“Hey, can you come look at this?”These are the words of a crazy man, standing five inches away from his television set, clutching a bowl of dinner cereal for dear life, mouth agape with a mixture of intense focus, borderline delirium, and soggy cheerios. I am the crazy man, by the way, and this is me last night, speaking to a friend, who does not watch “Game of Thrones,” but has keener powers of observation than anyone I’ve met outside of McGruff the Crime Dog.*
I’m asking for her help because I need to look at what I’m watching. I need her to tell me I’m not crazy. I need her to look into the eyes of the late Jon Snow, and I need her to confirm that what I’m seeing is real.
The morning after the season five finale’s brutal cliffhanger ending, in which Jon Snow is betrayed and murdered by his fellow members of the Night’s Watch, I wrote about the many reasons why Jon simply cannot be dead. More to the point, he might be dead now, but he won’t be dead forever. Like others who have read the George R.R. Martin novels “Thrones” takes its cues from, I’ve been thinking about Jon’s resurrection for the better part of four years now. It’s not just a possibility. It’s an inevitability. It. Is. Known.
But what if it isn’t known? What if Melisandre isn’t going to take a page out of the Thoros of Myr playbook and give Jon the Beric Dondarrion treatment? There’s no sign of Ghost in Jon’s death scene, so warging into his dire wolf is off the table, right? Kit Harington and the producers of the show all insist that Jon is dead and is “not coming back next season,” which is a filthy lie concocted in J.J. Abrams’ secret John Harrison Long Khan Laboratory … unless it’s the truth?
If Jon Snow is dead, I have some late stage grieving in my future next year. For now, I have obsession, looking for anything to support all of us who believe the 998th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch will get over his case of the Mostly Deads. And thanks to you, I have help.
Multiple folks who read my take on why Jon is still alive reached out to me online and asked me to take a closer look at something that happens at the end of the scene.
At Chris’ urging, I rolled the tape, and rolled it again, and rolled it some more. I kept rolling until I could roll no further on my own. I called in back-up in the form of Detective Friend, and got the verification I needed: Jon Snow’s eyes do indeed change color as the camera zooms down upon his face.
I don’t see his eyes turning Targaryen purple, but there is certainly a color change. Perhaps it’s just a trick of the light, as the ice-blue hue of the snow becomes more pronounced the closer the camera zooms in on Jon’s face. But his eyes appear a lighter shade than normal, no question about it.
Here it is without all the shadows:
And here’s what Harington looks like in real life:
Rob Kim / Getty Images
IS THIS REAL LIFE? Did Jon Snow’s eyes change from Kit’s normal dark brown to a lighter hue — an icy green, as I’m seeing it? Am I just seeing things, or is there something here?
Let’s roll with “something here,” for the sake of argument. What would the eye color change even mean? Insert shrug emoticon here. It could mean a whole lot (Jon’s R+L colors and destiny finally emerging, Jon actually warging into Ghost, Jon turning into some White Walker hybrid something-or-other, what have you), or it could mean a whole lot of nothing. Could just be a trick of the light, much like Melisandre’s prophetic powers appear to be.
It also could be nothing, and “Game of Thrones” has simply driven some of us (see: me) insane.
The pics don’t do the argument as much justice as the experience of watching it five inches in front of your screen, witnessing the transformation of Jon’s eyes before your very eyes. Go and check it out for yourself, and tell me I’m crazy — or go crazy with me. It’s a long off-season, folks. Let’s have fun with it. Someone certainly has to.
* I have never actually met McGruff the Crime Dog.
Now it is no secret that RDJ is getting older. He might still be awesome but less face it soon after Infinity Wars our metal made hero will soon retire. But don’t worry guys Marvel has done its best to provide a storyline on why he hangs up the suit, and they have been building it up with every movie he’s been a part of.
Tony Stark got a lot of heat from this movie since he was the one who created or rather resurrected Ultron from the sceptre. He also did it without consulting any of the other Avengers except for Banner. Ultron was created because of him, and all the carnage and death that followed Tony took upon his soldiers.
So all of the carnage and pain that followed Tony took upon himself. He also probably took the death of Quicksilver on himself since Ultron was his doing. He also was indirectly or directly (whichever view point you look at it from) involved in the death of the parents of the Maximoff Twins. That’s why they originally sided with Ultron because they wanted revenge on Tony. Their death you can believe Tony took on his shoulder as well.
The transformation that Tony Stark has been too is overwhelming. From a fun loving, sarcastic,genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist iron suit wearing alien killing machine to a guy who now carries the weight of loss of life because of his actions.
This directly leads us into Captain America: Civil War.
Captain America: Civil War
It will be Captain America vs Stark. But this will be a different Tony. He will fight for all he has not because he is being made the villain in the movie but that is what he believes now. There will be a lot of carnage and I believe that there will definitely be a side that wins but nobody will come out of it unscathed.
