Like the rest of the leading characters in Rogue One, which slots nicely between Solo and A New Hope when going through the Star Wars movies in order, Ben Mendelsohn’s Orson Krennic didn’t make it out alive. However, just because we know his story ends with him being killed by the weapon he spent his Imperial career obsessed with doesn’t mean there aren’t more stories to tell involving him. Case in point, Mendelsohn is reprising Krennic for Andor Season 2, which will finally debut on the 2025 TV schedule next April, and I’m delighted to hear from the actor who his character will be clashing with at this point in the Star Wars timeline.

It turns out Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin wasn’t the only high-ranking Imperial officer with whom Orson Krennic butted heads. In an interview with Empire, Mendesohn shared that the gloriously-caped baddie will encounter resistance from Denise Gough’s Dedra Meero, who was one of the main antagonists in Andor Season 1. Mendelsohn started off by saying:

With Andor Season 1 taking place five years before Rogue One, and Season 2 (which finished filming in February) set to cover the remaining four-year gap, we’re looking in on Orson Krennic when he was still supervising the construction of the first Death Star. In fact, Season 1’s ending showed that the machinery made at the Narkina 5 prison complex was being assembled on the giant space station’s firing dish. Krennic is still high up in the Imperial food chain at this point, but per Ben Mendelsohn, he and Dedra Meero will have plenty of differences in opinion, even though everyone in the Empire is collectively working towards the same goal. The actor continued:

Ben Mendelsohn refused to share if Tarkin will also be present in Andor Season 2, but frankly, I’m ok not knowing one way or the other right now. I’m just looking forward to seeing exactly how Krennic and Dedra will clash. Is she one of the Imperials who thinks the Empire should divert resources from the Death Star to another project, much like how Grand Admiral Thrawn wanted his TIE Defender program prioritized in Star Wars Rebels? Or is Dedra pro-Death Star, but doesn’t agree with how Krennic is handling the operation?

Since Dedra Meero is nowhere to be seen in Rogue One, either she’s moved on to other things or the future doesn’t bode well for her in this next and final batch of Andor episodes. If she doesn’t end up making it out of this show alive, perhaps Orson Krennic will end up being responsible for her demise, be it directly or indirectly. We’ll find out what’s in store for these two characters when Andor Season 2 premieres April 22 to Disney+ subscription holders on the slate of upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows.

Spoilers for the first two episodes of The New Look are ahead! If you haven’t watched the historical drama on the 2024 TV schedule, you can stream it now with an Apple TV+ subscription. 

One of the reasons why The New Look might be one of Apple TV+’s best shows in recent months is because of its remarkable cast. Following the iconic designers Christian Dior and Coco Chanel, who are played by Ben Mendelsohn and Juliette Binoche, the show’s roster of actors matches the legendary status of the fashion icons they’re playing. So, when I got the chance to chat with John Malkovich about playing Lucien Lelong, I had to ask about his collaboration with Mendelsohn, and he revealed which scene helped define their on-screen relationship.

For context, in The New Look, we see the rise of Christian Dior, who worked for Lucien Lelong during World War II before opening his own fashion house after the war. In the first few episodes of the series, we see the impact the Nazi occupation of France had on these designers and their families, and Christian’s sister Catherine (Maisie Williams), who was part of the resistance, is taken to a prison camp. When she’s taken away, Mendelsohn and Malkovich’s characters race to the train station to try and get her, but she’s already gone. 

For the Lelong actor, this was a defining moment for him and Mendelsohn as he told CinemaBlend:

It’s one of the most powerful and gut-wrenching moments in the first episodes of the show as Christian tries to save his sister and falls short. Lelong, his employer and friend, is there to support him through this tough moment, and what happened here radiates through the rest of the series. So, it makes sense that this was the moment Malkovich pointed out to me. 

Like when Ben Mendelsohn gushed about Maisie Williams and this show, Malkovich had similar compliments for the Bloodline star and this moment as he told me:

If you’ve watched Bloodline, the Marvel movies in order and the beloved Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, then you are very aware of Ben Mendelsohn’s range and power as an actor, and The New Look makes that fact even clearer. Added to it, his performance as Christian is nuanced, as Malkovich said, and it’s scenes like the one they shared at the train station that show this. 

Personally, I loved seeing Mendelsohn and Malkovich’s on-screen dynamic in The New Look, and learning about the respect they had for each other behind the scenes makes it even better. To see how Lelong and Dior’s friendship evolves from the moment the actor pointed out to me, you can stream new episodes of The New Look every Wednesday on Apple TV+.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for constantly expanding, both on the big screen and shows streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Because there's so much going on in the shared universe, a handful of actors have played multiple roles, such as Eternals' Gemma Chan. After being killed off, one MCU actor is hoping to be recast as Doctor Doom. 

What we know about the Fantastic Four movie is limited, but many fans expect Doom to be the villain. But it's quickly becoming one of the most highly anticipated upcoming Marvel movies, especially since the four leading actors have been found. And since Talos was killed off during Secret Invasion, actor Ben Mendelsohn told GQ he'd like to play Doctor Doom next. In his words:

Talk about passion. While it would have been understandable if Mendelsohn needed some space from the MCU after his various appearances as Talos, it sounds like he's ready to get back into the shared universe. But this time he wants to be a powerful villain for the Fantastic Four. And he's definitely got the acting chops to pull it off.

Now is the perfect time for the Rogue One actor to campaign to play Doctor Doom. Marvel just revealed its quartet of leading actors for Fantastic Four, so casting for the project is underway. And there's still no indication as to the movie's villain.

Indeed, Ben Mendelsohn is an actor who has played a number of villains throughout his long, successful career. He was the main antagonist of Ready Player One, as well as the evil Orson Krennic in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. And since he's already used to the hours and make-up that's often required in the MCU, he would definitely be able to pull off the role of Doctor Doom in a Fantastic Four project.

As previously mentioned, a handful of MCU actors have played different roles in the shared universe. The most noteworthy is arguably Gemma Chan, who had a supporting role in Captain Marvel before starring in Eternals as Sersi. So there's  precedent for Mendelsohn to play Doctor Doom if that's the studio's plan.

Ever since the MCU was formed, moviegoers have been not-so-patiently waiting for missing characters like the X-Men and Fantastic Four to join in on the fun. Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox and its properties opened the door for this to happen, but it's been a long process. But with casting for Fantastic Four finally underway, their entrance into the shared universe has never felt so real. 

The Fantastic Four is currently expected to hit theaters on July 25, 2025. While we wait for more casting to come through, check the 2024 movie release dates. 

There’s no question that one of the most beloved Game of Thrones characters is Arya Stark. Played brilliantly by Maisie Williams, the young Stark sibling pushed her way through adversity to become one of the greatest warriors in Westeros. Well, Williams' time in the GOT cast came to a close in 2019, and now she’s moved on to new iconic roles, including her latest part in Apple TV+’s The New Look. So, as this historical drama premieres on the 2024 TV schedule, the actress's co-star Ben Mendelsohn took a moment to geek out about Williams' iconic fantasy role while explaining how much he loved working with her. 

Apple TV+’s The New Look follows the rise of Christian Dior right after World War II, and in it, Mendelsohn plays the legendary designer while Maisie Williams plays his sister Catherine Dior. The Bloodline star told me during an interview that he adored working with the Game of Thrones alum, and that partially stemmed from his love for the HBO megahit:

As a Game of Thrones fan, I totally understood where Mendelsohn was coming from. Whether you're watching or rewatching GOT, Arya’s story always stands out. Specifically, her arc where she’s traveling with The Hound is one of the best parts of the show, and it was easily one of the most unexpected yet perfect character pairings. 

Well, considering Mendelsohn’s adoration for Arya and Game of Thrones, he couldn’t wait to work with Maisie Williams on The New Look. Plus, how she got cast only added to his appreciation, as he told me:

With the first three episodes of The New Look out, you can see how much Mendelsohn and Williams adore each other through their relationship as Christian and Catherine Dior. While Game of Thrones is easily one of HBO’s best, it’s totally possible that these two powerhouses could make this historical drama one of Apple TV+’s best shows. Clearly, they both care deeply about the series and each other, and as the Rogue One star said, they connected easily, and the GOT alum helped everyone “feel solid” in their parts. 

To see Ben Mendelsohn and Maisie Williams on screen together, you can stream the first three episodes of The New Look with an Apple TV+ subscription. To understand why the Captain Marvel star was marveling over his co-star, you can check out Game of Thrones with a Max subscription. 

While Secret Invasion ended up being one of the more critically-mixed projects in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, one thing it didn’t hold back was delivering major casualties. At the end of the first episode, Cobie Smulders’ Maria Hill was gunned down in cold blood by a disguised Gravik, and three episodes later, Kinsley Ben-Adir’s antagonistic Skrull killed Ben Mendelsohn’s Talos, Nick Fury longtime ally. So Mendelsohn’s time in the superhero franchise is now done, and the actor has reacted to his character being killed off.

Mendelsohn shared his thoughts while being interviewed for the documentary Marvel Studios’ Assembled: The Making of Secret Invasion, which can now be streamed with a Disney+ subscription. While the actor’s time in the MCU was relatively short compared to many of the franchise’s other major players, he’ll nonetheless miss his time there working with both the on and off-camera talent, saying:

Ben Mendeloshn debuted as Talos in Captain Marvel, where the Skrull was initially presented as a villain, but then Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers learned that he was simply leading a group of Skrull refugees in finding a new homeworld and avoid being wiped out by the Kree Empire. Captain Marvel was set in 1995, and Spider-Man: Far From Home’s post-credits scene provided the first opportunity to see what Talos was up to in the present day, as it was revealed that he and his wife Soren had been disguised as Nick Fury and Maria Hill, respectively, for the entirety of the main story. Then came Secret Invasion, where Talos was working with Fury to foil Gravik’s schemes, as well as reconcile with his daughter, G’iah, played by Emilia Clarke.

Talos died in “Beloved” after rescuing President Ritson from Gravik’s assault on the United States commander-in-convoy in Russia. While resurrections are commonplace in superhero stories, it doesn’t look like that’s in the cards for Ben Mendelsohn’s character, so you can’t blame him for feeling sad about leaving this chapter of his career behind. It’s also a shame given that Secret Invasion fleshed out a compelling dynamic between Fury and Talos after not sharing that much screen time in Captain Marvel, and it would have been nice to see more of that.

Unfortunately, Talos’ death in Secret Invasion didn’t exactly leave a strong impact on President Ritson, because by the end of the final episode, titled “Home,” Dermot Mulroney’s character issued a bill declaring all off-world species as hostile to Earth, as well as ordered any discovered Skrulls to be hunted down. That was just one of many twists on which Secret Invasion delivered in its finale, with arguably the biggest one being that Don Cheadle’s James Rhodes had been impersonated by the Skrull named Raava for years rather than just a short period of time. 

While it remains to be seen when or even if the Skrulls will play a prominent role in any of the upcoming Marvel movies or upcoming Marvel TV shows, Samuel L. Jackson will be seen reprising Nick Fury in The Marvels, which opens in theaters on November 10. Ben Mendelsohn’s next movie, The Marsh King’s Daughter, opens a week earlier on the 2023 release calendar. 

Major spoilers for the latest episode of Marvel Studios’ Secret Invasion, “Beloved,” lie ahead, so read at your own risk.

It’s hard to believe that we’re already over halfway through Secret Invasion’s six-episode run. The Marvel Cinematic Universe-set show has hit Disney+ subscription holders with a number of twists and turns over the past few weeks. In the process, viewers have seen Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury experience some major setbacks, and they started early on. In the premiere, he was hit with the death of comrade Maria Hill. The ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. director experienced yet another major loss during Episode 4, and MCU fans are in their feelings. 

“Beloved” moves the series along in a number of interesting ways, and it also confirms what many assumed by the end of Episode 3 – Col. James Rhodes has been replaced by a Skrull. As a mole in the U.S. government, he’s revealed to be working with resistance leader Gravik to assassinate President Ritson and pin the death on the Russians. Once Fury and Skrull ally Talos become aware of the plan, they seek to prevent the commander in chief’s death. They ultimately succeed in rescuing Ritson after his convoy is attacked en route to a Russian negotiation session. It comes at a major cost, though, as the resulting shootout ends with Talos – who had already been shot  – being fatally stabbed by Gravik.

This is indeed a tragic turn of events, and fans have taken to social media to express sadness while in some cases, simultaneously praising the episode. Based on how things were playing out during the installment’s final moments, some were probably able to predict how things would go down for Talos. At least one fan on Twitter saw it coming, but that didn’t seem to soften the blow: 

Marvel fans rarely ever hide their emotions when a character experiences some kind of tragedy, and these tweets lamenting the loss of Ben Mendelsohn’s witty extraterrestrial are visceral. Another person took to the platform to express their feelings, and they didn’t mince words or emojis:

Talos was introduced in 2019’s Captain Marvel, in which he was revealed to be the leader of a friendly sector of Skrulls that were searching for a new planet. Over the course of the movie, which was set in 1995, he became close friends with Nick Fury and Carol Danvers. His relationship with the former has been particularly entertaining for fans, as it’s put them in some interesting situations. Talos even posed as his buddy during the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home. (We even know what happened after Fury found out about what occurred during that film.) So with all of that in mind, it makes sense that some folks aren’t taking the alien’s demise all that well: 

Following this tragedy, one also has to consider Talos’ daughter, G'iah, who’s played by Game of Thrones icon Emilia Clarke. She and her father had a complicated relationship and, during this episode, they parted on bitter terms. Gi’ah, who was revealed to have survived being shot by Gravik due to turning herself into a Super Skrull, was unimpressed with her dad’s plan to find their people a home. Given that the two didn’t close things out on the best of terms, some people are feeling a way:

It’s only natural that some MCU devotees would be in denial about this massive development. You can see an example of that in this next tweet: 

I personally wasn’t convinced of Maria Hill’s death, and I’m honestly still somewhat unsure that she’s actually gone. However, Talos’ death feels a lot more definitive, and it’d be very surprising if he’s written back into the show after what’s transpired. If or until that happens, let’s raise a glass to the character and hope that Nick Fury can avenge him.

New episodes of Secret Invasion drop Wednesdays on Disney+ as part of the 2023 TV schedule. And with the show ending in just a couple of weeks, do yourself a favor and read up on upcoming Marvel shows.

Spoilers ahead for the series premiere of Secret Invasion on Disney+.

Spider-Man: Far from Home was seen as a stepping stone to the MCU’s Multiverse Saga. While people were focused on Mysterio’s betrayal, there was another standout moment when Nick Fury and Maria Hill recruited Tom Holland’s Peter Parker to fight the Elementals. Unfortunately, this Nick Fury wasn’t the real one as Skrull leader Talos and wife Soren revealed themselves in the end credits. Years after the sequel was released, Talos actor Ben Mendelsohn revealed what happened to the Skrull leader after Fury found out about the Far from Home events.

The MCU star spilled to CinemaBlend's Sean O'Connell what was said between Talos and Nick Fury post-Far from Home. The two Marvel characters reunited and joined forces for the Disney+ series Secret Invasion. Viewers first got a glimpse of Samuel L. Jackson’s Fury acknowledging Talos’ transgression in the Marvel series. They only saw Nick Fury having a brief call with the Skrull leader. Mendelsohn explained what fans didn’t see or hear during the onscreen conversation.

So, MCU fans finally know what happened to Talos after not seeing him for multiple Marvel projects. The conversation between him and Nick Fury followed the MCU playbook to a T. Fury comes in and handles the mess left by others while most characters get to either hide or take all the glory. At least, Mendelsohn gave Jackson credit for making the S.H.I.E.L.D. director an integral piece to the Marvel landscape today.

The reveal in the Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel credit scene threw off quite a few moviegoers when it first came on the screen. Talos had only made his debut in the 1990s-set Captain Marvel, so no one expected to see him reappear so early. However, seeing a fake Nick Fury made sense in retrospect as the Blip had just been undone in Avengers: Endgame. While the real Fury hid away for some time, the Skrull leader managed to deceive a gullible Peter Parker. Now, he’s having to face Fury with little friction because it’s par for the course.

If you want to see Ben Mendelsohn’s Talos return to the Marvel fold, check out new episodes of Secret Invasion every Wednesday through a Disney+ subscription. Once you’re done watching the new MCU series, stream Spider-Man: Far from Home via an Amazon Prime Video subscription. Don’t forget to check what upcoming Marvel movies and TV shows are premiering in 2023 and beyond to see if Talos will pop up again.

Before he was seen shapeshifting in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Talos, or antagonizing Tye Sheridan as Nolan Sorrento in Ready Player One, one of the most prominent roles on Ben Mendelsohn’s resume was Orson Krennic in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. While the Imperial officer met an ironic demise at the hands of the first Death Star, don’t think that means the actor doesn’t have strong Star Wars-related feelings. This has just been shown off by him calling out a Rebel phone case on TikTok, which will amuse Star Wars fans to know end.

This hilarious moment happened while Ben Mendelsohn was speaking to IGN on the red carpet for the world premiere of Secret Invasion, the miniseries that sees Mendelsohn reprising Talos, and is just days away from arriving to Disney+ subscribers. Before the interview started, the actor noticed the phone case for the phone being used to record the conversations, which led to him giving his two passionate two cents on the matter, as you’ll see below.

It’s been almost seven full years have passed since Rogue One’s release, and while that movie saw Orson Krennic meeting his demise on Scarif when the Death Star, the superweapon he’d spent years working on as the Empire’s director of advanced weapons research, he made his Imperial allegiances quite clear in this video. Initially thinking that the Star Wars phone case showed one of the ships Krennic traveled on, he soon realized it was the Millennium Falcon, which was piloted by Han Solo and Chewbacca during the Original Trilogy time period. That was enough for him to start calling out the camera guy’s choice in phone decoration, calling it a “filthy Rebel” background. Still, at least he apologized shortly thereafter for that slight outburst, saying he was “having a phase shift.”

You have to hand it to the man, after all this time, he still feels passionately about his Star Wars character’s allegiances, though not enough to detract from plugging his work in the MCU. Although Rogue One was Ben Mendelsohn’s sole major outing as Orson Krennic, the actor did briefly reprise the character vocally for Star Wars: The Bad Batch, which will end with Season 3. Maybe there’ll be another opportunity for him to voice Krennic again in that animated series, or perhaps Andor Season 2 could somehow find a way for Mendelsohn to appear on camera as him again. If this ends up happening, we’ll let you know.

The first episode of Secret Invasion drops Wednesday, June 21 on Disney+, the same platform where you can watch the Star Wars movies in order and the franchise’s numerous series. As for what the future holds in store for a galaxy far, far away, that information can be found in our guide of upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows.

There was a time when Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury was the common thread of the Marvel Cinematic Universe bringing all the heroes together. Nowadays, it’s been quite some time since we’ve even seen the eye-patched former S.H.I.E.L.D. and Avengers founder. Thankfully, the upcoming Disney+ series Secret Invasion is well on its way amidst a jam-packed MCU slate. 

Secret Invasion, which is named after the popular Marvel Comics crossover event, will see the Skrulls infiltrating even the highest spheres of the MCU. As we get ready for the title, which is expected to be a miniseries, check out the actors making up this impressive cast who we know about thus far. Of course, you know Marvel, there could be plenty of surprise cameos too! 

Samuel L. Jackson

First up is Samuel L. Jackson, who will reprise his role as Nick Fury in his twelfth live-action appearance in the MCU. We last saw Fury during the Spider-Man: Far From Home end-credits scene in 2019. It was revealed that Fury had been in outer space on a Skrull ship while a pair of Skrulls were impersonating him and Maria Hill during Spidey’s run-in with Mysterio. We’re excited to see a Marvel project that finally centers on Jackson’s Marvel character with Secret Invasion and perhaps explores him in new ways. 

Ben Mendelsohn 

Alongside Samuel L. Jackson’s Fury will be Ben Mendelsohn’s Skrull character, Talos, who was a highlight of 2019’s Captain Marvel when he was introduced. Talos is a friendly Skrull general who met Fury while he was disguised as human S.H.I.E.L.D. agent R. Keller in the ‘90s before revealing himself. He impersonated Fury in Far From Home and will continue to work alongside Fury during the Secret Invasion series. 

Emilia Clarke 

Among the exciting new additions to the MCU for Secret Invasion is Game of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke, who is playing an undisclosed role in the upcoming series. The British actress is, of course, best known for playing Daenerys Targaryen for eight seasons on the critically-acclaimed HBO series. Since wrapping the role in 2018, Clarke most recently starred in holiday romantic comedy, Last Christmas. Clarke notably joins her fellow GOT alum Kit Harrington, who was introduced as Dane Whitman in Eternals. 

Olivia Colman

Oscar-winning British actress Olivia Colman is also part of Secret Invasion in another unknown role. Colman, who was notably in Broadchurch and The Favourite, and played Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown, will be another welcome new addition to the MCU. Samuel L. Jackson already hyped her role in the Disney+ series (via Twitter), calling his time working with her “glorious” and “such a ball.” That's not surprising, but I'm certainly intrigued about her role! 

