly like his mom: overweight, overprotective, and regularly trying to stifle her husband's life.

Things in the story could certainly change in IT Chapter Two (the 1990 miniseries had Eddie still living with his mom), but the Stephen King-written version lives in Chicago and operates an oddly well-performing car service (he forces his wife to take a gig with Al Pacino so that he can leave for Derry). It is perhaps because the memory of his mother still lingers in his wife that he remains dependent on his aspirator, despite being told as a child that it is just a placebo.

Jack Dylan Grazer picked Jake Gyllenhaal as the actor he wanted to see play adult Eddie, which would have been great, but instead IT Chapter Two has signed popular character actor James Ransone for the part. While you may not know his name, you probably know his face, as he's been consistently working in the industry for nearly 20 years now. One of his first gigs was as Chester 'Ziggy' Sobotka on The Wire, but more recently he's appeared in both Sinister movies, and the Amazon television series Bosch.

Stan Uris

While Mike Hanlon places six calls to the members of The Losers Club in Stephen King's novel, only five of them actually make their way to Derry, Maine. This is because Stan Uris -- a successful accountant living in Atlanta, Georgia -- decides not to go and make good on the promise that he made to his friends as a kid. Instead, much to his wife's surprise, Stan responded to the phone call by going to the second floor bathroom of his house, running a bath, and killing himself by slitting his wrists with a razor. Before he dies, he uses his blood to write the word "IT" on the bathroom wall. Bill and Mike ultimately blame the entity for Stan's fate, but it's never entirely confirmed what happened.

The description of Stan's death is featured only a few chapters into IT, so it will be interesting to see how his role will be handled in IT Chapter Two. Could the sequel pull a bait and switch on book fans and have a different character take the fate of Stan? If not, an adult version of him could also be used by Pennywise to haunt the living Losers, which would make the role at least a little more substantial.

Wyatt Oleff, who brought Stan to life in IT, interestingly played a kid version of a Chris Pratt character as young Peter Quill in Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but the actor instead told us that he wants to see the part of adult Stan go to Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Given the size of the role, that was probably never going to happen, and instead the part has gone to Andy Bean - a relative newcomer whose parts include a recurring role on the show Power, and an unnamed lawyer in Transformers: The Last Knight.

Pennywise The Dancing Clown a.k.a. It

Actor Bill Skarsgard did a tremendous job bringing Pennywise The Dancing Clown to life in IT -- sporting a very different look than the Tim Curry version and inspiring new nightmares all the same. At the end of the film he was obviously defeated by The Losers Club, given a nice beating in his physical form and forced to hibernate early down in the drains of Derry -- but he will be back with a new spirit of vengeance in IT Chapter Two.

Certain elements of It were left out of the children side of the story, including all mentions of the entity's moral counterbalance, The Turtle, but Andres Muschietti has spoken about getting more into the existence of It and its nature in the upcoming sequel. This could lead the blockbuster into some truly trippy areas, so we can't wait to see how the filmmaker goes about portraying It's true form, the deadlights, and the macroverse.

Henry Bowers

IT a.k.a. Pennywise is unquestionably the primary antagonist in Andres Muschietti and Stephen King's IT, but Henry Bowers (played by Nicholas Hamilton) does repeatedly do his part to totally fuck with The Losers Club's individual lives. A violent bully raised by an abusive father, he takes immense pleasure in making the lives of Bill, Beverly, Ben, Mike, Stan, Eddie and Richie hell, and becomes a useful tool of It as a result. Of course, this doesn't end too well for him in the movie, as after killing his father he falls down a long well in the basement of the Neibolt House following a showdown with Mike.

