This week, we say goodbye to March and hello to April. That means it’s time for the monthly content rotation that sees many of your favorite films and TV series jump from one platform to the next. April has some great TV series and movies streaming this month. Here’s a look at what’s hitting this week that you won’t want to miss.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple - March 31 (Netflix)

Based on the box office, you probably didn’t go to the theater to see 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, but based on the critical response, you probably should have. Nia DaCosta reminds us why she’s so good with horror with her entry in the ever-growing franchise. The movie arrives this week with your Netflix subscription.

Alien Franchise April 1 HBO Max

There’s nothing worse than getting into a franchise on a streaming platform before discovering that not all movies in a series or episodes in a show are available in one place. Luckily, if you have an HBO Max subscription in April, you’ll be able to experience the entire Alien franchise, from Ridley Scott’s original through the recent Alien: Romulus, and even both Alien vs. Predator movies. Any movie that has a commercially available extended cut, which is most of them, will have that available as well.

Your Friends & Neighbors, Season 2 -April 3 (Apple TV)

While an Apple TV subscription doesn’t give one access to nearly the same volume of original material as other streaming platforms, the level of quality is hard to deny. The first season of Your Friends & Neighbors was something of a surprise hit, leading to a Season 2 renewal. The show sees Jon Hamm as an unemployed hedge fund manager who maintains his lifestyle through theft. Season 1 saw him reject a chance to return to his old life; what his new one has in store, we'll have to wait and see.

Pizza Movie - April 3 (Hulu)

Every generation needs a great stoner comedy, and Pizza Movie, available this week with a Hulu subscription, might just be it for this one. The film stars Stranger Things’ Gaten Matarazzo and Sean Giambrone as college roommates who get high on an unusual and potent new drug, and then discover the only thing that will mellow the effect is pizza, which they’re now far too high to safely obtain.

Merrily We Roll Along - April 4 (Netflix)

Some of the greatest acting performances are found on the Broadway stage, but most of us don’t have an opportunity to see them. Luckily, the Tony Award-winning revival of Merrily We Roll Along was given the professional filming treatment similar to Hamilton and Disney’s Frozen musical. You can check out Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, and the rest of the incredible cast on Netflix this week.

From animated series based on Stranger Things and Star Wars’ Darth Maul to new seasons of The Boys to the return of Malcolm in the Middle, there is great stuff hitting streaming in April. Check back here every week to see what shows and movies are on the way so you don’t miss anything good.

Can we take a second to talk about Nia DaCosta? The 36-year-old writer and director has been making waves ever since she blasted onto the scene with 2018’s Little Woods, and she hasn’t looked back since, including directing 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple on the 2026 movie schedule.

And, the thing is, no genre really defines her. While one of her contemporaries, Jordan Peele, has carved out quite a niche for himself in the realm of horror, DaCosta has shown in her brief but wondrous career that she can do horror, sure, but also dramas, and even a superhero flick, all of which I will get into later.

So, let’s talk a bit about Nia DaCosta, shall we?

She Has Made 5 Feature Length Films, And They’re All Amazing

For me, my first Nia DaCosta film was Candyman, which we called “so tense, it’s numbing” in our review. And, I agree! As somebody who loves the Candyman series (especially the first one), DaCosta’s approach to the franchise somehow revitalized the franchise, while also being a spiritual sequel to the original. It was intelligent, confident filmmaking, and I had no idea that DaCosta’s debut picture was actually a film called Little Woods.

Would you believe I was even MORE impressed with this movie? Here, we had a crime drama about people truly struggling. Tessa Thompson and Lily James star as two sisters just trying to survive in rural America. Thompson plays a woman in trouble with the law, but she’s doing everything in her power to help her pregnant sister. However, Thompson’s character, who has a history of distributing pills, gets involved with the wrong person, and things go awry.

What impresses me the most about this film, though, is just how audacious and honest it is. Lily James’ character, Deb, eventually decides she wants an abortion, and I was impressed by DaCosta’s approach to the subject matter, both as a writer and as a filmmaker.

We once did an article about 32 directors who made a really good movie on their first try, and I would like to add Nia DaCosta to that list, as this is definitely one of the greats. But she made four other excellent films after this, and I want to talk about all of them.

I Know People Loved Candyman, But I Just Want To Gush About It Some More

I brought it up earlier, but I want to talk about Nia DaCosta’s Candyman again, because this is the film that introduced me to the talented director. Now, what impressed me the most about this film is that it’s definitely Candyman, but it also carves its own path, very much unlike the other two sequels, Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh, and Candyman 3: Day of the Dead.

Initially, I went into this movie thinking that Jordan Peele had a major influence on it, since his name was attached as producer. But, as soon as I started watching it, I noticed that it had a much slower, more methodical approach to storytelling than Peele’s work. His trademark humor was also noticeably absent.

Instead, we got a creepy tale of gentrification, generational trauma, and police brutality. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II played a visual artist who became deeply devoted to the legend of Candyman. So much so that he intentionally had people call upon his name to bring him back to life. It’s a film that’s more creepy than scary.

That’s what makes it so special. It’s a modern horror classic that takes its time and wants you to think about how a landscape can change, but the bones of the past will never be silent. Not as long as somebody still remembers. It’s a daring sequel to a genre-bending series. Not only that, but the film was a massive success. DaCosta was the first Black female director to have a movie debut at number 1. But, it wouldn’t be her last.

The Marvels, Despite Its Reputation, Is Still The Highest Grossing Movie From A Black Woman

DaCosta’s next movie, The Marvels, also debuted at number one, and I really enjoyed it. That said, it still annoys me that it wasn’t a bigger hit at the box office, because I actually thought it was superior to the first Captain Marvel, and that film crossed a billion. However, it seems like the biggest story is not that it is one of the highest-grossing movies from a black female director, but rather that it was a box office flop for a Marvel movie.

Again, this troubles me, since if it had come out prior to Avengers: Endgame, just like the first Captain Marvel, then it certainly would have crossed the billion-dollar mark, just like the original. Unlike that film, I think it actually would have deserved it (Sorry, not sorry). Like Candyman, The Marvels takes established characters like Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and Monica Rambeau and puts them on an adventure together.

The Marvels astounds me since it’s the complete opposite of Little Woods and Candyman, in that it’s big, loud, and propulsive. In one regard, it feels like other MCU movies, and in another, it doesn’t. The constantly fluctuating dynamic between the three leads makes the film light and fun.

It’s unlike any other film in DaCosta’s filmography, and is just further proof that she can do pretty much anything, which is made all the more evident with her latest two films.

Hedda And 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Back To Back, Shows Her Exceptional Range

One of my all-time favorite playwrights is Henrik Ibsen. A Doll’s House, The Wild Duck, The Master Builder, if Ibsen wrote it, I'd likely read it. And, one such play that I’m intimately familiar with is Hedda Gabler. Usually, I’m a purist when it comes to Ibsen, but DaCosta is just so talented that I can openly get on board with a queer version of the famous play.

Tessa Thompson returns again to work with DaCosta, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more interesting, conniving version of the character. Her Hedda will do whatever it takes to live the life that she wants, and it’s an interesting take on the character, and further proof that DaCosta can do anything.

And then, she directed 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. Though it was written by Alex Garland, the same writer of the other films, 28 Years Later has a totally different vibe than the previous film directed by Danny Boyle. The Bone Temple is completely unpredictable, all the way up to its ending, and it both adds to the previous film, but also takes it in strange new directions, making it one of the most unique horror movies in a long time (and distinctly different from Candyman).

I’m telling you, DaCosta has never made a bad movie, which leads me to my final point.

Plus, She’s Still So Young! I Can’t Wait To Watch The Rest Of Her Career Unfold

I don’t know what DaCosta’s next movie will be, but I’m also glad I don’t know. That’s because DaCosta is constantly surprising, making her one of my favorite modern directors.

She likely won’t do anything else superhero-related, at least not for Marvel, since she apparently didn’t like the direction that The Marvels took. And, since The Bone Temple didn’t do too well, she might want to give horror a break for a little while.

But honestly, I’m just guessing, because as I’ve said throughout this whole article, DaCosta can seemingly do whatever she wants, and it will still turn out engaging and wonderful.

The horror genre's current renaissance is showing no signs of slowing down, to the joy of fans like me. Some of the best horror movies have returned to theaters with new sequels, such as the two recent 28 Years Later films. The latest of which was Nia DaCosta's The Bone Temple, which hasn't been performing at the box office. And this isn't the first time that moviegoers have failed the filmmaker, despite the quality of the projects themselves.

CinemaBlend's 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple review was glowing, and indeed that was the sentiment from most critics. And while audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is also positive, unfortunately it hasn't been making money in theaters. This follows The Marvels bombing at the box office, and I have to wonder: why do folks keep sleeping on DaCosta's movies?

The Bone Temple And The Marvels Both Deserved Better At The Box Office

It's not like Nia DaCosta's movies always fail to make money. For instance, her Candyman crushed at the box office. But for some reason, both 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple and The Marvels bombed. Although I think these were for very different reasons.

Personally I think The Bone Temple's box office performance came be blamed on a few different factors. To start, January is almost always a slow point in the film industry, so it's hard for any project to make real money. That, combined with how little promotional the movie had, put it in a bad position. Seriously, I don't recall seeing a single commercial on TV for the horror sequel. So even though the first 28 Years Later (which is streaming with a Netflix subscription) did well in theaters, DaCosta's sequel wasn't necessarily set up or success.

Then there's The Marvels. From the start, the Captain Marvel franchise was the subject of hate online, seemingly due to her being a female superhero. But the first movie did relatively well, and Nia DaCosta's sequel ended up becoming a bonafide crossover that connected to both WandaVision and Ms. Marvel. Unfortunately the sequel was the subject of more hate, and failed to make money at the box office. And that's a real bummer, as I thought it was a delightfully unique blockbuster, with a short runtime and awesome action sequences. Plus, I'm a sucker for any movie with a musical number.

Personally, I loved both The Marvels and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, which is why I'm so bummed that moviegoing audiences have failed both titles. Nia DaCosta has proven herself as a visionary filmmaker across multiple genres, and I'd hate to see if these movies' poor performance negatively influences what type of projects she's offered in the future.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is in theaters now as part of the 2026 movie release list, and The Marvels is streaming over on Disney+. As for Nia DaCosta, she recently celebrated the release of her acclaimed drama Hedda, and is attached to two upcoming TV projects.

Spoilers ahead for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.

The horror genre's current renaissance is showing no signs of slowing down, with some of the best horror movies returning with new sequels. That includes 28 Days Later, which has treated fans to two new sequels in quick succession. The Bone Temple is in theaters now, and director Nia DaCosta spoke to CinemaBlend about one sequence that she was originally nervous about, and thinking about how "crazy" it would be.

The Bone Temple picks up immediately after 28 Years Later's ending, and we follow Spike as he attempts to survive living with the Jimmys. Ralph Fiennes also returns as Kelson, whom the cult of murders think is Satan himself. The third act features the Harry Potter star putting on a wild fire show and dance number to convince them he's actually the Dark Lord, to hilarious and epic results. I spoke with DaCosta ahead of the movie's wide release, and she shared her initial trepidation to that sequence, telling me:

The Candyman director clarified that she was joking about Alex Garland's reaction, although her nerves about bringing Ralph Fiennes' pyrotechnic performance of Iron Maiden's "The Number of the Beast" were very real. Luckily, she had some great support behind her in order to nail this memorable scene from 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.

The Bone Temple's ending kicks off with this fiery musical number, and an outstanding performance by Ralph Fiennes. While Nia DaCosta was originally nervous about bringing that sequence together, she spoke to me about how her collaborators helped to pull it off. In her words:

She's not wrong. The entire sequence really came together in the theatrical cut of The Bone Temple, resulting in epic moments as well as some comedic beats. The Jimmys were raised in an apocalyptic world void of technology and rock music, so their reaction to Kelson made sense... even if it was funny to audiences to knew the truth about Fiennes' character not actually being Satan.

Later in our same conversation, DaCosta shared a few more reasons why this daunting scene in the horror sequel ultimately paid off. As she told me:

Filmmaking is a collaborative art form, and this is just one example of the way various departments come together in order to make a movie exist. On the page Kelson's pyrotechnic number was daunting, but Nia DaCosta worked and trusted her crew and designers, and it worked out in a big way.

The Bone Temple brought Cillian Murphy back to the franchise, and set up a third installment which would round out a new trilogy. It's unclear when that upcoming horror movie will will actually start production, but hopefully we get more information about that soon.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is in theaters now as part of the 2026 movie release list. We'll have to wait and see if/when the threequel gets officially greenlit.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been ramping up to the introduction of the X-Men for years now. It began in 2022 when Kamala Khan was revealed to be a mutant in the Ms. Marvel finale; continued with the appearances of Professor X and Beast in Doctor Strange And The Multiverse Of Madness and The Marvels; advanced with the parallel universe story that is Deadpool & Wolverine, and most recently, we got a look at a few beloved characters in a teaser for Avengers: Doomsday. At this point, fans are very much salivating to learn where it is all going – and that includes not just the people watching the films, but also those who are making them.

Nia DaCosta, who is best known to MCU fans for directing 2023's The Marvels, has spent recent weeks on the press tour for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (which is presently battling with Avatar: Fire And Ash for the number one spot at the box office), and she was asked about her relationship with Marvel Studios during an interview with Inverse. Although her contribution to the franchise has a bit of a sour legacy thanks to its underwhelming performance in theaters, she is still very much on good terms with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, and she even got to pepper the executive/filmmaker with questions about the future of mutants in the canon during a visit to the set of Avengers: Doomsday. Said DaCosta,

As alluded to above, the filmmaker personally got the chance to tell stories with mutant characters in the MCU in The Marvels, but what the future has in store for the core X-Men team in the franchise has been a question looming ever since Disney and Fox completed their merger in 2019. From what we can tell, the question will at least be directly addressed if not answered in Avengers: Doomsday, which is confirmed to feature a number of mutant characters in the cast, including Kelsey Grammer as Hank McCoy / Beast, Patrick Stewart as Professor X, Ian McKellen as Magneto, Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler, Rebecca Romijn as Mystique, James Marsden as Cyclops, and Channing Tatum as Gambit.

Will those versions of the characters become established as the core X-Men characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Or are there plans ahead within the plotting of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars that will see the canon totally change? It doesn't sound like Nia DaCosta got the answers she was craving during her one-on-one time with Kevin Feige, and we don't expect them to be public any time particularly soon.

New teasers for Avengers: Doomsday keep rolling out – including the most recent, which features heroes from Wakanda meeting the Fantastic Four – and they are helping satiate our hunger for now, as we still have exactly 11 months to wait before the MCU blockbuster arrives in theaters on December 18.

Major spoilers below for those who haven’t yet watched 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, so tread carefully!

Though we’re only in January, I want to go on record and etch into stone my belief that Nia DaCosta’s 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple will emerge victorious as one of my top 2026 movie releases. (Read our review here.) From start to finish, it bucks expectations and delivers a completely unpredictable ending that sets up a hopeful future, but the element that really sets it apart from potential competition is a late-stage musical sequence that temporarily made my theater screening a hub of pure euphoria.

Throughout the story, Jack O’Connell’s Sir Lord Jimmy claims he’s following the dark guidance of “Old Nick,” a nickname for the devil, though the cult leader is just mentally disturbed as opposed to being a true demonic minion. Still, he wants to sell that notion to his followers, so he enlists Ralph Fiennes’ similarly offbeat Dr. Kelson to help out by taking on the role of Satan personified. Because Kelson doesn’t know the meaning of half-assing a task, he puts on a performance of Iron Maiden’s “Number of the Beast” that is not only arena-worthy, but also transcends the usual movie-going experience.

Kelson's Performance Is Gorgeous, Crafty, And Possibly The Most Magical Sequence In This Franchise

I might as well get it out of the way right now: I'm not the biggest Iron Maiden fan; which is to say, I'm not sure I've ever listened to them recreationally (though always admiring Eddie and the stellar album art). But even if Nia DaCosta and Alex Garland had written my absolute favorite song into 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple instead of “The Number of the Beast,” I don’t think I would have enjoyed it more than this final product.

As soon as the album art was shown on-screen, it became clear that Kelson is one of the coolest and most selfless horror movie characters to ever exist. The fact that he put all of this together in two days under threatening circumstances is baffling, but at no point did I take the time to wonder how speakers were set up or how he got all of his fire effects to work so perfectly. Rarely have I been so eager to just blissfully fall into a scene.

If I’d have been alone in the theater, it would have been an A+ time. But my screening was packed to the gills, and from what I could tell, everyone around me was having a blast. I could easily hear the cheers and awestruck laughter booming out from the crowd as goth Lucifer incarnate Ralph Fiennes commandingly stalked, climbed, thrusted and slithered his way around the giant skull pile as the Jimmy cult members stood around absolutely transfixed.

When the track was finished, the entire room burst into applause and gleeful noises, and had The Bone Temple just ended right there, I think most of us would have walked out happy. Confused, certainly, but still happy. Thankfully, the rest of the movie was equally pleasing, especially Cillian Murphy’s long-awaited return as Jim, and everyone applauded once more once the credits started to roll, albeit with slightly less enthusiasm than post-Maiden.