Kingsley Ben-Adir

Along with Marvel often hiring incredible and already beloved talent, the studio is known for amplifying rising talent into the next big star. This might very well be the case when we see Kingsley Ben-Adir play the lead villain in Secret Invasion, per Deadline’s report. The British actor has previously found role on The OA, Peaky Blinders, High Fidelity and One Night In Miami as Malcolm X, but an MCU role will be his most high-profile yet. 

Don Cheadle 

Before we get to more impressive new talents joining the MCU with Secret Invasion, there’s a few more returning Marvel actors to note. Don Cheadle will reprise his role as James Rhodes/War Machine in the upcoming series. The news was confirmed by Samuel L. Jackson himself earlier this year on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, sharing he became his “golf buddy” amidst filming the series. The last time Cheadle appeared in a Disney+ series, he earned an Emmy nomination for a limited amount of screen time on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. 

Cobie Smulders

Another returning Marvel star is Cobie Smulders as former S.H.I.E.L.D. Feputy Director Maria Hill. After the character was impersonated by a Skrull in Far From Home, she’ll be back in action, for real this time, reportedly by working with the Skrulls in deep space alongside the other cast. Smulders has appeared in seven live-action Marvel projects over the years, and it’ll be great to see the actress back for Secret Invasion.

Martin Freeman

CIA operative Everett Ross, played by played by the talented Sherlock and Hobbit actor Martin Freeman, was introduced in 2016's Captain America: Civil War and returned in 2018’s Black Panther. The character is finally returning in a couple projects, including Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and the Secret Invasion series. Jackson also revealed Freeman's involvement in the latter project in the same conversation where he name-dropped Olivia Colman. 

Dermot Mulroney

Getting back to the new talent heading to Secret Invasion, Dermot Mulroney has also found a role in the upcoming Marvel series set to premiere on Disney+. The actor, who is best known for The Best Friend’s Wedding and New Girl, is rumored to be playing the new President of the United States in the Marvel Universe. It seems his involvement was leaked via a set photo on Instagram featuring Mulroney and Don Cheadle on the front of a newspaper.

Christopher McDonald

Christopher McDonald, of Happy Gilmore, Thelma & Louise, Hacks and Flubber fame is also part of the huge Secret Invasion cast, marking his first appearance in the MCU. A rumor that cropped up following the news was speculation the actor might be playing Norman Osborn. McDonald, who of course has to remain tight-lipped, said he’s “not saying anything” when pressed about his upcoming role. 

Killian Scott

Among the lesser-known actors part of Secret Invasion is Irish Killian Scott, per Deadline, who has been in projects such as ‘71, Calvary and the USA series Damnation. Officially, we don't know yet who Scott will play in the Marvel project, but it is rumored he’ll play a Skrull known from Marvel Comics named Fiz.  

Carmen Ejogo

The final cast member from Secret Invasion we’ve heard about is Carmen Ejogo, but this is rumored. The British actress has starred in movies such as Selma, It Comes At Night, Fantastic Beasts and The Purge: Anarchy. We’ll have to wait and see how she may fit into Secret Invasion. 

There’s a lot to look forward to from Secret Invasion. The Disney+ series has yet to receive a release date, but it has finished filming. At the earliest, it will drop late 2022, but a 2023 release date feels more likely at this point. We will keep you posted with updates here on CinemaBlend. 

Considering how Christopher Nolan’s goal with his live-action Batman movies was to bring Batman into the real world, it was always safe to assume we would never see Mr. Freeze face off against Christian Bale. However, as Matt Reeves’ approach appears to be making Batman’s world real, it does not seem like too much of a stretch that we could see the chilling foe face off against Robert Pattinson.

The director of The Batman has even said that he sees potential for the tragic villain - whose real name is Dr. Victor Fries - to have a place in his grounded, new vision for the Dark Knight. If Mr. Freeze’s return to the big screen for the first time since Arnold Schwarzenegger’s very campy and punny portrayal in Batman & Robin is destined to happen under Matt Reeves’ watch, I have a few idea of who might be a perfect choice to bring the role to life, staring with someone well-versed in playing tragic figures already.

Bryan Cranston

Like many of the best faces in Batman’s rogues gallery, Mr. Freeze is a villain by circumstance - driven to crime in order to find a cure for his ailing wife, whom he has put under cryogenic slumber with the same chemicals that accidentally turn him, literally, cold-blooded. Another iconic example of a character whose desperate commitment to his family led him down a path of destruction is Walter White, played brilliantly in the Breaking Bad cast by four-time Emmy winner Bryan Cranston - who might also be good as a Marvel villain some day. If there is one person best equipped to portray Freeze’s tragic evolution, it has to be him.

Giancarlo Esposito

Bryan Cranston is not the only former Breaking Bad cast member to cross my mind when considering who could be the next Mr. Freeze. Ever since Giancarlo Esposito played drug lord Gus Fring on the hit drama and later on its prequel spin-off, Better Call Saul, he has become a reliable go-to for playing TV bad guys, from Moff Gideon on The Mandalorian to Vought CEO Stan Edgar on The Boys. I think it’s time his knack for portraying villainy gets the big screen treatment, and his potentially frightening Freeze he would be the perfect entry point.

Mads Mikkelsen

An actor known for frightening audiences on both the small screen (such as in the Hannibal cast in the title role) and the big screen (including as Kaecilius in Doctor Strange or the new Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore) is Mads Mikkelsen. However, in his lighter roles - like in the Oscar-winning dramedy Another Round - the Danish actor has shown he can effortlessly tap into an audience’s fuzzier side and earn its sympathy. Channeling both sides of his acting range would be key to pulling off Mr. Freeze, making him an excellent choice.

Christoph Waltz

We have also seen Christoph Waltz play both honorable and unscrupulous characters, and to Academy Award-winning glory (each time in a Quentin Tarantino movie, too). However, between the charming bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz in Django Unchained and the dastardly Col. Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds, I think the latter remains his defining role and Tarantino’s favorite of the characters he has written. I think it also provides a glimpse at what a more cunning and calculating Mr. Freeze could look like, and that is an interpretation I would kill to see.

Ben Mendelsohn

You may remember all of Ben Mendelsohn’s great, antagonistic performances in Star Wars: Rogue One or Captain Marvel (which turned out to be a misdirect, of course) or his Emmy-winning role on Netflix’s Bloodline. What you might not remember is that he also played a bad guy in The Dark Knight Rises - namely a construction company owner who attempted to assume control of Wayne Enterprises with the help of Bane (Tom Hardy). I think it would be fun to see the Aussie return to Gotham City as a more prominent villain, and with his penchant for playing blood-curdling bad guys, nailing Mr. Freeze, for him, would be a breeze.

Benicio Del Toro

Another veteran of both the Star Wars movies (as DJ) and the Marvel movies (as The Collector) is Benicio Del Toro, who brought a distinct eccentricity to each of his standout roles in those respective franchises. Eccentricity is not a word often associated with Mr. Freeze, who has typically been portrayed as over-the-top silly (such as on the 1960s Batman TV series) or stone cold serious (most famously in some of the best Batman: The Animated Series episodes as voiced by Michael Ansara). I am curious to see an iteration that finds that sweet spot in the middle and the Academy Award winner might be able to make that work really well in Matt Reeves’ Batman universe.

Michael Fassbender

Another actor you may remember from the Marvel movies (just not of the MCU continuity), but may have forgotten was also in a DC adaptation, is Michael Fassbender. The German-born, English-raised actor’s villainous roles from each are entirely different, with the X-Men movies’ Magneto being very sophisticated and driven by a morally questionable sense of righteousness, and Burke from the 2010’s misbegotten western Jonah Hex being a sadistic freak. The former of those character traits is already essential when portraying Mr. Freeze, while the latter could be an interesting one for the Academy Award nominee to also experiment with for a new interpretation. 

Mark Strong

I will admit that this choice is almost a little too easy since Mark Strong already has extensive experience with comic book movie roles. In fact, two of them are notable DC villains - namely Sinestro (before going bad, that is) in 2011’s Green Lantern and Dr. Sivana in Shazam! from 2019. However, that and his physical appearance alone (I mean, does he not look exactly like Mr. Freeze from Batman: The Animated Series brought to life?) are enough for me to consider him as a fantastic choice for the role.

The mere idea of any of these tour de force actors cast as Mr. Freeze makes me even more excited and hopeful for his big screen return. If he is destined to be one of the potential villains in the sequel to The Batman, I cannot wait to see what ideas Matt Reeves has in mind.

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Based on the best-selling debut novel by Ernest Cline, 2018's Ready Player One was an expansive sci-fi action-adventure that introduced audiences to a dystopian world which was simultaneously old and new. More specifically, it centered around the disenfranchised lives of wayward strangers who are connected by their desire to discover the lost fortune of mysterious billionaire James Halliday, the creator of the virtual reality world known as OASIS.

Directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Simon Pegg, and Mark Rylance, this '80s loving otherworldly odyssey didn't become a critical darling but it grossed nearly $600 million at the box office and earned an Oscar nomination for its visual effects. Now that it's been over three years since this blockbuster blasted onto the big screen, what is the Ready Player One cast doing now? Put on your virtual reality goggles and take a look!

Tye Sheridan (Wade Watts/Parzival)

As Wade Watts, i.e. Parzival, an avid Gunter who frantically searches for clues hidden inside the OASIS in order to unlock James Halliday's lost fortune, Tye Sheridan played the male protagonist in Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One. Most notably, Sheridan made his debut in Terrence Malick's masterpiece, The Tree of Life. Later, he received his first starring role in Jeff Nichols' Mud. Also, Sheridan plays Scott Summers, i.e. Cyclops, in the X-Men reboot series, which includes X-Men: Apocalypse, X-Men: Dark Phoenix, and Deadpool 2. Additionally, Sheridan can be seen in Joe, The Yellow Birds, Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, The Stanford Prison Experiment, and The Mountain.

Most recently, Tye Sheridan headlined the space-based drama, Voyagers. Furthermore, Sheridan appeared in The Night Clerk (which he also produced), Quibi's Wireless, and the video game, Madden NFL 21. Next, he'll be seen in Paul Schrader's The Card Counter. Right now, the actor is filming a role in George Clooney's The Tender Bar. Additionally, Sheridan is signed on to star in Black Flies and The Things They Carried.

Olivia Cooke (Samantha Cook/Art3mis)

In the role of Samatha Cook, better known as Art3mis, a determined Gunter who forms a kinship with Wade, Olivia Cooke played the female protagonist. Most notably, Cooke starred in A&E's Bates Motel. Additionally, the English actress played Becky Sharp in Amazon Prime's mini-series, Vanity Fair. Her other television credits include Modern Love, The Secret of Crickley Hall, and Blackout. Furthermore, outside of TV, Cooke starred in Ouija, The Quiet Ones, Thoroughbreds, and Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. She's also recognized for her performances in Life Itself, Katie Says Goodbye, The Limehouse Golem, The Signal, and last year's Sound of Metal. Additionally, the young talent was seen in One Direction's "Autumn Term" music video.

Most recently, Olivia Cooke starred in Pixie and Little Fish. She also had a starring role in Naked Singularity, which premiered at the San Francisco International Film Festival. Currently, Cooke is in the midst of filming the Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon. She's signed on to appear in Apple TV+'s Slow Horses.

Mark Rylance (James Halliday/Anorak the All-Knowing)

Playing the part of James Halliday, i.e. Anorak the All-Knowing, the inventor of OASIS who creates a scavenger hunt that leads to his vast fortune, Mark Rylance is the overarching protagonist of Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One. Most notably, Rylance won an Oscar for his supporting turn as Rudolf Abel in Spielberg's Bridge of Spies. Later, the actor reunited with the acclaimed filmmaker to play the title role in The BFG. Also, Rylance is a three-time Tony winner through his performances in Broadway's Boeing Boeing, Jerusalem, and Twelfth Night. His other notable film credits include Dunkirk, The Gunman, The Other Boleyn Girl, Hearts of Fire, Anonymous, and Blitz.

Last year, Rylance starred in Waiting for the Barbarians and The Trial of the Chicago 7. Next, he'll be seen in Terrence Malick's The Way of the Wind, Adam McKay's Don't Look Up, The Outfit, and The Fantastic Flitcrofts. Also, Rylance will appear in Brady Corbet's The Brutalist and he'll soon reunite with Simon Pegg for Peacock's The Undeclared War.

Ben Mendelsohn (Nolan Sorrento/IOI-655321)

As Nolan Sorrento, a.k.a. IOI-655321, the malicious head of IOI who savagely hunts for James Halliday's Easter Egg in order to take over the OASIS, Ben Mendelsohn plays the primary villain. Most notably, Mendelsohn won an Emmy for his supporting turn in Netflix's Bloodline. Outside of television, Mendelsohn is best known for his standout performances as Director Orson Krennic in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Andrew "Pope" Cody in Animal Kingdom, and Talos in Captain Marvel. Elsewhere, the actor appears in Mississippi Grind, Killing Them Softly, Starred Up, The Dark Knight Rises, Robin Hood (2018), The King, The Place Beyond the Pines, and Darkest Hour.

Most recently, Ben Mendelsohn produced and played Ralph Anderson in HBO's The Outsider. He's also seen in Babyteeth and heard in HBO Max's Infinity Train. Next, the actor stars in Joe Wright's Cyrano. He also recently filmed the thriller, Misanthrope. Additionally, Mendelsohn reprises his role as Talos in Disney+'s MCU series, Secret Invasion. The actor is also heard in the much-anticipated video game, Squadron 42.

Simon Pegg (Ogden Morrow/Curator)

In the role of Ogden Morrow, i.e. the Curator, James Halliday's best friend and the co-creator of the OASIS, Simon Pegg plays an emotional part in Ready Player One. Most famously, Pegg co-wrote and starred in Edgar Wright'sCornetto film trilogy, which includes Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World's End. Additionally, Pegg co-wrote and starred in Paul. Pegg plays Benji Dunn in the Mission: Impossible movies and Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the recent Star Trek blockbusters.

Most recently, Simon Pegg co-created, produced, and starred in Amazon Prime's Truth Seekers. He also produced BBC Two's Out of Her Mind. Additionally, Pegg directed Pom Klementieff's short film, Au Revoir, Chris Hemsworth. Next, the actor will be heard in America: The Motion Picture. Right now, Pegg is reprising his role as Benji in Mission: Impossible 7 and 8. Additionally, Pegg will once again voice the title character in the CG-animated prequel, The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild. Furthermore, he will reunite with Mark Rylance in Peacock's The Undeclared War.

Lena Waithe (Helen Harris/Aech)

Playing the part of Helen Harris. a.k.a. Aech, Wade's best friend and a fellow Gunter, Lena Waithe made her film debut in Ready Player One. Most notably, Waithe won an Emmy for writing Netflix's Master of None, where she also plays Denise. Additionally, the award-winning television writer created Showtime's The Chi and BET's Boomerang and Twenties. As an actress, meanwhile, Waithe can be seen in Westworld, Netflix's Dear White People, and Hulu's Bad Hair. She also lent her voice to Onward. Furthermore, Waithe wrote for Fox's Bones and Nickelodeon's How to Rock. She also penned and co-produced Queen & Slim. Additionally, Waite produced Dear White People, Step Sisters, Ladylike, The 40-Year-Old Version, and Amazon Prime's Them.

Next, Lena Waithe will star in Master of None Season 3. Additionally, the screenwriter wrote and produced Netflix's Beauty. She's also the producer behind Birth of Cool, A Thousand and One, and the upcoming documentary, The One and Only Dick Gregory.

T.J. Miller (i-R0k)

As i-R0k, an obnoxiously egotistical Gunter who's constantly belittled by Wade, T.J. Miller voiced a minor antagonist in Ready Player One. Making his acting debut in Cloverfield, Miller found fame and acclaim through his standout performance as Erlich Bachman in HBO's Silicon Valley. The comedic actor is also known for his supporting performance in Deadpool 1 & 2. Additionally, Miller lent his voice to The Emoji Movie.

T.J. Miller's other notable movie credits include She's Out of My League, Transformers: Age of Extinction, Office Christmas Party, and Yogi Bear. Furthermore, Miller lent his voice to Big Hero 6 and How to Train Your Dragon 1 & 2. Outside of film, the actor wrote, produced, and played the titular character in The Gorburger Show. Most recently, Miller was seen in Underwater and The Stand-In. He was also heard in the short film, Street Walking. The comedian doesn't have any upcoming projects on the docket. After a series of allegations were made against Miller, that might not change anytime soon.

Philip Zhao (Zhou/Sho)

In the role of Zhou, i.e. Sho, a young Gunter on a quest to discover Halliday's Easter Egg alongside Daito, Philip Zhao plays a supporting character in Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One. This property-mashing blockbuster served as the child actor's screen debut. Likewise, the film remains Zhao's only screen credit; he has no future projects lined up.

Win Morisaki (Toshiro/Daito)

Playing the part of Toshiro, i.e. Daito, a fellow Gunter, Win Morisaki was a reserved character who eventually warmed up to Wade in Ready Player One. Most notably, Morisaki is the lead vocalist of the J-pop boy band, PrizmaX. His other film credits include Shodo Girls, A Yell From Heaven, Parade, Thriller Restuarant, Listen to the Universe, and last year's Humanoid Monster Bela. Additionally, Morisaki is heard in Children of the Sea and the video game, Death Come True. Also, the actor voiced Mr. Mistoffelees in the Japanese dub of Cats.

Last year, Win Morisaki starred in The Real Thing. Most recently, Morisaki was seen in the Japanese drama Nishiogikubo Mitsuboshi Youshudou. Next, the actor will star in Cherry Blossom Tower.

Hannah John-Kamen (F’Nale Zandor)

As F'Nale Zandor, the steadfast leader of the Sixers, Hannah John-Kamen played a secondary antagonist in Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One. The actress is most commonly recognized for her performance as Ava Starr, i.e. Ghost, in Ant-Man and the Wasp, andis remembered for her performances as Yalena "Dutch" Yardeen in Syfy's Killjoys, Ornela in HBO's Game of Thrones, and the title role in Netflix's The Stranger. Also, she played the part of Wilhelmina "Helm" Watson in Peacock's short-lived series, Brave New World.

Additionally, Hannah John-Kamen lent her voice to the role of Naia in Netflix's The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Furthermore, John-Kamen appeared in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Tomb Raider. She was heard in the Dark Souls video game series. Most recently, John-Kamen appeared in SAS: Red Notice. Next, the actress will be seen in Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. Also, John-Kamen is soon slated to star in the horror movie, Unwelcome.

You can stream Ready Player One on HBO Max here.

From a galaxy far away to the most successful cinematic universe of all time, and the other way around, there have been multiple actors who have appeared in Star Wars movies and Marvel movies throughout their career. It doesn’t take long to come up with names like Samuel L. Jackson, Natalie Portman, Lupita Nyong’o, and Mads Mikkelsen, but there have been actors whose performances in either the MCU or Star Wars that have been lost to time. But no more as we have put together an extensive list of the actors who have shown up at time or another in both franchises.

Now, before we get started we should lay out some rules about who is being included and why. The list only includes actors who have appeared in the MCU in addition to Star Wars at some point. This doesn’t include any of the films in the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters or any other Marvel film franchise like X-Men or Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy.

Samuel L. Jackson - Mace Windu/Nick Fury

When thinking of actors who have shown up in Star Wars and the MCU over the years, the first person to come to mind is more times than not none other than Samuel L. Jackson. I mean how could you forget Mace Windu and his awesome purple lightsaber in the Prequel Trilogy starting with the family friendly Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace and his badass scenes throughout his other two appearances in the trilogy.

And then there is Samuel L. Jackson’s work in the MCU, which started with the iconic Iron Man post-credits scene when his version of Nick Fury introduced himself to Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) about starting the Avengers Initiative. The rest, well, it’s history, and Fury has become one of the franchise’s most beloved and mysterious characters to date.

Natalie Portman - Padmé Amidala/Jane Foster

Natalie Portman is another massive star to appear in both Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe with plenty more Marvel on the way including her return for Thor: Love and Thunder. First introduced to the MCU in 2011’s Thor as Jane Foster, one the world’s premier astrophysicists and eventual love interest to Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder, Portman appeared in the franchise’s second installment Thor: The Dark World in 2013 before stepping away from Marvel for what will be nearly a decade before she takes up the mantel of Lady Thor in the upcoming sequel.

Natalie Portman was also instrumental throughout the three Star Wars prequels as the queen-turned-senator from Naboo and eventual mother of Luke and Leia before dying of a broken heart in Star Wars: Episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith.

Paul Bettany - Dryden Vos/Vision/Jarvis

Even though Solo: A Star Wars Story is considered a failure by many, one of the 2018 film’s stars, Paul Bettany is actually quite fond of the standalone movie. And honestly, he has every right to feel that way considering he was one of the best things about the movie (along with another actor who appeared in both Star Wars and the MCU) with his portrayal of Dryden Vos, the figurehead leader of the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate.

Paul Bettany’s stellar Solo performance is par for the course for the talented and versatile actor who has been in the Marvel Cinematic Universe longer than just about everyone else. After voicing Tony Stark’s AI Jarvis going back to 2008’s Iron Man, Bettany portrayed the character as well as Vision in a number of MCU movies before getting his very own Disney+ series with WandaVision in 2021 where he trolled the hell out of the show’s fans.