Assuming that Henry survived this fall, Stephen King's book suggests things won't go well for him as an adult in IT Chapter Two. Rather than becoming a fully-functioning member of society, he instead winds up spending most of his adult life in Juniper Hills Asylum -- a home for the criminally insane. It is with the help of It, who speaks to Henry through the moon, that he escapes this institution and makes his way back to Derry to get his revenge on his old school chums. In addition to featuring the return of Nicholas Hamilton, the upcoming movie has cast actor Teach Grant as adult Henry Bowers, and hopefully he'll have what it takes to scare the crap out of audiences

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Marvel Boss 'Heartbroken' About Black Panther's Oscar Loss

Marvel Boss 'Heartbroken' About Black Panther's Oscar Loss

A decade after the injustice of The Dark Knight’s Best Picture snub, a superhero movie was finally nominated for the Academy Awards’ highest honor. That film was Marvel Studios’ Black Panther, a box office behemoth and cultural phenomenon that went on to collect three golden statues, but missed out on Best Picture. That was a disappointment to many, including Avi Arad, the former Marvel Studios CEO and Chairman and longtime Marvel producer. Speaking about Black Panther’s Oscar loss, Avi Arad said:

I was heartbroken that Black Panther didn’t get the Academy. It could have, but you know, [the voters] they always looked at superheroes like it was a ‘Yabba dabba doo’ kind of a thing versus something that mattered or something that was going to last.

Despite no longer being with Marvel Studios, Avi Arad was still rooting for Black Panther to get the win for Best Picture at the 2019 Academy Awards, so much so that he was heartbroken when the statue went to Green Book instead. Avi Arad clearly believed that Black Panther was deserving of the award, but as he told Deadline, he thinks that Academy voters still look at superheroes as some Fred Flintstone silliness that is beneath more traditional Oscar films.

That Academy bias against from superhero movies is well established, but the tide has slowly begun to turn, especially after The Dark Knight, with movies like Logan earning an Oscar nomination and Black Panther’s 7 nominations. Nevertheless, Avi Arad still seems to believe that some voters feel that superhero movies don’t matter and won’t stand the test of time.

You can certainly understand Avi Arad’s investment in comic book movies and desire to see them not only succeed, but also be recognized as art with value that is deserving of the kind of recognition that films considered more highbrow receive. Avi Arad has been working on Marvel projects for decades and believes in the brand.

Avi Arad was an executive producer on the beloved 90s X-Men animated series, and the 2000 X-Men film that began the comic book movie age. He’s had his hands in the genre’s highs like Spider-Man 2 and its lows like Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer. It must mean a lot to him to see the genre come so far, and it makes sense that he would want it to finally attain the respect and legitimacy that a Best Picture win rightfully or wrongly confers.

Alas, Black Panther did not win Best Picture, but it did win three other Oscars: Best Costume Design, Best Original Score and Best Production Design. Avi Arad wanted it to win more, but Best Picture was always a long shot and it is certainly a trend in the right direction. And he is far from the only one who is disappointed with how Best Picture turned out.

The night wasn’t a total loss though, far from it. Through his Avi Arad Productions, Avi Arad was a producer on Sony’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which took home the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

The next Marvel film Avi Arad is a producer on is this summer’s Spider-Man: Far From Home, continuing the producer’s long tenure with the web-slinger. Far From Home hits theaters on July 5. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all the biggest movies coming your way this year.

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Sylvester Stallone Shares Gritty Video From Rambo V: Last Blood Set

Sylvester Stallone Shares Gritty Video From Rambo V: Last Blood Set

Like fellow action stars Vin Diesel and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Sylvester Stallone is quite generous with giving his fans behind-the-scenes looks at his movies and showing some of the magic that made them possible. Later this year, the actor returns to his iconic character John Rambo one final time in Rambo V: Last Blood. While we have yet to see a trailer for the movie, Sly has shared a gritty video from the set on social media. Check it out:

We are used to seeing the final product where Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo dispatches bad guys with ruthless brutality, but this video shows how those kinds of scenes are set up. Sylvester Stallone is rehearsing the choreography of the scene, what motions he has to perform and what marks he has to hit. It looks like a lot of fun too, other than the fact that the environment he is in looks rather unpleasant.