The challenge is now out for any other upcoming horror movies (or any outside the genre) to deliver a sequence as surprising, energetic, crowd-pleasing and magnificent as Ralph Fiennes' Iron Maiden performance. Anyone looking for a similar enjoyably jarring musical moment should read on.

The Bone Temple's Musical Sequence Reminds Me Of Alan Wake 2's Best Chapter

The Alan Wake games are far more aligned with quirky Twin Peaks-esque survival horror than the ravaged post-apocalypse of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, so the similarities aren't plentiful. However, 2023's Alan Wake 2 became one of the most-discussed horror games in recent years for its late-game stage dubbed "Initiation 4: We Sing."

Without going into spoilers, that stage has players guiding the titular main character through a TV studio all while a booming and boisterous Finnish metal song is performed by the in-game band The Old Gods of Asgard (real-world name: Poets of the Fall), with lyrics sung by different characters. The song progresses as the player does, but it's such a dynamic track that not even the repeated riffs get tiresome.

It was one of my favorite gaming moments of 2023 or any other year, and I'm far from alone in that respect. I didn't think any other horror franchise could come close to meeting that same level of spontaneous WTF exuberance, but 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple delivered it in spades. Something tells me they should get Nia DaCosta to direct that episode of the upcoming video game adaptation for the Alan Wake series comes to fruition.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is now playing in theaters around the country. Hail Kelson!

Spoilers ahead for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.

The horror genre continues to thrive, and some of the best horror movies got new sequels in recent years. Chief among them is 28 Days Later, which has gotten two new movies recently. First up was 28 Years Later, and then the upcoming horror movie The Bone Temple, which hits theaters this weekend. The latter was directed by the great Nia DaCosta, who spoke to CinemaBlend about finally bringing OG actor Cillian Murphy back to the property in the new installment. And there's one detail about his cameo that's totally blowing my mind.

Prior to its release, what we knew about 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple was pretty limited. But news of Cillian Murphy finally returning as Jim broke the internet, and longtime horror fans were curious how it would go down. In the end it was a brief cameo, and when interview DaCosta I had to ask about bringing that final sequence to life. She told me:

Same, though. 28 Days Later started it all, and Murphy's iconic performance was part of the reason why it was such a successful horror flick. Fans have waited over two decades to see him return to the series, and the ending of The Bone Temple set up him becoming a major player in the next installment. Hopefully we don't have to wait too long before seeing another 28 Years Later on the big screen.

Nia DaCosta was excited to deliver that long-awaited payoff, and usher Murphy back to the horror franchise. But there's one detail about his cameo in The Bone Temple that's particularly mind-blowing. As she explained:

I mean, how cool is that? Seeing Cillian Murphy back as Jim is one thing, but the fact that his cameo was shot in the very same location and house as the original movie's ending is absolutely wild. Talk about a full-circle moment.

CinemaBlend's Bone Temple review praised its horror and surprising comedic beats, as well as the performances given by Ralph Fiennes and Jack O'Connell. Murphy's cameo set up yet anther installment, and hopefully we get news about when the current trilogy will wrap up.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is in theaters now as part of the 2026 movie release list. When watching Cillian Murphy's cameo, pay attention to the house that he's seen it; it has history in the zombie franchise.

Ralph Fiennes may not have been the primary focus of last year’s 28 Years Later, but the introduction of his character Dr. Ian Kelson left an impression on moviegoers, including myself, who did a pretty terrible job of hiding my sobs through his big scene. Now the sequel 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is set to premiere with more Kelson, more of the Jimmy cult and tons of violence, and critics are giving their takes.

The sequel hits the 2026 movie release schedule on January 16, picking up where its predecessor left off, with Spike (Alfie Williams) being taken in by Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell). In CinemaBlend’s review of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Nick Venable says he was entranced by the way Nia DaCosta takes an already-unpredictable franchise even further into unexpected territory. He ranks the film 4.5 stars out of 5, writing:

Robert Daniels of RogerEbert gives the upcoming horror flick 3.5 out of 4 stars, noting its bleakness, bloodiness and brutality. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is “a gnarly, mind-bending trek through inhumanity,” Daniels says, writing:

Jesse Hassenger of AV Club grades The Bone Temple a B+, saying it doesn’t quite live up to 28 Years Later but is still more than worthwhile. In Hassenger’s words:

Jas Keimig of the Seattle Times rates the movie 3.5 out of 4 stars, writing that the director takes the focus off of the zombies, turning the spotlight on the people living in virus-ravaged England and how they often pose an even greater risk to each other. Keimig continues:

Clint Gage of IGN gives 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple a “Great” 8 out of 10, calling it “easily” the most gruesome installment of the franchise, which is saying quite a lot. The sequel is “surprisingly funny, exceptionally brutal,” Gage says, writing:

The critics all seem to agree that 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is a worthy — though unequivocally violent — sequel, thanks in large part to Ralph Fiennes’ performance as Dr. Ian Kelson. The movie has been Certified Fresh with 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, so if you have interest in this next chapter of the franchise, be sure to grab a ticket, because the film is in theaters as of Friday, January 16.

If you want a refresher of what came before the current movie, 28 Years Later can be streamed with a Netflix subscription.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is likely to have a good year in with both Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday on the 2026 movie schedule. Both upcoming Marvel movies are likely to be big winners at the box office, which will be a welcome change from what has largely been a series of underperforming titles, Deadpool & Wolverine notwithstanding.

One movie that is, at least financially speaking, Marvel’s biggest flop was The Marvels. The movie struggled at the box office and failed to win over critics, very much unlike its predecessor, Captain Marvel. However, while the movie may not be deeply loved, its director, Nia DaCosta, has absolutely no regrets about the movie. She tells Deadline that everybody involved worked hard on the film, and she’s still glad to have had the experience, saying:

While The Marvels had its champions, it was certainly a film that didn’t blow away audiences, leading to it having one of the lowest box office grosses of any film in the franchise. We haven’t seen Captain Marvel or any of the characters from that film since, and despite The Marvels post-credits scene having a direct tie to Doomsday via the X-Men, there’s no confirmation that any of those actors are in the new film.

Considering the movie’s rocky reception, I’m not sure anybody would blame Nia DaCosta for not having the best outlook on Marvel, or if Marvel had decided to move on from the director. However, she says she visited the set of Avengers: Doomsday at one point, and she clearly has strong relationships with many people still part of the “Marvel Machine.” She said:

Having strong relationships with a number of major stars as well as people in the industry is never a bad thing when you're a director. While DaCosta and Marvel might be on good terms, it’s unlikely that she’ll be back directing an MCU movie anytime soon. But who knows?

She helmed not only The Marvels, but also directed sequences for Worlds of Marvel on Disney Cruise Line, so she may show up somewhere else we won’t expect. Such as post-apocalyptic England for her latest effort, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (read our review), which hits theaters on January 16, 2026.

A plethora of directors have worked with Marvel Studios at this point, with each seeking to add their specific mark to the company’s massive cinematic universe. Nia DaCosta sought to do just that with 2023’s The Marvels, the sequel to the 2019 film Captain Marvel. Unfortunately, the creative process didn’t go all that smoothly, as DaCosta previously revealed. However, DaCosta holds no ill will towards the studio and, on top of that, head honcho Kevin Feige even did her a sweet favor.

For context, the Candyman filmmaker was hired to direct The Marvels in 2020, around which point she expressed excitement about helming a Marvel Cinematic Universe film. The movie – which was released amid the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and Writers strikes – ultimately underwhelmed at the box office and was met with somewhat lukewarm reviews. Earlier in 2025, DaCosta spoke about not having full creative control of the movie and also explained that a key issue amid production was the lack of a solid script from the jump.

Despite making those comments, Nia DaCosta recently told The Guardian that there’s no kind of “ire” between her and the Disney-owned superhero brand. DaCosta actually revealed to the outlet that she recently took a little trip overseas, which serves as evidence that she’s still tight with at least some of the folks she worked with:

It’s unclear exactly when this interview was conducted, but the highly anticipated Avengers: Doomsday was indeed filming in the UK for a large part of the past year. Hearing that the Little Woods director is still close enough with her former collaborators that she would visit the set of Joe and Anthony Russo’s upcoming superhero film. What’s also sweet, though, is that Kevin Feige managed to help make that trip happen in one key way:

Considering that Nia DaCosta appears to still be on relatively solid terms with Marvel Studios, I’d honestly love for her to receive an opportunity to helm a film in her way. She’s a gifted director, who can certainly tell an entertaining story if given the space to do so. However, I can also understand why she may not want to jump back into that comic book-birthed sandbox. DaCosta has also been quite busy as of late, as she helmed the recently released drama film Hedda and the upcoming 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.

Whether DaCosta rejoins the fray or not, it makes me smile to know there are no harsh feelings between her and Marvel. That aside, I’m also feeling a bit of envy knowing that she was able to make her way to the Avengers set courtesy of Kevin Feige. Oh, to have been a fly on the wall for the conversations that likely took place amongst those collaborators.

Many secrets will surely be revealed when Avengers: Doomsday opens in theaters on December 18 amid the 2026 movie schedule. In the meantime, stream Nia DaCosta’s The Marvels using a Disney+ subscription.

Ever since I noticed Hedda was among upcoming LGBTQ+ movies coming out this year, I’ve been intrigued about what was in store, and now that it’s new on streaming, I can’t recommend it enough. Whether you just checked it out, or want to learn more about the movie before clicking play, I want to delve into the clever way it puts a queer spin on a classic play from the 1800s.

What Hedda Is Based On

Hedda, is an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s play Hedda Gabler, which is over one-hundred and thirty years old. It’s coveted as a masterpiece in the world of literary realism and among works published during that time. It follows the daughter of a general, Hedda Gabler, who is newly trapped in a marriage she’s unhappy with to an academic named George Tesman. So when George’s academic rival, and a past lover to Hedda, Eilert Løvborg, comes back into their lives, Hedda decides to create havoc in his life. (No, I won’t spoil the ending in case you want to be surprised by the movie).

How It Puts A Queer Spin On The Classic Play

A lot of book adaptations take creative liberties with its source material, but I found this one to be particularly interesting, because it recontextualizes the play to tell a more layered story about Hedda. In the movie, which is helmed by The Marvels’ Nia DaCosta, it takes place in the 1950s instead, and in the contained location of a party that the Tesman’s are putting on themselves (rather than the new couple going to a party). Eilert is reworked as a secret female lover Hedda once had named Eileen (Nina Goss), who is currently dating a woman by the name of Thea (Imogen Poots).

A simple change to the gender of two of the main characters in the original play really deepens the overall characterization of Hedda. She’s not simply a woman trapped in a marriage, she’s a queer character (played by a queer actor in Thompson, if I may add), who gave up on her relationship with a woman in order to conform to what’s acceptable at the time: being the wife to a man.

In both versions of Hedda, she decides to sabotage her old lover, but in the context of the movie, there’s an added depth of Hedda pulling down Eileen with her because she seems to be jealous of her ability to have conviction as a queer woman, rather than settling in obedience of the patriarchal world they live in like she did.

The movie is a really magnetic retelling of Hedda that speaks to the story’s ability to remain influential over a century after it was initially published. And because Hedda in this instance is a mixed race woman as well, there’s also an element of her character who appears to be seeking power through her marriage as a means of survival and as a way to gain wealth, whereas Eileen, who is a white woman and academic, has more opportunities to embrace her queerness. Hedda must know won’t work the same for her, and uses her quiet rage with real violence against those around her.

All in all, Hedda is a really beautifully tragic commentary on intersectional femininity, and ways in which a male-dominated society can create a rift between women and minorities when society forces them into subjugation. There’s a lot of conversations to be had about, and I highly recommend you check it out yourself.

October comes to an end, and November gets underway. While there’s a surprising lack of new content arriving on Hallowen itself, there’s plenty of great horror material already streaming on your favorite platforms, and then November 1 will bring the usual upheaval of content libraries. Here’s a look at what’s worth giving a look at this week.

Hedda - October 29 (Prime Video)

One of the most talked-about movies coming out of the Toronto International Film Festival was Nia DaCosta’s Hedda. The film, based on a classic play, gets a new twist from DaCosta and star Tessa Thompson. The film is already among the conversation for major awards consideration, and following a brief theatrical release, the movie will be available with a Prime Video subscription this week.

Star Wars: Visions, Volume 3 - October 29 (Disney+)

There are a lot of opinions about how the Star Wars franchise has fared under Disney but one of the unique and special creations we have seen in that time has been Star Wars: Visions. The series hands over the elements of the franchise to creators in Japanese anime to create original short films that put a visual and cultural twist on the story. The third batch of Visions shorts arrives this week as part of your Disney+ subscription.

Down Cemetery Road - October 29 (Apple TV+)

A major new streaming series release comes from your Apple TV+ subscription this week. Down Cemetery Road stars Emma Thompson as a private investigator hired after a small town suffers an explosion and the disappearance of a young girl on the same night. It looks dramatic, but also with a dose of humor that could make it quite a fun watch.

Disney Twisted Wonderland: The Animation - October 29 (Disney+)

In the second case of Disney being given an anime twist this week comes Disney Twisted Wonderland. In one of the stranger roads to Disney+, the series is based on a popular mobile game, and takes a little inspiration from Harry Potter is a story that sees the main character drawn into the world of Night Raven College, a boarding school with dormitories based on Disney Villains.

The Witcher, Season 4 - October 30 (Netflix)

The Witcher remained one of the most popular shows to watch with a Netflix subscription for three seasons, but the long-awaited new season will change things up in a big way with Liam Hemsworth taking over the lead role of Geralt of Rivia from Henry Cavill. Fans are not likely to go easy on the new actor, but if the show is good enough, it’s difficult to imagine people will be disappointed for long.

Jurassic World: Rebirth - October 30 (Peacock)

A lot of fans were surprised when we got the fourth film in the Jurassic World franchise so quickly, but based on its box office it may be shouldn't have been that surprising. If you missed the film in theaters you’ll need a Peacock subscription to see it this week. Jurassic World: Rebirth showed that even seven total movies in, the dinosaur franchise is still incredibly popular. Scarlett Johansson starred in this newest reboot of the series that already has a sequel rumored to be in development.

November is going to be a solid month for streaming content. Music fans will see an updated Beatles Anthology coming to Disney+. Guillermo del Toro’s highly anticipated Frankenstein will make its streaming debut. The first Christmas movies of the season will also arrive.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is constantly expanding, thanks to new releases in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order will recall that there have been some struggles at the box office post-Endgame, and The Marvels is on that list. Now director Nia DaCosta explained one big issue the blockbuster had.

The Marvels was a box office bomb, despite its connection to a number of previous projects like Captain Marvel, WandaVision, and Ms. Marvel. DaCosta has also worked on some of the best horror movies from recent years, and spoke to THR about why 28 Years Later was easier to pull off as a director. In her words:

Honestly, this makes a great deal of sense. Filmmaking is a monumental job, and having a great script is no doubt helpful when one is trying to steer the ship. Add in the pressure and budget of The Marvels, and it sounds like not having that baseline helped create a stressful experience.

Ultimately the title is somewhat infamous at this point, and it's unclear when we'll see the trio of heroes back in upcoming Marvel movies. Brie Larson, Iman Vellani, and Teyonah Parris weren't included in the Avengers: Doomsday cast announcement.

Personally I really enjoyed both The Marvels and the new Candyman, but clearly there were script problems happening behind the scenes. I'd love to know more about what went down on the MCU blockbuster, especially since it a number of risks throughout its runtime. I need the details, Ms. DaCosta!

From the interviews of various filmmakers, it does sound like making a Marvel movie is a fluid process. Case in point: Black Widow's reshoots greatly changed the movie's villain. In juxtaposition, it sounds like the script for 28 Years Later was locked in from the start, and DaCosta was able to methodically tell that story.

CinemaBlend's 28 Years Later review praised the flick as "worth the bloody wait", once again cementing DaCosta as an accomplished horror director. I still maintain The Marvels is great, but I have to wonder if we'll see her return to the genre.

The Marvels is streaming on Disney+, and the next MCU movie hitting theaters is Spider-Man: Brand New Day on July 31st of next year as part of the 2026 movie release list.

The 28 Days Later franchise is back in a massive way, with Danny Boyle’s long-awaited sequel hitting theaters earlier this year and another installment, the upcoming 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, already set to continue the saga on the 2026 movie schedule next January. That next chapter comes from Nia DaCosta, and while the director says Alex Garland’s script was practically flawless, she couldn’t resist making one change. And what she asked for has me even more hyped for the upcoming horror movie.

Speaking at the Edinburgh International Film Festival (via The Hollywood Reporter), DaCosta, a wonderful female horror director, called the project one of the best filmmaking experiences of her career so far. She shared with the crowd:

What really made 28 Days Later stand out from the pack of some of the best zombie movies wasn’t just its bleak tone or shaky handheld camerawork, but it was those terrifying, fast-moving infected that felt like pure rage come to life. So when Nia DaCosta admits the one thing she asked for was simply “more infected,” it’s a pretty clear signal she doesn’t plan on watering down what fans come for. Danny Boyle’s earlier follow-up already pushed the genre into new territory, but with the Marvels director at the helm, it sounds like the next chapter is going to lean even harder into the chaos.