Andy Serkis - Supreme Leader Snoke/Ulysses Klaue

More times than not, when we see Andy Serkis in a movie, it’s either under a ton of makeup or a CGI character brought to life by the actor’s masterful motion-capture work. That can’t be said for his two appearances in the MCU where he portrayed crime lord Ulysses Klaue in Avengers: Age of Ultron and again in Black Panther (with that deadly cybernetic arm) before getting killed off by Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) before the villain made his return to Wakanda.

Over on the Star Wars side of things, Andy Serkis did what he does best when he performed all the motion-capture work for Supreme Leader Snoke starting in The Force Awakens before being cut in half in the much-maligned sequel The Last Jedi. And while everyone thought the character (and Serkis) would have a much longer shelf life in the franchise, his early departure shouldn’t take away from his performance.

Benicio Del Toro - DJ/The Collector

Benicio del Toro has appeared in three different MCU movies over the years, portraying Taneleer Tivan, aka The Collector, in Thor: The Dark World, Guardians of the Galaxy, and finally Avengers: Infinity War. A crucial character in the Infinity Saga, The Collector played a prominent role in helping audiences better grasp the concept of the Infinity Stones and Thanos’ quest to secure all six.

Long before he appeared as DJ, the untrustworthy codebreaker in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Benicio del Toro was originally up for the role of Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace but later dropped out and delayed his debut in the galaxy far, far away for nearly 20 years.

Donald Glover - Lando Calrissian/Aaron Davis/Prowler

Donald Glover was already a big name when he was cast as Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story with his popular Atlanta series and work on Community making a strong case, but he reached another level of stardom when he took on the role first made popular by Billy Dee Williams nearly 40 years earlier. And while Solo wasn’t anyone’s favorite Star Wars movie, Glover’s Lando was worth the price of admission alone.

A year before making his Star Wars debut, however, Donald Glover appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming in a seemingly small capacity, but as a character with an extensive history in Marvel Comics. His one-scene performance as Aaron Davis, aka Prowler was a fun little easter egg and one that CinemaBlend predicted back in June 2016. Let’s just hope this wasn’t a one-and-done role for the Hollywood renaissance man.

Mads Mikkelsen - Galen Erso/Kaecilius

Mads Mikkelsen, who has made a career out of playing villains, served as one of the main antagonists in 2016’s Doctor Strange when he took on the role of Kaecilius, a former member of the Masters of the Mystics Arts who brought Dormammu to Earth before becoming forever trapped in the Dark Dimension.

Over in Star Wars, however, Mads Mikkelsen played a less evil character (considering the circumstances) with his portrayal of Galen Erso, the father of Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Although he was responsible for the creation of the Death Star, Erson did put in a crucial flaw in the battle station’s defenses.

Lupita Nyong’o - Maz Kanata/Nakia

Andy Serkis isn’t the only future Marvel actor to pull of some impressive motion-capture work in a Star Wars movie as Lupita Nyong’o helped bring the CGI character Maz Kanata to life in 2015’s The Force Awakens. With the help of talented artists, Nyong’o’s animated Force-sensitive character who proved to be a key ally for Rey (Daisy Ridley) and company throughout the sequel trilogy.

Not long after appearing in Star Wars, Lupita Nyong’o moved over to the Marvel Cinematic Universe where she took on the role of Nakia, one of T’Challa’s (Chadwick Boseman) biggest allies and love interest in Black Panther.

Forest Whitaker - Saw Gerrera/Zuri

Forest Whitaker’s Zuri was at the center of the complicated history of Wakanda that came back to nearly overthrow reclusive nation in Black Panther, but even though the elder was responsible for one of T’Chaka’s (John Kani) worst moments, he tried to prevent history from repeating itself, putting his life on the line in the process.

Over on the Star Wars side of thing, Forest Whitaker portrayed the paranoid revolutionary figure Saw Gerrera in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story that walked a fine line between ally of the rebellion and overzealous terrorist. That moral ambiguity was one of the reasons why Whitaker enjoyed taking on the memorable character.

Jon Favreau - Rio Durant/Happy Hogan

In addition to creating the hit Disney+ series The Mandalorian, actor/director/producer/writer Jon Favreau has appeared in the Star Wars galaxy in an acting role, voicing Rio Durant in Solo: A Story Wars Story. The good-natured, four-armed pilot was at the center of the film’s big heist, dying in the process.

Over on the Marvel side of things, there are few people who have been more instrumental in launching the MCU and keeping it going over the years than Jon Favreau. In addition to directing two of the first three movies in the franchise with his Iron Man movies, Favreau has appeared in numerous movies as Happy Hogan, including giving us one of the most emotional scenes in Avengers: Endgame.

Ben Mendelsohn - Orson Krennic/Talos

History would tell you that Ben Mendelsohn would have been the one playing the villain when he appeared as Talos, one of the main Skrulls at the center of Captain Marvel, but the veteran Australian actor proved that he was capable of playing an unassuming hero who doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere anytime soon.

The same can’t be said for his portrayal of the Imperial Orson Krennic in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Even though he never really got a fair shake and was constantly knocked down a few pegs by Grand Moff Tarkin (Guy Henry) who even took Krennic’s Death Star from him, when the director of the Imperial’s military research division was about as evil as evil can be.

Hannah John-Kamen - First Order Bridge Officer/Ghost

Hannah John-Kamen appeared as Ant-Man and the Wasp antagonist Ava Starr, aka Ghost, a character who needed a special suit to provide relief for her unstable quantum state following an accident as a young child. And while not much has been said about a possible return to the MCU, John-Kamen has teased fans about that for a couple years now.

A couple years before she joined the MCU, Hannah John-Kamen appeared briefly in Star Wars: The Force Awakens as the First Order bridge officer who told General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) that Starkiller Base’s powerful weapon would soon be operational.

Richard Armitage - Naboo Fighter Pilot/Heinz Kruger

Richard Armitage, who would go on to portray Thorin Oakenshield in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy, appeared in his first movie back in 1999 when he had a very small part as a Naboo fighter pilot in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.

A little more than a decade later, Richard Armitage would make a lot of out of a short amount of time in Captain America: The First Avenger, appearing as Hydra spy Heinz Kruger who attempts to steal the super soldier serum and kills Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci) before being chased down by Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and his new superhuman powers.

Peter Serafinowicz - Darth Maul (Voice)/Garthan Saal

And then there is Peter Serafinowicz, who played Nova Corps officer Garthan Saal in Guardians of the Galaxy. Featured in several key scenes throughout the 2014 surprise hit, Saal was one of the Nova Corps pilots to sacrifice themselves in an attempt to prevent Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) from decimating Xandar.

Fifteen years before joining the MCU, Peter Serafinowicz provided the voice of Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace after he was brought in to overdub Ray Park’s original dialogue during post-production. He would later have harsh words for the movie.

These are just a few of the actors who have appeared in Star Wars and the MCU over the years, as dozens have appeared in smaller roles in each property. This also doesn’t even begin to touch on the names who have appeared in Star Wars or Marvel shows like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s Erin Kellyman, Luke Cage’s Jessica Henwick, or The Mandalorian’s Rosario Dawson and Ming-N Wen. We will just have to wait and see if this list continues to grow with all the upcoming Star Wars movies and Marvel Phase 4 and beyond.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is continuing to grow, as the franchise has a number of major projects lined up over the next few years. One of the most exciting is Disney+’s Secret Invasion, which will see the return of Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury and Ben Mendelsohn’s Talos. While plot details are mostly being kept under wraps, the series is starting to cast new faces, and it would appear that the show is now close to landing an A+ actress!

Oscar-winner Olivia Colman is reportedly in talks to join Marvel and Disney+’s Secret Invasion, per The Hollywood Reporter. As you would expect, there are no details regarding the role Colman is being pursued for. Nevertheless, the mere thought of the actress joining the MCU is exciting enough.

Olivia Colman’s career has been filled with notable credits, both on the big and small screen. In the realm of film, the actress has starred in comedies like I Could Never Be Your Woman and Hot Fuzz, along with dramas like The Iron Lady and The Father. And it was her turn as Queen Anne in 2018’s The Favourite that won her the Oscar for Best Actress. In terms of her TV credits, she’s arguably best known for her roles as the narrator on Fleabag and Queen Elizabeth II on The Crown.

Olivia Colman would be a perfect fit for the superhero franchise. She’s proven herself to be an incredibly versatile actress, having moved across a plethora of genres over the years. She can certainly bring in the humor that Marvel projects are known for, but she also has plenty of dramatic chops, as evidenced by her Academy Award.

Secret Invasion is set to be a loose adaptation of the Marvel Comics storyline of the same name. Early details hint that the story will deal with the presence of Skrulls on Earth, as the aliens have managed to infiltrate different levels of society.

Should she sign on, Olivia Colman would not only join Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn but also One Night In Miami star Kingsley Ben-Adir, who will reportedly play the villain. It’s hard to predict who Colman might play, though it would be fun to see her play one of the Skrulls that will inhabit the series. Colman previously expressed interest in playing a Marvel villain, and having her and Ben-Adir possibly face off with Jackson’s Fury and Mendelsohn’s Talos would be exciting.

It’s still early days for Marvel’s Secret Invasion but, when it comes to building its cast, the show is certainly off to a strong start. It’ll be fun to see who ends up joining the Skrull-tastic adventure next. I mean… is there any chance we can get another Hot Fuzz alum like Simon Pegg or Nick Frost on the show?

While you wait for the show, you can head to Disney+ to stream other shows like WandaVison and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the latter of which airs its finale Friday, April 23.

After going so long without new and fresh content, Marvel fans are looking at a bright and booming future, with tons of features and TV shows on the way. But amidst all the big updates, not much has been shared just yet about Secret Invasion, which will bring Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury and Ben Mendelsohn's Talos to the small screen for the first time. Now, we finally know who else will be joining them for the action-packed comic arc adaptation: One Night in Miami and High Fidelity star Kingsley Ben-Adir.

Having made awards-season waves for his work as Malcolm X in Regina King's Oscar-nominated historical drama One Night in Miami, Kingsley Ben-Adir is heading for completely new acting waters by joining the MCU with Secret Invasion. The increasingly popular actor will indeed take on a lead role opposite Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn, although it isn't yet clear what that role will be. According to Deadline, Ben-Adir will portray at least one of the film's big bads, but we'll have to wait and see exactly what villain he'll play. Whoever it is, I expect it to be a stellar performance regardless, though I'll just say it right here that I will 100% lose my shit if he ends up playing the mega-antagonist Galactus. Cheers to that idea.

Perhaps the closest Kingsley Ben-Adir has come to taking on a Marvel movie is his role in Guy Ritchie's King Arthur movie, or perhaps his small role in World War Z, though the fantastical nature of The OA might also be comparable depending on how straightforward Secret Invasion will be. Anything involving Skrulls as co-leads can't be TOO straightforward. (His role as Barack Obama in Showtime's The Comey Rule probably won't factor in at all.)

The crossover storyline centers on a group of shape-shifting Skrulls who have lived clandestinely on Earth for years, and the game-changing events that go down once they start battling the Aveng...well, whatever super-powered hero team is around, I guess. Considering the comic book version of events, as written by Bryan Michael Bendis, utilize many characters that presumably won't be available within the MCU around the time that Secret Invasion will air, it's unclear exactly which Marvel headliners will be populating the series, and if it will indeed be a major crossover event as it was in the source material.

Secret Invasion will mark the third time that Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury and Ben Mendelsohn's allegiance-shifting Skrull Talos appear in the same film. The actors first co-starred opposite Brie Larson in Captain Marvel, and Mendelsohn had an uncredited cameo in Spider-Man: Far From Home, which revealed Nick Fury's continued relationship with the Skrulls and S.W.O.R.D. Will we learn more about what to expect from this new series from other projects that go public before then? Almost definitely, though how direct those connections will be is anybody's guess.

The production start date for Secret Invasion hasn't yet been solidified, but here's hoping the show comes together in time to hit streaming audiences via Disney+ at some point in early 2022. And while we're hoping for things, my wishful money is on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's fast-paced action being a perfect follow-up to WandaVision's manic, grief-filled weirdness.

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It’s a funny thing how major events in a story can change throughout the filmmaking process. In Captain Marvel’s Ben Mendelsohn’s case, his Skrull character, Talos, would have had a much different road if they had stuck to the original script. And he recently revealed those surprising original plans.

Ben Mendelsohn recently spoke with NME about Captain Marvel and revealed some very surprising information about his role. While today it looks like there's a chance his shapeshifting Skrull character might play a larger role in the MCU, that may not have been the case early on in Captain Marvel’s production. As Mendelsohn explained this bombshell:

That’s some pretty surprising news. The Skrulls are usually portrayed as evil in the comics, so Captain Marvel subverted fan expectations by making them helpless refugees that team up with the hero. Perhaps the original draft of the script was going to make him evil and kill him off, but decided to take it in another direction? It’s hard to say one way or the other, but the writers clearly weren’t planning to have Talos be a major player.

Marvel fans can re-watch Ben Mendelsohn's time in the MCU on Disney+. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

Of course, Ben Mendelsohn’s Talos didn’t just appear in Captain Marvel, but also had a surprise cameo at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home. In the scene, it’s revealed that Talos was shapeshifting as Nick Fury throughout the whole movie and was under orders by the real Nick Fury to give Tony Stark’s glasses to Spider-Man. Not only has this caused fans to question how often Talos has shapeshifted as Nick Fury in the past, but what his role might look like in the future of the MCU.

Right now there’s a ton of theories about what this could mean for Phase Four of the MCU. But, officially, it’s mostly unknown what role Talos could play, if any, moving forward. However, with such a big reveal at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home, I wouldn’t be too surprised if he made another appearance in another Marvel movie down the road.

While there’s plenty of unknowns, one thing we do know is that Captain Marvel 2 is indeed happening with Brie Larson set to reprise her role as the titular character. This month, in a surprise bit of news, we also learned that Candyman’s Nia DaCosta will be sitting in the director’s chair. Unfortunately, we don’t know at this point if Ben Mendelsohn will be returning to play Talos. So, stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest news.

Major spoilers below for The Outsider's season finale. You have been warned!

After delivering nine episodes of its intense supernatural mystery, HBO's The Outsider wrapped up with a finale that was easily worthy of Stephen King's acclaimed novel. A lot went down – and that includes more than a few bodies – and just when it seemed like the story was over, a surprise mid-credits scene took things to an unexpected and potentially dangerous place.

Below, we'll go over what went down in The Outsider's finale, and what audiences should probably take away from it, considering this series might not get a second season to resolve the enigmatic ending.

Everyone Who Died In The Outsider Finale (That Was Human)

The Outsider's penultimate episode ended on a dour note, with the cavalry arriving at the Cave's souvenir shop just in time to get targeted by a drunk and too-far-gone Jack, who was utilizing his sniper skills to do El Cuco's bidding. After a few contemplative seconds, the episode jumped right back into the chaos.

Alec Pelley (Jeremy Bobb)

A character who had more faith in the idea of El Cuco than others, Alec was unfortunately Jack's first victim, taking a shot to the back of the head and dying rather instantly. I don't think anyone witnessed that moment at the tail end of Episode 9 and expected him to make any full recoveries, but Jack shot him a couple more times on the ground just to make sure.

Seale Bolton (Max Beesley)

Claude's brother Seale was driven more by impulse than consideration, so it wasn't too surprising when he grabbed his own gun and tried to take out Jack. He did put Jack's whiskey out of its misery, but Seale suffered a shot to the chest and eventually died from his wounds.

Andy Katcavage (Derek Cecil)

While it would have been nice had he survived and led a long life at Holly's side, Andy was shot during an ill-sighted attempt to get cell phone reception. It wasn't immediately clear if he was dead or unconscious from the shot, but what happened next sealed his fate.

Howard Salomon (Bill Camp)

After somehow not getting shot while helping Claude pull Seale out of the line of fire, Howard wasn't so lucky when he went to check on Andy. Having already put a hole in the gas tank of the vehicle Andy was driving, Jack used his next shot to cause a spark and explode the whole shebang, with Howard getting blown backwards and burned by the fire.

Jack Hoskins (Marc Menchaca)

Apparently unable to bring himself to shoot Holly, and also unable to avoid getting bitten in the face by a rattlesnake, Jack eventually came down from his sniper post. After telling the others to kill the Outsider, Jack then used his rifle on himself.

Is El Cuco Dead?

The simple answer here is something like a "Probably, bordering on yup." But as it goes with mythical creatures harboring questionable morals, there's also a more complex answer.

Ralph and Holly's conversation with the creature was probably shorter than viewers were expecting, given the build-up, but it's not like the shapeshifting monster was a great conversationalist or anything. (His admission that he targeted children because they tasted the sweetest was quite morbid.) Claude interrupted things and, despite being told that a gunshot would likely cause a cave-in, did his part to avenge Seale's death by putting El Cuco down.

After the slight cave-in, Ralph stayed behind and correctly assumed that El Cuco, while weak, was actually just playing opossum and hoping everyone would leave it be. Though the monster offered no further verbal insight into its situation, the way it rapidly shifted through a variety of other faces was quite disturbing, considering the gruesome top of its head mostly stayed the same during the transitions.

As Holly watched from afar, Ralph forcefully brought a rock down and obliterated El Cuco's skull, which apparently convinced him that the entity was finally destroyed. The lack of worm gore here was kind of disappointing for any readers who couldn't wait to see Stephen King's horrifying descriptions brought to life.

The second half of the finale was partially spent showing audiences how Ralph, Holly, Claude and Sablo went public with El Cuco's crimes without ever bringing up the supernatural creature. They rightfully scapegoated Jack as an accomplice and set up the idea that the child-killer is still out there, which allowed for charges against Jason Bateman's deceased Terry Maitland to be properly dropped. But were they really lying about there still being a killer in the wind? It would appear that Ralph isn't so sure about any of that anymore, and the episode's final minutes got viewers to follow along with that train of thought.

What Did The Outsider's Mid-Credits Scene Mean For Holly?

As the one main character in The Outsider whose means and methods sometimes stretched beyond traditional human behavior, Cynthia Erivo's Holly Gibney clearly had a connection with El Cuco that no one else could understand. After watching the finale's mid-credits scene, viewers are likely wondering just how deep that connection goes, and what those final moments mean for Holly's future.

While inside a hotel room – one of the most successfully utilized settings within Stephen King's bibliography – Holly had a nightmarish vision of Jack Hoskins standing menacingly behind her in the bathroom mirror, but quickly realized it wasn't really him. Still, she immediately checked the back of her neck to see if there was any evidence of the extremely irritated skin that's found on the people that El Cuco uses as minions. She didn't find anything, but that reassuring feeling was fleeting at best.

Soon after, Holly was Googling Terry Maitland's updated situation and appeared as casual as she'd been through the entire season. But as she was mindlessly twirling her hair, the camera moved around to show viewers that Holly's arm was cut, which is a loose indication that she is being set up as the the next form that El Cuco will take. Which at once seems both ridiculous and perfectly reasonable.

It seems ridiculous because Holly went through a cavern collapsing all around her, which would be a prime place for someone to suffer a random cut. If Claude could get pinned down under a rock during that hubbub, Holly easily could have cut herself on a rock or something. Would it absolutely need to have been El Cuco who cut Holly in order for the creature's influence to utilize it? It wasn't technically dead yet during the cave-in, so is it possible it found a way to survive in those final minutes?

On the flip side, it would make solid sense for Holly to be El Cuco's next victim, so to speak. As she put it to Ralph during their final exchange, she was able to automatically believe in El Cuco's existence because "an outsider knows an outsider." Who better for El Cuco to try and take over than one of the only people out there who automatically believes in such concepts?

Also noteworthy was the way Holly smiled and shrugged when Ralph asked her what else was out there. Given how rarely the character offered up genuine smiles during the course of The Outsider Season 1, that reaction seemed purposefully quirky, and it left Ralph with a lot to think about. Admittedly, that moment might not have seemed so out of place had the mid-credits scene not happened, but everything was worth a second look after that final sequence.

HBO is seemingly stoking the mystery fire with this post-finale tweet.

With no real sign of whether not Season 2 will ever happen, we're left to mull that mini-cliffhanger without any concrete answers. The Outsider Season 1 is now available to stream in full on HBO Go and HBO NOW, so give it a rewatch and let us know in the poll below what you think about that ending.

This poll is no longer available.

How is it that both HBO and Stephen King TV adaptations been around since the 1970s, yet 2020 marks the first time the two mega-powers have joined forces? That question could probably keep me up at night if I thought about it long enough, and I could say the same thing for the network's ongoing miniseries based on King's 2018 novel The Outsider.

After getting off to a pretty slow start for its two-episode premiere – the live audience dipped from 724,000 viewers to just over 600,000 for the second episode – The Outsider has seen its audience rise to just under 1 million viewers for the fourth episode. That lift indicates good word-of-mouth, beyond the acclaim that's already out there, and I'm here to keep that "Watch This Show" train chugging along. So below, you'll find five big reasons why fans of Stephen King's Outsider novel, and even those who never heard of it, will love HBO's adaptation.

