Movies

“Fast X” Trailer Hits Impressive Numbers In Its First 72 Hours

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The release of Fast X is just over three months away. Universal has accelerated and hit the gas on unveiling the film’s trailer to television for the Super Bowl. The highly-anticipated trailer scored 295 million global views within the first 72 hours of its release. A source with connections to Universal confirmed the statistics to Variety. Universal counted views across many social media platforms. Instagram held roughly 30% of the trailer’s total views. Coming in second place was TikTok, where 25% of the trailer’s views came from. Facebook came in third place with 22% of views, and Youtube came in fourth place with 18%. Additionally, Twitter held only 6% of views on the trailer, but “Fast X” was the top trending topic on Twitter in the United States immediately following the trailer’s release.

As far as promotional events go, Universal held multiple events celebrating the release of the trailer’s film footage. The studio hosted a launch event for the trailer on February 9, 2023. The event took place in downtown Los Angeles and featured appearances from the franchise. Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges and Sung Kang, and director Louis Leterrier were all in attendance. Interestingly, the majority of views for the trailer came from international territories. Connected with this, Universal held fan events in Mexico, France, and Japan, as well.

“Fast X” Trailer

Plus, the studio will release a series of “Legacy Trailers” beginning in early February. They will roll out a new edition of the trailer each day, focusing on a different cast member of the film. The Fast X trailer aired online for the first time on the morning of February 10. Universal released the trailer officially a few days prior to Super Bowl LVII. Then, the trailer then aired during the program on February 12. It showcases the danger that Dom (Vin Diesel) and everyone he cares about will face as “the end of the road begins.” Fans are looking forward to seeing Jason Momoa’s character, Dante, who will be Dom’s newest adversary.

Based on Fast X‘s synopsis, “Dante’s plot will scatter Dom’s family from Los Angeles to the catacombs of Rome, from Brazil to London and from Portugal to Antarctica. New allies will be forged and old enemies will resurface. But, everything changes when Dom discovers that his own 8-year-old son is the ultimate target of Dante’s vengeance.” Justin Lin, Zach Dean, and Dan Mazeau wrote Fast X. Producers include Diesel, Lin, Neal Moritz, Jeff Kirschenbaum, and Samantha Vincent. The film’s theatrical release date is set for May 19, 2023.

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Jonathan Majors’ Kang Is Marvel’s “Highest-Testing Villain” Ever

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From Tom Hiddleston (Loki) to Josh Brolin (Thanos), the Marvel Cinematic Universe has had numerous memorable villain performances. However, according to the president of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige, Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conquerer has the highest test screening score of them all. Kang was initially introduced in the Disney+ series Loki, and is now debuting as a villain in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. In Loki, Kang was playing a variant of Kang, not the version that fans will see in the highly-anticipated Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

The film sets him up to be the new Thanos of the MCU. He’s Marvel’s new big bad, and he does it well. Feige told Entertainment Weekly, “For years, we’ve always had the inkling that Kang would be an amazing follow-up to Thanos. He’s got that equal stature in the comics, but he’s a completely different villain. Mainly, that’s because he’s multiple villains. He’s so unique from Thanos, which we really liked.”

Jonathan Majors Succeeds

Jonathan Majors attends Marvel Studios’ “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania” at Regency Village Theatre on February 06, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

The Marvel Studios president went on to tell Entertainment Weekly that, “In the early days of ‘Quantumania’ [test screenings], Jonathan started to pop in a big way. He’s the highest-testing villain we’ve ever had in any of our friends and families [screenings]. That’s really saying something with a movie like this. Even early on without the effects, Jonathan is his own effect. He was working from the start.” Characters like Thanos have significantly higher amounts of CGI and effects needed than Kang to make them work. It’s impressive that Majors was able to wow audiences with his performance of Kang the Conquerer even prior to the assistance of visual effects.

Feige said, “It’s always one of the fun rolls of the dice that we do at Marvel, which is to say: ‘Hey, we’re going to make multiple movies around this character, and we’re going to start before the audience has even had a chance to meet him. We really go all in on these ideas and this casting. It was a big relief when the season ender of ‘Loki’ season 1 happened. People really seem to be on board for Kang. People are chanting, ‘Kang!’ when Jonathan goes on talk shows, and they haven’t even seen him in the movie yet!” Watch Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conquerer in Disney and Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which premieres in theaters on February 17, 2023.

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Tom Holland’s Spider-Man Will Return To The MCU: Details

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Tom Holland will be returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe via his iconic portrayal of Spider-Man. Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, says that the company is already working on how it will facilitate Holland’s comeback. Marvel Studios is keeping the specifics of the story under wraps. However, Feige gave some small details in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. He said, “All I will say is that we have the story. We have big ideas for that, and our writers are just putting pen to paper now.” He did not hint further as to what the future holds for Holland’s Spider-Man.