So by the time the big bad Thanos comes to Earth Tony will have aged. I believe that Marvel executives could do one of two things. It’s theory time guys! Are you ready? Alright then.
Theory #1
Tony Stark dies in the Infinity Wars at the hands of Thanos like he did in the comics. I believe this should happen at the end of the first movie since it would leave the audience and the heroes on the screen with a massive jolt of reality. It would also leave a little suspense as well as generate revenue for the next one since people would have to see what happens next.
Also it would give our heroes a chance to rally and defeat the mad Titan.
Intense. Sorry kids
Theory #2
In this theory Tony hangs up his boots after Thanos. The wreckage is too much for him to bare. So he passed on the helmet to who some people including myself believe to be the kid from Iron Man 3.
So what do you think will Tony finally hang up his boots in Infinity Wars?
[WARNING: This post contains SPOILERS for Furious 7]Furious 7 was supposed to come out in summer 2014, but when star Paul Walker tragically passed away in the middle of filming, director James Wan and his team had to retool several aspects of the movie (delaying its release date) – in order for it to be not just another thrilling installment in the series, but also a fitting tribute to the actor. Many would agree that Walker’s farewell (in which his Brian O’Connor and Dom Toretto share one last ride down an open highway) was handled very well – and emotional to the point that even casual fans got swept up in the moment.
There was, however, a version of Furious 7 that called for Walker to continue to be a part of Dom’s “family” for future installments down the road. Now that the film has been released and is breaking box office records, some may be wondering how everything would have played out if Walker was still alive today. Wan has now revealed the original ending, which would have hinted at how the franchise’s universe could expand in an eighth movie.
While speaking with Collider, Wan broke down the initial conclusion and how Walker’s death impacted their decision to cut it from the script:
“The original ending of ‘Furious 7′ was setting up, you know, the bigger world of where the ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise could go into. And that’s obviously very smart of them to think so. But when the tragedy happened, all of that became irrelevant. So it did not matter anymore, all of that stuff. And to the studio’s credit, they did not push for that. They realized how important it was to make a movie that finishes and that just outright is a tribute to Paul Walker. So I give them a lot of credit for being bigger than that and going along with this ending that is the right ending to go with.”
It’s becoming standard fare in Hollywood for tentpoles to tease sequels in the final moments of the film audiences are currently watching (see: Marvel Studios), and it sounds like that was the initial plan here. While Wan doesn’t come out and say what the final scene would have been, it’s easy to envision it being similar to the mid-credits scene from Fast & Furious 6, which gave viewers their first look at Jason Statham’s Furious 7 villain (and started the hype train for that movie in the early going).
However, Wan is correct in saying that Walker’s passing rendered all that followup planning irrelevant. Fans are no doubt excited about where Fast and Furious 8 might go, but the cloud of the Furious 7 situation overshadowed the development of any sequels. If the movie didn’tend with a heartfelt tribute to its late lead, it may have been construed as a disingenuous move that arguably undercuts the “family” theme that’s long defined the series. It’s nice to see that all parties were in full agreement that honoring Walker was a top priority.
Even though fans may look at the upcoming sequels and wonder how Walker (who starred in all but one of the seven films to date) would have fit in to the proceedings, they can take solace in the fact that Wan was able to craft a touching end to Brian O’Connor’s story in a manner that was sincere and natural. While Dom and his team are trying to take down international criminals and going on heists, we’ll know Brian is out there somewhere watching over his own family and two kids – as he should be. Given the circumstances, it’s hard to think of a more perfect finale than that.
As has been long promised, 2015 is shaping up to be a record-breaking year in movie history, with tons of sequels, origin stories, and event pictures stuffing the ledgers of Hollywood studios across town. Yet after the recent info dump from CinemaCon in Las Vegas, it looks like we’re going to be in store for an even bigger year in 2017!
Just looking at the schedule gives us anxiety, and it has become extremely hard to pick a limited list of favorites in what’s shaping up to be another overcrowded year. Still, pick favorites we must, so we’ve got a list of 15 of ‘em for you, in chronological order, right here! Start saving your pennies, kids, because 2017 is out for your wallets and your eyeballs!
After the wrangling that had to happen with finding a new writer following Kelly Marcel’s departure, it looks like Fifty Shades Darker is on track for a 2017 release date. Stepping in for Marcel is E.L. James’ husband, Niall Leonard. Fans might have to wait a little longer than they’d like to see the continuing adventures of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele, but if the fan base is as passionate for the sequel as they were for the first installment, we’re sure they’ll have no problem waiting. It’s the Christian (Grey) thing to do, after all.