The Outsider Is Basically Stephen King's True Detective

True crime has seemingly never been more popular, and that influence is evident in certain fictional crime dramas, with True Detective drawing up the blueprint for such methodically disturbing investigations. For the first chunk of King's The Outsider, the narrative alternates between interrogation questionings and traditional storytelling that centers on the mutilation and death of a child in a Southern town. It's an open-and-shut case for brusque Detective Ralph Anderson until seemingly impossible evidence appears that points to the only possible suspect's evidence.

The TV series doesn't ape the exact same approach (since that would hew pretty close to True Detective in live-action), but it's still imbued with the same balance between Ralph's unwavering belief system and the outside world that's trying to dismantle that belief system. However, where Nic Pizzolatto only took viewers to the edge of occult-y supernatural shenanigans with True Detective, The Outsider dives face-first into dread-filled insanity, both on the page and on the screen.

Cynthia Erivo Excels As Stephen King Fan-Favorite Holly Gibney

First getting her offbeat introduction smack in the middle of Stephen King's Mr. Mercedes novel, Holly Gibney was immediately a force to be reckoned with, and the character was so deep and firmly grounded that King used her across four total books (so far). Naturally, spinning a live-action performance out of the character would be a challenge, considering she's not only on the autism spectrum, but also suffers from sensory perception issues, synesthesia and OCD. And yet Harriet star Cynthia Erivo isn't even the first actress to play her.

For Audience Network's Mr. Mercedes series, Holly is played by Justine Lupe, who delivers a solid and engaging performance, but there's something about Cynthia Erivo's portrayal that evokes so much of what was there on the page and then some. (Even if she doesn't share all of the character's tics, such as smoking.) In a show where almost every character lives stark black-and-white existences, Erivo's Holly upends everything by dropkicking a rainbow of new and different ideas into everyone's heads, even if they're not exactly life-affirming notions. Her strength isn't so much abundant confidence as it is not realizing that confidence is what gives most people their strength; Holly just does the damned thing, and Erivo's captivating performance builds up the character's layers throughout.

Ben Mendelsohn Is The Perfect (Male) Stephen King Protagonist

Stephen King's bibliography is long and historied, with an abundance of iconic characters scattered among a plethora of novels and short stories. And over the years, plenty of talented and high-profile actors have stepped in to portray some of those familiar leads. Such examples include Tom Hanks in The Green Mile, Christopher Walken in The Dead Zone to Brendan Gleeson in the aforementioned Mr. Mercedes, and the list definitely doesn't stop there. But where I can't necessarily see any of those actors playing each of the other respective roles (e.g. Gleeson as Johnny Smith), I can easily picture Ben Mendelsohn as just about every protagonist that King has ever conceived.

The Outsider confirms that suspicion as much as it can, with Ben Mendelsohn perfectly filling the shoes of a fractured detective who largely follows the rules of the law until the point when his fists reach beyond it. The actor is so good at playing characters who swim in morally ambiguous waters while earning others' dependence and loyalty. Sticking out in the ocean of TV crime drama detectives isn't the easiest thing to pull off, but Mendelsohn hits all the complex notes while maintaining the small-town simplicity (so to speak) that's also inherent to Stephen King ensembles.

Even Stephen King Knows Its The Rare Top-Tier Adaptation Of His Work

Ask a million Stephen King fans about their thoughts on the film and TV adaptations of his books and stories, and you'll hear a million slightly different opinions ranging from adoration to abhorrence. At this point, judging the adaptations is arguably an organic part of being a King fan, and it's largely understood that only a vaunted selection of those projects are reserved for the top of the mountain. The Outsider is an A+ adaptation deserving of inclusion in that group without a doubt.

Even Stephen King himself gave it his blue ribbon of approval, as evidenced below.

Written for TV by the great Richard Price, whose career as a novelist (The Wanderers, Clockers) led him to a side career in film and television, co-writing the Clockers screenplay with Spike Lee and working with David Simon on the Clockers-inspired The Wire. (He also wrote the extended music video for Michael Jackson's "Bad," co-wrote Ransom, and co-created The Night Of, to name a few others.) For The Outsider, Price worked with E.P./actor/director Jason Bateman and the rest of the creative team to deliver a perfectly moody, dread-laced haunt of a series that hits the same contemplative ebbs and harrowing flows of Stephen King's novel.

Be sure to catch up with The Outsider and tune into live episodes Sunday nights on HBO at 9:00 p.m. ET.

HBO's The Outsider miniseries just had a two-episode premiere last night, adapting Stephen King's horror novel. King has been sharing his take on the miniseries for several months now, including fresh reaction after the two-hour January 12 debut.

The Outsider stars the great Ben Mendelsohn and both of last night's episodes were directed by his co-star Jason Bateman. The Outsider is the latest Stephen King book to be adapted and, in this case, it was a pretty quick turnaround. King published The Outsider in May 2018. Now it's January 2020 and we already have a 10-episode miniseries ready to keep airing until early March.

So, what does Stephen King think of The Outsider on HBO? He's usually pretty positive about adaptations, although sometimes he'll go off like he did for The Shining. Other times he'll refrain from saying too much but you can read between the lines.

In this case, he's already gone on the record as saying The Outsider is "one of the best adaptations of my work."

After Sunday's premiere, Stephen King retweeted praise from filmmaker Joe Lynch for the show, star Ben Mendelsohn, and director Jason Bateman:

Stephen King steadily promoted The Outsider before its release, tweeting last week that "It's riveting television" and "It's excellent."

He's obviously a big fan, perhaps because The Outsider has yet to take as many liberties with his novel as, say, Pet Sematary or even the new Doctor Sleep movie -- although he also seemed to be a fan of that adaptation too and even said it redeemed his dislike of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining.

That's not to say The Outsider series hasn't changed some details from the book, but they have been relatively minor so far. And it looks like Stephen King was happy enough with this production that he let HBO film him as part of this behind-the-scenes look at The Outsider:

The Outsider stars Ben Mendelsohn (Captain Marvel, Bloodline, Ready Player One) as police detective Ralph Anderson, who investigates the mutilated body of 11-year-old boy Frankie Peterson, who is found in the Georgia woods. Jason Bateman -- fresh off an Emmy for directing Netflix's Ozark -- plays local baseball coach Terry Maitland, who is initially arrested for the murder based on solid evidence, but conflicting evidence appears to show him in two places at once. The mysterious circumstances surrounding the crime lead Ralph, still grieving the recent death of his own son, to bring in unorthodox private investigator Holly Gibney (Cynthia Erivo), whose uncanny abilities he hopes will help explain the unexplainable.

The character of Holly Gibney was also featured in Stephen King's Bill Hodges trilogy -- Mr. Mercedes, Finders Keepers, and End of Watch.

The Outsider also stars Bill Camp, Mare Winningham, Paddy Considine, Julianne Nicholson, Yul Vázquez, Jeremy Bobb, and Marc Menchaca. Episodes continue with "Dark Uncle" on Sunday, January 19 at 9 p.m. The HBO limited series will continue until the Episode 10 finale, "Must/Can't" (that should look familiar to book readers), which airs March 8.

Keep up with everything premiering in early 2020 with our handy TV schedule.

It wasn’t that long ago that it looked like Tom Holland’s Spider-Man would leave the Marvel Cinematic Universe due to financial disagreements between Disney and Sony. The two sides eventually came back together and reached a new deal, so Spidey will be sticking around this continually-expanding world for a little while longer.

As Ben Mendelsohn, who debuted as Skrull leader Talos in Captain Marvel and made a surprise appearance at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home, sees it, it’s wonderful that Spider-Man will be staying in the MCU, as he’s too important to let go. As the actor succinctly and explicitly put it:

Spider-Man has gone by a lot of nicknames over the years: Web-Slinger, Wall-Crawler, Menace, but I think this is the first time that anyone’s referred to the hero as a “motherfucking pornstar.” I’ll leave any web-shooting jokes for you readers to share in the comments, but suffice it to say that Ben Mendelsohn is astounded that Spidey’s MCU future was ever in question.

He added to Metro that he could name 30 other characters who you could “comfortably lose” before Spider-Man, and that even folks like Hulk and Thor don’t measure up to Spidey’s level of importance. If Disney and Sony had permanently ended this partnership, then Ben Mendelsohn says it would have “been a disaster.”

It is true that Spider-Man is one of Marvel’s most popular superheroes, not to mention a titan of general pop culture, and it’s hard to imagine him leaving the Marvel Comics universe. That said, let’s not forget that we went without Spider-Man for the first eight years of the MCU. He’s certainly become an integral player in this franchise since debuting in Captain America: Civil War, but having him out of the picture wouldn’t be the strangest thing to happen.

Still, with the way Spider-Man: Far From Home left off with the character, many fans would have been disappointed to have him removed at this stage of the game. After defeating Mysterio, returning home from New York and beginning a relationship with MJ, Peter Parker was shocked to see doctored footage being aired by The Daily Bugle where the late Quentin Beck (or is he really dead?) not only framed Peter for the Elemental attack in London, but also outed his secret identity to the world.

If Spider-Man had been evicted from the MCU following that shocking mid-credits scene, who knows if the next Tom Holland-led Spider-Man movie could have even followed up on those events or if the proverbial reset button would have been pressed. Regardless, it doesn’t matter now, as not only will this Spidey receive another movie, he’s also set to make an appearance elsewhere in the MCU.

Whether Ben Mendelsohn’s Talos, who was revealed to be disguised as Nick Fury for the entirety of Spider-Man: Far From Home, will step back into Peter Parker’s life remains to be seen. Talos could also return for Captain Marvel 2, assuming he and Carol Danvers have stayed in touch over the years. Even if they haven’t, whatever happens in the sequel could easily be used to reunite them.

Spider-Man’s next movie swings into theaters on July 16, 2021, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on its progress. You can also get up to speed on what else is coming out in Phase 4 and beyond with our Marvel movies guide.

Since Disney acquired Lucasfilm, the Star Wars franchise has been producing a variety of new and exciting content. In addition to the main sequels and upcoming Mandalorian live-action series, the House of Mouse broke new ground by introducing standalone movies to the galaxy far, far away. The first of these was Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, with Ben Mendelsohn starring as the villainous Orson Krennic. And despite Rogue One hitting theaters back in 2016, Mendelsohn is still arguing that his villainous character was the true creator of the Death Star.

Orson Krennic was the clear villain of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, helping to set up the conflict of the movie as well as the Empire as we knew it in A New Hope. But there is some debate about his role in creating the Death Star, as Mads Mikkelson's Galen Erso was the man responsible for the weaponry (and weakness) in the space station. Ben Mendelsohn recently spoke to this debate, and is staunch about his feelings regarding Krennic's role. As he put it:

You gotta hand it to Ben Mendelsohn, the man is determined. Because despite the years that have passed, he's still defending his Rogue One's character in creating the planet destroyer known as the Death Star.

Ben Mendelsohn's comments to GQ shows how much the actor truly cares about his tenure in the Star Wars franchise. Darth Vader may have had an epic role in the standalone film, but Krennic was the primary antagonist of the blockbuster. Mendelsohn thinks it would be weird for the film's villain to be middle management, and therefore is giving the character credit for being the true mastermind behind the Death Star.

Related: Let's Talk About That Death Star Shot In Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker's Trailer

The Death Star is an iconic piece of Star Wars lore, serving as the primary weapon of the Empire during A New Hope and Return of the Jedi. Rogue One was focused on the mission for the Death Star's plans, which contained a vital weakness thanks to Galen Erso. Audiences watched as the motley crew of rebels died one by one, eventually succeeding in getting the plans, which would allow Luke to destroy the space station in Episode IV.

All things considered, Ben Mendelsohn does have legs to stand on regarding Krennic's role in creating the Death Star. The station is one big weapon, and the Imperial Officer was the Director of the Advanced Weapons Research during Rogue One. This makes the character's death all the more poetic, as he was killed by that very same weapon when Grand Moff Tarkin fired it at the Imperial Base on Scarif.

The next installment in the Star Wars franchise will be The Rise of Skywalker on December 20th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Goose the cat is a scene-stealer in Captain Marvel, but apparently most of the scenes were stolen by computer-generated images. We've already heard from the trainer who coached four different cats -- mostly a little guy named Reggie -- to play the role of Goose on set. But Captain Marvel visual effects supervisor Chris Townsend said most of the shots actually used in the MCU film were done through effects company Trixter, even beyond just the obvious Flerken fun.

Visual effects supervisor Chris Townsend told HuffPost the CG version of Goose looked so realistic, even directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck didn't recognize real from fake. Townsend explained some of the times they felt they needed to go with a CG version, including when working around star Brie Larson's (Carol Danvers) allergy to cats:

Divas! Chris Townsend did praise the cats and the cat trainers, but he's right that there's only so much you can demand from a cat -- especially one that probably doesn't even have profit participation, so what's their motivation, really?

Pet trailer Ursula Brauner had said, of the four cats used, a dude named Reggie was probably in about 70% of the Goose scenes. But Chris Townsend is saying about 20-30% of what's seen on screen was CG. So it sounds like Reggie didn't really get that much screen time. (Call your agent, man.)

The cats did spend a lot of time on set, though, and that's useful for the VFX team. Apparently Ben Mendelsohn was very patient with the cats, to get them used to the Skrulls. Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury) gave mixed reactions to working with the cats, but the trainer said he was one of the best people working with them, and that the cats would go right up to him.

Goose is a character out of Marvel Comics, but on the page the Flerken "cat" was called Chewie. The movie decided to change the name to have a reference that was more era-specific to pilot Carol Danvers.

Captain Marvel is hurtling toward $1 billion at the global box office as we speak, even though it was just dethroned this weekend by new horror film Us. The MCU has more treats ahead in Avengers: Endgame on April 26, and right now we are just crossing our Flerken fingers that Goose -- CGI or not -- has a role in that story. Keep up with everything headed to the big screen with our 2019 movie schedule.

It's been several years since the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase Three slate of movies was announced, and we're finally entering the home stretch. Avengers: Endgame will conclude this era of the franchise, but before that, we'll be winding the clock back to the 1990s (approximately a decade before Iron Man launched the modern MCU) and meet Carol Danvers for the first time in Captain Marvel.

Because of its setting, Captain Marvel will be one of the more standalone entries in the MCU, but, not to worry, because there will be plenty of characters from the Marvel Comics universe who will be stopping by, some of whom we've already seen on the big screen. Here are all the heroes and villains who are confirmed to appear in Captain Marvel, as well as some of the actors who are definitely showing up, but their characters haven't been identified yet.

Carol Danvers

Introduced in 1968, Carol Danvers' previous superhero monikers included Ms. Marvel, Binary and Warbird, but since 2012, she's been serving as the current Captain Marvel, making her the seventh individual to have that title in the Marvel Comics universe (let's not forget that DC Comics' Shazam was called that for decades). For the Captain Marvel movie, she will be played by Brie Larson, who was officially confirmed for the role at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con. So far the only official details about the MCU's Carol that have been revealed are that, like her comic book counterpart, she is an Air Force pilot who gains special abilities (super strength, flight, energy projection) after her body is infused with alien DNA during an accident.

Leaked set photos showed Larson wearing a costume that looked just like what she wears in the comics, only it had a green color scheme. However, the concept art shown at last year's San Diego Comic-Con revealed that eventually Carol will don her traditional red, blue and yellow colors. And like the other MCU superheroes, Brie Larson's Carol has a bright future ahead of her, as it's been confirmed that she will participate in Avengers: Endgame, which comes out almost two months after Captain Marvel. Since there's a two decade gap between Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame, it will be interesting to learn why Carol hasn't aged at all.

Mar-Vell

In the Marvel Comics universe, the first individual to go by Captain Marvel was Mar-Vell, a Kree agent who was sent by his superiors to spy on Earth and see if it posed any threat to the Kree Empire. Mar-Vell adopted the identity of a recently deceased scientist named Walter Lawson for his civilian cover, but he also started protecting Earth's citizens as Captain Marvel (which came about from someone misunderstanding his Kree name), using his natural strength and a device called the "universal beam" that can project energy. Down the line, Mar-Vell met Carol Danvers, and Mar-Vell's arch-nemesis, Yon-Rogg, kidnapped her to force Mar-Vell into battling him. During the fight, a Kree Psyche-Magnetron device detonated, and that resulted in his DNA being fused with Carol's, thus giving her powers. Eventually Mar-Vell joined the Avengers and turned his back on the Kree empire, but exposure to a nerve gas gave him cancer, and he soon died.

Mar-Vell is rumored to be played in the Captain Marvel movie by Jude Law (with some reports suggesting that he's actually playing Yon-Rogg), though all we know about his role so far is that he will serve as Carol Danvers' mentor and train her to use her new powers. Since he's using the Walter Lawson guise as well, one would imagine that like his comic book counterpart, he was sent to Earth to spy on us. Law is no stranger to major motion pictures, with his credits including the Sherlock Holmes movies, Road to Perdition, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword and the upcoming Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

Nick Fury

Warning: SPOILERS for Avengers: Infinity War are ahead!

Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury has been part of the MCU since the beginning. If it wasn't for him going to Tony Stark's mansion in the Iron Man post-credits scene to talk about the Avengers Initiative, we wouldn't have known that a "much larger world" was being set up. We most recently saw Fury in Avengers: Infinity War's post-credits scene, where he faded away along with half of life in the universe after Thanos obtained the six Infinity Stones. But, before disappearing, Fury managed to transmit a distress signal from a pager-looking device, and while it wasn't outright stated who he was contacting, the device featured Captain Marvel's insignia, thus serving as a nice tease for her upcoming movie.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. briefly touched on Nick Fury's pre-Iron Man life, but Captain Marvel will show us how his first encounter with a superhero went down. In other words, Carol Danvers' origin story will somehow see Fury being drawn in, and that experience will set him on the path that leads to the creation of the Avengers Initiative. The younger Nick Fury in Captain Marvel also still has two eyes, so expect to see him lose one of them before the movie is over. Fury commented in The Winter Soldier about how he lost an eye the last time he trusted someone, and since the shapeshifting Skrulls (more on them later) are appearing in Captain Marvel, I wouldn't be surprised if one of those aliens is responsible for the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent becoming his cycloptic self.

Phil Coulson

Even though Nick Fury popped up in Iron Man's final minute, Phil Coulson served as the movie's main S.H.I.E.L.D. representative. What was originally written as a small part morphed into something much bigger, and Clark Gregg reprised Coulson for supporting roles in Iron Man 2, Thor and The Avengers. That last movie saw Coulson being fatally stabbed by Loki, but just a year later, the everyman agent was brought back to life for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the ABC series that he still leads. However, none of the Marvel movies have mentioned that Coulson is still alive. Fingers crossed Avengers: Endgame remedies that, but for now, it will be nice to see a younger version of Coulson in Captain Marvel. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has dedicated a few episodes to Phil Coulson's exploits before Iron Man, but this will be the earliest we've gone back in his S.H.I.E.L.D. career. Perhaps the events of Captain Marvel are where Coulson proves himself to Fury and becomes one of the spy organization's more valued agents.

Ronan The Accuser

When we met Lee Pace's Ronan the Accuser in Guardians of the Galaxy, he was enraged that, after centuries of conflict, the Kree Empire and Xandar signed a peace treaty to end the war. Determined to see the Xandarians wiped out, Ronan made a deal with Thanos: Ronan would track down the Orb, a.k.a. the Power Stone, and deliver it to Thanos, and in exchange, the Mad Titan would help the Kree antagonist destroy Xandar. However, when Ronan finally obtained the Orb, he decided to use its power himself and reneged on his arrangement with Thanos. He nearly succeeded in his genocidal campaign, but he was destroyed when Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax and Rocket redirected the Orb's energy back at him. Thus ended Ronan's reign of terror, but Captain Marvel will show us what he was up to approximately 20 years before his demise.

Given that the Kree will play a big role in Carol Danvers' transformation into a superhero just like in the comics, it makes sense that Ronan will be involved in the story, although it remains to be seen if he'll actually meet her or will be operating elsewhere. It will also be interesting to learn if Ronan was just as unstable back in the Captain Marvel days or if he was a little bit calmer then. Who knows, maybe something in this movie pushes him on the path to becoming the zealot we saw in Guardians of the Galaxy.

Korath

Dijmon Honshu's Korath served as Ronan the Accuser's main flunky in Guardians of the Galaxy, essentially making him the movie's tertiary villain (Nebula occupying the secondary position). Like Ronan, Korath is a Kree (albeit cybernetically altered), but rather than being a fellow radical, Korath was a mercenary that Thanos sent to aid Ronan in finding the Orb. When Ronan finally obtained that prize and kept it for himself, Korath warned him that Thanos was too powerful for him to betray, but after Ronan reassured him that Thanos would no longer be a threat, Korath stuck around and aided in the attack on Xandar. He was killed soon after by Drax the Destroyer. Evidently, Korath will be another Kree who is somehow involved in Carol Danvers' origin story, though we haven't learned yet if he and Ronan are already familiar with one another during Captain Marvel or if this movie will mark their first meeting (assuming they even cross paths).

