“Don’t ruin my morning!”, snarls Angelina Jolie in Disney’s Maleficent: Mistress of Evil trailer, a follow-up to the 2014 global box office hit.
Jolie and Elle Fanning reprise their roles as the dark fairy Maleficent and Princess Aurora. The film also stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sam Riley, Harris Dickinson, Ed Skrein, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple and Lesley Manville.
In the sequel, it appears Jolie’s Maleficent is being an over-protective mother and is having trouble letting up of goddaughter Aurora as her wedding to Prince Phillip (Dickinson) nears. It comes to a climax in a disastrous banquet, with Maleficent declaring “There is no union and there will be no wedding!” That follows with Maleficent waging war against the Kingdom of Ulstead.
Joachim Ronning directs the sequel to the $758.5M global grossing 2014 hit which centers around the femme villain from Disney’s classic Sleeping Beauty.
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil hits theaters nationwide on October 18.
Even with "Spider-Man: Far From Home" swinging to another huge opening, Disney's other marquee franchise, Marvel, might want to consider a similar course of action, slowing its roll after "Avengers: Endgame," the operatic culmination of its 10-year plan.
At first blush, that might sound strange. "Spider-Man" opened to generally positive reviews, and in its first week has amassed a bountiful $185 million in North America and nearly $600 million worldwide. That hardly seems like the time to stage a strategic retreat.
Still, piggybacking on the "Avengers" narrative represents an advantage that somewhat muddies the analysis. And the movie's creative shortcomings -- which are not insignificant -- coupled with the challenge of sustaining a massive interlocking "cinematic universe" suggest the major casualties suffered in "Endgame" have left holes in Marvel's merry marching society, which will require a little time to absorb and recover.
Marvel obviously has plenty of arrows left in its quiver, including no-brainer sequels to "Black Panther," "Captain Marvel" and "Guardians of the Galaxy." Whatever weight is pulling down this summer's box office, Marvel has managed to defy that gravity.
The company's catalogue, however, exhibits signs of being stretched, not only in terms of feeding the theatrical beast, but also providing several new limited series featuring high-profile characters for Disney's upcoming streaming service, Disney+.
Like "Spider-Man: Homecoming," "Far From Home" has its moments. But even with a plot that builds off the emotional heft of "Endgame," another mediocre villain (if perhaps better than the Vulture), heavy dose of Disney Channel-level romance and too much clunky shtick involving the adult chaperones made this feel qualitatively more like a middle-weight contender.
Marvel clearly doesn't need to hit the reset button, but the studio would benefit from avoiding the irrational exuberance that contributed to "Solo's" fate -- the sense that anything bearing its logo comes sprinkled with the equivalent of fairy dust.
Plus, with the acquisition of 20th Century Fox, Disney/Marvel has assumed control of two signature Marvel properties, Fantastic Four and X-Men, whose movie rights were parceled off years ago, both of which appear ripe for incorporation into the broader Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Such ventures require time and care, the kind that seldom comes from rigidly adhering to a release schedule designed to ensure that Disney can steadily push out consumer products and ensure that its shareholders are the happiest on Earth.
Granted, history has shown that second-guessing Marvel and its chief Kevin Feige has been a sucker bet. The studio enjoys an enviable track record, even with by no means sure things like "Guardians" and "Ant-Man." "Spider-Man's" end credits also hint at new directions, albeit in a cryptic manner.
Even so, this summer pile-up of box-office disappointments elsewhere -- including venerable franchises with "Men in Black: International," "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" and "Dark Phoenix," the latest X-Men movie --provides a cautionary note.
Disney made the right move by cooling its jets when it comes to "Star Wars." As tempting as it is to keep barreling ahead, adopting a similar approach would be prudent as Marvel transitions into its post-"Endgame" phase.
Marvel has thus far looked pretty near invincible. Yet "Spider-Man's" uncertain map for the future and the simple law of averages heighten the risk of getting its wings (or webbing) singed, sooner or later, if it insists on flying so close to the sun.
The first trailer for Mulan is here. It's the latest live-action Disney adaptation of a classic animated movie, and stars Liu Yifei as the Chinese teenager who disguises herself as a man to fight in the Imperial army against invaders.
The trailer is visually stunning and suggests that, unlike recent Disney live-action movies such as Dumbo and Aladdin, Mulan will take a slightly different approach from the original. It's not a direct adaptation of the 1998 animated movie, and also takes influence from the original 6th Century poem "The Ballad of Mulan." The trailer starts with quiet, domestic scenes of Mulan and her family before delivering some spectacular-looking martial arts action as Mulan takes up her place to fight in the Emperor's army. Check it out above.
Mulan's cast also includes a number of high profile Asian stars, such as Donnie Yen, Jet Li, and Gong Li. The movie is directed by New Zealand filmmaker Niki Caro, who previously helmed The Zookeeper's Wife. Caro previously stated that this version of Mulan won't include any songs--and presumably Eddie Murphy's talking dragon Mushu will be absent too. It releases on March 27, 2020.
The next live-action Disney adaptation will be The Lion King, which hits theaters later this month. It's directed by Jon Favreau, who previously helmed the recent hit remake of The Jungle Book--check out the latest Lion King trailer. Other Disney remakes in the works include Cruella, The Little Mermaid, and Pinnochio.
