MCU fans hoping to see a lot of bone-crunching and bullet-whizzing action only have a little while longer to wait until the one-shot special The Punisher: One Last Kill punches a hole through the 2026 TV schedule. The upcoming Marvel TV release brings the skull-shaped spotlight back to Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle for his first (and maybe last) standalone MCU storyline. The actor’s been hyping fans up for his vigilante’s post-Daredevil: Born Again return, and his latest post drew fun comments from former Walking Dead co-star Sarah Wayne Callies and a DCU fave.

Bernthal took to Instagram to share a black-and-white pic of himself that could easily be a visual stand-in for the term “world-weary,” with this as his caption:

Though it wasn't an official still of Frank Cast, and he wasn't actually decked out in any Punisher gear, Bernthal's caption likely resonated with Daredevil fans. It's the way Frank explained to Matt that they're two sides of the same coin, with Punisher's willingness to kill being the line that Daredevil vows not to cross. But just as any given Sunday can give an underdog football team a win, one bad day could be all it takes to shatter Matt's moral compass.

But since the lawyer currently has his hands full with Wilson Fisk, there's no need to bring him further along in this story. Instead, here's a comment shared by Bernthal's former Walking Dead romantic interest, to put it in the least complicated way possible, Sarah Wayne Callies:

• SARAH WAYNE CALLIES: i sure hope not 😂❤️

The Lori Grimes actress likely wasn't playing into the Daredevil reference there, and it seems apaprent she was playfully poking fun at Jon Bernthal's mug. He does kind of look like the exact opposite of TWD's ever-popular quasi-villain Shane, whose head was nearly clean-shaven when he was taken out of the equation.

Another standout comment on the actor's post came from another machismo-centric action star who somewhat recently beat the dogsh-t out of a superhero, only on the DCU side of things. I'm referring to Peacemaker and Creature Commandos star Frank Grillo, who chimed in on Bernthal's post with:

• FRANK GRILLO: you wanted to be a tough guy. 😎🥊🥊🥊

The thought of Frank Grillo and Jon Bernthal facing off on-screen is the kind of thing that 1,000% needs to happen before either of them calls it quits on stunt-heavy action. It's legitimately shocking that there aren't already 12 examples of it across TV and cinema. (Or even a video game.) And you can imagine that the fans reacting to the above went straight to Grillo's MCU history, calling for a Crossbones Vs. Punisher fight. Does it matter that Crossbones is dead? Nope.

Check out the trailer for One Last Kill below, and there's no judgment if anyone wants to imagine a zombified Frank Grillo's Crossbones showing up in the middle of it.

If all it takes is one bad day to turn into Jon Bernthal, then I hope I have 100 of them in a row. But it definitely won't be a bad one on Tuesday, May 12, when The Punisher: One Last Kill is available to stream via Disney+ subscription. (And then don't forget he'll also be reteaming with Tom Holland for Spider-Man: Brand New Day on July 31.

We live in an era where the film franchise rules all. But even before everything in theaters was part of a comic book universe, the horror franchise was seemingly as undying as its antagonist. It’s rare for any horror franchise to disappear for too long, and it looks like one of the modern hits of the genre, The Purge, may be ready for its comeback.

There were five Purge movies between 2013 and 2021, but since The Forever Purge took the concept of the “crime is fine for a limited time” concept and seemingly ended the “limited time” part, little has been heard from the series. However, it appears that the previously in-development Purge 6 may be much closer to a reality. Franchise producer Brad Fuller recently told Comicbook.com that he is working with Purge creator James DeMonaco, who is currently dealing with the script, and that he may also direct the next film with a familiar star attached. Fuller said…

The Purge movies are dumb, and I’ve always felt like they really didn’t take advantage of their premise as well as they could. That said, The Purge movies always have the potential of being entertaining, and the two films that included Frank Grillo are among the series’ best. So this apparent confirmation that he'll be back is great news.

The Purge movies have largely been a sort of anthology, with different films taking place during different Purge events and following different characters. However, Frank Grillo appeared in two consecutive films, subtitled Anarchy and Election Year, where he played one of the few “hero” characters the movies even have. The first film saw Grillo as a man who wanted to use The Purge as cover to kill a man responsible for the death of his son. It was basically his audition to play The Punisher.

It had previously been indicated that Grillo would be back in the next Purge movie. A couple of years ago, DeMonaco talked about the world the new Purge movie would be set in, where the United States has ceased to exist and the remaining people have broken up into cultural factions.

While Brad Fuller’s comments certainly don’t make it sound like there are plans to start shooting The Purge 6 in the short term, so don’t expect to see it join the 2026 movie schedule, it does at least sound like this is a project that’s in active development, and that the people involved are trying to make happen. Bring on The Purge.

The comic book genre continues to be wildly popular, and fans who spent years watching the DC movies in order were recently treated to a new shared universe courtesy of co-CEO James Gunn. The new franchise's first slate of projects is titled Gods and Monsters, and the first three titles all featured Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr.. He's preparing for the upcoming DC movie Man of Tomorrow, and the actor is looking even more ripped than normal.

James Gunn teased how Man of Tomorrow will pair Superman and Lex Luthor against a common enemy, and fans are eager for any information about what's to come. While we wait for details, Grillo took to Instagram to show that he's already hitting the gym ahead of shooting the Superman sequel. Check it out below:

Talk about ripped. While Grillo claims his fitness journey for Man of Tomorrow is just beginning, he's already looking pretty yoked. I can only imagine how much more fit he's going to get for the blockbuster; I certainly wouldn't want to be going against him in a fight sequence.

In the first Superman, which is streaming with a HBO Max subscription, Grillo's Rick Flag Sr. didn't necessarily get into the action. But we did see him kick some ass on the small screen in both Creature Commandos and Peacemaker Season 2. But if the above post is to believed, he might be squaring up against someone in Man of Tomorrow.

Grillo has plenty of action sequences, and is known for bringing his hulking physicality to those roles. He got to play the villainous Crossbones in the MCU (streaming with a Disney+ subscription), fight off masked killers in the Purge movies, and was also seen in other action movies like Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard and Zero Dark Thirty.

While Rick Flag Sr. has a significant role in Superman, he didn't get any action sequences. Instead he was seen dealing with with Lex Luthor's grasps for power, as well as arresting Superman and monitoring the conflict between Boravia and Jarhanpur.

Things heated up for Flag in Peacemaker's Season 2 finale, which seemingly set up big things for the DCU as a whole. Because after beating the crap out of John Cena's title character, he eventually stuck Chris in Salvation. This pocket universe is set up to be a prison for metahumans, in direct response to them meddling in world affairs during Superman. And that's seemingly going to be a big plot point moving forward in DC projects.

Our questions should be answered when Man of Tomorrow arrives in theaters July 9th, 2027. But since its not on the 2026 movie release list, fans are likely going to have to be patient before getting more information. But hopefully James Gunn and company offer some teases about Rick Flag Sr.'s role sooner rather than later.

Although it’s not technically Superman 2, Man of Tomorrow will nonetheless place David Corenswet’s Man of Steel back in the spotlight. This time, he’ll reluctantly team up with Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor, and it’s now we know for certain that Frank Grillo will also be back as Rick Flag Sr., the current director of A.R.G.U.S. We most recently spent time with Flag on the 2025 TV schedule for Peacemaker Season 2, and the news of his return in Man of Tomorrow has me hoping that the upcoming DC movie will include a crossover building off the ending of the Season 2 finale.

First things first, Grillo confirmed his involvement in Man of Tomorrow on his Instagram Stories, responding to an article covering an interview where James Gunn had indicated as such. Check it out:

Given that Rick Flag Sr. is running A.R.G.U.S. these days after the fall of Amanda Waller (though she is still primed to get her own upcoming DC TV show), that makes it easier to fit him into DC Universe stories, akin to what the MCU has done with Nick Fury. More importantly though, Flag has history with Superman from when he oversaw the Kryptonian hero’s transfer into Lex Luthor’s prison in that pocket universe. Superman may have won back the public’s trust at the end of his 2025 movie, but I suspect he and Flag remain on bad terms.

Which brings me to my hope for a Superman/Peacemaker crossover. In the final moments of the Peacemaker Season 2 finale, Rick Flag Sr. dumped John Cena’s Christopher Smith on Salvation, one of the dimensions accessible via the Quantum Unfolding Chamber that he’s now using to imprison metahumans for the U.S. government. Flag spearheaded the Salavation project with members of Lex Luthor’s team, so imagine if Luthor convinces Flag that Superman should be exiled to Salvation. If A.R.G.U.S. can pull that off and Superman ends up trapped on Salvation, then it’s only a matter of time before he runs into Smith.

There are a couple flaws with this idea of mine, though. First, as interesting as it would be to see Superman and Peacemaker team up, I also wouldn’t want John Cena’s presence to overshadow that Lex Luthor will be a co-lead in Man of Tomorrow. More importantly, as I mentioned earlier, this movie will see Superman and Luthor joining forces to battle a bigger threat, whether that’s Brainiac or someone else. I have no doubt Luthor will still hate Superman at the start of Man of Tomorrow, but why would he want to imprison him on Salvation if he knows he’s going to need his help?

Still, I’ve enjoyed all of James Gunn’s DC work so far, so I’m confident he could iron out these kinks. Since there are no plans for Peacemaker Season 3, Man of Tomorrow would be the next prime opportunity to bring Christopher Smith back into the fold. Hopefully we’ll find out if this is happening long before the movie is released on July 9, 2027.

Warning: SPOILERS for the Peacemaker episode “Like a Keith in the Night” are ahead!

What started out in Peacemaker Season 1 as a TARDIS-y room for John Cena’s Christopher Smith to store his superhero gear turned into a plot device in Season 2. One wrong turn in his late father’s Quantum Unfolding Chamber led Chris to discovering another universe, which we now know to be the Nazi-controlled Earth-X. While this plotline wrapped up last week with a shocking death, the Peacemaker Season 2 finale will ramp things up with its exploration of the multiverse this Thursday on the 2025 TV schedule. However, I think Rick Flag Sr. has an ulterior agenda for the QUC.

What’s Been Teased For The Peacemaker Season 2 Finale

At the end of “Like a Keith in the Night,” Chris, Emilia Harcourt, John Economos, Leota Adebayo and Judomaster returned to the DCU, and Chris surrendered both himself and the QUC device to Rick Flag Sr. The alien technology had been in the Smith family for 35 years, and now it belongs to the United States government. Also, unlike the portal Lex Luthor created to access his pocket universe in Superman, the QUC has a stable connection, so there’s no risk of it collapsing after just a few minutes.

Rick Flag Sr. isn’t wasting any time putting this technology to use, as we see in the preview for the finale, titled “Full Nelson,” that he’s sending various people in containment suits, including Emilia Harcourt, to explore other universes. Unlike Earth-X, however, these realties are vastly different from our Earth.

There’s one with a literal candy landscape, and another with horrific, giant spider-like creatures with human skulls wandering around in a hellscape. It’s some really freaky stuff. As for why A.R.G.U.S. is so keen on exploring the multiverse, Flag is heard saying this:

Harcourt speculates to Economos that A.R.G.U.S. is looking for resources and new ground for overpopulation, which certainly works as the official reason for these missions. That said, I’m also convinced Rick Flag Sr. intends to use the QUC for personal reasons. Namely, he’s looking to reunite with his son… sort of.

I Suspect Rick Flag Sr. Wants His Son “Back”

Rick Flag Jr. being murdered by Peacemaker remains canon in the DCU, and like any good father would feel, Sr. was devastated by his son’s death. We saw him take out his fury on Christopher Smith in “Back to the Suture,” though he claimed to Sasha Bordeaux that this was part of his long game to acquire the gateway device. I have no doubt that Flag would try to kill Chris again if given the opportunity, but for now, I think he’s more focused on looking for another version of Rick Flag Jr. to bring into his life.

I don’t believe the “original” Rick Flag Jr. will ever be resurrected, so if Rick Flag Sr. is as consumed with grief as I think he is, it’s not a stretch to think he’d want the QUC to find a world where a different version of his son is alive. He probably already knows to avoid the Earth-X Rick Flag Jr. if Chris told him about it being packed with Nazis, but the multiverse is infinite. If A.R.G.U.S. can find a world that’s also similar to the DCU, then I’m sure he’ll try his hardest to find that reality’s Rick Jr.

Of course, even if he finds another version of his son, that doesn’t mean this Rick Jr. will want anything to do with Rick Sr., especially if he’s unfamiliar with other Earths. There’s only a couple more days to go until my theory is confirmed or debunked, but if it’s the former, I don’t see this ending well.

Frank Grillo has already made a small piece of movie history, as one of the few actors to play a major role in both an MCU and a DCU movie. However, it turns out there was an even closer connection between his two roles than we realized.

Frank Grillo played Crossbones for Marvel Studios before his recent appearances as Rick Flag Sr. (in both animation and live-action) for James Gunn’s DCU. Both roles ended up requiring his character to arrest a superhero. He took Captain America into custody in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and he arrested the Man of Steel in Superman as well. Hilariously, as Grillo told Brandon Davis, the two scenes were shot only blocks apart in Cleveland. Grillo said...

Of all the coincidences that could crop up in filmmaking, this one is pretty incredible. While Cleveland isn’t an uncommon location for filming movies, it’s not like Southern California or Georgia, where there are major studios available. The fact that both movies were filmed there at all is interesting enough, but both movies having similar scenes that involved the same actor, what are the odds? No seriously, somebody who’s better at math please tell me what the odds are.

Grillo was never shy about admitting he was a little frustrated with the way Crossbones was used in the MCU. There were apparently plans, or at least conversations, about making him a bigger bad guy for Captain America, but they never materialized. The character was somewhat unceremoniously killed off in Captain America: Civil War and never seen again.

Frank Grillo has already had a more significant impact on the DCU, which only just began this year, than he ever did on Marvel. He’s the one actor who has been part of all three pieces of the DCU so far, voicing Rick Flag Sr. in the animated Creature Commandos, and then appearing in live-action in both Superman and Peacemaker Season 2. And yet, it brought him back to where his superhero journey started, arresting a superhero in a blue costume on a street in Cleveland. The more things change...

With a Superman sequel on the way, and with Cleveland officially standing in for Metropolis, filming will likely return there. And considering how big a part Grillo has been of the DCU already, there’s a pretty good chance he’ll be back for it. Years and universes apart, but Frank Grillo will always get his man, and he will apparently always get him on Superior Street in Cleveland.

The superhero genre continues to be wildly popular, and DC co-CEO James Gunn has kickstarted the DCU's first slate of projects (titled Gods and Monsters) with two shows a movie. All three have featured Frank Grillo, who also played Crossbones in the MCU for three projects. The 60 year-old actor recently compared what it was like working in these two behemoth franchises, and shots were definitely fired.

Grillo debuted as Rick Flag Sr. in Creature Commandos (streaming with a HBO Max subscription), before reprising that role in Superman and Peacemaker Season 2. He's one of the only actors to appear in every DCU project so far, and in a conversation with People he explained the biggest difference between that franchise and the MCU. In his words:

Well, he certainly didn't mince his words. While the MCU can feel like a well-oiled machine to the public thanks to its constant supply of projects hitting theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription, that's seemingly not what it's like from within the shared universe. Instead, he said that starring in Kevin Feige's universe is more like flying by the seat of your pants.

Marvel security is notoriously tight, with the studio locking up scripts and keeping actors in dark in order to guard its secrets. So when Grillo started working on the DCU, he was taken by how transparent the scripts were, therefore allowing him to get the full scope of both Rick Flag Sr. and the burgeoning shared universe as a whole.

Grillo debuted in the MCU as Brock Rumlow in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, where it was revealed that his S.H.I.E.L.D. agent was actually a spy for HYDRA. This was his biggest role in the MCU, before having two small but memorable appearances in Civil War and Avengers: Endgame. Later in the same interview, the actor spoke about the difficulty of shooting those scenes given Marvel security, offering:

Aside from the secrecy of its scripts, the MCU is also known for having extensive reshoots, where major changed can happen to each project ahead of its release in theaters. For example, Captain America: Brave New World cut characters altogether, while Black Widow reshot all of its villain's scenes. By comparison, it sounds like James Gunn and company have a much more clear vision for their work in the DCU. At least, per Grillo's experience.

Frank Grillo can be seen in Peacemaker Season 2, which airs new episodes Thursdays on HBO Max as part of the 2025 TV schedule.

After making his animated debut as Rick Flag Sr. in the HBO Max subscription-exclusive series Creature Commandos, Frank Grillo played his DC Universe character for the first time in live-action in Superman last month. However, there was one key difference between his big and small screen depictions: hair color. Flag was rocking Grillo’s normal black hair in Superman despite having white hair in Creature Commandos, and the actor has shared the reason why this color change, which evidently some didn’t handle well, happened.

Grillo explained to IGN that this stemmed from how his work on Superman overlapped with filming the Sylvester Stallone-led series Tulsa King. As such, playing Bill Bevilaqua on the Paramount+ subscription-exclusive show necessitated that his hair remain the same color, continuity issues in the DC Universe aside. As the actor recalled:

For the average moviegoer, Rick Flag Sr. having black hair isn’t a big deal, as they were just meeting the newly-appointed ARGUS director for the first time. But for those already familiar with him from Creature Commandos, I can understand why they’d be confused by rhetorical sudden change. Still, did people really have to be mean in front of Frank Grillo about it? It’s not like he made the decision to avoid the white hair. Besides, James Gunn already provided an in-universe explanation for this by telling Collider that Flag dies his hair for vanity reasons.

By the way, Rick Flag Sr.’s black hair isn’t going away, as we’ll continue seeing it when Peacemaker Season 2 premieres on the 2025 TV schedule next month. However, it sounds like for the next project Flag appears in after that, Frank Grillo will advocate for his character finally boasting white hair. Let’s just hope that 1, nothing bad happens to Flag in the next batch of Peacemaker episodes, and 2, Grillo doesn’t have to deal with scheduling overlaps with Tulsa King again.