As Sylvester Stallone said in the caption on his Instagram, they are underground in a dusty cave where it is hard to breathe. You can clearly see what he’s talking about in the video and it’s an environment that surely adds another level of difficulty to the physical action that he has to perform in the scene.

As for the scene itself, it finds Sly’s Rambo emptying and dropping a shotgun that one imagines he has already used on someone. He then grabs a spear to kill someone on the other side of the wall. The part at the end is the best though, where Rambo dives and gets ready to cut the leg off some poor fool who dared to be on the wrong side of things.

It’s some classically awesome Rambo savagery. Dobby from the Harry Potter stories didn’t mean to kill, only to maim or seriously injure, but Rambo, Rambo means to do all three. He’s a warrior who is just as deadly with modern firearms as he is with hunter-gatherer and early weapons like bow and arrows and spears.

We don’t know the context this scene takes place in during Rambo V: Last Blood, but we know enough about the story to take some guesses. The film sees Rambo living on a ranch when his housekeeper’s granddaughter, who is like a surrogate daughter to him, goes missing in Mexico while searching for her father. It turns out she was kidnapped by a dangerous drug cartel and Rambo goes on a path of vengeance to rescue her.

So maybe this scene takes place in some sort of underground drug tunnel that the cartel uses or is some kind of hideout Rambo must infiltrate in his pursuit of Yvette Monreal’s Gabriella and the deaths of those who kidnapped her. Maybe we’ll get a look at this scene when the first trailer drops, which should hopefully not be that far off.

Rambo V: Last Blood opens in theaters on September 20. Before that there’s plenty still to look forward to this summer, check it all out in our 2019 Release Schedule.

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Sean Gunn Is Down To Join James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad

Sean Gunn Is Down To Join James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad

The Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase Three has been a massive success, as every single blockbuster has been a critical and box office hit. But there has been some controversy, namely James Gunn's departure from the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Disney parted ways with Gunn over controversial tweets from a decade ago, and Guardians 3 was put on indefinite hold. But the director has already found his next project, pivoting to DC for The Suicide Squad.

James Gunn has a list of frequent collaborators, including Michael Rooker and his brother Sean Gunn. Sean Gunn plays Kraglin in the Guardians franchise, while also doing the motion capture acting for Bradley Cooper's Rocket Raccoon. So could he also have a role in The Suicide Squad? It seems he'd be down to join the developing project, recently saying:

It's interesting to me as an artist. It's even more interesting as a brother. My brother and I have worked together in many capacities, since we were kids. If he wants me to do something, I will do it.

Well, that's going to make fans of the Gunn brothers very happy. While there doesn't seem to be any concrete plans to include Sean Gunn in The Suicide Squad, the Gilmore Girls alum is down to join the project if his director brother needs him.

Sean Gunn's willingness to join The Suicide Squad is very exciting, although it seems that the villain-centric DC blockbuster is still in the early stages of development. Being related to the writer/director would presumably grant Sean with access to early information, including information regarding a possible role. News about James Gunn's involvement and new vision have only begun trickling out, so smart money says its too early to nail down something like a part for his brother.

In his same conversation with The Hollywood Reporter at the Captain Marvel premiere, Sean Gunn also explained how James Gunn puts the narrative first, so he won't be included in The Suicide Squad unless it makes sense. He said:

But one of the things I respect most about him is that he's a storyteller first and foremost. So he's not going to try to cram me in there if I don't belong. If he has a part for me, I'd be happy to go do it, but we also have our separate careers and I'm doing my own thing as well, so we'll just see what happens there.

Sean Gunn may be a frequent collaborator with his brother James, but that doesn't mean the filmmaker will put him in a project for no reason. There has to be a character that fits and properly moves the story forward. But they've clearly got a great working relationship, as Sean Gunn has appeared in the following projects by James Gunn: The Specials, Super, The Belko Experiment, and the first two Guardians of the Galaxy movies.

