On this episode of Collider Movie Talk (March 25th, 2016) Dennis Tzeng, Mark Ellis and John Rocha discuss the following:

  • Garry Shandling passes away at age 66
  • Marvel/Disney boycott Georgia over controversial bill
  • War Dogs trailer with Miles Teller and Jonah Hill 
  • New images released for Luc Besson's new sci-fi movie
  • Box Office Predictions
  • Mail Bag

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Comedian, actor, writer and producer Garry Shandling, best known for It’s Garry Shandling’s Show and The Larry Sanders Show, died Thursday of unknown causes. A spokesman for the LAPD said they received a 911 call from Shandling’s home on Thursday, saying only that the Shandling suffered from a “medical emergency.” He later died at an L.A. hospital. Some of his film credits include Iron Man 2, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Dr. Dolittle, Zoolander and Over the Hedge. He was 66 years old.

Despite the less-than-stellar reviews by critics for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice the stars and director Zack Snyder are not letting it get them down. Superman himself, Henry Cavill, was the first to comment on the reviews saying the critics don’t really matter - it’s the audience that will dictate its longevity and whether or not more films will be made because they’re the ones buying the tickets. Other actors from the movie share the sentiment, with Wonder Woman’s Gal Gadot saying she thinks Zack Snyder has done “an impeccable job laying the groundwork for more characters in the future.” Snyder himself says he’s always been a “comic book guy” and that he made the movie using that aesthetic as much as he could. He said, “I don’t know how else to do it 100%, so it is what it is.” So far ticket sales have not been affected by the negative reviews, with the film forecast to make $300 million in global ticket sales opening weekend.

There’s a political showdown happening in Georgia over a controversial new bill that would protect religious officials from having to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies while also allowing faith-based organizations to deny services of employment to those who violate their religious beliefs. With the bill now on the desk of Governor Nathan Deal, The Walt Disney Co. and Marvel Studios released a statement saying that Disney and Marvel are inclusive companies so they will take their business elsewhere should any legislation allowing discrimination is signed into law. With big tax incentives, the state has become the go-to place for Hollywood productions with Marvel and Disney utilizing the incentive as well as The Walking Dead. Governor Deal has yet to make any decision.


BUY OR SELL 

Not wanting to be left out of the superhero conversation, 20th Century Fox and Empire magazine have released new images from their latest mutant superhero movie X-Men: Apocalypse. The new images feature a look at Oscar Isaac’s Apocalypse while the other features Ben Hardy’s mutant Angel before he changes in to one of the Four Horsemen of Archangel. We shall now have to wait and see what the rest of the movie looks like when X-Men: Apocalypse comes to theatres this May 27th.

Warner Bros. has released the first trailer from Hangover director Todd PhillipsWar Dogs starring Jonah Hill and Miles Teller. Based on a true story, War Dogs follows two friends living in Miami during the first Iraq War who exploit a little-known government initiative that allows small businesses to bid on U.S. Military contracts. The film also stars Bradley Cooper and Ana de Armas and opens in theaters on August 19th.

La Femme Nikita and The Fifth Element director Luc Besson has released the first images from his newest Sci-Fi movie, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. Yesterday, Besson tweeted out a photo of his two leads, Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne in costume, giving us our first glimpse at what the movie will look like.  Based on the graphic novel of the same name, the movie is about Valerian, played by DeHaan, and Laureline, played by Cara Delevingne, who are special operatives for the government of the human territories charged with maintaining order throughout the universe. The film also stars Clive Owen, John Goodman, Ethan Hawke, Rutger Hauer, and jazz legend Herbie Hancock.

BOX OFFICE PREDICTIONS


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Image via Warner Bros.

Now it’s time for Box Office Predictions brought to you by our friends at AMC Theatres. This is the part of the show where we make our predictions on what movies are opening this weekend and in what order they will top the weekend’s box office.

MAIL BAG

Ty Cairns writes:

Hey Collider Crew! I love the new ideas and trailer reactions you guys are doing. You're all settling into your new roles great.

Do you think it's a mistake to set the DCU in such a dark universe? With Marvel, even if it's a sub par film you can still walk away uplifted from seeing a colorful and fun mediocre movie. But with DC, their universe is set in this dark dreary world where every movie needs to be stellar to keep you from feeling exhausted or depressed. Civil War looks like it's more serious, but the DCU looks "Dark." Personally I feel like their first and maybe biggest mistake was the tone they chose to take with their Universe. I worry that their world creation will be an uphill battle as long as they try to stick to this tone. Guys, what are your thoughts?

Adam Nowakowski writes:

Hello Guys and Gals!

Love all your shows, thanks for making my evenings awesome (I watch you every day live at 6 PM because of the time difference)!

I have a technical question. I've just watched The Gift and I'm really impressed with Joel Edgerton's performance as an actor, director and writer. But it got me thinking: now how does one direct himself?

Cheers and keep on the amazing work!

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