Major spoilers for Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man are ahead! Read with caution, and stream both the original series and this movie with a Netflix subscription.

The premiere of Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man on Netflix’s 2026 schedule marked the end of an era for Cillian Murphy’s iconic character, Tommy Shelby. After six seasons of fighting, his story came to a close at the hands of his son, Duke (Barry Keoghan), and Tim Roth’s villain Beckett. So, I asked Roth about filming this final moment, and he told me why it left him thinking, “People are gonna fucking hate me.”

At the end of The Immortal Man, Tommy Shelby dies. In a lot of ways, this frees him, as his son Duke delivers the final shot that ultimately kills him. However, it's Beckett who fires the shots that lead to this tragic fate. When I asked Roth about his thoughts regarding this moment in the new streaming movie, he said:

To be the guy who takes down Tommy Shelby will certainly lead to strong feelings from fans. Plus, the way it happens is quite visceral, as Beckett drives a car full-speed ahead at Tommy while shooting his gun. Ultimately, he does hit the former leader of the Peaky Blinders, but Murphy’s character gets the last shot, as he ultimately kills Beckett with a bullet to the head.

That’s what leads to Duke tackling Tommy out of the way. However, the damage is done, and Tommy asks his son to kill him, marking the end of his story.

Thinking about all this and the history and baggage that comes with Peaky Blinders, Roth was aware of the pressure surrounding this situation. To that point, he said:

I mean, to be the guy (partially) responsible for the death of Tommy Shelby would leave me feeling overwhelmed and maybe laughing too.

However, it’s also a great way for the character to go out. As I noted in my review of The Immortal Man, the closure this movie gives to Tommy’s story is fantastic. That’s specifically because its done in a way that highlights his relationship with his son and the legacy of the Peaky Blinders. That father-son relationship is also what Pulp Fiction actor found fascinating about all this, as he told me:

Throughout the project that was released on the 2026 movie schedule, Beckett uses Duke’s relationship with Tommy to his own advantage. He manipulates Duke’s estranged relationship with his dad, and that gets him what he wants (until it doesn’t). Overall, it’s a fascinating dynamic all around, and I totally agree with Roth, as he told me that he found all this “intriguing.”

Overall, I see why Beckett's shooting Tommy left Roth feeling like fans would hate him. I mean, he is the character who helped put an end to the immortal man. However, I also think this was a very poetic way for Tommy to go out.

As Roth’s character manipulated and used Duke, Tommy returned to Birmingham for one final battle. And I think it was all one epic way for this Peaky Blinder's story to conclude.

I’m not going to debate with anybody on what Tarantino's best movie is–It’s Pulp Fiction.

However, when it comes to ranking the rest of his movies, you can start having discussions. While Tarantino has never made a bad movie (Death Proof has its merits!), he has so many good ones that you could make an argument for any movie in his filmography as his next best film.

However, while some flicks always float close to the top–Inglourious Basterds, Kill Bill, and Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood are usually next in line–I, for one, have always felt that his eighth film, The Hateful Eight, is his next best movie after Pulp Fiction, and I don’t think it gets nearly enough credit. Here’s why.

The Movie Does So Much With So Little

By every metric, one might say that The Hateful Eight is rather small in nature. I mean, why wouldn’t they? Taking place almost entirely in one location, The Hateful Eight’s closest cousin is probably Reservoir Dogs when it comes to the size and scope of its setting.

This might be why I love The Hateful Eight, since Reservoir Dogs is my third favorite Tarantino film. The story takes place in a haberdashery in the middle of a terrible storm. In one of his best roles, Tarantino regular Samuel L. Jackson plays a bounty hunter named Major Marquis Warren with three corpses in tow.

By happenstance, he meets up with his old friend, John Ruth - “The Hangman” - played by Kurt Russell, in a stagecoach. Ruth is currently handcuffed to the fugitive “Crazy” Daisy Domergue (played expertly by Jennifer Jason Leigh), on the way to having her hanged, and a new sheriff named Chris Mannix (Played by Walter Goggins) hitches a ride with them. They’re all going their separate ways, but the storm gets so bad that they end up at the haberdashery together, along with four (or so we’re led to believe) others.

And, that’s it. It doesn’t seem like much, but what follows is one of the wildest rides Tarantino has ever taken us on. A lot of this is because the tensions are sky high, as there’s racial tension (Which I’ll get into later), but also the tension of former Confederate soldiers in the same tight space as Northerners.

The events that follow are like a powder keg. And, even though it’s not as bombastic as World War II (Inglourious Basterds), as expansive as slavery (Django Unchained), or one of the best martial arts movies of all time (Kill Bill), it still manages to be Tarantino’s second most thrilling movie for me, right after Pulp Fiction. It’s that good.

It Is Samuel L. Jackson's Second Best Tarantino Character, Right After Jules Winnfield

One could argue that the best role in Samuel L. Jackson’s career was as Jules Winnfield. Effortlessly cool and ruthless, but also the kind of guy who could change, Jackson’s role in Pulp Fiction is the kind of career-defining role that only comes once in an actor’s lifetime…if they’re lucky.

Jackson has found himself in most of Tarantino’s films, but The Hateful Eight is arguably his only leading role (Pulp Fiction comes close, but there are so many moving pieces in that movie that I don’t feel comfortable calling him the main protagonist).

In The Hateful Eight, he plays a conniving bounty hunter who makes friends with white people by showing them a fake letter from Abraham Lincoln. He’s also the kind of guy who would goad a racist into pulling out his gun by telling him an elaborate tale of how he sexually abused and killed his son.

And all the while, you can tell he’s having a good time the whole way through. He’s the kind of character who you feel that Tarantino must have written the role with him in mind, and Jackson delivers each line with the kind of verve and attitude that only he can.

I loved Jackson in Jackie Brown, but I think this is Jackson’s second-best role in a Tarantino film. He’s just so much fun to spend time with.

This Movie Has Some Of Tarantino's Best Dialogue…Though It's SUPER Problematic

I was really upset when I heard that Tarantino’s supposed tenth and final film, The Movie Critic, was canceled. This is mostly because I look forward to every Tarantino flick since it means that we’ll get some of the best dialogue in the business.

And, speaking of some of the best dialogue, I think that The Hateful Eight has some of Tarantino’s finest…but I say that with a caveat. Even though I really love the conversations in this film (you can really hear the different walks of life of every character by the way they speak), I also think this is one of Tarantino’s most problematic screenplays, and it’s mostly because of the racial tension in the film.

Now, look. I get it. This is a film with a Black lead character and racist people from the South. And, with Tarantino’s 7th movie, Django Unchained, we had actors like Leonardo DiCaprio (In one of his best movies) dropping the N-word on more than one occasion. Hell, Tarantino himself dropped the N-word in Pulp Fiction. It’s something he’s been criticized a lot for in the past.

That said, it just feels particularly icky in The Hateful Eight. Maybe it’s because of the context. In Django Unchained, we had a slave who rose up and took vengeance. But, with the Civil War having ended by the start of The Hateful Eight, it just feels a bit worse.

That said, the dialogue is still authentic, even with how uncomfortable it makes me feel (It definitely isn’t satisfying like Django Unchained). Outside of the racism, though, it’s just a joy to listen to, probably more than any other Tarantino film for me.

The Ensemble Cast Is Probably The Best Tarantino Has Ever Assembled

I think there’s something to be said for a director who always seems to have the best actors in their films. One could argue that Tarantino himself just manages to use actors to their full potential (Like, what American even knew who Cristoph Waltz was until he delivered his Oscar-winning performance in Inglourious Basterds?).

That said, I think there’s even more to be said of a director who can not only use the best actors, but also have them work in an ensemble cast. I mean, that takes immeasurable talent, but Tarantino has done it on multiple occasions. Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction, and Jackie Brown all showcase great ensemble casts, and they all work.

Aside from Pulp Fiction, I think The Hateful Eight has the best cast that Tarantino has ever assembled. And that’s because each actor has something to offer. I’ve already talked about Jackson, but Kurt Russell is fantastic as “The Hangman.” He’s both stalwart, but also a little dim. Bruce Dern as a dying Confederate General has a real spark, and Tim Roth worms his way into the story in the best way possible.

As one of the only females in the film, Jennifer Jason Leigh was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance, and it was well-warranted.

I mean, just across the board, everybody’s great, which is important, since this is one of Tarantino’s most challenging films to watch.

It Goes Down As Tarantino's Most Mean-Spirited-But Also One Of His Most Fun-Movies In His Filmography

I just said that The Hateful Eight is challenging to watch, and it is. But, not because it’s not fun, as it's very fun. The scene with the poisoned coffee while Ennio Morricone’s music plays (Did I mention the soundtrack is amazing?!), is one of my favorite moments in any Tarantino film ever.

Even so, The Hateful Eight is a really mean-spirited movie. The abuse Jennifer Jason Leigh’s character goes through is hard to stomach, even despite her evil ways, and the way the film ends on such a down note really doesn’t make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

And, as I already mentioned, the racism is a bit harsh in this film. None of the characters are good people, and to have them all stuck in one claustrophobic environment really does start to wear on you after a while.

So, even though I love this movie, I have to admit that it’s a hard film to sit through. But that also makes it even more interesting since it’s such a pleasure to watch, even when you’re wincing all the way through. What art!

But, what do you think? Are you somebody who also gives The Hateful Eight its flowers? For more news on all things Tarantino-related, be sure to swing by here often.

It is not unusual for an actor just starting out in the business to film scenes for a movie that, ultimately, never see the light of the day. In fact, it's not out of the ordinary for that same thing to happen to an established A-lister either. See for yourself by taking a look at some of the biggest stars you did not realize were almost in some of your favorite film, if not for the magic of editing.

Ana De Armas (Yesterday)

Yesterday is a universe-altering movie that takes place in a reality in which the Beatles never existed. Coincidentally, there exists an alternate cut of the film featuring Ana de Armas as a Late Late Show guest Himesh Patel’s Jack Malik romantically sings “Something” to. Per writer, Richard Curtis explained that the character was cut to avoid making Jack’s relationship with Ellie (Lily James) any more complicated. Though De Armas did appear in the trailer, and fans pursued legal action against Universal over the marketing.

Kevin Costner (The Big Chill) 

In one of the best movies of the ‘80s, The Big Chill, a group of friends reunite for the funeral of their friend, Alex, who was supposed to be played by the future Oscar-winning star and director of Dances with Wolves (pictured), Kevin Costner. Star Jeff Goldblum told Yahoo! that the Yellowstone cast member was “wonderful” in a flashback scene that was ultimately cut from the 1983 ensemble dramedy, in which his character finds himself reluctant to carve a Thanksgiving turkey and ruin its perfection.

Christopher Lee (The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King)

One of the most important characters from the Lord of the Rings movies, Saruman, is not in the third installment, The Return of the King. Per Ain’t It Cool News, Peter Jackson felt his scene — which was originally shot for The Two Towers — served as more of a wrap-up to the previous film than a suitable beginning for this one. While appearing at University College Dublin, Saruman actor Christopher Lee shared how shocked he was to learn his scene from the Best Picture Oscar winner — in which he stands off against the Fellowship — was cut before recommending the crowd “buy the extended DVDs.”

Harrison Ford (E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial)

Steven Spielberg told EW that, as a favor to him and writer Melissa Mathison (also his then-girlfriend), Harrison Ford shot a scene for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial as Elliot’s (Henry Thomas) school principal that can be found on YouTube today. It never made the final cut of the 1982 box office smash, but know that had it been included, the star of the Indiana Jones movies (pictured) still would have gone mostly unseen as the camera never shows his face.

Andy García (Dangerous Minds)

Andy García told BlogTalkRadio (via Express) that when he was approached to star in 1995’s Dangerous Minds as a love interest for Michelle Pfeiffer’s inner city teacher, Louanne Johnson, he openly expressed that he found the role unnecessary. Still, the star of Father of the Bride (pictured) shot the scenes that were written for him (but not included in the initial script). But they were indeed removed from the final cut.

James Gandolfini (Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close)

The late James Gandolfini shot scenes for 2011’s Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close as a man Sandra Bullock’s widowed character meets at a 9/11 victims support group meeting. The Sopranos cast member (pictured) was even credited on the Oscar-nominated drama’s poster. According to the LA Times — his role was removed following a poor test audience reception.

Eric Stoltz (Back to the Future)

One of the most infamous examples of an actor cut from a movie — save one frame — is Eric Stoltz, who led the Back to the Future cast for about a month before director Robert Zemeckis and others realized his “intense” approach to the role was not working. As Collider recalls, Zemeckis got approval to reshoot most of the movie and replace Stoltz with their initial choice, Michael J. Fox, whose performance in the time travel movie classic as Marty McFly is iconic.

Ashley Judd (Natural Born Killers)

In a sequence cut from Natural Born Killers (which can be found on YouTube), Ashley Judd plays Grace Mulberry — the sole survivor of Mickey (Woody Harrelson) and Mallory Knox’s (Juliette Lewis) mass teenager murder. She appears in court to be personally cross-examined by Mickey, who then stabs her to death with a pencil on the stand. In an interview for Metrograph, director Oliver Stone recalls removing it for its “length, and violence,” but now believes the “touching” scene belongs in the controversial 1994 satire.

Tobey Maguire (Life Of Pi)

In 2012’s adaptation of the novel, Life of Pi, the title character (portrayed as an older man by Irrfan Khan) recalls his unbelievable story of survival to a writer, played by English actor, Rafe Spall. However, according to USA Today, the role was originally played by Tobey Maguire until director Ang Lee decided the sSpider-Man star (pictured) was too distractingly recognizable and opted for reshoots. 

Chris Cooper (The Ring)

Anyone who ever wondered who Naomi Watts’ Rachel passes the curse tape along to at the end of The Ring should know it was Chris Cooper. The Oscar-winning star of Adaptation. (pictured) told Sci-Fi Wire (via MovieHole) that he shot bookend scenes for the 2002 horror movie classic. One establishes his character as a serial killer and the other shows him receiving the tape. Both were cut for disrupting the flow.

Shailene Woodley (The Amazing Spider-Man 2)

The Amazing Spider-Man franchise was meant to introduce of Shailene Woodley as Mary-Jane Watson to Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker. Per MovieWeb, the Divergent star did shoot a cameo for TASM 2, which was later cut so she could officially debut in the next film — a plan ruined when the franchise was cancelled completely.

Robert Pattinson (Vanity Fair)

Before Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson played lovers in Water for Elephants, they played mother and son in the 2004 period drama, Vanity Fair. But the then-teenage actor — who went on to hit it big in Twilight (pictured) — was cut from the move, which he discovered while attending the premiere, according to his 2017 W Magazine interview.

Skeet Ulrich (Cursed)

The 2005 werewolf movie, Cursed, marked a reunion for director Wes Craven, writer Kevin Williamson, and original Scream cast member Skeet Ulrich that audiences never saw. According to MovieHole (via Killer Movies), Ulrich — also known for Riverdale (pictured) — was removed in lieu of studio-optioned rewrites and reshoots. But in 2022, the Scream fan site, Hello Sidney, revealed his role via stills from an unreleased director's cut.

Michael Biehn (Terminator 2: Judgment Day)

Despite Kyle Reese' death in 1984’s The Terminator, Michael Biehn reprised the role in the 1991 sequel, which is now regarded one of the greatest action movies of all time. However, according to ScreenRant, the sequence — in which he comes to Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) in a dream — was cut from Terminator 2: Judgment Day to maintain a tighter pace, but was later restored for an extended special edition. 

Angela Bassett (Mr. & Mrs. Smith)

Technically, Angela Bassett is in Mr. & Mrs. Smith, but her part as Brad Pitt’s boss was originally meant to be more than an uncredited voice role. On YouTube, you can find deleted scenes from Doug Liman’s 2004 romantic action-comedy with the two-time Oscar nominee appearing in person alongside Keith David as Father.