While it's unclear if Kraglin will appear, Sean Gunn's contributions as the on set Rocket will be seen onscreen when Avengers: Endgame arrives in theaters on April 26th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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Why It's OK If You Can't See Avengers: Endgame Opening Night

Why It's OK If You Can't See Avengers: Endgame Opening Night

Tickets to Avengers: Endgame's opening weekend are selling in record numbers, and those who are trying to get a ticket to the big night at this stage in the game will have to pay quite a hefty price. Some may not even be that lucky and will be forced to sit at home Thursday night in sadness while their friends and family scuttle off to the cinema to watch the three hour and two minute-long conclusion to the MCU's Phase 3.

It's a sad feeling, although those who weren't able to snag a ticket to their local theater shouldn't be discouraged in the slightest. Believe it or not, missing out on a debut showing of a highly anticipated film isn't the end of the world. In fact, there's an argument to be made that skipping out on opening night and midnight showings may be a better option, especially when compared to other available options.

Bottom line, it's ok if you can't see Avengers: Endgame on Thursday, and I've got a bunch of reasons why I'm not upset about missing out in the slightest.

First, let's start with the fact that no movie, even one as highly anticipated as Avengers: Endgame, is worth the finders fee folks are charging online. Online resale value has some asking hundreds of dollars for their tickets, and others swinging for the fences with their asking price in the thousands. Others are less extreme and want a more reasonable $50, which may be a price some with the cash may be willing to spend.

Let's make one thing clear: paying a premium to see Avengers: Endgame on opening weekend may not be the best decision. For starters, theaters are in the business of making money, and if tickets continue to sell at the rate they are going, odds are more screenings will be made available for more people to attend. It seems theaters aren't just going to throw up their hands and say no to more money.

Plus, the thought of paying anything more than general admission for an opening night showing of a blockbuster movie is atrocious given past experiences. It's taken nearly 30 years and dozens of screenings to come to this realization, but midnight and first-day screenings are among the worst screenings one can attend.

Sure, it's easy to get caught up in the fun. Everyone is excited they're among the first to see a movie, there might be people there dressed as characters in the film and everyone is riding high on the emotion that their long wait is finally over. It's an intoxicating feeling, but it comes with its downsides. As others may attest to, when it comes to midnight screenings, the common courtesy of average filmgoing tends to go out the window.

The biggest common occurrence is applause. Audiences will break out in applause for the opening credits, any major character's first appearance and whatever else may come along the way. While that's fine for a live performance, characters in films don't hold for applause before delivering the next line. While the person next to you is clapping hands together like a keyed-up circus seal, you might be missing a meaningful line that can't be heard until the next time you see it.

Laughter is another big one, and another thing that occurs often and in excessive amounts at big-ticket Marvel releases. It's understandable since Marvel films can be humorous, and by no means am I trying to shame folks for laughing during the movie. People are free to enjoy the movie they paid for however they like, but for those who want to hear dialogue, extended audience laugh breaks are another thing that gets in the way of that.

There's also heckling, which may not occur in every first-day screening I've attended, but it definitely seems to happen quite a lot. Again, it makes sense, especially when the folks most excited and passionate about the Marvel universe will be amongst the few willing to do "whatever it takes" to secure those first showings.

Some of these people are the same folks who want a pleasant theater going experience, and some of those are the type who screamed at the screen in panic "WHAT'S HAPPENING?" when Leia got sucked out into space during Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Again, these types of theater outbursts aren't exclusive to opening night screenings, but there definitely feels like there's more of it.

Let's remember on top of all of the above that the run time for Avengers: Endgame is a little over three hours long. Even in the most ideal of circumstances, there's going to be more than a few tired eyes during the late showings as the film reaches its most pivotal moments. Falling asleep or missing some key moments due to nodding off is not ideal.

With all of that said, I do understand and respect the urgency of seeing Avengers: Endgame as quickly as possible. It only takes one errant headline, actor or one over-enthusiastic friend to ruin a major plot point, and learning it before viewing can drastically lessen the moviegoing experience. So, how does someone who doesn't wish to be spoiled still get a chance to see one of the first showings free from distractions or fatigue?