The LEGO Movie allowed Will Arnett’s portrayal of Batman to steal the show, and in the spirit of their famous video game franchise, LEGO is taking another IP for a spin in building block form. While the storyline is still mostly under wraps, there’s still been some crumbs promising hilarity as well as a tribute to every portrayal of Batman thus far. Lord and Miller passed the directing gig to Chris McKay, but even just their producer’s muscles should ensure this one will be enjoyable for all of the LEGO Movie fans they made last year.
Hugh Jackman says that he’s got one last Wolverine picture in him, and that last film is coming in 2017. We have no clue what this film is going to be about or who else is going to star in it, all we know is James Mangold will be reprising his directing duties after his successful tenure on The Wolverine. It’s not a lot to go on, but with the two most successful components of the last film’s success in play, it’s hard not to be excited that they’ll be sending Wolverine off with a bang.
A reboot of King Kong would normally get laughed at in this day and age. Which is why the fact that Legendary got the rights to the character was the first sign that things were going the right way, as they know how to take an outdated, often mocked classic monster and turn them into a modern menace. Throw in Michael Keaton, J.K Simmons, and Tom Hiddleston into the mix, and we have a sneaking suspicion that this film will do well enough that Godzilla just might get to meet his Legendary playmate.
After fans flocked to see Cinderella on the big screen this past March, Beauty And The Beast seems ready to replicate that glorious success in 2017. With its cast set and ready to go, director Bill Condon is following in Kenneth Brannagh’s footsteps and reviving a page of our childhood in live action. Emma Watson and Dan Stevens lead a cast that includes everyone from Luke Evans and Josh Gad to the golden trio of Emma Thompson, Kevin Kline, and Sir Ian McKellen. All of the stars look to be aligning, and Beauty And The Beast already sounds like it’ll be a delight for children and adults.
There was legitimate doubt that we’d even get a Furious 8, especially after the fitting ending Paul Walker’s character was given at the end of Furious 7. With his character’s finale looking like it doubled as a series finale, fans thought they’d never see Dom and the rest of the crew back in action. Thankfully, Vin Diesel himself confirmed that Furious 8 is fueling up for another go in the same slot it filled this year. Who will be back? We’re not sure yet. But honestly, if anyone was going to tell us that the show was going to go on, it had to be Vin himself.
Admit it, you miss Rocket Raccoon already. There’s only so many times you can watch your Guardians Of The Galaxy Blu-ray before you go mad over having to wait so long for the sequel. Still, the sequel is indeed happening, and James Gunn promises the father of all conflicts in this next one. No, literally, it’s all about the dads in this one – he said it himself. With the entire crew back among the stars, the trouble they could get into is as limitless as Star Lord’s ego. Whatever it is, though, it just might lead to some complications for The Avengers down the road.
If there’s any Star Wars announcement that excited the fan base more than J.J. Abrams being announced as the director, it most certainly has to be the announcement that Rian Johnson would be taking over for the middle installment of the continuing trilogy. With his work on such dark masterpieces as Brick and Looper, Johnson’s sensibilities are cut out for the phase in the Star Wars trilogy that usually is reserved for somber and brooding uncertainty. Considering that The First Order will more than likely be just getting started with their villainous ways, and that Darth Vader helmet still requiring an explanation, Star Wars: Episode VIII is going to be a hell of a follow up to The Force Awakens.
Toy Story 4 is the idea that makes no damned sense, yet makes perfect sense at the same time. While Toy Story 3 put an emotional bow on the saga of Andy, it also introduced Bonnie and her new lease on life for Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the toy box gang. With each short and special that’s been produced in the past couple of years, we’ve gradually been primed for another film outing, and while this entry is supposedly going to be dealing with a different batch of friends than we’re used to, we wouldn’t be surprised if our old friends came back in some form or another during the new story’s course.
Determined not to let a little bit of a production shake up get in their way, Warner Bros. is still plugging away on a Wonder Woman film slated for June 2017. Gal Gadot has obviously been working her ass off to get into shape as the titular Amazonian, and with Batman v. Superman: Dawn Of Justice introducing her character properly, we’ll be ready to see her take center stage by the time the release window rolls around. Which is a very good thing, considering her standalone adventure will probably be the catalyst for another important DC film that comes a couple of months after this one.
With Humanity and The Apes properly divided, and the military assumed to be heading to the ruins of San Francisco, the sequel to Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes looks like it will be one of diplomacy and/or war games. Matt Reeves’ 2014 sequel blew the doors off of a saga that was once known for its vastly diminished returns between sequels, yet in this case, the complete opposite is true. The series is as strong as ever, and the third frame in Caesar’s rise to world domination promises to be as nuanced and brutal as the last.
While everyone is trying to figure out who the next Peter Parker will be, all of the other fans in the world are giddy over the fact that Spider Man is heading home to Marvel Studios for the first time! Untitled Spider Man is the only name we have to go on, but we do know that this movie will bring us back to Peter Parker’s high school days, and will continue whatever threads we see form during his initial appearance in Captain America: Civil War. Whoever gets to play the famed web-slinger is in for a hell of a ride, but if that first appearance goes well enough, we might breathe a little easier knowing that this new solo adventure will be as “Amazing” as we hope.
