We see it all the time, serious actors with some major dramatic skills tearing it up in lighter, more comedic roles. Actors who’ve made us cry in Best Picture winners have gone on to make us fall over with side-splitting laughs, which can sometimes be harder than you’d think.

In the past, we’ve talked about some of the great dramatic performances by comedians, but today we’re going to turn our attention to the other side of that coin and highlight 32 serious actors who crushed in in comedic roles.

Robert De Niro (Meet The Parents)

Robert De Niro, an Oscar-winning actor known for serious parts in some of Martin Scorsese’s best movies, including Raging Bull and Goodfellas, as well as his turn as a young Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II, showed the world that he was also one of the funniest stars in Hollywood with his portrayal of the iron-fisted Jack Byrnes in Meet the Parents. The deadpan expressions, the playing on his gangster roles, and his chemistry with Ben Stiller make this an all-time classic.

George C. Scott (Dr. Stranglelove)

George C. Scott will always be remembered for his portrayal of U.S. General George S. Patton in Franklin J. Schaffner’s Patton, but the acclaimed actor also crushed it in a more comedic role a few years earlier. His take on General Buck Turgidson in Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove is nothing short of magnificent and hilarious as it gets. The satirical tone of this iconic anti-war film is biting, as is Scott’s legendary performance.

Philip Seymour Hoffman (Along Came Polly)

Though we could have included Rusty from Twister or Brandt from The Big Lebowski, Philip Seymour Hoffman’s performance in Along Came Polly is just too good to overlook. Though he’s atrocious at basketball (and in most social situations), Sandy Lyle is a force of comedic nature. It’s crazy that Hoffman went from Cold Mountain to this 2004 rom-com to Capote in the span of three years.

Tom Cruise (Tropic Thunder)

Tom Cruise steals the show in Tropic Thunder, which is no easy feat considering Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downey Jr. sit atop the cast of this outrageous 2008 action comedy. But hey, Les Grossman, Cruise’s over-the-top and ill-tempered Hollywood exec is unforgettable in every single one of his scenes, especially whenever he dances.

Meryl Streep (Death Becomes Her)

Though not a slapstick or “laugh-a-minute” comedy, Death Becomes Her does feature some wild and hilariously comedic performances from the likes of Bruce Willis, Goldie Hawn, and Meryl Streep, who kills it with her portrayal of Madeline Ashton. The Oscar winner does get to show off her serious skills in the movie, but her character’s darkly humorous personality is worth a watch.

Leslie Nielsen (Airplane!)

It’s wild to think that Leslie Nielsen, an actor mostly remembered for spoof films, started out as a very serious dramatic actor. But that all changed with landmark comedies like Airplane!, where his deadpan humor and signature charm truly shined.

Kate Winslet (The Holiday)

Kate Winslet is known for dramatic movies like Titanic, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Revolutionary Road, but the talented dramatic actress was able to show off her comedy chops in The Holiday. This 2006 Nancy Meyers romantic comedy showed off a different side of Winslet, one we haven’t forgotten nearly 20 years later.

James Caan (Elf)

James Caan wasn’t really known for his comedy. Sure, his characters had some humorous lines in The Godfather and Thief, but drama was always his bag. And that’s what makes his performance in Elf so great. We weren’t used to seeing Caan share the screen with someone like Will Ferrell, and that juxtaposition of personalities made it so much fun to watch.

Morgan Freeman (Bruce Almighty)

Morgan Freeman will go down as one of the best dramatic actors of all time, and for good reason. His work in The Shawshank Redemption, Glory, and countless other movies is the stuff of legend. However, let’s not forget that he also put on one of the funniest performances when he played God in Bruce Almighty.

Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

A little more than two decades after playing the vile Amon Goeth in Schindler’s List (and only a few years after portraying Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter movies), Ralph Fiennes proved he was a great comedic actor with his take on M. Gustave in The Grand Budapest Hotel. Equal parts hilarious and charming, this performance was a breath of fresh air.

Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon)

After playing more serious roles in films like The Color Purple, Witness, and Silverado, Danny Glover showed off his comedy skills in Richard Donner’s iconic buddy cop action film, Lethal Weapon. Though he was more straight-laced compared to Mel Gibson’s Martin Riggs, Roger Murtaugh gave us some laughs.

Arnold Schwarzenegger (Kidergarten Cop)

Kindergarten cop isn’t just one of the funniest Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, it’s also one of his best. Featuring some of the actor’s most memorable one-liners, this 1990 action comedy showed that the Austrian bodybuilder-turned-actor was more than an ice-cold robot or trained killer.

Jeff Daniels (Dumb & Dumber)

Two years after playing Colonel Joshua Chamberlain in Gettysburg, one of the best Civil War movies ever made, Jeff Daniels played a vastly different type of character in Dumb and Dumber. The obnoxious and absurdly dim-witted Harry Dunne would end up becoming one of the more dramatic actor’s most famous roles.

Jack Nicholson (As Good As It Gets)

Jack Nicholson, one of the most well-known dramatic actors of the 20th century, has popped up in comedies over the years. Perhaps the best of the bunch, As Good as It Gets earned the One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Terms of Endearment star his third Oscar.

Jeff Bridges (The Big Lebowski)

Whenever the topic of the best Jeff Bridges movies comes up, it doesn’t take long for the conversation to turn to The Big Lebowski. Still considered to be one of his most iconic roles, the performance also showed that the largely dramatic actor could pull off an incredibly funny and beloved character.

Liam Neeson (Extras)

Liam Neeson is best known for his work in dramas like Schindler’s List and the Taken action movie franchise, but the decorated actor with that ice-cold delivery has shown off his funny side over the years. His attempt at improv on Extras is the stuff of legend, as is work in The Lego Movie.

George Clooney (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)

George Clooney often rides the line between comedy and drama in the likes of the Ocean’s movies and several Coen Brothers projects, and one of the best examples of that is found in O Brother, Where Art Thou?, a 2000 loose adaptation of The Odyssey. The scheming and conniving Ulysses Everett McGill is one of the all-time great movie characters.

Dustin Hoffman (Tootsie)

The Graduate, Kramer vs. Kramer, Midnight Cowboy, and All the President’s Men were just a few of the movies that showed off Dustin Hoffman’s incredible dramatic acting skills. It’s a similar story with Tootsie, the beloved 1982 comedy in which Hoffman plays an unlikeable and hirable actor who decides to dress like a woman to land a gig on a daytime soap opera.

Cuba Gooding Jr. (Jerry Maguire)

Cuba Gooding Jr. was out of this world in early 1990s dramas like Boyz n the Hood and A Few Good Men, but he was even better in Jerry Maguire as Tom Cruise’s titular character’s temperamental and needy client Rod Tidwell. The over-the-top performance was hilarious beyond belief.

Timothy Dalton (Hot Fuzz)

Timothy Dalton, an actor best known for playing James Bond and showing up in adaptations of Jane Eyre, got to show off his comedy chops in Hot Fuzz, Edgar Wright’s satirical action comedy. His take on Simon Skinner is just as great all these years later.

Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street)

Leonardo DiCaprio teamed up with Martin Scorsese for the fifth time in 2013 to make The Wolf of Wall Street. While previous collaborations like Gangs of New York and The Departed were far more dramatic, this hopped-up and raucous biopic allowed the actor to be outrageously funny on screen, and it paid off.

Billy Bob Thornton (Bad Santa)

Up until starring in Bad Santa, Billy Bob Thornton was mostly known for dramatic roles in films like Monster’s Ball and Sling Blade, but this 2003 R-rated comedy changed all of that. Over the line, vulgar, and one of the funniest performances of the 2000s, Thornton’s take on a mall Santa was an instant classic.

Brad Pitt (Burn After Reading)

Burn After Reading isn’t the best Coen Brothers movie, but it does feature one of Brad Pitt’s funniest performances. Chad Feldheimer, Linda Litzke’s (Frances McDormand) lovable yet moronic coworker is just so silly, so memorable, and so dumb. You just can’t help but love him.

Michael Caine (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels)

On top of being an actor who’s appeared in the most Christopher Nolan movies, Michael Caine is also one of the all-time greats of screen and stage, with dozens of iconic films to his name. And while he’s mostly known for his dramatic work, his portrayal of the dastardly Lawrence Jamieson in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is so dang good.

Matt Damon (Dogma)

Long before he showed up as an actor playing Loki in Thor: Ragnarok, Matt Damon did it for real in Kevin Smith’s 1999 comedy, Dogma. Sandwiched between Rounders and The Talented Mr. Ripley, the actor’s portrayal of a fallen angel banished to Wisconsin was great and showed a funnier side.

Samuel L. Jackson (The Other Guys)

Samuel L. Jackson in The Other Guys is on a whole other level and is funnier than anything else the actor has done over the years. Sure, Pulp Fiction and Jurassic Park are better movies, but his short yet memorable performance as a gung-ho cop who throws caution (and himself) into the win is comedy cold.

Alan Rickman (Galaxy Quest)

Alan Rickman’s portrayal of Alexander Dane, a Shakespearean actor fed up with life and his career direction in Galaxy Quest, is so funny yet so heartbreaking. The way the Die Hard actor (who was also classically trained) finds the balance between comedy and tragedy is perfection.

Russell Crowe (The Nice Guys)

Russell Crowe made a career out of giving commanding, and largely dramatic, performances in everything from Romper Stomper to Gladiator, so it was great to see him play a more comedic role in The Nice Guys. This 2016 Shane Black film also starring Ryan Gosling, felt like a throwback to buddy action movies of yesteryear, and allowed Crowe to try a different approach to character-driven stories.

Mandy Patinkin (The Princess Bride)

Tony and Primetime Emmy Award-winning actor Mandy Patinkin has given incredible dramatic performances in movies like Yentl and shows like Homeland, but he’s probably best known for his portrayal of Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride. The skill with a sword, the dashing good looks, and a killer backstory make this not only a great cinematic character but also a hilarious icon of the fantasy genre.

Kevin Kline (A Fish Called Wanda)

Kevin Kline is great in just about everything (especially The Big Chill and Dave), and that includes some great comedies. One of the best featuring a serious and dramatic actor’s work is A Fish Called Wanda. The despicable and charismatic Otto West steals the show whenever on screen.

Christian Bale (The Big Short)

Though not the most standard comedy of the past few years, The Big Short is funny in a frightening and thrilling kind of way. Adam McKay’s biographical crime dramedy about the events that led to the 2007 housing market crash and subsequent economic crisis does feature one of Christian Bale’s most interesting and hilarious performances with his take on hedge fund manager Michael Burry. Not a totally likable guy, but a great character without a doubt.

Chris Hemsworth (Thor: Ragnarok)

Thor: Ragnarok is still considered one of the best Marvel movies years after its release, and that’s mostly because of Chris Hemsworth’s new and improved portrayal of the “God of Thunder.” While the character was more serious in the first two movies (and two Avengers films), the more light-hearted and silly superhero was a comedy tour de force.

We’re all getting too old for this shit. And by that, I mean sequels to Lethal Weapon. The original buddy-cop thriller launched Mel Gibson and Danny Glover into the pantheon of Hollywood action heroes, and spawned three sequels that grew the franchise family to include Joe Pesci, Rene Russo, Chris Rock and more. There has been talk about a Lethal Weapon 5 for years now, with Gibson even offering to direct the movie after the death of original director Richard Donner in 2021. Well, Gibson has an update on Lethal Weapon 5, and it’s a bit of Great News… Terrible News.

The Braveheart director appears to be making a bit of a comeback after spending several years in direct-to-DVD purgatory. Gibson tarnished his own reputation with controversial off-screen behavior, but seems to be re-establishing himself in the industry. He’s the director of Flight Risk, a film starring Mark Wahlberg. There are rumors he’ll direct The Passion of the Christ 2. And during a recent appearance at FanX in Salt Lake City, Gibson once again was asked about the status of Lethal Weapon 5. To which the actor/director replied (via ABC4):

OK, that’s a lot to unpack. Personally, I consider the first Lethal Weapon to be one of the best action-comedies ever made. And its immediate sequel, Lethal Weapon 2, probably ranks as one of the best sequels… ever. Most of that comes down to the chemistry shared between Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh – mismatched cops forced to work together who eventually form fraternal bonds. I’m not sure that the franchise needs another one. I’m immediately drawn to the tragedy that is A Good Day To Die Hard, the fifth installment in the Die Hard series that is a putrid excuse for a Die Hard movie, and one of the worst sequels known to mankind.

But Gibson calling this script “the best one of the whole series” makes me sit up straight and pay attention. This isn’t a fledgling director trying to drum up support and attention for his student project. This is Mel Gibson talking about a sequel probably not a lot of people think they need. And he thinks it can be the best entry in the series.

There have been attempts to make a new Lethal Weapon for years. And honestly, if they did one now, they would HAVE to address the reality that Gibson and Glover are 68 and 78, respectively. But, a story that factors in their age, and leans into the seriousness of a case as opposed to the slapstick that drove parts three and four in the series could be excellent. Imagine a dramatic Lethal Weapon 5 which finds these two characters confronting their own mortality? I want to see that movie.

At the same time, Mel Gibson is persona non grata in most corners of the studio system, and I’m assuming that’s why he can’t get this movie off the ground. Do we want it without Donner? So we want it with a very old Riggs and Murtaugh? I’d like to see them get one last chance to end the series on a high point. Especially after hearing Mel Gibson talk about the quality of the script he claims to have. We’ll report any updates on Lethal Weapon 5, if and when they happen.

One of the most iconic Black detectives in pop culture history is also one of Eddie Murphy’s funniest characters, Axel Foley, whom he's reprised in the 2024 Netflix movie, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. To celebrate Axel’s latest return to 90210, let’s take a look back at more of our favorite Black detectives from movies and TV shows, starting with the man of hour.

Axel Foley (Beverly Hills Cop)

The original Beverly Hills Cop from 1984 and its sequels are some of the funniest Eddie Murphy movies ever, particularly for Axel Foley’s blistering wit. Yet, he is also the right kind of detective you would want on your side for his commitment to getting the job done, even if he has to break a few rules along the way.

Virgil Tibbs (In The Heat Of The Night)

In 1967, trailblazing Academy Award winner Sidney Poitier gave one of his most inspiring performances in the Best Picture Oscar winner, In the Heat of the Night, as Virgil Tibbs, who falls prey to racial prejudice when he is wrongfully accused of a murder while visiting his mother in a small Mississippi town. However, the Philadelphia cop’s arrival proves to be a godsend, as Chief Bill Gillespie (Rod Steiger) would have never solved the crime without the expert investigation skills and resilience of the one they call “Mister Tibbs.”