Rick Flag Sr. was last seen in Superman watching the Justice Gang thwart Boravia’s invasion of Jarhanpur, and Peacemaker Season 2 will see him looking to exact revenge on John Cena’s title character for killing his son, as depicted in 2021’s The Suicide Squad. The new season premieres on HBO Max August 21, and Tulsa King Season 3 will premiere September 21 on Paramount+.

Frank Grillo first delved into the superhero genre when he played Frank Grillo, a.k.a. Crossbones, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s safe to say, though, that his role as Rick Flag Sr. in the DC Universe is giving him a lot more to do. We’ve already heard him as the character in the Max subscription-exclusive animated series Creature Commandos, and he’s returning in James Gunn’s Superman next month, followed by Peacemaker Season 2 when it premieres on the 2025 TV schedule in August. Grillo is already quite comfortable declaring he prefers Flag to Crossbones, and explained his reasoning in a recent interview.

With Superman’s impending arrival just a handful of weeks away on the 2025 movies schedule, Frank Grillo discussed playing Rick Flag Sr. while taking part in the Tulsa King panel at Fan EXPO Dallas (via ScreenRant). The actor, who stars as Bill Bevilaqua in the crime drama series streamable with a Paramount+ subscription, shared why he’s found his DCU role more fulfilling, saying:

Captain America: The Winter Soldier set up Brock Rumlow as one of the many HYDRA operative embedded within S.H.I.E.L.D, and at the end of that movie, the groundwork was laid for him to become Crossbones. However, the supervillain was then quickly killed off at the beginning of Captain America: Civil War, and Grillo has since only played alternate timeline/universe versions of the character in Avengers: Endgame and a few episodes of What If… ?. He expected Crossbones to be a meatier role, but that didn’t end up happening.

In contrast, Frank Grillo has been given much more do as Rick Flag Sr., which is remarkable considering the DC Universe only began a little over half a year ago. However, with Flag looking like he’s serving as a Nick Fury-type figure in this franchise, it makes sense to seed him into these different corners. These latest comments remind me of when Grillo said last December that he likes the DCU over the MCU because it’s more “contained” and “personal.”

We’ll see how Frank Grillo does in live-action as Rick Flag Sr. when Superman and Peacemaker Season 2 arrive to our big and small screens, respectively. We can also count on him to reprise Flag vocally again whenever Creature Commandos Season 2 is released to Max.

While there are a ton of upcoming movies in 2025 to be excited about, if you're someone who is chronically online and deep into brainrot memes, you're thrilled about the arrival of one movie. News dropped late last year that Michael Bay is attempting to make "Skibidi Toilet" the next Transformers, and like many others, I'm dying for an update on that.

After a period of silence, Bay has finally spoken, and setting the record straight the Skibidi Toilet movie. The director who has teamed up with Will Smith and many other notable actors over the years stated the situation plainly, and Frank Grill had to chime in as well.

Michael Bay Sets The Record Straight On His Involvement In The Skibidi Toilet Movie

If Michael Bay is involved with the Skibidi Toilet movie, that's news to him. The director took to Instagram with a video, and sorry to say for anyone holding onto hope, said he is not working on a movie tied to the weirdest meme of the modern era:

Well, I suppose that's that. While I wasn't surprised when I heard the rumor that the same man behind one of the most popular animated adaptations in the world was going to make a movie about a head in a toilet, I didn't really question it. In hindsight, I kind of feel silly that I accepted it as fact with no further questions. Though to be fair, the memeability of a movie like Minecraft has led it to crush at the box office. Is it so hard to believe someone like Michael Bay wouldn't be involved in a movie like this?

Frank Grillo Responded To Michael Bay's Video

The reader might be wondering how Frank Grillo factors into this story in a meaningful way, and it's a valid question. Well, beyond the connection between them in that the actor appears in the Michael Bay-produced franchise The Purge, Grillo was fancast by some to appear as Marcone in the Skibidi Toilet movie. If Grillo won't be collaborating with Bay on a meme movie, he's at least hoping he'll be in the mix for one of the other scripts that the director is working on:

I don't need to rewatch The Rock again to know why Grillo wants to be involved in whatever Michael Bay has coming up on the horizon. The director knows how to make a damn good action movie, and his movies tend to perform well at the box office. I'm sure many actors would shamelessly shoot their shot in his Instagram comments, especially if they had a valid excuse for doing so.

The bad news here is that we no longer know what to believe about a potential Skibidi Toilet movie. There have been many hilarious memes made about movies and TV shows over the years, but it appears the odds of this meme getting a movie are quickly circling the drain. I'd love to see it get made, but just to be completely transparent, I'm not sure I'd ever commit to sitting down to see it in theaters.

Michael Bay has new projects on the way, and apparently we'll need to keep an ear out for any updates on the Skibidi Toilet movie. If nothing else, hopefully we'll get some bad indie horror movie out of it, similar to some of the other beloved characters getting that treatment as of late.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a behemoth force in the entertainment world, one that plenty of actors have gotten in on through the years. Frank Grillo played Crossbones in a few notable projects (which are streaming with a Disney+ subscription), but he's also one of the actors who have worked with both Marvel and DC. And the 59 year-old actor recently explained why he likes the DCU more... and I totally get it.

Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order have seen Grillo play his villainous role and and off for years. But now he's on the DC side of things, voicing a character in the already-renewed Creature Commandos (which is streaming with a Max subscription). While speaking with EW About his time voicing Rick Flag Sr., he explained why he's so thrilled being at the inception of the DCU. In his words:

Honestly, that does sound preferable. While Grillo jumped into the MCU when it was already going strong, he's there at the start of the DCU. By comparison, Creature Commandos is the first installment in Gods and Monsters, which is the name for the first slate of projects. So the first season could be the start of a longer journey through the superhero genre, one that he's got a vested interest in from the jump.

Grillo debuted in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, being seemingly killed off in Civil War. But that didn't stop him from continuing to play the role through a role in Endgame's Time Heist as well as the animated series What If...?. He's once again performing to a microphone for Creature Commandos, and is one of the show's main characters rather than a tertiary presence. That's likely another reason why he's preferring his time in DC.

Creature Commandos is an animated series about another group of DC convicts being forced to do Amanda Waller's bidding. But since she's no longer allowed to use Task Force X with humans, she's instead dipping into a pool of supernatural entities and monsters.

Like his son played by Joel Kinnaman, Rick Flag Sr. is meant to be Waller's eyes in the field, as he tries to make a team out of the Creature Commandos. It's unclear how deep this narrative will go, but a second season is already on the way. And there's definitely fans who want to see Grillo played Flag in live-action.

Creature Commandos is streaming now on Max, and the DCU will debut in theaters with Superman on July 11th. For now, check the 2025 movie release dates.

The first two episodes of the animated series Creature Commandos have arrived, for those DC fans who have a Max subscription, and with it we have the first steps into James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DCU. Many of you probably tuned in to see how Gunn’s voice would color this initial foray into a new comic book universe, and there are several indications that Creature Commandos is going to be hard-R, violent, foul, and sexy… all the things you want when you send a team of monsters behind enemy lines to battle a witch. There was even something in Creature Commandos Episode 2 that I wasn’t expecting: Sex scenes. Multiple sex scenes.

And poor Frank Grillo had to watch one of them with his teenage son.

Frank Grillo is an important addition to James Gunn’s new universe. He plays Rick Flag Sr., the leader of Task Force M who is expected to appear in Gunn’s live-action Superman, an upcoming 2025 blockbuster, as well as Peacemaker Season 2. But we start to learn about Flag in Creature Commandos, where – in the first two episodes – he starts to fall under the spell of Princess Rostovic (Maria Bakalova), soon-to-be leader of Pokolistan. In Episode 2, Flag and Rostovic have a bathroom “showdown,” and when we ask Grillo about recording the audio for this intense moment, he told CinemaBlend:

No one – and I mean no one – wants to think about what our parents might sound like while they are having sex. Even in an animated form. So curse you, James Gunn, for making Grillo’s son have to even consider that. But the scene is necessary, to show that Flag is capable of being manipulated. That might mean something as the series continues.

So far, Creature Commandos is being well received by both critics and fans, who all seem to agree that the story falls right into the sweet spot of Gunn’s ability to build a team of misfits, but also inject the ensemble with heart. And yet, I don’t expect this tone to stay true to the other projects in the DCU. Specifically Superman, which likely won’t have sex scenes – even though there were sex scenes in Peacemaker. Huh. Maybe there will be sex scenes in all of the DCU projects? That’s going to make Lanterns very interesting.

New episodes of Creature Commandos will keep dropping on Thursday, so keep tuning in!

In the early days of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the projects announced for Phase One were hardly considered slam dunks. You’ve heard all of this before, but it bears repeating. Iron Man wasn’t a household name, and Robert Downey Jr. was considered damaged goods… to the point that Jon Favreau had to fight to cast him as Tony Stark. Thor and Captain America were considered risky films, digging into fantasy and period-action at a time when Marvel needed guaranteed hits. And no one knew who the Guardians of the Galaxy even were – forget about the fact that they’d be led by the chubby comedian from the NBC sitcom Parks and Rec.

Obviously, Guardians of the Galaxy succeeded as a team and a franchise, and remains one of the best Phase One movies in the MCU. The secret ingredient? Writer-director James Gunn, who joined Marvel Studios after cutting his teeth on exaggerated genre storytelling with 2010’s Super and 2006’s Slither (two awesome films that absolutely are worth your time).

Even back in the first Guardians movie, you could tell that Gunn understood characters, and had a gift for casting. By injecting heart, pathos, and humor into his material, he helped audiences to relate to a volatile, damaged raccoon, an orphaned derelict Earthling, and a tree who only speaks the same three words: “I am Groot.”

Gunn refined his skill for rich character development and world building over the rest of the Guardians movies, a musical Christmas special, two Avengers team ups (to which he contributed), and his first DC feature, The Suicide Squad. And it’s Gunn’s ear for attitude-soaked dialogue, his understanding of recognizable human pain, and his phenomenal casting instincts that now elevate the animated Creature Commandos, the first step into the anticipated DCU that arrives on Max on December 5.

Creature Commandos has an eclectic, unforgettable roster

Think back to the time before James Gunn’s 2014 Guardians of the Galaxy. No one knew Groot, Drax, Rocket, Nebula, Gamora, or Star-Lord. But their strengths, weaknesses, highlights, and flaws helped them to form a loveable team. The same happens almost instantly with Creature Commandos, which will drop Episodes 1 and 2 right out of the gate on December 5.

On the surface, Creature Commandos mirrors Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) has a problem, so she recruits a leader (Frank Grillo’s Rick Flag Sr.) and an ensemble of misfits to head behind enemy lines and clean up a possible mess. Only this time, thanks to the disaster that was Project Starfish, Waller is forbidden from using Belle Reve prisoners for her military missions.

So, she uses monsters.

CinemaBlend sat down with Frank Grillo ahead of Creature Commandos dropping on Max, and when we asked what his initial reaction to the show and to the material was, he instantly praised Gunn’s writing as the clear standout. Grillo, who eventually will also play Rick Flag Sr. in next summer’s live-action Superman movie, told us:

Creature Commandos started as a DC comic in 1980, originated by J.M. DeMatteis and Pat Broderick, and set during World War II. Eventually, the team was modernized in 2000, but there isn’t a hard and fast roster to which Gunn is married. This allows him to get creative with the choices of who he wanted under Rick Flag Sr. – and boy does he think outside of the box. We get the return of Weasel (voiced by Sean Gunn), as well as the introduction of The Bride (Indira Varma), Dr. Phosphorus (Alan Tudyk), Nina Mazursky (Zoe Chao), and G.I. Robot (also Gunn). It’s a motley crew you can’t help but embrace.

Creature Commandos is super bingeable, and rewards a repeat viewing

I’m really glad that DC decided to drop two episodes of Creature Commandos on December 5, because it takes until the end of the second episode for the full story to kick into gear. Episode 1 is a table setter, where we meet Rick Flag Sr., his new team, and embark on the mission. By the end of Episode 2, though, you start to get the sense of the way that Creature Commandos will handle backstories for each member of the team. And from that point on, you are simply holding on for dear life as the wild ride hits higher gears.

Even Zoe Chao, who voices Nina Mazursky in the show, ripped through the scripts once she received him. During an exclusive interview with CinemaBlend, the actress told us:

I have to echo Chao’s sentiments. I have been lucky enough to see the entire season of Creature Commandos. And as soon as it ended, I went right back to the beginning, and started it over. Then? I did it a third time. And it only got better each time.

Creature Commandos is hilarious and heartfelt

When you give James Gunn enough time, he’s going to dig beneath the surface of his characters and surprise us with unexpected depth. Think about how different our perception of Peacemaker (John Cena) is from the moment we met him at the start of The Suicide Squad, to the place where he’s rescuing Harcourt (Jennifer Holland), saving the world from Project Butterfly, and telling off the members of The Justice League. It’s a complete reinvention of the character. It makes him more identifiable, more flawed, more human, and therefore more accessible. It also gives Cena plenty to work with.

This, to me, is very encouraging for the upcoming DCU projects, because most of what Gunn has done in the past – including this season of Creature Commandos – is rooted heavily in character. You will learn so much more about each of the Creature Commandos in subsequent episodes. And they will surprise you. Especially my favorite member of the ensemble: Frankenstein, as played by David Harbour.

Harbour has plenty of experience playing heroes and monsters. The MCU, he is Natasha Romanoff’s adopted father, Red Guardian. He also played Hellboy in a movie that didn’t take off. But I truly believe he is doing his best work as the lovelorn Frankenstein monster, who can’t comprehend why his Bride (Indira Varma) has rejected him.

Grillo, whose character has several scenes with Frankenstein, raved to CinemaBlend:

I am obsessed with Creature Commandos. It is my favorite Gunn work in the comic book field, ahead of all three Guardians of the Galaxy movies, and his foray into The Suicide Squad. If this is the level of quality that Gunn plans on bringing to all upcoming DC projects, I’m completely on board with this reinvention of the DCU, and the arrival of Superman, Supergirl, the Teen Titans, the Authority, the Lanterns, and beyond.

When you make your way through the Marvel movies in order, you’ll spot Frank Grillo playing Brock Rumlow, a.k.a. Crossbones, in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Endgame. He also vocally reprised the character for a few episodes of What If… ?, which can be streamed with a Disney+ subscription, but for all intents and purposes, his time in the MCU is done. Now, as he’s about to make his DC Universe debut as Rick Flag Sr., Grillo told CinemaBlend why he thinks Marvel has “been in trouble” lately, and how working with DC Studios co-head James Gunn has felt so different.

Grillo spoke with our Sean O’Connell during the junket for Creature Commandos, the upcoming DC TV show that kicks off the DCU continuity and will premiere to people who have a Max subscription on December 5. On the subject of the differences of working at Marvel vs. DC, the actor had this to say:

It’s an interesting perspective, although I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention two things. One, Marvel Studios not working on animated projects when Frank Grillo came aboard, so having actors play characters in both live-action and animated forms wasn’t a concern. Two, it’s funny he’s talking about an “egregious number of people” considering that Grillo is part of the stacked cast of James Gunn’s Superman, as that upcoming DC movie doesn’t just include Man of Steel mainstays like Lois Lane and Lex Luthor, but also characters like Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, Mr. Terrific and Metamorpho.

Still, I see what Frank Grillo is getting at with talking about how James Gunn, who co-captains the DC Studios ship with producer Peter Safran, takes great care in making sure there’s a good reason to include characters in these DCU projects for story reasons rather than just because it’s an option to throw them in. Grillo also said the following about playing Brock Rumlow and how he currently feels about DC:

He’s right that Rumlow was a secondary antagonist at best in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and while he did give the Avengers some trouble at the beginning of Captain America: Civil War, he was quickly killed off. Then Grillo cameoed as an alternate timeline version of the character in Avengers: Endgame from the Winter Soldier era, but ultimately Grillo was a character lacking in depth. In contrast, Rick Flag Sr. is set to be a more important supporting character/ensemble player in the DC Universe, and from what he’s seen so far, Grillo is confident that this franchise has great things ahead of it.

Following his animated debut as Rick Flag Sr. in Creature Commandos, Frank Grillo will portray the character in live-action for Superman, which will open in theaters on July 11, 2025. After that, he’ll return for Peacemaker Season 2, which is expected to debut sometime in August on the 2025 TV schedule.

We are about to enter an exciting new era in DC Comics storytelling. Following the decades-long run of the period known as the DCEU, Warner Bros. and DC are about to embark on a bit of a reset, with writer-director James Gunn and executive producer Peter Safran leading the charge. We have a new Superman movie arriving in theaters in July 2025, with Twisters co-star David Corenswet stepping into the iconic role alongside Rachel Brosnahan (as Lois Lane) and Nicolas Hoult (as the sinister antagonist Lex Luthor). You might assume that Superman is the kick off of the DCU, but you would be wrong. Get ready for December, and the arrival of the Creature Commandos.

Given the fact that James Gunn burst onto the superhero scene with a team-up ensemble movie (Guardians of the Galaxy, an outlier at the time in the MCU), it shouldn’t be too much of a shock that he’s relying on a familiar formula for his first foray into this new DCU. Only, Creature Commandos will build off of the events of Gunn’s own The Suicide Squad, where Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) sent a team of villains into Corto Maltese to put an end to Project Starfish. They succeeded, but not before Rick Flag Jr. (Joel Kinnaman) died. Now, Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) is leading the charge, and will be an important component of the DCU moving forward.

Last summer, when Superman was busy filming in Cleveland, Ohio, paparazzi photographers caught Frank Grillo in action on the set, placing David Corenswet’s Superman under arrest. At least, that’s what it looked like to us. So when I had the opportunity to interview Grillo about his work on Creature Commandos, and his participation in the DCU, I had to ask him how he thought Rick Flag Sr. felt about Superman, in general. And Grillo told CinemaBlend:

You won’t get the chance to start watching Creature Commandos until the series makes its debut on Max on December 5. On that date, the first two episodes of the seven-episode season will drop, and you are going to want to watch them as soon as possible.