Adrien Brody (The Thin Red Line)

Several major actors had their roles were either severely trimmed or completely removed from Terrence Malick’s 1998 war epic, The Thin Red Line, like including Mickey Rourke and George Clooney, as ScreenRant recalls. However, Academy Award-winner Adrien Brody’s character, Cpl. Fife, was the central lead of James Jones' original novel and had even done press for the film when he discovered right before the premiere that he was barely in it, per The Independent (via Eskimo).

Mick Jagger (Fitzcarraldo)

Mick Jagger’s underrated acting skills were praised by Werner Herzog (per Playboy, via The Local), who cast the rock star in his 1982 adventure film, Fitzcarraldo. Unfortunately, according to Far Out, multiple problems facing the production — including star Jason Robards’ dysyntery, as the New York Times reported — caused a delay that interfered with The Rolling Stone's touring schedule. Thus, Herzog was forced to recast Robards’ title role with Klaus Kinski and write Jagger’s character out entirely.

Matt Damon (Ocean's 8)

Ocean’s 8 had some fun cameos from members of Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Eleven cast — namely Elliott Gould’s Rueben and Shaobo Qin as Yen — but we almost saw more. In addition to the late Carl Reiner telling Vanity Fair he filmed a scene with Sandra Bullock, THR reports that Matt Damon's cameo as Linus Caldwell from the 2001 heist favorite (pictured) was taken out due to “editorial and storytelling reasons,” as director Gary Ross claimed. The article does, however, mention a petition to remove Damon following comments he made about the #MeToo movement and Harvey Weinstein scandal.

Michelle Monaghan (Constantine, Syriana)

When Michelle Monaghan spoke to MovieHole to promote Mission: Impossible III, it was mentioned that she was removed from two different movies released in 2005: Constantine and Syriana. The fantasy comic book movie did preserve one of her scenes, but she's nowhere to be found in Steven Soderbergh’s Oscar-winning political drama, which already had many storylines to juggle, as Monaghan herself mentioned.

Tim Roth (Once Upon A Time In Hollywood)

Tim Roth is in many of Quentin Tarantino’s best movies — including Pulp Fiction (pictured) — and came very close to joining 2019’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. But Tarantino was orced to remove Roth's part to avoid a five-hour runtime. Roth did share in an interview with Uproxx that he appreciated, at least, being mentioned in the credits as “cut.”

Ellen Pompeo (Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind) 

As a video essay by Film Radar demonstrates, if Ellen Pompeo role’s in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind had not been removed, we would have seen Michel Gondry’s trippy romantic sci-fi dramedy in a whole different light. In deleted scenes, the Grey’s Anatomy star plays Naomi — the woman Jim Carrey’s Joel left for Clementine (Kate Winslet) and whom he reconciles with after his memory wipe. Though he leaves her again when he meets Clementine on the train, unaware he has done this before.

Paul Rudd (Bridesmaids)

The Bridesmaids cast included plenty of funny people, but did you know Paul Rudd was also part of it for a moment? Director Paul Feig told EW he “felt bad” cutting the Ant-Man actor’s darkly funny cameo as Annie’s (co-writer Kristen Wiig) deranged blind date, but did so to shave down the runtime and avoid distracting from Annie’s love triangle with Ted (Jon Hamm) and Rhodes (Chris O’Dowd).

Katherine Langford (Avengers: Endgame)

In a deleted scene from Avengers: Endgame, immediately after Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) “snaps” Thanos (Josh Brolin) away, he is given the chance to say one final goodbye to an older version of his daughter, Morgan (Katherine Langford), in the Soulworld. At least the sequence’s omission gives Langford a chance to play a different Marvel character at some point, hopefully.

Uma Thurman (Savages) 

The 2012 crime drama Savages could have been touted as a reunion between John Travolta and Uma Thurman, who first worked together on Pulp Fiction (pictured), had the latter’s role as Ophelia’s (Blake Lively) mother not been removed. Director Oliver Stone revealed to Huff Post that Paqu was actually one of several character from Don Winslow’s novel did not make it into the movie due to time constraints.

Amy Poehler (Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy)

When mentioning her axed cameo as a bank teller in 2004’s Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy with Vulture, Amy Poehler admits she correctly predicted the movie was already too long to keep her scene, which also featured fellow SNL star Maya Rudolph as a gang leader. Thankfully, the Parks and Rec cast member did appear in the 2013 sequel alongside her buddy, Tina Fey.

Rachel Weisz (To The Wonder)

In 2012, Rachel Weisz spoke to La Stampa (via EW) about how she had the pleasure of working with Terrence Malick on To the Wonder, but would “not have the pleasure of seeing [her] work.” For unknown reasons, the Oscar-winning star of The Constant Gardener (pictured) was removed from the romantic drama starring Ben Affleck and Olga Kurylenko. And she wasn't alone, as IndieWire later reported that Barry Pepper, Michael Sheen and Amanda Peet were also missing from the final cut.

Viggo Mortenson (The Purple Rose Of Cairo)

One of the first movies Academy Award nominee Viggo Mortenson worked on was Woody Allen’s 1985 fantasy rom-com, The Purple Rose of Cairo. The star of the Lord of the Rings movies (pictured) spoke to ABC News' Peter Travers about how his frustrating experience shooting the film turned out to be meaningless since he was edited out the movie after it was released.

Matthew Fox (World War Z)

The 2013 adaptation of Max Brooks’ World War Z was plagued by rewrites and reshoots that resulted in an entirely new third act from what was intended. As a result, Lost cast member Matthew Fox’s role as a paratrooper was scaled down to just one line of dialogue, which may have been disappointing for the self-proclaimed fan of the OG book, per Huff Post.

Jack Whitehall (Frozen)

In a clip shared to Jack Whitehall’s official YouTube channel, the British comedian shares with an audience how his one-line role as a troll in Disney’s Oscar-winning animated film, Frozen, was reduced to a non-speaking part. The Jungle Cruise cast member and star of Clifford the Big Red Dog (pictured) goes on to say that, after discovering his line was removed when he first saw the movie, a friend of his found a photo of him at a Frozen press junket and meme-ified it. 

James Van Der Beek (Storytelling)

Tom Solondz’s 2002 anthology dramedy, Storytelling, consists of two segments dealing with various challenging topics, but there were original three. As EW reported, the omitted third chapter starred James Van Der Beek — known for being part of the Dawson’s Creek cast and Varsity Blues (pictured) — as a high school football player discovering he's gay.

Sienna Miller (Black Mass)

Before the 2015 crime thriller released, it was already confirmed tha Sienna Miller had been cut from Black Mass. She was cast as Catherine Greig, who had a relationship infamous gangster, Whitey Bulger (played by Johnny Depp in the film). Director Scott Cooper admitted to The Boston Globe that it was a difficult decision to remove the English actor -- then best known for American Sniper (pictured) -- but it ultimately “came down to narrative choices.”

Jena Malone (Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice)

Following previous rumors that she would play Robin, Jena Malone’s comic book movie debut in Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice actually never made it to the big screen. Luckily, her role as head S.T.A.R. Labs scientist Jenet Klyburn — first revealed in leaked footage —  would be included in the 2016 DC movie’s three-hour “Ultimate Cut."

So if your friends ever quiz you about has or hasn't starred in major movies, this list should provide you with some interesting loopholes.

Today the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the biggest movie franchise in the world, but it didn’t get there without a few missteps. Not all the early movies were massive hits, to the point that some movies, like The Incredible Hulk, while they were still “canon” were largely ignored as time went on. But Tim Roth's Emil Blonsky made a big return to the MCU in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, and if Marvel will have him, he’d like to appear in other future projects, including the Deadpool franchise.

MCU fans were somewhat surprised to see the Abomination appear in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings considering we hadn’t seen him since the second MCU movie ever. Tim Roth himself then appeared in She-Hulk. The actor tells ScreenRant that right now he doesn’t know if there are any plans for him to return to the MCU, but he knows exactly where he would like to appear in the future. Roth explains… 

It sounds like if and when Marvel Studios calls, Tim Roth will answer. He says he wasn’t expecting ever getting that call again, but he enjoyed working on She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, and so is up for whatever else may come down the road.

And honestly, seeing Emil Blonsky appear in the upcoming Disney movie Deadpool 3 (what a wild sentence that is) wouldn’t be the craziest idea in the world. She-Hulk was the most comedy-focused entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date, so seeing Blonsky make the jump from that to Deadpool’s MCU debut would just keep the character in the same tone of a story where we last saw him. 

And it’s not like seeing the Abomination randomly appear in Deadpool 3 would be that crazy. Once you have Hugh Jackman reprising his role as Wolverine in the film, nothing else is going to be that shocking. We could see Deadpool 3 stacked with MCU cameos, both the consequential and the ridiculous. At this point, we have no real idea what the new movie will be about, including whether it will really be designed as a chapter in the MCU story or be more of a stand-alone product.

There are other characters from The Incredible Hulk who are getting to make big returns to the MCU, so we certainly can’t discount the possibility of more Tim Roth down the road. The future of the Hulk or She-Hulk in the MCU is less than clear, there are no specific projects for them that have been officially announced, but I'm sure Deadpool will be happy to host him.

In June 2008, just a month after Iron Man launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the second chapter of this superhero franchise unfolded with The Incredible Hulk. The Marvel movie saw Tim Roth’s Emil Blonsky injected with a different variation of the Super Soldier Serum to combat Edward Norton’s Bruce Banner in his monstrous form, and then later getting a transfusion of Banner’s blood to become The Abomination. Ultimately Hulk managed to vanquish Abomination, but while speaking with CinemaBlend, Roth shared that there was originally going to be more shown regarding his character’s fate at the end of The Incredible Hulk.

When we last saw Blonsky/Abomination in The Incredible Hulk, he was laying defeated on the ground, with the military arriving to take him into custody. During his conversation with our own Sean O’Connell on behalf of his reprisal as Blonsky in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Tim Roth revealed that the way the movie’s original ending was conceived, he would have been tossed into a special kind of prison. As Roth recalled:

Although Abomination was said to be incarcerated in a cryo-cell at The Vault during a Season 1 episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (whether that show counts as part of the official MCU canon is debatable), had The Incredible Hulk’s original ending been brought to life, we would seen him brimming with rage at the bottom of the ocean. That’s certainly an effective way to ensure that Abomination is kept away from the general public and leave him brimming with rage until we picked back up with him in The Incredible Hulk 2. When Sean O’Connell asked Tim Roth to elaborate on this moment, the actor responded:

Alas, given the complications surrounding the Hulk film rights between Marvel Studios and Universal Pictures, The Incredible Hulk 2 never happened, and these days, Bruce Banner, now being played by Mark Ruffalo, serve as either an ensemble player in Avengers movies or a supporting character in projects led by other protagonists. However, as Tim Roth noted, we eventually did get to see Emil Blonsy in a maximum security prison thanks to She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, though this is a land-based facility run by the Department of Damage Control. Between that or an underwater box, Blonsky’s lucky he ended up in the former.

After being absent from the MCU for over a decade, Abomination made his big return in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, with the character, who now looks more like his comic book counterpart, battling Wong at the Macau fight club. Tim Roth provided vocals for Abomination’s Shang-Chi appearance, but She-Hulk: Attorney at Law marks him fully reprising the character since The Incredible Hulk, and unlike Emil Blonsky in the comics, the MCU’s Blonsky is able to switch between forms. I won’t share any She-Hulk spoilers here other than to say that Blonsky has a different perspective on life compared to his attitude in The Incredible Hulk.

New episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law drop Thursdays to Disney+ subscribers, who also have access to most of the other MCU movies. The Incredible Hulk, however, is not one of them, and you’ll need an HBO Max subscription to stream it.

You never truly know when any of the numerous characters from the history of Marvel movies are going to show up. In recent years, we’ve seen folks like Ben Kingsley’s Trevor Slattery and, more recently, Tim Roth’s Abomination/Emil Blonsky poke their heads into the MCU after supposedly disappearing. So naturally a lot of people are wondering if Sam Rockwell’s Justin Hammer could have a Marvel future, and the man himself has an answer that shows off just how good of a dancer he happens to be. 

Our own Sean O’Connell got to speak with Rockwell during the press rounds for Searchlight Pictures’ upcoming comedic whodunnit See How They Run. That discussion turned towards Sam Rockwell's potential future of the MCU, as the franchise has been resurfacing former foes left and right. This was apparently news to Rockwell, as he gave CinemaBlend the following answer to this pressing question:

Well, if that isn’t a wonderful dance around the subject. It’s not surprising, as comic movie veterans of all stripes are usually shy to comment on their potential returns. Before the release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, we saw some prime footwork from Kevin Costner, who also politely refused to comment on a similar query about any sort of reprisal of Jonathan Kent. 

However, the recent phase of Marvel Cinematic Universe projects and news has made Justin Hammer’s fate all the more intriguing. As noted previously, Tim Roth’s Abomination has been featured in both Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, as well as more recently in an episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Before this resurgence, Roth’s character was last seen in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, which has prompted many a Marvel fan to brush up on Abomination’s place in the MCU.

Though strangely enough, Trevor Slattery from Iron Man 3 bridges both Abomination and Justin Hammer in a fun way. Ben Kingsley's actor/would-be Mandarin also featured in Shang-Chi, but was notably revived in the 2014 Marvel One-Shot All Hail the King; which saw Slattery in the same supervillain jail as Sam Rockwell's Justin Hammer. 

The Marvel Cinematic Universe's past is coming back into focus, and it’s fitting considering how Phase 4 has been acknowledged as the big reset for the future. Sam Rockwell’s Justin Hammer certainly has room to breathe in this big launchpad to the next step of MCU history. All that has to happen is for Kevin Feige to find the right spot to slot him into the action, and Tony Stark’s nemesis will be dancing again in no time. That is, if he hasn't already done so, and we're just not privy to such a decision. 

In the meantime, you can catch Sam Rockwell leading an all-star ensemble in See How They Run, which brings the whodunnit back to the big screen starting September 16th. For a look at what else is on the horizon at the movies, check out the listing of upcoming movies headed to a theater near you. 

Meanwhile, if you’re trying to keep all the MCU threads in order, you can revisit movies like Iron Man 2, provided you’re a Disney+ subscriber. Though if you’re looking for 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, you’ll need to go to HBO Max at the time of this writing. 

When it comes to the latest and greatest Marvel Cinematic Universe television shows on Disney+, the newest addition is one that I think all of us are excited for, and that’s She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. That’s right, we’ve finally gotten She-Hulk in the MCU and I’m sure you’re going to love her when she’s angry. 

But with so many talented names on this list for this great new 2022 TV premiere, you have seen them somewhere beforehand for sure. Here is where you might have seen the She-Hulk: Attorney At Law cast before. 

Tatiana Maslany (Jennifer Walters)

Starting off with the star, we have Tatiana Maslany, who plays the titular She-Hulk in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, otherwise known as Jennifer Walters. Maslany has done plenty in both movies and television. Her biggest role was starring in the television series, Orphan Black, where she played several different characters, but she’s done plenty of other work as well. 

She's also appeared on TV shows Heartland, Being Eric, Perry Mason, and also had a main role in the Rhea Seehorn-led animated show, The Harper House. In terms of movies, Maslany has appeared in a variety of them, including but not limited to The Vow, Diary of the Dead, Woman in Gold, Stronger, Destroyer, The Other Half and many others. 

Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/Hulk)

You know him, you love him - it’s Bruce Banner, the Hulk we have seen for more than a decade in The Marvel Cinematic Universe, played by the lovely Mark Ruffalo in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. While Ruffalo has appeared in several MCU movies, including all of the Avengers films thus far, as well as Thor: Ragnarok and a couple of post-credits scenes, Ruffalo has done so much in Hollywood. 