The Candyman director also explained what it was like stepping into a cinematic universe built by Danny Boyle and Alex Garland. The previous film ends on a cliffhanger, so she inherited some cast members and locations from Boyle’s movie, but was given the freedom to expand the story with her own sensibilities. She continued:

Finding the right balance between continuing specific themes and putting her own spin on things is really important to The Bone Temple. Interestingly, DaCosta almost didn’t take the job. She was finishing up her next movie, Hedda, which stars Tessa Thompson, and her schedule looked crazy tight. But then, after an unexpected dinner with Jonathan Glazer (the director of The Zone of Interest,) she decided to go for it.

Between Garland’s airtight script, Boyle’s groundwork, and Nia DaCosta’s energy (plus her one crucial request for more infected), it's clear that 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is leaning into that raw, primal fear that fans love, and I cannot wait.

It’s not exactly a controversial statement to say that the Marvel Cinematic Universe, while still being successful overall, has struggled to reach the same heights of success recently that it once achieved. Post-Avengers: Endgame, few movies have seen the box office success of earlier entries, and while there's reason to be hopeful for some upcoming Marvel movies, recent entries, like Ant-Man: Quantumania and The Marvels, have really struggled.

The Marvels now has the dubious distinction of being the lowest-grossing MCU movie at the global box office. There are any number of reasons why that may have happened. However, director Nia DaCosta recently spoke openly at the Storyhouse screenwriting festival (via Deadline) about her experience and may have given us some answers. She admits that the Marvel way of making movies and her own style didn’t necessarily mesh. DaCosta explained…

DaCosta is far from the first person to describe the Marvel Studios process as “a machine,” and like all machines, it’s designed to work in a particular way. Trying to get a machine to do something it wasn’t designed to do usually breaks it.

Some directors have clearly thrived inside the Marvel Studios system. The Russo Brothers have recently returned to Marvel. James Gunn went from making movies in the Marvel machine to running his own machine at DC Films. But others have had a tougher time. Some directors have declined to work with Marvel specifically because they didn’t want to become a cog in the machine. DaCosta says that, being a huge comic book fan, she really wanted to make a Marvel movie.

In the end, however, due to what sounds like a production that was pushing to hit a release date, DaCosta realized that The Marvels simply wasn’t going to be the movie that she wanted it to be. She’s clearly disappointed in that but has taken it all as a learning experience. The director continued…

The most disappointing thing about all this is that, one assumes, whatever version of The Marvels Nia DaCosta pitched to Marvel was the reason she was hired to do the job in the first place. It’s incredibly frustrating if the Marvel “machine” then prevented that movie from happening.

One has to wonder just what sort of movie we would have seen if Nia DaCosta had made the film she had wanted to make. Maybe it wouldn’t have been more successful, but it also could have been brilliant.

I swear, sometimes the upcoming 2025 movie schedule was pulled from my dreams and put into reality. Several threequels I’ve been waiting patiently for are dropping, thanks to Paddington in Peru, Downton Abbey 3 and Tron: Ares all being on the board. But of course, my mind racing as fast as an Infected on a sugar rush after watching 28 Years Later’s first trailer.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple Is Coming Sooner Than You Think

So what better time to find out that the second installment in the planned trilogy now has a confirmed title and release date that feeds another story theory I’ve been pondering! Per a press release from Sony Pictures, we should expect to see 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple raging into theaters on January 16, 2026.

That announcement couldn't have come at a better time, as the imagery in that first 28 Years Later footage appears to have shown us the Bone Temple! At least, that's what it looks like, if you study the top photo and this additional image carefully:

The Nia DaCosta-directed sequel will arrive in theaters less than a year after director Danny Boyle’s first chapter lands next summer, on June 20, 2025. This isn’t all too surprising, as Ralph Fiennes’ recent 28 Years Later update confirmed that two of the three Alex Garland-scripted pictures had been filmed.

The surprise comes from a release date being set for about seven months after that first installment has dropped. It may not be as quick as the original release plan for Kevin Costner's Horizon: An American Saga, but it's still impressive after waiting for years for this project to take shape.

If anything, we could be looking at a best case scenario that includes some sort of teaser footage that hints at what lies ahead on Fiennes, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Jodie Comer’s potential road trip from hell. And thanks to these new details, I think I know what we should expect from the next round of details for The Bone Temple.

We May Now Know How 28 Years Later’s Trilogy Story Is Structured

I now need to invoke a theory that was written by my colleague and fellow 28 Cycle fan Nick Venable. You see, he believes that 28 Years Later’s potential Jodie Comer role is that of Hannah, the young survivor who escapes death with Jim (Cillian Murphy) and Selena (Naomie Harris) in 28 Days Later. One of “The Manchester Three,” this first installment might be our reintroduction to the character formerly played by Megan Burns.

Keeping that in mind, I’d like to think that bringing in Candyman director Nia DaCosta means that 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is the triumphant return of Naomie Harris’ no-nonsense heroine. With the release date now being set for Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend in 2026, it would make a lot of sense to have a title releasing which features a strong black lead and horror icon such as Selena.

You can practically see what I’m leading up to with what the third, unnamed 28 Years Later installment will be tackling. If the first two parts are about Hannah and Selena, then the epic conclusion would most likely tie into my theory on Cillian Murphy’s 28 Years Later return. Why else would there be as metal as this one, conveniently placing three skulls within a biohazard symbol?

It would make complete sense to tease the moment we’ve all been waiting for throughout the first two acts of this larger story, winding up for a hell of a pitch in the final movement. But as of this moment, we'll need to be patient, as the long-awaited apocalyptic follow-up has only begun its long game of clever marketing.

There’s plenty of time to refine this theory, as there’s bound to be plenty more breadcrumbs dropped between now and 28 Years Later’s June 2025 release. While 28 Weeks Later will be leaving the Hulu subscription platform at the end of the month, the recent return of 28 Days Later through digital rental or purchase could make up for that lapse in availability.

Often, sequels or reboots of classic films have little to no connection to their predecessors, much to the ire of critics and diehard fans. There have been a few exceptions to this rule, most recently the 2021 Candyman sequel/reboot. Despite initial trepidation over the original film’s connection to the reboot, early fan reactions quelled those fears by speaking on both movies' throughlines. The 2021 sequel carved out its lane while paying homage to the 1992 original horror classic.

Released during the COVID pandemic, those connections worked well for the Candyman reboot, as it raked in over $77 million. Its commercial success echoed the sentiment of film critics’ positive response, including a glowing review from CinemaBlend. After watching the spiritual sequel, I found four connections between the two Candyman movies I need to talk about.

The Importance of Tony Todd and Vanessa Williams’ Appearances

The horror reboot could’ve forged ahead without acknowledging its classic predecessor. However, producer Jordan Peele and director Nia DaCosta decided to reach back and include OG stars Tony Todd and Vanessa Williams in the new film. Of course, every horror fan equates the long-running franchise with OG Candyman Tony Todd. So, it was great seeing him unexpectedly reprise his iconic role. What was even more unexpected was seeing Vanessa E. Williams return as Anne-Marie McCoy. While she survived the carnage and chaos of the original film, Anne-Marie hadn’t appeared in the franchise since the first film. Her inclusion in the reboot came with an explanation from DaCosta for reintroducing her character.

Bringing back Todd’s Candyman and Williams’ Anne-Marie allowed the reboot to fit within the horror franchise’s legacy. Their presence served as a full-circle moment to the spiritual sequel, which I’ll get into later. Having both actors reprise their roles decades after the original film was a nice nod to longtime fans.

Touching on Race in America

Diehard horror fans know the genre isn’t all jump scares. They can be a hotbed for sociopolitical commentary, and the Candyman franchise is no exception. Since its inception, the horror franchise has placed a spotlight on race, class, and people’s fear of Black America, especially Black men. Incorporating such heavy subjects captured the reality of being a Black American.

Of course, the original film centered around Todd’s Daniel Robitaille being burned alive for having an interracial relationship. While not as dire, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s Anthony McCoy faced racism and classism in the notoriously fickle art world. The disconnect between the patrons and artist displayed the long-held narrative of Black culture and imagery being deemed either “inferior” or “not palatable” to their white counterparts.

Things only get worse once McCoy begins spiraling out of control, culminating in Candyman fanatic Billy Burke (played by Colman Domingo) setting him up to be killed by the police. Burke’s nefarious plot to revive the Candyman hive was selfish (if not, honest), which Todd mentioned as a fantastic way to evolve the story. In this instance, his justification was a twisted way of addressing Cabrini-Green’s gradual gentrification. This angle bled into the finale’s police brutality and lack of empathy for Black Americans in vulnerable moments.

Making the Reboot a Beautiful Tribute to the Original

The 2021 Candyman reboot carved out a lane while paying tribute to the original film. Incorporating the original setting of Cabrini-Green and the Candyman lore made the sequel feel more like a powerful tribute to the first film. Nia DaCosta made a great choice in interpreting and understanding the Candyman legacy through both plot and visual storytelling, including Anthony McCoy’s transformation into a new hive member. Using imagery allowed the film to pay homage to the first film’s overarching themes and story. Making the protagonist a visual artist drove this factor home.

As mentioned, incorporating Todd and Williams into the reboot was a significant nod to the OG movie. Adding them heightened the reboot’s trauma and tragedy as the story and interconnectivity began furling for viewers. Each character experienced the Candyman lore uniquely, just like in previous entries. Having characters directly connected or adjacent to the story enhanced the experience as viewers fell more into the legacy, like the first film.

Keeping the supernatural factors intact while heightening them was something for new and old fans. Bees were prominent in the 2021 sequel as they were in the 1992 original film, which was a nice cash cow for Todd. Of course, they were the catalyst for the reboot while serving as an ominous factor for the OG Candyman. The otherworldliness of the franchise makes them a must-watch for horror fans.

The Connection Between the Original Candyman and Reboot’s Origin Stories

The 2021 Candyman reboot carved out a lane while paying tribute to the original film. Of course, making Abdul-Mateen II’s Anthony the protagonist and, by the finale, the newest Candyman served as a full-circle moment. Seeing Todd’s surprise cameo only made the moment sweeter. It was the genius of the reboot’s writers to create that interconnectivity.

However, the most genuine connection began before the reboot, as Anthony was the original film's kidnapped baby, as illustrated in the confrontational scene between him and his mother, Anne-Marie. Even bringing Virginia Madsen’s Helen Lyle into the fray created this intangible link between the OG Candyman and the new one. It grounded Anthony’s initial bee sting and growing Candyman obsession. Both Anthony and Daniel being misunderstood artists further connected the men.

These elements made the lead character’s psychological breakdown and physical transformation even more compelling as he gradually joined the hive. It only strengthened the OG movie and its spiritual sequel’s legacy, especially the sequel's open-ended ending.

Both Candyman movies were allowed to be separated while blending and sharpening each other to strengthen the horror franchise’s legacy. Each film provided the scares to keep the audience's attention while sticking the social commentary medicine in the glossing film candy, which I appreciated as a viewer. The 2021 reboot didn’t mind calling out the obvious, while the original film focused on the spooky (if not deadly) supernatural factor.

Find out why the 2021 sequel/reboot is a worthy successor by streaming with an Amazon Prime Video Subscription. If you want to revisit the remaining Candyman franchise, watch the original film with a Peacock subscription, and its original sequels are available streaming with a Max subscription. Despite the reboot’s success, there have been no talks of reviving the long-dormant horror franchise. In the meantime, check out why Candyman is considered one of the best Black film villains.

When it comes to the best zombie movies we’ve ever seen, Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later is up there! So when it was reported earlier this year that the director would be returning to his apocalyptic franchise for 28 Years Later, it was exciting news. Now the latest on the movie series' return is The Marvels director Nia DaCosta being lined up for 28 Years Later’s intended sequel. This is such great news! 

So here’s what’s going down. Danny Boyle is already attached to helm 28 Years Later from a script set to be written by Alex Garland. Garland wrote the script for 2002’s 28 Days Later before going on to write and direct movies like Ex Machina and this Friday's release, Civil War. Now Nia DaCosta is apparently in talks to direct the movie already being developed to follow 28 Years Later, per The Hollywood Reporter. The next 28 Days Later movie getting its director in line (which is also expected to be written by Alex Garland) is not only a good sign that these movies have a vote of confidence from Sony Pictures, but is a great next step for DaCosta. 

Nia DaCosta made an impressive debut in feature films with the 2019 indie drama Little Woods, starring Lily James and Tessa Thompson. She followed her debut with 2021’s rather excellent and rather chilling sequel to Candyman that was co-written and produced by Jordan Peele, and starred Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Teyonah Parris. After that, DaCosta moved into the world of the MCU with The Marvels, which was actually quite well received despite its being a box office letdown. 

DaCosta is a talented filmmaker already, but she’s especially great at creating tension. Little Woods and Candyman were great examples of this, and I’m so happy she’ll get to put her own stamp on the untitled 28 Years Later sequel. It’s exciting that Danny Boyle will already be back for the next movie in his franchise, but I also love that he’s passing it off to Nia DaCosta to continue telling the story! 

You can catch up on what to remember about the zombie movies by checking out what happened at the end of 28 Days Later. There was also a 2007 sequel called 28 Weeks Later, but Boyle and Garland were only involved at a distance as executive producers. When it comes to 28 Years Later, apparently Cillian Murphy is involved as an executive producer himself, but it’s unclear at this point if he’ll return to star. 

Ahead of DaCosta being part of this franchise, the director is currently filming her next movie, Hedda, which is a drama starring Tessa Thompson. Release dates for these 28 Days Later movies have yet to be determined, but stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for what upcoming horror movies are on the way. 

SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains mild spoilers for The Marvels. If you have not yet seen the film, proceed at your own risk!

While some of The Marvels takes place on Earth, the majority of the action in the new Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster takes place out in the cosmos – with heroes Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) searching for Kree leader Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton) to stop her stealing resources from other planets. One of the wild new worlds that the movie explores is the music-filled wonder that is Aladna – and director Nia DaCosta has revealed how she brought it to life from the pages of Marvel Comics.

Aladna was first created by writer Kelly Sue DeConnick and David Lopez during the beloved 2014/2015 run of Captain Marvel comics, and when I spoke with The Marvels’ director earlier this month during the film’s Los Angeles press day, she explained that it was an exciting element that she and Marvel Studios were very much on the same page about from day one. She then noted the specific aesthetic she was going for when it came to designing the planet:

The titular team in The Marvels travels to Aladna when they begin to suss out what Dar-Benn is trying to do. After the Kree antagonist removes the atmosphere from a planet with an established Skrull colony, the next resource she seeks is water, and Aladna makes a perfect target given that it’s 99.63 percent covered in the wet stuff. It also happens to be a place where Captain Marvel has deep ties, as she once had to wed Prince Yan (Park Seo-joon) as part of local politics. (Technically, this makes Captain Marvel a Disney Princess).

There may not be much actual land on Aladna, but Nia DaCosta sees the planet as a special port where races from across the galaxy gather and live in a song-filled peace:

As for the special language that is spoken on the planet, Nia DaCosta credited collaboration. There were conversations with lyric writer James Murphy and composers Laura Karpman and Nico Muhly about how the music would be approached tonally and how it would best fit the film:

Audiences everywhere can experience The Marvels now, as the film is playing in theaters everywhere. For deeper coverage of the movie, check out both our Ending Explained feature and our deep dive into the end credits, and to keep track of everything that is going on in the MCU, check out our Upcoming Marvel Movies and Upcoming Marvel TV guides.

The titular team in The Marvels is a group that comes together totally by accident. Thanks to a cosmic anomaly, Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers, Teyonnah Parris’ Monica Rambeau and Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan find their special light-based powers entangled, and they are basically forced to unite in order to stop what’s causing it. Accidental as the ensemble may be, however, what’s cool about the special unit is the way in which it allows the film to play with very different perspectives on the heroic Captain Marvel.

On one hand, Monica has essentially been neglected by her aunt for the last 30 years, and on the other hand, Kamala is a superfan who dreams of being besties with Carol. It’s a special dynamic, and I brought it up this past weekend when I had the chance to sit down with director Nia DaCosta at the Los Angeles press day for The Marvels. I asked about the impact of the special relationships within the eponymous unit, and the filmmaker explained,

As established in the empowering Disney+ original series Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan is a young hero from Jersey City, and she absolutely idolizes Carol Danvers – which is a very familiar perspective if you remember watching Captain Marvel. Back in the mid-1990s, Monica was made starry-eyed by her mom’s best friend/Air Force colleague… but she ended up disillusioned when Carol left Earth to deal with the Kree-Skrull War and never came back. Obviously that has an impact on what Monica sees in Kalama’s undying fanhood.