Minn-Erva

Humans star Gemma Chan has been cast as Minn-Erva, a Kree geneticist. In the comics, Doctor Minerva was keen on mating with Mar-Vell, as she believed the two of them would produce genetically superior offspring, but her plan was foiled. Afterwards, she worked with Captain Atlas (another Kree) and attempted to steal the quantum-bands belonging to Quasar. In addition to her genetic expertise, Minn-Erva was also augmented by the Kree Psyche-Magnetron, which gave her super strength and flight. Her specific role in Captain Marvel will actually see Minn-Erva as a sniper and member of Starforce along with Carol, but given how antagonistic she's been in the comics, I suspect that she won't be one of her allies for long.

The Skrulls

When Carol Danvers gains her special abilities in Captain Marvel, it won't be long until she has to put them to good use, as it was announced that the movie's main villains will be the Skrulls. Known for their shapeshifting abilities and penchant for repeatedly invading Earth, the Skrulls have been at war with the Kree for centuries in the comics, and that mythology will play into Captain Marvel, meaning that the two species will be at odds with one another in the MCU. The Skrulls are also notable for being one of the few Marvel properties that both Marvel Studios and 20th Century Fox can use. Only one specific Skrull character has been confirmed for Captain Marvel (and we'll get to him next), but it's rumored that Titannus, Anelle and Dorrek VII will show up.

Talos

Over the last half decade, Ben Mendelsohn's fame has slowly been rising thanks to roles like Danny Rayburn in the Netflix series Bloodline, Orson Krennic in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and, most recently, Nolan Sorrento in Ready Player One. Mendelsohn was rumored to be joining Captain Marvel back in October 2017, and his casting was finally confirmed five months later. As for who his character is, it was though for a while that he was actually brought on to play Yon-Rogg, a Kree villain who was Mar-Vell's nemesis in the comics and is responsible for the accident that gave Carol Danvers her powers. In actuality, he'll be playing the leading Skull baddie, Talos, who is leading an invasion force on Earth. And, because those villainous Skrulls will be Carol's initial opponents in her theatrical debut, and they have shape-shifting powers, we also know that Talos has managed to infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D. and will be posing as Nick Fury's boss for part of the film. There's a lot of speculation about how Fury will lose his eye in the upcoming blockbuster, and a lot of signs are already pointing toward Talos.

Maria Rambeau

Originally, She's Gotta Have It star DeWanda Wise was cast in Captain Marvel, but due to a scheduling conflict with Season 2 of the Netflix series, she was forced to drop out in March 2018. Days later, Lashana Lynch was cast as Wise's replacement, and her credits include Atlantis, Doctors and Still Star-Crossed. Back when Wise was still attached to Captain Marvel, I suspected she was playing Monica Rambeau, the second individual to go by Captain Marvel in the comics (her other superhero identities have included Photon, Pulsar and, most recently, Spectrum). However, after Lynch joined the Captain Marvel cast, it was reported that she is playing a "contemporary" of Carol's who also has a young child. Lynch's Maria Rambeau is another Air Force pilot and Carol's best friend, who happens to fly under the call sign "Photon." So, it's incredibly likely that her daughter is actually Monica, and she'll become a superhero in the present day MCU.

Att-Lass

Algenis Perez Soto made his film debut in 2008's Sugar, which was directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, the duo that's also helming Captain Marvel. Evidently, Soto made a good impression with them, because Boden and Fleck brought him back for their Marvel movie for the role of Att-Lass. All we know so far is that Soto will be playing another Kree member of Starforce in Captain Marvel.

Bron-Char

To American audiences, Rune Temte is best known for playing Bjorn in the Hugh Jackman and Taron Egerton-led movie Eddie the Eagle, but Captain Marvel will introduce him to a lot more people stateside. Like Algenis Perez Soto, Temte is playing a Kree Starforce member and teammate of Carol's, and with his large build, I can see him specifically playing a bruiser who puts up a good fight with Carol Danvers by his side.

Young Carol Danvers

At only 11 years old, Mckenna Grace has already assembled quite the acting resume, appearing in The Angry Birds Movie, Independence Day: Resurgence, Gifted, I, Tonya, Once Upon a Time, Fuller House and Designated Survivor, to name just a few. Captain Marvel will be another impressive credit to add to the list, but rather than play a role in the main storyline, it's been confirmed that she's playing a young Carol Danvers either in a prologue sequence or during some flashbacks.

Now that we've covered Captain Marvel's confirmed characters, let's go over the actors who have been officially announced to appear, but we don't know who they're playing.

Unknown Character Played By Annette Bening

Annette Bening isn't exactly known for taking roles in big blockbuster productions... but that could now be said about a few actors who have joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Bening has officially signed on for a part in Captain Marvel, though the exact specifics of her character have not yet been revealed. The casting story announcing her involvement with the project said that she is playing a scientist, and from the look of her that we got in the second trailer for the film, she does appear to be a member of the Kree who helped lead Carol through her transformation, but we're not yet sure why they felt that had to happen. The most important thing is that Captain Marvel has signed one of the most talented actresses around.

Unknown Character Played By Robert Kazinsky

Robert Kazinsky is known in the U.K. for his roles in Dream Team and the long-running soap opera EastEnders, but his notable U.S. credits include True Blood, Pacific Rim, Warcraft and Mute. For Captain Marvel, while it's also plausible that he could be playing a Kree or Skrull, given that we'll see Carol Danvers serving in the Air Force, perhaps Kazinsky is playing one of her fellow pilots or a superior officer. Nick Fury's presence in the movie could also mean that Kazinsky is playing a fellow S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, although if that's the case, I worry about his chances of survival.

We now only have a few weeks until Captain Marvel finally hits theaters, so it won't be long until we can find out all the secrets the blockbuster has to offer!

Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's Captain Marvel will be introducing audiences to the aliens known as the Skrulls for the first time in live-action, but some fans may notice a familiar trait in their design. Specifically, they have multiple vertical lines extending from their lower lip to their chin -- a look that was similarly sported by Thanos last year in Avengers: Infinity War. Most probably won't pay too much attention to it, but it turns out that Captain Marvel star Ben Mendelsohn isn't one of those people:

Last summer I had the wonderful pleasure of participating in a laugh-filled roundtable interview with Ben Mendelsohn (in full make-up) on the set of Captain Marvel, and in a conversation filled with ridiculous mini-rants this one was one of the best. One of the reporters in the room asked the actor about the similar chins shared by Thanos and the Skrulls, and Mendelsohn let it be known that he and his alien brethren are not too happy about the Mad Titan aping their look.

In Ben Mendelsohn's defense, while Thanos did beat the Skrulls to the big screen by a few years, the green aliens were rocking the striped chin look more than a decade before the giant purple warlord in the comics. Jack Kirby drew the Skrulls with the feature in 1962's Fantastic Four #2 -- their very first appearance -- and they have had the same look ever since. Meanwhile, Jim Starlin didn't introduce Thanos until 1973, though the whole look was definitely more inspired by the DC Comics character Darkseid than the shapeshifting predecessors.

So is Thanos "Skrullin?" The answer is, "not really." In the comics continuity there is some link between Skrulls and the Mad Titan, in that they are both generations removed from genetic meddling by the beings known as the Celestials, but even on that evolutionary chart they exist in two separate pools: the Deviants and the Eternals. Basically, there is no real reason why they have similar chins outside of the fact that it kind of looks cool and makes them look different than humans in a significant way.

We haven't had the chance to see too much of the Skrulls in action -- certainly not as much as Thanos (who will be back in Avengers: Endgame) -- but the lack of big screen Skrull action will soon be coming to an end. Armed with a cast including Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, Lashana Lynch, Gemma Chan, Annette Bening, Clark Gregg, and Jude Law in addition to Ben Mendelsohn, Captain Marvel will be arriving in theaters nationwide on March 8th.

While the Skrulls play a vital role in Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's Captain Marvel, their role in the marketing has not been significant so far. Sure, they've shown up a few times, but there's been only one line of dialogue, and it wasn't until last night that it was even mentioned they shapeshift. We have a clear idea of what's going on with the titular hero, but not much about the villains she is facing down. Fortunately, Ben Mendelsohn delivered everything you need to know about the alien villains from the upcoming blockbuster in a single, perfect quote last year, and we can share it with you now:

This epic bit of philosophizing about the Skrulls role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was delivered on set last year as Ben Mendelsohn sat down to talk about the movie with a group of reporters invited to visit the production -- a group of which I was part. The actor was in full makeup for the interview, and while sort of weaving in and out of character he had a blast answering questions, starting with the above perfect response to the basic question "What is your role in the movie?"

If Ben Mendelsohn's quote isn't quite sufficient for you in explaining who the Skrulls are, their story begins in the pages of Marvel Comics from the early 1960s -- where they were introduced as a recurring extraterrestrial foe for the Fantastic Four. Their role in the universe eventually expanded, and they eventually became a problem for many of all of the heroes given their very special skill: they have the ability to transform into anything.

They are introduced in Captain Marvel because while they have a lot of enemies around the universe, their greatest foes are the Kree -- a species of which the lead character is a part at the start of the film. They have been fighting a war for centuries known as the Kree-Skrull War, and it's in the midst of the conflict that Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) will begin to remember some very important parts of her past.

Sadly the actors and filmmakers were very tight-lipped when it came to discussing the relationship between Talos and Captain Marvel, and the plans that the Skrulls have on Earth in the movie. However, producer Jonathan Schwartz did heap praise on the work Ben Mendelsohn does in the film and the fun that comes as a result of his character's ability to transform. Said the filmmaker,

Ben kind of plays the face of the Skrulls, the leader of the Skrulls, and that's Talos. Over the course of the movie he'll shapeshift a little bit, so we'll get to see him in human form... I think it's sort of fun to show off both the Skrulls powers and Ben's range as an actor because he's very different in all of those parts. It's been super fun to watch.

Starring Brie Larson, Ben Mendelsohn, Samuel L. Jackson, Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, Lashana Lynch, Gemma Chan, Annette Bening, Clark Gregg, and Jude Law, Captain Marvel is getting closer and closer to its highly anticipated release. The blockbuster is scheduled to arrive in theaters on March 8th, and between now and then we'll have a ton more coverage coming your way from our time on set.

Another Stephen King novel is getting adapted into a television series, and another big name is Hollywood is attached to play a part in it. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story actor Ben Mendelsohn will join the world of King and be a part of a seemingly normal crime story that, as is often the case in the author's work, gets spooky pretty quick. Mendelsohn will star in the series, which is an adaptation of The Outsider.

HBO has picked up The Outsider for its latest book-adapted series and was rather quick to the punch. The book was only released in May of 2018, which shows that the big screen isn't just hot for the classic works of Stephen King. The story focuses on a man accused of a gruesome murder, which initially seems like an open-and-shut case. Of course, as an investigator dives deeper, he discovers something strange and that all may not be as it seems.

As mentioned, Variety listed Ben Mendelsohn in the starring role of The Outsider, but did not specifically announce which role he will be playing. Police detective Ralph Anderson would be a possibility, as he leads the investigation and discovers the weirdness happening in the case that prompts him to dig deeper and get in over his head with a "supernatural force" that has some bad intentions. Mendelsohn could also be playing the book's accused murderer, Terry Maitland.

Ben Mendelsohn's starring role in The Outsider is the first television role he's had in a few years, with the last character he portrayed on the small screen being Danny Rayburn on Bloodline. Since then he's been mostly a part of the film world, with Robin Hood and Captain Marvel both listed as one of his recent credits. Mendelsohn won an Emmy the last time he was on a television series, so perhaps HBO is hoping he'll repeat that trend.

Ben Mendelsohn isn't the only notable name to have been announced alongside The Outsider adaptation, as Jason Bateman has jumped onto the project as well. For now, Bateman's contribution is said to be behind the camera, as the Ozark and Arrested Development actor will direct two episodes of the upcoming series. Bateman will also serve as an executive producer on the show under his production company Aggregate Films.

News of The Outsider being adapted first surfaced in June. Stephen King had been given an option to executive produce the project but does not seem to have accepted at this time. Richard Price has been attached to write and executive produce and will do so with two men who worked on another King adaptation Mr. Mercedes, Jack Bender and Marty Bowen.

The Outsider is coming to HBO but is still in casting stages at this time. New television is just on the horizon, however, and if anyone is having trouble finding out what quality television is worth checking out over the next couple of weeks and 2019, feel free to visit our fall and midseason premiere guides to get informed.

Disney made a big move when it acquired Lucasfilm, and the ability to create new Star Wars movies. In addition to the main installments, the House of Mouse broke new ground by creating standalone films, the first of which being Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Gareth Edwards' spinoff bridged the gap between the prequels and A New Hope, including the creation of the first Death Star by Ben Mendelsohn's Orson Krennic.

Rogue One suffered from tons of rumors around its reshoots, with many believing the studio intervened to change aspects of Gareth Edwards' movie. But according to Ben Mendelsohn, they were par for the course. As he recently said,

While the fandom and public worried about the first Star Wars standalone film, it looks like Ben Mendelsohn was never alarmed when playing his villainous character. In fact, he maintains its the project he's the most proud of. Looks like Mendelsohn is truly loyal to The Empire.

Ben Mendelsohn's comments to THR paint a better picture of what it was like on the set of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Star Wars movies are absolutely massive, and there are a ton of moving pieces to get each new blockbuster in the can. As such, reshoots and a variety of directors were always on the table for the actor. So he just went to work and brought Orson Krennic to life everyday.

Over the past few years, reshoots have become a hot button issue in the world of blockbusters, and a triggering concept for the fandom. Plenty of major franchises have seen director shakeups, with reshoots resulting in a movie that was less than stellar, and a bit disjointed in regards to vision. One can look to both Justice League and Solo: A Star Wars Story as examples, where two visions seem to clash into one movie.

Still, reshoots are pretty standard for major release like Star Wars or superhero movies. And Rogue One ended up being a critical and financial success, with cutting edge CGI bringing back characters like Carrie Fisher's Leia and Peter Cushing's Grand Moff Tarkin. That legacy will grow with Disney's upcoming streaming service, as Diego Luna's Cassian Andor will be getting his own live-action TV series.

It's currently unclear if the Star Wars franchise will continue with standalone films, after Solo was a box office disappointment. The next installment in the galaxy far, far away is J.J. Abrams' Episode IX on December 20th, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.

News that Diego Luna is reprising the role of Rogue One's Cassian Andor for the Disney+ Star Wars prequel series continues to please fans, and now, co-star Ben Mendelsohn is musing on how Orson Krennic could be a part of all that. The actor spoke to CinemaBlend's Mike Reyes ahead of Robin Hood's big screen premiere, giving his thoughts on the portion of Krennic's life that he thinks the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story prequel should focus on.

Ben Mendelsohn is up for seeing a young Orson Krennic, who would presumably be portrayed by another actor capable of playing the character his 20s. Mendelsohn specifically mentioned the period as a time of transformation for Krennic, as he made the leap from brilliant Republic researcher and Separatist-opposing freedom fighter to one of the Empire's key figures in developing the Death Star.

If a Rogue One prequel would follow Krennic in his 20s, the would suggest the timeline is set years before the events of Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel. Krennic would possibly be working for the Republic during the Clone Wars at this point, set to follow his quest to create a weapon similar to one being developed by Separatist forces. Krennic's initial intentions were to beat the Separatists in creating the weapon, but obviously, his mission continued evolving following the Clone Wars ending.

Ben Mendelsohn's idea for where to follow Orson Krennic is interesting, although it's unknown whether or not that character's journey is one the Rogue One prequel will cover. The original description indicated it will be centered around Cassian Andor and his work for the Rebellion before his heroic journey in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Krennic is listed as being 51 when he died in the film, so jumping back 20-30 years may be a little more than what this show intends to cover.

It's a tempting story to follow however. Orson Krennic maintained a good friendship with the unwilling Death Star architect Galen Erso from a young age. Bringing him into the prequel fold would find the two men together in happier times. It would also likely present Krennic in a much different light than what was shown in the films. Who wouldn't want to see Krennic before he gained an affection for white capes, and before he developed the attitude that gets him choked out by Darth Vader?

Ben Mendelsohn's quote seems to imply he wasn't aware of the series' goings-on, and that he has not been approached about appearing in the Disney+ Rogue One prequel project. This could certainly be his creative way of straightforwardly teasing what's in store for his character when the series airs, although again, the new show's proposed direction and general plot description look to be set during a later time. Disney likely won't confirm things one way or the other until production moves along a bit further.

The Rogue One prequel series is in development and scheduled to arrive on Disney+ upon its completion. For a look at all things coming to cable television in the meantime, be sure to visit our fall and midseason premiere guides.

Villains are a crucial part to any narrative, be they larger than life bullies or simple foils to the hero that we're supposed to identify with. Robin Hood's Ben Mendelsohn has made a good portion of his career about crafting memorable villains, and he has one particular key to making his baddies accessible. If you want to create a baddie that the audience can buy, in Mendelsohn's eyes, the process is quite simply the following:

If you're not able to at the very least see where your story's villain is coming from, then you probably need to write yourself a new villain. No one understands this better than Ben Mendelsohn, as he's had his fair share of nasty antagonists to play. As a matter of fact, his experiences from 2018 especially have shown him as fully equipped for the job.

Already in this year alone, Ben Mendelsohn has tackled two big ticket literary villains, between Robin Hood's classic Sheriff of Nottingham, and the more contemporary Nolan Sorrento from Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One. While both are pretty slimy in their own right, you can at the very least understand their motives, and why they're doing what they're setting out to do. Mendelsohn understands this to a tee, and it's what helps make him so memorable in these evil roles.

This approach helps even more when an acclaimed actor like Ben Mendelsohn is asked to portray a villain that looms as largely as Robin Hood's Sheriff. While his performance definitely has its own rich moments of delicious bad guy dialogue, it never becomes a parody of itself. You're always able to see where the Sheriff is coming from, even though you're square in the court of Robin and his forming band of merry people.

Even more importantly, the approach of accessibility helps keep Ben Mendelsohn's performance separated from most other silver screen portrayals of the Sheriff of Nottingham. Most other versions of the role have wanted to focus merely on the larger than life part of the character, but not the more grounded and human side.

With Robin Hood allowing Ben Mendelsohn to do just that, it distances itself from its historical competition, and gives itself more room to breathe. His Sheriff is born of trauma, and a life of hardened discipline that's formed him into an opportunistic politician. So not only is Mendelsohn's version of the character in line with the traditional portrayals, but there's some timeliness to his evil that's undeniably applicable.

Feel free to watch Ben Mendelsohn himself discuss this aspect of his performance, courtesy of the video from our interview below:

In any other hands, Robin Hood's Sheriff of Nottingham could have became a classically laughable villain you'd boo and jeer in an instant. But with Ben Mendelsohn steering the role, we got a lot more depth than we expected to be mixed in with the traditionally outlandish role.

Robin Hood will be in theaters in early showings on Tuesday night, with Wednesday rolling the film out into proper rotation. Read our review before you go!

Humanity as a whole learned that aliens existed during The Avengers, but that wasn't the first time that visitors from other worlds came to our planet. Next year, Captain Marvel will show when Kree and Skrulls paid a visit to Earth in the mid-1990s, with the latter species serving as the movie's main antagonists. Ever since he was rumored to be appearing in Captain Marvel, it's been suspected that Ben Mendelsohn would be playing the movie's main antagonist, and sure enough, it's finally been confirmed that the Ready Player One actor will be portraying the Skrull leader.

Contrary to the earlier rumor that Ben Mendelsohn would play rogue Kree Yon-Rogg, Ben Mendelsohn will be getting his Skrull on as Talos in Captain Marvel, and you can head to EW to see him and three other Skrull operatives making a beach entrance. There is a Skrull named Talos in Marvel Comics universe who was introduced in 1994's The Incredible Hulk #418, but that character was unable to shapeshift and made up for that by becoming a skilled fighter and commander. Mendelsohn's Talos will share that leadership prowess, but unlike his comic book counterpart, he won't have any problems shapeshifting. To keep a low-profile on Earth, he'll go undercover as a human working within S.H.I.E.L.D. As if having HYDRA agents within the spy organization wasn't bad enough, now there's also a alien menace causing trouble.

Ben Mendelsohn has a good track record of playing villains on the big screen, from Orson Krennic in Rogue One to his upcoming turn as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood. So he'll find himself in comfortable territory as the Skrull leader in Captain Marvel, though unlike those other performances, he'll be covered in green makeup for a good portion of the superhero movie. However, what's particularly interesting about Talos is that he's embedded himself within S.H.I.E.L.D. In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Nick Fury told Steve Rogers that the last time he trusted someone, he lost his eye. Being betrayed by a fellow S.H.I.E.L.D. worker who was actually an alien infiltrator certainly fits that bill, and the scarring around Fury's eye suggests the damage could have come from an energy weapon. Perhaps Talos is the one responsible for destroying Fury's 20/20 vision.

Of course, the main hook for Captain Marvel will be Brie Larson's Carol Danvers facing off against Talos and his Skrull minions, both on Earth and in outer space. As revealed today, Captain Marvel is bypassing Carol's origin story and introducing us to her as she serves on Starforce, the Kree military organization that also includes Ronan the Accuser, Korath the Pursuer, Mar-Vell and Minn-Erva. Just like in the comics, the Kree and Skrulls have been at war for ages in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it will be up to Carol to ensure that this conflict doesn't take out her home world in the process.

Captain Marvel flies into theaters on March 8, 2019, and if you're interested in learning what other MCU installments are on the way, head to our Marvel movies guide.