John Luther (Luther)

The title character of the long-running British crime drama, Luther, could be called the Sherlock Holmes of his time, in the sense that his unusual methods of investigation and alienating personality traits often rub his colleagues the wrong way and even put him in legal trouble. Audiences, however, cannot get enough of the Detective Chief Inspector — who returned for Netflix’s feature-length spin-off, Luther: The Fallen Sun — his brilliant criminal perception and the charming Idris Elba’s captivating, Golden Globe-winning performance.

John Shaft (Shaft)

The crown jewel of Richard Roundtree’s best movies is Shaft — the story of a suave, streetwise detective from New York City. The Oscar-winning 1971 classic and its sequels made this bad mother— “shut yo mouth” — the undisputed king of the Blaxploitation era.

Mike Lowery And Marcus Burnett (Bad Boys)

As the title — borrowed from Inner Circle’s 1987 reggae hit — suggests, Mike Lowery (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) from director Michael Bay’s directorial debut, Bad Boys, are not ones to be messed with. What really makes the 1995 buddy cop movie favorite and its sequels such a fun time is the two detectives’ unbreakable bond, both on and off duty.

Faith Mitchell (Will Trent)

When GBI Special Agents Will Trent (Ramon Rodriguez) and Faith Mitchell (Iantha Richardson) were forced to work together, they could not stand each other, with Faith being especially ticked off by his uptight attitude and connection to her own mother’s stunted law enforcement career. However, the title hero of ABC’s fun detective drama came to respect and admire his partner — a single mother to a college student with a big heart, a strong intuition, and a powerful kick — just as she warmed to him for his keen eye for evidence.

Ricardo Tubbs (Miami Vice)

One of the most dynamic duos in the history of TV cop dramas is that of Ricardo “Rico” Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas) and James “Sonny” Crockett (Don Johnson) on one of the best mystery TV shows of the ‘80s, Miami Vice. Between the two, Tubbs was the one whom audiences would hope to identify with the most, being the more laid back undercover detective.

Alex Cross (Kiss The Girls)

As a forensic psychologist, Dr. Alex Cross knows how to get into the mind of the most disturbing criminals in Washington D.C., which often comes in handy during the many times the perpetrators make his cases a personal matter. Author James Patterson’s flagship character was first brought to life on screen by Morgan Freeman in 1997’s Kiss the Girls and again in Along Came a Spider four years later, before Tyler Perry took over the role in Alex Cross in 2012.

William Somerset (Se7en)

Two years before he became the (first) face of Alex Cross, Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman was cast in David Fincher’s breakthrough masterpiece, Se7en, as William Somerset — a veteran detective showing the younger David Mills (Brad Pitt) the ropes while working on what is meant to be his last case. However, despite how much the increasingly unsettling investigation tears him up inside, Somerset apparently decides to stay on the force by the end, based on his agreement with the second half of Ernest Hemingway’s belief that “the world is a fine place and worth fighting for.”

Misty Knight (Luke Cage)

One of the most influential comic book characters with a disability is Mercedes “Misty” Knight, who became equipped with a bionic right arm after losing it in an attempt to defuse a bomb. The brave, intuitive, hard-fighting New York detective was portrayed wonderfully on Luke Cage by Simone Missick.

Easy Rawlins (Devil In A Blue Dress)

One of the few and most esteemed Black characters in old-fashioned noir fiction is Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins — first introduced in Walter Mosley’s 1990 novel, Devil in a Blue Dress. In the book’s 1995 adaptation, Academy Award winner Denzel Washington portrayed the World War II veteran who falls into the world of private investigation when his street smart intellect gets him enlisted to find a politician’s missing lover.

Roger Murtaugh (Lethal Weapon)

We wish we had a nickel for every time Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) proclaimed he was “getting too old for this shit” in one of the all-time greatest action movies, 1987’s Lethal Weapon, and its sequels. However, despite his age and no matter how uproarious his cases with his loose-canon partner, Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson), would get, the L.A. cop continued to fight.

Neal Washington (Hill Street Blues)

One of the best cop dramas of its time, if not all time, is Hill Street Blues, which boasted a diverse cast of characters, including standout Neal Washington (Emmy nominee Taurean Blacque). Known for his trademark toothpick and cap, the undercover veteran officer was a stern individual, but with a track record that earned him much respect and admiration from his peers.

Cleopatra Jones (Cleopatra Jones)

While the aforementioned John Shaft was the King of Blaxploitation, its queen would have to be… well, Pam Grier, who never actually played a cop in any of her most iconic roles from the era. However, when it came to ass-kicking Black females in official law enforcement positions in the 1970s, no one was better and badder than the title character of Cleopatra Jones — an undercover government agent played by Tamara Dobson in the 1973 hit and its 1975 sequel, Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold.

Ron Stallworth (BlacKkKlansman)

In the early 1970s, Ron Stallworth became the first Black cadet at the Colorado Springs police department before going on to lead a secret operation to infiltrate the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. He later chronicled this previously classified operation in his memoir, which was adapted into director Spike Lee’s Oscar-winning film, BlacKkKlansman, in which Stallworth was portrayed by John David Washington.

These are only some of our favorite examples of Black detectives in pop culture. Follow the clues and seek more of them out!

Yes, I'm well aware that Father's Day is still a ways off. But, as a father myself, and as somebody who is enamored with the best action movies of all time (and projecting myself into said movies), I'm always a sucker for good dads in action flicks.

Unsurprisingly, I'm not alone, as there are a multitude of fighting fathers at the multiplexes, which just proves that ass-kicking daddy is a popular sub-genre, and definitely wish fulfillment. 

Sure, it's cool to imagine yourself on the big screen (or in an action movie that went right to streaming), being an ass kicking ladies man, a la all those James Bond movies. But, it's even cooler imagining yourself as a papa who could also whoop some ass. So, here are some of the best dads in action movies. Oh, and son. Hold my beer.  

John McClane (Die Hard Series) 

We don’t learn much about John McClane’s children until Parts 4 and 5, which are Live Free or Die Hard, and A Good Day to Die Hard, respectively. But, they’re very interesting relationships, nonetheless. 

His daughter, Lucy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), is not a fan of her father in Part 4, even going so far as to change her last name. But, when she gets taken hostage by a cyberterrorist, you know Papa John is coming to the rescue. And rescue her he does! They’re back on speaking terms after these heroic events. 

In Part 5, which is my LEAST favorite movie of the Die Hard series, we get introduced to his son, John, or Jack, played by Jai Courtney. John is actually as badass as his father, who fights with him in Russia. But, one thing is certain about John McClane, played by the incomparable Bruce Willis (Who our very own Sean O’Connell wrote a whole book about!): Whoever you are, you do not mess with his kids.  

John Matrix (Commando) 

In the greatest action movie of all time (I said what I said), Arnold Schwarzenegger plays John Matrix, a mountain of a man who will stop at nothing to rescue his daughter, Jenny (Alyssa Milano). Here’s the plot: A dictator wants to use John in order to get back into power, and he’s going to kidnap Matrix’s daughter as a means to fulfill his goal. But, he messed with the wrong dude.

Because you just can’t stop John Matrix! Sure, you can try to take him hostage on an airplane, but he’s the kind of man who will break the guy’s neck next to him, and then get off the plane from the wheel compartment. Hell, you’re going to need a small army to keep him from his daughter, and not even that will help you.  

Bryan Mills (Taken Series)  

We all know this, but Bryan Mills’ victims might not be aware that he has “a very particular set of skills.”  But, they soon learn as such when they kidnap his daughter, Kim, played by Maggie Grace. It sets Mills (Liam Neeson) off on a trek to kill the people who kidnapped her.

Mills is the kind of dad you don’t want to bring your boyfriend home to. He seems pleasant enough, but he’s also so protective of his daughter, that you would be walking on eggshells anytime you’re around him, especially if you’re in a kitchen full of knives. Funnily (or stupidly) enough, another bad guy attempted to take his daughter in Taken 3. But, we all know how that ended, and it definitely wasn’t in the bad guy’s favor.  

President James Marshall (Air Force One) 

You wanna talk about fathers? Well, how about our founding fathers, with one of them being George Washington. Known for his bravery and cunning, many Americans consider Washington to be one of America’s greatest presidents, and (check out this segue), one could argue that James Marshall, played by Harrison Ford, is one of America’s greatest movie presidents. 

Quite frankly, Marshall does not negotiate with terrorists. Which is bad news for Egor Korshunov (Gary Oldman), as Marshall isn’t just some pushover president. Nah. He fought in Vietnam and even won the Medal of Honor for his duties. So, mistake #1 was hijacking the plane, but mistake #2 (and this was the even bigger mistake), was taking his wife and daughter hostage. Because that’s what really set him off. Of course the bad guys lose and the good guy wins, because America. Amirite?  

Cameron Poe (Con Air) 

Since we’re already on the topic of planes, let’s talk about Cameron Poe (Nicolas Cage), in the awesome (but sometimes nonsensical) ‘90s movie, Con Air. Poe, who went to jail for defending his wife, is the kind of father who will make sure you die if you even dare tamper with the bunny (Just put it back in the box!) that he got for his daughter. 

In a lot of ways, everything he does here is to be back home with his family. Because he was locked up for eight years, he’s going to be coming home to a daughter he didn’t really get to watch grow up. So, that’s why there’s nobody on earth (Or in the air!) who’s going to stop him from seeing his daughter.  

Sean Archer (Face/Off)  

Since we’re on the topic of Nicolas Cage, who I’m always happy to talk about, why not transition over to another ‘90s classic, Face/Off, starring Nic Cage and John Travolta? 

Now, this is going to be a tricky one to describe if you’ve never seen the movie, but John Travolta plays Sean Archer, whose son dies early on, due to Castor Troy, a terrorist played by Cage. Due to a series of events, though, Travolta’s face gets swapped with Cage’s so their roles flip. Now, Cage becomes “the good guy,” and Travolta is bad.

No matter whose face he has, Sean is a good dad (even though he’d been neglecting his wife and daughter while going after Troy). When he realizes how he’s been so single-minded in his pursuit, he learns the true value of being a parent. So much so, that he’s even willing to adopt his rival’s son just to keep him from a life of crime. What a mensch! 

Roger Murtaugh (Lethal Weapon Series)  

Okay, enough of the ‘90s. Let’s talk about the ‘80s, and Lethal Weapon! Roger Murtaugh, played by Danny Glover, is a family man, through-and-through. He’s a Vietnam vet, and will do anything for his kids, such as try to rescue his daughter, Rianne (Traci Wolfe), who gets kidnapped in the first movie by a cartel.

Or, how about how awful he feels in Lethal Weapon 3, when he kills his son’s friend, and then declines mentally due to his guilt? In every way, Murtaugh is the kind of dad who isn’t perfect, but tries his damn best each and every day. And, I can relate as a parent. Because just like Murtaugh, I’m getting too old for this ish.  

Ogami Itto (Lone Wolf And Cub Series) 

On the surface, Ogami Itto (Tomisaburo Wakayama) seems like he might actually be a bad parent. I mean, what kind of dad brings his child into combat where he could die at any point? But, Itto actually presented his baby with an ultimatum: Choose the sword, and he could come with him. Choose the ball, and he would die at his father’s hand. 

Yeah, that still sounds pretty bad, but at the same time, bringing a baby carriage into combat is certainly a hindrance. Itto is ride or die now that he’s committed to taking his son along on his quest for vengeance. Hey, his kid even contributes, killing along the way as well. You know what they say! The family that slays together, stays together. That is what they say, don’t they? 

Dr. Henry Jones Sr. (Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade)  

While I’ll debate with you all day which is the better Indy sequel–Last Crusade or Temple (It’s Temple!), what I won’t debate with you is what a fascinating father Dr. Henry Jones (Sean Connery) is to Indy (Which was the dog’s name!). At first, he seems aloof to his child, as they don’t quite see eye-to-eye. But, throughout their journey together for the Holy Grail, we learn just how similar they actually are to each other. 

It’s also worth noting that Senior truly loves his son, and that it was hard for him to deal with his wife’s death. In turn, Indy truly loves his dad. But, like many contentious families, they’re more alike than they’re ever willing to admit. 

 Who’s your favorite dad in an action movie?  

I’m not going to lie. I teared up a little when Barack Obama became President. I mean, I didn’t full on cry—those tears are usually reserved only for Miyazaki movies—but I did wipe away a tear or two when Obama delivered his Inauguration speech. it’s mostly because I never thought I would ever see anything like that in my lifetime. What was that line in that old 2Pac song, "Changes"?: “And although it seems Heaven sent/we ain’t ready to see a black president.” Sure, I loved David Palmer on 24, but that was just television. That couldn’t really happen.

Flashforward to January 20, 2009, and yes it did indeed happen. Not only that, but think pieces were being written up at the time that theorized that maybe it was actors like Dennis Haysbert who made Americans more receptive to a black president. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but what I do know is that art can be very powerful. And these five fictional, black presidents couldn’t do anything but help create confidence in the idea of a black person running the country. So, here they are. The best black U.S. president movie and TV characters, ranked.

Oh, and minor spoilers up ahead.

5. President Sawyer (Jamie Foxx) - White House Down

White House Down is better than Olympus Has Fallen, and that is a hill that I am willing to die on. One thing that’s interesting about both films though is that they would both (at least eventually) feature a black president, as Morgan Freeman took over the reigns as POTUS in Angel Has Fallen. But enough about that inferior film, let’s talk about the superior one. White House Down is a silly movie about terrorists who break into the White House. Jamie Foxx plays President James Sawyer, and he is about as close to an Obama stand-in as you could possibly get.

Channing Tatum plays the Capital Police officer who saves him, but President Sawyer isn’t just some hopeless wuss. Far from it. In fact, he’s the kind of president who will take matters into his own hands… with a rocket launcher! He’s also the kind of president who will stay calm in a hostile situation and even drop a grenade if necessary. Look, I’m not saying that I support a hawkish warmonger of a president. Far from it. But I really do like when my fictional presidents are willing to jump into action and protect her or his life and country, and President Sawyer does that in spades!

4. President Wilson (Danny Glover) - 2012

Roland Emmerich, who also directed White House Down, specializes in disaster movies. That’s like, what he does. So, when he decided to tackle the supposed end of all time on the Mayan calendar, you knew he was going to deliver a big budget bonanza. Well, in the movie, 2012, it’s the end of the world as we know it, and a black man is running the country. And that black man just so happens to be Danny “I’m too old for this shit” Glover. He’s leading the charge, and making all the tough decisions so you don't have to.