Nia DaCosta also looked at the relationships from Captain Marvel’s point of view too, though. Because of her incredible abilities, she feels that it is her job to help out planets in need (“With great power comes great responsibility,” as Uncle Ben would say), but obviously that led to her making some vital mistakes in her relationship with Monica. And as for Kamala’s love, that creates its own special kind of stress:

Marvel fans everywhere will be able to see the special triumvirate in action this weekend, and be sure to stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more of our Marvels coverage (including more from my interview with director Nia DaCosta). To stay on top of everything MCU-related on both the big and small screens, check out our Marvel Movies In Order feature as well as our Upcoming Marvel Movies and Upcoming Marvel TV guides.

In a marvelous turn of events, the newest MCU installment, The Marvels has flipped from rotten to fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. After the movie’s premiere, it was hovering right around 55%, now, on the eve of its official release date on the 2023 film schedule, it’s risen into the fresh threshold as more people screen it for the first time. 

While many early reactions to The Marvels praised the film as “fun,” it was also met with quite a bit of criticism. Overall, the reviews of the movie seemed to be mid. As many showed love for it by complimenting The Marvels cast, they also noted that they had issues with the villain and the overall plot. 

For example, our own Eric Eisenberg had very nuanced thoughts when it came to his opinion of the movie as he wrote in his review of The Marvels:

These mixed reactions help explain why the movie was floating around the 50% mark right after its premiere. However, at the time of this writing, with 148 reviews, The Marvels has a 61% on Rotten Tomatoes, meaning it’s fresh. This flip is thanks to people who marked the movie as fresh instead of rotten when they submitted their reviews. Some of the positive responses on the site include:

• Tonally, “The Marvels” embraces the goofy nature of a sci-fi superhero movie aimed at a female audience. -Katie Walsh from Tribune News Service 
• While it’s full of all the expected Marvel metaphysical head-spinning... it’s also unexpectedly endearing, a pleasant popcorn-flavored joy ride into the cosmos, with three likable heroes as our guides. -Moira MacDonald from the Seattle Times 
• Being a huge fan of the source material, Nia DaCosta leans into the wacky. There’s tonnes of unique and exciting camera work, cinematography and worldbuilding. The incredibly choreographed action feels like part of the script, rather than an afterthought. -Joe Passmore from Attitude 

The overall consensus on the movie appears to be that it’s a super fun ride, and the trio of leading women are incredible together. However, the overall story feels a little weak. 

Many of the more negative reviews cite how this feels like another installment in the MCU that seems chaotic and others didn’t find the plot cohesive. However, it would seem that those opinions are being outweighed by the positive ones that praise the film’s creativity, the cast and how delightful it is.

Over the last year, it has seemed like this mixed response has become common for the MCU – just look at the mixed to negative reactions for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. So, as the upcoming Marvel movies come out, it will be interesting to see how they’re received. While the overall opinion on the Ant-Man movie seemed to falter as more saw it, when it comes to The Marvels, it appears to be on an upward trajectory, and it’s possible it could stay that way. 

Now, that the critics have shared their thoughts on the latest MCU installment, it’s the audience’s turn to take it in and figure out if it’s rotten or fresh. To see this movie for yourself, and figure out your feelings on it, you can see The Marvels in theaters right now. 

The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s next Phase 5 offering is upon us, as Brie Larson returns as Carol Danvers for The Marvels, a sequel to the 2019 box office hit Captain Marvel. This time around she’ll be joined by Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau, who gained superpowers in WandaVision, and Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan, who made her debut in Ms. Marvel. Critics have screened the upcoming superhero movie ahead of its theatrical release November 10, and “fun” seems to be one of the key takeaways, with that word showing up again and again in the reactions.

The Marvels’ first trailer showed things getting chaotic, with the main characters switching places every time they used their powers, and we’ve since learned that’s the work of the movie’s main villain Dar-Benn, played by Zawe Ashton. Let’s see how critics think it all came together, starting with CinemaBlend’s review of The Marvels. Eric Eisenberg rates the film 4 out of 5 stars, saying it’s among the franchise’s best movies since Avengers: Endgame. Iman Vellani is the standout in a movie propelled by its characters and performances. He continues: 

Other CinemaBlend staffers also seem to have enjoyed their time at the screenings, with Sean O’Connell giving credit to the leading trio. While it isn’t a perfect movie overall, he says on X that the mid-credit scene alone is worth the price of admission. 

Sarah El-Mahmoud of CinemaBlend says Nia DaCosta’s latest movie left her excited about the superhero genre. She writes: 

Our own Jessica Rawden agrees on the “fun” aspect of the sequel, despite her tepid feelings about its 2019 predecessor. According to her post on X: 

As noted above, The Marvels boasts the shortest runtime of any MCU movie at just 105 minutes, and Collider’s Ross Bonaime praises director and co-writer Nia DaCosta for turning out an entertaining yet impactful movie without getting caught up in dense storytelling, setting up future stories and trying to pull off shocking cameos. He grades the movie a B, writing: 

Molly Freeman of ScreenRant rates the movie 4.5 stars out of 5, saying it’s a “must-watch” for even the most casual of MCU fans. Brie Larson’s ensemble flick is a return to form, providing the “goofy fun and superhero hijinks” that always accompany Marvel’s best offerings. Freeman continues: 

Amelia Emberwing of IGN rates The Marvels a “Great” 8 out of 10, saying Nia DaCosta’s film will leave audience members grinning well after they leave the theater. The movie has all the heart and soul and spirit and piss and vinegar you’d want from its three leading ladies, according to the critic, who concludes: 

While many of the critics are quick to call the newest MCU blockbuster “fun,” most of them are also willing to admit some weaknesses, especially when it comes to some super-silly scenes and the impact of the villain. Their high scores, however, would indicate that fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe should be making a plan to visit the theater for The Marvels' release on Friday, November 10.

If you need a refresher before heading out, check out these key things to remember about Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau and Kamala Khan’s powers. That is, unless you have time for a deep dive to rewatch all the Marvel movies in order. Also be sure to check out our 2023 new movie release schedule to see what else is on tap for the rest of the year. 

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has had a difficult 2023. While the franchise has been top dog in Hollywood for the last 15 years, raking in billions and becoming the most popular thing on the big screen, the last few months have seen the release of two extremely rough swings-and-misses in Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania and the Disney+ series Secret Invasion. Both are bad in ways unlike any other Marvel Studios productions have been, and there has been a clear impact on confidence. The MCU has never been flawless, but its image as a blockbuster powerhouse constantly cranking out hit after hit has been tarnished.

The run-up to the release of director Nia DaCosta’s The Marvels seems to be evidence of this dip in morale. The marketing has resorted to revealing cameos in trailers and blatantly hinting at spoilers, and the studio has waited until just a few days prior to the release date to screen it and start building buzz. There’s a significant contrast in the way in which hype has been built compared to, as an example, 2019’s Captain Marvel… and that’s a shame, as the latest MCU feature is among the franchise’s best movies since Avengers: Endgame.

It’s not the MCU’s biggest blockbuster in terms of scale and stakes, and it doesn’t make back-breaking efforts to significantly play with and expand the canon, but what it does do is provide a clever and thrilling adventure that takes full advantage of its powerful ensemble of charming heroes. The plot plays out similar to a five-issue arc of a comic book series and isn’t the most complex or impressive we’ve seen from the continuity, but The Marvels has an excellent foundation in the perspectives and personalities of its characters, and it ultimately shines bright as a result.

Building off of the events in Captain Marvel as well as the Disney+ series WandaVision and Ms. Marvel, the new film brings together three of the franchise’s light-based heroes for a cosmic ride. The story kicks off as Carol Danvers a.k.a. Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) is alerted by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) that there has been a strange surge in the galaxy’s interstellar travel system. She discovers that an old foe named Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton) has begun executing a dangerous, multi-world threatening plot – but her investigation also provides some bizarre consequences. When Carol reaches out to touch a jump point that Dar-Benn has broken, she suddenly finds that her powers have become entangled with those of two others: Captain Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and New Jersey teenager Kamala Khan a.k.a. Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani).

Whenever the three heroes use their abilities at the same time, they find themselves swapping places around the universe, and as though that weren’t weird enough, the circumstances also come with significant emotional baggage. While Monica used to idolize Carol when she was a young girl, those emotions took a big hit when Captain Marvel left Earth in the mid-1990s and never came back. In contrast, Kamala is Carol’s #1 fan and is perpetually blissed-out that she is on an adventure with her favorite superhero. Unable to get untangled, the three women team up to try and stop Dar-Benn’s plans, and in the process, they end up unveiling darkness in Carol’s mysterious past.

There isn't much to the plot of The Marvels, but the characters make up for it.

Anyone who has been watching superhero movies for the last two decades won’t exactly have their hair blown back by Dar-Benn’s scheme. As the leader of the Kree (the villains from Captain Marvel), she is making efforts to save her people’s dying planet, and she is doing so by stealing key resources from other worlds. Any Mel Brooks fans will immediately have the plot of Spaceballs come to mind. But while that idea is pretty basic material, The Marvels makes it work because it’s simply the background that lets the movie explore the complexities in the characters and their relationships.

For starters, there’s Dar-Benn. She’s not operating on the same level as Michael B. Jordan’s Erik Killmonger from Black Panther or Josh Brolin’s Thanos, and you do wish that she were provided a bit more fleshing out beyond a single flashback sequence, but she is outfitted with compelling motivations that make her perspective understandable. Similar to how Captain Marvel flipped the comic book reputation of the Skrulls, The Marvels has Dar-Benn introduce shades of grey to a previously black-and-white MCU outlook on the Kree, and it adds layers to the conflict.

On the protagonist side of things, there are wonderful shifting energies (no pun intended) between Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan. As one would expect from a relationship that involves a 30-year abandonment, Carol and Monica have an awkward connection bathed in palpable tension, and the movie provides satisfying confrontation that adds to the histories and emotional depths of both women. In parallel, Kamala is living her dream by going on an adventure in outer space with Captain Marvel – but doing so opens her eyes to Carol being a real person, and Monica clearly sees her 11-year-old self in her. They each bring their own baggage to the story that is well explored.

The performances are the best part of The Marvels, with Iman Vellani being the blockbuster’s charismatic standout.

With strong characters come strong performances, and that’s where we find The Marvels’ greatest asset. While still having the wryness and fortitude she demonstrated in her first MCU blockbuster, Brie Larson plays Carol this time around with an extra weight in her soul from her past experiences, and Teyonah Parris does a wonderful job balancing both Monica’s Carol-related drama and unrepentant science geekery. Samuel L. Jackson is fantastic in a supporting role, operating as the titular team’s point person and serving up a comical dose of his trademark attitude (a much-needed win after the aforementioned Secret Invasion) – but the true star of the show here is Iman Vellani, who is a bottomless well of delightfulness in every second she is on screen.

As a Captain Marvel superfan, Kamala Khan is ostensibly an on-screen surrogate for all of the world’s passionate MCU fans, and it’s impossible not to be struck by the earnestness and beautiful sincerity in Vellani’s turn. She represents the purest and best version of fanhood – left in silent, giddy shock when she merely learns that Carol Danvers was in her house – and it provides the film with buoyancy that never dissipates. And on top of her ever-flowing sweetness is also an excellent enthusiasm for heroism and being her badass self, and there is never a false moment.

The Marvels definitely won't blow you away with its set pieces, but it has surprises.

The Marvels is propelled by its characters and performances, but set pieces are a mixed bag. The heroes switching places provides Nia DaCosta the opportunity to orchestrate some wild fight sequences with perfectly chaotic choreography (the first act executing a fantastic battle in three disparate locations), and the best sequence in the movie involves an emergency evacuation that has the heroes literally herding cats – but unfortunately, not everything works that well.

The best example of this is a trip to the planet Aladna, where the residents speak by singing, but the one and only musical sequence is completely forgettable, and while there is a unique visual aesthetic developed in the costumes and production design, the world isn’t outfitted with any scope. There also isn’t much to the final confrontation between the heroes and Dar-Benn, which is a fairly basic boss battle without any escalation in the action… though that shouldn’t be interpreted as the movie having a disappointing ending, as we get a satisfying emotional beat alongside some significant surprises.

The Marvels isn’t a Top 10 MCU blockbuster, sporting more than a couple glaring issues, but it also packs in plenty of the qualities that have made installments of this ever-expanding franchise special. It’s a lively, relatively simple character-driven ride through the cosmos that makes up for its plot weaknesses with personality.

In Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Cinematic Universe fans got to see Brie Larson's Carol Danvers head to her home planet and hang out for a bit with Earth's Mightiest Heroes... but the reality in the canon is that she has been off-world9 for quite a long time. As depicted in Captain Marvel, she left Earth in the year 1995, and she apparently wasn't able to return for quite a while – as evidenced by her awkward relationship with Teyonah Parris' Monica Rambeau.

So where has Captain Marvel been since she left Earth in the 1990s? That was a question that director Nia DaCosta encountered in the development of the new film The Marvels, and she has explained that it was very important for her to provide fans with some real answers. I spoke with the filmmaker this past weekend during the Los Angeles press day for the new MCU blockbuster, and she told me how she approached the big gaps in the character's timeline:

Captain Marvel originally left Earth on a mission to help the Skrulls find a new home world and end the Kree-Skrull War... but her responsibilities apparently didn't end there. Her interstellar adventures saw her visit new planets and encounter new civilizations, and it seems that she felt a responsibility to use her abilities and help them with their problems. Past evidence of this behavior is featured in Avengers: Endgame – specifically the scene when she explains that she has been caring for multiple worlds after The Blip.

Thanks to Nia DaCosta's efforts (alongside co-writers Megan McDonnell and Elissa Karasik), The Marvels will take us to some of the worlds that Captain Marvel has supported, informing us about her past in the process... but not lost in the mix will also be her dealing with one of her biggest issues: her relationship with Monica. When Monica was a child, "Aunt Carol" promised her that she would return and visit, but that turned out to be a lie. The conflict was previously teased in WandaVision (where Teyonah Parris made her debut as adult Monica and became a superhero herself), but The Marvels will bring it front and center.

It won't be much longer until fans everywhere get the chance to learn about Captain Marvel's mysterious past, as The Marvels will be in theaters everywhere this Friday, November 1. Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for a whole lot more coverage of the film – including more from my interview with Nia DaCosta – and keep track of everything going on in the MCU with our Upcoming Marvel Movies and Upcoming Marvel TV guides.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is always growing, thanks to movies and live-action shows that are available with a Disney+ subscription. The next highly anticipated upcoming Marvel movie is Nia DaCosta’s The Marvels, which will bring together a new team of heroes. The Marvels has a surprisingly quick runtime, standing in stark juxtaposition to a number of recent MCU installments. And The Marvels’ director recently explained why it’s the shortest MCU movie of all time.

Those of us who have been watching the Marvel movies in order know that they’ve gotten a bit long in recent years. I’m looking at you Eternals, which was way too long. But The Marvels is the opposite, as it’s a breezy 105 minutes. Nia DaCosta spoke to Digital Spy about the movie’s runtime, and explained she always wanted it to be that short. In her words:

There you have it. Rather than being decided during the editing process as filming began, it seems DaCosta always wanted her MCU debut to be under two hours long. And it should be fascinating to see how this decision impacts The Marvels’ pacing and tone. Luckily our questions about the project will be answered shortly when it arrives in theaters.  

The Marvels trailer definitely showed that the movie has a light tone, partly thanks to the inclusion of characters like Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel. It looks like they’ll be plenty of funny moments throughout the film, allowing The Marvels cast to stretch their comedic muscles when they’re not kicking ass. Later in that same interview, DaCosta spoke about why her movie’s short runtime makes sense for the project. She said:

Looks like Nia DaCosta wasn’t aware she’d be breaking a MCU record with The Marvels when she decided on its shorter runtime. She was just making the type of blockbuster she’d be interested in seeing, one that doesn’t dominate too much time in theaters. We’ll have to wait and see how this ultimately shakes out when the project is released.

All will be revealed when The Marvels hits theaters on November 10th. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

There will be a lot of eyeballs on The Marvels when the upcoming Marvel movie opens this week, for so many different reasons. To start with, the concept of “superhero fatigue” is resting heavy on the industry, and while Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 performed extremely well at the box office, soft openings for movies like The Flash have studio execs wondering if the comic-book bubble is about to burst. We have known a lot of details about The Marvels for some time now, mainly because the movie’s release date kept getting pushed back after COVID issues and industry reshuffling. But a new charge was leveled at the movie in a piece by Variety, and The Marvels director Nia DaCosta is clearing things up. 

Variety put out a recent cover story asking if Marvel Studios was in trouble, bringing up a lot of the same talking points about the MCU’s adjustments following both COVID outbreaks, the ongoing strikes plaguing the industry, and issues involving key stars such as Jonathan Majors. In the feature, it was revealed that Nia DaCosta began working on another movie while The Marvels was in post-production, insinuating that it was unusual for a filmmaker to do that, and all but implying this meant issues existed between Marvel and the director. 

While speaking with ReelBlend co-host Jake Hamilton, also of Fox 32 in Chicago, Nia DaCosta addressed this concern, however, and made it clear:

The unavoidable delays caused by the COVID outbreak affected virtually every aspect of the entertainment industry, though the timeline of MCU movies took an enormous hit. Some productions leapfrogged over others, depending on how much work remained on them. The same thing is happening now, as Disney shuffles release dates due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Still, as DaCosta goes on to explain, her absence on the physical studio lot didn’t affect post-production. She elaborated:

That will never stop Marvel fans from chasing rumors. Believe me, I’m one of them, and I pursue every breadcrumb that presents itself. For now, I just want to see The Marvels. Brie Larson hasn’t been in full action as the super-powered hero since Avengers: Endgame. And I stand by the belief that Ms. Marvel star Iman Vellani is one of the best casting decisions the MCU has made in ages. The Marvels opens in theaters on November 10.