Because Feige stopped short before he could say what the future of Spider-Man will hold in the MCU, we are unsure if this will include a new solo film. It could also mean a new appearance in one of the highly-anticipated upcoming Avengers solo films. Holland’s last performance as Peter Parker took place in the 2021 film Spider-Man: No Way Home. The film was a box office hit. It grossed $1.9 billion on the global scale. Fans raved over and discussed the film, particularly the inclusion of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield‘s own versions of the character.

Tom Holland’s Spider-Man

Tom Holland attends Sony Pictures’ “Spider-Man: No Way Home” Los Angeles Premiere on December 13, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

Film producer, Amy Pascal (Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Spiderman: No Way Home) teased in late 2021 that the film company was in the process of creating another Spider-Man film trilogy staring Tom Holland as Peter Parker. Pascal told Fandango, “This is not the last movie that we are going to make with Marvel – [this is not] the last Spider-Man movie. We are getting ready to make the next Spider-Man movie with Tom Holland and Marvel. We’re thinking of this as three films, and now we’re going to go onto the next three. This is not the last of our MCU movies.”

Marvel Studios is currently working on Avengers: Secret Wars. The release date is set for May 1, 2026. The 12-issue comic book saga that the film is based on ran through the mid-1980s. The lineup of superheroes included Spider-Man, Captain America, Hawkeye, Captain Marvel, Hulk, Iron Man, and more. The top cast for the film, as currently listed on IMDB, includes Kathryn Newton, Jonathan Majors, Dominique Thorne, Iman Vellani, and more. They’ll star alongside Marvel Cinematic Universe veterans, Chris Hemsworth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Ruffalo, Simu Liu, and Anthony Mackie. The film is still in the early stages of pre-production so there is a potential for the cast list to grow.

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Lady Gaga As Harley Quinn In “Joker: Folie À Deux,” First Look

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Todd Phillips, the director of Joker: Folie à Deux has shared an exclusive look at Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix in the film. Phillips captioned the screen grab from the film “Happy Valentines Day” on Instagram, where Gaga also shared the image. The image depicts Gaga as Harley Quinn, looking intently at Phoneix’s Joker. She cups his face as the pair are clearly in a heavy scene. The Joker is complete with his usual clown-like makeup and green hair. The image doesn’t give much indication of the setting of the scene, but it looks dark and seems to have concrete walls– possibly a basement, based on the location of the window.

According to reports, Gaga is playing the newest version of the iconic character from DC Comics, Harley Quinn. Harley Quinn is a psychiatrist who, while working with the Joker, finds herself falling for him. She abandons the normalcy of her life and profession to corroborate with the Joker on his journey as the villain to Batman. Margot Robbie also played Harley Quinn in the Suicide Squad films. Kaley Cuoco also voiced the character in HBO Max’s animated series Harley Quinn. Gaga confirmed she would be taking the reigns of the character in the Joker sequel last August. The sequel will be a musical.

Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix

In 2019, the original Joker, a film also by Phillips, was met with critical and commercial acclaim. It was the highest-grossing R-rated film in history. It won many awards, including the Golden Lion at the Venice Film festival. The film was also one of the top nominated films at last year’s Academy Awards, receiving 11 nominations. These nominations included best picture, best director, best-adapted screenplay, and more. Joaquin Phoenix won the academy award for best performance by an actor in a leading role. Additionally, Hildur Guðnadóttir won for best achievement in music written for motion pictures (original score).

Joker‘s dramatic success created conversations about sequels almost instantly. DC media’s landscape has shifted drastically since the film’s original release 4 years ago. However, Philips’ Joker has been mostly untouched by DC Studios, which was formed recently. Its co-chiefs, James Gunn and Peter Safran, seem to know not to mess with what isn’t broken. The sequel to Joker, starring Phonix and Gaga, will not be playing a role in the narrative or continuity of other DC films that are being released. Joker: Folie à Deux will in theaters October 9, 2024– the five year anniversary of the first film’s release.

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Will Smith’s “I Am Legend” Sequel: Details Released

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It has been over 15 years since Will Smith took to the big screen in the 2007 hit film, I Am Legend. According to sources, Warner Brothers will be developing a brand new sequel for the film. Will Smith will be reprising his role as Robert Neville and producing the film, as well. Additionally, Warner Brothers added Michael B. Jordan to the cast and producers list. His recent history of filmography includes, but is not limited to, Black Panther, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Creed I-III, and Just Mercy.

Akiva Goldsman adapted the famous Richard Matheson novel from 1954 in 2007. He will be returning to write the film’s sequel. When speaking to Deadline this week, Goldsman explained that the follow-up to I Am Legend is possible after all these years. Fans recall that in the first I Am Legend film, Smith’s character, Robert, dies saving the cure. So, that begs the question: how could he possibly be returning to screens? The answer comes from the film’s alternate ending.