His biggest success has been through film, as he has appeared in so many amazing ones. Some of his biggest successes were being a part of the 13 Going On 30 cast, You Can Count On Me, Shutter Island, Zodiac, critically-praised films such as The Kids Are All Right, Foxcatcher and Spotlight (all three garnered him an Academy Award nomination), the HBO TV movie, The Normal Heart and so many more. 

He’s also had success in television as well, appearing in the miniseries I Know This Much To Be True.

Tim Roth (Emil Blonsky/Abomination)

What a return to an OG villain in the MCU. Tim Roth plays Emil Blonsky, otherwise known as Abomination, in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, the person that Walters happens to be defending. He also appeared as the same character in The Incredible Hulk back in 2008 (which, did not star Mark Ruffalo but Edward Norton at the time), and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in 2021. 

Besides his previous appearances in the MCU, Roth has appeared in a variety of movies and TV. Some of his biggest parts in movies have been The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, Pulp Fiction, Four Rooms, Reservoir Dogs, The Hateful Eight, Rob Roy and more. 

Roth has also had success in television as well, appearing as Cal Lightman in the TV series, Lie to Me, a role in the 2017 series, Twin Peaks, and portraying Jim Worth in Tin Star. 

Benedict Wong (Wong)

I’m starting to think that Wong, played by Benedict Wong, is the almighty connection between every single MCU Phase 4 movie thus far because this man has been in so many Marvel films. Wong returns in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, and as you might have guessed, he’s been in a lot of MCU properties as of late. This includes Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and more. 

But Benedict Wong has also been in plenty of other films as well. Some of his biggest hits besides the MCU have been Nine Days, Annihilation, Kick-Ass 2, The Lady, and more. He was also a part of The Martian cast, as well as the Raya and the Last Dragon cast. 

Wong has also succeeded in television, with starring roles in both the Netflix original series, Marco Polo, and the Amazon original series, Deadly Class. Wong was also a part of the unfortunately cancelled The Dark Crystal: The Age of Resistance, playing The General. 

Jameela Jamil (Titania)

Next up on the list, we have Jameela Jamil, who plays Titania in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. Jamil started off her career as a radio host for some time, hosting both The Radio 1 Request show with Jameela Jamil and The Official Chart, both on BBC Radio 1. However, her big break in Hollywood was when she co-starred as part of The Good Place cast, playing Tahani Al-Jamil. 

Jamil has also hosted several television shows, including Playing It Straight, Freshly Squeezed and The Misery Index. She’s also a lead judge on the show, Legendary. Jamil has done a lot of voice work, with some of her biggest appearances being in Crossing Swords, Animaniacs, Star Trek: Prodigy and more. Coming up, she's set to appear in the upcoming Pitch Perfect series.

Jamil has also done a couple of films as well, with some of her most recent being the Jennifer Lopez rom-com, Marry Me, as well as the cast of DC’s League of Super-Pets. 

Josh Segarra (Augustus “Pug” Pugliese)

Next up is Josh Segarra, who plays Pug in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. Segarra has had a prominent career in television, with some of his biggest roles having been playing Hector Ruiz on The Electric Company, Billy Cepeda on Sirens, and Adrian Chase on Arrow. He’s appeared in a variety of other shows, including Orange is the New Black, Chicago P.D., The Moodys, FBI, Katy Keene and more. 

Seggara has also appeared in movies such as Blood Night: The Legend of Mary Hatchet, The Music Never Stopped, Trainwreck and more. 

Ginger Gonzaga (Nikki Ramos)

Moving on, we have Ginger Gonzaga, who plays Nikki Ramos in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. Some of her biggest roles in movies prior to her role in this show have been Ted, Someone Marry Barry, Dean, and Bad Therapy. 

In terms of television, Gonzaga had a major role in the show The Morning After as herself, as well as appearing in television shows such as Mixology, Kidding, I’m Dying Up Here, Living with Yourself, Wrecked and more. She also recently had a guest spot on the Netflix series, Space Force. 

Jon Bass (Todd)

Now, we have Jon Bass, who plays Todd in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. Before appearing in She-Hulk, Bass has appeared in several TV shows including Big Time in Hollywood, FL, and is a part of the main cast of Miracle Workers alongside Daniel Radcliffe. He was also a part of the main cast of Super Pumped. 

Some of his biggest roles in movies have been Baywatch, Dog Days, Sword of Trust, and Molly’s Game. 

Renée Elise Goldsberry (Mallory Book)

Last but not least, we have Renee Elise Goldsberry, who plays Mallory Book in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. That name might sound familiar, as Goldsberry's delivered some great and memorable performances. She was part of the original Hamilton cast, and has appeared in other musicals such as The Color Purple, As You Like It, Rent and more. 

In terms of television, Goldsberry’s biggest roles so far have been portraying Evangeline Williamson on the daytime soap opera, One Life to Live, as well as being a part of the Girls5eva cast on Peacock. Some of her other big TV roles include Evil, Altered Carbon, The Good Wife where she played Geneva Pine, and more. 

Some of her films have been Every Secret Thing, The House with a Clock in Its Walls, Waves and a small part in Tick, Tick…Boom!. She also was a part of the official film recording of Hamilton that was put on Disney+. 

Another big star that is set to appear at some point during She-Hulk’s run is Charlie Cox, who played Daredevil in both the TV series, Daredevil (which was moved over to Disney+ from Netflix), and Spider-Man: No Way Home, so be sure to keep an eye out for him. With so many stars, it’s easy to imagine how we’ve seen them in so many others shows and movies before, and I can’t wait to see what they do next.  

Disney+’s latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 4 will see the first live-action portrayal of Jennifer Walters, a.k.a. She-Hulk, and who better to lead the way as the superstrong green-skinned cousin of Bruce Banner than Tatiana Maslany, the phenomenal star from Orphan Black? The first four episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, the first of which will be available to Disney+ subscribers on August 18, were screened at the premiere, and those who were able to catch an early viewing have taken to Twitter with their thoughts on Disney+’s latest MCU project.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law centers around Jennifer Walters, a single, 30-something attorney specializing in superhuman law, who seeks help from her cousin Bruce Banner (a.k.a. The Hulk, a.k.a. Mark Ruffalo) to help her navigate the life of transforming into a 6-foot-7 green superhero. The Marvel series also stars Good Place alum Jameela Jamil as MCU villain Titania, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Tim Roth, Benedict Wong and more. So what did people think of the first portion of Disney+’s She-Hulk? Well, CinemaBlend’s Eric Eisenberg was left hungry for more, predicting that fans are going to be pleased with the MCU’s latest offering:  

Dirk Libbey, also from CinemaBlend, says the series was like “Boston Legal but with superheroes,” and manages to add something to the Marvel Cinematic Universe while still feeling very much like it belongs in that realm:

Mike Ryan of Uproxx has that same line of thinking and, while he admits to a bit of fatigue after so many Marvel movies and TV shows, this plays more like watching Ally McBeal:

Perri Nemiroff of Collider says this series wouldn’t work without Tatiana Maslany’s masterful comedic timing and chemistry with the rest of the cast. The actress’ work helps the series through some of the tougher visual effects:

Jenna Anderson of ComicBook.com also praised the lead actress’ work, saying that even though she expected Tatiana Maslany to be “perfect,” the leading lady skyrocketed past all expectations. She compared rewatching the series’ first episodes at the premiere to a “religious experience”: 

And to add just one more tweet celebrating the wonder the leading lady, Greg Alba raves about her making the character funny and relatable:

Speaking to the comedy, Julia Delbel warns MCU fans that if you’re one to take the universe very seriously, this might not be the series for you:

Brandon Davis of Comicbook.com agrees, saying the first four episodes are “straight-up hilarious,” even possibly crossing the line to being too silly at times. Nevertheless, he highly recommends She-Hulk for MCU fans looking for something fun:

It certainly looks like Marvel fans are in for some more laughs with this character, and it will be interesting to see how other aspects of the MCU are incorporated into the latest series, as well as how much we'll see of Tatiana Maslany's green heroine going forward. The nine-episode season of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law will premiere on Thursday, August 18, with new episodes available for streaming on Disney+ each Thursday. If you want to take a deeper dive into the MCU, check out how to watch all the Marvel movies in order.

After Once Upon A Time In Hollywood was released in 2019, the arrival of writer/director Quentin Tarantino’s ninth movie meant only one thing: his next film is supposed to be the last in his storied filmography. Though there are some loopholes present, defining what sort of projects do or don’t count in this ten movie ultimatum, Mr. Tarantino’s retirement from cinema is impending. Another party that’s absolutely convinced this is true, for better or worse, is frequent collaborator Tim Roth. 

Mr. Roth was a recent guest of the Overdue Rentals podcast, and the subject of working with his Reservoir Dogs director turned towards that fabled ten movie limit. The actor was as confident about that self-imposed limit as he has been when working with Tarantino through the years. Reinforcing how tightly knit Tarantino is with the actors he frequently employs, Tim Roth explained why he trusts the ten film plan is airtight: 

Quentin Tarantino has told the story many times about how directing legends like John Huston have made one too many films that go on to dilute their legacies. So in an effort to prevent that from happening to himself, Tarantino decided to limit himself to ten movies: no more, no less. The man is so dead set on this claim that when it comes time to his next film’s promotion, he wants to market it as “The Last Film by Quentin Tarantino.”

With that much on the line, you’d have to wonder if Tim Roth expects to star in that final film in the line. That subject also arose and helped give way to the greater discussion of just how much the Quentin Tarantino repertory troupe love their director. Much as you’d expect, Mr. Roth expressed a sentiment about potentially working on Tarantino’s career capping project that anyone could agree with, saying: 

Should the Quentin-Signal go up, beckoning Tim Roth and any of the other loyal actors in the director’s stable to follow, you can bet they’ll be there. Knowing that this next time out is his last, Mr. Tarantino might even be motivated to bring all of his friends back for his ultimate shindig, in addition to enticing some newcomers. There’s no hurry, as while history will be made when the Book of QT is closed, it will be bittersweet to know that it will be the end to a cinematic odyssey of unique proportions. 

Whatever this movie is, let’s just hope that Tim Roth escapes his Once Upon A Time In Hollywood fate and actually remains in the picture. His most recent film, Resurrection, recently premiered at Sundance and has yet to land a release date. More than likely, it’ll join the schedule of 2022 movie releases headed to a theater near you. So keep your eyes peeled for any new updates that arise. 

Accidents will happen, even when making major motion pictures. While everything is usually laid out with precision and planning, human error is inevitable. Unfortunately for Liam Neeson, one such accident saw his co-star/frequent Quentin Tarantino collaborator Tim Roth accidentally stab him. It wasn’t just a run of the mill stabbing either, as during a particularly intense sword fight, Neeson incurred a rather unique injury when all was said and done.

During Tim Roth’s appearance on the Overdue Rentals podcast, the actor discussed his time on director Michael Caton-Jones’ 1995 historical epic Rob Roy. With scenes that required a lot of swordplay and practice, especially the final duel between Neeson’s titular Scottish hero and Tim Roth’s British aristocrat Archibald Cunningham, the usual rigors of training were in play. But that didn’t stop the fateful moment that Mr. Roth laid out below from taking place: 

Just when you thought the story couldn’t get any stranger, in comes the twist that Tim Roth would find himself suffering that same injury himself. Even without that epilogue, two things need to be said about how Liam Neeson handled the moment. Not only does it look like you can see he’s still fighting after being injured, but in pure action hero fashion, it doesn’t interfere with his performance. 

In order for you to see the moves and weapons at play in Rob Roy’s climactic finale, we’re including the final dueling scene below. Just in case you don’t want the film spoiled for you, you can always skip over to the next paragraph and remain unsullied. For all who are still here, please enjoy this sporting round of swordsmanship: 

While the moment in question doesn’t seem to have made it into the final cut, you can see what looks like Liam Neeson’s reaction after the fact. At about the six minute mark in the clip above, the actor looks at his hand and flexes it, as if to make sure it’s alright. Continuing on with the scene, Neeson also bandages his hand while delivering the dialogue after the film-ending sword fight. 

It would be some time before Taken would change Liam’s career into one of a full-out action superstar. So this stoicism in the face of really intense hand pain is something that is even more commendable, and a great early entry in Neeson’s resume of method acting stunt work. But you can bet that the actor, who was at the time considered as a candidate to play James Bond, learned some valuable lessons for his future career change. 

Tim Roth seems to have taken some important knowledge as well, as last we’ve heard he hasn’t injured anyone while hulking out in his role as the MCU baddie Abomination. Perhaps that might be something to ask him about during the She Hulk press tour, as Roth’s enthusiastic return will probably have some interesting stories to tell. Should these actors ever cross paths again on the big screen, this tale will absolutely be something that comes up, even if it’s as briefly fleeting as the blades between duelists.

The schedule of current and upcoming movies sees both of these Rob Roy cast members continuing to be busy. Tim Roth can be seen in the indie drama Sundown, as well as a part of the “anxiety inducing” Sundance hit Resurrection, co-starring Rebecca Hall. As for Liam Neeson, he can next be caught in his latest action blockbuster Blacklight, which heads to theaters on February 11.

The definitive mark of a great horror film is its capacity to induce a visceral reaction. The natural design of the genre is to strike fear and terror into an audience, and the best of the best make you scream, run chills up your spine, and have your skin break out in goosebumps. You’re physically watching projected images, but your brain is inspired to switch into fight or flight mode, and your body responds.

I thought about this a lot while watching writer/director Andrew Semans’ Resurrection, starring Rebecca Hall and Tim Roth. As it unfolded, I found myself frequently gasping and recoiling, but most significantly by the end I felt physically sore as a result of having spent so much time with my arms and legs firmly tensed against my body.

Resurrection has premiered as a part of the slate at the all-virtual 2022 Sundance Film Festival, and I went into the movie with high expectations – particularly buoyed by memories of Rebecca Hall’s phenomenal turn in David Bruckner's The Night House (the best horror feature of 2021). Not only does it make me want to see every horror project that Hall is involved with from this point forward, but I was shocked to discover one of the greatest performances that Tim Roth has ever given, as his turn is chilling and unforgettable.

Structurally speaking, it’s a “decent into madness” story. Margaret (Rebecca Hall) is introduced as a together and successful biotech executive and single mother raising a teenager daughter (Grace Kaufman) who is getting ready to head off to college. But it all starts to come crashing down after a simple cursory glance around a conference room while she is attending an industry event. It’s during this casual surveying that she happens to spot a man from her past (Tim Roth), and his presence – his resurrection in her life, if you will – terrifies her so considerably that it starts to unravel her whole life.

Andrew Semans' Resurrection is spectacular psychological horror.

From its very first frame, Resurrection drops you in the perspective of Margaret, and it’s in never severing the connection that the film is able to sink its teeth into you and render you terrified to twitch a muscle. You’re firmly buckled in with no escape from the emotional ride the character experiences as she reacts to her greatest nightmares come to life, and Rebecca Hall’s exceptionally committed performance makes the horror tangible and real.

There is a physical deterioration that comes along with the mental corrosion for Margaret in the story – the character dealing with insomnia, non-stop anxiety, and malnutrition – and in the aftermath one feels intense respect for what the actor puts into the part. As you’re watching the film, though, you’re just awed by the character’s transformation and stunned by the stakes that rise in conjunction.

You understand and respect the horrors of Margaret’s past because of the power of Rebecca Hall alone – but what takes things to a next level in Resurrection is the mind-twisting, effusively evil character played by Tim Roth. What he’s doing in the film effectively justifies every ounce of empathetic terror the audience experiences, as his entire energy feels beyond threatening and sinister. Truth be told, he doesn’t do much as far as “action” through most of the movie, but that ultimately on speaks to the higher level on which he’s operating, with even simple lines of dialogue and simple smiles rattling your nervous system as it does Margaret’s.

There is so much more to say about Resurrection, from its shocking and enigmatic conclusions to the perfect monologue that is delivered by Margaret in the second act… but it’s also a film that is naturally best experienced with limited knowledge of the plot and characters, and thus the wake of its Sundance premiere is not really the time for a full discussion. The movie has not gotten distribution as of yet, but when it does I will personally await the release date with glee and the rush of reactions that flow.