This will be the first story that is setting a tone for what DC fans can expect out of James Gunn’s world. In the previous DCEU movies, Superman was viewed (rightfully so) as a god, with Batman (Ben Affleck) going to extremes to try and reign in his power and influence. Gunn has said that his take on Superman will be more hopeful, and more optimistic, but Grillo does frame the fact that Rick Flag Sr. will be on the opposing sides of some ideological debates. So we’ll see how that plays out.

As for Creature Commandos, the animated program has a bit of Suicide Squad flavor, with Amanda Waller assembling a team of mismatched monsters – Task Force M, if you will – to complete a mission that can, and will, get potentially messy. We will have plenty more about Creature Commandos as the show approaches, including more from Grillo and his cast members. Stick around.

Frank Grillo spent some time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe playing Brock Rumlow, a.k.a. Crossbones, but it’s safe to say that his upcoming turn as Rick Flag Sr. in the new DC Universe franchise will give him a lot more to do. Grillo will first be heard voicing the character in Creature Commandos, which premiers to Max subscription holders in December, and that will be followed by him bringing Flag to life in live-action in James Gunn’s Superman movie and Peacemaker Season 2. Gunn, who also co-runs DC Studios with Peter Safran, explained why Flag will be important in the early days of the DC Universe.

While confirming Grillo will appear in Superman after paparazzi photos leaked of him on the set of this upcoming 2025 movie, Gunn described Rick Flag Sr. as a “really cool character that Frank has been molding,” as well as noted that he’s one of the “primary characters” in the next season of Peacemaker. That latter part isn’t too surprising considering he was always going to have beef with John Cena’s Christopher Smith, who killed his son, Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flag Jr., in The Suicide Squad (yes, that movie counts as DCU canon). Gunn then said to EW:

Rick Flag Sr. will first be seen as the leader of the Creature Commandos, which is comprised of David Harbour’s Frankenstein, Indira Varma’s The Bride, Alan Tudyk’s Doctor Phosphorous (who may end up appearing in Superman, too), Zoë Chao’s Nina Mazursky, G.I. Robot and Weasel, with Sean Gunn playing both of those latter roles. Following the events of The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker Season 1, Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller is no longer allowed to use humans in her clandestine A.R.G.U.S. operations. As such, she’s assembled this team of monsters to carry out her directives, and it’ll be Flag’s job to keep them in line.

Along with Rick Flag Sr.’s narrative importance, James Gunn mentioned that this will be the first example for the policy he and Peter Safran previously announced where characters will be played by the same actors across live-action and animated projects. So Frank Grillo’s getting first crack at this multimedia approach, with Gunn saying:

We’ll get our first taste of Frank Grillo’s Rick Flag Sr. when Creature Commandos premieres December 5 on Max. Superman will then arrive on July 11, 2025, and while Peacemaker Season 2 doesn’t have an official release date yet, it’s also expected to be released next year. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more news on Flag and other major DC Universe players.

Superhero fans know that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is constantly releasing new content, both in theaters and streaming for those with a Disney+ subscription. And while fans theorize about what might go down in upcoming Marvel movies, actors are tasked with guarding the shared universe's secrets and complying with Marvel's tight security. Frank Grillo recently joked about almost being fired by Marvel for revealing spoilers, but is he actually returning as Crossbones?

Fans who spent years watching Marvel movies in order got to see Frank Grillo's interesting tenure in the MCU. After debuting as Brock Rumlow in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, it was revealed he was actually a HYDRA spy. And while he seemingly perished in the opening battle of Civil War, he shocked fans by popping up during Endgame's Time Heist. While speaking with ComicBook, the 59 year-old actor reflected on his penchant for spoiling Marvel secrets, saying:

Poor guy. While working on movies is a hard enough job, there's another challenge in being part of a major movie franchise: trying to keep its secrets. But with fan excitement over the MCU, that can be especially difficult for those occupying the shared universe.

The details of when/how Marvel nearly fired Grillo are largely a mystery, he spilled the beans on his role in Avengers: Endgame before Endgame even had an official title. Given the surprise nature of a dead character showing up in the past, one has to assume that was an instance that didn't please the studio.

Now the question is: will Frank Grillo play Crossbones sometime in the future? In the main timeline he's dead, after an attempt to blow Captain America up with him via suicide bombing. And with both time travel and the multiverse in play, it seems like just about anything is possible in the Marvel Cinematic Universe lately.

Even if he knew anything, it sounds like Grillo has been warned by the studio to keep his cards close to the chest. But he joins other actors like Tom Holland who have a penchant for accidentally spoiling things. Then there's Mark Ruffalo, who revealed Infinity War's ending and accidentally live streamed the audio of Thor: Ragnarok.

The next MCU movie hitting theaters is Captain America: Brave New World on February 14th, which could be a logical place for Grillo to appear. While we wait for more information, check the 2025 movie release dates.

For more than a decade now, the majority of James Gunn’s film and TV work has been superhero-oriented, from his time overseeing the Guardians of the Galaxy film series and accompanying holiday special in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, to first contributing to the DC Comics media landscape with The Suicide Squad, followed by Peacemaker Season 1. Now Gunn is running DC Studios with Peter Safran, which would be hard enough work on its own. But on top of that, Gunn wrote and directed Superman, and he’s now moved on to directing for another DC project. I’m right there with Frank Grillo, who plays the DC Universe’s Rick Flag Sr., in being amazed by the workload Gunn takes on for himself.

After originally being hired to voice Flag Sr. in the upcoming DC TV show Creature Commandos, which will be released to Max subscription holders in December, Grillo will make his live-action debut as the character as a member of the Superman cast. Principal photography on the upcoming DC movie concluded at the end of July, and now both Grillo and Gunn are working on Peacemaker Season 2. Here’s what the former said about the latter on his Instagram Stories:

It’s a logical assumption that James Gunn had to run DC Studios by himself, he wouldn’t have time to continue his writing and directorial activities. However, since he’s handling the company’s creative development on its various projects, while Peter Safran handles the production side of thing, that’s carved out time for Gunn to continue working on movies and TV shows personally. Still, it’s impressive that Gunn decided to squeeze working on Peacemaker Season 2, because you know that his DC Studios duties and post-production on Superman are both time intensive. If he’s managed to extend his day past 24 hours, could he please pass that secret along to the rest of us?

Frank Grillo’s video was accompanied by this caption he wrote, which fits James Gunn to a tee:

Unlike with Peacemaker Season 1, James Gunn is not directing all of Season 2’s episodes, but rather just three, including the premiere. Greg Motolla helmed the second and third episodes, and Peter Collett handled the fourth. Although no specific plot details have been revealed for the new season yet, but when Frank Grillo’s involvement was announced, Gunn teased that he Rick Flag Sr. and John Cena’s title character, a.k.a. Christopher Smith, have “unfinished business.” That, of course, refers to Smith killing Flag’s son, Rick Flag Jr., in The Suicide Squad. It’s also now looking like Kinnaman will reprise his role in Peacemaker Season 2, though it’s unclear yet whether this will be through flashbacks or some kind of hallucinations.

The Peacemaker Season 2 cast also includes Sol Rodríguez and Tim. Meadows coming aboard as Sasha Bordeaux and A.R.G.U.S. agent Langston Fleury, respectively, as well as David Denman in an undisclosed role. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on Season 2’s progress and the rest of the DC Universe movies and TV shows on the way.

It’s fun being right. It doesn’t happen all of the time. So when it does, I’m allowing myself a few minutes to gloat. 

In an Instagram video that I posted to CinemaBlend’s page as part of my weekly superhero theory videos (you should watch them, they are informative), I told y’all that Frank Grillo’s upcoming interpretation of Rick Flag Sr. was going to be an important component of the brand new DCU that James Gunn and Peter Safran are building. We’re going to meet Grillo’s Rick Flag Sr. for the first time in the animated Creature Commandos, landing on Max in December. But we already can confirm a number of significant DCU projects in which Grillo will appear… and one of them will officially make Gunn’s 2021 thriller The Suicide Squad canon, and therefor the first official DCU project.

Let’s talk all about Rick Flag Sr., and how we now know he’ll connect to the DCU and the DCEU moving forward.

Rick Flag Sr. will have deeper connections to the DCU 

At the time of his announcement of the 10-year plan for the new DCU, James Gunn said that Creature Commandos would start his endeavor into a revamped DC universe. Only, there also was going to be some carryover from the work that Gunn did with DC before officially taking the reins – specifically, Viola Davis would keep playing Amanda Waller for her own show, and the Peacemaker series was going to get a second season. 

This instantly started nerdy conversations with elite DC fans about details from Peacemaker’s journey that would remain canon in the DCU. Like, we got to see Ezra Miller as The Flash. And Jason Momoa as Aquaman. And Peacemaker’s actions in Gunn’s The Suicide Squad might also mean THAT movie was canon to the DCU, as well.

It’s really a nitpick. James Gunn has the freedom to do whatever he wants. And if he chooses to have one storyline from The Suicide Squad continue, while ignoring others (like, perhaps, the fac that Margot Robbie plays Harley Quinn in that movie, which means that she might play Harley in future DCU movies… or not). However, as work on Peacemaker Season 2 gets underway, Frank Grillo just dropped an intriguing new video that proves Peacemaker’s actions in The Suicide Squad will inform plot decisions in the DCU. And that makes The Suicide Squad very important to several stories in the DCU moving forward.

Rick Flag Sr. has a grudge to settle with Peacemaker

Over on his own Instagram page, Frank Grillo posted this incredible new video where he talks about heading back to Atlanta to continue work on the anticipated Tulsa King Season 2, but also to join the fray on Peacemaker Season 2. Grillo posted a story, so I’m grabbing his quote, in case it disappears. He tells the camera: 

When did John Cena’s Peacemaker kill Rick Flag Jr.? In The Suicide Squad. And now, in Peacemaker Season 2, the father will seek justice for events that happened in The Suicide Squad. 

That makes The Suicide Squad canon to what happens in the DCU. 

Some of that was evident. In addition to Peacemaker and Amanda Waller, we expected to continue to see Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) and John Economos (Steve Agee) in new stories in the DCU. However, they both appeared in Shazam: Fury of the Gods. So does that mean that Zachary Levi is still Shazam in the DCU? Man, this is a slippery slope…..

Where else are we going to see Rick Flag Sr.?

It’s actually starting to sound like Frank Grillo’s Rick Flag Sr. is going to be the Nick Fury character that binds all (or many) of the DCU projects together. He will lead the Creature Commandos when that animated series debuts in December. We have seen set photos confirming that Frank Grillo will appear in Superman when that movie arrives in theaters. And now Grillo is preparing to be in Peacemaker Season 2. That’s a significant share of early upcoming DC projects to feature Rick Flag Sr., making him a pivotal component of the story that Gunn wants to tell. And that makes me very excited.

DC fans witnessed a whole lot of death in the first season of James Gunn’s series Peacemaker. The Butterfly invasion and the battle against it resulted in a lot of casualties, and it means that we’re not going to see Chukwudi Iwuji, Robert Patrick, Annie Chang and more back in Season 2.

All that being said, there are a number of key characters who are set to make a big return in the new season of the DC streaming series – and in addition to returning stars, the ensemble cast will also include a number of fresh faces. So who exactly can we expect to see in Peacemaker Season 2? We’ve put together this feature to answer that question specifically, and we will continue to update it as we learn more about the upcoming DC show’s development.

John Cena

Shocker, right? The guy who plays the character that the show is named for is coming back to star in the second season of said show. All jokes aside, this will be John Cena’s third round playing Christopher Smith a.k.a. Peacemaker, having debuted as the reformed villain in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad in 2021. In addition to his time kicking ass while wearing a chrome helmet, Cena has kept busy of late starring in the last two Fast & Furious sequels and has been a part of recent WWE events including Wrestlemania XL. He’s also had standout supporting roles in movies including Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Matthew Vaughn’s Argylle.

Danielle Brooks

In the first season of Peacemaker, Danielle Brooks’ Leota Adebayo held on to a big secret – not letting her teammates know that she is the daughter of Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) – but that conflict got resolved in a big way in the finale when she helped reveal Waller’s crimes to the press. Brooks will be back dealing with the aftermath of that decision as Leota in Peacemaker Season 2 following her acclaimed turn as Sofia in Blitz Bazawule’s musical The Color Purple. She also has a part in director Jared Hess’ Minecraft movie (coming in 2025) and Michael Showalter’s new Christmas comedy Oh. What. Fun.

Freddie Stroma

Freddie Stroma proved to be a wonderful scene stealer in Peacemaker Season 1 playing Adrian Chase a.k.a. Vigilante – a wannabe masked hero who has some serious issues regarding violent impulses. The character started the show on the periphery of the main action, but he became a core member of the protagonist team by the end of the finale, and he’s back in action in Peacemaker Season 2. Outside of DC, Stroma is known for playing Prince Friedrich in Season 1 of Bridgerton, and he stars opposite Kevin James in the Netflix series The Crew, which debuted in 2021.

Jennifer Holland

In the last few years, Jennifer Holland has developed a niche for herself as connective tissue in DC Movies and TV – not unlike Clark Gregg’s role as Agent Phil Coulson in early years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Holland, who is married to James Gunn, first played Task Force X agent Emilia Harcourt in The Suicide Squad, and after having a key supporting role in the first season of Peacemaker, she had cameos in both Black Adam and Shazam! Fury Of The Gods. In addition to her time in the world of DC, she has also previously worked with Gunn on David Yarovesky’s Brightburn (which Gunn produced) and 2023’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Steve Agee

Steve Agee doesn’t have quite the same level of clout that Jennifer Holland has in the DC Universe, as John Economos doesn’t make an appearance in Black Adam, but he has otherwise been right by her side since The Suicide Squad (and he does get bonus points for doing the motion capture performance as King Shark in that film). In addition to his time in the world of DC, he’s kept busy on the small screen with roles in a number of TV shows, including Krapopolis, Home Economics, Never Have I Ever and Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet Of Curiosities.

Sol Rodriguez

Remember those fresh faces I alluded to in my intro? Sol Rodriguez is one of them. After spending her early years starring on Nickelodeon Latin America (namely the series Grachi), she launched her Hollywood career in 2016 with a role on the series Devious Maids. More recently, she has become familiar to geek audiences thanks to her role on Star Trek: Picard – playing Dr. Teresa Ramirez in the Paramount+ show’s second season. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that she was joining the cast of Peacemaker in June 2024, noting that she will be playing Sasha Bordeaux, a Batman supporting character who is trained to be the Dark Knight’s apprentice before being framed for murder and being forced to change her identity after being saved by an independent branch of Task Force X called Checkmate.

The June 2024 trade report that announced Sol Rodriguez as part of the Peacemaker Season 2 cast also noted that the show has added David Denman in “an undisclosed role.” Audiences best know him from his time playing Roy Anderson on The Office, but he has kept busy in both film and television since the end of the acclaimed sitcom with roles in movies like Steven Soderbergh’s Logan Lucky and Antoine Fuqua’s The Equalizer 3 and shows including Mare Of Easttown and Eric. He previously had the chance to work with James Gunn on Brightburn.

Frank Grillo

Frank Grillo will be playing Rick Flagg Sr. in Peacemaker Season 2, and what makes his part in the live-action show special is that the work will follows Grillo’s upcoming introduction of the character in the animated series Creature Commandos. In addition to the medium change (first reported by Variety in May 2024), it’s notable casting because Christopher Smith memorably killed Rick Flag Jr. (Joel Kinnaman) in The Suicide Squad. Grillo is presently known to comic book fans for his time playing Brock Rumlow a.k.a. Crossbones in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but his credits also include two installments of the Purge franchise and Patrick Hughes’ Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard.

Tim Meadows

Tim Meadows has an impressive legacy as a comedian – his resume including years on Saturday Night Live and terrific and memorable supporting roles in films like Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story and Popstar: Never Stop Stopping – and now he's bringing his talents to the superhero genre. James Gunn personally announced via Instagram in June 2024 that Meadows has signed on to play ARGUS agent Langston Fleury in Peacemaker Season 2.

Peacemaker Season 2 is now in production, and as noted earlier, we will continue to update this feature as more names are announced as part of the cast. For more about what is on the way from James Gunn and Peter Safran with the DC Universe on the big screen, check out CinemaBlend’s Upcoming DC Movies guide.

Although the DC Extended Universe is over and the DC Universe will launch soon with its Chapter One: Gods and Monsters slate, there are a few holdovers from the old continuity. Peacemaker Season 2 remains on the list of upcoming DC TV shows, though it will now take place in this new universe, and series creator James Gunn announced in April that the new season had begun filming. Now Gunn has shared that Frank Grillo, who played Brock Rumlow/Crossbones in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is coming aboard, and fans can count of bad blood between his character and John Cena’s Christopher Smith.

You may recall that although Superman: Legacy will be the first DC Universe movie, this franchise kicks off later this year with the animated series Creature Commandos, which, like Peacemaker, will be available exclusively to Max subscribers. Grillo is voicing Rick Flag Sr., leader of the title team of monsters, and now he’ll get to play the character in live-action too. Thanks to the below post from James Gunn on Instagram and other social media channels, the latest thing we know about Peacemaker Season 2 is that Grillo will reprise Rick Flag Sr., with the writer/director teasing there’s “a little unfinished business to take care of” between him and the show’s main protagonist.

What is this unfinished business? Well, remember that John Cena’s Peacemaker was introduced in 2021’s The Suicide Squad, where he was part of the main Task Force X squad sent to Corto Maltese. Eventually he and his teammates synched up with Joel Kinsman’s Rick Flag Jr., who, like Harley Quinn, was a survivor from the ill-fated B-team. When Flag Jr. leaned about the U.S. government secretly funding the Starro project that used Corto Maltese citizens as test subjects, he grew angry and decided he would leak a hard drive containing the evidence. Unfortunately, Peacemaker had been tasked by Amanda Waller to ensure this information wasn’t made public, resulting in him killing Flag Jr.