Jaeger and Kaiju are ready to tear up the old town again, as Pacific Rim 2 has recently been postponed to August 8. No big deal, though, as this will give Guillermo Del Toro plenty of time to work out the story and the production angle on a sequel that was clamored for by the fans. In fact, it’s pleasing to know that Universal is once again giving Uncle Guillermo another shot at making one of his franchises a household name, as the last time they did that they produced Hellboy II: The Golden Army. If Pacific Rim 2 is as good as the Hellboy sequel was, this just might be the movie event of 2017.
From the looks and sounds of The Avengers: Age Of Ultron, it seems as if Thor is going to be put through the ringer. He’d have to be in order to go back to Asgard, which will probably make him even more enraged when he finds out that his delinquent adopted brother has taken over their homeland. All we need to hear is those sentences above, and we’re already looking forward to Thor: Ragnarok. Our fingers are crossed that the third time is a charm, and that Chris Hemsworth will finally get to shine in a Marvel movie that makes us forget the enjoyable, if not weak predecessors in the Thor line of films. All snark aside, the set up for the third flick sounds pretty bad-assed. It will be here soon.
And so we land on the last big film of 2017, unless you count The Croods 2 as a big deal. Barring any huge announcements in the next couple of months, Justice League – Part I is going to be the feather in the cap of 2017’s hat. With DC’s building blocks already in play, it looks like we’re going to see the darkest, grittiest version of the Justice League we’ve seen since… well, since ever. The fact that we’re even getting a Justice League film is exciting enough, considering we’ve been teased so many times in the past. While it still needs to win us over with all that happens before it, Justice League still has a spot on our list – and in our hearts – because it’s the stuff that geeks are made of.
There is little doubt that the direction of dramatic mastermind Kenneth Branagh played a huge part in how the dignified grandiosity of Marvel’s 2011 entry, Thor translated to the big screen. Possibly a testament to that, a recently cited rumor indicates that the studio was looking to reacquire the services of the thriving thespian for the still-vacant director’s chair for the series’ upcoming third film, Thor: Ragnarok.
Heroic Hollywood founder and habitual scooper, Umberto “El Mayimbe” Gonzalez appeared on Popcorn Talk’s Marvel Movie News “vodcast,” where, during the course of several discussions, he dropped a notable tidbit about Marvel’s intent on having Branagh reprise his duties as director for the apocalyptic Thor threequel. According to Gonzalez:
I was hearing that Marvel wanted Kenneth Branagh back for Thor 3. But, he just got an offer to direct Murder on the Orient Express at Fox. So, I don’t know if it is going to happen or not. They’re thinking about bringing him back into the fold.
While Gonzalez would go out of his way to qualify this idea as a rumor, it does seem to contain a reasonable ring of truth. While Marvel projects further down the line like the two part Infinity Wars films have locked down their directors, Joe and Anthony Russo, Thor: Ragnarok remains rudderless. This bit of inertia from the normally meticulous studio could be indicative of the idea that they are waiting on a crucial answer from one particular individual. The idea of Branagh coming back to the franchise would undoubtedly be something seen as desirable by fans and insiders alike; especially after the second film proved to be a bit of a misfire.
The much-publicized creative tumult for the series’ second entry, 2013’s Thor: The Dark World saw director Patty Jenkins abruptly bow out, yielding a bit of a rush job for replacement helmer Alan Taylor. That film ultimately felt as if it suffered from issues with its pacing, which seemed to mitigate much of its dramatic impact; even in the midst of its more heartfelt moments. Consequently, it would only seem natural that Marvel, in its mad scramble to find a director for Ragnarok, might be looking to reestablish the structural direction the widely-hailed original film managed to attain under the stewardship of Branagh.
Of course, as Gonzalez mentions, Kenneth Branagh is reportedly in the midst of negotiations to direct an apparently promising upcoming reboot of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, which could put quite a damper on the Thor reunion. However, it all seems to be still very much up in the air and for all we know, Gonzalez’s revelatory rumblings might be the effect of some secret negotiations taking place to restore bit of Shakespearean flair to the God of Thunder’s third go round.
It will be interesting to see what (if anything) develops from this alleged attempt to win back Branagh. Marvel Studios rounded a critical creative corner that saw its Cinematic Universe expand hugely when it put the original Thor in his hands. It was a risky venture, ambitiously looking to cover elaborate source material that required a director who understood how the magical, quasi-historical motifs of the Asgardian front needed to be accessible to popcorn audiences. Thus, there could be no better captain for the ship that is Thor: Ragnarok than the man who boldly shaped the property in the first place. The film is set for release on November 3, 2017.