Be on the lookout for updates, check out our 2022 Movie Release Calendar to discover all of the films set for release between now and the end of the year, and stay tuned here on CinemaBlend  for more of our Sundance Film Festival coverage.

When The Incredible Hulk dropped in 2008, it was seen as a restart for the Hulk franchise after the polarizing effect of Ang Lee's 2003 film. The film effectively became one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But after its lukewarm reception, Marvel Studios didn't continue with the franchise, even after Mark Ruffalo replaced Edward Norton as the green rage machine. Some may remember that the movvie also introduced audiences to Tim Roth's menacing Emil Blonsky (a.k.a. Abomination). Roth disappeared from the Marvel fabric until Abomination showed up in last year's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and, this year, he'll be brought back for Disney+’s She-Hulk. Now, that’s he’s back in the fold, the Rob Roy star has revealed what it was like returning to the MCU after a decade away.

The Reservoir Dogs star's character served as a great adversary to Bruce Banner and, for years, many fans have since wondered about his fate and whether he could come back. Tim Roth recently confirmed that his return was set in motion after he got a call from Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige. Roth specifically told Uproxx:

Sometimes, actors will take on roles to appease their offspring or to simply make something that’s age-appropriate. (Trolls' Jamie Dornan went after his role hard.) The Abomination isn’t exactly kid-friendly but, at the time, the Planet of the Apes star's children surely loved the thrill of the superhero film. But this time around, it seems it was the involvement of a certain star that attracted him to She-Hulk:

You can't help but love the fact that he's gushing over working with Mark Ruffalo and Tatiana Maslany. And the Disney+ series has a stacked cast, as it will see Tim Roth, Maslany and Ruffalo star alongside Ginger Gonzaga, Jameela Jamil, and Renee Elise Goldsberry. Roth’s enthusiasm about She-Hulk bodes well for the upcoming show, which is expected to premiere sometime in 2022. One would think that Emil Blonsky will cause some trouble for Bruce Banner and Jennifer Walters, which should make things fun for us as viewers.

If you want to learn more about She-Hulk and other Marvel television shows premiere, just check out our list of upcoming MCU shows.

Quentin Tarantino and Tim Roth go back to the beginning of the former’s filmmaking career, with the latter starring in Reservoir Dogs’ ensemble cast. These two later collaborated on Pulp Fiction and The Hateful Eight, although Roth’s scenes in Tarantino’s most recent movie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, ended up being removed. Now Roth has shed light on how he learned he wouldn’t be present in the 2019 feature’s final cut.

For those unaware, Tim Roth was supposed to appear in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as Raymond, the butler of Emilie Hirsch’s Jay Sebring, Sharon Tate’s ex-boyfriend-turned-close friend. When Uproxx inquired about how he discovered he wouldn’t be present in the movie, Roth responded:

Evidently Jay Sebring had a much bigger role to play in Quentin Tarantino’s original vision for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, but when stitching a movie together, it becomes necessary to trim out certain scenes to deliver a more reasonable runtime. Judging by Tim Roth’s comments, the only way his scenes would have worked in the larger story is if Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was split into two parts. That may have worked for Kill Bill, but Tarantino wasn’t willing to do that this time around.

Thus, Tim Roth ended up on Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’s cutting room floor, but the actor was still able to see the footage of himself thanks to a special screening Quentin Tarantino arranged. As Roth recalled:

An extended version of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was theatrically released in October 2019, four months after the original cut started playing on the big screen, but Tim Roth’s scenes were not among the extra material. That said, Quentin Tarantino said in June 2021 that he would likely release an even longer version of the movie (coming in at around three hours and 20 minutes) “in a couple years.” So perhaps Roth’s scenes could be thrown into that cut, although if you’re not willing to wait years to learn how Roth’s Raymond specifically fits into the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood picture, you’re always welcome to read the movie’s novelization.

At least Tim Roth can take comfort knowing he wasn’t the only actor who didn’t make Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’s theatrical cut, as James Marsden and Danny Strong’s scenes were also taken out, as well as a voiceover from Walton Goggins. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood made over $374 million worldwide, and among its accolades was winning two Academy Awards (Best Supporting Actor and Best Production Design) and being nominated in eight other categories (including Best Picture).

Quentin Tarantino hasn’t announced yet what his final movie will be, but once that information is public, we’ll pass it along. Meanwhile, Tim Roth’s latest movie, Sundown, premiered at the Venice Film Festival last September, and he’ll be reprising Emil Blonsky/Abomination in Disney+’s She-Hulk series.

Marvel Studios is gearing up for plenty more Disney+ series in the future following the success of WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki. One of those series is She-Hulk, which will center around Tatiana Maslany as the titular character, known in civilian life as Jennifer Walters. Mark Ruffalo will reprise his role as Bruce Banner/The Hulk in the show, while English actor Tim Roth will be reprising his role as Emil Blonsy/Abomination from 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. In a recent interview, Roth revealed how Ruffalo got him back into his groove for the upcoming Disney+ series.

Tim Roth is among the many cast in Disney+ and Marvel Studios’ new She-Hulk series. Roth has had prior experience in the MCU, as he portrayed Abomination in The Incredible Hulk, which starred Edward Norton as Bruce Banner before he was replaced by Mark Ruffalo for The Avengers and onward. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Roth admitted how Ruffalo got him back into playing a character he hadn't played in over a decade, and it’s all about the comedic timing:

The Incredible Hulk is definitely one of the more underrated Marvel movies and did not have as much humor compared to other films in the MCU. Some people even separate it from the universe completely, especially since Mark Ruffalo is now the Hulk rather than Ed Norton. It’s been 13 years since the movie released, so it could have not been easy for Tim Roth to get back into playing Abomination after so many years. That said, it seems like it was easier with Ruffalo around, as Roth got to see just how the atmosphere is like.

She-Hulk won’t be the first time that Abomination is seen after The Incredible Hulk, as he recently made an appearance in the newest Marvel movie. In a scene in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Abomination is in a cage fight with the sorcerer Wong, and when it was first shown in a trailer, fans were shocked. Tim Roth had done some vocalization for the small appearance, and it was only just a starter for him. Though this does raise the question on whether or not the cage fight will be talked about on She-Hulk. It will be interesting to learn what Abomination has been doing after all these years, but it will also be nice to see another character from The Incredible Hulk be given a second chance.

There is no word yet on when She-Hulk will premiere on Disney+, but it's expected to release sometime in 2022. Learn what else the MCU has coming up for the small screen with our Marvel TV shows guide.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will introduce a brand new hero into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but that doesn't mean that the movie doesn't also include a few familiar faces as well. The trailer for the movie surprised a lot of people when it revealed that Abomination, the massive creature that Bruce Banner fought at the end of The Incredible Hulk, would be returning. He was spotted in a scene that showed him in a cage fight against Doctor Strange's friend Wong.

Abomination, and the man he was before he transformed, was played in The Incredible Hulk by actor Tim Roth, but since Abomination is entirely a CGI creation, there wasn't necessarily a need for the actor to come back to reprise the role. And yet, that's exactly what happened. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings producer Jonathan Schwartz recently spoke with The Direct and confirmed that Roth did come back to "voice" the character, though it's not like he had that much to say. According to Schwartz...

As with the classic version of Hulk, Abomination doesn't exactly speak. He mostly just yells and grunts and maybe makes simple vocalizations in an attempt to make words. Really, anybody could have done that for Abomination in Shang-Chi, but Tim Roth was the one who brought the character to life, so Marvel Studios did go back to him to provide the sounds necessary to reflect Abomination in a cage fight.

While The Incredible Hulk has been a somewhat forgotten installment of the MCU, largely due to the fact that the role of Bruce Banner was recast for The Avengers, we've seen other characters, like William Hurt's "Thunderbolt" Ross, return for more than one movie since then. Is the return of Abomination and Tim Roth part of new plans for the character going forward? Apparently so. It seems the decision to put Abomination in the fight was made by picking who would be the most interesting or fun character from among those that have a future in the MCU. Schwartz continues...

So it looks like we'll be seeing Abomination again down the road. Exactly why or how or what it all means is still very much a question. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings does give us some hints of what may be to come, and of course, with the multiverse in play, literally anything is possible.

While Reservoir Dogs turned Quentin Tarantino into a hot, up-and-coming filmmaker, Pulp Fiction, his sophomore film, paved the way for the director to become one of the most adored (and controversial) storytellers in Hollywood. With its inventive non-linear structure, endlessly quotable lines, and a number of iconic performances from John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, Christopher Walken, and Samuel L. Jackson, it's no wonder that the endlessly cool classic is one of the most beloved movies of all-time — let alone the '90s. Now that we're only a few short years away from its 30th anniversary, what's the Pulp Fiction cast working on now? Let's find out!

John Travolta (Vincent Vega)

As Vincent Vega, a cool, long-haired hitman, John Travolta is the protagonist (such as there is one) of 1994's acclaimed masterwork, Pulp Fiction. First rising to fame through Welcome Back, Kotter, John Travolta transitioned into stardom through his acclaimed Oscar-nominated performance in Saturday Night Fever, as well as his lead roles in Grease, Urban Cowboy, Blow Out, and the Look Who's Talking movies. Pulp Fiction's Oscar-nominated role rejuvenated the actor's fledgling career, resulting in him starring in Get Shorty (for which he won a Golden Globe), Face/Off, Primary Colors, Broken Arrow, and Wild Hogs. His other famous (and infamous) film credits include Battlefield Earth, Swordfish, Hairspray (2007), Old Dogs, The General's Daughter, The Punisher, From Paris With Love, The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009), Gotti, Bolt, and The Fanatic.

Additionally, on television, John Travolta won an Emmy for producing The People vs. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story, where he also played Robert Shapiro. Most recently, Travolta starred in Quibi's Die Hart. The actor also played Santa Claus in a Capital One commercial. Currently, Travolta is filming Paradise City, which will also star Bruce Willis.

Samuel L. Jackson (Jules Winnfield)

In the role of Jules Winnfield, a self-righteous hitman working alongside Vincent Vega, Samuel L. Jackson became a household name playing the deuteragonist in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. He was Oscar-nominated for this foul-mouthed, star-making performance. He would later reunite with Quentin Tarantino with Jackie Brown, Django Unchained, and The Hateful Eight. His other film credits include Do the Right Thing, Jurassic Park, True Romance, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Shaft (2000), Goodfellas, Hard Eight, Coming to America, The Negotiator, Eve's Bayou, Snakes on a Plane, School Daze, and Unbreakable. Additionally, Jackson played Mace Windu in the Star Wars prequels and Nick Fury in the MCU. He also voices Frozone in The Incredibles movies.

Most recently, Samuel L. Jackson starred in Spiral: From the Book of Saw and The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard. He also reunited with John Travolta for a Capital One commercial. Next, the A-list actor reprises his role as Nick Fury in What If...? and Secret Invasion. Also, Jackson will be seen in The Protege and heard in Blazing Samurai.

Uma Thurman (Mia Wallace)

Playing the part of Mia Wallace, Marsellus Wallace's mysterious, drug-addled wife, Uma Thurman was the female lead in 1994's Pulp Fiction. Outside of this Oscar-nominated performance, Thurman starred in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill movies. She also starred in Dangerous Liaisons, Gattaca, The Truth About Cats & Dogs, Henry & June, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, and Even Cowgirls Get the Blues. Thurman's other notable film credits include Batman & Robin, Les Miserables (1998), The Avengers (1998), The House That Jack Built, Nymphomaniac, The Producers (2005), Paycheck, Sweet and Lowdown, and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. She also reunited with John Travolta for Be Cool.

Outside of film, Uma Thurman played main characters in NBC's The Slap and Netflix's Chambers. Her other TV credits include Imposters and Smash, the latter for which she was Emmy-nominated. She also won a Golden Globe for HBO's Hysterical Blindness. Most recently, Thurman played a supporting role in The War with Grandpa. Next, she'll be seen in Hollywood Stargirl. Currently, Thurman is filming Apple TV+'s Suspicion. She's also signed on to star in Tau Ceti Four.

Harvey Keitel (Winston Wolfe)

As Winston Wolfe, a professor cleaner who tidies up other people's messes, Harvey Keitel plays a sharp-dressed character in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. Prior to this performance, Keitel worked with Tarantino on Reservoir Dogs, which he co-produced. He also starred in Bad Lieutenant, Blue Collar, Mean Streets, The Piano, and Cop Land. Additionally, Keitel was Oscar-nominated for Bugsy. His other big film credits include Thelma & Louise, The Last Temptation of Christ, Taxi Driver, From Dusk 'Til Dawn, Red Dragon, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Youth, Sister Act, Clockers, Get Shorty, U-571, Little Nicky, Little Fockers, The Congress, National Treasure, Isle of Dogs, and The Irishman.

Additionally, on TV, Harvey Keitel starred in ABC's Life on Mars. He also appeared in N.Y.P.D., Kojak, Hogan's Heroes, Amazing Stories, Dark Shadows, and Inside Amy Schumer. Most recently, Keitel starred in Lansky and Blood on the Crown. Last year, the actor appeared in The Painted Bird and Fatima. Next, he'll be seen in Gandhi of the Month, The Baker, Unto the Sun, The Legitimate Wiseguy, and Live Fast, Die Laughing.

Tim Roth (Ringo/"Pumpkin")

In the role of Ringo, i.e. "Pumpkin," a small-time stick-up artist, Tim Roth plays a supporting antagonist in Pulp Fiction. Prior to this performance, Roth appeared in Reservoir Dogs. Later, the actor reunited with Quentin Tarantino with Four Rooms and The Hateful Eight. Most notably, Roth was Oscar-nominated for his supporting turn in Rob Roy. Additionally, his other film credits include Vincent & Theo, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, Gridlock'd, Everyone Says I Love You, Planet of the Apes (2001), The Incredible Hulk, Youth Without Youth, Hardcore Henry, Selma, Funny Games (2008), Invincible, The Musketeer, The Hit, and The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, & Her Lover.

Additionally, on television, Tim Roth starred in Fox's Lie to Me and Sky Atlantic's Tin Star. Outside of acting, Roth directed The War Zone. Most recently, the actor had a supporting role in The Misfits. He also stars in Bergman Island, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Next, Roth will be seen in The Jesuit. He'll also appear in Punch. Additionally, Roth reprises his role as Emil Blonsky/Abomination in Disney+'s She-Hulk.

Bruce Willis (Butch Coolidge)

Playing the part of Butch Coolidge, an over-the-hill boxer who agrees to lose a match for a bride from Marsellus Wallace, Bruce Willis was a protagonist in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. Following his two-time Emmy-nominated role in ABC's Moonlighting, Willis became an action superstar for his portrayal of John McClane in Die Hard, spanning a film franchise. Additionally, he's known for starring in 12 Monkeys, The Sixth Sense, The Fifth Element, Hudson Hawk, Sin City, Armageddon, The Whole Nine Yards, Tears of the Sun, Unbreakable, Looper, RED, and RED 2. Also, the A-list actor was seen in Moonrise Kingdom, Cop Out, The Expendables, The Last Boy Scout, Planet Terror, Four Rooms, The Siege, Surrogates, Four Room, and Glass, reuniting him with Samuel L. Jackson.

Most recently, Bruce Willis was seen in Cosmic Sin. Next, he'll appear in Out of Death, Midnight in the Switchgrass, Reactor, Apex, American Siege, Gasoline Alley, The Fortress, Soul Assassin, and A Day to Die. Currently, Willis is filming Paradise City. Also, the actor is signed on to appear in Killing Field, White Elephant, and Hair of the Dog.