I say “hard decisions” because President Wilson has the thankless job of working to initiate a plan for the eventual survivors of the end of the world. He authorizes an arc to be made that will be able to fit 100,000 people on it, meaning that millions upon millions of Americans wouldn’t be able to get on board. Granted, this kind of makes him sound like a bad President, since not everybody can be saved. But when it comes down to starting a new world once the old world is washed away, President Wilson is thinking of the future. A future he would never unfortunately get to see.

3. President Payton (Alfre Woodard) - State Of Affairs

I don’t want to get political since this is about movies and TV, but it kind of broke my heart when we didn’t receive our first female President back in 2016. Now, like I said, I’m not going to get into politics, since you can like who you like. I don’t care. But Alfre Woodard, who played President Constance Payton on the short-lived show, State of Affairs, is the kind of President I want when we do eventually get a female President elected. With her patient approach, and her steadfast adherence to her image as President, she kind of reminds me of Oprah. And look, I’m not saying that I want Oprah to be the POTUS. That said, I’m not saying that I don’t want her to be POTUS, either.

Now, State of Affairs wasn’t a great show. It lasted for one season and starred Katherine Heigl as a CIA agent who brings the President her morning briefing (and was also once engaged to the President’s slain son). That said, Woodard played a phenomenal leader. When intel is brought in that a wanted terrorist is out there and that the military wants to assassinate him, President Payton accepts that it may not be the right time if there isn't a much higher certainty that they'll get him. I just love how patient she is, which is something I always look for in my presidents. Patience.

2. President Beck (Morgan Freeman) - Deep Impact

Morgan Freeman is one of only a handful of actors who've played President more than once (In Angel Has Fallen and Deep Impact) and also God. I mean, Dennis Haysbert has only played the President ONCE and God (In Lucifer). But in all seriousness, Morgan Freeman was the first Black POTUS I’d ever seen, so he raised a high bar in that regard.

What’s great about him in Deep Impact, though is that he’s so calm. He’s the kind of president who can go on national TV and tell the American public simply and directly that because there was a failed mission to destroy a comet, that there will be a lottery for less than a million Americans to be brought underground for safety. And well, tough noogies for everybody else. But he says it in a reassuring way. He doesn't actually say "tough noogies" (though I'm sure Morgan Freeman could make even that sound elegant). One of the most important things an American President can do, at least in my mind, is to try to set its citizen's minds at ease. Morgan Freeman does that as President Beck, even in the face of annihilation, which makes him a president for the ages.

1. President Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) - 24

There was no question who had to be number 1, right? Though President Palmer doesn’t make it all the way to the end of the series -- because of reasons -- for the seasons he was there, he was the calmest, most collected person in the room. Jack Bauer (played by Kiefer Sutherland) could tell him that a bomb was likely to go off in the next seven hours, and President Palmer would simply nod, say in so many words, “I trust you, Jack. Make sure that doesn't happen,” and then pretend that everything is fine to the American public.

In many ways, President Obama was very much like President Palmer. Again, I’m not going to get into politics here, but I will say that for the most part, I felt relatively safe when Obama was in office, and I feel like I would have that same sense of security if President Palmer were my POTUS. Jack Bauer is over here torturing people and shouting, “WHO ARE YOU WORKING FOR?” while President Palmer is over there continuing to do his job as if business is usual. And that, my friends, is invaluable in a president.

And those are the 5 best black American Presidents in TV and movies. But what do you think? Out of the ones listed here, who do you think is the best? Make your opinion known in the poll below! And for news on 2021 Fall TV premiers and 2021 movies, make sure to stop by often.

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Since starting his acting career in the late '70s, Danny Glover has built quite an impressive acting legacy, appearing in movies like The Color Purple, Predator 2, Witness and of course, the Lethal Weapon franchise. Now, after reflecting on his accomplishments, he explained why Lethal Weapon was important to him as a black actor.

Danny Glover spoke in length with Variety about things like George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement. When the topic switched to his own career, Danny Glover listed movie projects that were important to him, and then said Lethal Weapon was one of them. Here’s what he said about some of the important movies he’s been a part of:

It's true, Danny Glover has been in some truly inspirational and powerful films. The Color Purple, directed by Steven Spielberg, received 11 Academy Award nominations, and Places in the Heart won two out of its seven Academy Awards nominations.

You’d think being in these films would top his list, but he later added Lethal Weapon, which at face value is a little surprising. However, Danny Glover took the time to explain why it was important that he was in Lethal Weapon. Here’s what he had to say:

Lethal Weapon is one of the greatest action franchises of all time, and Danny Glover’s performance as Roger Murtaugh is a big reason why. It’s truly masterful. With each movie, he provided the backbone, heart and soul of the story, in contrast to the typically unhinged Martin Riggs. From the hilarious comedy to the truly heartbreaking moments, Danny Glover took a complex character layered with so much humanity, and makes him truly memorable.

Of course, right now, Danny Glover is still busy as ever acting. The last we saw him, he played Milo in Jumanji: The Next Level, which included its own little Lethal Weapon callback. But, the real question is, will we see him return as Roger Murtaugh in Lethal Weapon 5?

Lethal Weapon 5 has been rumored to be in the works for some time, but earlier this year, it was reported that there’s a script with Richard Donner set to return as the director. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover are also wanting to return as well. It's impossible to know what the story would be about, but just the fact that Riggs and Murtaugh could be coming back for a new installment is enough to get this Lethal Weapon fan excited. Stay tuned for more updates.

There’s no question that the Lethal Weapon series remains one of the most beloved and respected action franchises in Hollywood history. Warner Bros. has tried for years to rekindle interest in the series by luring Danny Glover and Mel Gibson back to their signature roles for Lethal Weapon 5, though some dedicated fans worry that, yes, the leads both may be too old for this shit.

But that hasn’t stopped the wheels of progress from turning on this production over the years, and there actually have been some positive signs indicating that Lethal Weapon 5 will make its way to theaters in the future. We may need to be patient. None of these moves are imminent. But there’s plenty we can report on Lethal Weapon 5, so read on and see what we know about this long-awaited sequel.

Will Lethal Weapon 5 Happen?

The latest bit of news that we have heard regarding Lethal Weapon 5 is that it IS moving forward, so that’s the good news. Producer Dan Lin was speaking with The Hollywood Reporter about his Oscar contender The Two Popes when he confirmed that Lethal Weapon 5 was in the pipeline at Warner Bros.

This news came after decades of false starts and fizzled plans. The last Lethal Weapon movie hit theaters in 1998, and rumors of a fifth movie have been hot and cold, with frequency, essentially since that time. But this 2018 interview with THR was the latest confirmation that executives and creatives were working on Lethal Weapon 5, and that they wanted it to move forward, so that’s where we are in regards to the future of the anticipated movie.

Who Might Come Back For Lethal Weapon 5?

It wouldn’t really be a Lethal Weapon movie without specific talents being involved, so the report that Lethal Weapon 5 is happening only really mattered because three names were attached to the project: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover and director Richard Donner. These three have been involved with the franchise from day one, and so long as they are willing to return to the series, the Lethal Weapon story can continue.

The Lethal Weapon in the title refers to Martin Riggs (Gibson), who was suicidal at the start of the franchise, but also an extremely efficient cop. He’s paired with Glover’s no-nonsense and by-the-book family man Roger Murtaugh, and this odd couple comes to learn that they are far more effective as a team than they ever could be apart.

Over the years, as Riggs and Murtaugh dealt with crooked cops, Asian crime lords and South African drug smugglers, the Lethal Weapon family grew. At the time of the discussion surrounding Lethal Weapon 5, no other cast members beyond Mel Gibson and Danny Glover had been attached to the sequel. Though, if Lethal Weapon 5 was going to follow the pattern established by the other movies in the franchise, we can expect director Richard Donner to try and bring back familiar faces such as Rene Russo (who plays Riggs’ wife), Chris Rock (as Murtaugh’s son-in-law) and possibly even Joe Pesci. Good luck on that last one, however. The actor has long since retired, and had to be coaxed back to the big screen by Martin Scorsese for The Irishman. I’m not sure he’d also come back for Lethal Weapon 5.

What Could Lethal Weapon 5 Be About?

There’s one significant factor that Lethal Weapon 5 will have to address and be brutally honest with, and that’s the age of its main characters. Even if the movie were to come out this year (which is won’t), Danny Glover would be 73 and Mel Gibson would be 64. The idea that either of them would still be working for the LAPD would be ludicrous. Hell, Glover’s character was trying to retire in the FIRST movie, but the series kept figuring out how to keep him employed and on the job. Now, though, they’d have to come up with something different.

Reports on the progress of Lethal Weapon 5 rarely got into plot specifics. There were reports that Richard Donner wants Lethal Weapon 4 screenwriter Channing Gibson (no relation to Mel) to come back and pen the script for Lethal Weapon 5. And in the aforementioned THR roundtable, producer Dan Lin expressed that the story they have for Lethal Weapon 5 is “very personal” to Dick Donner and the cast, suggesting that they do, in fact, have an idea they are pursuing. Which is great.

Back in 2016, original Lethal Weapon writer Shane Black – who has gone on to write and direct his own crime-comedy masterpieces – revealed a plan that he had for Lethal Weapon 5. His pitch acknowledged the fact that Riggs and Murtaugh were older, and he shifted the action from L.A. to New York City during a blizzard… which is a fantastic way to instantly freshen up the franchise. But Black hasn’t been associated with the series in decades (too bad, as his contributions led to the best movies in the saga), so we don’t see Channing Gibson using this idea if and when Lethal Weapon 5 moves forward.

Who Will Direct Lethal Weapon 5?

The same person who has directed all four Lethal Weapon films to date: Richard Donner. And really, without Donner’s involvement, would they even do it?

I’m torn on that. We have seen multiple film franchises that move on from their original directors, such as the Terminator movies, the Die Hard films, and more. They don’t always work. But every once in a while, someone like J.J. Abrams will swoop in and revive the Star Wars franchise with a movie like The Force Awakens. At the same time, Ridley Scott keeps getting deeper and deeper into the Alien franchise and really seems to have lost his way, so there are caution stories in both avenues, and none of us really know what to expect when Richard Donner returns with Lethal Weapon 5.

While everything that we have reported in this story suggest that Donner is coming back to conclude this series (he has said that the working title for Lethal Weapon 5 is Lethal Finale), it’s worth pointing out that Donner hasn’t helmed a movie since 2006’s 16 Blocks, with Bruce Willis. And currently, Donner is 89 years old. Now, here’s where I tell you that 89-year-old Clint Eastwood still releases, essentially, one movie a year. So it’s very possible. And what a way to end a career!

What About The Lethal Weapon TV Show?

Ah yes, that’s right. The Lethal Weapon television show. Well, the FOX series has no impact on the movie side of Lethal Weapon, and so will have no effect on Lethal Weapon 5. It’s essentially a multi-verse story, where different actors (Clayne Crawford and Damon Wayans) played different versions of Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh. There were similarities to identities and structure of the characters and their relationship. But the TV show was free to explore different factors of how these characters existed, whereas Lethal Weapon 5 would have to carry through on important plot points that were introduced in the Lethal Weapon movies.

Like what? Well, when Lethal Weapon 4 ended, Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Lorna (Rene Russo) had their first child. And they got married… by a rabbi! Also, Murtaugh’s oldest daughter Rianne delivered a child, as well, turning Roger into a grandfather. Officially, he is too old for this shit. But it also means that these two men, who we have followed for years, have a lot more to lose in their lives. And if Richard Donner has a story point that he calls “personal,” then it could mean that there’s a threat leveled at the family members of our two leads. We’ve seen action films introduce older versions of child characters in movie series. Will Lethal Weapon 5 choose to go in this direction?

The signs we have for Lethal Weapon 5 are far more positive than they ever have been in the past. If Richard Donner has a script, and a desire to close out the saga, then we absolutely can see both Mel Gibson and Danny Glover returning to their classic characters. Also, both men are still acting, as we saw them on screen in Boss Level and Jumanji: The Next Level, respectively.

We will continue to track the progress of Lethal Weapon 5, and also hope that the production delays that are currently plaguing the film industry don’t lead to a pause in production that leaves the sequel on the Development Shelf for eternity. Stay tuned, and we shall see how this plays out.

When Hollywood puts together a dynamic duo such as Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart, there’s no pulling them apart. The towering action star and the 5’3 fast-talking comedian make for an incredible combination. As they return to play avatars in Jumanji: The Next Level, audiences will get to witness the pair channeling a couple of legends. Johnson’s Smoulder Bravestone takes on Danny DeVito’s grandfather character and Hart’s Franklin “Mouse” Finbar as Danny Glover’s.

It’s a hilarious set up and The Rock and Kevin Hart must have had a blast on set! And turns out, Hart couldn’t help doing an impression of Danny Glover’s famous role of Roger Murtaugh in the classic movie Lethal Weapon. As director Jake Kasdan recently said on a recent episode of CinemaBlend’s podcast, ReelBlend:

Well this sounds hilarious! In a few moments between Kevin Hart and D.J (Dwayne Johnson), the comedian brought back an iconic Lethal Weapon line that would certainly have had fans of the buddy cop movie busting up laughing. These moments were in many edits of the movie, but ultimately were cut from the theatrical release. Here’s why, per what the producers of Jumanji: The Next Level told CinemaBlend:

Makes sense! Jumanji: The Next Level is already a sequel to a reboot of another franchise. To also pull from Danny Glover’s Murtaugh may have felt like a step too far. The producers wanted to allow The Next Level to carve out its own laughs without having to relying on other franchises. As Hiram Garcia also touches upon, much of the audience who will be going out to see the new Jumanji may not have been introduced to the R-rated 1987 action flick just yet.

It is a bummer for Lethal Weapon fans to hear! It would have been hilarious to hear Kevin Hart say with his Danny Glover impression. Even so, it’s exciting to have Glover and Danny DeVito playing roles in the film, along with the return of Jack Black and Karen Gillan’s game avatars. Jumanji: The Next Level also stars Nick Jonas once again, with the addition of Crazy Rich Asians’ Awkwafina as a character named Ming.

The sequel opens just one week prior to Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker on December 13 -- the same stakes as when Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle went up against The Last Jedi back in 2017 and made $960 million globally!

We are nearing the release of Jumanji: The Next Level, which means the cast of the new movie is getting together to get people hyped for the big Sony flick. That includes Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart, who are back to their usual hijinks while doing press for the highly-anticipated sequel.