Two words, "matinee showing." If you're someone not bound to the restrictions of a 9-5 job, or someone with some vacation time to burn, buy a ticket for an early showing on Friday. You'll get a relatively empty theater, plenty of rest and perhaps even a discounted ticket price for going at an odd hour. It's literally the perfect solution, especially for those who may be considering calling in Friday anyway to recover from the night before.

And if Friday is absolutely out of the question, Saturday and Sunday morning screenings are likely just as available. So there's no need to panic about ticket sales, or the fact that you may not see Avengers: Endgame on opening day. There's still plenty of time to make another game plan for a showing, so get a strategy together and create an experience that, in my opinion, is far more optimal than the typical "midnight screening" experience.

Avengers: Endgame is in many theaters Thursday, April 25, but again, audiences will be able to see it any day following for quite a while. Keep with CinemaBlend before and after the premiere for more updates on Marvel, analysis on the film and where the studio is headed in Phase 4. For more on Avengers: Endgame, and how to prepare for it, check out the two films the Russo brothers said fans should watch before the premiere.

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Avatar 2: What We Know So Far

Avatar 2: What We Know So Far

Over the last 10 years we've seen countless major movie franchises come and go, but few have had the global appeal of James Cameron's Avatar. Released in December 2009, the film continues to hold the record as the highest-grossing movie of all time, pulling in $2.782 billion worldwide and while that record may be about to fall, the strength of Avatar should not be overlooked. We have been patiently waiting for sequels to arrive ever since, and while the filmmaking team behind the franchise has been taking its time, they have some absolutely gigantic plans for the future.

Avatar 2 and its several other sequels have been in development for years and while it has looked a time or two like the movies might never actually happen, the second and third Avatar sequels are actually in production now, so baring massive disaster, they at least will happen. Here's everything we know about Avatar 2 so far.

What Is The Avatar 2 Release Date?

Avatar 2 was originally set for release back in 2015, but one delay after another set in, which pushed the date back again and again. The movie was always slated for a Christmas release, but what year that would happen was never very clear. Finally, release dates for not just Avatar 2, but all the sequels were set, with the first movie coming in 2020 and it seemed like that date might stick. However, one additional delay was announced when Disney set its first release calendar following the Fox merger. Avatar 2 is now set to open December 17, 2021.

What Is The Avatar 2 Rating?

Films with major blockbuster potential like Avatar 2 usually want to get as many butts into those theater seats as possible. So, while there's been no word on the actual story of the sequel, it's unlikely that it will drift into Rated R territory. We should also note that the original film received a PG-13 rating, and it's a good bet that Avatar 2, and the three sequels planned after it, will attempt to stick with the same rating.

The Director

The first Avatar was truly a passion project for James Cameron, as the filmmaker spent years and years developing both the script and the technological advancements that needed to be made. So, you didn't really expect him to hand off the sequels to someone else, did you? Cameron will be coming back for not just Avatar 2, but for 3, 4 and 5 as well.

He has some big plans for the technological side of things, and has talked about both filming at higher frame rates using performance capture underwater. You can be sure that Avatar 2 will push the boundaries of what can be accomplished in modern filmmaking. Cameron wants to show that the first film's success was not a fluke. The director is certainly not expecting success to come automatically to the Avatar sequels simply because the first one did well.

What's Avatar 2 Called?

Officially, Avatar 2 has no title beyond simply that, Avatar 2. A collection of potential subtitles were leaked that appeared to give the next movie the title Avatar: The Way of Water. James Cameron later confirmed that the leaked titles were potential names for the film, but he claimed nothing has been decided on yet.

The Script

James Cameron was the lone credited screenwriter on the first Avatar movie, but for the four sequels he has brought in a full team of collaborators who have helped him break down all upcoming chapters of the franchise. Josh Friedman, who penned Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds remake and was one of the key people behind the television series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, was the first one to sign on.