Although Lee Pace’s Ronan the Accuser met his demise in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy when the title characters used the Power Stone to destroy him, this wouldn’t be the last time we’d see the antagonist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 2019’s Captain Marvel showed him in 1995 briefly visiting Earth on behalf of the Kree Empire and nearly bombing our planet to eliminate the Skrulls until Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers intervened. While there are no plans to resurrect Ronan, The Marvels director Nia DaCosta has addressed the connection the main villain in her upcoming Marvel movie shares with the Kree renegade.

Back in early 2021, Zawe Ashton was reported to be joining what was then known as Captain Marvel 2, and we’ve since learned that her character is Dar-Benn, a fellow Kree. As seen in The Marvels’ first trailer, Dar-Benn is wielding the same kind of warhammer Ronan used in both Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain Marvel, and when Total Film brought this up to DaCosta, she said the following:

Just like in the comics, rather than this warhammer, a.k.a. the Universal Weapon, being something only Ronan wields, they’re used by all of the Kree’s Accusers use to enforce the law. What’s unclear with Dar-Benn, though, is whether the warhammer is hers from when she was an Accuser, or if she acquired it from someone else. It also remains to be seen if Dar-Benn shares a direct connection with Ronan, i.e. being a relative or associate of his from way back when, or if the warhammer and shared Kree heritage is where the ties end. 

What we do know about Dar-Benn is that she’s a revolutionary who has an axe to grind with Carol Danvers, whom she refers to as The Annihilator and blames for a Kree civil war breaking out that’s wrecked her homeland. Although Nia DaCosta didn’t provide any other specific information about The Marvels’ lead antagonist, she did open up about the performance Zawe Ashton (who’s also Tom Hiddleston’s fiancé) gave with these words:

The good news for Carol Danvers is she won’t have to deal with Dar-Benn alone, as The Marvels is teaming her up with Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau and Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan, a.k.a. Ms. Marvel. The problem is that Dar-Benn is the reason this trio ends up forming, as they all have light-based powers the Kree has somehow entangled them so that whenever they use their respective abilities, they switch places. Judging from The Marvels trailer released in July, Dar-Benn appears to be accomplishing this using the same kind of bangle that Kamala relies on to harness her hard light ability. Between that and the Universal Weapon, not to mention her own enhanced physiology and fighting skills, this Kree foe has more than enough to establish her as a credible threat.

The Marvels opens in theaters on November 10. While we wait for more details about what the movie will deliver to audiences, stream Carol, Monica and Kamala’s past MCU appearances with a Disney+ subscription.

It’s no secret that comic book movies are everywhere. There are multiple shared universes currently vying for box office supremacy, and there’s no signs of them slowing down. But there are some concerns about the genre becoming oversaturated. Are fans tired of superhero movies? The Marvels’ Nia DaCosta and filmmaker James Gunn seem to be on the same page about that concept. Let’s break it all down.

In the MCU alone, every year has multiple movies as well as live-action shows available with a Disney+ subscription. Since there’s also the DCU and other franchises, the conversations about superhero fatigue have been happening a lot– especially considering the disappointing box office performance of projects like Ant-Man 3. The Marvels’ Nia DaCosta recently spoke to our sister site GamesRadar about about this concept, saying:

There you have it. The Candyman filmmaker does indeed think that audiences are experiencing some superhero fatigue. So how does one solve that? According to DaCosta, by having a fresh point of view and something unique from other installments of the genre. For The Marvels, that will be embracing silliness and wackiness, despite the otherwise high stakes of the movie.

Dacosta's The Marvels will serve as a sequel to a number of projects: Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and WandaVision. That’s a lot of moving parts, but Nia DaCosta is also seemingly embracing the fun goofiness that can accompany the genre. This unique vision is something that I thought was missing in Brie Larson’s first solo movie, so I’m hyped for its follow-up movie.

James Gunn has worked in both the DC and Marvel spaces, and is a huge fan of the genre. Gunn was also recently named co-CEO of the DCU, so he remains super invested in all things comic book. He previously spoke to Rolling Stone about the concept of superhero fatigue, saying:

There you have it. Considering James Gunn and Peter Safran are crafting the next decade of DC movies, TV shows, and video games, this perspective is important. Given all the content available for fans, each one needs to be specific, and not just producing content for the sake of making money. It’ll be fascinating to see what Gunn and Safran bring to their new version of the DCU.

The MCU has been experiencing some box office disappointments as of late, with some citing superhero fatigue as the reason. Disney’s Bob Iger hase seemingly blamed the Marvel TV shows for saturating the market. We’ll just have to see if the studio changes its current strategy, or if it’s up to directors to bring something unique to the table. 

The Marvels will hit theaters on November 10th. As for the DCU, the next movie hitting theaters is Blue Beetle on August 17th. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

What have Carol Danvers and Nick Fury been up to since Avengers: Endgame? That’s a question we’re waiting for the answers in the upcoming Marvel movie The Marvels. While we wait for the summer release, Brie Larson has provided a recent real-life team up with her new Marvel girlies, but no, Samuel L. Jackson was not invited to the reunion. 

In a recent post on Instagram, Larson shared that she was hanging out with The Marvels director Nia DaCosta, Teyonah Parris and Iman Vellani. The women will all team up with Captain Marvel for the sequel. 

Brie Larson captioned the post “WARNING: beautiful humans,” but another member of The Marvels cast felt left out. Here’s what Samuel L. Jackson wrote in the comments: 

Hey, it’s a valid question. What are Brie Larson and her Marvel co-stars doing there? It has to be The Marvels-related, don’t you think? The movie already wrapped principal photography late last year, even spending time with Maria Rambeau actress, Lashana Lynch in London, and reportedly completed additional photography in the spring. Is the trio filming something else, like a cameo or post-credits scene? Looking at the edit bay without Samuel L. Jackson? Doing a best friends photoshoot? Either way, they know something he doesn’t with that adorable girls-only selfie. 

In Captain Marvel, we learned that Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury has a soft spot for Carol Danvers considering he met the Avenger before he ever assembled any of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, or lost his eye, back in the ‘90s. Fury is set to be part of the storyline in The Marvels, but after we learn more about Samuel L. Jackson’s MCU character in Secret Invasion, which is expected to come out this spring, just ahead of The Marvels. 

Just a few months ago, the Secret Invasion trailer dropped online after it was confidentially shared with attendees of the San Diego Comic Con. The series will feature Nick Fury following the reveal in Spider-Man: Far From Home, and apparently Fury has been avoiding returning to Earth after banding with the Skrulls. Secret Invasion’s cast will also feature Cobie Smulders’ Maria Hill, Don Cheadle’s War Machine and Martin Freeman's Everett Ross, along with new characters played by the likes of Olivia Colman, Emilia Clarke, Kinglsey Ben-Adir and more.

We certainly can’t wait to see Carol Danvers meet these newer Marvel ladies and reunite with Nick Fury. Teyonah Parris was revealed as the all-grown up daughter of Carol’s best friend Maria Rambeau, Monica, who was featured as a kid in Captain Marvel, and then appeared in WandaVision. By the end of her arc on the Disney+ series, she was set up to be meeting Carol. 

On the other hand, Iman Vellani was established as Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel in her series Ms. Marvel. The end-credits scene showed Captain Marvel ending up in Kamala Khan’s room through mysterious circumstances. We can’t wait for this mega teamup come July 28, 2023. 

It’s not a big-budget Marvel movie without insane action scenes and cool visual effects. One of 2023’s most anticipated films, The Marvels will be no different as the film focuses on the dynamic between Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan for the first time. While Imani Vellani and Teyonah Parris are new to the game, Brie Larson has experienced different stunts across multiple Marvel properties. But one area that might be a point of contention is wire-based stunts. Larson and Parris finally explained wire work in Marvel movies understandably.

The two MCU stars were candid about performing wired stunts as they spoke with EW during D23. Parris opened up that her training while filming WandaVision. She recalled working out twice a day, five days a week to play Monica Rambeau. The actress admitted she wasn’t physically or mentally prepared for the rigors of becoming a superhero. While getting into top form was fun, she revealed nothing prepared her for all the stunts associated with the big-budget Marvel sequel.

Being suspended in the air for hours requires mental and physical fortitude. Parris didn’t do much wire work in WandaVision until the final episodes. I mean, relying on your core muscles can be strenuous, which Parris found out the hard way. So, having to do so for The Marvels was a drastic change for her.

Director Nia DaCosta interjected she would give direction to the stars, only to get sour expressions. Brie Larson explained why the actresses may not have been happy campers harnessed and strapped in 50 feet in the air.

I can see where performing a stunt while hanging against a greenscreen is already demanding enough. Then, Larson and co. have to recite lines and try not to fly into each other. So, if they catch an attitude, it’s nothing personal. After the Captain Marvel star said her peace, DaCosta explained how the Oscar winner educated her on how much concentration is needed for wire work.

Of course, as the director, DaCosta still wants the talent to perform to the best of their ability. But she did gain a sense of understanding once Larson filled her in. The Candyman filmmaker still needed the actresses to give their all to get the shot. Larson gave a bit more insight into the misconception about performing wired stunts in big blockbusters.

The Fast X star was realistic about performing stunts and saying lines while hanging in the air. As Larson pointed out, they don’t want to be seen as complainers and stick it out. After Larson explained the discomfort of wire work, Ms. Marvel star Iman Vellani had a positive spin on wire stunts saying, “I think it’s fun.” Her Marvels co-stars chimed in to agree with her despite their grievances. It appeared the actresses have formed a powerful dynamic offscreen as seen in Larson's sweet tribute to her co-stars.

Fans will get to see how the wired stunts turned out when The Marvels hits theaters on July 28, 2023. The Captain Marvel sequel is part of the slate of upcoming Marvel movies, including Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which arrives in theaters on November 11. In the meantime, check out CinemaBlend’s 2022 movie schedule to see what upcoming films are still coming this year.

When The Marvels comes out next year it will be the most female forward MCU movies to date. Not only will it star Brie Larson in her return as Captain Marvel but it will co-star two other superpowered women, and be directed by Nia DaCosta. DaCosta herself is most excited about the new film because it will give her something she’s wanted more of ever since being teased by all the strong women in Avengers: Endgame. More of that.

In the climactic battle of one of the most successful movies ever made, Avengers: Endgame gives us a scene that shows just how many great female characters the MCU actually has. While Captain Marvel is trying to protect the Infinity Gauntlet, she is, in turn, protected by just about every woman to have a significant appearance in the MCU (and still be alive, sorry Black Widow). Speaking with EW, DaCosta says she loved that moment. Her only problem was that it didn’t last long enough. She explained… 

The scene of Marvel female empowerment saw many different reactions when it appeared in Avengers: Endgame. Some felt it was too little too late, with the scene not really being justified based on the way Marvel had treated female characters up to that point, and Marvel seemingly looking to get credit for the scene without putting the work in to earn it. Many, however, seemed to at least appreciate the sentiment behind the moment, but like DaCosta, wished there had just been more of it.

The Marvels will likely go some distance to fixing that general issue, as it will include three major female heroes, in Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers. Iman Vellari’s Ms. Marvel, and Monica Rambeau as played by Teyonah Parris. While we’ve only had the briefest indication how the characters will come together, via mid and end credits scenes in both WandaVision and Ms. Marvel. 

Technically, The Marvels will mark Nia DaCosta's return to the director's chair for Marvel, as she already directed Brie Larson and Iman Vellari for the Worlds of Marvel show on the Disney Wish cruise ship. We'll have to wait some time for The Marvels to continue the story for these characters, as it won't be out until next summer. For many fans who are looking for this sort of representation, it will hopefully be worth the wait. 

Marvel Studios pulled out all the stops for their D23 Expo 2022 Showcase! Watch our interviews with the stars of the MCU including Brie Larson, Iman Vellani, Teyona Parris, and Nia DaCosta of “The Marvels,” Tenoch Huerta of “Wakanda Forever,” Don Cheadle of “Secret Invasion,” David Harbour of “Thunderbolts,” Charlie Cox of “Daredevil: Born Again,” Gael García Bernal, Michael Giacchino, and Laura Donnelly of “Werewolf by Night” and Director Julius Onah of “Captain America: New World Order.” Are you ready for the next stage of the MCU?

Video Chapters

0:00 Intro - Brie Larson reacts to Fan Theories
0:25 Brie Larson shares what she’s excited for fans to see in “The Marvels”
0:54 Teyona Parris and Director Nia DaCosta talk about playing with Monica’s powers
2:29 Iman Vellani praises Nia DaCosta, and reflects on Kamala’s journey
3:10 Tenoch Huerta explains the pressure of injecting culture into his character, and how the Marvel team helped his performance
3:52 Will David Harbour have to put weight back on for Red Guardian? He teases what’s next.
4:48 Charlie Cox reflects on a time when he thought he’d never be Daredevil again
5:18 Don Cheadle on being “surprised” by Marvel and “Secret Invasion”
5:57 Director Julius Onah shares why Sam Wilson embodies what Captain America stands for
6:45 Michael Giacchino and Laura Donnelly discuss how “Werewolf by Night” may surprise fans
7:38 Gael García Bernal talks about  possibly sharing the screen with Moon Knight for a future beatdown

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has put together an incredible roster of stars in front of the camera, but it’s also attracted its share of top tier talent behind the camera as well. Nia DaCosta is the latest director that has been turning heads to find herself helming a Marvel movie, but it turns out DaCosta’s Marvel debut is not Brie Larson-led The Marvels, but instead Worlds of Marvel.

Worlds of Marvel is a themed dinner experience on board the new Disney Wish cruise ship that brings together several characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe like Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly as Ant-Man and the Wasp. It also gives us the return of Sam Wilson as the new Captain America. However, production was an even more star studded affair, as Nia DaCosta directed The Marvels co-stars Brie Larson and Ms. Marvel Iman Vellani for the first time in Worlds of Marvel before they all went on to film the Captain Marvel sequel.

I've been lucky enough to be part of the Disney Wish Christening Cruise and while I haven't been able to drink $5,000 cocktails, I did have the opportunity to speak with Walt Disney Imagineering’s Senior Creative Director Danny Handke, who led the Worlds of Marvel project. He told me that they were able to get Nia DaCosta to direct part of the dinner show, and so it was there that two stars of The Marvels, and its director, worked together for the first time. Handke explained…

Technically, the Marvel universe inside the theme parks, or in this case the cruise ships, isn’t actually the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s a different part of the multiverse of Marvel. However, whenever possible the team at Walt Disney Imagineering uses the pieces of the MCU to tell their own stories, both in front of the camera and behind it.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen big name Marvel directors handling themed entertainment projects. The Guardians of the Galaxy are now part of a pair of two theme park attractions, and franchise director James Gunn helmed the shooting of the filmed sequences for both Epcot’s Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Disney California Adventure’s Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: Breakout. 

It’s cool to learn that Nia DaCosta directed Brie Larson and Iman Vellani here. We haven’t seen anything from The Marvels yet, we've only been teased by DaCosta what The Marvels will be, so those that get a chance to visit the Disney Wish in the coming months will essentially be getting a preview of what is to come based on how they were directed here. 

As somebody who got to have the Worlds of Marvel experience while on board, I can say that fans of Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, or just plain Marvel, are going to really like what they see (and eat) on board. 

You may have seen more horror movies directed by women than you even realize. While many of the best horror movies are anchored by a great lead performance from a female actor – such as Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween or Neve Campbell in Scream – female horror movie directors have rarely received the credit they deserve over the years, with “horror auteur” more often attributed to men like John Carpenter or the late Wes Craven.

Luckily, as female filmmakers have become more prevalent and acclaimed in the industry, so have female horror auteurs, such as Coralie Fargeat, whose latest film, The Substance, is being called one of 2024’s best movies. In that regard, let’s begin our celebration of the most esteemed macabre masterpieces by the most talented horror movie Scream Queens from behind the camera by revisiting the French director’s feature debut.

Revenge (2018)

Director: Coralie Fargeat

Starring: Matilda Lutz, Kevin Janssens

What it’s about: A young woman sets out to violently retaliate against her married boyfriend and his hunting buddies after they leave her for dead in the Moroccan desert.

Why it is one of the best horror movies from a female director: The aptly titled Revenge (also available with a Shudder subscription) is easily one of the best revenge movies in recent memory for Coralie Fargeat’s brilliantly unique use of the wild thriller’s subtextual themes.

How to watch Revenge

• Stream Revenge on Amazon with AMC+ add-on
• Buy Revenge on Blu-ray on Amazon

American Psycho (2000)

Director: Mary Harron

Starring: Christian Bale, Chloë Sevigny

What it’s about: A successful yuppie begins to succumb to his homicidal tendencies in 1980s Manhattan.