Way back in 2014, Marvel announced its ambitious Phase Three slate, including the studio's first female-led superhero film, Captain Marvel. But it would be almost another two years before we found out who would be playing the powerful Avenger. Marvel Studios found its Carol Danvers in Oscar winner Brie Larson. Now, with Captain Marvel finally filming, we are beginning to get a glimpse of what the actress will look like in the role. But becoming Captain Marvel is about more than just how well you can rock a flight suit; it's about all the other factors that go into being a convincing hero. Possible Captain Marvel villain and Ben Mendelsohn spoke about why Brie Larson is perfect for the role, saying:

Man, Brie Larson should slap that on her resume because that is high praise. We all know that Brie Larson is a talented actress, as her Oscar-winning turn in Room can attest to, so that should be a huge win for Captain Marvel and the MCU overall. There were questions about the acting chops of Gal Gadot when she was cast as Wonder Woman (questions she answered with a killer performance), but there are no doubts that Brie Larson can bring it, which is very exciting for Marvel's first female-led film. It's these other factors though that Ben Mendelsohn cites in speaking with Entertainment Tonight that speak to the similarities between the actress and the character she will be taking on.

Part of the reason that people are excited for Captain Marvel is that, like Wonder Woman, Carol Danvers is an icon of female strength. She is arguably one of the most well-known female characters in the Marvel canon and she is easily one of the most powerful. It is acting, but having an actress who naturally has that inner strength donning the suit can only add to the performance. Carol Danvers is also notoriously stubborn, incredibly competitive and fiercely independent. She believes what she believes and has no problem fighting for her beliefs with an iron will, hence her role in the limited event comic series Civil War II. She is very similar to Captain America in this way as she will pursue what is right no matter what. Ben Mendelsohn's praise of Brie Larson as a good, sensitive person, who is still strong, seems to fit in well with Carol Danvers' personality.

With Captain Marvel now filming, more and more details are coming out about what should be shaping up to be a truly different and exciting entry in the MCU. The film will be a prequel set in the 90s and it will bring back some deceased faces, as well as one that has been relegated to the TV realm in recent years. We also know that she will be showing up for the mysterious Avengers 4. And we still have some thoughts on how she could factor into this April's monumental event movie.

Captain Marvel hits theaters on March 8, 2019. Check out our release guide for all the upcoming films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Any time Steven Spielberg directs a movie it's a big deal. Any time a best-selling, fan-favorite novel gets a big screen adaptation, it's a big deal. When the two happen to combine, as they will for 2018's cinematic translation of Ernest Cline's pop culture saturated book Ready Player One, you guessed it, it's a big deal.

The Ready Player One movie is almost here, but it's been in development for years---even before Ernest Cline's novel hit bookstores in 2011, it already had a movie deal in place. Building up towards production, Steven Spielberg and company have been putting the pieces for the Ready Player One cast in place, and as we do with many major upcoming releases, we thought we'd take the opportunity run through everything we know so far about the project. Let's start with the most recent trailer for the film, which you can check out below!

Wow! If that view of the world Steven Spielberg has built for Ready Player One doesn't get you excited, then nothing will. OK, let's dive in to the details we have about the upcoming film!

Ready Player One's Release Date

In what was probably a very smart business move, the Ready Player One movie recently swapped out its release date. Why was this a smart move, you ask? Ready Player One is based on a popular book with a built in audience, along with one of the most revered modern directors, Steven Spielberg, at the helm---it has a lot going for it, right? Well, it was originally slated to open on December 15, 2017, but it has since been moved to March 30, 2018.

The December 2017 date was all well and good, until a little movie called Star Wars: The Last Jedi switched up its release date, and, wouldn't you know, the folks at Disney decided to open the next entry in the Star Wars saga on December 15, 2017. After the record breaking juggernaut that was Star Wars: The Force Awakens, even Steven Spielberg didn't want to mess with that far, far away galaxy, and the Ready Player One movie was pushed back and will now open in March 2018, where it won't have to go toe-to-toe with anything Star Wars related.

What Is Ready Player One Rated?

As we're still fairly early in the process, there's not much concrete news on the rating of the Ready Player One movie. Using what we know, however, we can make a relatively educated guess. With a few exceptions, Steven Spielberg doesn't usually stray into R-rated territory, at least outside of war movies like Saving Private Ryan, and weighty dramas like Schindler's List.

In addition to that, the Ready Player One book, while full of adventure and harrowing situations, never strays too far into more adult realms. The protagonist is fairly young, there's not much violence or sex to speak of---certainly nothing that can't be easily circumvented---and all in all, the subject matter is rather tame in the ways that might earn a movie a more restrictive rating. With all of this in mind, we guess the Ready Player One rating will be PG-13, but it's possible it'll get a PG rating. Maybe they'll let a curse word or two slip just to make sure it's not too wholesome.

What Is Ready Player One About?

Ready Player One takes place in the dystopian future of 2044. The world is an ugly, nasty, overcrowded place where most people live in "stacks," which are literally mobile homes piled on top of one another to near skyscraper heights. In this dismal setting, much of the population escapes into an expansive virtual reality world called OASIS, where people do everything from go to school, work, and even just hang out with friends in virtual basements on virtual couches.

When he died with no heirs, James Halliday, the creator of OASIS, revealed a massive pop-culture saturated puzzle, a kind of sprawling scavenger hunt. Whoever solves this riddle and finds Halliday's Easter Egg becomes the owner of OASIS and is immediately the richest, most powerful person on the planet. So, of course, everyone wants to be the winner, and these people are called "gunters," short for Egg hunters. This group includes the protagonist, Wade Watts, a poor kid from the Stacks, and the plot of the Ready Player One book follows his quest as he searches for the Easter Egg and clues, and the Ready Player One movie follows the same arc.

The Director

There are a number of elements that make a Ready Player One movie a difficult feat to accomplish. First, nearly every paragraph is saturated with references to films, comics, toys, TV shows, video games, and every facet of pop culture you can imagine. This means there are hundreds, if not thousands, of rights issues to clear. Second, much of the action of the Ready Player One book takes place in the virtual realm of OASIS, where characters control self-ascribed avatars.

With these hurdles to overcome, it's good that the Ready Player One movie is in the competent hands of a director like Steven Spielberg. With a resume that includes some of the biggest movies of all time, he'll have no problem working on this scope and scale. This is also far from his first science fiction rodeo, as he has shepherded a number of fantastic worlds to the big screen, including the likes of Jurassic Park, A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, and The Adventures of Tintin, among others. There's also that little movie called E.T.

One of the earliest choices Steven Spielberg made about the Ready Player One movie was to remove references to his own work, of which there are many. But as difficult as this book may be to adapt, and how closely the rabid fan base will be watching, this isn't the first time that Spielberg has been behind adapting a beloved work to movie theaters. In fact, he recently gave fans a big screen version of Roald Dahl's The BFG. While Spielberg may not be including references to his own work in Ready Player One, all connections to the director will not be omitted. Steven Spielberg did confirm that we'll see Wade's Delorean in the movie. The iconic car was featured in the Spielberg-produced Back to the Future, and, as you can see from the trailer, it plays a notable role in Wade's adventure in Ready Player One.

Ready Player One's Writers

Another thing the Ready Player One movie adaptation has going for it is that one of the people adapting the novel for the screen is none other than Ernest Cline, the author of the Ready Player One book. If there's anyone who will take great care with the translation from the page to the screen, it's going to be the guy who ushered this world into being in the first place. So, even if there are changes made from the source material, those changes will be made by the man behind all of this in the first place.

While Ernest Cline is relatively young when it comes to screenwriting---his only other credit is the similarly pop culture obsessed comedy Fanboys---he'll have help in writing the Ready Player One movie. Zak Penn will be along for this particular ride, and with credits that include comic book movies like The Avengers, The Incredible Hulk, and a variety of X-Men movies, as well as an upcoming turn working on the script for Suicide Squad 2, he certainly has the geeky credentials to help bring the Ready Player One movie to vibrant life.

Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan)

The protagonist of the Ready Player One book, as well as Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One movie, is Wade Owen Watts. Wade is a poor kid from the Stacks of Oklahoma City, but he's whip smart, and because his home sucks and the outside world is all kinds of dreary, he spends most of his time in OASIS. He goes to school and hangs out with his online buddies, but must of his efforts go into guiding his OASIS avatar, Parzival---named for Percival from Arthurian legend---in a search for clues to find James Halliday's Easter Egg. This is really a pipe dream, as everyone else, including wealthy multinational companies, has been scouring OASIS and searching movies, comics, and more for hints for years with no success. But once Wade cracks a clue, it sets off a domino effect, where new discoveries, and stiff competition, come fast and furious until someone might just solve the riddle and win OASIS.

As Wade Watts is the main character of the book and, subsequently, the Ready Player One movie, it's a big, vital role, but Steven Spielberg and company found a strong actor to fill the part: Tye Sheridan. At just 21-years-old, Sheridan has already assembled in impressive resume with a number of strong, eye-catching roles in notable indie films and beyond. When your first role is in a Terrence Malick film, The Tree of Life in this case, people are going to pay attention, but he also turned heads in David Gordon Green's Joe, Jeff Nichols' Mud, and the true-life drama The Stanford Prison Experiment. He even dipped his toe in the horror-comedy pool recently with Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse. However, it is his more recent role that will bring him, by far, the most notice, as he took over the superhero role of Cyclops in X-Men: Apocalypse. By the time the Ready Player One movie roles around, he might pack some additional star power.

Art3mis (Olivia Cooke)

Wade Watts is far from alone on his journey in Ready Player One. He has a number of friends, associates, and well-wishers who lend him a helping hand along the way, but none are as important as Art3mis. The OASIS avatar alter ego of Samantha Evelyn Cook, Art3mis is another famous gunter, one that Wade also happens to have a major cyber crush on, which complicates things as they're in direct competition. Throughout the course of the narrative of Ready Player One, Art3mis is by turns a rival, a partner in crime, an ally, and a love interest for Wade. Again, due to the online nature of much of their relationship---Art3mis is from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, while Wade starts out in Oklahoma City---it will be interesting to see how their relationship develops and is portrayed in the Ready Player One movie.

One of the things that was revealed about the plot of the film a few months ago is that Wade and Samantha will actually meet in real life during the course of the movie. This was quite a surprise, as the two characters don't meet up outside of the OASIS in the book until the very end of the story. So, unless the photo that was released of the two together is a dream sequence or from the last few shots in the movie, it seems that Spielberg and the writers have decided to have them spend more time with each other in the depressing real world of Ready Player One.

As Art3mis is one of the key characters in the Ready Player One book, it's a rather important role to cast in the film. And, as with casting Wade, Steven Spielberg and company went with another young up and comer, British actress Olivia Cooke---who was actually cast before Tye Sheridan was cast as Wade. Similar to her co-star, Cooke has put together a stellar list of acting credits at just 25-years-old. Getting her start on British television in 2012 with Blackout and The Secret of Crikey Hall (and a One Direction video), Cooke is probably best known for her run on the Psycho prequel series, Bates Motel, which wrapped up in 2017. She also recently starred in the low-budget horror flick Ouija, the well-received indie dramedy Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, and has a few other films on the way in 2018.

Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn)

Every good story needs a villain, and Ready Player One has one in the form of Nolan Sorrento. Not only does Wade Watts have to contend with other individual Egg-obsessed gunters nipping at his heels every step of the way, a number of groups and companies are after the prize as well. The biggest of these is Innovative Online Industries, a multinational corporation which wants OASIS because, simply, it's the most valuable commodity on the planet and would instantly make them the most powerful entity to ever exist. While James Halliday wanted OASIS to be for the people, IOI would use it to make all of the money. A high-ranking official with IOI, Nolan Sorrento is the head of their Oology division, the sector charged with searching for the Egg. He's a scheming company stooge and is the primary antagonist of Ready Player One, serving as the embodiment of corporate greed. Although, some comments from the actor playing Sorrento seem to suggest that there may be some changes to the character for the purposes of the movie.

To play the role of Nolan Sorrento and bring the villain to life, Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One found a wonderful actor in the person of Ben Mendelsohn. The 47-year-old Australian character actor has been around since the mid-1980s, delivering memorable performances, but things really kicked into high gear with 2010's crime saga Animal Kingdom. From there, he's delivered knock out performances in the likes of Killing Them Softly, The Place Beyond the Pines, and Mississippi Grind, which all led to a major part in Star Wars: Rogue One in 2016, where he played a key villain. If you've watched Netflix's series Bloodline, which you really should if you haven't, he brings an ominous air and a level of menace, even when his character appears to be playing nice, and this trait will serve him well in bringing Nolan Sorrento to the big screen in Ready Player One.

Ogden Morrow (Simon Pegg)

Creating an expansive, always evolving virtual world like OASIS is a herculean task, and in Ready Player One, James Halliday didn't undertake it alone. He enlisted the help of his friend and compatriot Ogden Morrow. Morrow's relationship and story with Halliday has many parallels to that of Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs. Because of his stake in the company, Morrow is one of the richest people in the world of 2044, though he has retreated into seclusion on his rural Oregon estate. He's a good man, with a kind heart, and using his avatar alter ego, The Great and Powerful Og, he plays in important role, though not a huge foreground one, in the journey of Wade Watts and the others in Ready Player One.

As mentioned many times elsewhere, Ready Player One is a book saturated with pop culture and nerdy references of all kinds, and the Ready Player One movie will be the same in that regard. Given that, the film found the perfect actor to fill the role of Ogden Morrow: Simon Pegg. The Star Trek Beyond and Shaun of the Dead star is well known for his penchant for all things geeky, and it only makes sense that he'd be attracted to a story like that of Ready Player One. Ogden Morrow is also very friendly, engaging character---kind of a wing-nut hermit---described as a mix between Albert Einstein and Santa Claus. Pegg has an inherently likable quality as an actor that will serve him well in this role, and it's easy to imagine him having an absolute blast with this part.

Additional Characters

Other cast additions to Ready Player One includes one of Steven Spielberg's go-to actors, Mark Rylance, who will play none other than James Halliday himself in the movie. Rylance's recent collaboration with Spielberg was The BFG, and he also starred in Bridge of Spies. Given how closely he's worked with Steven Spielberg, it's no surprise that he would come on board RPO in such a crucial role.

Meanwhile, former Silicon Valley star T.J. Miller was among the late cast additions for Ready Player One, signing on for the trolling role of i-R0k in the film. Given Miller's keen ability to provide comic relief (see his moments of hilarity in Deadpool for recent evidence of that), it should be interesting to see what he brings to RPO. According to Miller, the part has been beefed up from the book, where i-R0k was a very minor player, and he's now a bounty hunter who will take out OASIS players for the right price. Miller has described this new version of the character as a funny Boba Fett, which will certainly be wild to watch once the film opens.

Lined up to play the Gunter known as Daito in RPO is Japanese musician Win Morisaki. He's best known for being the lead vocalist in the boy band PrizmaX.

Game of Thrones actress Hannah John-Kamen has also joined the Ready Player One cast, though her role has not been revealed.

We've known since the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con that Brie Larson will play Carol Danvers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it's only been in recent months that the rest of Captain Marvel's cast has started to be assembled. For instance, last month it was reported that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story's Ben Mendelsohn was in talks to join play the main antagonist in the penultimate Phase Three movie. It hasn't been officially confirmed yet if Mendelsohn has signed on yet, but one new report claims that not only is Mendelssohn's involvement a done deal, but he may end up playing Yon-Rogg, a Kree villain.

In addition to heavily featuring the shapeshifting Skrulls, Captain Marvel will also delve into the long war between those shapeshifting aliens and the Kree, the species we've previously seen in Guardians of the Galaxy and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Last week it was reported that Jude Law is being eyed to play Mar-Vell, Carol Danvers' Kree mentor, and now That Hashtag Show states it's heard that Yon-Rogg will also appear in Captain Marvel and could be the role Ben Mendelsohn has been tapped to bring to life. While we can still expect Brie Larson's Carol to battle the Skrulls, it appears that Yon-Rogg is being lined up as the chief antagonist of this story. The Captain Marvel concept art from this year's San Diego Comic-Con showed Carol attacking a Kree officer, so evidently along with dealing with the Skrulls, Carol will also find herself in conflict with at least one Kree operative.

Yon-Rogg, a.k.a. Magnitron, debuted in Marvel Super Heroes #12 as one of Mar-Vell's fellow Kree military officers. Like Mar-Vell, Yon-Rogg was tasked with observing Earth for the Supreme Intelligence to determine if humanity posed a threat. Consumed by his hatred for Mar-Vell, Yon-Rogg tried to kill his nemesis numerous times, and one of his assassination attempts resulted in him targeting Carol Danvers, too. Carol nearly lost her life in that particular incident, but it subsequently led to her gaining superpowers and becoming Ms. Marvel. Outside of the comics, Yon-Rogg has appeared in the Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes animated series and the LEGO Marvel's Avengers video game.

While it's still possible (assuming his deal is finalized) that Ben Mendelsohn could end up playing a Skull leader in Captain Marvel, him portraying Yon-Rogg would also be interesting. Along his presence allowing Captain Marvel to play out more closely to Carol Danvers' comic book origin story, Yon-Rogg's conflict with Mar-Vell sounds more compelling that a general alien invasion story. Sure, the Skrulls would still be presented as formidable threats, but the more personal crux of the movie would revolve around Carol getting caught in Yon-Rogg's quest to eliminate Mar-Vell, whether it stems from jealously or is due to a different reason that's been specifically crafted for the MCU.

Captain Marvel flies into theaters on March 8, 2019. For movies that will be arriving sooner than that, look through our 2018 premiere guide for release date information.

Ben Mendelsohn has been acting professionally for over three decades, but in recent years, he's proven just how captivating he can be playing villains. From Orson Krennic in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story to Nolan Sorrento in the upcoming Ready Player One, the man has a niche for bringing evildoers to life. He's even in consideration to play Captain Marvel's main antagonist. But there's one particular Marvel villain who Mendelsohn is especially keen to play one day: Doctor Doom. The actor expressed his love for the character thusly:

At this summer's San Diego Comic-Con, Legion showrunner Noah Hawley announced that he is working on a Doctor Doom movie for 20th Century Fox. While Ben Mendelsohn was unwilling to confirm or deny that he's involved with Captain Marvel during his recent appearance on MTV's Happy Sad Confused podcast, he did talk about why he's such a big fan of Doctor Doom. As things stand out, Mendelsohn hasn't received any calls about playing Victor von Doom and isn't keen on campaigning to play the villain, but as you can tell from his above quote, getting to don the metal mask would be an exciting opportunity for him. Let's also not forget that if Josh Brolin can play Thanos in the MCU and Cable in Deadpool 2, then there's no reason an arrangement couldn't be made to have Mendelsohn play villains in two different Marvel franchises.

Not counting the 1994 Fantastic Four movie that was never released to the public, Doctor Doom has been portrayed in a theatrical setting twice. Julian McMahon played the character in 2005's Fantastic Four and 2007's Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and Toby Kebbell took over the role for the 2015 Fantastic Four reboot. All three of those movies weren't critically received well overall, and in addition to a standalone Doctor Doom story, there are reports that Fox wants to rex-explore the Fantastic Four mythos through Reed Richards and Sue Storm's children, Franklin and Valeria. As for the Doctor Doom movie, it's unclear if it will include him battling the Fantastic Four again or facing a different opponent, but if the plot works in Doom ruling Latveria, than that would be right up Ben Mendelsohn's alley.

Ben Mendelsohn can currently be seen playing King George VI in Darkest Hour, and he'll return to the big screen when Ready Player One is released on March 23, 2018. As for the Doctor Doom movie, stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on how that is coming along.

In Joe Wright's historical drama Darkest Hour, Ben Mendelsohn takes on the key role of King George VI... but cinefiles will remember that he's not the first to take on the significant part in recent years. In fact, Colin Firth won an Academy Award playing role, starring in the Best Picture-winning The King's Speech. Given the impact of that movie and that performance, you'd imagine that it would factor into Mendelsohn's take -- and he recently confirmed to me that it was a part of his preparation period. Said the actor,

With Darkest Hour set to arrive just in time for Thanksgiving this year, the studio held the domestic press day in Los Angeles, and I had the pleasure of sitting down one-on-one on camera with Ben Mendelsohn. I began our conversation asking about the pressure of taking on the part of King George VI in a world where The King's Speech exists -- and he explained that it was one of many factors that made the job both intimidating and honorable.

It's worth noting that there isn't any time overlap between the events of The King's Speech and Darkest Hour, and Ben Mendelsohn's King George VI finds himself facing a very different kind of conflict during the terrifying years of World War II and the rise of Adolf Hitler in Germany. While the Tom Hooper biopic centered on the monarch's challenges as an orator, the Joe Wright movie is more about his somewhat antagonistic relationship with Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman), who is made Prime Minister of Britain during one of the most tumultuous times in the nation's history. It's a strong and key supporting role in a brilliant film that looks destined for success in the upcoming awards season.

I would highly recommend clicking play on the video below, as it not only has Ben Mendelsohn talking about the impact of The King's Speech on his Darkest Hour performance, but it also has a nice little Larry David impression from the actor as well.