Then, he was followed by Rise of the Planet of the Apes veterans Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, and Armageddon's Shane Salerno, all of whom will be working side-by-side with Cameron. Major plot details haven't been revealed yet, but the director has said that the sequels will introduce "whole new worlds, habitats, and cultures," which very well could mean that we will get to meet some different kinds of intelligent alien species.

While the Avatar sequels were written as one large, ever expanding beast, and are being largely filmed together, we're being told that each of the upcoming films, including Avatar 2, are being created as standalone films, rather than being four parts of a larger story.

With so many details about Avatar 2 and the other sequels still scarce, we recently got an update on the content of those films from James Cameron. While speaking about Toruk, the Cirque du Soleil Avatar prequel, Cameron spilled the beans on a major theme for the planned films: family.

The storyline in the sequels really follows Jake and Neytiri and their children. It's more of a family saga about the struggle with the humans.

The one thing we do know about Avatar 2 is that the story will be focused around the oceans of the planet Pandora, and what details we have about new characters would appear to confirm that much.

Jake Sully

This will come as a surprise to absolutely nobody, but the main character of Avatar might be coming back for the franchise's sequels. Sam Worthington, who has spent the years since his breakout role in the original sci-fi blockbuster starring in movies like Clash of the Titans, Man on a Ledge and Sabotage, had signed a deal that would have seen him playing human-turned-Na'vi Jake Sully for the foreseeable future.

The Aussie actor was even the first to reveal the production start date in November 2013, saying, "I'll be grateful if it finishes. I think Jim is building the ship to Pandora, to be honest." But, now that we know the Avatar sequels will each tell different stories that simply form a complete saga, it's unclear if there will even be a role for Worthington in any of the planned films. Of course, production didn't start anywhere near November 2013, and has, in fact, still not begun to any significant degree, so casting on any of the sequels could change at any time.

Neytiri

If Jake Sully comes back, you know that his alien lady love would come back as well, and that had been the case. Like Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana had confirmed that she would be back as Neytiri in Avatar 2, 3, 4 and 5. The actress talked a bit about what she had seen from the production, and even admitted that she and James Cameron got very emotional discussing the story that was then supposed to play out over the next few years.

But, with Saldana becoming a queen of the sci-fi genre in her own right since the release of Avatar, taking part in not just the new Star Trek films, but also Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy, along with the fact that the Avatar sequels have yet to begun production in earnest, it's no longer a guarantee that she'll be involved in a major way. As with most of what's been happening with the Avatar franchise, we'll have to wait and see.

Dr. Grace Augustine

Many of you will probably remember that Dr. Grace Augustine (played by Sigourney Weaver) actually died in her Avatar form in the last movie, but, apparently, the original plan for Avatar 2 was not going to stop her from appearing in the sequel. Less than three months after Avatar's release in 2009, it was confirmed that Dr. Augustine has a place in Avatar 2. In October 2010, James Cameron explained the character's survival by saying "Nobody dies in a science fiction movie," but the real reason will presumably be revealed in the sequel, if Weaver's character will still be involved.

What we do know is that whatever form Weaver takes in Avatar 2 will be evolving over time. A few years ago she said that her part is a little bit different in each sequel and that she'll "transform somewhat" between them. However, it's possible her character has been transforming even within the script writing process. Even more recently, Weaver has said she's not actually playing the same character in the sequels as she did in the original. So, maybe Grace Augustine is dead after all, even though Sigourney Weaver will be back. It's hard to say for sure at this point.

Colonel Miles Quaritch

Remember that quote about nobody really dying in a science-fiction movie? Well, that rule apparently applies to Stephen Lang's Colonel Miles Quaritch, who we last saw getting two arrows through the chest courtesy of Neytiri. While audiences may have assumed that the villain had passed on, it turns out that's not the case. Described as the "Darth Vader" of the franchise, our last information on Quaritch said that he was going to continue to be an antagonistic force in all upcoming Avatar sequels. James Cameron has said that he has a very interesting and unexpected arc through the movies, so he's definitely a character to keep an eye on.