Why it is one of the best horror movies from a female director: Mary Harron brings a distinctly cheeky and endlessly fascinating flavor to her brutal adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ novel, American Psycho, which is an indictment on toxic masculinity way ahead of its time.

How to watch American Psycho

• Stream American Psycho on Netflix
• Rent or buy American Psycho on Amazon
• Buy American Psycho on Blu-ray on Amazon

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)

Director: Halina Reijn

Starring: Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova

What it’s about: A group of twenty-somethings try to figure out who among them is a murderer when one of them mysteriously turns up dead.

Why it is one of the best horror movies from a female director: With her second directorial effort, Bodies Bodies Bodies, Halina Reijn turned out one of the best A24 horror movies for its bold Gen-Z satire and clever whodunnit reinventions.

How to watch Bodies Bodies Bodies

• Stream Bodies Bodies Bodies on Paramount+ with Showtime add-on
• Rent or buy Bodies Bodies Bodies on Amazon
• Buy Bodies Bodies Bodies on Blu-ray on Amazon

Huesera: The Bone Woman (2022)

Director: Michelle Garza Cervera

Starring: Natalia Solián, Alfonso Dosal

What it’s about: A woman’s dream of getting pregnant comes true, only to curdle into an inexplicable nightmare.

Why it is one of the best horror movies from a female director: Michelle Garza Cervera (who also co-writes) mixes a real Mexican folklore legend with profound themes of parenthood and sexual identity to craft her intense Spanish-language thriller, Huesera: The Bone Woman.

How to watch Huesera: The Bone Woman

• Stream Huesera: The Bone Woman on AMC+
• Rent of buy Huesera: The Bone Woman on Amazon

The Slumber Party Massacre (1982)

Director: Amy Holden Jones

Starring: Michelle Michaels, Robin Stille

What it’s about: A group of high school girls stalked by a power-drill wielding, escaped maniac during a suburban sleepover.

Why it is one of the best horror movies from a female director: Based on the title alone, The Slumber Party Massacre sounds like just another trashy B-movie, but is lauded today as one of the greatest ‘80s slasher movies for Amy Holden Jones’ commentary on female representation in the horror genre at the time.

How to watch The Slumber Party Massacre

• Stream The Slumber Party Massacre on Amazon Prime
• Buy The Slumber Party Massacre on Blu-ray on Amazon

The Babadook (2014)

Director: Jennifer Kent

Starring: Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman

What it’s about: A widowed single mother suspects that a character from her son’s pop-up book is real and poses a dangerous threat to them.

Why it is one of the best horror movies from a female director: Australian writer and director Jennifer Kent’s bleak, relentlessly unnerving feature-length debut, The Babadook, is one of the best horror movies to address grief, as metaphorically represented by its ominous, titular villain.

How to watch The Babadook

• Stream The Babadook on Netflix
• Rent or buy The Babadook on Amazon
• Buy The Babadook on Blu-ray on Amazon

Jennifer’s Body (2009)

Director: Karyn Kusama

Starring: Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried

What it’s about: A meek high school student discovers that a satanic ritual turned her popular best friend into a man-eating succubus.

Why it is one of the best horror movies from a female director: Another horror flick with overlooked nuanced commentary is director Karyn Kusama and Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody’s Jennifer’s Body – one of the best Megan Fox movies for its poignant analysis of teen sexualization and demonizing social politics in high school.

How to watch Jennifer’s Body

• Stream Jennifer’s Body on Hulu
• Stream Jennifer’s Body on Peacock
• Stream Jennifer’s Body on Paramount+
• Rent or buy Jennifer’s Body on Amazon
• Buy Jennifer’s Body on Blu-ray on Amazon

The Invitation (2015)

Director: Karyn Kusama

Starring: Logan Marshall-Green, Emayatzy Corinealdi

What it’s about: While attending a dinner party hosted by his ex-wife and her new boyfriend, a man begins to have haunting suspicions of the gathering’s true purpose.

Why it is one of the best horror movies from a female director: A more disturbing and earnest thriller from director Karyn Kusama is The Invitation – a masterpiece of slow-burn horror that keeps the tension high all the way to its gut-punch ending.

How to watch The Invitation

• Stream The Invitation on Amazon Prime
• Stream The Invitation on Tubi
• Buy The Invitation on Blu-ray on Amazon

XX (2017)

Director: Jovanka Vuckovic, Annie Clark, Roxanne Benjamin, Karyn Kusama

Starring: Natalie Brown, Melanie Lynskey

What it’s about: A couple grows concerned when their son refuses to eat, a woman tries to hide her husband’s corpse on the day of her daughter’s birthday, and other strange and scary tales.

Why it is one of the best horror movies from a female director: Karyn Kusama also wrote and directed "Her Only Living Son" from XX – the horror anthology movie exclusively featuring segments helmed by women, including Jovanka Vucokovic’s "The Box), Roxanne Benjamin’s "Don't Fall", and Annie “St. Vincent” Clark’s "The Birthday Cake."

How to watch XX

• Stream XX on Tubi
• Rent or buy XX on Amazon
• Buy XX on Blu-ray on Amazon

Saint Maud (2020)

Director: Rose Glass

Starring: Morfydd Clark, Jennifer Ehle

What it’s about: A Welsh former nurse and devout Catholic believes God has chosen her to rescue a terminally ill dancer from damnation.

Why it is one of the best horror movies from a female director: Rose Glass (who later made another great A24 movie with Love Lies Bleeding) brilliantly toys with your expectations of whether or not our titular hero is truly the saint she strives to be until the startling final moment of one of the best horror movies on Amazon Prime, Saint Maud.

How to watch Saint Maud

• Stream Saint Maud on Amazon Prime
• Buy Saint Maud on Blu-ray on Amazon

Candyman (2021)

Director: Nia DaCosta

Starring: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris

What it’s about: A Chicago-based artist becomes dangerously obsessed with an infamous urban legend.

Why it is one of the best horror movies from a female director: Much like the 1992 Clive Barker adaptation of the same name that proceeds it, Candyman is a profound example of the powerful social commentary that horror is capable of, thanks in part to the entrancing visual style of director Nia DaCosta.

How to watch Candyman

• Stream Candyman on Freevee through Amazon
• Buy Candyman on Blu-ray on Amazon

Fresh (2022)

Director: Mimi Cave

Starring: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Sebastian Stan

What it’s about: A woman thinks she has finally found the man of her dreams, until his true intentions for her are revealed.

Why it is one of the best horror movies from a female director: One of the best horror movies on Hulu is Fresh – writer Lauryn Kahn’s brilliant modern dating commentary that Mimi Cave makes into a dazzling, intense, and even surprisingly tasteful visual feast once it evolves into a nightmare.

How to watch Fresh

• Stream Fresh on Hulu

Raw (2016)

Director: Julia Ducournau

Starring: Garance Marillier, Ella Rumpf

What it’s about: A veterinary student’s strictly vegetarian diet is challenged when she begins to develop a strange, new appetite.

Why it is one of the best horror movies from a female director: If you enjoyed Fresh, but were hoping for something a little less reserved in its graphic nature, try Raw – French filmmaker Julia Ducournau’s feature-length debut, which proved she is a master of the surreal.

How to watch Raw

• Buy Raw on Blu-ray on Amazon

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night (2014)

Director: Ana Lily Amirpour

Starring: Arash Marandi, Sheila Vand

What it’s about: A romance begins to blossom between an emotionally troubled young man and a mysterious woman hiding an unusual and deadly secret in a small, Iranian town.

Why it is one of the best horror movies from a female director: Shot in black and white, Ana Lily Amirpour’s feature-length debut from 2014, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, is one of the most unique vampire movies ever made, for its amusing contrast between its quiet tone and grounded story elements with startling instances of classic horror elements.

How to watch A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

• Rent or buy A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night on Amazon
• Buy A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night on Blu-ray on Amazon

Near Dark (1987)

Director: Kathryn Bigelow

Starring: Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright

What it’s about: A troubled man from a small town crosses paths with a beautiful woman who belongs to a traveling group of bloodsuckers.

Why it is one of the best horror movies from a female director: If you enjoyed A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night but were hoping for something a bit bloodier and more action-packed, try Near Dark – the wild, punk rock vampire tale that put Kathryn Bigelow on the map years before she became the first woman to win the Best Director Oscar for The Hurt Locker.

How to watch Near Dark

• Buy Near Dark on DVD on Amazon

Pet Sematary (1989)

Director: Mary Lambert

Starring: Dale Midkiff, Fred Gwynne

What it’s about: A doctor and family man is seduced by the death-defying power of a Native American burial ground close to his new home.

Why it is one of the best horror movies from a female director: Following a career mostly in directing music videos, Mary Lambert made her feature debut with the 1989 adaptation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary, which is considered one of the best films based on the author’s work, for its strong take on themes of grief and even its campy moments.

How to watch Pet Sematary

• Rent or buy Pet Sematary on Amazon
• Buy Pet Sematary on Blu-ray on Amazon

The Fear Street Trilogy (2021)

Director: Leigh Janiak

Starring: Kiana Madeira, Sadie Sink

What it’s about: A group of teens race against time to uncover the dark secrets plaguing their town in order to break a deadly curse.

Why it is one of the best horror movies from a female director: Leigh Janiak’s triple feature loosely inspired by Goosebumps author R.L. Stine’s young adult series, Fear Street, makes up some of the best horror movies on Netflix, by spanning different time periods and styles of classic horror filmmaking in a thoroughly entertaining fashion.

How to watch the Fear Street trilogy

• Stream the Fear Street trilogy on Netflix

With how many strong thrillers focus heavily on female characters (whether it is from the perspective of a heroic Scream Queen or a female horror villain), women have a special – if not better – understanding of the genre than even some of the greatest male horror filmmakers ever. So it really should come as no surprise that women were at the helm of so many classic favorites and recent hidden gems.

We’re currently knee-deep into Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with the franchise expanding on both the small and silver screens. One of the highly anticipated projects currently in the works is Nia DaCosta’s The Marvels, which will unite Captain Marvel with two more heroes. And DaCosta recently spoke to balancing Brie Larson’s screen time with her new teammates.

The Marvels will serve as the sequel to Captain Marvel, and therefore features Brie Larson in the leading role. But she’ll be joined by WandaVision’s Monica Rambeau and Kamala Khan/ Ms. Marvel. Director Nia DaCosta was asked about what it’s like to balance this trio of female heroes, saying:

Well, I’m intrigued. It definitely sounds like The Marvels will be more of an ensemble project, and will help flesh out all three characters. And luckily Nia DaCosta methodically mapped out the best way to service each of those Marvel comics icons.

Nia DaCosta’s comments to Inverse show what care and specificity the Candyman director is bringing to her MCU debut, The Marvels. It’s definitely trickier than a more traditional sequel, which would still give Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel the spotlight. This time focus is being shared, and I can’t wait to see how the trio of superpowered ladies ultimately interact with each other in the mysterious project.

While audiences haven’t met Ms. Marvel since her Disney+ series hasn’t premiered, there’s definitely an investment in the other two heroes from The Marvels. Carol Danvers and Monica Rambeu share a history, as we saw in the first Captain Marvel movie. Adult Monica debuted in WandaVision played by Teyonah Parris, and fans have been curious to see her reunite with Carol. What exactly is their relationship like nowadays?

Information about The Marvels is very limited, but the cast has been getting in shape, and already praising the work of filmmaker Nia DaCosta. There’s no telling where the story might go, but smart money says it’s going to be a cosmic story. There’s so much of Captain Marvel’s history that remains a mystery to the fandom, so hopefully this will help peel back some of those layers.

The Marvels is currently expected to arrive in theaters on February 17th, 2023. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a sensation, both on TV and the big screen. Phase Four is currently underway, and there are some highly anticipated projects in the works including Nia Dacosta’s The Marvels. And DaCosta recently explained why she sometimes blames Captain America for Thanos' infamous snap that wiped out half the galaxy.

Nia DaCosta recently made a splash with the new Candyman, and moviegoers can’t wait to see what she brings to the MCU with The Marvels. The Captain Marvel sequel will pair Brie Larson’s character with two more heroes-- neither of which are Captain America. DaCosta recently spoke about how she jokingly blames Cap for The Snap, explaining her point of view with:

I mean, she’s not wrong. Thanos wouldn’t have been able to wipe out half of all life if he hadn’t procured the Mind Stone from Vision in Avengers: Infinity War. Captain America and company decided to protect their fellow Avenger, while his sacrifice would have stopped the Mad Titan’s quest for mass genocide. 

Nia DaCosta’s comments to Inverse offer a hot take for the contents of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Thanos’ snap in Avengers: Infinity War wiped out half of all life, and it’s something that will influence every future installment in the franchise. Luckily it was able to be reversed, but the world was forever changed in-universe.

Later in her same interview, Nia DaCosta went on to explain her hot take about Captain America and The Snap. It seems like an exercise in storytelling, with the director-writer examining how heroes and anti-heroes are painted in movies. The Marvels’ director went on,

Touche. It should be fun to see how Nia DaCosta’s unique perspective ultimately translates into her work on The Marvels. She’ll be balancing a trio of heroes, as well as the introduction of new villains. It’s currently unclear who those antagonists will be, but seemingly DaCosta is invested in their stories.

The Marvels is currently expected to arrive in theaters on February 17th, 2023, after being delayed in Disney’s release date shake-up. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

CinemaBlend participates in affiliate programs with various companies. We may earn a commission when you click on or make purchases via links.

If you haven’t had the time (or nerves) to catch Nia DaCosta’s long-awaited Candyman -- the direct sequel to the 1992 supernatural horror film -- in the theaters for one reason or another, don’t feel all that bad as the movie is now available to watch at home via early access. The 2021 slasher film starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, and Tony Todd has already made a killing at the box office since its August 2021 debut, and now you can watch it for yourself from the comfort (and safety from evil spirits) of your own home. But before you go into your bathroom and say his name five times, here's everything you need to know about how to watch Candyman streaming.

Where To Watch Candyman (2021) Streaming

Okay, if you’re planning to watch Candyman on your next movie night, there are a couple of things you need to know before you check out one of the best horror movies of the year. At this time, you can catch the movie on Amazon through the early access option which gives people the opportunity to watch movies not long after they begin their theatrical run. Once you purchase the $19.99 rental through Amazon, you have 30 days to start watching Candyman and 48 hours to finish from the moment you start the movie. This two-day window gives you plenty of time if you want to watch Candyman streaming multiple times or if it’s just too much to watch in one sitting.

Rent Candyman on VOD on Amazon. 

Rent Candyman on VOD on Vudu.

Will Candyman Be On Netflix?

Over the past decade or so, Netflix has become synonymous with streaming. However, this doesn’t mean that every movie will land on the streaming giant for one reason or another. At this time, it doesn’t look like you’ll be able to see the Candyman cast in action on Netflix, but you may eventually be able to watch it on HBO Max at some point following its theatrical run due to Universal Pictures’ soon-to-expire deal with HBO. All Universal movies scheduled for release in 2022 and beyond will end up on the Peacock streaming service.

How To Watch The Original Candyman Streaming

If you haven’t seen the original 1992 Candyman or haven’t watched it since an elementary school slumber party where you tested your young bravery in a friend’s bathroom mirror, fear not as the classic slasher is currently streaming. This creates the perfect situation for someone who wants to have a fun and terrifying double-feature as we enter the fall and Halloween movie season.

Stream Candyman on Tubi.

Rent/buy Candyman on Amazon.

Well, this should be more than enough to get you on your way to watch Candyman on VOD. After checking it out, don't forget to take a look at our list of upcoming horror movies to see what other thrills and chills are coming to a theater or streaming service near you.

CinemaBlend participates in affiliate programs with various companies. We may earn a commission when you click on or make purchases via links.

Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is currently in full swing, both on the silver and small screens. Following Shang-Chi’s record-breaking performance, all eyes are on the future installments of the beloved franchise. This includes Nia DaCosta’s The Marvels, although the Candyman filmmaker recently revealed her alternate pitches to the studio. And I’ve definitely got a case of FOMO.

Anticipation for Captain Marvel’s sequel began rising as a result of Nia DaCosta’s involvement as director. But it turns out that she had a few other pitches in mind when meeting with Marvel Studios. DaCosta recently named some of the other ideas she had, as she put it:

Well, color me intrigued. It looks like Nia DaCosta wants to see members of the X-Men in the Marvel Cinematic Universe just like the rest of us. While it remains to be see if/when mutants will show up, fans will be treated to Nia DaCosta’s acclaimed filmmaking talents in The Marvels.

Nia DaCosta’s comments to The Guardian are sure to excite hardcore Marvel fans out there. As the MCU became a sensation, it was noticeable that characters like the X-Men and Fantastic Four were missing. Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox has the potential to change this, but the timing is unclear. For DaCosta’s part, she’ll be working with a trio of heroes in The Marvels.

The MCU has found its streaming home on Disney+. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

More moviegoers were able to see Nia DaCosta’s work in Candyman, making history as the first #1 movie helmed by a Black woman. The Marvels will see her once again work with Teyonah Parris, who is reprising her WandaVision role as Monica Rambeau. Fans are also eager to see Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel return to the big screen as well as the inclusion of Kamala Khan/ Ms. Marvel.