Darkest Hour, which co-stars Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily James, Stephen Dillane, and Ronald Pickup, arrives in theaters November 22nd -- and be sure to stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for stories from my interview with Joe Wright and Gary Oldman!

Carol Danvers has been an important hero in the Marvel Comics universe for decades, and we only have a few more years to go until she finally makes her live action debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Outside Brie Larson playing Captain Marvel's eponymous protagonist and Samuel L. Jackson reprising Nick Fury, we haven't gotten any casting information for the penultimate Phase Three movie, but now there's word that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story's Ben Mendelsohn is being eyed to play the main villain.

According to Variety, Ben Mendelsohn is currently in negotiations to play the lead baddie in Captain Marvel. Exactly who he would play wasn't revealed, although it's likely this character will be the leader of the Skrulls, the shapeshifting aliens who have plagued the Marvel Comics universe (particularly the Fantastic Four) for over five decades. Supposedly Captain Marvel directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck had Mendelsohn in mind for this role when they started plotting the story, and once the actor was able to meet with them, he moved forward with trying to snag the role.

Should Ben Mendehlson sign on to Captain Marvel, it would be the latest major blockbuster to boost his resume. Late last year, he starred in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story as Imperial Director Orson Krennic, and he'll appear next year in both Ready Player One as Nolan Sorrento and Robin Hood as the Sheriff of Nottingham. Mendelsohn is also well known for playing Danny Rayburn in the Netflix series Bloodline. It's also worth noting that Captain Marvel wouldn't be the actor's first foray into the world of comic book media, as he played John Daggett in The Dark Knight Rises.

It was announced at San Diego Comic-Con earlier this year that Captain Marvel will take place in the 1990s, approximately a decade before the modern MCU era kicked off. In this continuity, Carol Danvers' origin story will involve her battling the Skrulls, who, just like in the comics universe, have been at war with the Kree, a species previously seen in Guardians of the Galaxy and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. During this tale, Carol will cross paths with super spy Nick Fury, who at this point still has two working eyes. Mar-Vell, a.k.a. the original Captain Marvel from the comics universe, is also rumored to appear. As for what's in store for Carol's future beyond Captain Marvel, Marvel Studios Kevin Feige recently revealed that her story will factor into Avengers 4, which comes out a few months after Captain Marvel.

Captain Marvel flies into theaters on March 8, 2019. For movies arriving sooner than that, look through our 2017 premiere guide and 2018 premiere guide for release date information.

When books are adapted into movies, it's inevitable that aspects from the original source material will be changed for the big screen. Ready Player One is no exception. For instance, T.J. Miller revealed earlier this month that his character i-r0K, a minor player (pun slightly intended) in the book, has been changed to being an important bounty hunter. Now Ben Mendelsohn, who is playing the main antagonist, Nolan Sorrento, is saying that his version of the character will barely match up to how he's presented in the Ready Player One book. Mendelsohn explained:

Rather than adapt Sorrento close to what he is in Ernest Cline's 2011 novel, Ben Mendelsohn revealed that the Ready Player One movie will see him playing what sounds like a radical different version of the character. He'll still be a sinister mastermind, but Mendelsohn had a lot more freedom to put his own spin on Sorrento. We won't know exactly what changes Mendelsohn made until the final product is released (though the previews may do a good job with teasing the differences), but the Bloodline and Rogue One actor elaborated to The Wrap about this approach, saying:

Set several decades in the future on a declining Earth, Ready Player One follows most of humanity turning to the virtual world OASIS for rest from their everyday problems. When OASIS's creator, James Halliday, dies and leaves a will that bequeaths his fortune to whoever finds his special Easter Egg within OASIS, all of its players immediately go on the hunt, including main protagonist Wade Watts. However, he'll have to contend with Nolan Sorrento, who in the book is the head of Innovative Online Industries, and he'll do whatever it takes to seize control of the OASIS for monetization, even resorting to murder. We'll have to wait and see just how much of Mendelsohn's iteration has been altered, but hopefully his goals still closely line up to what was depicted on the printed page.

Ready Player One will be released in theaters on March 30, 2018.

Making movies sometimes requires actors to go through major physical transformations. However, Ben Mendelsohn apparently was willing to go to extremes to get one role just right. There's an infamous story going around Hollywood that when getting ready for his supporting role in The Place Beyond the Pines, Ben Mendelsohn offered to pull his teeth so that he would look more like the character he was supposed to be playing. As it turns out, the story is pretty close to accurate.

In The Place Beyond the Pines Ben Mendelsohn plays the role of Robin. Apparently, Mendelsohn really wanted the role, even though the role was written for somebody a bit older than the actor. The character was written as having no teeth and wearing dentures. Mendelsohn was so committed to the part that he actually got the film's director in touch with his own dentist in order to see about having pre-existing dental work removed. They eventually decided not to do it, because that would be weird, but the actor recently admitted to The Wrap that the story is absolutely true. He didn't offer to have actual teeth removed but very nearly so.

Apparently, what Ben Mendelsohn thinks of as "not unreasonable" is something different than the rest of us would think of that way. Dental work is not the sort of thing most of us would do voluntarily, and yet Ben Mendelsohn, who had apparently gone through it previously to get his teeth fixed, was willing to do so again to get everything removed, which, we assume, would have been followed by a third procedure to get his teeth fixed again after filming was over. That's a level of dedication we're not sure Daniel Day-Lewis could match.

Ben Mendelsohn apparently plays the long game when it comes to making movies. He says that since movies can have an incredibly long life, it's worth it to make the short-term sacrifice in order to do right by the film. While most of us probably wouldn't be willing to make such a sacrifice, as movie fans, we're certainly glad that there are people like Ben Mendelsohn out there who are.

While Ben Mendelsohn was saved the time in the dentist's chair, The Place Beyond the Pines was a very well regarded film, so it will likely see the long life that the actor was hoping for. Co-star Ryan Gosling, luckily, didn't make his face tattoo permanent, as he discovered early on that was a bad idea.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story had a more complicated shooting process compared to what most blockbusters go through. After principal photography concluded in the fall of 2015, reshoots occurred this past summer spearheaded by both director Gareth Edwards and filmmaker Tony Gilroy to retool certain elements. Fortunately, the end result has been widely well-received, but had Edwards and his crew wanted to, they had more than enough material to make Rogue One feel like an almost completely different movie outside of the basic structure.

It's normal for directors to ask for a few alternate takes of certain scenes, but during an interview with Collider, Ben Mendelsohn, who played Imperial director Orson Krennic, talked about all the different ways Rogue One shot various moments so that the editing room had a large selection to choose from when putting the story together. As he put it:

Again, having alternate versions of certain scenes is common when making a movie, but judging by Ben Mendelsohn's comments, a significant portion of Rogue One would have played out differently had the folks in the editing room had a different creative path in mind. In fact, when Collider's Steve "Frosty" Weintraub followed up by addressing how all these differences could be combined to provide and alternate Rogue One cut, Mendelsohn responded:

Given the positive reception that Rogue One has been enjoying over the last several weeks (it currently ranks at 85 % among top critics on Rotten Tomatoes and an 89% Audience Score), it's safe to say that the scenes chosen during the editing process were the right ones. Not only did Rogue One stand on its own, but it also acted as a direct and effective lead-in to A New Hope that makes the first Star Wars movie more enjoyable to watch. Still, it is fascinating to hear about just how much material was shot or read in numerous ways. They may not make for juicy special features to be included on the home media release, but I'd be interested to see some of these alternate takes just for curiosity's sake, especially if there are any involving Orson Krennic's meeting with Darth Vader.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is now playing in theaters, and click here to read what we thought about the movie.

Last year, I had the incredible fortune of sitting with the stars of Star Wars: The Force Awakens prior to the blockbuster's release, and during each of those conversations I asked each of them their favorite and least favorite part of the whole process. Each of them provided diverse and fun answers, which gave a great glimpse into what what the unique experience was like. So, naturally, when I sat down with the cast of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story earlier this month, I took the opportunity to ask the same question.

During the San Francisco press day for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, I spoke with Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Riz Ahmed, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelson and Ben Mendelsohn, and got all of them talking about their favorite and least favorite parts of making the movie. Check out their answers below and on the next few pages!

Felicity Jones

Before entering the Star Wars universe, Felicity Jones was primarily known for her work in serious drama (her Oscar-winning performance in The Theory Of Everything being a prime example), so when it came to making Rogue One, her favorite bit was diving into the action. The actress told me that she had a great deal of fun working with the stunt team and making the film's action sequences authentic. The downside of the production for Jones was just the rough conditions that many of the film's environments had to offer -- but it certainly sounds like it was a tough time that was worth it in the end.

Diego Luna

Of all the Rogue One actors I talked to, Diego Luna had far and away the most apparent enthusiasm for his time in the world of Star Wars - and that was fully reflected in his answer to my question and favorite and least favorite moments. He was clearly overtaken with joy any time he was surrounded by the world of the classic sci-fi saga, and he never wanted any of it to end. Literally his least favorite part of production was whenever Gareth Edwards would always say 'Cut' at the end of a shot.

Alan Tudyk & Riz Ahmed

Alan Tudyk didn't always have to get into the tougher stuff in Rogue One (an extended rainy sequence seeing K-2SO staying indoors), but Riz Ahmed found that flying around in spaceships wasn't always the most comfortable thing. Similar to Oscar Isaac's experience making Star Wars: The Force Awakens, he quickly found out that it can make you just a bit ill to stay in one for too long. At least they got to be in some amazing places while they were filming!

Donnie Yen

Donnie Yen found his favorite and least favorite parts of making Rogue One: A Star Wars Story orbiting the same arena. As cool as it is making a Star Wars movie, it is also hard work when you're doing a lot of stunt and action work in rough environments -- which is why Yen felt a sense of relief when it all came together. As for his least favorite part of the production, the thing that was hardest for him was just being away from his family during the many months of shooting. Surely getting to go back to them made the aforementioned last day of filming that much sweeter.

Mads Mikkelson & Ben Mendelsohn

Like Diego Luna, Mads Mikkelson wasn't shy about expressing his Star Wars love and getting to wear his "fanboy hat" while making Rogue One (taking off that hat when diving into the material as an actor). Impressively, that left him with zero complaints and nothing to qualify as his "least favorite" thing about making the movie. Similarly, Ben Mendelsohn felt it was an honor just to be a part of this legendary franchise, while also admitting that keeping so many secrets about the production wasn't his favorite thing to do.

You may not have asked for it, but soon enough we'll be getting another Robin Hood movie, this time examining the origins of the character and why he hates taxes so much. If nothing else, Robin Hood: Origins has been filling out quite the enviable cast and it only gets better with the addition of Ben Mendelsohn. In hindsight, it's a no-brainer casting because the Emmy-winning actor will be stepping into the role as the iconic series villain, the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Variety has the scoop, and they report that Ben Mendelsohn is in negotiations to play the Sheriff of Nottingham. It doesn't look like its a done deal just yet, but it isn't exactly hard to see Mendelsohn as an evil Brit riding around the forest on horseback. Nothing is known about the role or if it'll be tweaked with the adaptation, but if you've seen a Robin Hood movie at any point in your lifetime, then you already have a solid grasp of what we're in for.

In case you haven't seen one of the (checks Wikipedia) at least 40 different adaptations of Robin Hood, here's the skinny on the Sherrif of Nottingham. Typically, he's just as the name describes: the sheriff of a town called Nottingham. The main villain of the Robin Hood tales, it's his responsibility to capture Robin Hood and his Merry Men. His personality varies based on the version, but he's usually portrayed as a cruel schemer and a coward. He's been played by many actors over the years such as the late great Alan Rickman, Melville Cooper, Robert Shaw, Matthew Macfadyen and a fat gray wolf in the animated Disney version.

Robin Hood: Origins will "center on Robin Hood, a war-hardened crusader who joins a Moorish commander in an audacious revolt against the corrupt English monarchy." Seeing as how the film is called Origins, this revolt might not work out for them just yet. Taron Egerton will play the titular character, with Jamie Foxx as Little John; Eve Hewson as Maid Marian; and Jamie Dornan as Will Scarlett. The film will be directed by Otto Bathurst, with a script from Joby Harold.

In just a few days, you'll be able to see -- among a vast majority of things -- Ben Mendelsohn as a different villainous character in a movie about the good guys stealing from the bad guys: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Mendelsohn plays Imperial Officer Orson Krennic, the primary antagonist of the film. Krennic serves as one of the many obstacles standing in the way of Jyn Erso and crew in their mission to steal the plans to the Death Star. Who can guess how it'll end, so make sure to see it on December 16 when it hits theaters.

There are few characters in cinema history who have quite the impact possessed by Darth Vader. The fan-favorite villain has captivated us ever since he first appeared on screen back in 1977, and to call him merely iconic would be a massive understatement. Because of this, it should come as a surprise to very few people that Ben Mendelsohn had a bit of a freakout when filming scenes with the beloved Sith Lord during the making of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Earlier this month, Ben Mendelsohn and director Gareth Edwards both spoke to the experience of working with Darth Vader during the Rogue One press conference that was held at Industrial Light and Magic headquarters, and they certainly made it sound like it was a seriously intimidating experience. Asked about working with the legendary antagonist on set, Edwards recounted what it was like on the day, and how Mendelsohn wound up being deeply affected by it. Said the director,

Can any of you legitimately say that you would have a different reaction? As cool as it must be to just be a part of the Star Wars universe in general, doing a scene with Darth Vader is a whole different ballgame. Frankly, Ben Mendelsohn deserves a great deal of credit for just being able to keep it together on the level that he did and get the job done.

Personally speaking to the experience, Ben Mendelsohn noted that his time with Darth Vader during the making of Rogue One truly made his inner fanboy scream out, and he noted that he legitimately had a tough time keeping himself composed -- really needing extra time just so that he could get it done right:

Of course, as you might expect, Ben Mendelsohn was hardly the only person working on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story who was deeply affected by the presence of Darth Vander. Not only did Gareth Edwards note that all rehearsals needed to be done out of costume to prevent crazy intimidation, but the character's aura even had the effect of causing the set to go dead quiet whenever he was around. The director explained,

The best news of all is that it won't be long until fans get their own chance to be stunned by the arrival of Darth Vader, as we are now just a few days away from the release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The film will be hitting theaters around the world this Friday, December 16th -- and be sure to stay tuned here on Cinema Blend for a whole lot more from out interviews with the cast and filmmakers!

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is jumping back in time to when the Rebellion was the underdog fighting back against the Empire. However, while Darth Vader was the main representative of this oppressive regime in the original Star Wars trilogy, Ben Mendelsohn's Orson Krennic is taking the lead this time around, as he'll be the one hunting down the Rebel scum who are attempting to steal the Death Star plans. Pictures and previews have already painted Krennic as a formidable threat, but one of the key differences moviegoers will see between him and other Imperial antagonists is that he's not a Shakespearean showboater.

Speaking with USA Today, director Gareth Edwards noted how most top Imperial officers, like Grand Moff Tarkin, are "upper class types." So when Ben Mendelsohn asked if he should adopt a "posh" English accent for Rogue One, Edwards decided it would be better if Orson Krennic wasn't a part of that particular "boy's club." He explained:

Even though the Empire takes recruits from all corners of that galaxy, far far away, many of its officers in the Original Trilogy definitely sounded like they either came from well-to-do families or were pulled directly off the stage during a performance of Hamlet. Orson Krennic, on the other hand, had to slowly work his way up the ladder to earn his esteemed position as Director of Advanced Weapons Research for the Imperial Military. Unfortunately for him, Edwards also revealed that during Rogue One, Krennic "hits a brick wall in the hierarchy" where he can't get into the "club," resulting in either him coming out on top or the other officers. In other words, he has a lot more to lose than the other individuals who wear the uniform.

When we meet Orson Krennic in Rogue One, he'll be eagerly waiting the Death Star becoming operational after nearly 20 years of construction. He's staked his reputation on its successful completion, so when Rebels show up to throw a wrench into the works, he'll do whatever is necessary to eliminate them. This, along with other officers surely plotting his downfall, is enough pressure for the man to deal with, but making matters worse is that Darth Vader will be peering over his shoulder. Since this movie takes place before A New Hope, we already know that Princess Leia will eventually get her hands on the Death Star plans. What remains to be seen is exactly how the transference of ownership is initiated. Regardless, don't be surprised if Krennic's failure to keep the plans safely under lock and key means he's awarded a coupon for one free Force choke by the end of the movie.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will be released in theaters on December 16.

It's an awesome time to be a Star Wars fan. When Disney bought out Lucasfilm back in October of 2012, they laid out a plan to expand the world George Lucas created to a degree we've never seen before. They may have scrapped all of the Expanded Universe material that accumulated over the years (or at least decreed that it's not official canon), but they're working their tails off to fill in that void with projects like the upcoming Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

At this point, we already have new novels, an animated television series in Star Wars Rebels, a handful of comic book titles from Marvel, and, of course, J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens. All of the expanded universe stuff is great, but the movies are what fans really want to see, and in addition to a new trilogy of interconnected saga movies, we're getting a series of standalone, so-called, "anthology" films that examine unexplored areas of the Star Wars saga, illuminating various corners of that far, far away galaxy.

Within these anthology movies, which have also been called "Star Wars Stories," we'll get to peer into the hidden crevices of this universe we love so much, explore different times and places, and possibly learn about events we've only ever heard about. The first of these is Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and we have a lot of questions. Who is going to star? What will it be about? Will we see familiar characters? Will this impact/be impacted by the other films? Let's take a look at what we know about Rogue One so far.

First, let's take a look at the newest trailer!

And now let's break down what we know about the latest Star Wars feature, starting with:

What Is The Star Wars: Rogue One Release Date?

As mentioned earlier, it's a good time to be a Star Wars fan. In addition to the surplus of other officially canon material, which includes everything from TV shows to comics and video games like Star Wars: Battlefront, we're getting at least one movie a year for the foreseeable future - alternating between Episode titles like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Anthology chapters, like Star Wars: Rogue One. Star Wars movies have, up to this point, traditionally arrived in theaters in May of their respective years of release. The Force Awakens changed that trend, however, and was a huge winter blockbuster in December 2015. For now, the franchise will stick to this schedule, as Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is scheduled to be released almost exactly one year after, with a December 16, 2016 release date on the calendar.

From the look of things, there won't necessarily be a ton of consistency release date-wise with the upcoming films. Rian Johnson's Star Wars: Episode VIII, which doesn't currently have a title, will also be a pre-Christmas release, coming out on December 15, 2017. Less than six months later, specifically on May 25, 2018, audiences will be treated to Phil Lord and Chris Miller's Han Solo film - and then Colin Trevorrow's Star Wars: Episode IX will come out a year after that (on May 24, 2019).

What Is The Star Wars: Rogue One Rating?

Films don't typically get their official rating until just a few weeks before they open, so, since we still have some months to wait before Star Wars: Rogue One hits theaters, we aren't completely sure of the rating just yet. But, the Star Wars movies have a long history of PG or PG-13 ratings, so you can bet that this film will be in line with that track record. Star Wars: The Force Awakens had a PG-13 rating, and it's even more likely that Rogue One will carry the same rating when it opens this December.

The Director

Pretty much the first thing we learned about Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, even well before the title was revealed, was that Gareth Edwards was going to direct. Edwards only has two feature directorial efforts under his belt, but they certainly made an impact. His first film, 2010's micro-budget Monsters, is a tense, unique take on the creature feature - one where the filmmaker handled all the visual effects himself. While that movie wasn't exactly a blockbuster hit, Edwards' talent caught the eye of Hollywood, and he was given the reins of 2014's Godzilla revamp. His attempt to bring the King of the Monsters back to the metroplex was a rousing success.

These two very different films showcase a varied skill set that should serve Edwards well on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. He's shown he can tell a character-driven story, as well as one that relies on action, large-scale special effects, and spectacle - and both of those elements will come in handy in deep space. In Monsters, the titular beasts are relegated to the background, adding an extra layer of mood and tone to the story that is really about two people wandering the wilderness. This shows that he has the ability to get you emotionally invested in the people onscreen, without relying solely on flash to keep your attention. While Star Wars has always been full of eye candy, it's the characters that stick with you.

What Is The Star Wars: Rogue One Story?

We've been hearing rumors about the plot of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story since the earliest stages of development, with whispers of rebels, a daring heist, and an Ocean's Eleven-style ensemble of characters coming together to pull off a job. At Star Wars Celebration 2014, we got confirmation that some of that is correct. The story follows a band of rebel fighters who steal the plans for the first Death Star. That definitely covers the heist element, not to mention it sets the action in the time between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, as resistance to the Galactic Empire begins to build momentum.

While this links the story to the main narrative thrust of the Star Wars saga, it also looks like it might do something no movie in the franchise has ever done: focus on normal people in the universe. The Jedi mythos has figured prominently into every extant Star Wars film, and while we've seen and encountered non-powered people, with the exception of Han Solo, they've never really taken center stage. If nothing else, this is going to be a drastically different view of this universe in which we've spent so much time, and it's been promised that, while most of the Saga has been rather black and white, Rogue One is one big shade of gray in terms of who is right and who is wrong in the rebellion against the Galactic Empire.

Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones)

When the cast for J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens was first announced, one of the immediate reactions was that there were only a few female characters. Obviously the release of the blockbuster revealed that Daisy Ridley's Rey will be the central hero of the new saga trilogy, but those won't be the only new movies featuring strong female leads. The first actor confirmed to be in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was Felicity Jones, and it will be through her eyes that we see the movie's story unfold. In addition to popping up in 2014's The Amazing Spider-Man 2, the 31-year-old British actress received an Academy Award nomination for her role as Jane Hawking in the biopic The Theory of Everything.

As for the character that Felicity Jones will be playing, the first teaser trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story does a pretty fantastic job giving us a bit of backstory for Jyn Erso. On her own since she was a teenager, she is a fighter with very little appreciation for authority - which leads her to find a home for herself in the rebellion. The footage we've seen seems to suggest that she'll be undergoing a bit of training in the movie, but it also sounds like she will have a key role in the heist of the Death Star plans.

The Leading Men

Felicity Jones is the central protagonist of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, but the nature of the film's story demands a fairly large ensemble of actors - and that's exactly what the production has collected. During Walt Disney's D23 Expo in August of 2015, the studio confirmed a number of the main members of the cast. This is a list that includes:

Diego Luna

Ben Mendelsohn

Donnie Yen

Jiang Wen

Forest Whitaker

Mads Mikkelsen

Alan Tudyk

Riz Ahmed

Very little is known about most of the characters that the actors are playing in the movie, but some information has leaked out and been revealed in footage. For example, it's been reported that Alan Tudyk won't be featured in the movie in person, but instead will be providing a motion capture performance (playing a droid called K-2SO). Additionally, Mads Mikkelsen will not be playing a villain in the movie (a nice break for him), and will reportedly be Galen - who may be Jyn Erso's father.

Instead of Mikkelsen, it instead seems as though the central villain of the film will be Director Orson Krennic, played by actor Ben Mendelsohn. Almost nothing has been revealed about this character yet, though we do know that he is a high-ranking member of the Galactic Empire, and that he looks damn good in a space cape.

It's also been revealed that the character being played by Forest Whitaker has an interesting bit of history. In Rogue One: A Star Wars Story he will be playing Saw Gerrera - which is a name that fans of the animated Clone Wars television show should recognize. Gerrera, paired with his sister Steela, were featured in four episodes of the series' fifth season, and they were rebels who fought alongside the central heroes, Anakin Skywalker, Obi-wan Kenobi, and the young Ahsoka Tano. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is set 20 years after those events, so it will be interesting to learn exactly what he's been up to since then.

What 'Anthology' Means

You have probably noticed by now that Rogue One is being called an "anthology" film. When you think of what normally constitutes an anthology film, you generally call to mind films made up of multiple chapters - essentially a series of connected short films (with the V/H/S and ABCs of Death series, there has been a glut of such projects in horror lately). The Star Wars franchise is tweaking that definition slightly, and basically using the word "Anthology" to mean "Stories Told Outside Of The Central Saga."

This classification sets Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and the films that will follow it apart from the "Episodes," and while the events will impact the continuity of the Star Wars universe (obviously stealing the Death Star plans plays a big role) they're markedly different from what has come before. We've so far seen the journey of the Skywalker family in the films, and the Anthology films will tell stories just outside of that realm. It also appears these movies will explore side stories that appear to have less focus on the Force and the Jedi.

In addition to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, LucasFilm and Disney are developing two other Anthology projects, set to come out in 2018 and 2020, respectively. The first, which is set to be directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, is the untitled Han Solo movie, starring Alden Ehrenreich as the younger version of Harrison Ford's legendary smuggler character. The third project, which has yet to reveal its central subject, was going to be directed by Josh Trank, but has been in stasis ever since the film and the filmmaker parted ways in 2015.

Familiar Characters

As mentioned earlier, a significant part of the raison d'etre for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is to tell the stories of characters not necessarily directly related to the Skywalker clan and the central Star Wars saga. Of course, that doesn't mean that the film won't have a handful of recognizable faces from previous chapters in the franchise. We've already talked about Forest Whitaker's role as Saw Gerrera from Clone Wars, and the first trailer showed that Genevieve O'Reilly will be reprising her role as Rebel leader Mon Mothma from Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (the character first played by Caroline Blakiston in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. But they won't be the only familiar faces that we see in Gareth Edwards' blockbuster.

It was first confirmed in the trailer shown at Star Wars Celebration 2016 that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will feature the big screen return of one of the most iconic villains in cinema history: Darth Vader. Unfortunately, because the footage only featured the Sith Lord's breathing and a reflection of his image, it wasn't exactly informative in terms of what role the great antagonist will play. As shown in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, he is definitely in the mix once the Death Star plans get stolen, intercepting Princess Leia on the Tantive IV, but we don't really now how he will be involved while the mission is actually happening.

Another character who fans will very likely be excited to see return for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a key figure from George Lucas' prequel movies: Senator Bail Organa. Played by Jimmy Smits, Organa was first introduced in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, and while he obviously sits in an important political position within the fictional universe, fans mostly recognize him for something else: he is Princess Leia's adopted father. Smits has gone on record about his role in Rogue One, calling it both a "cameo" and a "small part," so obviously we're still very much in the dark about his larger role in the film.

John Williams

For many of us, John Williams and his rousing scores are practically synonymous with Star Wars. If you need a reminder of just how important his work is to these movies, just check out this scene from A New Hope without his signature sound. While the 83-year-old composer was back to contribute to The Force Awakens, he will not work on any of the Anthology movies. Consequently, we won't hear his soaring themes in Star Wars: Rogue One, making it the first Star Wars movie to hit theaters without a Williams score.

While he may be no John Williams, Gareth Edwards and company have found a strong replacement in Academy Award-winning composer Alexandre Desplat. He and Edwards worked together on Godzilla, and there are few composers out there as celebrated. He walked away with an Oscar in 2015 for his work on Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel - and he was actually competing against himself in that race, as he was also nominated for his contribution to The Imitation Game. It will be interesting to see if he puts his own unique stamp on Star Wars with Rogue One, or if he attempts to channel John Williams.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is taking moviegoers back to when the Rebels were still battling the Empire in a galaxy far, far away, but a new villain will be leading the charge in this story. Although it was confirmed earlier today that Darth Vader will have a presence in the movie, it's Ben Mendelsohn's character, officially named Director Orson Krennic, who will be the main antagonist. Just like every Imperial officer, Krennic is fulfilling the wishes of Emperor Palpatine, but now the specifics of the military director's plan have been unveiled.

As part of their massive Rogue One coverage today, EW revealed that Orson Krennic is an "ambitious Imperial apparatchik" who is using his Deathtroopers to destroy the Rebel forces and make a good impression for the Emperor, all while making sure not to anger Darth Vader. According to visual effects supervisor and story contributor John Knoll:

Although Ben Mendelsohn's Orson Krennic and his Deathtrooper squad were seen in the Rogue One teaser trailer, the preview didn't offer much in the way of what they're trying to do shortly before the events of A New Hope kick off...other than killing Rebel scum, of course. Thanks to this new information, we now know he's taking advantage of recent Rebel activity to make a name for himself, and he won't let anyone, whether they're an enemy Rebel or fellow Imperial, stop him from an ascending to an even higher rank. His scheming mind and white uniform bear similarity to Grand Admiral Thrawn from the Expanded Universe.

Even before all these details came out, it was clear that Ben Mendelssohn's character will command a powerful presence in Rogue One. You have to be a pretty confident officer to not only wear a cape, but also have no problem getting it wet while you stroll through a nearby body of water. In a franchise where there most of the bad guys have been Force users or wielding special weaponry, throwing another mastermind into the mix. However, since Rogue One is one of the self-contained spinoff movies, that may indicate that Orson Krennic won't make it out of the movie alive. Whether he meets his end from a Rebel blaster, is Force choked by Darth Vader or manages to go underground, we'll have to wait and see, but as far as Rogue One is concerned, Jyn Erso and the rest of her allies will need to watch out for Orson Krennic and his troops.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will be released in theaters on Friday, December 16.

Those of you who watched Season 1 of Netflix’s dramatic thriller Bloodline know just how smooth and manipulative and creepy Australian actor Ben Mendelsohn can be. (And if you haven’t watched Bloodline, you should, it’s fantastic.) Among other roles he’s great in, that turn as Danny Rayburn helped raise his profile quite a bit recently, and it looks like he’s going to put his skills to good use as the villain in Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of Ready Player One.

Though it is still looking for its male lead, sources close to The Hollywood Reporter say that Ben Mendelsohn is in early negotiations to take the role of the primary antagonist in Ready Player One. The 46-year-old Aussie is awesome in everything he does (I can’t recommend Animal Kingdom highly enough), and if a deal is struck, he will join a cast that already includes Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and Bates Motel star Olivia Cooke.

Based on the novel of the same name by Ernest Cline, Ready Player One takes place in a dystopian future where most of the population jacks into an online virtual reality world called Oasis to do everything from escape the crushing reality that surrounds them to go to school to just hang out. The creator of Oasis passed away without any heirs, but the pop-culture-obsessive hid an intricate scavenger hunt full of clues based on his favorite movies, games, books, comics, and the like. Whoever solves the puzzle wins Oasis and becomes the richest, most powerful person on the planet.

Wade Watts is the hero, a poor, good-hearted orphan kid living in a literal stack of mobile homes, who is hot on the trail of new clues. Olivia Cooke will play a character named Art3mis, Wade’s competitor slash occasional cohort slash love interest. Ben Mendelsohn will reportedly play an executive for a major Internet company that is also trying to solve the riddle, which would allow them to essentially take over the world. There aren’t any more details about his role at the moment, but a character named Nolan Sorrento, who works for the nefarious Innovative Online Industries, serves as the primary antagonist in the novel, so it stands to reason that is who Mendelsohn will play, or at least a version of him.

We’re curious to see what a movie version of Ready Player One looks like. Most of the action takes place in Oasis; that is to say in a virtual world populated by avatars, which sounds like a moviemaking challenge. The narrative is also infused with pop culture references on every level, so just getting legal clearance for those sounds like a tricky proposition. Steven Spielberg has already said he’s cutting out any references to his films. There was a movie deal in place before the book was even published, so studios certainly saw the potential early on, but it still seems like a hard one to adapt.

Ready Player One hits theaters on December 15, 2017, but before that we’ll see Ben Mendelsohn in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story later this year.

While Star Wars: The Force Awakens shows no sign of slowing down at the box office, the thoughts of Disney have now turned to the future of the franchise, especially since the plan is to release a new instalment every year. The next addition to the Star Wars universe is Rogue One, which has acquired almost as sterling a cast as The Force Awakens. One of those who will feature is Ben Mendelsohn, and the Australian actor recently revealed that he was blown away by J.J. Abrams’ effort.

Ben Mendelsohn revealed that he took his place front and center in the theater for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and managed to beam throughout because of just how spectacular it was. Speaking to Deadline, Mendelsohn glowingly described his experience watching the seventh instalment to the beloved series, saying:

Of course, it makes perfect sense why Ben Mendelsohn and everyone associated with Rogue One was relieved with the fact that The Force Awakens was not only well received, but is currently flourishing financially. If, somehow, J.J. Abrams’ film had failed then it would have put a huge amount or pressure on Rogue One. Sure, that pressure to match The Force Awakens is still there, but since it’s not a sequel, and is instead a spin-off, this weight is somewhat different. It’s also definitely not as intense as the expectations on director Rian Johnson to try and eclipse it with his Star Wars: Episode VIII .

Details regarding Rogue One are still at a minimum. All we know about the stand alone film is that it is set in the Star Wars universe, shortly before the events of 1977’s Star Wars: A New Hope. It will focus on a group of Rebels are sent on a mission to acquire the plans for the Death Star, the Empire’s new weapon that has the ability to destroy planets with the press of a button.

Leading the way in this spin-off is the Academy Award-nominated Felicity Jones, who received accolades for her stirring performance in The Theory Of Everything. Jones will be joined by quite the cavalcade of acting talent, too, with the likes of Diego Luna (Y Tu Mama Tambien), Riz Ahmed (Nightcrawler), and the always magnificent Ben Mendelsohn (Slow West). Donnie Yen (Ip Man), Forest Whitaker (The Last King Of Scotland), Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale), and Alan Tudyk (Serenity) will also join in the adventure.

Godzilla and Monster’s Gareth Edwards will direct from a script by Gary Whitta (The Book Of Eli) and Chris Weitz (About A Boy). All Star Wars: Rogue One will have to do to match The Force Awakens when it is release on December 16, 2016 is gross a few billion dollars. Good luck.

Although Justice League Dark doesn’t have a release or new director attached, Warner Bros. is still doing its best to get the movie back on track. Yesterday we learned some casting tidbits about who is being looked to play the lead characters, including Colin Farrell being the frontrunner for John Constantine. Now there’s word on who the movie’s lead villain may be: Swamp Thing antagonist Anton Arcane.

Debuting in 1972, Arcane is without a doubt Swamp Thing’s greatest nemesis, but he’s powerful enough that he could easily be a threat to the entire Justice League Dark on the big screen. According to Heroic Hollywood, Bloodline actor Ben Mendelsohn (seen below) is being eyed for Arcane, but there’s a catch: he’ll only consider taking the role depending on who ends up directing. Guillermo del Toro was originally supposed to helm the movie, but after increasing delays, he dropped out to work on other projects. If Mendelsohn approves of del Toro’s replacement and decides to join Justice League Dark, this will be his second comic movie, having previously played corrupt businessman John Dagget in The Dark Knight Rises.

In the comics, Arcane was a scientist obsessed with finding the secret to immortality. After conducting experiments on corpses, he achieved his goal, but his body was so old by then that he sought a new body to carry him through the ages. When transferring his spirit to his creations, the monstrous Un-Men, failed, he eyed Swamp Thing as a suitable host, which kicked off their feud over the decades. Despite dying many times, Arcane would always return to the land of the living, usually with new magical abilities.

After the New 52 kicked off, Arcane was resurrected as the new avatar of The Black, a.k.a. The Rot, the elemental force connected to death and decay. Using these powers, he tried to destroy The Green (connected to plant life) and The Red (connected to animal life), leading to the Rotworld crossover arc between the Swamp Thing and Animal Man comic series. Arcane is also the uncle of Abigail Arcane, Swamp Thing’s main love interest. In other media, Arcane was previously played by Louis Jourdan in 1982’s Swamp Thing and 1989’s The Return of Swamp Thing.

Like the original New 52 comic, Justice League Dark will follow a team of mystical heroes as they battle otherworldly forces too abstract or unusual for the regular Justice League to handle. The main characters will reportedly include Swamp Thing, John Constantine, Deadman, Zatanna, Etrigan the Demon and Madame Xanadu. Production is rumored to start sometime in 2016 will be in continuity with the rest of the DC Extended Universe.

Star Wars is set to have a substantial presence at San Diego Comic-Con this year, which makes sense with Star Wars: The Force Awakens kicking off an expanding new slate of films in December. We don’t know exactly what they have in store just yet, but another new report just revealed a ton of new details about Star Wars: Rogue One, the first of the so-called Anthology films.

It should go without saying, but there are potentially huge spoilers beyond this point. Granted, we don’t know how accurate this report is or if it’s all total BS, but you’ve been warned. Also, take what you read with a grain of salt.

What we know about the plot of Rogue One involves the stolen plans for first Death Star, a bunch of bounty hunters, and a recent rumor places Darth Vader in the action. Bleeding Cool’s sources dropped some information regarding all of those elements, as well as shed some light on Ben Mendelsohn’s character and his role. They say:

Many people weren’t exactly sure how the bounty hunters that have been rumored to be involved in this story actually fit in, but as goons hired to hunt down the rebels responsible for stealing the Death Star plans, that certainly makes a great deal of sense. And if you were hoping that we would see some familiar faces among this crew, you will be very happy as well.

This group of nefarious characters includes fan favorite Boba Fett will be one of the team (yes, we’re going to see Boba Fett on screen again in 2016!), as will others you know from The Empire Strikes Back, including Bossk, Dengar, Zuckuss, 4-Lom, and IG-88. Cad Bane, a character who you might know from The Clone Wars, is also part of the gang, making his first live-action appearance, and the report indicates that there could be some new characters thrown into the mix as well, but we’ll have to wait and see on that front.

That is a formidable team to be sure. Presumably one of the people they tussle with will be star Felicity Jones’ character, who has been described as a Rebel soldier ready for battle. We like to hear things like this, and this all ties in with what details have emerged about the Gareth Edwards-directed Rogue One. It’s been described as a dark, gritty war movie, compared to the likes of Hamburger Hill, and we know that there won’t be much of a Jedi presence in the main action, though the threat of Darth Vader definitely looms over everything.

Star Wars: Rogue One is filming now. It doesn’t hit theaters until December 16, 2016, but bounty hunters, Darth Vader, Ben Mendelsohn playing the main antagonist? There’s so much to like here.

Gareth Edwards' upcoming Star Wars spin-off movie Rogue One already has one lead actor attached, with Academy Award nominee Felicity Jones announced as being officially on-board earlier this month - but now it sounds like we're on the brink of seeing her get a co-star. This is because new reports are surfacing saying that Australian actor Ben Mendelsohn is now being looked at for a starring role in the future sci-fi blockbuster.

This news comes to us from Deadline, though their piece is incredibly short on details. It's noted that Disney didn't comment on the report, and because we don't really know anything about Rogue One's plot, there aren't any details available about the role in the movie he may be playing. That being said, the part is being described as a "lead," which would explain why he's being pursued so early in the casting process.

Just because there's no word in the report regarding Ben Mendelsohn's potential role, however, doesn't mean that we can't do a bit of speculating. For example, if Rogue One is a reference to the famed Rogue Squadron, does that mean that the actor could be playing one of the elite pilots of the Rebel forces? We've also heard rumors that the movie is actually about a group of bounty hunters sent in to recover the plans from the first Death Star - and it's not ridiculous to think that Mendelsohn could be playing one of those. Or maybe he won't be going the hero route, and will be one of the new great antagonists of the Star Wars universe.

Obviously this news is rather big for Ben Mendelsohn, but what surely makes it even better is the fact that just this past weekend saw the debut of his new Netflix series Bloodline - which earned very positive reviews. In addition to his series work, however, the actor has also been a part of some notable big screen titles in the last few years, including Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, Ridley Scott's Exodus: Gods and Kings, and Andrew Dominik's Killing Them Softly. He has a number of upcoming projects, including the John Maclean-directed western Slow West with Michael Fassbender; the Ryan Reynolds-Sienna Miller-starring drama Mississippi Grind; and Ryan Gosling's artsy directorial debut Lost River.

Are you excited by the idea of Ben Mendelsohn potentially finding himself a role in the Star Wars universe? Should he wind up signing on, who would you like to see him play? Hit the comments with your thoughts.Star Wars: Rogue One will be going into production this summer, and is currently on track to be released on December 16, 2016 (two days shy from a full year after the theatrical debut of J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens).

Even though I quite enjoyed Two Guys and Girl (a.k.a. Two Guys, A Girl And A Pizza Place), at some point I realized Ryan Reynolds has never been on my list of actors whose projects I’m actively interested in. It wasn’t Green Lantern, because I was already there by that point. I think It was when he signed on to star in Buried that I realized spending an entire movie with him sounded less than satisfactory. (Incidentally, it was a better flick than I thought it would be-- so my instincts aren't necessarily correct.) I’m not trying to rip the guy a new one here, because he’s a fine performer by all means. I’m just saying Mississippi Grind now sounds like a much different movie than the one I’d been envisioning.

Deadline recently reported Reynolds has joined Electric City’s Mississippi Grind, taking a role that Jake Gyllenhaal was in talks for last year. The film will be written and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, who helmed Ryan Gosling’s Oscar-nominated performance in 2006’s Half Nelson. Could they bring Reynolds the same kind of acclaim? I mean, they scored a winning and non-stereotypical performance from Zach Galifianakis in 2010’s It’s Kind of a Funny Story.

Maybe the “Ryan Reynolds smirk” can be wiped from my memory banks. But probably not, since it sounds like he’ll be playing a smarmy kind of character. (I may or may not have Rounders in my head while writing this, projecting an amalgamation of Matt Damon and Edward Norton onto Reynolds. What is my problem?)

Ben Mendelsohn is already on board, playing a gambler whose losing streak is taking its toll. He decides to team up with Reynolds’ younger gambling addict to take a road trip through the South, hoping to rake in the cash and leave the bad luck behind them.

Now that I’ve spent ten minutes picturing Reynolds and Mendelsohn working together, I’ve grown a percentage point or two more interested. After all, I actually can’t wait to see Reynolds play opposite a grizzled Jeff Bridges in the comic adaptation R.I.P.D., because that’s precisely the over-the-top kind of film I don’t mind him in. (Just give us Deadpool already!)

And his other upcoming projects sound pretty good as well, including Atom Egoyan’s kidnapping thriller Queen of the Night and Marjane Satrapi’s psychological thriller The Voices. He’s also attached to join director Tarsem Singh for a body-switching sci-fi thriller called Selfless, which should pair well with DreamWorks Animation’s Turbo, am I right?

Production is set to begin on Mississippi Grind early next year. In the meantime, check out Reynolds holding his big gun in the R.I.P.D. trailer below.