So yeah, you can understand why the father of the man Peacemaker killed would be a little pissed off. We’re a ways off from learning what leads to Rick Flag Sr. and Christopher Smith crossing paths, but it’ll only be a matter of time before these two come to blows. Whether they’ll remain adversaries for the entirety of Peacemaker Season 2 or will have to work together later on to combat a greater threat remains to be seen.

What’s interesting about all this, however, is that Amanda Waller, whom Viola Davis reprises in the DC Universe, is the one who assembles the Creature Commandos, meaning she picked Rick Flag Sr. to lead the team. I can’t imagine he’d willingly join the Creature Commandos if he knew that she was the catalyst behind Peacemaker killing his son. So is Rick Flag Sr. not aware of her involvement, or will he only take his anger out on Christopher Smith because he actually committed the murder?

In any case, Frank Grillo is the first new cast member lined up for Peacemaker Season 2, and the other familiar faces returning alongside John Cena include Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Jennifer Holland and Steve Agee. We’ll keep you apprised of more casting news and other updates on how the new season is coming as they come in.

Although there was a brief period in time when it looked like we’d be seeing more of Henry Cavil’s Superman following his cameo in Black Adam, by December 2022, it was revealed this wasn’t the case at all. Instead, DC Comics’ Man of Steel is being rebooted again as part of the new DC Universe’s Chapter One slate, which was revealed in January 2023. Once known as Superman: Legacy, this movie is now simply called Superman. Although it won’t be the first DC Universe project, with that honor belonging to the Creature Commandos animated series being released to Max subscribers, DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran have said they consider Legacy to be the “true beginning” of this shared continuity.

Speaking of Gunn, along with writing the script, he’s also directing Superman, making this his third time directly helming a DC project, following The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker. While the specific plot is being kept under wraps, along with a handful of story details being shared, we’ve also been learning who will comprise the main cast. So let’s go over which actors have boarded Superman, starting with the man taking over as The Last Son of Krypton.

David Corenswet

After actors like Pierson Fodé, Nicholas Hoult and Tom Brittney were said to be in the running for the role, David Corenswet was ultimately selected to play the new Superman. Needless to say this will be Corenswet’s biggest film appearance yet, with his prior credits in that area including Affairs of State, The Sunlit Night, Look Both Ways and Pearl, as well as upcoming offerings like Twisters and The Greatest Hits. He’s also built a solid TV resume, appearing in The Politician, Hollywood, We Own This City and the upcoming Lady in the Lake.

Although Corenswet’s Superman is younger than Henry Cavill’s, the new Superman movie will take a cue from The Batman by introducing him as an established superhero and forgo showing any aspects of his origin story. On February 29, 2024, we got the first look at the 'S' insignia on Corenswet's Superman suit, and that was followed by the full look at his costume in May.

Rachel Brosnahan

Rachel Brosnahan’s casting in Superman was announced at the same time as David Corenswet’s, and if you’re like our own Riley Utley, you agree that she’s the perfect choice to play Lois Lane. Brosnahan is best known for playing Midge Maisel in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, though before that, she caught attention for her roles on House of Cards and Manhattan, among other shows. Film-wise, she’s appeared in The Finest Hours, Patriots Day, Spies in Disguise and The Courier, to name a few.

When we meet Brosnahan’s Lois in Legacy, she and Clark Kent already know each other, although it’s unclear if their relationship is purely professional or if they’ve moved to building a more personal dynamic.

Nathan Fillion

Not only has David Corenswet’s Superman been protecting people for a while when we meet him in Superman, he’s one of many superheroes already active in the DC Universe. The first we’ll bring up is Green Lantern, who will be played by Nathan Fillion. However, rather than playing Hal Jordan, whom he’s been fan-cast as for years and voiced in numerous animated DC movies, the star of ABC’s The Rookie will instead play Guy Gardner, who has a more arrogant and abrasive personality.

It’s also important to mention that while Guy is not expected to be one of the leads in the Lanterns Max series, James Gunn said Fillion will play the character "in all parts of the DCU," indicating this won't be his sole appearance. This is the latest of Fillion’s collaborations with Gunn, and the second time he’s appearing in one of his DC movies, having previously played TDK in The Suicide Squad.

Isabela Merced

Isabela Merced has appeared in many major Hollywood productions over the last decade, including Transformers: The Last Knight, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, Dora and the Lost City of Gold, the 2022 Father of the Bride remake and Rosaline. Well, along with leading the next Alien movie and having made her first foray into the superhero genre with Madame Web, Merced will also lend her talents to Superman as Hawkgirl. It’s unclear if this Hawkgirl will be the Shiera Sanders Hall, Shayera Holt or Kendra Saunders version.

Edi Gathegi

You may remember Edi Gathegi from X-Men: First Class for playing Darwin, the mutant with the ability of reactive evolution, i.e. being able to survive practically anything… who was then promptly killed by Kevin Bacon’s Sebastian Shaw. Others might know Gathegi better from projects like three of the Twilight movies, The Harder They Fall, House, The Blacklist and For All Mankind.

For Superman, he’ll be playing the Michael Holt incarnation of Mr. Terrific, who’s been described in the comics as the third-smartest person in the world and fights crime using technology like his T-Spheres and T-Mask. Gathegi's also gotten quite jacked for the role, so we can likely expect to see him throw a few punches.

Anthony Carrigan

Anthony Carrigan is no stranger to DC Comics lore, having first appeared in two episodes of The Flash as Kyle Nimbus, a.k.a. The Mist, and then recurred as Victor Zsasz on Gotham. There’s no question, though, that Superman is the biggest of the bunch, as he’ll appear in the reboot as Metamorpho. Unlike Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl and Mr. Terrific, this will be Metamorpho’s first time being depicted in live-action. These days, Carrigan is best known for his Emmy-nominated role as NoHo Hank in Barry, and he’s also starred in movies like Bill & Ted: Face the Music and Fatherhood.

María Gabriela De Faría

Best known for playing Maria Salazar in the short-lived Syfy series Deadly Class, María Gabriela de Faría is stepping back into the comic book media space to play Angela Spica, a.k.a. The Engineer, in Superman. De Faría’s character is said to be part of a team of villains in Superman, and Angela started out in the comics as a member of The Authority, who have their own movie slated for the DC Universe franchise.

So perhaps this new Superman movie will show Clark Kent clashing with The Authority over ideological differences, and then the team will be depicted more sympathetically when the time comes for them to lead their own story.

Nicholas Hoult

Nicholas Hoult was reportedly among the final contenders to play Superman in this new movie, and while David Corenswet ended up scoring the role, Hoult will still get to participate in Superman. It was reported in November 2023 that James Gunn selected the actor to play Lex Luthor, and by the following month, the filmmaker confirmed that Hoult would indeed play the Man of Steel’s chrome-domed arch-nemesis.

This will be Nicholas Hoult's second major superhero movie role, as he previously played Hank McCoy, a.k.a. Beast, in the “First Class”-era X-Men movies. He also has history with Warner Bros. from having starred in Mad Max: Fury Road with Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron. Gunn debuted Hoult's bald head for his time as Lex Luthor in late February 2024, and now we wait to see how he'll look fully in character.

Skyler Gisondo

Jimmy Olsen is one of the few people who’s important to both Superman’s superhero and civilian life, as he not only works alongside Clark Kent as The Daily Planet’s photographer, he’s also affectionately nicknamed Superman’s Pal. It’d be weird to have a new Superman movie without Jimmy being involved, so fortunately, we don’t have to worry about that. Skyler Gisondo from The Righteous Gemstones, Santa Clarita Diet, Fairfax and more has been cast as Superman's Jimmy, although it’s unclear if this version of the character will be aware that Clark and Supes are one and the same.

Sara Sampaio

Although she’s mainly known for her Victoria’s Secret work, model Sara Sampaio does have some acting experience under her belt, which includes appearing in an episode of Billions. Needless to say that Superman marks her biggest platform to perform on yet, and she’ll do so as Eve Tesmacher, who’s usually depicted as Lex Luthor’s assistant/moll. Sampaio is the second actress to play Miss Tesmacher on film, following Valerie Perrine in the first two Christopher Reeve-led Superman movies, and Andrea Brooks played her in the Supergirl TV show.

Terence Rosemore

Lex Luthor will also be joined in whatever scheme he has cooking during Superman: Legacy by Otis, the henchman whom Ned Beatty originated in the first two Christopher Reeve Superman movies, and was later played on TV by Malcolm Stewart in Smallville, Robert Baker in Supergirl and Ryan Booth in Superman & Lois. James Gunn sneakily revealed on Instagram that Terence Rosemore is bringing the character to life this time around; the two have previously worked together on The Suicide Squad, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. You may also recognize Rosemore from projects like Just Mercy, Outer Banks, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty and Haunted Mansion.

Wendell Pierce

Since we're getting Clark Kent, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen working at The Daily Planet, then naturally their boss was going to have to come along for this ride. Wendell Pierce has been cast to play Perry White, the newspaper's editor-in-chief, in Superman. Along with having starred with John Krasinski in Jack Ryan, Pierce is known from shows like The Wire, Suits and The Odd Couple, as well as movies like Malcolm X, Ray, Selma and Clemency.

Pruitt Taylor Vince

Per The Wrap, Pruitt Taylor Vince will play Jonathan Kent, Clark Kent’s adoptive father, in Superman. This will be Vince’s second time appearing in a DC Comics movie, the first being 2005’s Constantine, and fourth comic book project overall, as he previously recurred in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and The Walking Dead. Furthermore, he got to play around in a world filled with superpowers through 2015’s Heroes Reborn, but his more recent credits include Bird Box, Stranger Things and The Blacklist.

Neva Howell

One day after Pruitt Taylor Vince’s casting was reported, The Wrap then shared that Neva Howell has been cast as Martha Kent, Jonathan’s wife and Clark’s adoptive mother. Howell’s body of work includes Beckinfield, Mercy Street, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, Logan Lucky and The Originals.

Saturday Night Live alum Beck Bennett was confirmed to be appearing in Superman by THR and other outlets after a photo surfaced of him with other members of the cast and crew. James Gunn confirmed on Instagram that Bennett is playing Steve Lombard, a sports reporter for The Daily Planet.

Mikaela Hoover

Mikaela Hoover already has experience being directed by James Gunn, as she played The Collector’s assistant in Guardians of the Galaxy, voiced Floor the Rabbit in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and played a character named Camila in The Suicide Squad. For Superman, she’ll play Cat Grant, another Daily Planet reporter who started out as a gossip columnist in the comics, so presumably that’ll be her position in the movie too.

Christopher McDonald

No, the guy who played Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore and Goose McKenzie in Grease 2 is not joining Superman. This Christopher McDonald is a newcomer, so evidently James Gunn and his casting team saw something special in him to set this as his cinematic debut. McDonald will play Ron Troupe, another reporter at The Daily Planet who becomes romantically involved with Lois’ sister Lucy in the comics.

Frank Grillo

In June 2024, it was revealed that Creature Commandos characters will appear in Superman, and thanks to leaked set photos and a statement from Frank Grillo on Instagram, Rick Flag Sr. is the first of this bunch to be confirmed. This will be Flag's first live-action DCU appearance, and Grillo is also reprising the character for Peacemaker Season 2. Judging by these early looks, without going into detailed spoilers, it doesn't look like Flag and Superman will be on the same side, though that doesn't necessarily make him an outright villain.

Superman is positioned on the upcoming DC movies schedule for a July 11, 2025 release, so periodically check back here to see what other actors have been added to the cast.

Writer/director James DeMonaco has put a great deal of thought into the construction of the world featured in the Purge franchise. He's carefully mapped out the alternate history of America that is portrayed in the horror series, and it has led him to not only craft the stories that we've seen on the big screen, but also think about how hospitals function during the titular event and what happens in prisons. It's amount of consideration that he puts into the world that makes each new sequel exciting, and he has some exceptionally exciting plans for the untitled Purge 6.

The last movie, The Forever Purge, featured a time jump to the year 2048 and ended with America melting down, and the next chapter will see the country rebuilt without the familiar 50 state construction. James DeMonaco recently spoke about his plans for The Purge 6 with Variety, and while doing so, he revealed that America is going to look quite different in the film. Said the filmmaker,

From the filmmaker's comments, it sounds as though the plotting of The Purge 6 will be familiar to fans of the franchise (following relatively innocent civilians as they try and survive the terror and carnage that comes from the lawlessness of The Purge), but what will make the sequel stand out compared to its predecessors is the radical setting.

When The Forever Purge was released in 2021, there was chatter about it being the final Purge movie, but James DeMonaco evidently can't stop coming up with new ideas for the franchise – which, to date, includes five movies and two seasons of a television series. According to the new trade report, DeMonaco completed the script for The Purge 6 "about eight months ago," and he's evidently found a way to bring back Leo Barnes, the fan-favorite character from The Purge: Anarchy and The Purge: Election Year played by Frank Grillo.

Exactly when we can expect to see The Purge 6 is unknown, as Universal Pictures and Blumhouse have not yet announced a release date for the film. At the very least we know that it's not coming before 2024. That being said, if you wish to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the original The Purge, the movie is available to stream with a Peacock subscription (along with The Purge: Election Year and The Purge TV series).

When it comes to shooting action scenes and stunts, film productions typically work hard to make sure everything is as safe and painless as possible... but mistakes happen sometimes. An actor may attempt to throw a stage punch, but actual contact sometimes occurs and apologies generally follow. Actor Frank Grillo can personally attest to these kinds of incidents happening, as he recently revealed that he once accidentally hit Ryan Reynolds in the face.

Grillo worked with Reynolds in the making of the 2021 film The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard, and during an interrogation scene his knuckles made contact with the Deadpool star's chin – even after making assurances to Reynolds that he would do no such thing. The actor delivered the details of the incident recently as a guest on Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum, telling the titular host,

Continuing, Frank Grillo added that Ryan Reynolds was a good sport about the whole thing – feigning what would have been the worst possible response to the hit: "I make $29 million a movie! What are you doing!" Grillo also noted that the take where contact was made is the take that's featured in the final cut of The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard – which is for the best. If the film's star is going to accidentally take a fake punch for real, that's the shot that should be used.

It's an experience that Frank Grillo will presumably/hopefully will never want to repeat, which is for the best given that he is regularly doing action movies. In fact, he's been announced as one of the first new members of the growing DC Universe, as he will be playing Rick Flag Sr. in the upcoming series Creature Commandos. That show will be animated, but DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran have said that actors who voice characters in animation will eventually play those roles in live-action, so we expect to see Grillo playing the part on the big screen at some point in the future.

If you wish to watch The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard and check out the scene where Frank Grillo accidentally hits Ryan Reynolds, the movie isn't presently available on any subscription streaming services, but it is available to digitally rent and purchase at outlets including Amazon, Google Play, Apple, and Vudu. 

There are still three upcoming DC movies to look forward to this year following the release of Shazam! Fury of the Gods, but from there, the DC Extended Universe as we know it will end, and from the ashes will rise the new DC Universe. While aspects of the DCEU will be retained, such as John Cena and Viola Davis continuing to respectively play Peacemaker and Amanda Waller, there will be a lot of new actors coming into the continuity being overseen by DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran. The first round of casting for this next era has finally come in, and it all revolves around the animated series Creature Commandos.

It was first reported by The Wrap that Frank Grillo, known for playing Crossbones in the MCU, will play Rick Flag Sr. in Creature Commandos. To be clear, this is not Joel Kinsman being recast, as he played Rick Flag Jr., the son of Grillo’s character, in Suicide Squad and The Suicide Squad. Then Collider shared that the rest of the main cast will also consist of Sean Gunn as both G.I. Robot and Weasel (whom we knew would be back), Maria Bakalova as Princess Ilana Rostovic, Indira Varma as The Bride, Zoe Chao as Nina Mazursky, Alan Tudyk as Dr. Phosphorus, David Harbour as Eric Frankenstein and Steve Agee as John Economos. Both Weasel and Economos were previously seen in The Suicide Squad, with the latter also appearing in Peacemaker and cameoing in Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

James Gunn confirmed all these castings on Twitter, and while these are just vocal outings for now, the DC Universe intends to use actors from animated projects in live-action as well. As such, Frank Grillo, David Harbour and the rest could easily join Steve Agee and Sean Gunn (in the case of Weasel) in bringing their characters to life onscreen. Like the Suicide Squad, the Creature Commandos are under the supervision of Amanda Waller, but there’s no mention of if we’ll hear Viola Davis reprising her role in this particular project.

Although no specific plot details for Creature Commandos have been revealed yet, James Gunn wrote all seven episodes, and the show is currently in production. It’s been described as an “aperitif” for the DC Universe before Superman: Legacy, which Gunn is both writing and directing, is released in theaters on July 11, 2025 to officially kick off the franchise. This animated series is an especially fitting project to come out as part of the DCU’s Chapter One slate, titled “Gods and Monsters,” as most of the team’s members fall quite nicely into the latter grouping.

HBO Max subscribers will be able to check out Creature Commandos whenever it arrives next year, although keep in mind that the streaming service will be relaunched in late May as simply Max. Regardless, it’s just one of many upcoming DC TV shows that CinemaBlend will continue sharing updates about as we move forward into the DC Universe.

Gerard Butler in a thriller? Who could have guessed?! That’s right, the Scottish actor next stars in Copshop, a thriller flick directed by Joe Carnahan that also features Frank Grillo, Alexis Louder, Toby Huss, and Ryan O'Nan. In the action film, wily con artist Teddy Murretto (Grillo) hatches a plan to hide out from lethal assassin Bob Viddick (Butler). He punches rookie officer Valerie Young (Louder) to get himself arrested and locked up in a police station in a small town. However, jail can't protect Murretto for long as Viddick soon schemes his own way into detention, biding his time in a nearby cell until he can complete his mission. When the arrival of another assassin ignites all-out chaos, mounting threats force Viddick to get creative if he wants to finish the job and escape the explosive situation.