Amanda Plummer (Yolanda/"Honey Bunny”)

As Yolanda, i.e. "Honey Bunny," Pumpkin's small-thief girlfriend, Amanda Plummer plays a supporting antagonist in 1994's Pulp Fiction. Most notably, Plummer won a Tony for her 1982 performance in Agnes of God. Furthermore, she was Tony-nominated for 1981's A Taste of Honey and 1987's Pygmalion. Her other notable film credits include The Fisher King, Joe Versus the Volcano, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, A Simple Wish, The Prophecy, Needful Things, The World According to Garp, Made in Heaven, Freejack, and So I Married an Axe Murder. Moreover, Plummer is heard in Hercules.

Additionally, on television, Amanda Plummer won an Emmy for her supporting turn in NBC's Miss Rose White. Furthermore, she won two additional Emmys for her guest performances in The Outer Limits and Law & Order: SVU. Plummer was also Emmy-nominated for L.A. Law. Most recently, the actress played a recurring role in Netflix's Ratched. She also appeared in Night Raiders, which recently premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival. Currently, Plummer is filming Kelly Reichardt's Showing Up.

Ving Rhames (Marsellus Wallace)

In the role of Marsellus Wallace, the boss of Vincent, Jules, and Butch, Ving Rhames takes on a powerful personality in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. Outside of this performance, Rhames is known for his recurring part in the Mission: Impossible movies — the only other actor besides Tom Cruise to appear in all six. Additionally, Ving Rhames is recognized for Bringing Out the Dead, Con Air, Entrapment, Out of Sight, Jacob's Ladder, Striptease, and Dawn of the Dead (2004). His other notable film credits include Baby Boy, Dave, The People Under the Stairs, Native Son, Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, Blood In Blood Out, Dark Blue, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, Piranha 3D, and The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard. Also, Rhames is the voice of Cobra Bubble in Lilo & Stitch.

Additionally, on television, Ving Rhames was Emmy-nominated for his title role in HBO's Don King: Only in America. The character actor also appeared in Kojak, The District, and ER. Next, Rhames will reprise his role as Luther Stickell in Mission: Impossible 7 and 8.

Rosanna Arquette (Jody)

Playing the part of Jody, Lance's wife, Rosanna Arquette has a minor role in 1994's Pulp Fiction. Away from this film, Arquette was Emmy-nominated for her work in NBC's The Executioner's Song. She also received a BAFTA nomination for her supporting turn in Desperately Seeking Susan. Her other notable film credits include After Hours, Crash (1996), The Big Blue, Buffalo '66, The Whole Nine Yards, Gone Fishin', The Wrong Man, Nobody's Fool, Silverado, New York Stories, and Nowhere to Run. Additionally, Arquette directed two documentaries, Searching For Debra Winger and All We Are Saying.

Furthermore, on TV, Rosanna Arquette starred in ABC's What About Brian. She also led Sideswiped and Shirley. Her other notable TV credits include Private Practice, Girls, Ray Donovan, Law & Order: SVU, Medium, Grey's Anatomy, Malcolm in the Middle, and The L Word. Most recently, Arquette had a recurring role in Netflix's Ratched. Coming up next, the actress is expected to appear in Aramingo Avenue, Not Born, and Futura Days. Additionally, Arquette will star in The Playboy Interview and The Velvet Gentlemen.

Christopher Walken (Captain Koons)

As Captain Koons, a Vietnam War veteran with a personal connection to Butch's past, Christopher Walken provides a memorable cameo in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. An acclaimed actor with over 100 film and TV credits to his name, Walken is best known for his Oscar-winning supporting turn in The Deer Hunter. Additionally, he was Oscar-nominated for Catch Me If You Can. His other notable film credits include Annie Hall, A View to a Kill, Batman Returns, The Dead Zone, Wedding Crashers, Click, Vendetta, Seven Psychopaths, Joe Dirt, and The Prophecy. Furthermore, Walken was seen or heard in The Jungle Book (2016), Antz, Irreplaceable You, Kangaroo Jack, The Stepford Wives (2004), Balls of Fury, Domino, The Rundown, Hairspray, and Blast from the Past. Also, he was at the center of Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice" music video.

Most recently, Christopher Walken starred in Percy Vs. Goliath. He also appeared in The Jesus Rolls, The War with Grandpa, and Wild Mountain Thyme. Next, Walken frontlines AppleTV+'s Severance and Amazon/BBC's The Offenders. He's also expected to return for Wedding Crashers 2, with Owen Wilson.

Maria de Medeiros (Fabienne)

In the role of Fabienne, Butch Coolidge's French girlfriend, Maria de Medeiros plays a secondary character in Pulp Fiction. A Portuguese actress-singer with over 100 acting credits to her name, Medeiros is best known for her work in Adao e Eva, Midsummer Madness, The Saddest Music in the World, The Forbidden Room, Chicken with Plums, Polygraph, Henry & June, My Life Without Me, and The Killer. Additionally, the actress wrote and directed A Prince's Death and wrote, directed, and starred in April Captains. She's also helmed Our Children, Welcome to Sao Paulo, Repare Bem, Je t'aime... moi non plus: Artistes et critiques, and several short films. Outside of film, Medeiros has four albums on her discography, including 2016's The Piano's Playing the Devil's Tune.

Most recently, Maria de Medeiros was seen in Moral Order and In the Country of Last Things. Additionally, this year, the actress appeared in Ordem Moral - A Minissérie — an extension of the film. Next, she will be heard in What Spring Does with the Cherry Trees.

You can stream Pulp Fiction on HBO Max.

CinemaBlend participates in affiliate programs with various companies. We may earn a commission when you click on or make purchases via links.

I used to assume there was some unspoken understanding that the Marvel movies no longer officially included The Incredible Hulk as canon, especially with the pre-Mark Ruffalo Edward Norton in the role and the movie's absence from Disney+ (which I realize is actually due to licensing). However, the trailer of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings appears to have proved me wrong by teasing the return of Abomination - the alter ego of Tim Roth’s character in the 2008 solo film, Emil Blonsky, who is also confirmed to appear on She-Hulk in 2022. When exciting news regarding upcoming superhero movies and upcoming Marvel TV shows like this comes out, that means it is time to take a look back on a character’s history. Let’s start from the very beginning of how this Abomination came to be.

Emil Blonsky Was Recruited By Thunderbolt Ross To Hunt Bruce Banner

Created by Stan Lee and Gil Kane, Emil Blonsky was originally depicted as a KGB agent in his 1967 Marvel comics debut in Tales to Astonish #90. However, with The Incredible Hulk’s post-Cold War setting and the casting of British Pulp Fiction cast alum Tim Roth, he was changed from a Russian spy to a soldier born in Russia, but raised in England and one of the fiercest warriors the Royal Marines of the British Armed Forces would ever see.

Emil Blonsky’s reputation got him hired to go after Bruce Banner by Lt. Gen. Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (William Hurt), who failed to mention the scientist’s tendency to transform into a giant, green behemoth when his mood is tested. Blonsky found himself both defeated, but also fascinated by the Hulk, convincing the aging fighter (who still had no interest up being promoted to a higher military rank) to seek a genetic enhancement of his own. Thunderbolt had just the thing to help.

Blonsky Became A Super Soldier To Hunt The Hulk

In the comics, Emil Blonsky becomes Abomination when he gets too close the gamma ray technology the KGB assigned him to spy on. What initially sparks his transformation in The Incredible Hulk is Thunderbolt Ross’ mention of the “Super Soldier Serum” first developed during War World II (a subtle set-up for 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger, we could assume).

Emil Blonsky willfully receives the Super Soldier Serum, including one particularly painful injection in the marrow of his spine. This would allow him to run faster, jump higher, and show-off some kick-ass reflexes when vengefully facing off against the Hulk outside of Culver University, which ended with him in a comatose state in the hospital where his quick healing factor came in handy. However, being superhuman was not enough for Blonsky who really wanted to be another step above it. To be more precise, he wanted to be like the Hulk. Dr. Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson, a veteran of many comic book adaptations) had just the thing to help.

A Dose Of Bruce Banner’s Blood Made Blonsky… An Abomination

Already undergoing some ghastly mutations after his second dose of the Super Soldier Serum (such as a protrusive, stegosaurus-like spine), Emil Blonsky was not satisfied with the “monster” he had already said he felt like. Thus he tracked down Dr. Samuel Sterns - a cellular biologist who developed synthesized copies of Bruce Banner blood while trying to cure him, which Blonsky said he wanted running through his veins. Sterns gave in to the soldier’s demands, which turned him into the “abomination” he warned he might become.

Becoming Abomination made Emily Blonsky faster than he his in superhuman form, strong enough to toss cars around, durable enough to withstand explosions and gunfire at close range, and larger and much more intelligent than a Hulked out Bruce Banner. Not to mention, the retractable spikes lining his spine are pretty badass. His weakness, however, was a god complex that fueled his destructive rampage through the streets of Harlem, which Hulk was not going to let go any further.

Hulk Defeated Abomination, Who Was Put Into A Holding Cell

Hulk would come out on top by the end of his violent duel with Abomination, who was then taken into custody and held in a cryo-cell located in Barrow, Alaska known as “The Vault.” However, as the three-and-a-half-minute Marvel One-Shot The Consultant reveals, the World Security Council wanted to pin the destruction on Bruce Banner and paint Emil Blonsky as self-defense and choose him as the muscle for the Avenger Initiative.

At a diner, S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and his colleague Jasper Sitwell (Maximiliano Hernandez) would concoct a scheme to convince Thunderbolt Ross not to allow Abomination to become an Avenger by sending in a “consultant” who will irritate him enough to reconsider. This leads into a clip from the post-credits scene from The Incredible Hulk in which Ross is visited at a bar by Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). We cut to the following day when Coulson tells Sitwell that the mission was a success, ensuring that Emil Blonsky will stay in prison.

Some Theorize The Snap Allowed Abomination To Escape Captivity

Of course, this raises the question: how is it possible that Emil Blonsky is seen in the Shang-Chi trailer in a cage match with Wong? In fact, on that note, why (and how) the hell is Benedict Wong’s Doctor Strange character in a cage match with Abomination? Well, as is common with any new question regarding the Marvel Cinematic Universe, some fans have conjured up a theory, and it is not a bad one.

It is possible that Thanos’ Decimation allowed Abomination to escape his cell and the ensuing chaos affecting the world gave him the opportunity to become a prize fighter of sorts. This theory suggests that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is another film that does not follow the events of the Marvel movies in order and may take place between Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. I suppose we can also speculate that Wong needed a job after his boss was dusted and there was an opening for fighting genetically engineered mutants.

Knowing what we know about Tim Roth’s return as Emil Blonsky in She-Hulk, for which it is also confirmed that Mark Ruffalo is reprising Bruce Banner, it appears that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (set to come out in theaters on Friday, September 3, 2021) will also provide us with some set-up for what is to come in the highly anticipated Disney+ series. Sounds like we are in for quite an abomination.

It's been over a year since we first got word that Marvel and Disney+ would be bringing fans a show based on the heroics of Bruce Banner's similarly hulked-out cousin, Jennifer Walters, a.k.a. She-Hulk. There has been a lot of speculation about who would star as the titular character, as well as whether or not a certain big-screen green guy would be making an appearance, and now the show has confirmed who will be our She-Hulk, Mark Ruffalo's appearance, and more exciting developments for the new series.

Thanks to a major (truly major) update today from Disney+ and Marvel, we now know that Orphan Black's Tatiana Maslany will, in deed, take on the role of Jennifer Walters in the upcoming series. But, fans will also be treated to at least one appearance from Mark Ruffalo as Hulk and, wait for it...Tim Roth as the Abomination.

That last bit of info, especially, is a lot to take in, so let's start with the item that is incredibly welcomed, but less surprising. After early fan support and rumors about stars such as Rosario Dawson (who will now have a totally different Disney+ series to star in) and G.L.O.W.'s Alison Brie potentially heading up She-Hulk, we started to hear that Tatiana Maslany was cast in the role. But, that news went unconfirmed for several months, as Maslany herself gave a statement about the possible casting that, well, cast a lot of doubt on her being in the lead. That was just in mid-October, so it now looks like that was just an evasive maneuver on Maslany's part to keep the news under wraps.

Obviously, the casting of Tatiana Maslany as Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk is great news, as fans of her work on Orphan Black, where she played a series of clones with often very different accents, personalities and hairstyles, can attest. The woman can basically do anything, so fans who've been waiting to see She-Hulk brought to life on screen will have a treat on their hands when the show finally debuts.

For his part, Mark Ruffalo was super excited himself upon hearing that his Bruce would be getting some on-camera hulk-help from his cousin Jennifer, and when She-Hulk was announced, he quickly let everyone know he was glad that the series was coming. But, we didn't know if any of that meant that he would play some sort of part in the show, with Ruffalo only confirming, back in March, that there were early talks going on. Now we know that he will be around, at least a little, even if it means we only get to see him give Jen that blood transfusion which leads to her own continued hulk-a-thon.

Now, the biggest and most surprising announcement when it comes to She-Hulk is the appearance of Tim Roth as the Abomination. For those who don't remember, because it has been quite a while, Roth played Emil Blonsky / Abomination in the 2008 film The Incredible Hulk, and while there had been rumors that he was in talks to play the character again in Avengers: Age of Ultron, that never came to pass. Now, he'll be able to bring the monstrous bad guy, who was last known to be in custody after Hulk nearly strangled him to death, back to the screen.

All in all, this news is super exciting for everyone who'd been waiting to hear more about what to expect from She-Hulk. The writer's room closed up shop months ago, in May, so, hopefully they'll be able to start filming soon and provide even more updates. Be sure to stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest on She-Hulk and the many cool new Marvel shows coming to Disney+ in the next couple of years!

Though it sports the runtime of an epic, Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight is a very intimate drama. An overwhelming percentage of the movie takes place in one location, with characters verbally and physically sparring with each other in what is essentially a locked-room mystery. Because of this, it's easy to believe that the cast and crew had the chance to get really close during production – but you still might be surprised to learn that the ensemble still regularly keeps in touch years later.

Samuel L. Jackson, who played protagonist Major Marquis Warren in the 2015 film, was honored last week at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival, and during a virtual panel discussing his career he revealed that he has a closer relationship with the cast of The Hateful Eight than any other group of actors he's worked with over the years. Talking about the friends he's made along the way, but not mentioning any specific names, Jackson said (via Entertainment Weekly),

In the post-Civil War-set The Hateful Eight, Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demian Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, and James Parks play a collection of strangers/acquaintances who all find themselves trapped in a haberdashery during a terrible Colorado blizzard, and hunker down together while waiting out the storm. Unfortunately, the circumstances are far from lacking in tension, as there is overwhelming suspicion that one or more of the characters isn't who they say they are and have ill-intent planned once the snow stops.

Aiming for authenticity, Quentin Tarantino actually shot the majority of the film on location in Colorado, and that meant that the cast had a lot of opportunities to spend time together both on and off set. Clearly it made an impact on the actors individually, as five years later they are still checking in on the well-being of their co-stars and ensuring that everybody is safe and happy.

Obviously what makes this story particularly delightful is how it runs in contrast to a lot of other stories you hear about the production process. Because of the collaborative process of filmmaking, casts and crews can get really close, but once the job is done most everyone moves on to the next project/the next chance to make strong working relationships. The bonds created don't always withstand long distance, but The Hateful Eight is apparently an exception.

As fans will be quick to note, one friendship that Samuel L. Jackson went into the production with was his long-standing relationship with Quentin Tarantino, as the movie was their sixth collaboration as actor and director. Their streak working together was broken last year with the arrival of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (Jackson was too busy filming Captain Marvel and Spider-Man: Far From Home to be involved), but hopefully the two men will work together next on whatever Tarantino has cooking up next – and perhaps the production can bring back some of the other Hateful Eight actors as well. As of right now we have no idea what the writer/director's plans are for his tenth feature, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

In addition to being regarded as a brilliant auteur, Quentin Tarantino has long been seen as an actor's director. From the very beginning of his career he's made a habit of not only collecting some of the finest actors available for his ensembles, but even has rejuvenated more than a few careers. Now it appears as though he's ready to do it again with his next feature, as the developing Once Upon a Time In Hollywood had added a slew of brilliant stars to its cast.