Along with Danny Glover and Danny DeVito, The Rock and Kevin Hart are in Cabo San Lucas to do press for Jumanji: The Next Level this week. During a break from this press stuff, the two actors simultaneously tried to record video footage for the fans, jumping into each others’ videos while they did so. Here’s Johnson’s version of the video.

As you can see, the two actors are back to squabbling like siblings and taking digs at one another while each tries to put together the best social video they can. Meanwhile, Danny Glover and Danny DeVito are patiently sitting in the background and eventually get in on the banter and conversation, which is amusing in and of itself. I do believe Kevin Hart may have won this video battle, though.

Or at least, he definitely gets the better angle initially. Take a look at Kevin Hart's complementary video below.

The comedic bit ends with the two men finally getting on the same page to hype Jumanji: The Next Level, which hits theaters at the end of December. This sort of antagonistic-yet-friendly rivalry has been a hallmark of the public relationship between Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart as they have starred in several movies together over the last few years, including Central Intelligence, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and its sequel and even a cameo from Kevin Hart in Hobbs & Shaw. They are getting dangerously close to being frequent collaborators.

It’s clear the two men care about one another, as Dwayne Johnson even stepped in for Kevin Hart to help kick off Kelly Clarkson’s new daytime talk show this fall. Hart was expected to be a first week guest on the show, but was unable to make the appearance following his harrowing car accident and subsequent surgery. What makes this story even more of a friendship moment is that The Rock actually left his honeymoon a little early to be on The Kelly Clarkson Show.

It’s nice in general to see that Kevin Hart is back up and on his feet and able to just have the energy to be present and do a bit like this one. His car wreck was really serious and headlines talking about "months" of recovery followed the actor for a few weeks after the accident occurred. However, Kevin Hart has been back in the gym and he's even made some public appearances at this point. It's nice to see that he is going to be a voice championing Jumanji: The Next Level as well. His comedic chemistry with Dwayne Johnson is undeniable and the two men seem to have a good time in interviews too. Particularly when the two Danny actors are involved.

Catch the actors back in action when Jumanji: The Next Level hits theaters on December 13. Or take a look at what else is coming with our full schedule.

The game isn't over! The third movie in the Jumanji series, following 1995's Jumanji and 2017's Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, is called Jumanji: The Next Level. Fans can expect a steady stream of Jumanji 3 news, with updates continuing until the adventure movie arrives in theaters in December 2019. Here's what we know about the sequel so far, starting with the first trailer, which was posted on July 1:

That trailer fills in a lot of gaps on what the movie will be about, which is certainly helpful since there was no previous word on that front.

When Will Jumanji: The Next Level Be Released?

Jumanji: The Next Level is currently scheduled for release on December 13, 2019. That gives it exactly one week before Star Wars: Episode IX takes over the box office. Jumanji has faced Star Wars in a showdown before, when Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle opened on December 20, 2017, just after Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Considering that both films picked up piles of money in 2017, there will still probably be room for both of them at the 2019 box office.

Star/producer Dwayne Johnson announced the current Jumanji 3 release date on Instagram back in June 2018:

Dates can change without notice, but this one should stick.

What Is The Jumanji: The Next Level Rating?

The MPAA has yet to announce an official rating, but it will probably be PG-13. The first Jumanji in 1995 was PG, but this is more of a direct sequel to Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, which earned a PG-13 rating in 2017 for "adventure action, suggestive content and some language."

It's still early days for Jumanji: The Next Level news, but considering how well Jumanji 2 did, there's a very high chance they won't change much about the basics for the 2019 movie. Welcome to the Jungle had a reported budget of around $100 million and the film made nearly $1 billion at the worldwide box office, per Box Office Mojo figures. It was the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2017 and the 42nd-highest-grossing film of all time. Of that total, $404.5 million came from the domestic box office, and $557.5 million from the foreign box office. No one really saw this coming, since the 1995 Robin Williams movie just made $262.8 million (not adjusted for inflation).

Who Is Writing And Directing Jumanji: The Next Level?

If it ain't broke... As suggested in the previous entry, the second Jumanji film was such a hit that Sony is bringing back the major players for Jumanji 3. According to Deadline, Sony asked Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner back to write a sequel, with Jake Kasdan returning to direct and help shape the story. Matt Tolbach will be producing, along with the Seven Bucks Production team of Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, and Hiram Garcia.

Production Weekly (via MovieWeb) said Jumanji 3 was scheduled to start production January 21, and it wrapped in May 2019. Jumanji 2 filmed in Hawaii and Georgia, but Jumanji: The Next Level not only filmed in the usual jungles of Hawaii, the cast went to snow-capped mountains and also the desert, for new levels of the game.

What Is The Plot of Jumanji: The Next Level?

The trailer for Jumanji: The Next Level showed Spencer ended up back in the game, with the rest of the original high school crew heading back in to get him. Spencer's grandfather (Danny DeVito) and grandfather's friend Milo Walker (Danny Glover) both got stuck in the game with them -- playing The Rock and Kevin Hart's avatars, respectively -- adding a new level of hilarity. Back in June, Dwayne Johnson shared a photo from a development meeting, teasing just this on the plot:

He just loves to mess with Kevin Hart! The four high school teens of Welcome to the Jungle left the film as newfound friends, and they destroyed the game in the end. But, since we're dealing with fantasy and magic, no one should've expected the game to truly be destroyed. Jumanji 2 had some alternate endings that were discarded, THR reports, and it's possible the filmmakers will dip back into that well at some point.

Some of the actors shared ideas for the sequel. Jack Black said he wanted to head into space for an origin story. He wants to know where the game comes from, and who invented it, figuring it must be alien technology or from some "crazy jungle medicine man magic." Karen Gillan added that she'd like to see a really old man choose her avatar, Ruby Roundhouse, so she could go from playing an introverted teen in Welcome to the Jungle to channeling the mannerisms of an old man.

What Characters Are Returning For Jumanji: The Next Level?

Here's what we know: Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, and Nick Jonas will return. In Jumanji 2, they played the respective avatars Smolder Bravestone, Sheldon Oberon, Franklin Finbar, Ruby Roundhouse, and Jefferson "Seaplane" McDonough.

Back in August, /FILM talked to director Jake Kasdan and asked if the same kids would play a new game of Jumanji (despite thinking they destroyed it). Kasdan said they were busy figuring all of that out. He did say he believed it would be a continuation of Jumanji as a video game, rather than the board game of the first film.

Dwayne Johnson As Dr. Smolder Bravestone

The Rock's game avatar, Smolder Bravestone, plays to his literal strengths. He's a confident and clearly very muscular archaeologist and international explorer. In Jumanji 2, Dwayne Johnson got to play against type when the person playing his avatar was nerdy, allergy-prone Brantford High School student Spencer. Playing strong Dr. Bravestone helped Spencer develop his own confidence and leadership skills. The first trailer for Jumanji: The Next Level showed Spencer's grandpa Eddie (Danny DeVito) ended up taking on the Bravestone avatar.

Jack Black As Professor Sheldon "Shelly" Oberon

Jack Black had a fun role in Welcome to the Jungle as Professor Sheldon Oberon. His cartographer was played by popular, self-absorbed pretty girl Bethany, who was not expecting to be Black's "overweight middle aged man" when she picked the avatar descriptor "curvy genius" when deciding to play the game. But, her character evolved over the course of the adventure. Hopefully Jack Black gets to continue to stretch his comedic chops in Jumanji 3. This time, as the Jumanji: The Next Level trailer showed, "Fridge" ends up in the "old, fat dude" avatar.

Kevin Hart As Franklin Finbar

Brantford High School football jock "Fridge" picked weapons and zoology expert Franklin "Moose" Finbar because he sounded "like a badass." To his surprise, he ended up in the much shorter body of Kevin Hart. Hence, size jokes. The set-up of Fridge and Spencer being former friends who reconcile through the game of Jumanji worked perfectly for the dynamic of Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart. The Central Intelligence co-stars have great comedic chemistry, so Jumanji 3 is going to have to harness that magic again. Based on the Jumanji: The Next Level trailer, that chemistry is put to great use. This time, Spencer's grandfather's friend Milo (Danny Glover) ends up in Franklin's body.

Karen Gillan As Ruby Roundhouse

Karen Gillan plays "killer of men" Ruby Roundhouse, a fierce martial arts and dance fighting expert. Her avatar was played by shy high school student Martha. But Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers: Endgame star Gillan has gone on the record to say she'd love to see an old man play the Ruby avatar in a future movie. Interestingly enough, so far it looks like that's what happened for The Rock and Kevin Hart's avatars but not Karen Gillan's.

Nick Jonas As Jefferson "Seaplane" McDonough

Nick Jonas was something of a surprise addition to the group as avatar pilot Jefferson "Seaplane" McDonough. He was the avatar of gamer Alex Vreeke, a teen who got stuck in the Jumanji game in 1996. This storyline was a direct tie to the original 1995 Jumanji film, since Alex had taken shelter in the game world in a house built by the previous Jumanji player, Alan Parrish, portrayed on film by Robin Williams.

In Jumanji 2, the four main players are rescued by Alex, who was the fifth player that was missing and unplayable when the teens first picked up the game. Welcome to the Jungle ended with Alex being able to go back to his own time, and grow up to be Colin Hanks, who named his child after Bethany after she saved his life. We'll have to see how the pilot character of Seaplane is used in the third film.

What New Characters Are Joining Jumanji: The Next Level?

A few months ago, we got word on the first new stars joining the Jumanji 3 team. Ocean's 8 and Crazy Rich Asians star Awkwafina was said to play a "key" and "significant" character in this movie. Shortly after that news came out, Jumanji 3 cast list updates revealed that household name Danny DeVito would also be joining Jumanji 3. About a week later, it was revealed that Danny Glover would also be joining the cast. Now we know DeVito plays Spencer's grandfather Eddie with Glover as Eddie's friend Milo. DeVito ends up in The Rock's avatar, with Glover in Hart's, and hilarity ensues.

Dwayne Johnson, of course, posted about the new additions but didn't reveal anything about their characters beyond this little tease with his Danny Glover post: "The magic of our JUMANJI Universe is 'who turns into who?' and I'm excited for our [global] audience to join Danny and our entire cast on another wild and fun adventure." It's kind of fun seeing what surprises may be ahead, but there's more attention being paid to this movie, since Welcome to the Jungle was such a success, so they may not be able to hide all the tricks up their sleeves.

How Will Jumanji: The Next Level Connect To The Previous Films?

It was initially thought that Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle would be a reboot of the Jumanji franchise. Instead, it was a sequel to the 1995 Robin Williams movie. It didn't have many references to the original, but it was clear that it was set in the same universe. Director Jake Kasdan said he plans to have Jumanji 3 connect to both previous films, but especially Welcome to the Jungle:

Jake Kasdan also seems fond of the timeline element -- that players return to where they started in the real world once they win, even if years have passed in the game; while the in-world game retains elements from previous players, like the nod to Alan Parrish.

Will There Be A Jumanji 4?

This is most likely up to the box office. You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who expected Jumanji to get a sequel, never mind Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle getting a sequel, too. Some people consider this to be Jumanji 2, since it's more of a direct sequel to Welcome to the Jungle with only passing references to the first film. But, some people also think 2005's Zathura: A Space Adventure is part of the Jumanji franchise, even though that movie's plot has no references to any Jumanji films. It was marketed as being set in the Jumanji world, as it's based on Chris Van Allsburg's sequel to the Jumanji novel.

Either way, it's too soon too to say if Dwayne Johnson, Jake Kasdan and company will return for a Jumanji 4. If Jumanji: The Next Level cleans up at the box office this December, and into early 2020, that'll be a good sign. But, they'd also have to come up with a worthy idea, instead of just continuing because it might make more money. If Jumanji 3 disappoints on the story front, it would put a damper on any hopes for a fourth film. So, we shall see.

This Jumanji: The Next Level guide will be updated periodically as more news, trailers, photos, and updates from The Rock come out before the December 2019 release. In the meantime, keep track of all the amazing films coming to theaters in 2019 in our handy film schedule.

It has been just a few days since we learned the upcoming Jumanji sequel will be called Jumanji: The Next Level and this morning’s trailer confirmed the characters have leveled up for a new adventure this time around. However, that’s not the only thing changing in Jumanji 3. In fact, the main in-game characters will mostly be occupied by different personalities in the new movie.

We meet two of the newest personalities, played by the previously announced Danny DeVito and Danny Glover, this time around. DeVito plays Spencer’s grandfather Eddie and Glover plays Milo Walker in the film. Spencer is missing and has seemingly gone back in the game to play – you guessed it – the next level, only things don’t end up as planned.

Mainly, Eddie ends up as Dwayne Johnson's Smolder Bravestone this time around.

He’s not the only old dude playing the game, either, as Danny Glover ends up in the avatar of Franklin “Mouse Finbar.”

Previously, Spencer had ended up as Smolder Bravestone and Fridge had ended up as Mouse, so there’s a little game of musical avatars being played in Jumanji: The Next Level.

Jumanji 3: An Updated Cast List

You can take a full look at the new movie with the full Jumanji: The Next Level trailer.

In other news, as you can see, Bethany is no longer going to be the person inside Professor Shelly Oberon, played by Jack Black. Instead, Fridge gets the honors this time around of playing Shelly, while Karen Gillan’s Ruby Roundhouse will still be occupied by Martha.

This leaves a bit of mystery, however. First, where is Bethany? Secondly, where is Spencer? If Smolder and Mouse are occupied by different people, where did they end up?

At one point in the trailer there is a shot of Nick Jonas’ Jefferson “Seaplane” McDonough seen, and presumably that leaves space for either Bethany or Spencer, who are seemingly missing. I also don’t think there were any additional characters that originally could be chosen during Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle, but perhaps one of them ended up in a brand new avatar this time around?

No matter what, I’d assume Spencer and Bethany’s whereabouts will be central to the mystery this time around.

Still, the story should remain a bit of a fish-out-of-water story, as the two new characters get acquainted to the game and Fridge gets acquainted with his new avatar body. Only Martha will be used to the strengths and weaknesses she possessed previously.

Personally, I can’t wait to see how it all pans out. Catch Jumani: The Next Level on December 13, 2019. It's going to have some big holiday competition, which you can look at with our full schedule.

Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle was the textbook example of an unexpected hit back in 2017. Emboldened by its successful revitalization of the Jumanji brand, a sequel was quickly put into the works, and as such the mad scramble was on to get the film ready for its December 17, 2019 release date.