Copshop releases in theaters this Friday, September 17, and critics have started releasing their reviews. Let’s take a look, shall we?

Based on our very own Dirk Libbey’s review, Copshop might not be worth a watch. He noted that Butler and Grillo bring in their star power, but that’s pretty much it. There isn’t even much interesting action, which is disappointing given those two names. Libbey did complement Louder’s performance and considered her the breakout star of the thriller. But he was pretty let down by the film, even the finale, which was meant to be badass but totally fell flat. Here’s what he had to say:

Chris Evangelista from SlashFilm had a bit more of a positive opinion about Copshop, but still thought the thriller wasn’t too terribly… thrilling. While he noted that Butler and Grillo have played these kinds of roles many times before, it’s still fun to watch their “sleazy charm” on the screen. Evangelista thought the action flick was “pulpy trash,” but in a good way, a trashy movie that knows it’s trash and is okay with that. But he commented that the movie could have been so much better, as characters like Louder’s aren’t very interesting and the action doesn’t kick in until it’s too late. Overall, he said:

David Lewis from the San Francisco Chronicle was pretty disappointed with the action thriller. He criticized many aspects of the film, from the lack of proper setups, the absence of character development, to the slow pacing. Lewis also thought it was hard to care about any of the characters and didn’t even include interesting action sequences (which is a bummer for an action movie). Lewis noted:

Wes Greene from Slant Magazine enjoyed the “disarming” humor in Copshop, giving the demented character of Anthony Lamb (played by Toby Huss) as an example. He thought Huss’s rambunctious Lamb was a delightful highlight of the film, and argued that if more of the characters had his spirit, it would have been more interesting. Greene also enjoyed the action and suspense in the thriller, which is certainly a different outlook than we’ve seen from other critics. Overall, he commented:

While we’ve seen critics criticizing the pacing and lack of proper setups in the action movie, Phil Hoad from The Guardian actually thought Carnahan kept everything “lean and mean.” He applauded the inclusion of Butler and Louder, though he noted that Grillo’s casting caused Copshop to be void of character differentiation. Hoad also enjoyed the “smart-aleck” dialogue and gratuitous violence in the thriller, calling it:

Well, that was... mixed. You might enjoy Copshop more than these critics, and you can check it out this Friday, September 17.

Until then, you can plan your next movie-going experience with our new movie release guide.

The world of assassins can be quite competitive, and a little more than crazy. No one knows that better that co-writer/director Joe Carnahan, as his new film Copshop sees the Smokin’ Aces creator engaging in yet another kill crazy competition. This time, Gerard Butler is one of many assassins who are after Frank Grillo, a veteran of the MCU and Purge action franchises who is playing a man so desperate for protection he’ll willingly get arrested to be brought to safety.

Grillo’s character, Teddy Muretto, is Copshop’s most valuable asset on the board; and in true Joe Carnahan fashion, we don’t know why. All we know is Teddy wants to get locked up in a desperate bid for survival, which leads to his coincidental teaming with officer Valerie Young (Alexis Louder). Two can play at that particular game, as assassin Bob Viddick (Gerard Butler) employs that same strategy to get closer to his target; and not a moment too soon. As other assassins are clued into Teddy’s whereabouts, Bob holds the advantage, but the game is on to try and top him.

Part insane action, part deadpan comedy, Joe Carnahan’s unique energy is felt through every frame of Copshop’s trailer. It’s also good to see Carnahan reteaming with his Boss Level star Frank Grillo, who’s up to whatever challenge he’s given in this bullet laden obstacle course. But Grillo seems to be playing straight man to two criminal funseekers, thanks to Gerard Butler and Halt and Catch Fire’s Toby Huss.

With one clearly being crazier than the other, Copshop has its fair assortment of crazy and dangerous people. And we haven’t even seen all of them, as the race to be the first to take out Frank Grillo looks like it’s going to be a dangerous one to live through. Explosions, car crashes, fires, and even a wall being sledgehammered out of existence are just a tastes of the stuff Copshop is offering to the public.

It should also be noted that Gerard Butler is apparently unstoppable when it comes to his work ethic. As the man is currently on deck for a sequel to Angel Has Fallen and his continuing Mike Banning series, as well as the follow-up to the surprise hit known as Greenland, Butler just isn’t slowing down. Which only makes him the perfect match against Frank Grillo, and his insane ability to pop up when you least expect him.

Copshop has pretty much everything an action-comedy fan could want, especially if they’re disciples of Joe Carnahan’s insanely energetic entries into the genre. September 17th is when the film is looking to open in theaters, which gives folks some time to clear their schedules and place their bets on who’ll survive the carnage. In the meantime, head over to the 2021 release schedule, and see what other films Copshop will contend with on that weekend’s battlefield.

When you look Captain America’s rogues gallery, Crossbones is among the more prominent faces, with Brock Rumlow having been a thorn in Steve Rogers’ side in the comics for over three decades. So it made sense when the Marvel Cinematic Universe introduced the villain in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, although Captain America: Civil War took him out of the picture just a couple years later. Then Avengers: Endgame came around and provided Frank Grillo the opportunity to cameo as a past version of Rumlow, but as it turns out, the actor originally turned down appearing in the Infinity Saga capper.

Frank Grillo recently stopped by the Lights Camera Barstool podcast to promote his new movie Boss Level, and when the conversation turned to Marvel, he fondly recalled his time working on Captain America: The Winter Soldier with directors Joe and Anthony Russo. Then he said the following about why he initially didn’t want to appear in Avengers: Endgame:

In case you need an Avengers: Endgame refresher, Frank Grillo’s Brock Rumlow appeared during Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk and Ant-Man’s trip to the Battle of New York in 2012, with Cap specifically setting out to retrieve Loki’s scepter, which contained the Mind Stone. Rumlow and his STRIKE team had already obtained the weapon, but Steve Rogers was persuaded them to give it to him by pretending he was a fellow HYDRA operative. It was an amusing scene that initially looked like it would lead to a recreation of the elevator fight in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

But had Frank Grillo stuck to his original guns, he wouldn’t have cameoed in Avengers: Endgame, as he was dissatisfied with what had happened to Brock Rumlow over the course of just two movies. Remember, we didn’t actually see him as Crossbones until the beginning of Captain America: Civil War, and he died just minutes later. So who can we thank for Grillo changing his mind? That honor belongs to his son. The actor continued:

He may have only briefly popped up in Avengers: Endgame, but at least Frank Grillo can now say he participated not just in the biggest MCU movie yet, but the highest-grossing movie of all time. It’s also worth noting that Grillo hasn’t completely left Crossbones behind, as he’s been recording lines for Disney+’s upcoming animated series What If… ?, which explores what would happen if certain MCU moments unfolded differently.

However, as far Crossbones’ live-action future is concerned, Frank Grillo said last month that he doesn’t expect he’ll be brought back. Granted, he also expressed interest during the Lights Camera Barstool interview in seeing Crossbones return to the MCU, whether he reprises the role or someone else takes over. But considering the character’s ultimate fate and how he was a supporting bad guy at best, he’s probably right that Brock Rumlow’s time in the cinematic spotlight is over. Oh well, at least he got to participate in three of this superhero franchise’s most popular movies.

While we wait to see how Crossbones’ life has been altered in these What If… ? scenarios, you can watch Frank Grillo perform opposite Mel Gibson in Boss Level, which is now playing on Hulu. Those of you curious about what Marvel movies are on the horizon would be wise to look through our detailed guide on that subject.

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In 2014, Captain America villain Brock Rumlow entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe when Frank Grillo played him in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and 2016’s Captain America: Civil War saw the character officially taking on his Crossbones moniker. Although Civil War saw Crossbones meeting a messy end, just like in comic books, the MCU is no stranger to resurrecting characters, so is there a chance that the HYDRA operative-turned-mercenary could be brought back to live-action someday? According to Grillo, that’s not going to happen.

Frank Grillo didn’t mince words about Crossbones’ lack of a future in upcoming MCU movies and live-action Disney+ shows while recently speaking with Variety. As the actor put it:

Crossbones has been part of Captain America’s rogues gallery in the comics since 1989, usually allying himself with baddies like The Red Skull and HYDRA, and even playing a role in Steve Rogers’ assassination following the Civil War event. So naturally he was worthy enough to be pulled into the MCU for the latter two Captain America movies, but as Frank Grillo noted, the superhero franchise didn’t have big plans for the character beyond just causing a little bit of trouble either in service to HYDRA or on his own.

In fact, Brock Rumlow’s time suited up as Crossbones proper in the MCU was short-lived, as he died at the end of Captain America: Civil War’s Lagos sequence when he triggered his explosive vest in an attempt to kill Captain America, only for Scarlet Witch to elevate him in the air to contain the explosion, though that unfortunately led to some visiting Wakandans being killed. Grillo briefly reprised Rumlow in Avengers: Endgame when Captain America traveled back to the Battle of New York in 2012 to retrieve the Space Stone, but this was at a time when Rumlow was still working for HYDRA, so he wasn’t in his Crossbones attire.

Now, it is important to clarify that just because Frank Grillo thinks that Crossbones won’t be brought back to life doesn’t mean the character is gone from the MCU space entirely. Grillo confirmed last month that he recorded dialogue for the upcoming animated series What If… ?, which explores what would happen if major MCU moments unfolded differently. Grillo said he recorded “four or five episodes” over one or two days, and he’ll be recording more this month, although there’s been no word yet on which stories Brock Rumlow/Crossbones will appear in.

Still, it doesn’t sound like Frank Grillo is terribly sad about his time in the live-action MCU realm coming to a close. Back in June, he said he was “outgrowing that whole kind-of Marvel and superhero thing,” and his career was now on a different “trajectory.” So while Captain America villains like Zemo and Batroc the Leaper are returning for Disney+’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and there’s always the possibility that Red Skull might return one day since he’s still floating about elsewhere in the cosmos, we should consider Crossbones’ MCU story officially closed outside of exploring some alternate scenarios involving him.

As always, keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more MCU-related updates. Right now, WandaVision is currently airing on Disney+ (use this link to sign up for the Mouse House’s streaming service), and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will premiere on March 19. The next MCU movie on the docket is Black Widow on May 7, and find out what else this franchise is sending to the big screen with our Marvel movies guide.

Out of all the new TV shows coming soon to Disney+, the one that I think I am most looking forward to is What If…?, inspired by the comic book of the same name. It is described as a 10-episode animated anthology series that reimagines key events canon to the Marvel Cinematic Universe had things gone a little different. If that is not enough to surprise you, outside of first time Marvel actor Jeffrey Wright hosting the show Rod Serling-style as The Watcher, all of the MCU characters said to appear will be played by their original actors. I am certain that sparks a great deal of questions in your mind and I will be sure provide all the answers that I can in the following breakdown of every actor confirmed to lend their voice to the highly anticipated series, starting with the man who brought most of these characters together.

Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury)

It would be wrong to not include Samuel L. Jackson on a trippy, Marvel-inspired anthology as the voice of Nick Fury, although how the former S.H.I.E.L.D. director (also leading his own upcoming live action Disney+ series, Secret Invasion) will be depicted on What If…? has yet to be revealed.

Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter)

We might be able to infer from the first trailer for What If…? that Nick Fury will discover a frozen Peggy Carter (played once again by Hayley Atwell), who will be reimagined on the series as the Army’s choice for the Super Soldier Program instead of Steve Rogers, which, I suppose, would make her Captain Britain.

Dominic Cooper (Howard Stark)

Real-life Brit Dominic Cooper returns to play Iron Man’s father and S.H.I.E.L.D. co-founder Howard Stark (circa 1942) for the first time since the short-lived Agent Carter series, but to see Hayley Atwell’s character become a Super Soldier on What If…? this time.

Stanley Tucci (Dr. Abraham Erskine)

I wonder if the developer of the original Super Soldier Serum, German-born ally to the U.S. Army Dr. Abraham Erskine (voiced by Oscar-nominee Stanley Tucci), will suffer the same tragic fate on What If…? as he did in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger.

Toby Jones (Arnim Zola)

That being said, I am also curious if British Golden Globe-nominee Toby Jones’ reprisal of Arnim Zola, a Swiss HYDRA scientist and right hand man of Hugo Weaving’s Red Skull, will appear in his 1940s era human form, as a computer in the present day, or something completely different on What If…?

Neal McDonough (Dum Dum Dugan)

I mean, for all we know, Arrowverse star Neal McDonough’s return to the role of Sergeant Timothy Alloysius Cadwaller "Dum Dum" Dugan (the subsequent leader of the Howling Commandos after Steve Rogers’ supposed demise) on What If…? could see him become the Winter Soldier instead of Bucky Barnes.

Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier)

However, Bucky Barnes will appear as The Winter Soldier (voiced by Sebastian Stan, of course) on What If…?, and, based on the trailer, he seems to have taken on the role of a savior of the apocalypse against the long-awaited appearance of Marvel Zombies.

Frank Grillo (Crossbones)

Speaking of Marvel Zombies, I think there are few MCU characters better equipped (literally) to take on an army of the undead than Frank Grillo’s corrupt former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Brock Rumlow, whose brief reign as the armored terrorist Crossbones in Captain America: Civil War will, supposedly, be given an extension in some capacity on What If…?

Michael Douglas (Dr. Hank Pym/Ant-Man)

Seeing 76-year-old Oscar-winner Michael Douglas credited as the voice of both Hank Pym and Ant-Man has me curious if we are destined to see more of the brilliant scientist in his crimefighting days on the series and, considering much of the original Ultron’s creator’s arc in the MCU has already been a big What If…? story in itself.

Paul Rudd (Scott Lang/Ant-Man)

Of course, Paul Rudd is coming back to voice the MCU’s present-day Ant-Man, Scott Lang, as well, but besides also being credited as the incredibly shrinking Avenger in the cast list, I cannot find any preceding issues of the What If…? comic to give me any insight as to where his story on the series may lead him.

David Dastmalchian (Kurt)

There may, however, be a clue to Scott Lang’s role on What If…? is the inclusion of serial comic book adaptation star David Dastmalchian (The Dark Knight, The Flash, Gotham, the upcoming The Suicide Squad) returning as fellow reformed criminal Kurt from the Ant-Man movies, but there is not much else to infer from that.

Michael B. Jordan (Erik Killmonger)

Furthermore, I have no idea where to even begin when considering the possibilities of how What If…? will reexamine the already complex origins of Erik Killmonger when Michael B. Jordan returns to voice the Black Panther villain.

Jeremy Renner (Clint Barton/Hawkeye)

Clint Barton’s frequent, but subtle, reminiscing with Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow in the Avengers movies has always made me curious to see him in his pre-Hawkeye days as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and there is a chance that Jeremy Renner’s vocal reprisal on What If…? could touch upon that.

Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/Hulk)

With how often we can easily assume Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) has imagined what his life would be if had he never become the Hulk, it is not too far-fetched to infer that What If…? may take advantage of that opportunity, considering Avengers: Endgame already lived out the “Professor Hulk” scenario.

Chris Hemsworth (Thor)

On the other hand, there is much that could be expanded on with Hulk’s time on Sakaar before Chris Hemsworth showed up in Thor: Ragnarok, which could be a major source of inspiration for either he or Bruce Banner’s story reinventions on What If…? considering the inclusion of the next couple of characters.

Jeff Goldblum (The Grandmaster)

Anyone who has ached to see more from Jeff Goldblum’s dazzling performance in Thor: Ragnarok is in luck as The Grandmaster does have a role in What If…?

Taika Waititi (Korg)

Another scene-stealer from Thor: Ragnarok (and Avengers: Endgame, too) whom we can be thankful to know is in What If…? is Korg, once again voiced by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Taika Waititi, who will also be directing and starring in the upcoming fourth installment, Thor: Love and Thunder.

Tom Hiddleston (Loki)

I do have another theory, however, that Thor may not even be the star of his What If…? episode and instead instead take the backseat in a story that sees Loki (voiced by Tom Hiddleston) claiming Mjolnir first, which would take inspiration from a real issue of the original comic book series from 1984.

Natalie Portman (Jane Foster)

If that turns out to be case, maybe What If…? will see leading astrophysicist Jane Foster fall in love with Loki instead of Thor, considering we already know that Natalie Portman will be making a live action return to the role in Thor: Love and Thunder as Chris Hemsworth’s successor to the “mighty” God of Thunder title.

Josh Brolin (Thanos)

It was “inevitable” that this series would have a place for Josh Brolin to come back as Thanos, who actually joined the Avengers in a 2015 issue of What If…?, although I would be interested to see an episode imagining the post-Decimation world had it not been reversed in Avengers: Endgame.

Karen Gillan (Nebula)

There is plenty to be inspired by in Thanos’ rocky relationship with his daughter, Nebula, for her story on What If…?, such as imagining Karen Gillan’s partially robotic warrior as the purple Titan’s favorite child over Gamora instead.

Djimon Hounsou (Korath)

After witnessing two awfully different portrayals of Korath the Pursuer as a merciless henchman to Ronan the Accuser in Guardians of the Galaxy and a more soft-spoken Starforce operative in Captain Marvel, I am very intrigued to see what Djimon Hounsou will bring the role on What If…?

Michael Rooker (Yondu Udonta)

Based on his brief appearance in the What If…? trailer, former Walking Dead star Michael Rooker does not seem to be changing much about his country-fried depiction of Ravager leader Yondu Udonta from the Guardians of the Galaxy movies on the series, which is just what I was hoping for.

Sean Gunn (Kraglin)

Other than starring alongside Michael Rooker in his brother’s new take on The Suicide Squad, 2021 will see Sean Gunn lending his voice to What If…? as his second most famous MCU character (after performing the motion capture for Rocket Raccoon), Kraglin.