We learned a few months ago that Quentin Tarantino veterans Leonardo DiCaprio (Django Unchained) and Brad Pitt (Inglorious Basterds) will be the stars of the writer/director's ninth feature, but now Deadline reports they will be joined by Burt Reynolds, Margot Robbie, Tim Roth, Kurt Russell and Michael Madsen. It's being said that those last three stars will have comparatively small parts, but that Reynolds and Robbie are set to be key players in the period drama.

Specifically, Margot Robbie is set to play the role of famous actress/model Sharon Tate - as first rumored a few months ago - who happens to be the neighbor of Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt's characters. Burt Reynolds, meanwhile, will play another real person, namely George Spahn. In the summer of 1969 Spahn was an 80-year-old man who rented his ranch property out to be used for Westerns, and he agreed to let Charlie Manson and his followers take up residence in the months before their horrific murders.

Tim Roth, Kurt Russell, and Michael Madsen have all starred in multiple Quentin Tarantino movies, but this will be a first for Burt Reynolds - and it's an interesting position for him to be set up in. Tarantino is famous for rejuvenating the careers of waning stars, including John Travolta, Robert Forster, and Pam Grier, and now it looks like he's ready to apply his magic touch to Reynolds. Because of this development, it's actually easy to imagine a near future where the actor earns his first Academy Award nomination since Boogie Nights.

In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt will star as Rick Dalton and Cliff Booth, respectively - a washed-up TV actor and his longtime stunt double. They are struggling to keep up with developments in the industry, but see an in-road back to glory when they discover that their neighbor is the lovely, famous Sharon Tate. It's not entirely clear how the Manson Murders tie into the whole thing, but they are expected to be a part of the narrative.

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is going to be starting production this summer, so it would not be at all shocking to see more casting announcements pop up in the coming weeks. As always, be sure to stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for all the latest updates.

Fall TV is filled with a variety of shows, and some are infinitely more memorable than others. Sundance Now has brought a series to the small screen in the United States that isn't at all forgettable thanks to its stellar cast, fast pace, and deft handling of a very scary story ripped from the history books. The three-part miniseries Rillington Place tackles the grisly stories of the serial killer John Christie, and it's worth the watch.

Rillington Place kicks off in the 1940s and introduces viewers to Ethel (Samantha Morton of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) and John Christie (Tim Roth of Reservoir Dogs and Twin Peaks), who reconciled after many years of separation, and it becomes clear quite quickly that something changed in John during their time apart. The two move into the ground floor flat at 10 Rillington Place in London, and it is from there that John Christie begins to explore his deep dark side. When newlyweds Tim (Nico Mirallegro) and Beryl (Jodie Comer of The White Princess) move into the upstairs flat, the Christies face some complications quite close to home.

The miniseries is comprised of three hour-long episodes, each of which centers on one key character. The first is called "Ethel" and examines the early years of John Christie's development into a serial killer through the eyes of his wife. The second is called "Tim," which takes the focus away from primarily on Ethel and focuses it on the young upstairs couple as pregnancy and children complicate their previously carefree lives. The third episode is called "Reg" and finally gives us a look into John Christie -- a.k.a. John Reginald Halliday Christie -- during the years of his killing spree.

Originally produced by BBC, Rillington Place was directed by Craig Viveiros and written by Ed Whitmore and Tracey Malone. They packed a lot of plot into only three episodes while also developing the characters into multi-dimensional people inhabiting London in decades long past. This is a miniseries that is enjoyable whether you are or are not already familiar with John Christie the serial killer as it tells his story in a brand new way, as well as giving a point-of-view to some of the other people who lived in his circle.

That said, what really makes Rillington Place works is the stellar cast who bring the core four characters to life for the series. Tim Roth is spectacularly sinister in the sort of quiet way that fits for a serial killer who was operating under the radar in a big city for many years. As Christie, Roth is a man who seems perfectly friendly and helpful on the surface, but there's something deeply off-putting about him whenever somebody looks beneath the amiable outer layer.

In this series, John Christie is a very good liar who can convince people of his good intentions until he makes his move, but Tim Roth somehow makes it clear to the audience when Christie is up to something. Watching Christie insinuate himself into the lives of innocent people who happen to be around him is deeply unsettling yet also incredibly compelling. Kudos to Tim Roth for pulling it off.

Of course, Tim Roth as John Christie might not have been able to sell the creepiness quite as well if not for Samantha Morton as Ethel standing in for the audience and acknowledging when something is very not right. There's a certain sense of tragedy in her performance from the very beginning, as she is a devoted and dutiful wife to John Christie, even as her suspicions that something is amiss grow. We see that she is very much a married woman of the 1940s, and watching her play second fiddle to her manipulating husband even as she has her concerns is fascinating.

Jodie Comer is lovely as Beryl, as she transitions quickly from perky newlywed into somewhat disillusioned wife. Fans of Comer in The White Princess will see a very different performance in Rillington Place. Nico Mirallegro hasn't done much that has aired in the U.S., so his performance as Tim was a great surprise. The middle episode of the miniseries is arguably the most pivotal as it sets the stage for John Christie's ultimate fate, and Mirallegro carries much of it.

All of this said, Rillington Place isn't without its flaws. The fast pace that takes viewers through many years in the span of three hours means that certain areas of development fall by the wayside, and certain transitions are somewhat abrupt. A little bit more development on the motives for some of the characters other than John Christie himself might have enhanced the narrative and guaranteed that the tragedies packed a harder punch. Still, Rillington Place is a solid miniseries that is worth watching.

You can catch all three episodes of Rillington Place streaming on Sundance Now. For your other viewing options now and in the coming weeks, take a peek at our fall TV premiere guide.

The importance of Reservoir Dogs in Hollywood history cannot be overstated. As Quentin Tarantino's first movie, it set a precedent for dark noir and black comedy that few filmmakers have managed to surpass since 1992. From top to bottom, nearly all of the performances in the movie have become utterly iconic, but it turns out that Tim Roth almost didn't even sign on to portray Mr. Orange at all. In fact, it took some convincing (and more than a few drinks) to get him to work on it.

As is typically the case in Hollywood, Tim Roth sat down with Quentin Tarantino and Mr. White actor/co-producer Harvey Keitel during Reservoir Dogs' development. Per his comments to EW, Roth reportedly liked the script for the film, but he refused to audition for Mr. Orange because of his "crap" skill at the process. Eventually Keitel left, and Tarantino took Roth to a bar for some drinks. From there, the alcohol started flowing (continuing all the way to Roth's place with some beer purchased at a convenience store), and Tarantino got Roth to dive even deeper into the script. The actor explained:

If Tim Roth was bad at auditioning, it kind of makes you wonder what his process of preparation looked like. I'm willing to bet that it's not too far off from Mr. Orange preparing his bathroom story in the actual film.

As a result of this boozy meeting, we ended up with one of the best performances in the entire movie. Mr. Orange is a character with a very specific (but also very spoilery) connection to the overall plot, and the actor behind him is vital to the Reservoir Dogs story. Tim Roth's performance as the character has become iconic in the twenty-five years since the film hit theaters. Even though the actual process of shooting the film sounds like absolute hell (he got stuck to the floor more than once because of how the fake blood reacted to heat), the end product was a film that catapulted Tarantino to the stratosphere of modern filmmaking.

All's well that ends well, as the relationship between Tim Roth and Quentin Tarantino would go on to become an incredibly exciting partnership. Roth would go on to play the role of Ringo in Tarantino's next film, Pulp Fiction, as well as the role of Oswaldo Mobray in 2015's The Hateful Eight. With Tarantino about to dive headfirst into the Sharon Tate murders for his next project, let's keep our fingers crossed that he'll be able to get Roth drunk enough to sign on for yet another role.

For those of you on the lookout for more information related to all of the silver screen releases slated for the next year, make sure to glance at CinemaBlend's comprehensive 2017 movie premiere guide, as well as our 2018 movie premiere guide!

Reservoir Dogs is a small film in every sense of the word. It didn't cost a lot of money to make and most of the movie takes place in one location. Also, Tim Roth spends a lot of it on the floor. Recently Tim Roth was asked just how long he spent on the floor of the hideout throughout the filming of Quentin Tarantino's breakout hit. It turns out, it was quite a while, nearly half the shoot. According to Roth...

In traditional Quentin Tarantino fashion, much of Reservoir Dogs takes place out of order, and the key heist scene is never shown at all. However, from the moment the aftermath of the heist begins, we see Tim Roth's Mr. Orange has been shot and he spends the rest of the movie, minus flashbacks, bleeding. As such, he spends most of the film's runtime lying on the floor bleeding to death while the rest of the events play out around him. Roth gets to stand upright during the setup, and then for a couple of key flashbacks, and other than that, he's pretty much on the ground.

One has to wonder, is lying on the ground for two weeks out of a five-week film shoot a relaxing experience or an annoying one? For what it's worth, Tim Roth doesn't seem to hold any animosity whatever toward the experience. His comments during the Reddit AMA where he talked about it are full of glowing words for his director.

Still, since the majority of the film takes place in a single location, odds are all the scenes were filmed there at once, which would mean that the two weeks Tim Roth spent on the ground were likely filmed consecutively. He probably only got to be up and around before or after spending two weeks on the ground. Who knows, maybe that's why he took the role in the first place, maybe Tim Roth thought it would be fun to do an entire performance prone.

Tim Roth has been one of Quentin Tarantino's regular players ever since. He followed Reservoir Dogs with a role in Pulp Fiction and also appeared in the director's last feature The Hateful Eight.

The confined nature of Reservoir Dogs, and what Quentin Tarantino and his actors were able to do with so little, is just one of the reasons that the film is still insanely popular today, leading people to ask Tim Roth about it even now.

Most of the major villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been killed off, but there are still a handful of baddies still breathing. One of those is Emil Blonsky, a.k.a. The Abomination, who clashed with Bruce Banner's monstrous identity in The Incredible Hulk after combining a flawed super soldier serum with Banner's gamma-irradiated blood. Nearly 10 years have passed since that movie came out, and Blonsky is still out there, but for those of you who've been itching to see Abomination back on the big screen, actor Tim Roth is doubtful that will happen. He said:

When we left off with Emil Blonsky in The Incredible Hulk, he'd just been defeated by The Hulk in Harlem, and although the Green Goliath originally planned on killing his bony nemesis, Betty Ross talked him out of it. The comic book The Avengers Prelude: Fury's Big Week showed that S.H.I.E.L.D. locked Blonsky up in its Vault prison, and the short film The Consultant revealed that the World Security Council had tried to free him from imprisonment and put him on the Avengers team, believing that Hulk was more at fault for the destruction in Harlem. That plan was foiled thanks to Phil Coulson, Jasper Sitwell and Tony Stark, and presumably (even with the collapse and reformation of S.H.I.E.L.D.) Blonsky is still in custody.

Given how much time has passed since The Incredible Hulk and how Marvel has no plans to release another standalone Hulk movie, it's understandable why Tim Roth said in his Reddit AMA that he doesn't think he'll be asked to reprise Abomination. There were discussions about bringing the character back for Avengers: Age of Ultron, but nothing ever surfaced from that. However, let's not forget that Captain America: Civil War brought back William Hurt to play Thunderbolt Ross, this time as the Secretary of State rather than an obsessed general. There may come a time when one of the Marvel bigwigs decides they want to fit Abomination into a non-Hulk centric movie, and if that happens, it sounds like Tim Roth is willing to give it another go. Of course, even with no new Hulk movie coming, we still hope that he and Abomination can have a re-match one of these days. Oh, and if Abomination does return, maybe he can bring Tim Blake Nelson's Samuel Sterns with him so we can finally see what Sterns looks like as The Leader.

If it's announced that Tim Roth will reprise Abomination, we'll be sure to let you know about it. For now, Marvel fans can look forward to seeing Hulk back in action this November for Thor: Ragnarok, as well as in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4 in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

Hollywood is littered with actors who very nearly took on roles that ended up becoming iconic for other actors. Looking back on it, many find themselves disappointed that they made a "wrong" decision. Once upon a time, Tim Roth was originally offered the role of Severus Snape in the Harry Potter franchise but he ended up turning it down. How does Roth feel about that now? The actor says that had he played the part, the role of Snape would have looked entirely different, but that he thinks the better man eventually got the role.

At this point, it's probably hard to imagine anybody other than Alan Rickman playing the role of Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films. Most of us probably picture the faces of the actors from the movies in our minds while reading the books now. However, as Tim Roth explained during a Reddit AMA, everything would be very different if he had decided to take the role. While most of us probably can't picture Roth in the role that Rickman performed, that's ok because Roth would have played the entire role very differently. Our entire view of Snape as a character would likely be very different today. The idea that it could have been better is difficult to wrestle with, but who knows? Maybe it would have been.

Instead of spending a decade working on Harry Potter movies, Tim Roth decided instead to make Planet of the Apes with Tim Burton, which, it has to be said, seems like a really bizarre decision in hindsight. To be fair, from comments Roth has made since, it sounds like the main thing he was actually interested in was working with Tim Burton, which is at least understandable.

However, while Roth may have made a less than exciting movie instead of getting involved in one of the biggest film franchises ever, he seems to have a pretty clear head about the whole thing. While he admits the steady work would have been nice, beyond that it's almost impossible to imagine life had he made the other decision. Literally everything would be different now if he had. As it stands, he appears to be happy with his life where it currently is, so he's fine with the role that got away.

I spent four years in film school, so let me tell you one definitive thing I learned during that period of my life: making a movie can prove to be a long and grueling process. After a strenuous shoot sometimes all you want to do is close your eyes and get some rest. If you ever find yourself on a film set, try to fight that urge. For one thing it’s incredibly unprofessional, and if you’re on one of Quentin Tarantino’s sets, you will receive an even worse form of embarrassment.

Frequent Tarantino collaborator Tim Roth recently opened up to EW about the director’s tactics for shaming those who fall asleep on his set:

I don’t know about you, but I am suddenly full of conflicting desires. Part of me desperately wants to go watch a Quentin Tarantino film be made so I can witness the awesome dildo prank that is "Big Jerry," while part of me never wants to go anywhere near one of these sets for fear that I might end up on the "Board of Shame." Tim Roth elaborated further that there’s no point in fighting the shaming process when it comes to Big Jerry, because if you take the photo down off of the board they simply will put another one up that’s even bigger. He also shared rumors that, on the set of Django Unchained, one crewmember’s anger over the photo led to the rest of the crew wear shirts with the photo plastered on the front.

Based on everything we know about Quentin Tarantino, none of these hilarious frat house antics seem the least bit surprising. He has always been known for being something of a control freak on his sets. For example, we only recently reported that he doesn’t allow a single cell phone on any of his live sets. When you walk onto the premises, your phone is collected, and if you need to make a call you retrieve it and leave. The presence of Big Jerry on his set also makes a great deal of sense when we think about the conversation the characters from Reservoir Dogs have at the beginning of the film about Madonna's "Like A Virgin."

As odd as Tarantino’s methods are, we cannot argue with his results. After getting behind the camera for eight features he has yet to produce a bad film, so there has to be something to the way he conducts business. Also, knowing about Big Jerry definitely makes certain scenes from The Hateful Eight feel a little different in retrospect. That film is in theaters now so be sure to check it out.

SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains some pretty significant spoilers for The Hateful Eight. If you have not yet had the opportunity to see the film yet, we recommend that you click away to another one of our wonderful articles!

