Robert Pattinson is THE BATMAN...

Congratulations to Robert Pattinson for being cast as the next Dark Knight in Matt Reeve's The Batman film trilogy (the first movie will be out in theaters in 2021)! I never saw Twilight or any of his other flicks, but I'm giving Pattinson the benefit of the doubt in that he'll kick ass as the new Caped Crusader. All of the fanboys criticizing this decision by Warner Bros. can shut the f**k up until they actually see Pattinson in this role. These geeks were most likely the same people who started an uproar when Heath Ledger and Gal Gadot were cast as the Joker and Wonder Woman, respectively. We don't need to discuss how their movies turned out (a posthumous Oscar for Heath Ledger as Best Supporting Actor, and Wonder Woman being the only post-The Dark Knight trilogy film that was both critically-acclaimed and a huge box office hit). Again— Until you see Pattinson don the Batcowl, shut the f**k up!

Happy Friday.

Quick Review: ALADDIN...

So earlier today, I saw Disney's live-action remake of Aladdin, directed by Guy Ritchie (of 2000's Snatch and 2009's Sherlock Holmes), at the local AMC Theatre. I don't recall watching the 1992 animated original in its entirety (though I did listen to its music score on CD countless of um, times back in grade school), but yea— Naomi Scott was totally awesome as Jasmine (with Mena Massoud, Will Smith and Marwan Kenzari doing great jobs portraying Aladdin, the Genie and Jafar, respectively; Nasim Pedrad gave an amusing performance as Dalia...a character invented for the live-action film). Such an amazing singer! Love her and Massoud's rendition of "A Whole New World," as well as "Speechless," a song specifically created for Jasmine in the new movie.

A whole new world. Watch an exclusive clip from Disney’s #Aladdin.

See it in theaters now, get tickets: https://t.co/ltKfjPbMyJ pic.twitter.com/R4FVfTdSlj

— Disney’s Aladdin (@disneyaladdin) May 29, 2019

Watch an exclusive clip of “Speechless” from Disney’s #Aladdin. pic.twitter.com/7ixxXuuPzM

— Disney’s Aladdin (@disneyaladdin) May 31, 2019

So when does Naomi Scott reprise her role as the Pink Ranger in Power Rangers 2? Will it be after Scott kicks ass in this November's latest take on Charlie's Angels (directed by Elizabeth Banks and starring Scott, Kristen Stewart, Patrick Stewart and Djimon Hounsou)? Carry on.

Disney to Release the First AVATAR Sequel in 2021...Followed by a New STAR WARS Film in 2022!

The Walt Disney Studios Announces Film Release Schedule (News Release)

The Walt Disney Studios has unveiled its upcoming slate following the recent acquisition of the Fox film studios, including changes to previously dated films and a number of major additions.

After kicking off with the record-setting success of Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame, The Walt Disney Studios’ 2019 summer slate includes Disney’s Aladdin on May 24, Fox’s Dark Phoenix on June 7, Pixar’s Toy Story 4 on June 21, Fox’s Stuber on July 12 and Disney’s The Lion King on July 19. Fox 2000’s The Art of Racing in the Rain moves up to August 9, and Fox Searchlight’s Ready or Not will release on August 23, while three films move to later dates: Ad Astra (September 20, 2019), The New Mutants (April 3, 2020) and Artemis Fowl (May 29, 2020).

The Studios’ 2019 slate rounds out with Fox’s The Woman in the Window on October 4 and Ford V. Ferrari on November 15, Disney’s Maleficent: Mistress of Evil on October 18 and Disney Animation’s Frozen 2 on November 22, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker on December 20 and Blue Sky Studios’ Spies in Disguise, moving from September to Christmas. Among early 2020 titles are Fox’s Underwater on January 10, a new Kingsman movie on February 14 and Call of the Wild on February 21, followed by Pixar’s Onward on March 6 and Disney’s Mulan on March 27.

The updated calendar also sets release dates for major franchises Avatar and Star Wars. With Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker bringing the original Skywalker saga to its conclusion, three new as-yet-untitled Star Wars films will release on the pre-Christmas weekend every other year beginning in 2022. Four forthcoming Avatar films, expanding the vibrant world of Pandora, will release on the pre-Christmas weekend every other year beginning in 2021. In the holiday corridor for 2020, Fox’s West Side Story adaptation, directed by Steven Spielberg, will debut December 18 in the pre-Christmas slot, with Disney’s Cruella opening Wednesday, December 23, for the long holiday weekend.

“We’re excited to put in place a robust and diverse slate that lays the foundation of our long-term strategy, bringing together a breadth of films from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, Fox, Fox Searchlight and Blue Sky Studios to create an extraordinary collection of cinematic experiences for audiences around the world,” said Cathleen Taff, president, Theatrical Distribution, Franchise Management, and Business & Audience Insights, The Walt Disney Studios. “With a strong summer already in place, we are eager to carry that momentum forward over the coming years thanks to a creative wellspring of bold and imaginative stories coming from our world-class studios—including several new chapters of two revered franchises, Avatar and Star Wars.”

Source: The Walt Disney Company

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