Taking on the box office so close to a Star Wars sequel may seem foolish, but it certainly worked for the last Jumanji movie, and Jumanji 3 , a.k.a. Jumanji: The Next Level, has one hell of a cast to help it even the odds. If you want to know the score about what's going on with the new Jumanji sequel in general, feel free to read up on the news with our "What We Know So Far" guide. For now though, let's see who's returning, and who's new, to the world of Jumanji!

Dwayne Johnson

Every group needs an intrepid leader, and as such, Smolder Bravestone is the defacto leader of the group of avatars returning from Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle. But having Smolder returning to kick all sorts of ass just wouldn't be the same if any other than Dwayne Johnson was playing the role. So thankfully, hearing his name among the returning cast members, as well as producer of Jumanji: The Next Level, was the sort of blessing this project needed.

There's been plenty of action in Johnson's life since Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle's release, as he saw Rampage and Skyscraper, as well as the third season of Ballers jump off in 2018. Not to mention, 2019 is a pretty big year for Dwayne Johnson in and of itself, as both his performances in Fighting With My Family and Hobbs & Shaw will hit the screens throughout 2019. So Jumanji: The Next Level's filming and release at the end of that very year should be a cherry on top of another productive year.

Karen Gillan

Another vital co-star in the Jumanji universe is, of course, Karen Gillan. After all, what fun would it be to see Smolder Bravestone returning without Ruby Roundhouse to fight alongside him? Kicking, punching, and even dancing her way through danger are her specialties, as Ruby was quite the brawler in the previous Jumanji sequel. So even if she's, say, controlled by an old man playing her game, don't expect any of that to change too much.

2019 is also a pretty fantastic year for Karen Gillan, as she'll not only see Jumanji 3 heading to theaters, but she'll also have a couple of animation projects she'll be lending her voice to in the year. Both the animated adaptation of Jack London's Call Of The Wild, as well as Blue Sky Animation's Spies in Disguise, will hear Gillan's voice spouting from two different animated avatars. But, of course, her most anticipated role of 2019 is that of Nebula, in the Marvel Studios' mega blockbuster Avengers: Endgame.

Kevin Hart

Zoologist. Weapons storage. Allergic to cake. Those are all vital terms that can identify Smolder Bravestone's official sidekick, Franklin "Moose" Finbar, and they're going to be important to identifying his role in Jumanji: The Next Level. More important is the fact that Kevin Hart will be stepping into the shoes, and undoubtedly those backpack straps, to reprise his Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle character.

In-between Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle and Jumanji: The Next Level, Hart has seen his career diversified as much as anyone else in the cast has. Not only did he see a return to his usual comedy schtick in Night School, but Kevin Hart also scored an surprise hit with the recent release of The Upside. And Jumanji: The Next Level isn't his only sequel for 2019 either, as he returned as the voice of rabbit revolutionary Snowball in Universal and Illumination's The Secret Life of Pets 2.

Jack Black

Professor Shelly Oberon is a master in the world of cryptography, cartography, and many other fields that a learned person would be the master of. That is, if he's not busy being eaten by hippos, or espousing his current controller's dismay that they aren't exactly the rugged Indiana Jones type. But no matter who's controlling Professor Oberon, Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle wouldn't have been complete without Jack Black carrying the character through the film, and his return to Jumanji: The Next Level only proves it!

Black has certainly been keeping up his family friendly credentials as of late, what with The House with a Clock in Its Walls and a brief appearance in Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween making his 2018 super productive. Though it does look like he's pretty open for 2019, which is good for the sake of his newly launched gaming channel on YouTube, "Jablinski Games." Of course, that's whenever he's not filming Jumanji: The Next Level.

Nick Jonas

Jefferson "Seaplane" McDonough knows danger like he knows how to pilot a helicopter: quite well, thank you very much. The last piece to the returning Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle crew, his rugged countenance played by Nick Jonas would surely have been missed if it were absent from Jumanji: The Next Level. Not to mention, Jonas's character was a vital part to the backstory of the game, as well as how it tied into the Jumanji mythos overall; so even though he wasn't one of the more publicized characters in the film, he's pretty important.

Fortunately, it's been confirmed that Nick Jonas will be back as "Seaplane" McDonough for Jumanji: The Next Level, rounding how the Jumanji game's quintet. The big question now is who will be playing as the character. At the end of Welcome to the Jungle, the timeline reset so that Alex Vreeke was never trapped within the game for 20 years, and after being freed, the four main teens reunited with Alex, now played by an adult Colin Hanks. We'll circle back to that a little later.

Ser’Darius Blain

In real life, Ser’Darius Blain is over 30, but in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle he capably plays high school player and occasional homework cheater Fridge, who ends up in Kevin Hart's -- or should I say Mouse Finbar's -- body. In a new announcement we've learned he, along with the other "teen" characters in the last flick, will be returning for Jumanji: The Next Level. That said, Fridge will not be playing as Mouse Finbar again. Instead, he'll be put into the body of Sheldon Oberon, and it sounds like the teen is not a fan of this tradeoff.

Alex Wolff

Alex Wolff played Young Spencer in Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle. If you've seen the flick, you'll remember that he's the character who eventually switches into the game's character Dr. Smolder Bravestone. For Jumanji: The Next Level, it turns out that Spencer is responsible for repairing the Jumanji video game. The problem is, instead of playing through the game again as Smolder Bravestone, Spencer's missing within the Jumanji world, and it's up to his friends to find him. As for who is playing as Smolder this time, we'll get to that later.

Morgan Turner

Morgan Turner's Young Martha will most definitely be back, along with the rest of her younger compatriots. The deal means that nearly all of Welcome To The Jungle's cast members are back in the fold for Jumanji: The Next Level and we can't wait to see what that entails. Martha is the only teen from the last movie playing as the same character, so expect to see more of her kicking ass as Ruby Roundhouse.

Madison Iseman

Madison Iseman, along with the other teens, will be returning in Jumanji: The Next Level. She plays young Bethany in the movie and her character is particularly significant. She saves the life of Alex and when the whole gang returns to the present they track Alex down, learning that Alex had named his own kid Bethany in gratitude for her saving his life. Young Bethany went from selfie queen to a teen with a lot of empathy during the course of the 2017 flick and it will be nice to see whether or not she returned to her social media roots or maintained a down-to-earth demeanor since the events in Welcome to the Jungle. However, in the Jumanji: The Next Level trailer, Bethany isn't shown playing as one of the characters, so it's unclear if she's lost like Spencer or if she wasn't even sucked into the game.

Colin Hanks

For a while we were in the dark about if Seaplane’s McDonough’s return in Jumanji: The Next Level meant that his original player, Alex Vreeke, would be back as well. We can wonder no longer, as Colin Hanks, who cameoed as an adult Alex at the end of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, confirmed he will appear in Jumanji: The Next Level. though he would not divulge any details on how he’s involved. The obvious answer is that Alex will be playing as Seaplane again and join the other characters in the Jumanji video game again. However, we can’t rule out that someone new will play as Seaplane instead, and that Alex is only making a minor appearance before or after the latest round of craziness starts.

Rhys Darby

When Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle’s four main characters were thrown into the game, they were eventually greeted by Nigel Billingsley, the NPC who informed them about the story and guided them throughout their journey. While it remains to be seen if Jumanji: The Next Level will be set within that same game or take place in a completely different location, Billingsley will remain a constant, as Rhys Darby is reprising the role. No doubt he’ll once again be providing advice to the players, but perhaps Jumanji 3 will give him a little bit more to do this time around.

Awkwafina

The first of our new cast members needs very little introduction, as Awkwafina had two pretty big movies last year: Ocean's 8 and Crazy Rich Asians. Now, she's entering the ring of big budget family entertainment, as Jumanji: The Next Level has enlisted her as one of the new characters that will be introduced. Judging by the trailer, it looks like Awkwafina's playing a character in the game, though that individual still hasn't been identified. Awkwafina will also be heard in another big Sony sequel, The Angry Birds Movie 2, set for release this August.

Danny DeVito

Karen Gillan has gone on record as stating that she'd love to have an older man controlling her character in Jumanji: The Next Level, as it would challenge her to take on the mannerisms of such a character. Well, Ruby Roundhouse will still be controlled by Martha, but two older men will indeed be controlling two of Jumanji's other characters. First up, we have Danny DeVito, who is playing Eddie Gilpin, Spencer's cranky grandfather. Following in his grandson's footsteps, Eddie will be forced to play as Smolder Bravestone, resulting in Dwayne Johnson giving a much different performance than he did in Welcome to the Jungle.

Danny Glover

Last, but not least, Jumanji: The Next Level has most recently added a rather lethal weapon to their arsenal. Danny Glover was announced as the latest cast member to join the Jumanji: The Next Level family, which posed the question of whether the two of them will be a pair of friends who stumble upon one of their grandkids' video games. Sure enough, Glover is playing Milo Walker, a friend of Eddie Gilpin's, and the two of them check on the main characters when they hear the video game making commotion. Sucked in with Eddie, Milo replacing Fridge as Mouse Finbar, allowing Kevin Hart to stretch his acting chops with a killer Danny Glover impression.

Prepare for adventure this Christmas, as Jumanji: The Next Level is scheduled to debut in theaters on December 13, 2019. If you're interested in seeing what else is happening throughout the year's box office calendar, feel free to head over to our 2019 movie schedule to plan your schedule accordingly!

To put it kindly, the Predator franchise has experienced a few ups and downs over the course of its 31-year existence. Between five films in which the alien has appeared, there is a wide range in terms of quality, and each chapter has offered something very different to the official canon. Still, it's managed to persist as one of the most popular science-fiction franchises from the late 20th century, and soon theaters everywhere will be hosting the latest installment, Shane Black's The Predator.

As we count down the weeks until The Predator's release, we've constructed this guide to help you get to better know the movies -- motivated by anticipation. Below and across the next few pages we'll dive not only into each individual film, but also examine the various eras that the films have gone through. To kick things off, here's a rundown of all the titles we've seen in the franchise so far:

Predator (1987)

A team of commandos, led by retired US Army Special Forces Major Alan "Dutch" Schaefer (Arnold Schwarzenegger), travels down to Central America when hired for a mission saving hostages in guerrilla solider-held territory. What they don't know, however, is that the jungle has another visitor: an insanely deadly extraterrestrial warrior that lives to hunt, kill, and take skulls and spines as trophies.

Predator 2 (1990)

Ever drawn to the combination of high temperatures and violence, the titular villain in Predator 2 finds itself drawn to the city of Los Angeles as the area is mired in both a gang war and a heat wave. As the alien goes on a rampage, the only thing standing in its way is Lieutenant Mike R. Harrigan (Danny Glover), a gruff cop who plays by his own rules.

Alien vs. Predator (2004)

In the year 2004, a team of archeologists make their way down to the south pole when their work uncovers a strange heat signal. Not only do they wind up discovering a hidden underground pyramid, but also a long relationship between Predators and the aliens known as Xenomorphs. The pyramid is used as a rite of passage for the former, tasked with finding and killing the latter, and the humans find themselves stuck in the crossfire.

Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)

The sequel begins with the creation of a new creature when it's revealed that a Facehugger impregnated a Predator, leading to the birth of the first Predalien. The spaceship it's on crash lands in a small Colorado town, and an alien infestation begins - leading to another Predator coming to Earth to try and stop it.

Predators (2010)

Rather than taking place on Earth, this is the first movie to take place on the Predator homeworld. A group of men and women selected as the best killers on Earth are abducted and brought to the violent planet, specifically to be tested to see if they have what it takes to survive against not only attacking Predators, but the dangerous flora and fauna.

The Predator (2018)

When former Army Ranger Quinn McKenna (Boyd Holbrook) encounters a Predator when on a mission in Mexico, the government tries to shut him up by packing him up and shipping him off with a bunch of ex-soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and other emotional issues. As it turns out, however, this group may be the only thing standing in between the human race and total annihilation.

The Original Movies

Having made hits like the Conan films, The Terminator, and Commando, Arnold Schwarzenegger was a big deal by the time Predator came around - and in 1986 producers Joel Silver and Lawrence Gordon approached him about the project. The movie actually started as a joke about the Rocky movies; arguing that eventually there would be so many sequels that the eponymous pugilist would need to fight an alien. Well, screenwriters Jim and John Thomas took the nugget of that idea and ran with it. Originally titled Hunter, it was molded into the movie that we know today thanks to Silver's sensibilities, and to this day it remains one of the singularly best sci-fi action movies ever made.

Predator is a film very much of its era, built on a foundation of huge muscles and powerful guns, and even with its high-concept plot it manages to establish a history and canon for its titular killer alien. They are particularly drawn to hot environments, but far more important to them is the challenge of the hunt. The Predators are a prideful species, and specifically look to go after the most dangerous prey possible -- collecting body part trophies along the way. In Predator, the alien meets its match in Dutch, as while the creature is outfitted with a ton of high-tech weaponry and armor, their vision while in action is thermal-based. Dutch is able to exploit this weakness by using mud and cold water to drop his body temperature, and he successfully gets the upper-hand. Worthy of notice is that Dutch doesn't kill the Predator himself, with the extraterrestrial instead performing its own kind of seppuku by activating an explosive device on its wrist.

In a vacuum, Predator isn't really a story begging for a sequel -- given that most of the ensemble cast is killed, and there are zero unanswered questions. However, the film was a worldwide smash hit (pulling in $98.3 million, unadjusted for inflation), and so the movie gods demanded a follow-up.

What fans got was 1990's Predator 2: a blockbuster with very little actual connection to its predecessor. Arnold Schwarzenegger didn't return as Dutch due to a contract dispute, and Stephen Hopkins took over for John McTiernan in the director's chair. Set seven years in the future, the sequel replaced the jungle setting of the original with the urban landscape of Los Angeles -- specifically during both a heat wave and a violent gang war. The Predator starts going crazy on the street toughs, and stuck in the middle of the whole thing is Danny Glover's Lt. Mike R. Harrigan (Glover clearly being a very different protagonist than Schwarzenegger, but having notable history with Joel Silver via the Lethal Weapons features).

Unfortunately, Predator 2 got more than a few unkind reviews, and failed to put up numbers anywhere near its predecessor -- ultimately making about half the money globally. Because it was deemed as a disappointment, the Predator franchise went into hibernation... but it always had an ace in its back pocket. After all, Predator 2 includes a shot featuring the head of a Xenomorph, which kept speculation open for years about the possibility of a crossover movie.

And then it happened.

The Alien Crossovers

Weirdly, the concept of Alien vs. Predator pre-dates the release of Predator 2 by nearly a year, as the idea was launched in comic book form. Published by Dark Horse Comics as part of their Dark Horse Presents series, the conflict between the two titular extraterrestrials played out over three issues, and was possible thanks to 20th Century Fox being in control of both franchises. Still, while fans spent years begging for a film adaptation, it wasn't really in the cards thanks to the on-going success of the Alien series independently. That came to an end in 1997 with the release of Alien Resurrection, and in 2004 the die-hards finally got the movie that they had been begging for... kinda.