Similar to the movies released by Marvel Studios, there is a certain degree of interconnectivity that exists between the films of Quentin Tarantino. Whether it’s Reservoir Dogs’ Vic Vega being the brother of Pulp Fiction’s Vincent Vega; or the ubiquitous presence of Red Apple cigarettes, the writer/director has taken steps throughout his entire career to suggest that many of his movies actually take place within the same universe. It turns out The Hateful Eight is no exception, as there is a special connection that I discovered and confirmed between the new film and Inglorious Basterds. It turns out that Tim Roth’s character is actually an ancestor of Archie Hicox, the film critic-turned-British lieutenant played by Michael Fassbender in the 2009 feature.

In the second half of The Hateful Eight, it’s revealed that Tim Roth’s character isn’t actually named Oswaldo Mobray, but instead ‘English’ Pete Hicox – a murderer and member of the Domingray gang with a $15,000 bounty on his head. After noticing this familiar surname, I had the opportunity to recently sit down with Roth to talk about the film, and he confirmed my suspicion that there is a link between Pete and Archie Hicox. As the actor explained,

So there you have it: there is a familial/blood bond shared between Tim Roth and Michael Fassbender’s respective roles in The Hateful Eight and Inglourious Basterds. Of course, fans will recognize that the two men took very different directions in life. One obviously wound up being susceptible to evil and greed, while the other died fighting for the side of good against fascist oppression. It makes you wonder what the rest of the family tree looks like.

For those uninitiated, there are actually two distinct Tarantino-verses. The first is what could be called the "real" Tarantino-verse, which is made up of movies like Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, True Romance, Inglourious Basterds and now The Hateful Eight - all of which are connected through various characters, historical events, and so on. At the same time, though, there is also the "movie" Tarantino-verse – which is basically comprised of interconnected titles that are actually movies that characters watch within the "real" Tarantino-verse. This group of films includes Kill Bill, Grindhouse, and From Dusk Till Dawn. Obviously it’s kind of a complicated approach to cinematic universes, but fans have been having fun with it for decades now.

Did you catch the connection between The Hateful Eight and Inglourious Basterds when you were watching the movie? Did you catch any other special Quentin Tarantino-related Easter eggs (such as the reappearance of Red Apple Cigarettes?) Hit the comments below with your finds!

We've been talking about Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight for what seems like forever, but now the first trailer has rolled into town to offer our best look yet at this bloody Western. And it looks pretty spectacular. Watch the footage below. 

The Weinstein Co. released the official Hateful Eight trailer online, and "one of these things is not like the other" in the frozen tundra of old Wyoming. The film brings together eight strangers: a bounty hunter named John Ruth (Kurt Russell); a fugitive named Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh); a black former Union soldier Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson); a Southern renegade sheriff named Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins); the temporary caretaker of a haberdashery, Bob (Demian Bichir); hangman of the town of Red Rock, Oswaldo Mobray (TIm Roth); cow-puncher Joe Gage (Michael Madsen); and Confederate General Sanford Smithers (Bruce Dern). All take refuge at Minnie's Haberdashery, and they slowly realize that their mysterious connection might prevent them from getting home safe. As Ruth says in the trailer, "One of them fellas is not what he says he is." 

Despite the bloody implications of this being a Tarantino film, the footage looks pretty funny. The director himself even told Entertainment Weekly recently that the film strives to be the "funniest snow Western ever made," and that becomes apparent when Leigh's Daisy mimics a noose around her neck when Russell's Ruth talks about carting her off to her death. When contrasted with the intense music plaguing the trailer, these dark comedic moments pop even more. It's not unlike Tarantino to infuse humor into his gory films, as we've seen time and again with Django Unchained and Kill Bill, but Tarantino said The Hateful Eight is even funnier than The Great Silence, Day of the Outlaw and McCabe & Mrs. Miller. Strange comparisons.

Another selling point of the trailer comes in the final seconds when a title card requests that you "see it in glorious 70mm (ultra panavision 70)." This has been a major push from Tarantino, who made the film using 65mm negative and Ultra Panavision 70 anamorphic lenses. He wants audiences to see Hateful Eight the way he intended, and according to reports, plans are trying to be worked out to have about 50 theaters in the U.S. screen the film in this format. It's said to be the widest 70mm release in the past 20 years, though Weinstein is also offering 35mm and digital formatting options for theaters that are not able to accomodate. 

The Hateful Eight is one of our most-anticipated films of the year, given early hype surrounding the first teaser trailer and poster. It'll finally premiere in select theaters this Christmas before going wide on January 8, 2016. 

With the Women’s World Cup in full swing, and the recent Sepp Blatter controversy making headlines across the world, FIFA, the governing body of international soccer, has been all over the place lately. All that attention had little to no impact at the box office, however, as the FIFA origins drama United Passions became the lowest-grossing film in U.S. history.

Just how bad did United Passions tank? Well, according to The Hollywood Reporter, on ten screens over the course of the June 6 weekend, it managed to earn $918. This puts it ahead of, or behind depending on your perspective, such non-notable movies at I Kissed A Vampire and Last Flight of the Champion, which we haven’t heard of either. Those films, a rock musical based on a web series and a terribly animated space adventure, earned $1380 and $1493 respectively during their theatrical campaigns.

FIFA put up 90% of the budget for the movie, which falls somewhere between $25 and $32 million, and is described as "self-congratulatory." They even managed to score some notable onscreen talent, including Tim Roth, Sam Neill, and Gérard Depardieu, though that apparently didn’t do them any good in the end. The film is performing better in Russia, where it has earned $158,000, but it doesn’t have distribution in many other regions, and went straight to home video in France.

The story of the film traces the origins of FIFA, and it probably didn’t help matters that the theatrical release coincided with the recent scandal where many of the key players in the organization, which has been widely criticized as being corrupt, especially in regards to deciding where the World Cup will be played, were arrested on charges of, you guessed it, corruption. In the midst of all of this controversy, FIFA President Sepp Blatter, a central character in the film, played by Tim Roth, was embroiled in all of this, managed to be elected to a fifth term in his position, and shortly after resigned in disgrace.

By all accounts, the real life drama unfolding on the nightly news was way more interesting than anything in United Passions, which apparently features none of the decades worth of reports and speculation about corruption. Roth reportedly asked the filmmakers where all of that was in the script. Not only was the film a financial disaster, it was brutalized by critics as well, who not only tore into what is, by all accounts, a terrible film, but also found humor in the almost too-perfect timing of the release.

One would think that the controversy swirling around FIFA and its disgraced chief, Sepp Blatter, would attract curious patrons to theaters to see the organization’s funded and sponsored origin drama United Passions. Well, the opposite actually happened, as the French film opened in 10 theaters in the U.S. this weekend and earned $607 on Friday and Saturday. Not per theater. Total.

That stench in your nose is coming off of the box-office tally for United Passions, which The Washington Post reports cost somewhere between $25 and $32 million to make. Directed by Frederic Auburtin, the film stars Tim Roth as Sepp Blatter, and traces the founding of FIFA and the rise of its World Cup competition. In addition to Roth, the film stars Sam Neill, Fisher Stevens, Thomas Kretschmann and Gerard Depardieu. To prove that this is a real movie, I’ll share with you the trailer.

Now, it’s possible that American crowds simply don’t care enough about soccer to go watch a movie about FIFA. Also, with the recent headline-grabbing stories about corruption, then the idea of forking over your money to support a FIFA product might have chased a few potential viewers away. At the same time, the reviews for United Passions are dreadful. It has 9 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. It has a 0% Fresh grade. The reviews did produce a few quotable gems, though. Daniel M. Gold of the New York Times writes:

While Mike Ryan of Uproxx called the film "the unintentionally funniest movie of 2015."

I’ll tell you what really made me laugh: THR broke down how much United Passions made per theater. When you consider how the movie only took in $607 in two days of release, you have to assume that the numbers are going to be low. But the trade notes that the FIFA-backed movie only earned $9 at the FilmBar Theater in Phoenix… meaning only one person bought a ticket to see the film on those days. One person.

Seeing as how the soccer drama targeted 10 cities for its limited rollout, you would think it would use market research to bring the film to soccer-friendly locations that would support the film regardless of the current futbol controversies. According to the stats in THR, the Laemmle theater in North Hollywood was the top destination for the movie, but it only generated $164 in ticket sales on Friday and Saturday. Maybe the film does better overseas, where soccer is life. But these are historically dismal numbers, and I’d assume they would doom the film’s chances of making any money on profit.

Back in 2012, writer/director Quentin Tarantino once again brought his incredible skills back to the big screen with Django Unchained. Telling the story of a freed slave who goes on a mission to rescue his wife from an evil plantation owner, the movie was once again a huge success for the filmmaker, and he not only received very positive reviews, but also an Academy Award for his screenplay. Naturally, we’re only more excited for his next cinematic adventure, which will be coming soon in the form of the violent new post-Civil War drama The Hateful Eight.

Seemingly mixing together elements of Reservoir Dogs and Django Unchained, and equipping the story with a brilliant ensemble cast, the film looks like it could be something really special. But what exactly is the story in the movie, and who are the characters we will be meeting? Well, for your benefit we’ve put together this handy guide, which puts everything we know about the flick in one easy-to-read feature. Read on to find out what we know about The Hateful Eight so far!

Quentin Tarantino

Fittingly, The Hateful Eight will be the eighth feature film of writer/director Quentin Tarantino’s incredible career (counting the two Kill Bill halves as one), but it’s a project that almost didn’t happen. While the filmmaker was doing behind-the-scenes work on the film back in early 2014, a draft of the screenplay managed to leak online. Claiming that he was personally betrayed, Tarantino said that he was going to shelves his plans for the film, and would instead consider possibly just publishing it.

During a long drawn out lawsuit with Gawker that was ultimately dismissed, Tarantino hosted a special one-night-only stage reading of The Hateful Eight in Los Angeles. At the time, it seemed like it would possibly be the only time a Quentin Tarantino-directed performance would be held, but that changed after the reading when it was reported that the writer/director was still working on the script.

In the summer of 2014, it was revealed that the production was back on, and that Quentin Tarantino was starting to put pieces of his cast together. Filming began back in January, and The Hateful Eight is now in post-production. Sadly, The Weinstein Company, which is handling distribution on the project, has not yet announced a release date for the film.

The Story

Based on an original screenplay by Quentin Tarantino – just like all of the director’s other films – this new project is set in the years just after the Civil War, and begins with a bounty hunter (Kurt Russell) and his bounty (Jennifer Jason Leigh) making their way through Wyoming during winter on their way to a town called Red Rock. Along the road, they wind up meeting two strangers, but this is only the beginning of the story. Eventually, a blizzard forces the group off the road entirely and into an establishment called Minnie’s Haberdashery. This location is actually already filled with four other individuals taking shelter from the storm – some with darker tales than others. As the night goes on, tensions flare, and in true Tarantino fashion, blood will be spilt.

John Ruth: "The Hangman"

As noted during the plot synopsis, Kurt Russell character is one of the first we meet in the narrative, and his name is John Ruth. As you probably could have guessed, he earns the nickname "The Hangman" because he’s a bounty hunter who’s pretty damn good at bringing people to justice. The Hateful Eight will actually be the second time that Russell has had the opportunity to work with Quentin Tarantino, as they previously collaborated on the Death Proof half of the double-feature Grindhouse. Russell was originally going to have a role in the writer/director’s Django Unchained, but wound up leaving the production. His part wound up being absorbed by Walton Goggins. Russell is a missed presence in any movie he’s not in, so it’s great to see him working with Tarantino once again.

Daisy Domergue: "The Prisoner"

Throughout his career, Quentin Tarantino has made a habit of making surprising casting choices and getting them to pay off in major ways. When it comes to The Hateful Eight, one can pinpoint Jennifer Jason Leigh as the production’s most interesting castmember. There was a time when a rumor was swirling around that the part of Daisy Domergue was going to go to Jennifer Lawrence, but that was debunked when Leigh got the part in October of last year. She begins the film as John Ruth’s captured prisoner, heading to Red Rock to face punishment for the crime of murder. Whether or not she will actually get there is a very reasonable question.

Major Marquis Warren: "The Bounty Hunter"

Major Marquis Warren is one of the two characters who John Ruth and Daisy Domergue wind up encountering on their little misadventure, and he will be played by the one and only Samuel L. Jackson. The character has been described as being an infamous bounty hunter himself, though he also made a name for himself as a soldier fighting for the union. The Hateful Eight will be the fifth time that Jackson has had the opportunity to work with Quentin Tarantino as a director – and the truth is that they make magic every time out. From his Oscar nominated turn as Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction to the detestable Stephen in Django Unchained, it’s been proven time and time again that the two men work incredibly well together

Chris Mannix: "The Sheriff"

While it’s not entirely clear if John Ruth and Daisy Domergue wind up encountering the aforementioned roadside strangers together or apart, but in addition to Major Marquis Warren, the duo will also be running into Chris Mannix – played by Walton Goggins. He’s a Southerner who has moved out to the west and claims to be the new sheriff in town… though whether or not he can be trusted is evidently debatable. As mentioned earlier in this guide, The Hateful Eight will be a reunion between Quentin Tarantino and Walton Goggins, as they previously had the chance to work together making Django Unchained. That, however, was a very small role, and hopefully this one will be a bit more significant.

Bob: "The Mexican"

When John Ruth, Daisy Domergue, Major Marquis Warren and Chris Mannix make it out of the blizzard and into Minnie’s Haberdashery, they meet four strangers… so let’s meet them one by one, shall we? First up is Bob, who has been given the nickname "The Mexican." While the Minnie of Minni’s Haberdashery is out of town visiting relatives, Bob has been tasked with taking care of the shop while she is gone (knowing the way that Quentin Tarantino movies tend to unfold, there’s a fairly good chance that Minnie is not going to like the state of her shop when she returns from her trip, as it will probably be covered in bullet holes and blood stains). Bob is being played in the movie by Demian Bichir – and he is one of the only actors in the main cast of The Hateful Eight who has never had the chance to go through the Tarantino experience. As a result, his will definitely be a performance to watch.

Oswald Mobray: "The Little Man"

Tim Roth played significant parts in Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Ficiton and Quentin Tarantino’s segment of Four Rooms - but the actor and the filmmaker have not worked together in more than 20 years. Fortunately, that streak is coming to an end with The Hateful Eight, and Roth’s upcoming performance as Oswald Mobray. Like Bob, he is already in Minni’s Haberdashery when John Ruth, Daisy Domergue, Major Marquis Warren and Chris Mannix, but he also has an interesting character description: he’s the hangman of Red Rock, which means that he will be the one who will end up putting the noose around Daisy’s neck when he’s convicted for her crimes. It’s worth noting that Oswald Mobray is not originally from the west or even America – and has come to the states from England (meaning that Roth will be using his natural accent for the role).

Joe Gage: "The Cow Puncher"

Like Tim Roth and Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Madsen is another one of the old school Quentino Tarantino all-stars – having played one of the lead roles in Reservoir Dogs, and reuniting with him on Kill Bill. Now the two men are collaborating again, and the writer/director has cast Madsen as Joe Gage, one of the men discovered in Minni’s Haberdashery. Very little is known about his part in the narrative at this point, but he is described as a cow puncher, which is to say that he is a hired hand on a cattle ranch who rides around on horseback and tends to the livestock. Along with Bob, he seems like kind of an innocent it a haberdashery, but it would be none too surprising if he’s hiding a secret or two himself. He is still Mr. Blonde, after all.

General Sandy Smithers: "The Confederate"

In Django Unchained, Bruce Dern got the opportunity to work with Quentin Tarantino for what amounted to just one scene in the finished cut of the film, but it looks like he’ll be doing a lot more than that in The Hateful Eight. As the headline spoils, Dern will be playing the role of General Sandy Smithers, who fought for the confederacy during the Civil War. It’s been said that the character is a man of few words, but it’s quite unlikely he’ll stay that way. After all, I bet that he probably won’t get along famously with Major Marquis Warren, and it’s customary that it’s the quiet ones who always wind up stirring up the most trouble.

