Actor John Heard Dies at 71
Actor John Heard passed away unexpectedly this weekend at the age of 71. Though best known for his role as Peter McAllister in the Home Alone series, Heard was a prolific actor of stage and screen, known for creating complex and often hilarious characters that have lived on for decades. Notably co-starring in Big, Beaches, and The Sopranos, Heard had nearly 200 roles to his credit, including several films that have yet to be released. An incomparable professional, Heard inspired generations of actors with his skill and even took the time to mentor a few along the way, including Daniel Stern, who posted a touching tribute to the late actor on his Facebook page. Even as his Home Alone role dogged the rest of his career, Heard never quit acting and always delivered great performances even in small roles. Even at 71, he was taken too soon.
‘Wonder Woman 2’ Officially Confirmed
In a move shocking exactly no one, Wonder Woman 2 was confirmed this weekend at Comic Con. Wonder Woman became the hit of the summer almost immediately upon its release, earning $389 million at the domestic box office (second behind Beauty and the Beast for 2017 takes), making it the highest earning blockbuster ever directed by a woman. Director Sally Jenkins is expected to return to helm part 2, though as of yet no plot specifics have been discussed. One rumor has the next film set in the 1980s and will feature Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) taking on the Soviets in the waning days of the Cold War. That’s quite a time jump from the first film, which was set in World War I. Regardless of setting, audiences are clearly hungry for more from Wonder Woman and, so far, Wonder Woman has been the most critically well received of WB/DC’s current crop of films. Hopefully they can continue the trend and strike gold for a second time.
Affleck Calms Recast Rumors
After a week of rumors and innuendo, Ben Affleck has officially shut down the talk that he would be leaving the role of Batman anytime soon. The controversy began to bubble as Affleck stepped down as director for the upcoming The Batman in favor of Matt Reeves (War for the Planet of the Apes), who in turned has reportedly scrapped Affleck’s already written script for a page one rewrite. Addressing a Comic Con crowd, Affleck said, “Let me be very clear. I am the luckiest guy in the world. Batman is the coolest (…) character in any universe – DC, Marvel – and I’m so thrilled to do it.” Despite the backlash over the announcement of his casting, Affleck was easily one of the better parts of the troubled Batman v Superman and brought an unexpected pathos to the role. His continuation as the Caped Crusader is great news and hopefully is an indication that DC can begin to turn things around.
‘The Flash’ Reveals Movie Premise
Somehow, one of the toughest nuts to crack for the DC movie universe has been The Flash, which has seen a slew of directors come and go over the last year as WB attempts to get things just right for the speedster’s solo cinematic debut. Eyebrows were raised at Comic Con when it was announced that the film would focus on the famed “Flashpoint” storyline from the comics, which finds the fastest man alive accidentally traveling back in time to a changed and alternate world where Bruce Wayne is dead and his father, Thomas, has become Batman. The revelation sparked a slew of concern that the movie would effectively serves a reset for the cinematic universe, though as of now that is being denied by those involved. Whether or not the movie even comes to fruition is up for debate at this point, as first they’d have to settle on a script and director. Still, being one of the most famous stories from the comics, this isn’t necessarily a bad place for them to go, if they can pull it off.
‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ Casts Michelle Pfeiffer and Laurence Fishburne
Michelle Pfieffer has been confirmed as the latest star to join the MCU. The actress was announced as Janet van Dyne in the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp, the sequel to 2015’s Ant-Man. Van Dyne was the original Wasp opposite Hank Pym’s (Michael Douglas) Ant-Man, who was lost in the sub-atomic realm after shrinking too small while disabling an oncoming missile. Also announced was the casting of Laurence Fishburne as the hero Giant-Man who, as the name suggests, can make himself giant.
‘Dunkirk’ Wins Box Office Battle
Christopher Nolan reigned supreme at the box office this weekend. His World War II epic, Dunkirk took the top spot earning $50 million, beating out another newcomer, Girls Trip, which took in a still respectable $30 million. Falling to third place was Marvel’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, which earned $22 million in its third week of release as War for the Planet of the Apes fell to fourth place in its second week with $20 million. Rounding out the top five was newcomer Valerian, which raked in a disappointing $17 million in its first week of release and casting some doubt on the viability of Luc Besson’s planned trilogy of films based on the French comic series.