Director Paul W. S. Anderson was coming off the success of the first Resident Evil when he signed on to make Alien vs. Predator - the filmmaker's resume including 1990s features like Mortal Kombat, Event Horizon and Soldier. Despite the fact that it had been established that Predators prefer warmer climates, the adventure took the movie's ensemble (Sanaa Lathan, Raoul Bova, Lance Henriksen and Ewen Bremner) to Antarctica to try and discover an ancient secret. Instead, they wind up getting caught in the middle of a centuries old ritual that finds Predators come to Earth and face off against Xenomorphs as a test, with humans included as sacrifices. Notably, it's the first title in the film to portray Predators as protagonists, as they essentially wind up teaming with the scientists, drillers, and mercenaries when the situation with the Xenomorphs gets out of control.

Alien vs. Predator was ultimately crazy successful both at home and abroad, making $172 million by the end of its run, but not everyone was super pleased with it. Not only did it get roasted by critics, but many were quick to complain about the film's rating - as it took two very R-rated creatures and stuffed them into a PG-13 package. The studio attempted to fix this with a follow-up three years later, 2007's Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, but things still didn't exactly work out perfectly.

Fox put the future of two of their most powerful brands in the hands of Colin and Greg Strause, who were notably first time directors when they were given the gig. The primary reason they were hired is because they were founders of the visual effects company Hydraulx, and with that expertise they could help keep the budget low without sacrificing production value. Sadly, the results of Alien vs. Predator: Requiem suggest that it probably wasn't the right call.

The movie is weirdly the first title in the Predator franchise to pick up where the last story left off -- specifically with the birth of the Predalien: half-Predator, half Xenomorph. Clearly the idea of having such a creature running around wild is absolutely nightmarish, which is why it becomes a serious problem in the movie when the space ship it's on crash lands in Colorado. More Predators come down to our planet to try and stop the menace (once again taking our side), and there is a hell of a lot more bloodshed, but still the film registered as a disaster, and remains the worst-reviewed title in either franchise.

It's worth noting that while it's only been a little more than a decade since the release of Alien vs. Predator and Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, history has not treated the movies incredibly well. Specifically, Ridley Scott totally nixed the titles from the Alien canon with both Prometheus and Alien: Covenant; and it doesn't look like it will register in the work that Shane Black is doing on The Predator. But, who knows? Ten years from now some genius filmmaker may crack the code to make this concept work, and deliver something that buys back some credibility.

The Modern Era

Alien vs. Predator: Requiem didn't light the world on fire, but at the very least it did wind up inspiring a new generation of Predator titles -- though not anything as consistent as a regular series. Rather, the folks at 20th Century Fox recognized that there still remained a lot of potential in the brand -- which is what led to a partnership with Troublemaker Studios and writer/director Robert Rodriguez.

Funny enough, Rodriguez wrote the script for Predators all the way back in 1994 when he was filming his second movie, Desperado, but the approach was turned down because the studio believed it would cost too much money. The world of filmmaking changed a lot in fifteen years, however, and so the filmmaker was given a new opportunity to create his vision of a Predator movie. With Rodriguez producing, Alex Litvak and Michael Finch wrote new versions of his screenplay, and directing duties were given to Nimrod Antal.

As noted earlier, Predators takes the franchise away from Earth for the first time, and features an impressive ensemble including Adrian Brody, Mahershala Ali, Walton Goggins, Alice Braga, Topher Grace, Danny Trejo, and Lawrence Fishburne. In addition to introducing the homeworld of the titular creatures, the movie also designates different kinds of predators, including Trackers, Falconers, and Berserkers. There is a strict hierarchy in the society, which makes sense when you consider the emphasis the culture puts on trophies and honor. It ends on a semi-cliffhanger, as more Predator captives are shown parachuting down to the planet's surface, but it doesn't look as though we will ever get to see a super conclusive ending to that story.

Predators earned solid/mixed reviews, but its bigger issue came when the film hit theaters. While made for a modest-by-blockbuster-standards $40 million, it only made $52 million domestically. It made its budget and marketing expenses back with international tickets, as it made $127.2 million worldwide, but the performance was mediocre enough to leave the franchise in stasis for nearly another decade as the studio tried to figure out what else they could do with the brand.

Now, the drought of Predator movies is coming to an end, however, as writer/director Shane Black -- who was actually an actor in the 1987 original -- will be delivering his new feature, The Predator, to cinemas this fall. There remain some big questions about why the aliens have returned to Earth, and it's been confirmed that we will see some dangerous genetics work, but we'll have to wait until September 14th to see what the full film has in store.

It's a limbo project we might never see, though news of its possibilities emerges every so often, to fan the flames of hope in a tired fanbase. I'm talking, of course, about Lethal Weapon 5, a sequel that Richard Donner has been dangling in front of Riggs and Murtaugh devotees for years, with even Mel Gibson and Danny Glover expressing interest. Now, however, the original Lethal Weapon director (four times over) reveals the title of the potential sequel, while also admitting that it probably isn't going to happen. In an interview, Donner explains:

You have to be intrigued. You can be nervous, too. But the mention of a "very dark" Lethal Weapon finale has me dreaming. People might forget how grim the original movie was. Yes, there was humor laced throughout it, pulled from the chemistry of leading men Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. But in the first movie, Martin Riggs (Gibson) is a suicidal head case, and the villains they faced off against were deranged Special Forces mercenaries who'd stop at nothing to protect their shipments of heroin.

The movies in the Lethal Weapon franchise got progressively cartoonish, as the scripts leaned into the physical comedy and got away from the menace that original screenwriter Shane Black (a master at this genre) brought to the dialogue. By the time we got to Lethal Weapon 4, Joe Pesci and Chris Rock were doing comedy bits in between clumsy action set pieces, and the franchise had lost its way.

Richard Donner's prognosis on Lethal Weapon 5, as told to the Nerdist podcast Maltin on Movies, sounds grim. And normally, I'd say that's fine. The franchise doesn't NEED another chapter. Lethal Weapon 4 was largely a dud. But then I saw Mel Gibson and Danny Glover together on stage for a recent Richard Donner tribute, and damn if this video didn't get me excited about the two of them playing off of each other one more time on screen:

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for any and all updates on Lethal Weapon 5 as they come.

Insert your best "getting too old for this shit" joke here, folks, because it's sounding like Lethal Weapon 5 could be coming together at Warner Bros.

After years and years of false starts and abrupt stops -- seriously, we have stories tied to the possibility of Lethal Weapon 5 that date back to 2007 and beyond -- Deadline is now reporting that Mel Gibson, Danny Glover and director Richard Donner are circling the idea of doing one more chapter in the ongoing saga. The trade reports that Channing Gibson, who scripted Lethal Weapon 4, would return to the series (his TV credits include NYPD Blue, St. Elsewhere and L.A. Law). While far from a done deal, the possibility of this sequel has risen back to the surface, so let's break it all down.

The original Lethal Weapon came out in 1987, casting Mel Gibson as an unpredictable L.A. detective who gets paired with an older, by-the-book cop (Danny Glover) whose on the verge of retirement. Only, their chemistry was so combustible on screen, Hollywood wouldn't let this pair retire, and so Riggs (Gibson) and Murtaugh (Glover) returned for three additional films... all of which diminished in quality. Well, that's sort of true. I'd argue that the presence of Jet Li as the villain puts Lethal Weapon 4 ahead of Lethal Weapon 3, but we're comparing root canal to getting hit in the forehead with a hammer. Both suck.

There have been many ideas that have surfaced over the years that would attempt to get Mel Gibson and Danny Glover back into their signature roles, from moving the action to New York City (the franchise stayed in L.A. for every sequel) to pairing one of the top detectives with a younger cop and having Riggs or Murtagh serve as behind-the-desk mentors to the next generation of lethal weapons.

The timing of a possible Lethal Weapon 5 is also odd because FOX currently has its own Lethal Weapon TV show on the air, and it's doing... OK? Ratings were better in the debut season, but Clayne Crawford and Damon Wayans are actually entertaining as a new Riggs and Murtagh, and the case-of-the-week structure fits the series well.

Still, I think fans of the original films would love to see one more adventure between the big-screen Riggs and Murtagh, so long as a few boxes are checked by the sequel. For starters, this story needs to be about Riggs and Murtagh, and not every family member they've ever encountered. By the finale of Lethal Weapon 4, the supporting cast of this saga had grown out of control. Strip this story back down to the basics, and make these men action heroes, not family men who occasionally punch bad guys. Also, don't relegate Riggs and Murtagh to supporting players in their own franchise. Joe Pesci, Rene Russo and Chris Rock and fun. They, however, are not why we come to a Lethal Weapon movie.

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Danny Glover has been a big name in showbiz for decades, with major credits on the big and small screen alike. His biggest role is arguably Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film franchise, and the premiere of the Lethal Weapon TV show on Fox naturally had many fans hoping for at least a cameo from Glover as tribute to the movies. Well, Glover doesn't seem to be coming to Lethal Weapon any time soon, but fans will be able to see him on the small screen. He has landed a role on a show that already sounds awesome: Hulu's Locke and Key.

Locke and Key will be a horror/fantasy TV show based on the graphic novel of the same name. The show will follow the adventures of three kids in the aftermath of the gruesome murder of their father. They move to their ancestral home in Matheson, Maine to start a new life as best they can after their father's death, but the house definitely doesn't allow them to get a fresh start without any darkness. The kids discover that the house comes with magical keys that give them a variety of powers. These keys might have been wonderful... if not for the demon that wants to get its hands on the key, and nothing will dissuade it from coming after the kids.

Danny Glover is on board Locke and Key to play an English teacher by the name of Joe Ridgeway, whose eccentric tendencies guarantee that he stands out among the staff at Matheson Academy. Although he befriends Nina after she brings her three kids to Matheson and becomes a positive figure in the lives of the youngsters, Ridgeway is privy to some secrets about the family and their home.

It has not yet been announced about how much of a presence Danny Glover will have in Locke and Key, although THR reports that he is not on board as a regular. While it's possible that he'll pop in for a cameo to kick off the series, the description of his character for the show indicates that he'll be around for at least more than one quick scene. Still, we can't say at this point. A lot may depend on how closely the Locke and Key TV show sticks to the plot of the comic.

Danny Glover joins a cast already comprised of Frances O'Connor as Nina Locke, Megan Charpentier as young Kinsey Locke, Jack Mulhern as eldest brother Tyler Locke, and youngest brother Jackson Robert as Bode Locke, with Nate Corddry as the kids' uncle Duncan Locke.

All things considered, Locke and Key has a pretty solid recipe for success for Hulu. Comic creator Joe Hill is collaborating with Carlton Cuse of Lost and Bates Motel to write the pilot, and Cuse will executive produce with Andy Muschietti of the smash hit movie IT. These three alone have the experience in horror and genre projects to craft a hit; they'll undoubtedly make an interesting team together.

We don't yet know when Locke and Key might debut on Hulu, so take a look at our fall TV guide to discover what you can watch while we wait.

Movie history is littered with parallel universes where different actors took on different parts that could have catapulted them onto new heights. We now have another to add to the discussion, because it has been revealed that Danny Glover was actually the first choice to play Raiden in 1995's Mortal Kombat, with New Line pushing for the casting. They eventually buckled, and the role was played by Christopher Lambert instead.

Ed Boon, the creative director over at NetherRealm Studios and the co-creator of Mortal Kombat, who also worked as a creative consultant on the adaptation, revealed to IGN that the studio had some pretty random and wild suggestions for the film. Which Boon politely described as "pretty interesting discussions." None more so than the touted casting of Danny Glover as Raiden. Ed Boon recalled:

Boon also revealed that New Line originally wanted Kano, who was played by Trevor Goddard in the film, to have a huge pirate eyepatch rather than the big metal plate that crosses over the side of his face. But while New Line fought Ed Boon tooth and nail to make these alterations to the source material, it wasn't until they ran the proposed new incarnations of the Mortal Kombat characters past focus groups that they realized the potential backlash.

To be fair, though, it's not as if the released version of Mortal Kombat has been lavished with praise. In fact, when it was released, the reviews were middling to negative, with a heavy portion focusing on the latter. That was compensated by the fact that Mortal Kombat still went on to gross $122.1 million at the box office from just an $18 million budget. Worse was to come, though, because its follow-up, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, is widely regarded to be one of the worst films ever made. Here's a nearly twenty minute-long video that explains why.

There are plans very much in motion to right these wrongs, though, as a Mortal Kombat reboot is currently in development over at New Line. Producer James Wan has made it his duty to bring a respected version of Mortal Kombat to the big screen. The most recent news regarding the film is that Greg Russo's script will be directed by Simon McQuoid, who as recently as November was in talks with the studio. We're still waiting for news on when it will be with us, though, so keep posted to CinemaBlend for updates.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Han and Chewie. Batman and Robin. All of those are great silver screen "buddy" pairings, but none of them will ever come close to matching the magic captured by Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon series. With the small screen Fox reboot premiering this week, we found it timely and important to remind all of you action movie aficionados out there of one very important fact: even after all these years, Lethal Weapon continues to be the single greatest action franchise of all time. Allow me to explain.

The entire Lethal Weapon franchise is predicated on a very simple premise that audiences can quickly and easily understand: chaos vs. control. Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) is a highly trained, loose-cannon cop with serious emotional trauma and a death wish. Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) is a calm and cool, but ultimately cautious, veteran detective who wants to go home to his family at the end of the day. Despite their inherently antithetical nature, these men eventually find a synergy in their respective talents, and form one of the closest brotherly bonds in the history of cinema -- and they rack up a pretty stellar body count along the way.

I could spend this whole article talking about the action in Lethal Weapon, but honestly it speaks for itself. Over the course of four films, director Richard Donner crafted numerous stellar set pieces using practical effects that defy appropriate adjectives. Whether it's Riggs and Murtaugh trying to rescue Murtaugh's daughter from drug dealers in the original Lethal Weapon, or the glorious freeway chase in Lethal Weapon 4, each entry in this awesome series is a pulse-pounding example of how to craft an action sequence. The action in Lethal Weapon is some of the best carnage ever committed to film, but it's the commitment to character that elevates the franchise above all others.