Depending on how The Marvels performs, perhaps Nia DaCosta will get the chance to work on another one of her MCU pitches sometime in the future. The studio is keeping its cards close to the chest regarding its X-Men and Fantastic Four plans. But with a number of mysterious movies hitting theaters from 2023-2024, perhaps we could see those two beloved teams of heroes finally appear. Fingers crossed.

The Marvels is currently expected to arrive in theaters on November 11th, 2022. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

Horror icons never die. That's basically the premise of most horror movies, and especially their sequels. In recent years, with attempted reboots of everything from Friday the 13th to A Nightmare on Elm Street, we've seen popular film characters return from the dead again and again. While Candyman might not be among the absolute titans of horror when it comes to popularity, the character built a franchise of his own. Now, just like the rest, he's back to terrorize once more.

So is the new Candyman from director Nia DaCosta a worthy next chapter in this legacy? Most critics say yes, but at the end of the day, it's the fans that really matter, especially now when ticket sales are so vitally important for theatrical releases. Here's what the fans really think of the new Candyman.

Candyman is Good, But Maybe Not That Scary?

At the end of the day, when most people go to see a horror movie, they want to be scared. They want to see things that would terrify them in reality, but from the safety of a movie theater. If you're deathly afraid of bees, then Candyman probably scared the hell out of you back in the day. And there are certainly some fans who think this new installment is going to be keeping them awake at night for some time to come.

However, not everybody agrees that Candyman is as terrifying as they might have wanted it to be. While there seems to be strong support for the movie as a whole, there are actually many who say it just wasn't that scary. Many of the other elements of great horror movies are there, to be sure. Horror is also often a place for social commentary, and Candyman seems to clearly have that, according to many fans. But ultimately, the success of those other elements may have been at the expense of the scares.

Of course, not everybody is going to be in complete agreement, and there are certainly those who think the scares weren't the only thing that was lacking. Some are of the opinion that the whole just doesn't quite equal the sum of its parts, with some elements that work and others that don't. So the complete film ends up feeling a bit disjointed.

There may be a few things about Candyman that don't work, but there's little argument that one elements works perfectly.

Everybody Loves Nia DaCosta

Nia DaCosta directed and co-wrote Candyman, and there is a lot of love for DaCosta from those who have seen it. Calling a horror movie "beautiful" is not something you often hear, but that's what's happening with Candyman. Fans of the franchise who may not have been familiar with the director previously are singing her praises.

Singing her praises is seen as very important. In the lead up to Candyman's release, Jordan Peele's name was used a lot to promote Candyman. He did co-write the film, but he's also a more "bankable" name than DaCosta, which meant she tended to get overlooked. Now people want to make sure that Nia DaCosta gets the credit she deserves for the film that she made. People may be afraid to say Candyman's name in a mirror, but many have been saying Nia DaCosta's name in the last week.

Clearly Nia DaCosta is an accomplished director in her own right, and a lot more people now recognize that. And that means people are that much more excited for whatever it is she's doing next. Hey, what is she doing next?

Fans Are Already Looking Forward To Nia DaCosta's Next Project

For better or worse, it's blockbusters that still make Hollywood go round, more specifically superhero movies. Long before Nia DaCosta's Candyman was seen by the public, she had already been confirmed as the director of The Marvels, the Captain Marvel follow-up film that will actually co-star Candyman's Teyonah Paris. If you thought these two worked well together in Candyman, who knows what they'll be able to do when Paris has superpowers.

On the one hand, it could be seen as something of a backhanded compliment that some who saw Candyman are already looking toward the next movie, another big budget superhero blockbuster, and not giving this smaller film enough time to shine. At the same time, there was clearly something about Candyman that struck people that makes them want to see this next franchise entry in the MCU. Few, if any people are saying they're now less interested in seeing The Marvels after seeing Candyman.

On the whole, folks seem to like Candyman. It's too soon to tell whether this reboot will spawn its own sequels, but it was the number one grossing movie on its opening weekend, and even under the circumstances, that's saying something.

It's a good time to be a horror fan, as the genre has been experiencing a thrilling renaissance for a number of years. Due to this, a number of beloved properties have returned to theaters like Halloween and Child's Play. The latest of these projects is Nia DaCosta's Candyman, which made history as the first #1 movie directed by a Black woman. And Candyman stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II And Teyonah Parris both took to social media to celebrate this occasion, and thank the fans.

This new chapter in the Candyman franchise is a spiritual sequel to the original 1992 classic. The cast and crew is filled with all-star Black talent, including recent Emmy winner Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. And in response to the new movie making history thanks to director Nia DaCosta, Abdul-Mateen took the time to thank everyone who went out to theaters. Check out his sweet message of appreciation below,

What a class act. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II seems thrilled over the success of Candyman, especially during these unprecedented times. And he seemingly wants to tip his hat to both Nia DaCosta and the many film lovers who went out to theaters last weekend to see this new take on Candyman.

The above video comes to us from Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's personal Instagram account. He's fairly active on social media, using it to communicate directly with the public about projects like Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. And while he might be busy filming in the DCEU, he's still psyched about how well Candyman did in theaters. This is especially true since the movie was delayed last year as a result of the pandemic. His caption for the video also shows his appreciation, as it reads:

Of course, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II wasn't the only member of the Candyman cast who is celebrating the movie's success. WandaVision actress Teyonah Parris also posted her excitement on social media, including a video from the set with co-star Colman Domingo. Check it out below:

While Candyman might have been a chilling and serious movie, clearly there was some fun had on Nia DaCosta's set. And just like Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris seems similarly thrilled about the success of their new horror flick. The movie topping the box office is what prompted Parris to share the delightful video from two years ago.

As previously mentioned, Candyman made history as the first #1 movie to be helmed by a Black woman. And since the horror movie was made a on a relatively modest budget, this box office draw helps to make the movie an even bigger success. Following this success, Nia DaCosta is diving into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with The Marvels-- also starring Teyonah Parris.

Candyman is in theaters now. Be sure to check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

CinemaBlend participates in affiliate programs with various companies. We may earn a commission when you click on or make purchases via links.

Things finally seem to be up and running on The Marvels -- the sequel to 2019’s Captain Marvel, which saw Brie Larson play the titular character. The sequel’s title was formally announced earlier this year, and principal photography began earlier this month in London. As per usual, Marvel is keeping things closed off, but images (both on and off set) always seem to surface. Recent photos showed some of the film’s stars living it up in London and, interestingly enough, a familiar face was also present.

As of right now, the public knows Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris and Iman Vellani will be headlining the film as Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau (Photon?) and Ms. Marvel, respectively. It would also seem that Samuel L. Jackson is set to return to the fold as Nick Fury. Recent photos (via Captain Marvel NEWS on Twitter) captured Parris and director Nia DaCosta grabbing a bite to eat in London, and they were surprisingly joined by none other than Lashana Lynch.

MCU fans will likely remember that Lashana Lynch played the role of Maria Rambeau, the mother of Teyonah Parris’ Monica in the original Captain Marvel film. The older Rambeau was the best friend of Carol Danvers and ultimately assisted the superhero and Nick Fury in their battle against the Kree.

Lashana Lynch’s presence is somewhat unexpected given what we learned in WandaVision. That series established that Maria, who went on to help found S.W.O.R.D., battled cancer in her later years. And by the time Monica was restored following the Blip, Maria had passed away. You can check out WandaVision and Captain Marvel by streaming them on Disney+, which you can sign up for using this link.

While a future appearance from Lashana Lynch’s Maria Rambeau isn’t a sure thing at the moment, it seems very possible, considering that Lynch just happened to be hanging out with some of the cast and crew in the UK. So how could she return to the fold if her return will indeed happen?

Resurrections aren’t uncommon in the MCU, but that’s probably not the case for Maria. If anything, she would most likely be integrated into The Marvels through a flashback. Such a scene could depict a tender moment between Rambeau and her daughter. However, I personally think it would be even more moving to see a scene between an ailing Monica and Carol Danvers, who could very well have been checking in on her friend while Monica was “indisposed” for those few years.

Regardless of how the film could utilize her, though, it would just be great to see Lashana Lynch return to the MCU. Lynch has proven to be a strong performer with serious screen presence. One needn’t look any further than early No Time to Die footage to figure that out. All in all, her inclusion in The Marvels would only add to what is shaping up to be an exciting film.

The Marvels is set to be released in theaters on November 11, 2022.

Spoilers ahead for the new Candyman! Check out the new horror movie if you don’t want some plot points revealed.

The horror genre has been thriving for a number of years, with some beloved properties returning to theaters as a result. The latest example of this is Nia DaCosta’s Candyman movie, which arrives in theaters this weekend. Original star Vanessa Estelle Williams is reprising her role in this new installment, and recently explained how DaCosta helped her prepare for the sequel.

For horror fans, actress Vanessa Estelle Williams is synonymous with her iconic role as Anne-Marie McCoy in the original 1992 Candyman. The first trailer for Nia DaCosta’s movie revealed she’d be back, with the theatrical cut featuring a brief but pivotal role. I had the privilege of speaking with Williams ahead of Candyman’s release, where she explained how she was able to embody Anne-Marie after all these years. As she mentions in the video above,

Well, there you have it. While stepping back into a role decades later is certainly a unique acting experience, it seems that Vanessa Estelle Williams felt supported and connected with director Nia DaCosta. And just like that, Anne-Marie McCoy came back to life-- to the joy of those hardcore Candyman fans out there.

Vanessa Estelle Williams’ comments about Candyman show how much her most iconic role truly means to the actress. That heart was definitely brought to her performance in both films, despite not being the leading character in either project. And her inclusion in the new chapter was definitely a selling point for any naysayers.

In her comments, Vanessa Estelle Williams spoke about how she was able to collaborate with Nia DaCosta about the decades between her character’s two appearances. She specifically referenced Anne-Marie’s ability to move up in the world and protect her son Anthony. Her baby’s fate was a major plot point for the original movie, and that connection to Nia DaCosta’s sequel helps to tie the stories together.

Candyman is in theaters now, complete with the performance by Vanessa Estelle Williams. Be sure to check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

It’s not been your average summer box office season, to say the least, but one thing has continued to ring true: it’s a good time to be a horror movie. A Quiet Place: Part II helped open up the box office up again with a huge debut in May, and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It made some great money in June even with the day-and-date streaming option. As we look the now-released Candyman, it seems to have an eventful weekend ahead.

Candyman is the long-awaited “spiritual sequel” to the 1992 movie of the same name, which stars Watchmen’s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, WandaVision’s Teyonah Parris and Zola’s Colman Domingo. Coming off the film’s overwhelmingly positive reviews, it's time for the horror movie to brave the box office. Per its Thursday night opening results, it pulled in $1.9 million domestically in 2,750 theaters at screenings beginning at 7 pm. So quite a few people have already said Candyman’s name in a theatrical setting.

Deadline shared the number as the movie heads into its first weekend and it could reportedly signal that Candyman is about to perform over projections. The movie produced by Jordan Peele and directed by Nia DaCosta has been expected to make a modest $15 million on opening weekend, but the $1.9 million is an early sign that it could surpass expectations and become this weekend’s No. 1. Box Office Mojo, for example, has Candyman topping the charts with a $20 million forecast.

It helps that Candyman is an exclusive-to-theaters release, along with being the only major new movie coming to big screens this weekend. Its main competition is Free Guy, which opened two weeks ago, retained its No. 1 spot last weekend and could benefit from the positive word of mouth out there about it. Free Guy is also an exclusive theatrical release with great reviews from critics and audiences. It sounds like Candyman’s opening weekend could be comparable to Free Guy’s $18.7 million.

An interesting tidbit that is reportedly helping certain movies succeed is a key demographic of moviegoers who are the most comfortable getting out and seeing a movie in theaters right now. Men between the ages of 17 to 34 is the big audience that are said to be driving successes as of late, which is more good news for an R-rated horror movie like Candyman.

Interestingly enough, this Thursday opening closely beats out Get Out, which made $1.8 million back in 2017 before making $33.3 million during its first weekend. Its opening night was also compared to 2016’s Don’t Breathe, which had a similar number its first Thursday before scoring $26 million.

The production budget of Candyman has not been reported, but horror movies like these are generally less expensive to make (2019’s Us, made by the same company, Monkeypaw Productions, cost $20 million). This makes a solid opening weekend a bigger success than a film like Free Guy, which was produced for a reported $100 million. Check back here on CinemaBlend to see how the weekend shook out, and see Candyman in theaters now.

SPOILERS are ahead for Nia DaCosta’s Candyman. Meet us here to stare into the fears explored in the horror film once you’ve seen it.

2021’s Candyman is one of those horror movies that has a finale that buzzes in your ears and demands to be talked about, and here we are. Now that the time has finally come for us to see Nia DaCosta and Jordan Peele’s horror vision for the iconic franchise, there’s a lot to reflect on regarding what the heck just happened during the Candyman ending.

It’s been 22 years since the last appearance of Candyman in a film and this version goes back to the original story to continue the tale told between Tony Todd’s Daniel Robitaille and Virginia Madsen’s Helen Lyle into a modern day continuation that also redefines who Candyman stands for. The movie centers around Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s Anthony McCoy learning about the legend of Candyman and sharing it throughout Chicago via his “Say My Name” art installation. But when murders happen as a result of summoning Candyman, some dark truths begin to come to light. Let’s get to what went down:

What Happened At The End Of Candyman

In the third act of Candyman, Anthony McCoy shares with Teyonah Parris’ Brianna Cartwright that he is afraid he has really summoned the Candyman. Brianna tries to show Anthony he is not real by attempting to say his name five times in a nearby mirror, but he angrily smashes it alongside his in-shambles art studio that features disturbing paintings of Candyman. Brianna runs back to her brother’s to tell him what happened and they decide to later go back to their place to pick up her stuff so she can stay with him for a while. When Brianna realizes that Anthony is effectively missing, she decides to do her own digging and follows the trace left behind via a pen for a laundromat near the Cabrini-Green projects Anthony was at earlier in the film to research “Say My Name.”

When Brianna gets to the laundromat, she soon gets locked in the office of Colman Domingo’s William Burke, who previously educated Anthony on the Candyman legend. William nabs Brianna and takes her to an abandoned church where Anthony is. Anthony had been stung by a bee at the beginning of the film that was becoming infected on his hand, but this scene reveals that the bite has spread to half his body. Anthony looks in a trance as William calls Brianna a “witness” and proceeds to cut off Anthony’s hand in front of her and replaces it with a hook hand. He fits him with a coat identical to Candyman’s and announces that the legend will now live on with him.

Brianna makes a desperate run for it and William follows her. Brianna finds a way to knock William down and repeatedly stabs him. Anthony comes into the room and falls into Brianna’s arms (very likely still in pain) as police sounds blare in the background. The police find them and gunshots indistinctly fire, seemingly at Anthony rather than Brianna. Brianna is then in the back of a police car being questioned by a shady police officer, who threatens that he could name her an accomplice to the Candyman crimes they’ve been following. Brianna asks him if he can turn the car mirror her way and she says “Candyman” five times. Anthony’s Candyman then appears and the police outside the car are all murdered by him. Brianna escapes and finds herself in front of a surprise appearance by the Daniel Robitaille Candyman, who ends the film with the words “Tell Everyone.”

What Is The Real Identity Of Anthony McCoy?

Candyman really starts with the scary story told by Brianna’s brother, that leads Anthony to become curious about the story of Helen Lyle. Once he meets William and learns of the Candyman story, he shares with her that he feels really “connected” to telling the folktale from the Cabrini-Green projects. As mentioned, Anthony gets stung by a bee at the torn down site of Cabrini-Green and throughout the film it continues to get worse. At the same time, Anthony is starting to see more and more visions of Candyman.

When he goes to a hospital for it on the side of town where these legends took place, he learns that he was actually born at that hospital, which he had no idea about. This leads him to finally visit his mother, played by Vanessa Williams, who fans of the original may remember had a key role in the 1992 movie. It’s then that Anthony learns that he was the baby in the first scary story at the start of the film told by Brianna’s brother. This baby was abducted by Tony Todd’s Candyman in the original Candyman with “plans” for him, but when Helen Lyle got him and returned him to his mother, she thought he’d been saved from these dark ties to Candyman. Instead, Anthony surrenders to the title, dies by the police and seems to merge to revitalize Daniel Robitaille.

Why Did William Burke Want Candyman To Live On?

Aside from Anthony learning of his identity, the ending is greatly William Burke’s doing as well. The laundromat owner has his own dark roots with Candyman, as we learn throughout the film. He is the young boy who first came across a version of Candyman prior to the events of the first Tony Todd Candyman, Daniel Robitaille, back in 1977. As he tells it, he one day met a man who came from the walls and offered him candy before the police ambushed this Candyman and apparently murdered him, even though later he was found to be an innocent man. Following his death, the Candyman legend spread, leading his older siblings to say his name in a mirror and be murdered in the other room from a young William Burke.

Colman Domingo’s William Burke is clearly traumatized by his childhood in Cabrini-Green, especially in terms of his experiences with Candyman. After all these years, he believes the violent Candyman legend to be an important part of the community because it’s a way to remind people of these violent acts against innocent Black people. He seemingly convinces Anthony of the importance of him taking the Candyman name and bring him back for real.

