ENTERTAINMENT

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has publicly turned down Vin Diesel‘s invitation to rejoin the Fast & Furious franchise. Diesel addressed Johnson directly in an Instagram post in November, asking him to return to the series for its 10th installment. “My little brother Dwayne… the time has come,” the actor wrote. “I say this out of love… but you must show up, do not leave the franchise idle you have a very important role to play.” In an interview with CNN published on Thursday, Johnson responded to the proposal firmly. “I was very surprised by Vin’s recent post,” he said. “This past June, when Vin and I actually connected not over social media, I told him directly — and privately — that I would not be returning to the franchise.” “I was firm yet cordial with my words and said that I woul...

The Matrix Resurrections producer James McTeigue has confirmed that there aren’t any plans for a new trilogy. Speaking to Collider in a recent interview, the filmmaker — who was also the assistant director to all three of The Matrix trilogy films — revealed that Resurrections had always intended to be a standalone experience. “We’ve got no prequel in mind. We’ve got no sequel in mind. We’ve got no further trilogy,” McTeigue explained when asked about future plans for the franchise. However, he also added that the premise of the film and the ending also leave room for further exploration. “I think the film also works where it’s really open to audience interpretation, like what happened in those 60 years before they fished Neo out again, or Thomas Anderson to Neo,” he added. “...

For fans of Japanese street racing manga/anime series Initial D, new leaks now reveal that the sequel MF Ghost is set to receive an anime adaptation. Also written and illustrated by Initial D creator Shuichi Shigeno, MF Ghost was first serialized in Kodansha‘s Weekly Young Magazine back in 2017. The sequel set in the 2020s, a time where self-driving electric cars have replaced internal combustion vehicles. The story chronicles Kanata Livington (Kanata Katagiri)’s place in Japan’s MFG competitive internal combustion car racing league, founded by Ryosuke Takahashi. It is interesting to note, Kanata is trained by Takumi Fujiwara at the Royal Donington Racing School in the United Kingdom and drives the spiritual successor to the AE86, Toyota 86. The leaks reveal a promotional image that notes ...

The first episode of The Book of Boba Fett has just premiered on Disney+, and now the platform has dropped a behind-the-scenes clip for fans while you wait for its second episode to hit. Following Temuera Morrison‘s reprisal of the infamous bounty hunter, the new clip shows how the original actor of Jango Fett in The Clone Wars returns to don the iconic Mandalorian armor. “What he brings to the performance of Boba is just awesome,” says director Dave Filoni, while Robert Rodriguez added that he “brings all sides of himself when he plays the character. I think the audience is going to be surprised just how likable this character is because of Tem.” Morrison himself reflected on coming back to the character after so many years. “It was an exciting comeback,” he remarked. “It’s wear...

In a slew of Tweets, Ice Cube recently revealed the real reason why Chris Tucker quit the Friday franchise. The 1995 film was dubbed as a cultural phenomenon and grossed over nine times its budget of $3 million USD. At the box office, it made over $27 million USD, which allowed the film to grow into a franchise with its subsequent releases of Next Friday, Friday After Next and others. However, the other sequels did not garner the best reviews, which some have attributed to the fact that Chris Tucker left the films. After rumors surfaced that Tucker’s departure was due to money, Ice Cube took to Twitter to set the facts straight. Faizon Love, who played Big Worm on Friday said that he turned down a role in the sequel because he only made $2,500 USD. Ice Cube argued, “I didn’t rob no f**kin ...

Zack Snyder has now offered fans a first glimpse at what’s to come for his upcoming Netflix sci-fi project Rebel Moon. Currently in its early stages of production, the new film will be helmed by Snyder himself, who co-wrote it alongside Army of the Dead‘s Shay Hatten and 300‘s Kurt Johnstad. The plot will center around Kingsman and The Mummy actress Sofia Boutella, who’ll portray a young woman from a planet facing invasion by a dire force — probably the ominous figures featured in the concept art above. To save her home, Boutella sets off on a journey to neighboring planets in hopes of seeking out warriors that can help protect her colony. According to Snyder, the film will feel very much like the Krypton scenes in Man of Steel “but on the biggest steroids I can gi...

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has now addressed his portrayal of Morpheus in The Matrix Resurrections, explaining that he wasn’t trying to re-create what Laurence Fishburne had done but instead pay homage to his work. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actor spoke about how he came to approach the character, which combines the past of The Matrix franchise with a new dimension. “Definitely playing a character and portraying Morpheus it was my job not to give a literal impersonation of Laurence Fishburne’s performance as Morpheus but to understand that history,” he explained. ”I was fortunate enough to play a character who was aware of the history of the Matrix but also growing into his own, he had sort of a growth and a rebirth to go through for his own self. To me I loo...

Despite many fans worrying about the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Avengers: Endgame, it’s now clear that the franchise is still going stronger than ever, with WandaVision taking over the throne from The Mandalorian to become 2021’s most pirated series according to TorrentFreak. The strange sitcom aside, Marvel titles on Disney+ have also taken five of the top six spots on the list, with the Scarlet Witch joined by Loki, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, What If…? and even Hawkeye, which only released its season finale last week. Check out the full list below: WandaVision (Disney+) Loki (Disney+) The Witcher (Netflix) The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Disney+) Hawkeye (Disney+) What If…? (Disney+) Foundation (App...

Yesterday marked what would’ve been comic book writing legend Stan Lee‘s 99th birthday, and Marvel fans from all across the globe have come to commemorate the pop culture icon on social media. Born on December 28, 1922, Lee built a stellar career at Marvel where he not only wrote but also edited, produced and published comic books for more than five decades. Along with the likes of Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he co-created an incredible amount of the most beloved superheroes to ever exist, spanning from Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor and Black Panther to Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Black Widow, Ant-Man, the Wasp, the Fantastic Four, and even the X-Men. Though he stepped away from his regular duties at Marvel in the ’90s, Lee remained a prominent figure in the comic book world, and mos...

Eternals director Chloé Zhao has divulged that her original ending to the Marvel Studios film was too “bleak” for the audiences. Zhao recently spoke to Empire about her directorial decisions for the film and how she felt about what the critics had to say about the film and the positive audience response. While the film garnered mixed reviews, it is safe to say that the film is unlike any other Marvel superhero film to date. When asked about whether or not the ending of the film was true to what Zhao expected, the director said, “No. I have never made a film where the ending is what I wrote! You find it in the edit. Editing is a third of the filmmaking process, and when you show it to people, that’s when you find the ending. I don’t think I’ve made a single film where the opening and ending...