Through Shane Black's expert creation of these two characters, we get a perfectly balanced silver screen partnership that's epitomized by the series' equally perfect balance of tone and style. In each movie, we see incredibly visceral action interspersed with hilariously tense banter, underscored by the real, raw emotional connection we feel with each of these characters. No other franchise has ever managed to create a pair of badass heroes like Riggs and Murtaugh who could kick some serious ass, but still come from a very understandable and empathetic emotional place. When Murtaugh berates Riggs, we laugh. When Riggs puts a gun to his head, we're scared.

Furthermore, the beauty of the Lethal Weapon franchise is that it never once lost sight of who Riggs and Murtaugh were as characters, and how their connection carried the franchise. Not many action franchises (sorry, Die Hard) can say that. In the criminally underrated Lethal Weapon 3, Riggs confronts a drunk, depressed Murtaugh about the latter's imminent retirement, and the two engage in a heartbreaking screaming match about how Roger's decision to retire affects both of them. It's not just about action and comedy; the weight of the previous movies unloads in one of Riggs' most emotional lines in the entire series:

We feel the power of that line because every Lethal Weapon movie takes what came before it, and builds upon it. The events of Lethal Weapon brought Riggs and Murtaugh together and gave Riggs something to live for. From there, the Murtaughs represent the single constant in Riggs' life -- from the death of Rika Van Den Haas in Lethal Weapon 2 to Riggs' guilt over falling in love with Rene Russo's Lorna Cole in Lethal Weapon 3. Finally, in Lethal Weapon 4, Murtaugh's own intuition and brotherly bond helps him find Riggs and save him from drowning after their final battle with Jet Li's Wah Sing Ku, and Riggs closes out a chapter of his life by finally marrying Lorna. It's catharsis in its purest form.

Of course, none of that great storytelling would've worked without true commitment from the actors in the lead roles. The entire Lethal Weapon franchise was further separated from the score of countless imitators and competitors by the sheer commitment that Mel Gibson and Danny Glover brought to their respective roles. Over four movies, both actors sold their characters as equal parts human and badass. They pulled off insane stunts and kicked some serious ass, but they also screamed in agony and cried when things got tough.

Note the nuance in both of their performances; the way they both scream in agony as the bad guys torture them, the desperation in Riggs' tone as he kills Endo and the utter disbelief in Murtaugh's eyes as he realizes that he has a fighting chance to get his daughter out. Those are not performances you see from action icons like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone.

One could make a valid argument that there are standalone action movies better than Lethal Weapon -- the first Die Hard holds a 92% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes compared to the first Lethal Weapon's 84% Fresh rating -- but Lethal Weapon holds the distinction of consistency. Unlike the Die Hard franchise, there are no bad Lethal Weapon movies -- only varying degrees of good. At its worst, the Lethal Weapon franchised dipped to a respectable 52% with Lethal Weapon 4 in 1998, while the most recent Die Hard movie garnered a measly 14% Rotten rating. Plenty of single action movies can compete with Lethal Weapon, but no action franchise can come close to matching the consistency of Riggs and Murtaugh.

All that being said, that's just my take on the matter. What are your thoughts? Is Lethal Weapon the best action franchise of all time, or am I just too old for this shit? Let us know what you think in the comments section below!

Anyone will tell you it’s a common rule of sequels that they don’t hold up as well as the original film. This is especially true of sequels that change major concepts of their franchise and replace the entire cast. Somehow though, Predator 2 manages to survive a change of cast and venue and although it may not live up to the original, it’s still a fun romp. In 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger faced up against the Predator in the jungles of Central America. You remember the Predator, right? The alien hunter who wears camouflage armor, has night vision, and is able to mimic sounds it hears in order to confuse and mock its prey? Well, despite the death of the Predator and just about everyone else from the first film, ten years later another Predator has returned. This time the alien seeks a different kind of prey in a different kind of jungle - the asphalt jungle of Los Angeles, during one of the worst heat and crime waves the city has ever seen.

The cops are working hard to beat the heat and the criminals, although they are desperately out manned and outgunned, caught in a turf war between Colombian drug dealers and a Jamaican cartel. Trying to stay on top of things is Detective Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover)... whoops, wrong movie. In Predator 2 Danny Glover attempts to prove to the audience that he’s not too old for this shit with his portrayal of Lt. Mike Harrigan, a cop who’s more concerned with getting results and saving his men than following procedures or direct orders. By his side is Danny Archuleta (Ruben Blades) and Leona (Maria Conchita Alonso) as well as the new guy on Harrigan’s team, Jerry “The Lone Ranger” Lambert (Bill Paxton). However, Harrigan and his squad aren’t the only ones hunting down the Colombians and Jamaicans.

As Harrigan starts to witness odd ritual killings of the two enemy forces, he starts to realize there is another player in town, and it isn’t annoying reporter Tony Pope (the 80’s version of Jerry Springer, Morton Downey Jr.). It’s something that has brought the attention of the Feds as well, seen in the form of Peter Keyes (Gary Busey) and Garber (Adam Baldwin). After the new player kills Harrigan’s right hand man Archuleta, Harrigan swears revenge and starts stalking the Predator, determined to figure out who, or what, it is.

Predator 2 tries to throw several different stories together, relying heavily on stereotypes and story clichés to fit everything in. You have the rogue cop who won’t listen to the rules, the annoying new guy on the force attempting to prove himself, the irritating reporter who shows up at every possible bad time, and the mysterious feds who won’t reveal more than they have to. On top of all of that, in the middle of this story that could easily be another Dirty Harry movie, the alien Predator is thrown, disrupting a lot of what should be normal in a story of this type.

The big problem here is that we know right off the bat that this is a Predator sequel, thus robbing the film of any of the mystery or suspense of the first Predator movie. The audience already knows what’s behind the killings and what the Predator looks like behind his cloaked appearance, so while Harrigan attempts to figure things out, those watching are a step ahead of what’s going on. It’s a bit of a shame, because if the film hadn’t been a sequel, it easily could have gotten the same feeling of suspense as the first film. Alas, as a sequel, it doesn’t. Luckily though, all of the creative people behind the scenes give you plenty of eye candy (in the form of blood and new weapons for the Predator) to keep you interested in what’s going on.

While it may not live up to the sense of wonder of the first film, you have to give Predator 2 some credit. It’s not easy to swap Arnold Schwarzenegger for Danny Glover and Carl Weathers for Gary Busey and still have a success. Predator 2 does the best thing it can do by not taking itself too seriously and just having fun with its story. As a result, the audience gets to have fun too, as long as you consider aliens hunting down humans and taking their skulls fun. When the special edition of Predator came out I had a couple of big complaints - primarily the shoddy packaging, the lack of anamorphic widescreen and the mumbling director’s commentary. Surprisingly, Fox seemed to hear these complaints, because all of these areas are improved. This special edition of Predator 2 has a standard plastic case (although with the overused slipcover) and is presented in anamorphic widescreen for your viewing pleasure. The improved director’s commentary is just the tip of the iceberg on this great treatment of what was previously a bare bones edition.

As with the special edition of Predator, this release is a two disc set. The first disc holds the film with the commentary tracks. This time not only is there a director’s commentary with a much more coherent Stephen Hopkins (as opposed to John McTiernan from the first film), but also a commentary by writers Jim and John Thomas. Writer and director commentaries are typically more interesting because they are the people who picture the entire project, rather than just focusing on one specific area, and this release is no different. Neither commentary here is a let down, although they to tend to get a bit redundant with the featurettes which are presented on disc 2 along with the meat and potatoes of the DVD.

Included on disc two is the documentary, “The Hunters and the Hunted” which uses vintage and modern interviews with cast and crew to talk about the making of the film. It’s not a straight forward documentary though, as Danny Glover and other cast members do a lot of BSing around. Gary Busey in particular seems to run his mouth about a lot of nothing, leaving viewers to wonder if this film, which was one of his first films after his terrible motorcycle accident, didn’t come too soon in his recovery.

Other featurettes focus on more specific areas such as developing special effects or the creation of the Predator for this film and the changes they made from the first Predator. The most interesting of the featurettes is “Weapons of Choice” which goes into a brief analysis of each of the weapons in the Predator’s arsenal. It’s a neat look at one of the highlights of the film, explaining the concept for each weapon and sometimes how they created the effects surrounding them.

As usual, there is a weak point of the release. For this disc it comes in the form of the “”Hard Core” mock news reports, extended from their appearance in the actual movie. The extended reports are nothing more than raw footage, which mostly appears to have been filmed on video. Morton Downey Jr’s annoying reporter Tony Pope repeats the same drivel he says in the movie, sometimes just in different combinations of lines. It’s something the set would have been just as strong, if not stronger, by leaving out. Finally you have the movie’s promotional trailers and television spots, as well as a photo-gallery.

For fans of the Predator films, this special edition of Predator 2 is a must buy, if for no other reason than to place the cooler looking package alongside the special edition of the first film. This is a solid release of a fun movie. Sure it was responsible for leading us down the road to Alien vs. Predator with its Alien skull cameo, but try not to hold that against it.

Lethal Weapon 5 is one of those sequels that gets mentioned every few years, but never is expected to happen. For starters, the two main leads – who you would need to make the sequel matter – are currently 60 (Mel Gibson) and 69 (Danny Glover) years of age, respectively. The franchise is trying to find new legs as a television series, not as a fifth film, though if he was given the chance, writer Shane Black at least had an idea for Lethal Weapon 5… and a lengthy script treatment.

Shane Black is out promoting his new film The Nice Guys, which he writes and directs. But the media loves asking him about his past accomplishments, and it usually circles back to Lethal Weapon. Black wrote the screenplay for the original Lethal Weapon movie, which introduced unlikely partners Martin Riggs (Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Glover), so it sort of makes sense that he could be the one who brings them closure. While speaking with The Playlist, Black said he once wrote a 62-page treatment for Lethal Weapon 5, that would have involved the following:

Which is almost what the new Star Wars is doing, making the ages of the original stars – from Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher to Mark Hamill – part of the story. You can’t do Lethal Weapon 5 and relegate Riggs and Murtaugh to a handful of supporting scenes, possibly even from behind a desk. They need to be in on the action… which gets harder when the actors get into their sixties and seventies. Because then you have older Gibson and Glover fighting a much younger Jet Li, which looks cool but isn’t really believable.

Father Time has messed with a handful of popular franchises, from The Terminator and Die Hard to the Rocky saga. These movies have looked for creative ways to continue telling stories, but it usually involves bringing in new and younger cast members to help carry to torch. I like that Shane Black came up with an idea to use Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh the way that we know them, and the snowstorm idea (while taking a page from Die Hard 2: Die Harder) would have allowed the filmmaker to set Lethal Weapon 5 during Christmas time… which would have been perfect. Alas, at the moment, this is not meant to be. But now I have a new script sitting at the top of my Want To Read list. Hey Shane, send that treatment over!

If one ever needs proof that the Academy Awards don’t actually define who the most talented people in Hollywood are, one need only look at the long, long list of people that they have ignored over the last century. Legendary actors like Joseph Cotton, Peter Lorre, Kim Novak, Edward G. Robinson and many more not only never won Oscar trophies during their careers, but were never even nominated for a prize. But as shocking as that list is, there are some names of snubbed actors in the modern era that will confuse the hell out of you.

With the 87th annual Academy Awards upon us, we’ve assembled a list of 15 brilliant, currently working actors who amazingly have never been up for Hollywood’s highest honor. Who are the names? Read on to find out!

Steve Buscemi

A big reason why the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award even exists is to celebrate the works of the great character actors working in the movie industry, and yet one of the greatest of all time, Steve Buscemi, has never gotten any attention from the ceremony. This is honestly a rather baffling mystery, as Buscemi’s 30 year career is packed with brilliant titles and collaborations with geniuses like the Coen brothers and Quentin Tarantino, and yet the Oscars have never felt the need to give him consideration. Seriously, how the hell did he not get nominated for Fargo?

Jeff Daniels

In the past few years, Jeff Daniels has found himself finding great awards success thanks to his time on television – winning the 2013 Outstanding Lead Actor Emmy for his performance in Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom - but every time the guy has flirted with an Academy Award it has ended in disappointing fashion. He arguably came closest in 2005 with his turn in Noah Baumbach’s The Squid and the Whale, but was ultimately shut out of the final race. That being said, it’s hard to imagine that Daniels will wind up ending his career with a permanent spot on this list – especially when you consider that he is currently working with the likes of Danny Boyle and Ridley Scott on his next two feature film projects.

Isabella Rossellini

Over the course of her 39 year career, Isabella Rossellini has earned acclaim, and hardware from many film organizations, but sadly her performances have never stirred Academy members to the degree that they felt the need to declare her work some of the best in a given year. This is an awful shame given her memorable turns in movies like David Lynch’s Blue Velvet and Peter Weir’s Fearless (which got nominations for Dennis Hopper and Rosie Perez, respectively). Rossellini is certainly one of the most notable Italian imports in modern cinema, and it would be too bad if her big screen career ended before getting her first nod.

Donald Sutherland

At the age of 79, Donald Sutherland is the oldest actor on this list, but that only really serves to amplify just how ridiculous it is that he has never found himself up for an Academy Award. The man’s career is full of brilliant performances in some truly amazing movies – from Ordinary People to MASH to Invasion of the Body Snatchers to Don’t Look Now, but evidently none of these turns really stuck out versus stiff competition in various years. If it doesn’t happen in the next few years for one reason or another, there is definitely a case to be made for him at some point getting a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Jeffrey Wright

Jeffrey Wright’s career started off a bit slow as he was getting his foot in the door in the film industry back in the 1990s, but since the turn of the millennium the guy has proven to be one of the industry’s most talented character actors. In that time, he has found himself in multiple Academy Award nominated films, including Ali, Syriana, and The Ides of March, but has not yet been able to get himself on the Academy’s radar. Of course, just because it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean it won’t, and one could easily see it happening as he keeps getting more interesting roles in interesting projects.

Alfred Molina

Thanks to movies like An Education and Frida, Alfred Molina has spent some time within the last 15 years being a part of some awards races, but to this point his work has not yet resulted in a nomination from the Academy Awards. He’s certainly been working with the right people, including directors like Paul Thomas Anderson, Ron Howard, and Kenneth Branagh, but sadly those impressive collaborations have not yet yielded any little golden men for the actor. Fortunately, the guys has rarely taken long breaks between projects, so his big ticket film could be coming at really any point.

Danny Glover

One can fairly easily predict that it will be Danny Glover’s time playing Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon movies that winds up being his most lasting legacy in the film industry, but it’s still rather surprising that his time starring in movies like Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple (which got 11 Oscar nominations) and Peter Weir’s Witness (which got eight Oscar nominations and two wins) never resulted in a single nomination for himself. Admittedly, at this point in Glover’s career it sort of seems the time has come and gone, but with the right director and the right script, anything can happen.