Channing Tatum

No, Channing Tatum will not be playing himself in The Hateful Eight - he’s merely playing a character who doesn’t have a known name just yet. It was reported last year that the 22 Jump Street has a role in the new Quentin Tarantino film, but the part is being kept very tightly under wraps for the time being. Presumably he’s being set up as some kind of surprise appearance, but exactly where he finds his way into the tale, and in what capacity, is still a mystery with an answer known only to those who worked on the film. This is the first time that Tarantino and Tatum are working on a movie together, and we can hope that their collaboration creates something fantastic.

The first thing you notice is the facial hair. How could you not? Quentin Tarantino’s cast, assembled to tell his vengeance Western The Hateful Eight, sports some of the finest on-screen lip sweaters since Martin Scorsese staged his Gangs of New York. But who rocks the best bushy beards in the bunch?

Entertainment Weekly has eight character portraits as part of their Hateful Eight preview. (We linked to the cover the other day.) Let’s meet each cast member, and rank their complete facial extravaganza, using a scale of 1 through 5 – with one being relatively fresh-faced, and 5 being Galdalf the Grey.

John Ruth (Kurt Russell)

What’s his role? Also known as "The Hangman," Ruth is a mean son of a bitch who is riding toward the town of Red Rock with a female bounty in tow. That murderous prisoner is named Daisy Domergue, and we’ll learn more about her in a bit.

How’s his facial hair? He gets a 4. Russell’s no stranger to a mustache, and he sports a lengthy handlebar here that’s a nice salt-and-pepper shade. He loses a point for the stubble on his chin, which creates a bit of a soul patch and prevents Ruth from rocking a full facial sweater.

Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson)

What’s his role? Seeing as how Tarantino is setting his drama in the years following the Civil War, regular QT collaborator Sam Jackson’s playing a former Union officer who now spends his days in the frozen mountains of Wyoming. When trouble comes a’calling, though, you better be sure that Warren – aka "The Bounty Hunter" – knows how to handle himself… and his firearms.

How’s his facial hair? It’s a 3. Partially because his chin is obscured in this first-look photo by a scarf. But Sam’s facial hair looks manicured and in check in this pic. He also looks so damn cold!

Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh)

What’s her role? Before you could say "Sausage Party," Tarantino introduces Daisy, the detained prisoner in John Ruth’s charge. She goes by the obvious nickname of "The Prisoner" is Tarantino’s script, and EW warns us that just because she’s handcuffed doesn’t mean she has been neutralized.

How’s her facial hair? Nonexistent, which means she gets a 1, though it’s worth noting that Ruth probably had to administer a beating or two to keep Domergue in line. Look at the bruises on her battered cheek and eye.

Joe Gage (Michael Madsen)

What’s his role? Gage is one of the first men we associate with Minnie’s Haberdashery, a claustrophobic location that – we believe – is going to contain a good deal of the action in Tarantino’s Western. According to EW, the character who goes by the nickname "The Cow Puncher" has already taken his place in the haberdashery when the strangers pull into town, so his agenda is mysterious.

How’s his facial hair? Also a 1. Disappointingly, Madsen chose not to bury his beautiful features under a beard and mustache, so he ranks low on our hair chart. He does look 15 years younger than his actual age (56), as a result, though.

Oswaldo Mobrey (Tim Roth)

What’s his role? With a nickname like "The Little Man," you can bet that Tom Roth’s Mobrey carries a big chip on his shoulder, likely to overcompensate for his size. EW reports that he’s also an outsider to Red Rock, a British citizen who likes to think of himself as "the new hangman" of this one-horse town.

How’s his facial hair? Stylish! We’re finally back in business, with a rock-solid 3 of a beard-mustache combo. What I really love about Roth’s choices are the slightly-angled wing tips he put on his mustache. He better attempt to twirl them at least once in The Hateful Eight or I’m going to be deeply disappointed.

Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins)

What's his role? Apparently, Mannix is "The Sheriff" of Red Rock – a Southern boy who sought a new life on the great Western frontier. Don’t ask me why he’s wearing black. My guess is that, because this is a traditional Quentin Tarantino story, the good guys and the bad guys cross the line so many times, it’s hard to tell them apart.

How’s his facial hair? Absent. I wonder if the actors on set who were required to be clean shaven were jealous of cast members like Kurt Russell and Tim Roth. Did guys like Madsen and Goggins throw shade at their male counterparts, wishing they, too, could sport amazing period-specific beards? Anyway, Goggins gets a 1… and my disappointed gaze.

General Sanford Smithers (Bruce Dern)

What’s his role? If Samuel L. Jackson represents the former Union army, Bruce Dern’s character – known as "The Confederate" – stands in for the defeated Southern states (giving Tarantino another opportunity to weigh in on the practice of slavery, if he so chooses). EW describes Dern’s character as "laconic," though early reports that crossed my desk pegged him as a maniac, and the above picture almost backs that up.

How’s his facial hair? A real contender for Best Beard, and a rock-solid 4. Dern wears every bit of his age, looking like a deranged Uncle Jessie from the set of The Dukes of Hazzard. The only thing that holds him back is that the actor wore a better beard in Nebraska.

Bob (Damien Bichir)

What’s his role? Bob? That’s it? Bob? With all of the creative names mentioned above, Tarantino settles on Bob for Bichir’s character? We’re told he goes by "The Mexican," and that he’s running Minnie’s Haberdashry while Minnie is away on vacation. Which means it’s his responsibility to keep the roughnecks in line when the shit starts hitting the fan in Hateful Eight. Do you think Bob is up to the task?

How’s his facial hair? Seriously? Look at that thing. It’s a perfect 5, and Damien Bichir wins our unofficial and completely non-scientific Hateful Eight beard contest. That thing on Bichir’s face is so powerful, so rugged, and so unkempt that I think it deserves its own backstory, and a couple of lines of dialogue. I can’t wait to see all of these characters in action when The Hateful Eight starts screening on November 13.

Tim Burton’s attempt to reboot the Planet Of The Apes franchise is regarded as a catastrophic failure. While it was actually a box office success, it was roundly chastised by critics because of its convoluted plot - so much so that Tim Roth, who starred as the film’s villain, has now had to try and explain exactly what really happened in the film’s confusing conclusion.

The British actor is currently doing the rounds promoting Selma, in which he stars as George Wallace, the former governor of Alabama, and during a discussion with Crave Online the topic turned to Planet of the Apes.After being asked whether he knew exactly what his Planet of the Apes character, General Thade, did when he went back in time to Earth at the end of Burton's film, Roth responded:

For those of you who have erased the ending to 2001’s Planet Of The Apes from their minds, you can remind yourself of its absurdity by watching the clip below.

So basically, Thade was sent back further in time than Marky-Mark, took over the planet, and created the planet of the apes on Earth That actually makes a modicum of sense! Thanks, Tim Roth!

Despite the fact Planet of the Apes ultimately generated $362 million at the box office - making it the ninth-highest grossing film in 2001 - it was ultimately regarded as a disappointment. It failed to emerge from the shadow of the 1968 original thanks to its shoddy script, and director Tim Burton would later blame a rushed production for its failings.

Even though Fox had previously confirmed that if Planet Of The Apes had flourished at the box office then it would get a sequel, the studio decided that the poor response to the film meant that it would be foolhardy to progress with such an effort.

However the emergence of the 2011 reboot, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, proved that Fox’s decision not to capitalize on the financial success of the 2001 blockbuster was correct. Both a critical and financial success, it was then followed by the even more lauded and profitable Dawn of the Planet of the Apes this past summer,. What's more, another sequel is already in the works too. Just don’t expect Mark Wahlberg to pop up in any of them.

Where does Louis Leterrier’s 2008 film The Incredible Hulk fit in the current Marvel Cinematic Universe? Fans love to debate this, because major changes took place between Leterrier’s effort and the reintroduction of the Hulk into Joss Whedon’s Avengers film. But there are so many interesting pieces at play in The Incredible Hulk, you can understand why Marvel would be looking to carry a few of them over to the new MCU films, and we’re just now learning about a massive one that almost had a cameo in The Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Tim Roth has been doing press on behalf of the spectacular Civil Rights drama Selma, which casts the English actor and director as Alabama governor George Wallace. During a conversation with Crave Online, the actor was asked about his part in The Incredible Hulk, and whether he gets asked about it at all. Roth admits that it comes up often, and that he meets fans all of the time. Then he explains that his villainous creature, The Abomination, almost returned for Joss Whedon’s Age of Ultron… or, it at least was discussed. Roth says:

Tim Roth played Emil Blonsky in Louis Leterrier’s The Incredible Hulk, a soldier hired by General Ross (William Hurt) to detain Bruce Banner and his alter ego, The Hulk. Over the course of the film, Blonsky receives his own dose of gamma-radiated blood and morphs into The Abomination – which leads to this epic throwdown in Harlem.

By the end of that film, Blonsky is defeated (spoiler). He's locked away, presumably so that he can be used again in future films. But his fate, ultimately, is one of many loose threads left dangling by The Incredible Hulk, which introduced Tim Blake Nelson’s Dr. Samuel Sterns, a possible new villain. There likely were big plans in place for this Hulk, seeing as how Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) appeared in a post-credits sequence to recruit the angry monster for the Avengers Initiative.

But lackluster reactions (and box office) led to continuity changes, and we now have Mark Ruffalo in the role. It’s interesting to hear that Tim Roth was at least involved in conversation to bring The Abomination back. Maybe if Hulk ever gets his own solo movie, this can happen. Only time will tell.

Here’s one sure-fire way to ensure that more people hear about your feature-film directorial debut: cast Twilight superstar Robert Pattinson in a key role.

The strategy is being tested by writer-director-actor Brady Corbet, whom Variety reports has cast Pattinson, Juliette Binoche and Tim Roth in his upcoming drama The Childhood of a Leader. Corbet co-wrote the screenplay for the film with Mona Fastvold, who has has the upcoming movie The Sleepwalker set to debut the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. The Childhood of a Leader centers on the childhood of a post-World War I leader, but few details outside of that have been revealed. Corbet wants to begin filming in Europe next May.

Corbet broke on the scene in 2009 with the short film Protect You + Me, which took home an Honorable Mention prize at Sundance that year. If you want to get an idea of his style, you can actually watch 10-minute short is below:

Pattinson, meanwhile, continues to find his way in a post-Twilight world. For several years, he was the hottest young star on the planet, riding high on the wave of popularity generated by the sparkly vampire melodrama. But that white-hot spotlight fades over time, and Pattinson’s efforts outside of franchise haven’t exactly lit the world on fire. Box office isn’t everything, obviously, but the performances of Pattinson’s non-Twilight films have been dismal. David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis (which also featured Binoche), for example, earned a paltry $763,556 in the States. Bel Ami, which had a VERY limited release, only took in $120,462. Water for Elephants banked $58.7 million back in 2011, but my point seems to be that Pattinson does not guarantee an audience. The movie also has to be pretty damn good.

Or, you know, you can just ask him to get drunk and sing Karaoke with Katy Perry. Because that’s going to get eyeballs, as well:

Prior to directing, Corbet acted in the indie hit Simon Killer, and recently wrapped performances in Noah Baumbach’s While We’re Young, Andrea Di Stefano’s Paradise Lost and Olivier Assayas’ Sils Maria. Busy man. We'll have more about The Childhood of a Leader for you as it develops, but for now, the movie has a solid trio of stars. Let’s see where it goes from here.

Up until now, the only screenplays that Christopher Nolan has written have also been directed by him, but that pattern is about to change in a major way. Variety is reporting out of the Toronto International Film Festival that Gemma Arterton and Tim Roth are now set to star in The Keys to the Street, an adaptation of the Ruth Rendell novel of the same name that has been adapted by Nolan and co-writer Michael Stokes.

According to Amazon, the story centers on a woman named Mary Jargo (Arterton). As a means to get away from her psychotic ex-boyfriend (Roth), she takes a job housesitting in Regent Park - one of the most snobbish areas of the city - and while doing so begins to help and feed the homeless people who live nearby, as nobody else in the neighborhood will. After befriending a group of homeless people, Mary discovers that some of them are being murdered and having their heads put on the spiked fence that surrounds the park. The heroine takes it upon herself to solve the murder, and in doing so begins to come out of her shell and face her own personal demons. Also set to star in the film is Max Irons (Red Riding Hood), who will play a man that Mary has an affair with.

Czech director Julius Sevcik is officially attached to direct the film, and production is scheduled to begin at the start of next year in London. According to the trade, the project has been in development for years now with Arterton long attached to play the lead role. Said Executive Producer Kirk D’Amico in a statement, “We think that audiences will love how Christopher Nolan and Michael Stokes have adapted this popular English mystery novel… with a dark edge." Given that Nolan's previous credits include Inception, The Prestige and Memento there's plenty of reason to be excited.

Arterton had a sizable hit earlier this year when she starred in Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, which wound up making $225 million globally on a $50 million budget. She will next be seen staring in the Brad Furman-directed thriller Runner Runner with Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck. You can watch the trailer for the movie below:

Roth, meanwhile, most recently did some work in France with writer/director Eric Rochant, starring alongside Jean Dujardin and Cecile De France in Mobius. Later this year he will have a major role starring alongside Nicole Kidman, Frank Langella, Parker Posey and more in Grace of Monaco, the Oliver Dahan-directed Grace Kelly biopic that's expected to be making an Oscar run this fall.

When it comes to true-life tales of fantastical love, the one between Grace Kelly and Rainier III Prince of Monaco is certainly one of the most enticing. She was a glamorous Hollywood starlet and one of Alfred Hitchcock's recurring leading ladies, starring in Rear Window, Dial M for Murder, and To Catch a Thief. He was—well—he was a prince! An honest to god prince! But their courtship is not the focus of director Olivier Dahan's upcoming biopic Grace of Monaco. Instead, he focuses on a tumultuous time in this iconic pair's marriage.

Penned by Arash Amel, the script was named one of the best unproduced screenplays of 2011, earning a place on the illustrious Black List. It begins six years into Kelly's marriage to the prince. She's settled into her new life far from the glitz of Hollywood, and has two children with her beloved husband. But trouble brews between the two when tensions between Monaco and France arise over Rainier's tax laws. Nicole Kidman will headline as Kelly, and Variety reports Tim Roth (Reservoir Dogs) has committed to play Rainier, who is described as ambitious and headstrong, in part because he was forced to take up his royal responsibilities at an early age.

In other news, Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon) has entered into talks to play Father Tucker, the priest who initially introduced the pair and offers advice during their darkest days. Should he sign on, he'll join a supporting cast that includes Paz Vega (Spanglish), who'll play celebrated opera singer Maria Callas, friend to Kelly, and Roger Ashton-Griffiths (You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger), who'll portray Hitchcock. In short, Dahan is stacking up a solid cast, but what else would you expect from the filmmaker behind the internationally acclaimed La vie en rose?

Grace of Monaco is slated to shoot in France this fall.

FX has a new project in development that reunites Lie to Me star Tim Roth with co-executive producer and showrunner from the Fox series Alexander Cary. Though there’s no title and details on the project are few, the drama has a script commitment and sounds like a pretty wild show: addiction and bank robbery are both named as central to the plot.

Roth will be the star of the new project, says Deadline, and he created it alongside Cary. The drama series is described as being about “addiction, bank robbery and an extremely volatile family dynamic.” Well, when you’ve got addictions and people are robbing banks, things are bound to be a little strained on the home front I would think.

Tim Roth is coming off of three seasons on Lie to Me at Fox, which just got word of cancellation this past week after lackluster ratings the last two seasons. He and showrunner Cary are clearly not sitting around waiting for the job offers to roll in. Roth also has several films coming up, including A Fall From Grace which his just going into production. Pre-Lie to Me British actor Roth was best known for appearances in Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, and was nominated for an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor for Rob Roy.

Roth’s Tarantino film credits certainly seem to set him up well for a family drama involving bank robberies, although even on cable Reservoir Dogs-level ultra-violence won’t fly, so I imagine this will be somewhat more tame.