“I Am Legend”

Actor Will Smith arrives at the Los Angeles World Premiere of Warner Bros. Pictures ‘Focus’ at TCL Chinese Theatre on February 24, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

In the alternative ending to I Am Legend, Dr. Robert Neville lives on in the universe of the film. Goldsman explained how the film will work in a statement. He said, “This will start a few decades later than the first. I’m obsessed with The Last of Us, where we see the world just post-apocalypse but also after a 20-30-year lapse. You see how the earth reclaims the world, and there’s something beautiful in the question of, as man steps away from being the primary tenant, what happens? That will be especially visual in New York. I don’t know if they’ll climb up to the empire state building, but the possibilities are endless.”

Goldsman added, “We trace back to the original Matheson book, and the alternate ending as opposed to the released ending in the original film. What Matheson was talking about was that man’s time on the planet as the dominant species had come to an end. That’s a really interesting thing we’re going to get to explore. There will be a little more fidelity to the original text.” I Am Legend‘s sequel is one of Warner Bros.’ top priorities as they reunite with Goldman’s company to create films. The pair will additionally create an upcoming sequel to Constantine, starring Keanu Reeves.

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Kanye West Documentary & Podcast Being Developed By The BBC

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Netflix has already given us the jeen-yuhs trilogy, but another documentary about Kanye West might be on the way. The next West wave will surely arrive soon, but for now, the rapper has been laying low. It was rumored that he wed Biaca Censori just months after his divorce from Kim Kardashian was finalized. Neith West or Censori have confirmed the news, but they were spotted this week with Russell Simmons enjoying Valentine’s Day.

Meanwhile, Deadline reports the BBC is looking to work on a new documentary about the Donda star. Not only that, but an accompanying eight-part podcast is also being considered. The outlet stated the tentative title is We Need to Talk About Kanye, mirroring the controversial exposé, We Need to Talk About Cosby.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 24: Kanye West attends the Los Angeles Mission’s Annual Thanksgiving event at the Los Angeles Mission on November 24, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images)
Read More: Timbaland Suggests Kanye West Should Perform At Super Bowl

Deadline described the documentary: “Unfolding against the backdrop of West aka Ye’s 2024 U.S. election campaign, and at a time when his anti-Semitic rantings and behavior have sparked outrage and a re-evaluation of his place in popular culture, the one-off documentary follows Azhar as he attempts to understand the complex journey that led the singer to become one of the most famous and creatively successful artists of his generation.”

The podcast will be titled The Kanye Story and will further dig deep into the controversial hitmaker. It has been assumed that West will not participate in the documentary or podcast. However, he is known to be a person full of surprises and may be willing to share his story. Still, there has not been confirmation that West will appear in either feature.

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 09: Kanye West attends the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on February 09, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic)
Read More: Kanye West & Bianca Censori Spend Valentine’s Day With Russell Simmons

West’s scandals have resulted in a massive financial fallout. Although he has made controversial remarks for years, after he aligned himself with Hitler, things took a dramatic turn. His longstanding partnership with Adidas ended, and several companies stated they would not work with West in the future. It is speculated that the rapper is preparing for the 2024 Presidential Election, but he has yet to make any official statements regarding his participation.

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Halle Bailey Shines In The New ‘Little Mermaid’ Extended Trailer As The Beloved Underwater Princess

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Halle Bailey As Ariel Little Mermaid
Disney

Halle Bailey is not letting any lingering rumors surrounding her romantic relationship distract her from the upcoming release of Disney’s live-action adaption of The Little Mermaid. The film, slated to hit theaters this May, will mark the singer’s biggest acting role to date.

Despite the disgusting racist remarks made about the beloved underwater princess being played by a Black woman, both the film’s director Rob Marshall and the public have overwhelmingly verbalized support for Bailey. Even at one point, Bailey was brought to tears of joy after seeing hundreds of excited young girls as they watched the first teaser for the film, which was released back in September.

Now, the official trailer is here, and if you weren’t excited before, you might change your tune after watching it. Bailey took to Twitter to share it with her followers, writing, “I’m so very excited to continue the #Disney100 celebration with this new look at #TheLittleMermaid just 100 days until it arrives in theaters!”

In the trailer, Ariel (played by Bailey) explores beyond her hidden cave oasis shown in the first look teaser giving up a glimpse into the full ocean city oasis. Bailey’s dreadlocks eloquently sway as she explores near the sea floor and onto the surface. Bailey embodies the innocence of the beloved Disney character, and any pressure she felt going into filming certainly melted away as soon as the cameras began rolling.

The Little Mermaid hits theaters on May 26. In the meantime, watch the new trailer above.

