However, with a new report from The Wrap (via JoBlo), they say that Johnson isn’t the best person to have on set—especially with his upcoming Christmas film, Red One.
According to the report, Johnson had apparently cost Amazon MGM millions (specifically $50 million) by being constantly late on set—regulary showing up at least 5-8 hours late. It was also this ‘chronic lateness’ that got Johnson into fights with Vin Diesel on the Fast & Furious movies, and apparently a ‘huge fight’ with Red Notice co-star Ryan Reynolds.
With the lateness also comes a weird new bit of information from Johnson in that he is said to have a habit of peeing in a bottle to save time. The insider said, “On set, away from his trailer, if he needs to pee, he doesn’t go to the public bathroom… He pees in a Voss water bottle and his team or a PA has to dispose of it.”
In Johnson’s defense, Amazon was quick to release a statement on his behavior saying, “Dwayne Johnson and Seven Bucks have been incredible partners on ‘Red One’… we couldn’t have made it without Dwayne’s constant work and support. Any reporting that implies that we got to this point with him showing up seven-eight hours late to set is both ridiculous and false.“
With the Rock’s family-friendly/hardworking persona, this news is certainly coming as a shock to a lot of people, but there have been rumblings of Johnson being difficult to deal with since Black Adam where he allegedly bullied his way into getting Henry Cavill back as Superman and refused to share the screen with Shazam, Black Adam’s actual comic rival. There’s also that thing in his Fast contracts where it’s written that he can’t lose a fight onscreen.
This is certainly a huge blow to the Rock’s image, and I can’t wait to see how he’s going to respond. For now, the internet is just having a ball making pee jokes, but wasting an entire working crew’s time constantly is no laughing matter.
]]>Watch the trailer for Season 2 of I Am Groot:
We don’t exactly know where these stories fit into the Guardians canon, but they are mostly non-consequential with Baby Groot kind of just going through his own silly tasks.
Occasionally there will be an appearance from another Guardian like Rocket in the first season, but not even Bradley Cooper bothered to return to reprise the role. Who knows, maybe they could actually have an actor show up in the second season like Chris Pratt or Pom Klementieff. It would probably be a huge ask to have Zoe Saldana or Dave Bautista show up in make-up for just a few minutes of footage.
For now, James Gunn is closing the book on his Guardians trilogy to take over the DCU, but he does leave the door open for more GOTG stories, what with Rocket taking over the group and having a new roster of Guardians including Adam Warlock, Cosmo, and Kraglin.
We may have to wait a couple of years, but I am hoping Marvel somehow gets Edgar Wright to helm the next Guardians. Wright was originally set to direct Ant-Man before leaving, and it would be great if he could patch things up with Marvel and take on his own space opera.
I Am Groot Season 2 starts streaming on Disney+ on Sept. 6. The first season is now available to watch on the platform.
]]>Check out the trailer for I Am Groot down here:
Unlike the other Disney+ Marvel shows, I Am Groot is a collection of animated shorts that will just have a young Groot going through his own shenanigans. The series is set to have five original shorts, but I’m suspecting there could be more on the way depending on how well-received this first season will be.
With Baby Groot coming out to be the big mascot of GOTG Vol. 2, it would make sense that Disney would want to milk the character for some more content. I mean, if the Minions can get as much in the box office, what more could a character from one of the biggest box office franchises of all time?
It’s unclear where Marvel wants to take the Groot character moving forward, but I can imagine that he’ll be back to his adult form the next time we meet him onscreen. While Vol. 3 is expected to be the final run of this iteration of the Guardians, I expect some familiar faces like Groot and Rocket to hang around to mentor the new Guardians.
Catch I Am Groot when it premieres on Disney+ on Aug. 10. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters on May 5, 2023.
]]>According to NY Daily News, Lin had apparently quit because of problems with star Vin Diesel. The source said that Deisel “shows up late to the set. He doesn’t know his lines. And he shows up out of shape.” As for Lin’s side, he’s said to be walking away from a lot of money on his part for not finishing the film. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Lin’s giving up $10 or $20 million,” said the source.
For now, Universal is scrambling to get someone new at the helm, as the studio is said to be losing $1 million at most a day just to keep the cast and crew in limbo. It’s said that they’re currently looking at previous franchise directors like F. Gary Gray as well as Hobbs & Shaw helmer David Leitch.
While no one has said anything on record about Diesel, he did have some kind of public fallout with Dawyne Johnson, so it’s not entirely impossible that he would clash with Lin as well. The same source writes, “No one is dissing Vin Diesel on the record, but everyone knows.”