Pam Grier

Pam Grier came as close as she’s ever been to an Academy Award nomination when she starred in Quentin Tarantino’s brilliant 1997 crime drama Jackie Brown, but it’s a shame that she’s never actually gone all the way to the show. In addition to being an exceptional actress, she also happens to play an important role in cinematic history through her part in the Blaxploitation movement. Even if she doesn’t end up with another performance in her career that finds her in the awards race, at the very least the Academy should find some way to honor her contributions to cinema.

John Goodman

It’s perhaps an example of the Academy having a bit of a bias against actors who have spent a good portion of their careers on television, but there really is no excuse at this point for John Goodman not to have at least collected an Oscar nomination by this point in his life, if not an actual award. Like the case with Steve Buscemi, Goodman’s work with the Coen brothers alone should have at least resulted in one nod (Barton Fink!), but the guy is equally good in everything he does, and it’s shocking he has not get gotten the consideration he deserves.

Scarlett Johansson

After years as a child actor, Scarlett Johansson got her adult career off to an absolutely stellar start by making films like Lost in Translation and working with Woody Allen on multiple projects, but despite all of the clout she was able to build up, it has not yet resulted in an Oscar nod. Admittedly she has gotten a bit further away from the awards race in recent years due to the fact that she is turning into one of Hollywood’s most popular action hero leads, but the truth is that she’s still putting in award caliber work in smaller films like Her, and because she’s only 30 it’s not hard to see her eventually doing something that really gets the Academy’s attention.

Allison Janney

The fact that she has spent a good portion of her career on television is most likely what’s held Allison Janney back from the Academy Award crowd, but it still feels surprising that she has never at least picked up a nomination. With her warm screen presence as well as her high talent level, you’d think she’d at least find herself getting a Best Supporting Actress nod at some point, but to this point it has not happened yet. The good news is that she’s a very prolific actress who takes on a lot of opportunities, so it’s not hard to believe that we could see the Janney Drought end in the next few years.

Alan Rickman

Alan Rickman has a remarkable fanbase thanks to his legendary work in Die Hard and the Harry Potter series, and while we understand why those titles didn’t get him consideration from the Academy Awards (they’ve never been too big on genre stuff), the truth is that it’s still surprising he hasn’t picked up a nomination at this point in his career. The guy most certainly has the talent, but it just hasn’t translated to this point. Fortunately, all it takes is one spellbinding performance to take him out of qualification for this list, and one can sense that it’s really in the cards for him. It’s just a matter of when.

Meg Ryan

Over the course of his career, Tom Hanks has earned five Academy Award nominations, and has even taken home the Best Actor prize twice… but that really only serves to highlight the fact that his longtime romantic comedy partner, Meg Ryan, has never been up for acting’s highest honor. Thanks to their greater acceptance of comedic films, Ryan has been celebrated by the Golden Globes multiple times – earning nominations for When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail, but none of that attention ever translated to Oscar attention. It’s not too late for Meg Ryan just yet, though if she wants the chance to ever get an Academy Award she should probably start doing more movies.

John Turturro

While Joel and Ethan Coen have picked up numerous Academy Awards for themselves over the years, it’s kind of amazing that they haven’t been able to spread that success to some of their favorite character actors. Yes, like Steve Buscemi and John Goodman, John Turturro is yet another Coen regular who has somehow never managed to find Oscar’s awareness. It’s a real shock just because the guy has done some truly fantastic work in films like Miller’s Crossing, Barton Fink, Quiz Show and Rounders. Hopefully the time and opportunity have not come and gone.

Jennifer Jason Leigh

She may still be remembered by many as the curious Stacy Hamilton in Fast Times At Ridgemont High, but Jennifer Jason Leigh has honestly put together quite an impressive resume in the decades since – albeit one that has not yet been given any notice by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. A lot of her stuff has been more under the radar, but she has been consistently earning acclaim for years in movies like Margot At The Wedding and The Spectacular Now. This year she is playing the lead female role in Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight, so this may actually be her opportunity to finally get her first nomination.

If I were to ask you what the movies Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead and The Mighty Ducks have in common, you might—quite understandably—guess that they were a ubiquitous and cherished part of childhood for those who grew up in the late '80s/early '90s. That's certainly true. But did you know they were all directed by the same man?

Stephen Herek cornered the market on kooky kid movies for a while, but in the 2000s got lost amid lackluster fare like Mark Wahlberg's Rock Star and the Angelina Jolie rom-com Life or Something Like It. But news out of the European Film Market suggests Herek is returning to his forte, as he's set to direct an adaptation of Katherine Paterson's celebrated children's novel The Great Gilly Hopkins. Deadline reports Kathy Bates and Danny Glover are attached to star.

The story centers on an 11-year-old girl named Gilly, who has a chip on her shoulder and a wisecracking attitude. But as a kid whose been pawned off from one foster home to next, Gilly comes by her tough exterior honest. She is sick of foster parents, and dreams of reuniting with her biological mother. But that begins to change when Gilly grows close to her latest guardian, the eccentric but kind Maime Trotter.

Bates is slated to play Trotter, while Glover will likely portray Trotter's next-door neighbor Mr. Randolph, an African-American man with a library full of books. Together, they offer a great start to build the cast upon. Producers are currently seeking a girl to play Gilly. David Paterson, son of the author and adapter of another of her novel's Bridge to Terabithia, penned the screenplay. There's no mention on when The Great Gilly Hopkins is looking to lens. As someone who misses the whimsy and warmth of Herek's early movies, I'm hoping we'll get news on the film's progress soon.

Academy Award nominated director Stephen Frears is developing Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight at HBO Films, based on a script from Shawn Slovo. The feature is set during the ten years after Ali was drafted and refused to enlist into the US Army. The boxer, who converted to Islam two years prior, cited that the conflict was against his religious beliefs and after he refused to step forward at the armed services induction he was promptly arrested and soon found guilty. A series of appeals led him to the Supreme Court, the case Clay v. United States.

Deadline reports that the project has just cast a score of on-screen talent to help fill the courtroom. Joining the previously cast Christopher Plummer, Frank Langella and rising star Benjamin Walker are Danny Glover, Barry Levinson, Pablo Schreiber, Ed Begley Jr., Bob Balaban and Kathleen Chalfant have all joined MAGF. The bench is certainly filling, with Plummer already set as Supreme Court Associate Justice John Marshall Harlan II and Langella as Chief Justice Warren Burger, and now Levinson will play Justice Potter Stewart, Glover Justice Thurgood Marshall and Begley Jr. Justice Harry Blackmun. Off the bench, Balaban will play an Advocate for Vietnam Veterans, Schreiber will play Covert Becker (who seems opposed to Walker's liberal clerk) and Kathleen Chalfant will play Justice Harlan’s wife.

Although the IMDB page suggests that the fighter himself will feature in the film through archival footage, I can't imagine a film this focused on his struggle as a conscientious objector wouldn't require an actual actor to step into the boxer's shoes, and now that Attack the Block standout John Boyega is free, (he was scheduled to play a Mike-Tyson-like fighter for Spike Lee in HBO's Da Brick but that pilot was not picked up) I think he'd be the ideal candidate. However, when I first heard of the project, it was just after seeing Chronicle and Michael B. Jordan certainly has the mouth and the moves to play the charismatic fighter. HBO and Frears have put a lot of great pieces in play but ultimately the film will hinge on who they find to play the world famous pugilist.

You read that right. Danny Glover is actually going to be in a movie that people might actually see that isn’t a Saw film. The long time actor keeps himself very busy these days, with about nine films in various stages of production, but if you can name anything he’s been in since his appearance as the president in 2012 I’ll be very surprised.

Variety has it that Glover has signed on for a lead role in Mentryville, where he will play a famous scientist who gets hired to create a vaccine for an airborne virus. The pharmaceutical company that hires him is described as “off the grid” so expect that there will be some sort of shady business going on.

Also signed on for the sci-fi thriller is TV actor journeyman Taylor Handley, whose streak of appearing on just occasional episodes of random TV shows was broken earlier this year by his role in Battle: Los Angeles. Handley is the last actor to be added to the cast of Mentryville, which is set to start production before the end of the month. Handley’s character and his friends cause problems when they go try to help his ailing grandmother stave off eviction and clean up her house. There are no details about what kind of complications they cause, but since the grandmother is a hoarder we can safely assume that the airborne virus that Glover is working to cure is in the house and will be disturbed when Handley and his buddies start moving stuff around.

The only other recognizable actor in Mentryville is C.S. Lee, who you all should know as Vince Masuka from Showtime’s Dexter.

Even with the rapid deterioration of this last television project, Tim "Heroes" Kring's new Fox drama, Touch, seems to be gaining some momentum by adding another star to a cast that already includes Kiefer Sutherland and David Mazouz. The one-hour drama pilot just added Danny Glover to the mix. Apparently he's not too old for this TV shit.

TVLine announced the addition of the Lethal Weapon star, noting that "Glover will play Arthur DeWitt, a professor and an expert on children who possess special gifts when it comes to numbers." Why would you need a character who's an expert on children with "special" gifts? Well, Touch is about a father (Sutherland) who finds out that his autistic and mute son can predict the future. What will they do with these special powers? I don't know, probably fight crime or something (let's hope it can keep its audience longer than Kring's Heroes).

Either way, I've always been a big fan of both Sutherland and Glover, so this show has some definite promise (and the first season of Heroes was pretty great). If picked up, expect to see Touch as a mid-season addition on Fox.

Notable for having been the first screenwriter in history to sell a script for seven figures, Shane Black is known for having a lot of similar themes in his scripts, from kidnapping plots to titles that start with the letter “L.” My favorite of them all, though, is his tendency to set his films during the holiday season. Out of the seven screenplays that Black has written, four of them are set during the season in which kids go to sleep anxiously awaiting the arrival of Santa Claus: Lethal Weapon, The Last Boy Scout, The Long Kiss Goodnight and, my personal favorite, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Filled with explosions, guns, violence, cursing and all varieties of mayhem, the plots of Black’s films may not seem like essential holiday viewing, but behind each one is a message so worthy of Christmas that it would make Tiny Tim shit out some tinsel, a candy cane and one of those stars you put on top of the tree.

At the start of Lethal Weapon, Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) don’t exact get along too well. In fact, there’s a pretty significant scene towards the opening of the film where Murtaugh holds a gun under Riggs’ throat just to make sure that if Riggs fires it will be sure to kill him. When faced with a common struggle and given a joint goal, the two police officers teach each other tolerance and the value of life, but most importantly, they learn the value of partnership.

Unlike Roger Murtaugh, who is a respected member of his own household, Joe Hallenbeck (Bruce Willis) of The Last Boy Scout is a train-wreck. His wife is cheating on him with his best friend and his daughter, Darian (Danielle Harris), is a smart-mouth brat who doesn’t cherish her father’s as much as she treat him like dog shit. But when a serious case gets thrown his way and he manages to uncover a massive conspiracy, Joe proves to his daughter that not only can he be respected as a person, but as a father as well. It’s family values, Shane Black style.

Then there’s Charlene Elizabeth Baltimore (Geena Davis) of The Long Kiss Goodnight. But who exactly is she? According to her loving family in the small town of Honesdale, Pennsylvania, she’s Samantha Caine, mother and schoolteacher. To the world of international spies, assassins and terrorists, she’s better known as Charly. Just as The Ghost of Christmas Past took Ebenezer Scrooge back to his forgotten childhood, so must Charly become the woman she once was to look back, understand who she really is, and make peace with it in order to live a happy life and have a merry Christmas.

Finally we arrive at Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey Jr.) in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. As funny and witty as he may be, Harry is probably the biggest lowlife in this entire article. He’s a loser without potential who steals stuff to get by. But this is a Christmas story, and Christmas stories are about redemption and making up for past mistakes. Kicking off with a case of mistaken identity, he discovers his hidden talents, reconnects with a former flame and finds himself on the right side of the law for the first time in years. It’s a Christmas miracle.

But do you know what’s even better than the value of friendship, family values, making peace with yourself and finding redemption for past sins on Christmas? A psychotic brawl in your best friend’s front yard, a gunfight at a football stadium, an exploding tanker truck on the US/Canada border and shooting at the bad guys with a small revolver you keep by your balls. Since getting his first script produced in 1987 at the age of only 26, Shane Black has written four of the most badass-while-moral-filled Christmas movies of all time. There’s only so many times that you can hear George Bailey say Merry Christmas or watch Ralphie Parker ask for a Red Ryder BB Gun. This year, spike the proceedings with a four pack of awesome and make Shane Black movies your holiday cinema of choice.

A children's movie done right can be a great thing. Creating a film that both kids and adults can enjoy equally is nothing short of a magical process, with each demographic getting something different out of the experience. From the look of the first international trailer for Lionsgate's Alpha and Omega, this film won't be one of them.

Lionsgate Films UK posted the trailer on its YouTube account and the video is nothing more than a Lady and the Tramp ripoff with wolves instead of dogs (real stretch there, guys). The short clip is nothing more than a minute of cheap slapstick humor and jokes about heavy wolves lying on top of smaller wolves. By the end you get the sense that someone just plum forgot to stick in a fart sound effect. Also, Steppenwolf's Born To Be Wild should be forever banned from appearing in another movie promotion.

Check out the trailer below.

That there is a WWE production company out there making crappy action movies is bad enough, but now it seems like they're going to be stepping out of the ring and into the realm of touchy feely tear jerkers with Brother's Keeper. The PG-rated “family drama” started filming yesterday in New Orleans and they marked the day by waiting till the last minute to announce their main talent.

Atop the list of “stars” attached to the film is Roger Murtaugh himself Danny Glover, who apparently wants to be forgotten so badly that he's signed on to do a WWE movie. Madeleine Martin from Showtime's Californication, Devon Graye from, well, pretty much nothing, and Patricia Clarkson will be rounding out the cast according to THR.

But what would a WWE movie be without some 'roided out meat head stepping into the lead? For that, they called upon everyone's favorite rhyming wrestler, John Cena, to thoroughly sink any chance this movie had to be taken seriously. Cena has appeared in two films before that you no doubt immediately erased from your memory via Forget-Me-Nows, but that's not stopping him from sticking his big block head back on the silver screen.

The story follows a boys quest to reunite his mother and older brother 10 years after they lose their father. Guess how he plans to do it. Yup, he joins the wrestling team. For your consideration in all categories including Best Picture! Look for this one next summer.