Other Returning Characters

In addition to these major returning characters, several other actors will be returning to the world of Pandora for Avatar 2, if not every sequel that comes after. Dileep Rao played Dr. Max Patel, one of the scientists on the Avatar program who comes to the aid of Jake Sully. Joel David Moore will be back in the role of Norm Spellman, another friend of Sully's, and the only human allowed to remain on Pandora after the rest of humanity is booted out at the end of the first film.

CCH Pounder will be back as Mo'at, the spiritual leader of the Na'vi. Also, Matt Gerald will be back as Corporal Lyle Wainfleet, which makes him no less than the third actor who will return for Avatar 2 despite the fact that the character died in the first movie.

The Children

The bulk of the new actors joining the cast of Avatar 2 are actually quite young. We know that the story will focus largely on the children of Jake Sully and Neytiri, as many years will have passed between the events of the first two Avatar movies. Jamie Flatters will play the oldest child of the two characters, a boy named Neteyam. Britain Dalton will play middle child Lo'ak. Youngest child, and only daughter Tuktirey will be played by the young Trinity Bliss..

There is a single confirmed human character being played by a child actor, Jack Champion will appear in the role of Javier 'Spider' Socorro. He was born at Hell's Gate, the former human colony, but prefers spending his time exploring Pandora.

Avatar 2 will also introduce us to an entirely new civilization of Pandora, the ocean-based Metkayina. Three major young roles have been cast from this group. Filip Geljo will play Aonung, the son of the Metkayina clan leader. Bailey Bass will play the role of Tsireya, a character described as a graceful and strong free diver. Finally, Duane Evans Jr. will play a character named Roxto.

Other New Characters

There are plenty of new grown up characters joining the cast of Avatar 2. The biggest addition to the cast is James Cameron's leading lady from Titanic Kate Winslet. She'll play a character named Ronal, but beyond a name we don't know much about her. Based on the fact that Winslet was holding her breath for seven minutes at a time during production, it leads one to believe she'll be playing one of the reef people of Pandora.

Other new actors joining the Avatar franchise include Fear the Walking Dead's Cliff Curtis as Tonowari, the chief of the reef people. Oona Chaplain will play Varang, who sounds like another Na'vi, but we don't really no for sure. Most recently, Jemaine Clement has joined the cast as one of the few confirmed new human characters, a marine biologist named Dr. Ian Garvin

New Technologies

James Cameron is known for his love of technology. He seems to always be looking for new ways to use the newest techniques to do something unique in his movies. His use of 3D in Avatar is one of the main reasons that the technology is still used today and his work on motion capture, especially with faces, was a big part of what Cameron used to sell Avatar to both the studio and the public.

But that was 2009, what has James Cameron been up to lately? Avatar producer Jon Landau has spoken with a man named Douglas Trumbull about a new film process that combines 4K resolution, 3D and high frame rates (up to 120 per second) into one package. This sounds like a match made in heaven for James Cameron. He's a big proponent of both 3D and HFR so it would be far from surprising if this tech was adopted for this, or future Avatar sequels.

Because 3D essentially requires two frames in order to create it, getting 3D and a high frame rate at the same time is difficult, add in four thousand lines of resolution and the math gets even more complicated. All these things together, however, could bring Pandora to life like never before.

Speaking of 3D technology, it's possible that the most challenging aspect of these new films will be Cameron's desire to use a 3D process that, wait for it, doesn't require the audience to wear special glasses while watching the movies. That technology is currently available, but the difficulty lies in utilizing it on a large screen meant for more than one viewer, and with people sitting at a wide variety of angles and distances from that screen.

In theory, scaling up a glasses-free 3D image should be possible, but it hasn't been done at this point, and the cost of the process isn't commercially viable yet. Of course, with all the delays that have already occurred with the Avatar sequels, it's not impossible that James Cameron's films could be delayed long enough for production and the tech to catch up to one another.