Chris Sullivan (Taserface)

In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Kraglin would come to regret allowing Yondu’s Ravager faction to be usurped by Taserface, the hilariously nicknamed scene-stealer whom Emmy-nominated This Is Us star Chris Sullivan will reprise on What If…?

Chadwick Boseman (T’Challa)

Before his devastating death in 2020, Chadwick Boseman was able to portray his Black Panther character one last time for one of the most fascinating concepts to be seen in What If…?: T’Challa as Star-Lord.

What do you think? Has it been your dream for Black Panther to become a Guardian of the Galaxy for a while now, or that does barely scratch the surface of what you want to see on this highly imaginative upcoming series? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check back for additional information and updates on What If…?, as well as even more inside looks at what to expect from your favorite upcoming comic book movies and TV shows, here on CinemaBlend.

Stunt performing in television and film is a skill very few actors are willing (or able) to take on themselves. One such actor is Captain America: The Winter Soldier’s Frank Grillo, as he has become known for taking on the challenge himself, given his pension for action films. But there was one particularly scary stunt that he had to perform in the Captain America sequel that required a bit of a push from his badass co-star, Scarlett Johansson.

Frank Grillo has spent the past decade putting his well-maintained physique to use in countless action and sci-fi films. He became both loved and hated as Brock Rumlow (a.k.a. Crossbones) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since his debut in The Winter Soldier. In his first MCU appearance, the actor was seen performing some mind-blowing stunts, it turns out Grillo actually wasn't down for a night stunt. As he recently recalled to Collider, Scarlett Johansson, being the cool person that she is, provided him with a bit of motivation:

If it wasn’t for Scarlett Johannsson's badass, Frank Grillo might not have had the heart taken part in one of Winter Soldier’s best scenes. So it's a good thing the actress helped set the tone on set in that way. And ultimately, Grillo would leave a serious mark on The Winter Soldier, as he emerged as one of the standouts. This would lead the character to be brought back for a role in Captain America: Civil War and a cameo in Avengers: Endgame.

It's interesting that some on as experienced with stunts as Frank Grillo needed a push from Scarlett Johannsson to help overcome some trepidation, especially considering that he went through grueling training ahead of filming Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Nevertheless, it just goes to show that any of us can experience fear in certain situations.

As you would imagine, Frank Grillo is still busy and is putting his stunt training to use. The actor is slated to appear in The Hitman’s Wife's Bodyguard with Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson. He'll also headline the western No Man’s Land with George Lopez and Andie MacDowell in 2021.

If you're now looking to relive Frank Grillo and Scarlet Johansson's amazing stunts, you can stream Captain America: The Winter Soldier on Disney+.

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is an absolutely massive place, with new characters being introduced with each installment. Phase Three's conclusion marks the end of the Infinity Saga, with some beloved characters being written or killed off as a result of actors' contracts coming to a close. One seemingly dead character that fans are hoping pops back up is Frank Grillo's Crossbones. But Grillo recently explained why he felt he was 'outgrowing' his villainous Marvel role, despite being contracted to come back for more appearances if Marvel wishes.

Brock Rumlow/Crossbones was introduced in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, revealed to be a HYDRA infiltrator within S.H.I.E.L.D.. The character was killed off in Civil War's opening sequence, but also made a brief return during Avengers: Endgame's time heist. Frank Grillo was recently asked if he'd want to play The Punisher in the MCU, leading the actor to speak about his possible future.

Well, that was honest. While the superhero genre continues to expand across various shared universes, Frank Grillo's time as a masked character may be coming to an end. Those types projects simply don't interest him as much the future projects he's got coming down the pipeline. And since Crossbones is dead, he may end up getting what wishes.

Frank Grillo's comments to Uproxx may be disappointing for some Marvel fans who are hoping that he'll make a surprise fourth movie appearance as Crossbones. His last two were short moments that packed a punch, but The Winter Soldier is the movie that gave him some meaty material. With the MCU continuing to expand on both the silver and small screen, there's no telling what the studio has in store for Phase Four and Five.

Marvel fans can re-watch the Infinity Saga on Disney+. You can use this link for a free 7-day trial to the streaming service.

Crossbones' death in the MCU seemed pretty final, so it would take some clever writing in order to bring Frank Grillo back for another appearance. The opening sequence of Captain America: Civil War saw the Avengers on a mission in Lagos. During Brock Rumlow's scuffle with Cap, he attempted to blow them both up with explosives strapped to his chest. Scarlet Witch is able to save Cap, but the explosion ends up killing Wakandan humanitarian workers in a nearby building. As for Crossbones, there's no way his body survived that explosion.

The next installment in the MCU is Black Widow on November 6th. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

There’s a lot that goes into executing action sequences, and Frank Grillo would know this better than most people. Grillo has had plenty of action-heavy roles, with projects like The Grey, Zero Dark Thirty and The Purge films under his belt. However, many might know him best for starring alongside Chris Evans in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and it would appear that working on that project proved to be intense.

The actor, who played S.H.I.E.L.D. agent-turned HYDRA operative Brock Rumlow in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, recently recalled his time working on the film. He specifically spoke on the advanced choreography and the repetition that came with learning it. Frank Grillo also made it a point to highlight the physical wear and tear that comes with the job:

Based on Frank Grillo’s vast experience and what we see on the big screen, it’s easy to understand his comments to Uproxx. Actors and choreographers spend months preparing action scenes before the cameras even start rolling on. This isn’t even considering some of the more intricate sequences that are featured in blockbuster franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

One of the major parts of Captain America: The Winter Soldier that Frank Grillo was likely thinking about while reflecting is the fan-favorite elevator scene. During this sequence, Steve Rogers rides an elevator with Brock Rumlow’s S.T.R.I.K.E. team, who are revealed to be loyal to HYDRA. Sensing that Rogers knows this, the group attacks him, but he’s ultimately able to finish them off. It was undoubtedly a tricky scene for the crew to pull off, but the end result was a sight to behold.

The MCU has been known for its fantastical and otherworldly action sequences but, with The Winter Soldier, directors Joe and Anthony Russo proved the franchise could also thrill audiences with battles that were more grounded and practical. This included several hand-to-hand combat sequences, such as the one present during the film’s opening scene. And of course, we definitely can’t forget the memorable highway fight between Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes.

Working on Captain America: The Winter Soldier may not have always been the easiest for Frank Grillo, Chris Evans or their co-stars, but their work did pay off in a big way. They helped usher in a new era for the shared universe and created what’s considered by many to be the MCU’s best installments. The aches and bruises may still be present, but something like that definitely keeps you going.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is currently streaming on Disney+.

We’re going to spoil The Grey for you in this article. If you happened to click in here and haven’t yet seen the Liam Neeson movie, leave now.

Not all movies demand a sequel, no matter how beloved that are. Joe Carnahan’s 2012 thriller The Grey is one of those films, despite periodic calls for a continuation of the story. The stripped-down survival story impressed critics, packed theaters, and continued to build its audience through cable viewings and word-of-mouth DVD sharing. But co-star Frank Grillo candidly admits that he doesn’t understand the call for a sequel, for the obvious reasons.

Frank Grillo kind of started this conversation by recently using the hashtag #TheGrey2 on Instagram. When asked about it by Uproxx, they acknowledge that a sequel virtually is impossible, to which Grillo explained:

Yeah, sorry. I hope you heeded the spoiler warning at the top of the story. The Grey tells the brutal story of a team of oil workers whose plane crashes, stranding the men in the middle of wolf country. Their guide, John Ottway (Liam Neeson), does what he can to keep the men alive, but the elements – and the wolves – gradually overwhelm each character one by one.

Though The Grey has a mildly open-ended conclusion, it’s pretty clear that this film was ending, and had no promise of further adventures for Ottway and his wolves.

And listen, Liam Neeson loves himself a sequel. He popped up in Men In Black: International. He led three Taken movies. If the opportunity presents himself, he’s likely down. But the story doesn’t always have to move forward, and The Grey ended where it should have ended. Leave it alone.

Frank Grillo and Joe Carnahan actually have been trying to get their own thing off the ground. For the past few years, they’ve poured their efforts into a remake of The Raid, a modern classic of action cinema that could look special in the hands of the man behind Narc and Smokin’ Aces. We’d rather they go down that road instead of trying to revive The Grey, but either way, Grillo’s hashtag was pretty damn funny. Even the wolves got a kick out of it.

One of the most widely acclaimed narrative-driven video games of the modern era, the post-apocalyptic action-adventure The Last of Us is set to become a TV series. It's happening at HBO, where the game's terror and dark drama will almost definitely stay intact during the adaptation process. It's still early in the pre-production process, but fans everywhere are already thinking about who creator Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and his fellow producers will cast as The Last of Us' two lead characters, the rugged Texan Joel and the whip-smart teenager Ellie.

To spin such a beloved video game for TV, HBO will likely look to cast performers with a wide range of skills, since The Last of Us is packed with pulse-pounding action, emotional beats and nuanced dialogue that video games so rarely utilize. In the post-outbreak story, where humans turn into aggro-monsters dubbed the "Infected," Joel is a low-nonsense smuggler tasked with bringing 19-year-old Ellie to a rebel group's base. The situation gets particularly tense once others discover Ellie may hold answers to curing the infection.

And that's just Act I, with tons of deadly mayhem and stressful situations going down during Joel and Ellie's long journey. So in no particular order and with no particular combinations in mind, here are our ideal picks for who HBO and Craig Mazin should cast as Joel and Ellie.

Hugh Jackman

Hugh Jackman's many years as the X-Men movies' Wolverine would have already made him a great choice to play The Last of Us' Joel, claws down, but it was specifically his gritty turn in 2017's Logan that truly sealed the deal. Jackman can play a badass grizzled survivor with the best of them, and he's always maintained excellent chemistry with younger costars in any project he's in, so there would be little worry about him clashing with whoever gets cast as Ellie. As well, HBO is great at wooing big screen actors to cable, and since Jackman hasn't taken on any regular TV roles since the earliest years of his career, The Last of Us would be an ideal project to win him back.

Kaitlyn Dever

Kaitlyn Dever's years on Tim Allen's Last Man Standing arguably don't give her huge advantages with The Last of Us, beyond displaying her talent for creating levity, which the game features on occasion. Netflix's miniseries Unbelievable, on the other hand, specifically showed off Dever's widespread talents as a hardened survivor, though in a completely different sense. Upon first playing The Last Of Us, it's possible that Justified fans were reminded of Dever's hard-nosed Loretta McCready. And beyond winning performances in films like Short Term 12, Booksmart and more, Dever also has game cred for voicing the young Cassie Drake in Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. (Fun fact: though these picks aren't meant to be paired off, Dever did play Hugh Jackman's daughter in 2018's political drama The Front Runner.)

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

Sure, Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has been in a bunch of action-oriented projects such as Black Hawk Down, Oblivion, Gods of Egypt and more. But let's not fool ourselves about why he's automatically on many fans' shortlists for The Last of Us' Joel. Obviously, it's because he spent 8 seasons kicking ass and taking names on HBO's fantasy epic Game of Thrones as the loyal-to-a-fault Jaime Lannister. While the characters don't share a lot of direct comparisons, it all comes down to Coster-Waldau's talents for portraying a badass warrior who goes into every battle with the same level of bravery and confidence, regardless of what's coming. His penchant from growing scruffy beards is but a bonus.

Hailee Steinfeld

Though horror-tinged projects rarely get any awards attention, The Last of Us landing at HBO gives it as good a chance as any to earn such accolades, and adding Academy Award-winning actors like Hailee Steinfeld is another good way to do it. Steinfeld took home the Best Supporting Actress trophy for True Grit at just 13 years old, and it's not a huge stretch to say that Ellie shares some characteristics with that film's Mattie Ross. Since then, Steinfeld got more familiar with action roles in Term Life and Bumblebee, and embraced her inner Spider-Woman for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse. Having recently shifted to TV for the titular role in Apple TV+'s Dickinson, Steinfeld is now more comfortable on the small screen, though Emily Dickinson isn't exactly an Ellie replica.

Justin Theroux

Often opting for broadly comedic roles in projects like the Zoolander films, Parks and Recreation and The Spy Who Dumped Me, – as well as rando cameos in The Last Jedi and Joker – actor Justin Theroux always stands out when crossing into more dramatic territories. In particular, Theroux earned miles-high praise for his work on HBO's supernatural apocalypse-adjacent drama The Leftovers. (The HBO-friendly actor also appeared in Sex and the City, Six Feet Under, and John Adams.) As The Leftovers' Kevin Garvey, Theroux played a cop leading his family and others through extremely dire situations, and still infused the role with warmth, humor and wide-eyed fearfulness. The format-breaking episodes "International Assassin" and "The Most Powerful Man in the World (and His Identical Twin Brother)" encapsulate why he'd be particularly superb as The Last Of Us' Joel.

Emily Scanlen

Another HBO veteran with talent to spare, Emily Scanlen jumped from a recurring role in the Australian soap Home and Away to a stunning breakout turn in the miniseries Sharp Objects, easily rising to the acting heights of co-stars Amy Adams and Golden Globe winner Patricia Clarkson. As the mentally abused Amma Crellin, Scanlen masterfully shifted from sycophantic mommy's girl to rebellious deviant and back again, and never lost the character's innate sense of innocence. Following Sharp Objects, Scanlen aced the role of Beth March in Greta Gerwig's Little Women, and in 2019's Babyteeth, she played an ailing teen who lived like there was no tomorrow, which is a sentiment that The Last of Us' Ellie knows all too well.

Frank Grillo

When Frank Grillo digs down into action and thriller projects, he legitimately looks like a video game character come to life. From his minor role in The Shield to his starring role in The Purge franchise to playing Brock "Crossbones" Rumlow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Grillo is always in beast-mode, and The Last of Us' Infected would be wise to steer clear. It's Audience Network's MMA-centered drama Kingdom that perhaps shows Grillo's potential as the father-figure Joel, as he plays a retired MMA fighter trying to keep his family from splintering. The actor boasts the necessary physical acting skills, as well as the ability to find emotional headspaces that many other action stars cannot.

Sophia Lillis

When it comes to starring in dark Hollywood projects that never lose sight of their characters' humanity, Sophia Lillis already has a high batting average that makes her a solid fit for The Last of Us. In the pair of films based on Stephen King's IT, Lillis stood tall as the first film's lone female star in a Bev-y of male co-stars, which then led to her the lead role in Netflix's recent coming-of-age quasi-superhero adaptation I Am Not Okay with This. As a teen harboring a secret that would completely compromise her existence, Lillis' Sydney Novak travels a somewhat parallel path to The Last of Us' Ellie, and coincidentally enough, both characters also fall on the gay or bisexual side of the sexuality spectrum. (Extra points to Lillis for also recurring in HBO's Sharp Objects.)

Nathan Fillion

For a long time, Firefly and Castle star Nathan Fillion campaigned to play Nathan Drake in a live-action adaptation of the Uncharted video game, only for Tom Holland to get cast after years of false starts. It didn't stop Fillion from proving his worth in an Uncharted fan film in 2018, though. So even though Uncharted and The Last of Us don't share a lot in common narratively, there's no doubt that Fillion could and would be a perfect fit to play Joel. (Fillion mighthave just a little too much inherent charm, for the role, but still.) As the star of ABC's drama The Rookie, Fillion might not have the schedule room to fit an HBO production, but maybe he could use all that charm to make something work.

Cassady McClincy

While Cassady McClincy might not be as much of an overall household name as others on this list, her placement is perhaps the most germane. She's currently starring in The Walking Dead as the character Lydia, who has had to fight to prove her worth to the show's protagonists after cutting ties with her violently villainous mother. Despite both characters having experienced post-apocalyptic life, Lydia is actually quite different from Ellie, both in personality and in motivations. That could work to McClincy's advantage, though, since it would give her the opportunity to play someone more confident and self-assured. That said, Lydia's kinship with Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Negan does offers slight reflections of Ellie and Joel's relationship, so there's familiarity there. (Is it too late for me to add Morgan as a choice to play Joel?)

The long and arduous wait for The Last of Us 2 will presumably be over on May 29, 2020, barring any unforeseen delays, and it'll be some time after that when the hard work will kick off in bringing Joel and Ellie and other characters to life through HBO's adaptation. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for any future news regarding casting and release dates, and let us know in the comments who you'd want to see as Joel and Ellie.

Many of the actors who’ve joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe signed multi-picture deals. Frank Grillo is one of those actors, and thus far he’s played Brock Rumlow, a.k.a. Crossbones, in three MCU movies. As it turns out though, Grillo still has plenty of movies left on his Marvel contract, revealing:

The prospect of Brock Rumlow playing Captain America is… questionable at best, even ignoring the fact that the character is dead. Besides, with Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson having just inherited the star-spangled mantle from Steve Rogers, we can expect him to serve as Captain America for a long time. He’s next set to star alongside Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes, a.k.a. Winter Soldier, a.k.a. White Wolf, in their Disney+ series.

In any case, you might think that Frank Grillo’s comment to Comicbook.com means there’s hope that Crossbones will pop back into the MCU somehow. However, the actor, who recently reunited with Anthony Mackie in the Netflix movie Point Break, clarified the matter on Instagram, declaring that there are no plans for him to play the super villain again.

Brock Rumlow was introduced in Captain America: The Winter Soldier as the field commander of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s S.T.R.I.K.E. team, but it was later revealed that he, like many other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, was actually a HYDRA operative. At the end of The Winter Soldier, he was nearly crushed to death, but miraculously survived, albeit heavily scarred.

Upon recovering, Brock Rumlow took on the Crossbones identity, left HYDRA and began his own campaign of terror. That ended at the beginning of Captain America: Civil War when he detonated the explosives on his belt in an attempt to kill Steve Rogers, but Scarlet Witch prevented that by transporting into the air. Unfortunately, the blast that incinerated Crossbones also killed dozens of civilians in a nearby building, which led to the passing of the Sokovia Accords.