Skai Jackson honored her former Disney Channel co-star Cameron Boyce in a series of online posts Sunday, after the news the 20-year-old actor had died.
Jackson, 17, played Boyce's younger sister on "Jessie" from 2011 to 2015. She wrote to fans promising their "timeline will be flooded with pics and videos of this amazing human," before sharing memories of him through the years.
"Just be thankful for everything that you have," she advised fans in a teary Instagram Live video. "Just always tell people that you appreciate them. Always be nice to people, because it doesn't mean they'll always be here... Tomorrow isn't promised."
'So much more was on the way': Disney Channel star Cameron Boyce has died at 20
Jackson and Boyce were two of the four young children who starred on "Jessie." They were 9 and 12, respectively, when the Disney Channel sitcom first aired.
On her Instagram story, Jackson remembered him as "the funniest" and called him "forever my brother." She included photos with "Jessie" co-stars behind the scenes and on red carpets, plus an old video of Boyce singing The Jackson 5's "I'll Be There."
"I never thought in a million years I would be writing this," she captioned one post. "I am so happy that I got to spend almost everyday with you on set, you gave the best hugs. I wish I would have hugged you tighter when I saw you a couple of months ago. Thank you so much for being the big brother I never had."
Jackson also slammed online trolls who start fake rumors about celebrity deaths. In 2013, Boyce had to assure fans he was still alive after a hoax about him began to circulate.
"I'm not dead, I promise," he tweeted at the time.
"The dumb hoaxes and putting r.i.p. on someone's page is no joke," Jackson added in an Instagram Story comment. "Tomorrow isn't promised to anyone. Just stop! Make sure you tell someone you love them today."
Big Little Lies Season 2 Episode 5 showed Ed and Madeline Mackenzie going to a class to work on their relationship. While actual the class did little to nothing, it ended up sparking the first real conversation between the two about their problems on the drive home. Bonnie Carlson’s mom is somewhat talking, and as Bonnie cares for her, dark memories of her childhood with her mother come up. She confronts her father for not protecting her, but the audience still doesn’t know exactly what she went through with her mother. Finally, Celeste Wright and her mother-in-law begin the custody case proceedings. Will the Monterey Five have to testify in her case? Keep reading to find out!
NICOLE KIDMAN, MERYL STREEP, REESE WITHERSPOON, SHAILENE WOODLEY, LAURA DERN | Photo by Lorenzo Bevilaqua/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images
In ‘Big Little Lies’ Episode 5, Celeste Wright and Mary-Louise face off for guardianship
After being served with guardianship papers, Celeste and Mary-Louise both attained lawyers to fight for custody. At their first hearing with the judge, she said everyone involved must talk to a court-appointed psychologist, and she will determine if the children are in danger. When Mary-Louise made a statement to the judge about being concerned for Celeste’s health, Celeste began to question her lawyer. She went to Renata Klein and asked if she should proceed with her current lawyer or hire another.
Dude…I want someone to kill Mary Louise this season. That's how good Meryl Streep is. She is making me LOATHE her character and come up with new ideas on how to off her every week. #BigLittleLies
However, Celeste didn’t receive much advice because her assistant interrupted and informed Renata that Women In Power would no longer feature her because of the bankruptcy scandal.
A few days later, Mary-Louise’s attorney offered a deal to Celeste, which included joint custody while she seeks treatment and receives anger management. Celeste straight up denied the offer, while her attorney thought it was a good deal, and better than going to trial. Her lawyer informed her that when the two face off in litigation, the death of her husband will be brought up.
The Wright twins and Ziggy Chapman get into a fight at school in ‘Big Little Lies’ Episode 5
While Ziggy is at school, playing on the playground by himself, a bigger kid walks over and begins taunting the boy. He called Ziggy a mistake before the Wright twins came over and told the older kid to leave their brother alone. The kid then said the boys’ father is a rapist, and all three boys beat the kid up, resulting in a suspension. Jane talked to Ziggy about his actions and asked what the kid said to provoke the fight.
At first, he lied and said he forgot what the boy said, until eventually telling his mother the word the kid called his father. Ziggy also told his mom that he likes Corey, but is afraid he’ll grow up and be like his father.
Celeste also talked to her boys about the situation and then explained to them about the custody case she is currently going through. The twins initially get scared after realizing they could have to live with Mary Louise, but Celeste promised the boys they would stay with her. Her sons also promised her they would protect her.
In ‘Big Little Lies’ Episode 5, Celeste Wright calls a Monterey Five meeting
Celeste texted all five women and had them meet at night on the beach. She explained the custody situation she’s going through, and how her late husband, Perry, would get brought up in the trial. Because the case revolves around Perry’s death, and how Celeste is dealing with it, she will have to answer questions about her late husband’s sudden passing, under oath. Renata backed up Celeste and said they would be called as character witnesses, to verify Celeste is telling the truth.
When Madeline suggested they stick to their original story, Celeste reminded her that they would commit perjury if they lied on the stand. Therefore, Celeste says everyone had to get their story straight and stable for when her trial comes. At the end of the episode, a drained Bonnie drove to the police station, and seemingly headed for the door.
Will Bonnie expose the Monterey Five secret? Keep watching Big Little Lies Sundays at 9 P.M. EST on HBO to find out!