Vin Diesel Will Perform The Introductions At The 2023 NBA All-Star Game

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vin diesel fast x
Getty Image

The NBA likes to find ways for people outside of the world of basketball to get involved in its All-Star festivities. The obvious way is for folks to participate in the Celebrity Game on Friday, but over the years, the league has made the entire weekend into a larger and larger event, with some of the biggest names in the world of entertainment playing prominent roles.

On Wednesday, the NBA announced the various celebrities and artists who will participate in All-Star weekend this time around. Things will begin on Friday night, when Ben Affleck will hop on the mic for the Celebrity Game to announce the participants — you can see who is playing in this year’s game right here.

Sunday’s game will be a star-studded affair right from the jump. Jewel and Jully Black will sing the national anthems of the United States and Canada, respectively, while Post Malone will put on a pregame show after the All-Star Draft. And before things tip off, Vin Diesel is slated to do the intros for this year’s game.

And for this year’s All-Star halftime show, the league will turn to Burna Boy, Tems, and Rema.

The festivities on Sunday are slated to begin with the All-Star Draft at 7:30 p.m. EST on TNT.

Halle Bailey And Disney Share New Trailer For “The Little Mermaid”

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Disney dropped a new trailer for the upcoming live-action rendition of The Little Mermaid, starring Halle Bailey as Ariel. The 30-second preview showcases many more hints as to what’s to come in the film. We see Ariel meet Prince Eric, played by Jonah Hauer-King. One of the most exciting reveals was Melissa McCarthy‘s Ursula, who laughs at the end of the preview. Bailey tweeted the teaser with the caption, “i’m so very excited to continue the #Disney100 celebration with this new look at #TheLittleMermaid just 100 days until it arrives in theaters!”

With Bailey and McCarthy, the film stars Javier Bardem (Dune, Skyfall) as King Triton. Additionally, the film includes the voice talents of Jacob Tremblay (Room, Wonder) as the fish, Flounder, and Daveed Diggs (Hamilton, Snowpiercer) as the crab, Sebastian. Awkwafina (Oceans 8, Crazy Rich Asians) will voice the seagull, Scuttle. In March, McCarthy told Entertainment Tonight that she’s “so excited to see it in its full glory.” She continued, saying, “Doing the Mermaid and working with [director] Rob Marshall and doing one of my favorite villains of all time was an out-of-body experience. I loved it.” She told ET, “every single part of that process was amazing and beyond.”

“The Little Mermaid” Trailer

At the D23 Expo in September, Bailey told PEOPLE how the role changed her. She said, “I’d definitely say coming into this film I was a lot more, I think, just young-minded and a bit more not sure of myself so much. The whole experience of filming, in more ways than one, mirrored Ariel’s journey of finding herself and her voice.” Apparently, on the last day of filming, she broke down in tears. She told PEOPLE, “I remember at the end of filming, wrap day, I was just sobbing because I truly felt like I had come out of this cocoon with Ariel. This story has done so much for me and the filming process has really kind of changed my life. I’d definitely say it mirrored what Ariel goes through in the film.”

Bailey also said that the film “changed [her] perspective on everything” and “impacted [her] life in so many ways.” She hopes that her portrayal as Ariel will mean as much to younger audiences as it does to her. The representation is long overdue. “The fact that now it’s getting to be played by me, a person who looks like me, woman of color, I’m just like, wow, I’m so grateful what it will do for all the other little Black and brown boys and girls who will see themselves in me. Because I know if I had seen myself when I was younger, I think my whole perspective would’ve changed.” The live-action version of The Little Mermaid will hit theaters on May 26, 2023.

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Paul Rudd Was Delighted By Lizzo Mistaking A ‘Late Night’ Writer For Him And He Put Their Similarity To The Test

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Shortly before 2022 wrapped up, Seth Meyers and Lizzo spent some time together day-drinking for a Late Night segment. One of the many fun moments from that was when Lizzo saw Late Night writer Seth Reiss in a mask and thought he was Paul Rudd. Once he took his mask off, though, Lizzo exploded into laughter before changing her position and declaring the two don’t look anything alike.

Fast-forward to last night (February 14): Rudd was a guest on Late Night and he and Meyers discussed the Lizzo segment.

Rudd noted, “When I heard Lizzo say my name, I was like, ‘Ooh!’ I got all excited [laughs]. By the way, it’s a weird thing when you’re not expecting to hear that and you hear it.” He went on to call her “so funny” and “so charming.”

Meyers then cut to a clip of Lizzo confusing Reiss for Rudd, and when that ended, Rudd was wearing a mask, as Reiss was in the video. A masked Reiss then emerged to pose next to Rudd, and indeed, there was some definite similarity there.

“You know what? Not as bad as I thought,” Meyers proclaimed. “I owe an apology to Lizzo.”

Watch the Rudd interview above and revisit the original Lizzo segment below.

Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.