While that’s the end of Crossbones’ MCU story, Frank Grillo was one of the many actors who appeared earlier this year in Avengers: Endgame, as he played a past version of Brock Rumlow who the present-day Steve Rogers encountered when he traveled back in time to the aftermath of the Battle of New York. Steve successfully tricked Brock, Jasper Sitwell and the other HYDRA double-agents into giving him Loki’s scepter.

But that’s it, everyone! Unless Marvel Studios changes its mind and decides to resurrect Crossbones, whether it be as his normal self or a zombie, this particular baddie will not be troubling any heroes again in the franchise. Since most comic book movie villains once appear once, the fact that Frank Grillo got to appear thrice is not too shabby.

Frank Grillo’s upcoming movies include Boss Level, Black and Blue, Once Upon a Time in Staten Island and The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard. As for non-Grillo movies, find out what’s hitting theaters later this year in our 2019 release schedule.

Is a remake still a remake when you've never heard of the original? Most people opening up Netflix probably haven't seen the 2010 French crime thriller Point Blank, but the app will probably recommend the new American version starring Anthony Mackie and Frank Grillo if only because it's a Netflix original film. Anybody who takes the algorithm up on its offer probably won't feel they've wasted the last 90 minutes of their life when its over, but if you skip over it, you also haven't missed much.

Paul (Anthony Mackie) is an emergency room nurse getting ready for the birth of his first child in a matter of weeks. However, Paul unfortunately gets assigned a room with a John Doe which is going to make his life a bit more difficult. Abe (Frank Grillo) was hit by a car while escaping from the home of the District Attorney, who was found dead. The cops have Abe under guard, but when Abe's brother kidnaps Paul's pregnant wife, he forces the nurse to get his brother out of the hospital, setting off a manhunt.

It's a simple enough premise and we've seen variations of this theme before. The fact that things aren't entirely as they seem at the outset isn't simply obvious if you've seen a film in this genre before. I doubt anybody but the youngest viewers (who shouldn't be watching such a violent and vulgar movie in the first place) won't see the twists coming.

Point Blank is death by a thousand cuts. There's no single great flaw in the story or the characters, just a bunch of little things that add up to frustration. Yes, the plot is predictable, but that only matters because you find yourself thinking about where the movie is going rather than where it is. I try not to be too critical of characters in films who make decisions that don't seem to make sense. Normal people make idiotic decisions every day. But when a character choice makes so little sense that it knocks you completely out of the story, that's a problem, and that happens several times in Point Blank.

And that's too bad, because the movie Pont Blank seems to want to be (for most of its runtime anyway) is a suspenseful thriller, and that requires audience investment to work. You have to worry about what is going to happen to the characters that you like. Every time the story makes a questionable turn for no clear reason beyond the fact that the script requires it, you lose what investment you have in the heroes.

This becomes a bigger problem when you get to the third act and the movie makes a distinct shift in tone. What has tried to be a gritty and dramatic thriller veers into action-comedy territory for no discernible reason. A brand new character (played by Markice Moore, because apparently Kevin Hart was too expensive) is introduced who is the first dose of comic relief the movie has seen from the outset. He feels entirely out of place for what the movie has been to that point, but he essentially sets the tone for the rest of the story.

It's an odd decision to add comedy at a point where the tension should be at its highest. Maybe if that had been the entire movie it would have worked, but as it is, it just feels like last minute studio notes or test audience screenings led to an entirely reworked finale.

While there's a lot that doesn't work in Point Blank, the saving grace is that the two leads work pretty well. Anthony Mackie has proven before that he's more than just the MCU's Falcon (and presumptive new Captain America), but as the audience POV character, he does whatever he can with everything available to him. He's just as capable as being the guy in over his head as the superhero capable of anything. Frank Grillo has made a career out of being gruff and gritty. He's at home here, and it shows.

What works between them isn't exactly their chemistry, but rather their lack of it. Paul and Abe are two guys from very different worlds who have been forced together by circumstance. They work best with they are trying to work together while hating each other's guts. Point Blank has all the trappings of a "buddy movie," but it's actually whatever the opposite of a buddy movie is. A "nemesis movie"? Whatever you call it, it's the one fresh angle the movie has.

Point Blank isn't the Falcon and Crossbones team-up you've been waiting for, but it's a useful enough diversion. It's the sort of movie that only exists because you're already paying for Netflix, but since you are, why not, right?

Films about the many ways we expect gang members and cops to relate to one another aren't unusual, but, sometimes a movie comes around that's really capable of taking those ideas to another level. This looks to be the case with Black and Blue, which stars Oscar nominee Naomie Harris and Tyrese Gibson as a pair of old friends who have to try to evade both gang members and crooked cops after Harris' character witnesses a murder. Take a look at the thrilling action for yourself:

Oh, damn. Well, this is the tightest of tight spots, isn't it? When rookie cop Alicia West (Harris) witnesses crooked cops murdering a drug dealer, and catches all the unfortunate action on her body cam, she is immediately a target for those who did the deed. But, when she manages to get away from them with her life intact, they realize that the only way to keep her quiet is to get some help bringing her down.

While they enlist the help of other dirty cops in New Orleans, they know the best way to keep Alicia quiet is to put the word out that she's actually the one who killed the dealer, which leads to Alicia running for her life over the course of one intense night, with the eventual help of her old friend Milo “Mouse” Jackson (Gibson), and a price on her head that every gang member and criminal sympathizer is trying to win, all while she attempts to get her body cam footage in the right hands before it's too late.

Black and Blue, which is directed by Deon Taylor (The Intruder, Meet the Blacks), looks to be an action-packed movie filled with tense moments, but it clearly has a solid basis in real world fears and issues. The use of body cameras on police officers has become a hot-button issue in recent years, as has the idea of how justice is done when those who are supposed to protect us don't, and Black and Blue will be looking closely at both of those things.

Another big issue at hand in Black and Blue will be standing by your principles and doing what you believe is right no matter what the consequences may be. Once Alicia gets away and realizes that she has dirty cops and every criminal in the city after her, she could have easily made the decision to get out of New Orleans, shave her head and try to start over. But, she pursues the idea of getting her body cam footage out in the world for all to see, at even greater risk to herself.

A stacked cast is joining Harris and Gibson in Black and Blue, with Frank Grillo (The Purge: Election Year), Mike Colter (Luke Cage), Beau Knapp (Destroyer), Nafessa Williams (Black Lightning) and Reid Scott (Veep) also coming along for the dramatic and socially relevant ride.

Black and Blue will be in theaters on October 25, but in the meantime be sure to stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest in movies, TV and pop culture.

While Avengers: Endgame has officially handed Anthony Mackie the mantle of a lifetime, his work outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe isn’t over by a long shot. And it’s about to get more interesting with Netflix’s latest original, Point Blank, as Mackie is about to team up with former MCU foe Frank Grillo to take on some dirty cops during one long day of action.

Take a look for yourself below, as the first trailer for the film has dropped:

It never felt like teaming Crossbones and The Falcon in an action spectacular would ever happen, but thankfully director Joe Lynch and producer Joe Carnahan have now given the world the gift of seeing such a pairing come alive on the screen. The result is Point Blank, an American remake of the 2010 French film with that very same name.

The story’s a pretty accurate translation too, as Anthony Mackie’s Paul, a nurse with no combat experience whatsoever, is drafted by some mysterious figures to release Frank Grillo’s Abe. A murder suspect that may not be the culprit the cops are looking for, Paul will have to do whatever it takes to survive, as those mysterious figures turn out to be dirty cops who have his pregnant wife held for ransom.

Perhaps the best part about the trailer to the U.S. remake of Point Blank is the fact that while it’s taken the same story as that of writers Fred Cavayé and Guillaume Lemans’ French original, it has a whole different tone at work. While the 2011 film was a deadly serious action film, the Netflix version has a dark comedy about it.

Set to Ice Cube’s “Good Cop, Bad Cop,” Point Blank’s sizzling reel of action-comedy shows so many asses getting kicked by both Anthony Mackie and Frank Grillo. Though it’s mostly Grillo that steals that part of the show, because again, Mackie’s character isn’t as experienced with the action part of things just yet. Which isn’t a bad thing, because it’s Paul that’s going to provide the gags that set up some moments of relief when Abe’s done taking names.

The movie is part of Joe Carnahan’s original Netflix output through his War Party production company, which previously saw him team up with Frank Grillo on the original film Wheelman.And Point Blank is as on brand for a Carnahan/Lynch team-up as you could get. Especially when recalling how Lynch has a bit of an action background of his own, courtesy of the Salma Hayek vehicle Everly, as well as 2017’s Mayhem.

Put it all together, and you’ve got what looks like a totally badassed time in Point Blank. Which is exactly the type of movie the collective world of the box office could use at a time like this, what with sequels and reboots in recent weeks failing to capture the world.

It is exactly in times like this that we need someone to kick some ass, crash some cars, and give the world a bit of a jolt; and Point Blank looks like it’s ready to do that job, and do it well. We’ll see if that turns out to be the reality when the film drops on Netflix on July 12th.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the biggest franchises of film history, so the pressure is on to deliver a satisfying blockbuster with each new release. Part of this process is surprising the audience with plot twists, which the studio and its actors must keep under wraps. But plenty of actors have accidentally spoiled plot points before, and Captain America: Winter Soldier actor Frank Grillo recently revealed that he has a flashback role in Avengers 4.

But now it looks like Frank Grillo might have been pulling our leg. That, or he got in trouble by the folks at Marvel. Shortly after he claimed Crossbones had a small role in Avengers 4, Grillo posted on social media, and he didn't seem happy about the story going so viral. As he put it,

Well, that seems a bit more cut and dry. Despite all but confirming his return for Avengers 4, it seems that Frank Grillo is now backtracking on the comments, and claiming he was simply messing with his interviewer-- and the fans. Now that's what I call a villain.

Frank Grillo's recent Instagram post is in stark juxtaposition to the picture he painted just days ago, which had the potential to spoil quite a few aspects of Avengers 4. Crossbones' inclusion would be a major shocker for the fandom, especially considering his fate in Captain America: Civil War. He seemingly perished in the opening sequence of that blockbuster-- and the fandom didn't expect to see him again.

As if Crossbones' possible role in Avengers 4 wasn't enough of a surprise, Frank Grillo also gave some context to the rumored scene, which has the potential to have grave affects on the contents of the untitled movie. Specifically, Grillo claimed he was part of a flashback. This could hint toward time travel being used as a macguffin in Avengers 4, something fans have been expecting for quite some time.

The ending of Avengers: Infinity War saw Josh Brolin's Thanos succeed in his in collecting the Infinity Stone, and promptly wiping out half of the galaxy with the snap of a finger. It's currently unclear how the surviving heroes will continue to fight Thanos, and hopefully bring back the fallen characters in the process. But if time travel is on the table, as Frank Grillo had previously hinted, it might be the key to stopping the Mad Titan once and for all.

All will be revealed when Avengers 4 arrives in theaters on May 3rd, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.

Crossbones has been a regular in Captain America's comic book rogues gallery since the late 1980s, and following his introduction to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the villain finally donned his masked guise two years later in Captain America: Civil War. We didn't have long to appreciate the MCU's Crossbones in his full glory since he met a messy end at the beginning of Civil War, but Frank Grillo has confirmed that he will reprise the character in Avengers 4 next year, though not because Brock Rumlow has been resurrected. Grillo has revealed how his next appearance will go down with a succinct statement, noting,

Frank Grillo revealed this during his recent appearance on the UFC Unfiltered podcast, adding that he's okay with spoiling that piece of information because he's never doing another Marvel movie again, then joking that it's because he's "117 years old." I can't imagine people at Marvel Studios are pleased that Grillo dropped this spoiler, but for the fans, this is certainly welcome news.

If you've been following along regularly with Avengers 4's development, then Frank Grillo reprising Crossbones doesn't come entirely as a surprise. In September of last year, Grillo gave us our first inkling that something special was being planned for the character with the following statement:

Naturally an actor saying something like that was going to get the MCU fanatics speculating, but a month later, Grillo backtracked on his earlier statement and tried to temper expectations. He said:

Had things ended there and this latest statement was our most recent update, then maybe Frank Grillo announcing Crossbones' return would be way more of a shocker. But then last November, someone claimed to have spotted Grillo on the Avengers 4 set. Obviously something like that is far from official, but nevertheless, it looked more likely that Crossbones was making yet another MCU appearance, and almost a full year later, it's been confirmed this is indeed the case, although that didn't stop the actor from trolling fans about it this past summer.

Brock Rumlow was introduced in Captain America: The Winter Soldier as the commander of STRIKE, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s elite counter-terrorist unit. Since Captain America had become one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top operatives following the events of The Avengers, it initially seemed like Rumlow would be a welcome ally for the patriotic hero. Oh, how wrong that assumption was.

We soon learned that Brock Rumlow and the entire STRIKE team, like many people within S.H.I.E.L.D., were actually HYDRA agents, and they spent the majority of Captain America: The Winter Soldier trying to capture or kill Steve Rogers and his allies. During the movie's climactic showdown, Rumlow tussled with Sam Wilson, a.k.a. Falcon, but the fight abruptly ended when a Helicarrier crashed into the building they were in. Sam escaped, but Rumlow was crushed by the bricks and horribly burned.

Miraculously, not only did Brock Rumlow survive these terrible injuries, he also wasn't left paralyzed or brain dead. Instead, he was now almost completely immune to pain and driven to exact revenge on Captain America for what happened to him. This kicked off the Crossbones chapter of his life, where he ditched HYDRA and started carrying out his own plan.

Cut to Captain America: Civil War, Crossbones and his team of mercenaries stole a biological agent from the Institute for Infectious Diseases in Lagos, Nigeria to draw the Avengers out. They were successful, and it culminated in Crossbones and Steve Rogers throwing down in fisticuffs. Steve defeated Crossbones, but the villain then activated the bomb in his vest. Scarlet Witch tried to contain the explosion in the air, but it ended up killing several Wakandans in a nearby building, which later played a role in the Sokovia Accords being passed.

Given how rarely permanent death is in the comics, one wouldn't be faulted for thinking that Crossbones would somehow be restored to life during Avengers 4. Alas, with the surviving Avengers having to deal with Thanos and possibly an even greater threat coming, I don't blame the filmmakers for not retrieving him from six feet under.

Instead, it's looks like the Crossbones we see in Avengers 4 will be from when we saw him in Captain America: Civil War. Right before 2017 ended, we saw a behind-the-scenes photo of Scarlett Johansson wearing the same clothes and rocking the same hairdo she was at the beginning of Civil War. Throw in some other set leaked set photos, such as of Chris Evans wearing his Avengers-era Captain America uniform, and it's clear we're looking back at important moments of MCU history.

Although there's been plenty of speculating and theorizing about time travel being an important element in Avengers 4, officially speaking that has yet to be confirmed. The Russos have indicated that Tony Stark's BARF technology will also be brought into play in the movie, so maybe some or all of these past looks are holographic images. Whatever is going on here, Crossbones fans can at least look forward to one last appearance from the character.

Avengers 4 hits theaters on May 3, 2019, so keep checking back with CinemaBlend for continuing coverage. Don't forget to also look through our Marvel movies guide to find out what else this superhero franchise has coming down the pipeline.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it is coming to an end, as a decade's worth of blockbusters have come to a head with Avengers: Infinity War. The Russo Brothers' Avengers: Endgame will complete Phase Three, with the future of the shared universe a complete mystery thereafter. Many of Marvel's biggest stars are coming to the end of their contracts, with fans left to wonder: What's next for the franchise and its actors?

Captain America actor Chris Evans is one of the stars who seems to be exiting the MCU after Avengers 4, so a new character may take up the mantle. Captain America: Winter Soldier actor Frank Grillo recently spoke about Evans' departure, possibly revealing that the studio may be looking at either a woman or person of color to be the next Cap on the big screen. He said,

While this is obviously not an actual confirmation, Frank Grillo seems to think the next Captain America might not be another white male actor. While his character Crossbones bit the dust in Captain America: Civil War, Grillo could theoretically have some inside information from his co-stars and collaborators within the MCU. Or could just be spitballing about the future of the franchise.

Frank Grillo's comments from Larry King Live are sure to start endless fan theories, regarding who might take up Cap's shield once Chris Evans retires from his acclaimed role as Steve Rogers--a prospect that may or may not be coming. And considering the MCU's recent focus on inclusion and diversity, almost anything is possible.

Chris Evans' departure from Captain America has been expected for quite some time, and there are already a handful of rumors regarding who could take on the shield and the responsibility moving forward. Chief among those prospects are Bucky (Sebastian Stan) and Falcon (Anthony Mackie), who have worked alongside Cap in the majority of his appearances.

Anthony Mackie's Falcon has been a strong supporting character in the MCU since Captain America: Winter Soldier, and was welcomed into The Avengers quickly after his first appearance. He has military training and superhero experience, and it would be great to see his character get some more attention and complexity. Plus, it would likely be a significant moment for Captain America to be a person of color, with representation being a major topic of conversation in the film industry right now.

Sebastian Stan's Bucky seems like another great choice, although the status of his contract with Marvel is a bit more unclear. Bucky has had quite the redemption arc since he was brainwashed as a villain, so it would be a significant narrative moment to make him a bonafide hero, let alone a leader of The Avengers. Of course, both he and Falcon would need to be brought back from the dead, as they were victims of Thanos' finger snap of death in Avengers: Infinity War.

If Captain America were going to end up becoming a woman, it's a little less clear as to who could take on the mantle, at least given the current slate of leading ladies in the franchise. Perhaps the most obvious choice would be Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow, although it would be hard for fans to see her take on a different superheroine role. But with the Black Widow solo movie in active development over at Marvel, ScarJo might end up sticking around the MCU for a while more, and continuing to be among the most profitable actresses in Hollywood.

Another option might be Emily VanCamp's Agent 13/Sharon Carter. Sharon had a supporting role in the last two Captain America movies, although she was noticeably absent from the events of Infinity War. If Steve Rogers falls in battle in the final conflict against Thanos (as fans have been predicting for years), then it would be powerful to see his former lover (and Peggy Carter's great niece) step up to the plate to continue his legacy. If that's the ultimate goal and VanCamp is interested in a larger role in the shared universe, that is. Lots of ifs, there.