Some are even pointing out this video of Lin and Diesel where Lin is interpreted to be looking uncomfortable as Diesel tries to hype up the movie.
View this post on Instagram
For now, Fast X is still set to come out on May 19, 2023.
]]>Talking to Deadline’s Hero Nation, Gunn explains, “This is the end for us, the last time people will see this team of Guardians.” While Gunn doesn’t say if anyone will die, he does go on to say that this film will have a different tone from the past entries. He continues:
“It’s big; it’s so, so big and dark, and different from what people might be expecting it to be… I just want to be true to the characters, the story and give people the wrap-up that they deserve for the story… That’s always a little bit scary; I’m doing my best.”
If anything, Gunn also added, “I’m aware that the third film in most trilogies sucks; not always.”
With that being said, we should expect loose ends to be tied with characters like Star-Lord, Drax, Gamora, Rocket, and Groot. While I think some characters could stay for longer (like Mantis), there are some that have very specific drama tied to them, like Drax and the death of his family, or Rocket and his ‘creator’.
My guess is that the film ends with Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) taking on the mantle of being the new leader of the next team of Guardians, but we’ll just have to wait and see.
Catch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 when it comes out May 23, 2023.
]]>Saldana posted this on her IG:
View this post on Instagram
Though we don’t get any story details, the fate of Gamora is one that’s been up in the air since Avengers: Endgame. Though the character was killed off in Infinity War, a version of Gamora from the past had made it to the present timeline, and the film ends with the Guardians on their way to find her.
Seeing that the Gamora by the end of Endgame doesn’t have the same character arc as the Gamora that was killed for the Soul Stone, it’s going to be interesting to see how James Gunn will be treating the story. Admittedly, it’s a bummer that the character has to take a step back, but maybe there’s a way to develop her relationship with the Guardians anew—word even has it that they’ll be focusing on her relationship with Nebula when it comes to this third movie.
With Gunn having been fired and re-hired in the middle of making Guardians 3, it’s very possible that there are going to be some changes with the story. Let’s just hope that he manages to give these characters are good conclusion, seeing as they’re the only group of obscure heroes that managed to hit the mainstream thanks to Marvel (sorry Eternals).
Catch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 when it hits theaters on May 23, 2023. Before that, the Guardians are set to appear in their own Holiday Special on December 2022 on Disney+.
]]>Talking to CNN, the Rock opens up about his refusal to return to the Fast franchise and even calls Diesel out for being manipulative about him coming back. Johnson says:
“I told [Diesel] directly that I would not be returning to the franchise. I was firm yet cordial with my words and said that I would always be supportive of the cast and always root for the franchise to be successful, but that there was no chance I would return… Vin’s recent public post was an example of his manipulation. I didn’t like that he brought up his children in the post, as well as Paul Walker’s death. Leave them out of it. We had spoken months ago about this and came to a clear understanding.”
Originally cast as an antagonist, Johnson’s Agent Hobbs had made his franchise debut with Fast Five in 2011, and had bowed out of the main series of films in 2017 with Fate of the Furious. Though he still appeared in Hobbs & Shaw, I think this statement is the final nail on the coffin when it comes to the Rock appearing in what some consider to be the last Fast entry.
The Rock may not be returning, but you can catch franchise regulars Vin Diesel, Tyrese Gibson, Michelle Rodriguez, Ludacris, and more when Fast 10 hits theaters sometime in 2023.
]]>Talking to ComicBook, Diesel had teased, “If you’re talking to [Marvel Studios boss Kevin] Feige on Saturday, you can ask him about the Groot story that he’s excited about; the return to Planet X.”
#Groot is heading to his homeworld Planet X in the MCU, teased by Vin Diesel. (Exclusive!) pic.twitter.com/4WERTUPttK
— Phase Zero (@PhaseZeroCB) June 15, 2021
In the comics, Planet X was the home planet of Groot’s species, and with Groot being one of the more mysterious creatures in the MCU lore, there’s a lot of room to explore when it comes to his story. After all, why would the Collector be so intent on keeping Groot after he met him in the first film?
While this could seem like an important plot point for GOTG Vol. 3, I think a return to Planet X could be the perfect premise for the Holiday Special. Groot is essentially one of the less complicated characters among the Guardians, and with the third movie said to be tying up loose ends for Star-Lord, Drax, and Rocket, it would seem to crowded to have Groot come to his own journey—especially since his character has now reverted back to a kid.
Of course, I’m just speculating on my part. Hopefully we get some official updates from Marvel soon. Catch the Guardians when they return to the big screen in Thor: Love and Thunder on Feb. 11, 2022.Groot
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