Future Sequels

Following Avatar 2 there will be at least three more movies. Avatar 3 is filming concurrently with Avatar 2, and is scheduled for a December 2023 release. Originally, the plan was to wait to film the other two movies until after Avatar 3 had been released. However, all that was before Disney purchased 21st Century Fox.

The latter two movies had not been officially given the green light by Disney at that point. but Avatar 4 and 5 are now on the official Disney release calendar and set for December 2025 and 2027 respectively. Based on how long these movies take to make, it seems likely the latter two films will be going into production earlier than previously planned.

Now, with so many delays behind this franchise already, you might be wondering if the current sequel schedule is now firmly set in stone. Well, not quite. James Cameron's high standards rule where this is concerned, and, to his mind, the important thing is doing the films right instead of simply doing them quickly. When asked a while back if the December 2018 release date for Avatar 2 was still correct, Cameron said:

We haven't moved that target yet, but we will if we need to. The important thing for me is not when the first one comes out but the cadence of the release pattern. I want them to be released as close together as possible. If it's an annual appointment to show up at Christmas, I want to make sure that we're able to fulfill on that promise.

So, it looks like, aside from some much appreciated perfectionism, Cameron is also concerned with the release pattern of all the sequels. He doesn't want Avatar 2 to be released and then end up having an unexpected delay for Avatar 3 or for one of the other films to stop the flow of Avatar goodness into theaters for the next few years. This likely means that all films will have to be pretty near to completion before we get to see Avatar 2 in theaters.

As always, stay tuned to CinemaBlend and we'll keep you up to date on all the latest in the Avatar 2 production saga.

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Avengers: Endgame’s Rotten Tomatoes Score Is Super High, Because Of Course

Avengers: Endgame’s Rotten Tomatoes Score Is Super High, Because Of Course

Avengers Endgame is the culmination of over 10 years and almost two dozen films. It's an epic by any definition of the word. However, as it turns out, it's also a really good movie. The movie hasn't even hit the general public yet, but review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes has already certified the movie as "Fresh" as, with over 120 reviews counted, Endgame has an impressive 97% positive score.

For the record, that breaks down to 117 positive reviews, and four negative ones. The average rating comes out to 8.23 out of 10, making the movie about a B/B- which is pretty damn good all things considered. While all the reviews might not be totally perfect scores, they are overwhelmingly positive.

Of course, CinemaBlend's own review, which is counted among those Rotten Tomatoes scores, is overwhelmingly positive. Our own Eric Eisenberg game the film a perfect five star review, calling the film "one of the most ambitious, entertaining, emotional, and stunning blockbusters we’ve ever seen."

If you're curious, Avengers: Infinity War ended up with an 85% positive score on Rotten Tomatoes, though it ended up with almost four times the number of reviews that Endgame currently has, so we'll have to wait and see if it can hold this number after even more people publish their reviews going into opening weekend.

The 97% score currently ties Endgame with Black Panther as the highest rated Marvel Cinematic Universe so far. The MCU has always done pretty well with critics. Only two of the 22 films have scores below the "Certified Fresh" threshold, and both Thor: The Dark World and The Incredible Hulk still ended up with two-thirds of reviews being more positive than negative.

Rotten Tomatoes is given a lot of credit for swaying public opinion when it comes to films. A bad score on the site is frequently blamed for movies performing poorly at the box office. Exactly how much that matters is a topic of debate. There are, however, many movies that are viewed as "critic proof" films with enough fan interest that they were going to be successful regardless of what critics thought. Avengers: Endgame is almost certainly one of those movies.

Avengers: Infinity War became one of the high grossing films of all-time and the fans who went to that movie, never mind the other 20 Marvel Cinematic Universe films, are going to show up this weekend to see how it all ends. Even if the reviews had not been stellar, that was going to be the case. The positive notices are just icing on the cake.

At the end of the day, critics are still just people watching a movie, and those people seemed to really like it. Tomorrow, even more people will begin to see the film and we'll see what the real response to Avengers:Endgame actually is.

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