It should be interesting to see how the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues without some of its stars. In addition to Chris Evans, both Chris Hemsworth and Robert Downey Jr. are coming to the end of their contract with Avengers 4. Disney has been keeping tight lipped about what the future looks like, mostly because it has the potential to spoil the events of the upcoming blockbuster.

Robert Downey, Jr. has already been seen taking on additional projects outside his contract, like his role in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Still, considering he's been playing Tony Stark since 2007's Iron Man, the 53 year-old actor might want distance from the armor. Chris Hemsworth seems more likely to stay, as Thor: Ragnarok was a game changer for his iconic superhero character.

If the MCU's next Captain America is a person of color or a woman, it would be a major change for the franchise. The superhero genre has been criticized for only focusing on characters that are male and white-- an observation that can certainly be seen in the first few phases of the MCU, but has changed more in recent films.

Phase Three has been changing things up, putting women and POCs in larger roles. Ant-Man and The Wasp and Captain Marvel are the first movies to feature female protagonists, and the still-developing Black Widow movie should finally give Scarlett Johansson's character the spotlight she deserves.

Ryan Coogler's Black Panther also made history when it was released for a few reasons. The hit movie featured an outstanding cast of black actors, and its title character broke new ground as a black lead in the MCU. Furthermore, Black Panther's box office performance was record breaking, proving that casual moviegoers and the hardcore fandom alike will show up to protagonists of all colors, shapes, and sizes.

We'll likely get some answers when Avengers 4 arrives in theaters on May 3rd, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.

Spoilers ahead for Avengers: Infinity War.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has had a never ending series of hits during Phase Three, and the entire shared universe as we know it is a mystery after the events of Avengers: Infinity War. After half of the galaxy was destroyed with the snap of a finger, the future of the MCU after Avengers 4 suddenly became a giant question mark. With so many heroes falling, fans are expecting Thanos' snap to somehow be reversed during the next film, therefore reviving the vanished characters. But could other characters also return from the dead? Actor Frank Grillo played Crossbones in both Winter Soldier and Civil War, the latter of which seemingly showed his death. But Grillo has teased fans about his possible return in the years since, and recently did exactly that while celebrating Crossbones' action figures. Check out the actor's post, especially his use of hashtags.

While his Instagram post is mainly about Frank Grillo's excitement over being immortalized as a Marvel action figure, the guy can't help but troll the fans. Ending the post with #Aven.... is all it takes to get the hardcore fandom excited about his potential return. Now we'll see if it comes to fruition.

Frank Grillo's Crossbones isn't one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's biggest villains, but the actor has certainly made the most of it. He played the character with attitude and ferocity in Captain America: Winter Soldier, which is widely considered one of the shared universe's strongest outings. The Russo Brothers brought him back for the opening sequence of Civil War, before he was promptly killed off in a suicide bomb attempt. The hero was confirmed dead, but it's not unlike The Russo Brothers are above bringing back long gone villains.

After all, Avengers: Infinity War shocked audiences when Captain America: The First Avenger's villain Red Skull returned after a 7 year gap from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Walking Dead actor Ross Marquand took over the role from Hugo Weaving, and fans were delighted to see the iconic villain have a part in Thanos' emotional Soul Stone scene. With the rule book thrown out and Avengers 4 slowly approaching, it wouldn't be out of left field for The Russos to bring back Crossbones, even for some sort of dream sequence.

Then again, The Russo Brothers have spoken time and time again about the importance of high stakes, and wanting to have Marvel's deaths have meaning. They're going to have to decide which of the deaths in Infinity War will stick, especially with the future of the MCU currently in flux. Bringing back even more characters like Frank Grillo's Crossbones could cheapen his impact on the shared universe, as well as the events that ultimately triggered The Sokovia Accords in Civil War.

All will be revealed when Avengers 4 arrives in theaters on March 3rd, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has introduced a lot of villains over the last nine years, most of whom have been killed off. Brock Rumlow is one of those baddies. Debuting in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and taking on the Crossbones moniker in Captain America: Civil War, he met an explosive end in the latter movie, but as those who read comic books will tell you, death isn't always permanent in these kinds of stories. With regard to Crossbones, apparently we may see him back up on his feet during Avengers 4.

Take this with a massive grain of salt, but according to a Redditor claiming to be an extra on Avengers 4 who has been posting behind-the-scenes pictures from the set, they saw "the guy who plays Crossbones," a.k.a. Frank Grillo, on set. Assuming this is true, it's unclear how Crossbones will play into Avengers 4. If he weren't dead, I might suggest he's part of a side narrative, but bringing a bad guy like that back can't simply be brushed off in such a way. Of course, then there's the question of if he's even been resurrected of if this is part of a flashback.

In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Brock Rumlow was the leader of STRIKE, the S.H.I.E.L.D. counter-terrorism unit whose members were later revealed to be HYDRA agents. During Winter Soldier's climactic conflict, a Helicarrier crashed into the building where Rumlow was fighting Falcon, and Rumlow was badly wounded. Returning in Captain America: Civil War, Rumlow, now covered in scars and going by Crossbones, had ditched HYDRA and was carrying out his own terrorist attacks. The Avengers intervened in his Lagos operation, and Crossbones died while attempting to kill Captain America with a bomb, only to have Scarlet Witch contain the explosion.

You'd think that would shut the book on Crossbones' time in the MCU, but last month, Frank Grillo implied that he might not be done playing Crossbones after all. The actor later clarified that there are no plans for him to return to the franchise, but assuming this Avengers 4 set information is legitimate, then Marvel may have found a way to bring him back in. However Crossbones fits into the picture, if at all, it certainly isn't good news for the heroes.

Just like Avengers: Infinity War, plot details for Avengers 4 are being kept under wraps, though because this is the last movie of Phase Three, it's expected to be equal in scale to Infinity War, if not bigger. Along with the Crossbones information, this same post also said there was a scene being filmed for Avengers 4 where Tony Stark is in a B.A.R.F. (Binarily Augmented Retro Framing) simulation (just like the one in Captain America: Civil War) with Harley Keener, the kid who helped him out in Iron Man 3. The two of them are studying the Battle of New York from The Avengers, with Tony trying to figure out how to use the Tesseract against Thanos. Let's hope Crossbones doesn't interfere with this strategy session.

Avengers 4 will be released in theaters on May 3, 2019. If you're interested in learning what movies are coming out sooner than that, scan through our 2017 premiere guide and 2018 premiere guide.

Nobody is ever really dead in comic books. As comic books have become movies, the same has proven true. That being said, some members of the MCU have seemed deader than others. This made it at least a little bit surprising to hear rumors that Frank Grillo's Crossbones might actually return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe down the road. If anybody in the MCU is well and truly dead, it seemed like Crossbones would be the one. Now, Grillo has clarified his previous statements so that everybody understands. There are no plans, he's aware of, that will see him back on screen. According to the actor...

It's far from uncommon for an actor's comments to taken out of context or blown out of proportion over time as the internet game of telephone gets played with every statement. Frank Grillo has previously made it clear that he would love to see Crossbones return to the MCU, and the fact that these are comic book movies certainly, in his eyes, opens up an opportunity for the character to return if and when somebody decides to do it. Grillo has also stated that something involving Crossbones will apparently be happening in the MCU at some indeterminate point in the future. Grillo never actually stated that he was part of whatever was happening, and his comments to Metro now confirm that the actor has no expectation of reprising his MCU role at this time.

Frank Grillo does say he has a long-term contract, so if anybody at Marvel does decide to bring Crossbones back, Grillo will be there. The contract itself shouldn't be taken as a sign of anything. Odds are it was signed just to make sure that possibilities were left open, and not because of any specific plans. It's possible, even likely, that nobody knew during Captain America: The Winter Soldier that Crossbones would get blown up during Civil War.

It's true that we were all a little surprised to see Crossbones reach such an (apparently) definitive end in Captain America: Civil War. Not only did he blow himself up at the beginning of the movie, he did it in front of people. Normally, those that return from death in comics have much more nebulous deaths, to begin with. Bucky fell off a train and his body was never recovered, so seeing him come back made at least a bit more sense.

Would you like to see Crossbones back in the MCU? Let us know in the poll below.

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Frank Grillo is one of those guys who is starting to become steadily more recognized by audiences all over, thanks to his roles in The Purge and Captain America franchises. He's not only recognized for his face, but also for his action chops, and Wheelman looks like it's going to be another prime entry into the actor's canon. Take a look at the trailer for the upcoming Netflix original film, below:

The action of Wheelman begins where most heist films start: Grillo's titular character is on a job ferrying two thieves to a bank robbery, his skills being counted on for a successful job. But mid-heist, a strange voice calls our protagonist with a simple ultimatum: Leave the thieves, and follow his instructions, otherwise he and his family will suffer. Naturally, for the sake of moviegoing entertainment, Frank Grillo listens to those instructions, and goes on an adventure over the course of a night.

Now you're probably having some Baby Driver flashbacks right about now, especially with Grillo's Wheelman character slipping in an earbud before beginning his job. But you're going to want to temper those feelings, as this most assuredly looks like it'll be nothing like Edgar Wright's thrilling, but also emotional, blockbuster from this summer. No, Wheelman looks like it's going to play towards Frank Grillo's eventual canonization as an action blockbuster badass, much like Charles Bronson before him. And that's perfectly OK with us, as a little bit of retro action/thriller excitement should go down smooth after the summer we've had.

It's been a pretty good year for Netflix's streaming library, with originals like Okja and more recently Gerald's Game impressing some fans. With an aggressive clip of newly added films and TV shows produced and/or distributed exclusively under the streaming service's banner, those who want entertainment on any given night don't have to run far. So naturally, when Wheelman debutes on the streaming giant's platform later this month, it'll be just in time for folks who want some hot car action on their big screen TV to be able to enjoy. Though now that we think about it, a Baby Driver and Wheelman double feature might make for some interesting headcanon.

Wheelman heads to Netflix on October 20th, but if you're looking for what else is heading down the line for Netflix, feel free to take a look at our schedule.

It has long been said that death is seldom permanent in the world of comic books, and that mentality definitely tends to translate to comic book movies, as well. Characters who perish in the line of duty have a habit of coming back time and time again, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become a prime example of that phenomenon. Now it looks like that tradition may not slow down anytime soon, as Captain America: Civil War actor Frank Grillo recently opened up and admitted that Crossbones might not be finished in the MCU. The Purge: Election Year star explained:

It would be hard to deny that seeing Crossbones (who initially debuted in Captain America: The Winter Soldier) come back for a proper sendoff could be a good thing for many fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The character's presence in Captain America: Civil War was teased (primarily through leaked set photos) as a major aspect of the film's narrative; still, he found himself unceremoniously blown up only a few minutes into the movie's story. Crossbones is a major Captain America villain, so seeing the deep cover Hydra operative return for one more adventure would definitely satisfy a portion of the fanbase.

The return of Crossbones could also be notable for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Univers because of his importance to Cap himself. Crossbones' biggest claim to fame in the pages of Marvel Comics arguably is his murder of Steve Rogers in Mark Millar's Civil War arc -- which obviously didn't happen in the film adaptation of the story. With Crossbones now potentially coming back, that plot point could now be back on the table as a viable direction for the MCU.

Of course, it is worth remembering that Frank Grillo's comments to Forbes are vague enough to mean a number of possibilities. The general assumption to make based off of these remarks is there is still a future for Brock Rumlow to return on the silver screen, but Marvel's reach definitely extends beyond its films. With an entire pantheon of video games, TV shows, and even amusement park rides to introduce Crossbones in, a movie is not the only avenue to use Grillo at this point.

At this stage, it is anyone's guess as to whether or not Frank Grillo will return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Brock Rumlow. For now, we can confirm that his arch nemesis, Captain America, will return in The Avengers: Infinity War on May 4, 2018. For more information on all of the most highly anticipated silver screen debuts, as well as our movie premiere guide.

The power and influence of the foreign box office has grown substantially over the course of the last few years, with China leading the pack as one of the largest markets on the planet. Films that barely make a dent in the United States can see wild success in other countries, and the action genre has become one of the most reliable sources for box office gold on a global scale. However, the international market has seldom seen anything like one of its current champions, as the Frank Grillo-fronted Chinese action thriller Wolf Warriors 2 has already pulled in almost half a billion dollars after only two weeks in theaters.

While many members of the American audience may not have even heard of director Wu Jing's Wolf Warriors 2, the film has done some insane business overseas over the course of the last two weeks. The film brought in $163 over the weekend, and it has earned roughly $470 million throughout its theatrical run. Because the movie has only been in theaters for two weekends, something tells us that it has plenty more money left to earn.

The Variety report on Wolf Warriors 2's overseas gross arguably becomes even more impressive when we consider the scale of the first film's box office performance. Despite the overwhelming success of Wolf Warriors 2, the first entry in the franchise only pulled in $89 million during its entire theatrical run. For a film to almost double that number in its second weekend clearly seems to serve as a reliable indication that the franchise is doing something right, as well as the fact that the overseas market is continuing to grow in prominence.

In some ways, Frank Grillo has become a man with a subtle golden touch for films of all shapes and sizes. He had a major role in Gavin O'Connor's critically praised MMA flick, Warrior; he portrayed Brock "Crossbones" Rumlow in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War, and he even starred in arguably the two best entries in The Purge franchise in 2014 and 2016. While he hasn't necessarily entered A-list leading man territory yet, it's pretty clear that he has handily become one of the action genre's most reliable supporting players.

It also doesn't hurt that Wolf Warriors 2 looks like the type of bombastic action thriller that does very well overseas. Focusing on a group of elite special forces operatives, the film follows its heroes as they engage in a deadly battle against a group of mercenaries targeting civilians in a coastal town. It's a simple premise, but simple premises often work incredibly well when a film wants to defy language and culture barriers. Throw in Frank Grillo, and you've got yourself a hit.

CinemaBlend will keep you posted with more box office news as new updates become available. As for upcoming releases, make sure to check out our 2017 movie premiere guide!

The past few years have been pretty great ones in regards to the horror genre. Exciting new franchises and standalone movies are being produced that don't rely on the common tropes of the past. In regards to franchises, few modern horror films have been quite as original and exciting as The Purge franchise. Set in the not so distant future, The Purge is an anthology series which focuses on a United States which allows all forms of crime, including murder, once a year. This "purge" apparently cleanses the fire from within, making way for a more utopian country where unemployment and crime are at an all time low.

Actor Frank Grillo has starred in the past two Purge movies, making him essentially the series star. Many assumed that Grillo would be back for the next inevitable installment, but now it appears he might not. Grillo recently spoke to Collider, where he revealed he may not be returning to the franchise.

Frank Grillo is referring to James DeMonaco, who is basically the guy behind the entire Purge franchise. DeMonaco created the brand as a whole, and has also written and directed all three installments to date. But with DeMonaco hinting that he wants less involvement moving forward, Grillo might want to jump ship.

While I've enjoyed seeing Frank Grillo kick ass and take names in The Purge: Anarchy and The Purge: Election Year, I'm not sure the franchise really needs his character to return. While his first appearance featured an important arc regarding forgiveness and perseverance, the third movie was not really about him. Sure, he was technically the "star" and spent the movie protecting Elizabeth Mitchell's Charlie Roan around on Purge Night, but Grillo's character didn't really grow or change at all. He's the same ass kicker, but with a better job.

In the same conversation with Collider, Frank Grillo revealed that he was originally thrilled to be starring in a franchise of his own. And while latest installment, The Purge: Election Year, was the biggest and most successful, Grillo isn't sure if he wanted to participate in a third movie. He supports the franchise and wants it to continue, he's just not sure if he'd like to personally commit.

But all hope is not lost. Frank Grillo revealed that he may return if James DeMonaco is once again involved, and creates a great script. So while it's likely that DeMonaco isn't directing the fourth film, if he ends up writing it then Grillo just may stick around.

Stay here with CinemaBlend for updates on The Purge franchise, which may or may not include Frank Grillo.

Longtime comic book readers know that death is rarely permanent in superhero worlds. Heroes and villains die all the time, but most of them usually return, be it though mystical/science-fiction resurrection, reality re-writes, their deaths having been faked, etc. However, when it comes to superhero cinematic universes, the death rules are more strict than they are the printed page, so if someone bites the dust, it's more likely to stick. That's now confirmed once and for all to be the case for Brock Rumlow, a.k.a. Crossbones, who exited explosively last year in Captain America: Civil War.

While talking about how he's unlikely to return for another Purge movie, Frank Grillo told Collider that there's no chance of him reprising Crossbones. He even implied that there was talk of him coming back, but he turned down the opportunity to return. Grillo said:

The last time moviegoers saw Crossbones on the big screen, he had detonated his explosive vest to try to take out Captain America along with him. Scarlet Witch managed to lift the mercenary into the air and keep the explosion away from Steve Rogers and the citizens on the ground, but the blast took out a building nearby, killing many inside, including several Wakandan citizens. This event was the final push to convince the world's governments to enact legislation regulating enhanced beings, thus kicking off Captain America: Civil War's main conflict.

Being caught in the middle of an explosion is about a direct way to go out as possible, even more so than having a building fall on you in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. That said, there's still a slim chance that Crossbones could have been included in a future Marvel movie. After all, with Thanos coming soon with the power of the six Infinity Stones at his disposal, maybe he could have been resurrected. Or, as a simpler solution, he could have been seen in a flashback. However, Frank Grillo made it clear that he doesn't want to return to the MCU, as there's nothing else meaningful for him to do in this franchise, and he's ready to exit "the party." So for those of you who were nursing a glimmer of hope for more Crossbones in the continuously growing MCU, extinguish it now.

Although Crossbones is out of the picture for good, his nemesis, Captain America, will return alongside almost every other Marvel hero when Avengers: Infinity War is released on May 4, 2018.