How The Final Moments Leave The Candyman Franchise

The end of Candyman is a full circle conclusion in many ways to the original film. The baby that Tony Todd’s Candyman had picked from his cradle reeducated the Chicago public of the legend through his “Say My Name” art installation. With Tony Todd’s appearance, Daniel Robitaille and Anthony McCoy have seemingly converged into the Candyman purpose, as an amalgamation of what this legend stands for. While it’s possible that the story could continue with Tony Todd back as the character, it feels more like the ending served as a way to complete the circle of the original and connect this Candyman with a perspective from the present day.

What did you think about the Candyman ending? Vote in the poll below.

This poll is no longer available.

Move away from all close mirrors, because it’s time to speak my praises for the original Candyman as the new version and “spiritual sequel” from Nia DaCosta and Jordan Peele hits theaters. After a round of delays, the reintroduction to one of the best horror movies of the ‘90s is here. Whether or not you’ve checked out 2021’s Candyman yet, let me talk about the best reasons why you should absolutely go out of your way to check out the original 1992 version.

For my spoiler-free thoughts on 2021’s Candyman, you can head over to my review. And quickly I’ll share that both Candyman movies are tied together in a really intriguing way without either of them necessarily needing the other for an audience to understand and enjoy it. In a lot of ways, the new Candyman reestablishes the legend in a way that rights some wrongs that are glaring at a look back at the original. That being said, let’s dive deeper into why I still highly recommend 1992’s Candyman:

Tony Todd’s Performance As The Candyman Is Incredibly Iconic

The absolute best part about Candyman is its titular monster, played by Tony Todd. You may have heard the rumors that the actor, who was 38 at the time, allowed actual bees to sit on his face during the filming of the movie and was stung 27 times over his time playing the character over three years, per THR. But it’s not just his commitment to the role that makes Candyman great. He’s a particularly frightening character because of the iconic performance Todd brought to him.

Candyman is not into theatrics, he’s a quiet and decisive character that can be called upon from anywhere, thus making him a rather inescapable character. There’s a mysticism about him as the film’s protagonist, Virginia Madsen’s Helen Lyle, learns about him and becomes haunted by his mystery as she digs into his origins around Chicago’s infamous Cabrini-Green housing projects. It’d be tough to truly appreciate this franchise and the new film without seeing firsthand what Tony Todd brings to Candyman.

Candyman Was Partially Filmed In The Historic Cabrini-Green Housing Projects

The original Candyman is also a must-watch because there’s a bit of American history in play here. The story revolves around one of the U.S’s most infamous housing projects, Cabrini-Green. If you’re not familiar with public housing projects, they were built by the government to provide housing to people who could not afford it, but in execution, it was not well-kept and greatly segregated Black U.S. residents from other communities. It’s a segment of history not necessarily told in public education, but Candyman does expose audiences to the pitfalls of the Cabrini-Green community.

It should be noted that the original Candyman was made from the POV of white filmmakers and a white protagonist, dating itself a bit whereas nowadays with the 2021 version, perhaps coming from a more constructive perspective. But in 1992, Candyman was actually partially filmed in Cabrini-Green which adds some context to the new movie, which was also filmed on that side of Chicago, but a decade after the housing project was torn down.

Candyman’s Horror Elements Hold Up Over 20 Years Later

Another element of Candyman that makes it worth the watch all this time later is how great the horror elements hold up. In my opinion, the movie is one of the most thrilling modern horror films, especially because it was doing some of the slow-burn, social commentary elements that are more popular today in the genre back in the early ‘90s. Candyman does not fall into a slasher or lean too heavily on the supernatural elements of the legend. It really leans on its performances and the great concept to frighten its viewers.

Even though the effects of today have clearly improved, Candyman employs mostly practical effects that we just don’t see a lot these days in this genre. The impressive makeup, scares, bloody moments and tension built through Philip Glass’ score is not a movie of the genre to miss.

The Ending Of Candyman Does Not Disappoint

I won’t get into it here, because I want you to watch it but man, the Candyman ending is brilliant. Again, it dates itself in some of the perspectives being put to the forefront, but writer/director Bernard Rose knew how to reach the finish line with the 1992 version. The movie tells the story from the POV of Virginia Madsen’s Helen Lyle and really gives her an incredible arc with Candyman.

It was rare at the time to see a female protagonist in horror hold her own and be more than a screaming head and Helen Lyle really has some incredible depth to her. I’d compare her to Jodie Foster’s Clarice Starling (and Silence of the Lambs came just one year before it) in a sense that she is a strong woman who comes face to face with terrors and truly faces them.

Candyman Can Spark Worthwhile Discussions That Bleeds Into The Upcoming Sequel

A great reason to watch the original Candyman if you’re also checking out the new one is to engage in the conversation regarding how the legend has shifted in its storytelling over the years. I’ve touched upon the difference in perspectives from the filmmaking point of view, but there’s more to it. Both Candyman movies display how the cultural perspective on this story has shifted from the early ‘90s to today and it’s really interesting to dissect.

The original Candyman seems to illustrate this fear surrounding the white community toward housing projects and places of poverty like the Cabrini-Green housing projects as Helen Lyle becomes part of the legend. It has a bit of his white savior narrative that makes one appreciate what Nia DaCosta and Jordan Peele do to it by bringing their own voices to the story. Overall, the Candyman franchise is really interesting and an underrated horror franchise that more of us should take time to look back and examine.

Jordan Peele has horror fans on the edge of their seats following the release of the Oscar-winning film Get Out and 2019’s Us. The next movie from the comedian-turned-filmmaker, Candyman, is coming out this weekend, but this time, Peele did not direct it. He turned over that honor to his co-writer and now-Marvel director, Nia DaCosta. Ahead of the film’s release, one of the film’s stars, Teyonah Parris, shared her experience with the up-and-coming director.

Nia DaCosta was approached by Jordan Peele after he saw her first film, Little Woods, and the two filmmakers wrote the Candyman script together before Peele stepped aside and completed his work on Us. The Get Out filmmaker also shared that he felt DaCosta was the better choice to shoot the movie than he was. During the Candyman press conference, Teyonah Parris discussed her own reasons why DaCosta was a better choice to helm the horror movie:

There just are not enough Black women directing movies to begin with, but it was especially helpful for Candyman due to the specific character Teyonah Parris plays in the film. In Candyman, Parris portrays an art gallery director named Brianna Cartwright, who is dating Yahya Abdul-Mateen’s Anthony McCoy. When the couple move to the setting of the Candyman legend, their relationship is tested. Parris continued to share her experience with these words:

That's not to say that Jordan Peele wouldn’t have done a great job communicating these themes with Teyonah Parris, but not as well as Nia DaCosta, who could immediately relate to Parris both as an actor and through her character Brianna. It’s also a great reminder about the importance of representation on projects such as this, especially in circumstances when a Black woman is leading a film like Candyman.

Teyonah Parris is currently reprising her role as Monica Rambeau on the set of The Marvels next to Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel after her killer introduction in WandaVision earlier this year, with Nia DaCosta directing her. The pair from Candyman clearly love working with each other, and their rapport will be of benefit to them when making an even larger-scale film together.

Teyonah Parris stars in Candyman, which comes to theaters this Friday, August 27. As far as Jordan Peele goes, the director is set to return to horror for a movie called Nope coming next summer.

The most terrifying big screen tales of horror have always been rooted in real fears, and when 1992’s Candyman came out, it projected a terrifying tale inspired by housing projects in the United States, taking place in Chicago’s Cabrini-Green development. While the scene of the modern folklore of the original film may have been torn down a decade ago, as the new Candyman illustrates, the legend is just as piercing even over layers of buried embers.

Filmmakers Nia DaCosta and Jordan Peele have orchestrated an unnerving continuation of the Candyman legend. This film finally heightens the themes of the story with a sobering and introspective update the horror folklore was in long need of. Yet with that comes a movie that is also incredibly cerebral and therefore wrapped up in its thoughts rather than yielding the fully-realized spiritual sequel for the franchise fans might be expecting.

Candyman follows a couple who is settling in on Cabrini-Green property in its new form, now a fresh and upscale loft condo in a Chicago community that has since been gentrified. Watchmen’s Yayha Abdul-Mateen II plays rough-around-the-edges visual artist Anthony McCoy and WandaVision’s Teyonah Parris is a respected art gallery director Brianna Cartwright. While having their first guests over, they are told the story of Candyman, and Anthony becomes obsessed with digging deeper into the legend.

Nia DaCosta’s direction is superb and highly effective alongside a knockout cast.

Director Nia DaCosta brings in the intriguing voice she introduced on her first film, 2019’s Little Woods, into a slow-burn horror film that is understated, yet incredibly distinct. She guides the audience to the reflections in the mirrors as the story of Candyman gradually creeps under one’s skin. Her Candyman is patient in how it unfolds and often surrealist. Abdul-Mateen II takes a gentle hand to his increasingly troubled character, and Colman Domingo delivers a standout performance as a former Cabrini-Green resident with tall tales to tell. Delicate shadow-puppetry wistfully connects the original to the present day in a precisely eerie way that makes this Candyman movie feel like a true and distant memory to be unlocked rather than lore dumping audiences.

Candyman views the legend through a modern lens in a captivating way.

When 1992’s Candyman was originally told, it was through the eyes of a white woman, Helen Lyle, who was inspired and intrigued by Candyman, came to know him, and eventually became a part of the legend herself. But 2021’s Candyman aligns its point of view with a deep-seated and more multifaceted definition of what the Candyman is. He’s a stark symbol of generational trauma that Black Americans and the country as a whole suffers in different ways due to the racist and troubled history of the land we stand on.

As robust and attractive Cabrini-Green’s replacement housing is, the legend of Candyman cannot be contained for long because it continues to lie in the fabric of the people who grew up there, even if it's not always called upon. It’s through that access point that Candyman becomes a horrifyingly powerful movie about how we process and come to terms with personal and collective pain. Just like the modern development of the legend, we cannot simply bury it deep in the Earth and expect it to mend itself without facing it. Through this context, Candyman becomes an even more vicious monster because he is truly a recurring product of our society – a society where we’re more self aware of the complexities of these demons, and one that can feel revised in our personal bubbles until a horrific event lurks back into the sphere to remind us there’s a lot more we’ve yet to heal from as a whole and within ourselves.

There’s something perplexing and empty about the way Candyman unfolds.

The most nerve-racking element of Candyman is how subdued it is. For all its terror and scares, it’s also paralyzed in delivering honesty. It may be folklore, but the story walks a line of nearly convincing its audience that they’re watching a drama rather than a movie rooted in a long-beloved horror franchise. There’s a lack of adrenaline or fanfare to Candyman that feels guided by its theming and showcasing a movie as disturbed as its story, which can feel anti-climactic in a sense.

At its best, but through a frame of restlessness, Candyman is meant to sit with you. It's meant to creep behind you as you stare into your own reflection and examine the truth being brought to the audience’s attention that we know, but rarely want to remind ourselves. Nia DaCosta affirms her style and proves herself a distinct director who wants to reach out and feel the story being told through every element of her filmmaking. The price of this is a frigid feeling, and perhaps somewhat lethargic in how we look at the legend of Candyman today.

It’s not uncommon for the spine-chilling stories being told in horror movies to carry over onto sets and creep out the cast and crew. There have been eerie on-set happenings during the making of many classics like The Conjuring, Poltergeist and Psycho. We can count the latest Candyman movie among the bunch, as director Nia DaCosta recounted a seriously creepy memory that happened while preparing the production.

The most visceral part about the Candyman legend is how the character is often surrounded by a swarm of bees and his hooked hand is often slimy with honey. Original Candyman actor Tony Todd infamously had actual live bees in his mouth while filming a scene in the film. While speaking at the Candyman press conference, which CinemaBlend attended, filmmaker Nia DaCosta recalled the crazy way actual bees found their way onto Candyman:

To be clear, they did not bring these bees to set. They just found them. Crazy, right? As Nia DaCosta recalled, an unreal amount of bees basically invaded them while they were prepping Candyman. Are you getting chills yet?

2021’s Candyman continues the story that was introduced to horror fans back in 1992. The movie co-written and produced by Get Out’s Jordan Peele alongside co-writer/director Nia DaCosta adds the terrifying legend into the modern world as it takes audiences back to the Cabrini-Green housing project in Chicago, which has since been gentrified. The movie follows Watchmen’s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and WandaVision’s Teyonah Parris, as artists who come across the legend and come face to face with it. Check out the latest Candyman trailer below:

What’s always been haunting about Candyman is the fact that it has roots in reality, especially through the history of Chicago housing projects. The movie is partially inspired by an incident in the 1980s, when a woman named Ruthie Mae McCoy was murdered by a man who came out of a mirror. And in Candyman, if you say his name five times while looking into a bathroom mirror, he will appear and kill you.

Nia DaCosta is a fairly new filmmaker, but she’ll be one to keep a close eye on. After making the critically-acclaimed film Little Woods with Tessa Thompson and Lily James, the filmmaker was noticed by Jordan Peele for Candyman. She has since also signed on to be the director of the Captain Marvel sequel The Marvels, coming in late 2022. Check out Candyman in theaters this Friday, August 27.

CinemaBlend participates in affiliate programs with various companies. We may earn a commission when you click on or make purchases via links.

Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe officially kicked off thanks to Black Widow’s release in theaters, and the various shows on Disney+. There are some A+ filmmakers bringing new movies to the big screen, including Candyman’s Nia DaCosta who is helming Captain Marvel’s sequel. And DaCosta recently teased how The Marvels will be a ‘different beast’ then Carol Danvers’ origin story.

Not much is currently known about The Marvels, but fans are eager to see the Captain Marvel franchise expanding with Brie Larson’s first sequel. But as the title says, she won’t be the only hero in the upcoming blockbusters. Director Nia DaCosta recently spoke to the inherent differences between the two Marvel flicks, saying:

Well, I’m intrigued. It looks like The Marvels will definitely be a story that touches upon the trauma of its leading characters. It should be interesting to see how this fleshed out the movie’s ensemble, and if it reveals more about Captain Marvel’s mysterious past.

Nia DaCosta’s comments come from her recent conversation with Variety about her upcoming film projects. While Candyman will hit theaters in just a few days, fans are definitely looking forward to her debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with The Marvels. And the cast and crew have already been praising her vision for the mysterious project.

Marvel fans can re-watch Captain Marvel’s time in the MCU so far on Disney+. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

Obviously Nia DaCosta was careful not to actually reveal anything concrete about the contents of The Marvels. Still, her comments about trauma might hint at how the trio of heroes ultimately come together throughout the course of the movie. Brie Larsons’ Captain Marvel will be joined by the likes of WandaVision favorite Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) as well as Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel, who will be making her debut in a Disney+ series.

Of course, The Marvels won’t be the first time that the MCU has addressed trauma. Indeed, the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise also dives into this emotional territory, with each member of the motley crew carrying their own form of trauma. But the upcoming Captain Marvel sequel will feature three generations of women, all with a different racial background, which should add a unique perspective.

The cast of The Marvels have been getting into killer shape ahead of filming, with both Brie Larson and Teyonah Parris posting video proof on social media. It’ll be especially fun to see Parris and Nia DaCosta collaborating so soon after their work on Candyman. What’s more, Samuel L. Jackson recently revealed he had a role to play in the sequel as well.

The Marvels is currently expected to arrive in theaters on November 11th, 2022. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

As the Marvel Cinematic Universe gets back in the swing of things with the release of Black Widow and a massive lineup in the next few months alone, a lot of our favorite characters will be getting a comeback. Among them is Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers in The Marvels, which will be a Captain Marvel sequel co-starring the stars of two Marvel shows on Disney+. Ahead of the movie getting to work, The Marvels director Nia DaCosta has an intriguing tease for her movie.

Nia DaCosta is currently promoting her second feature film, Candyman, which continues the story of a bloody urban legend plaguing Chicago’s Cabrini-Green housing projects. Her directorial debut was 2018’s Little Woods, a North Dakota-set drama that shed light on the pitfalls of the American healthcare system. It may be safe to say that DaCosta is working with a much lighter topic with The Marvels, but check out how she described it:

Nia DaCosta is stepping out of the drama to direct the Captain Marvel sequel, which will bring together Carol Danvers with Teyonah Parris’ adult Monica Rambeau after the latter acquired powers in WandaVision. The Marvels will also feature Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan, who is set to be introduced in the Disney+ series, Ms. Marvel. The production will be the independent filmmaker’s most high-profile movie yet, but she sounds confident, per these words to EW:

We have a bit of a long way to go before we can see The Marvels go higher, further and faster than the 2019 origin movie set in the ‘90s. Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris and the rest of the production is currently preparing to get shooting on the movie ahead of its late 2022 release date.

The Captain Marvel sequel is eighth in line within MCU’s Phase Four, which also includes standalone sequels for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man, the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Black Panther world. There will also be new characters introduced soon with September’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, this November’s Eternals and later reintroductions for Fantastic Four and X-Men.

Nia DaCosta hinted at an emotional film from her and Marvel as The Marvels moves through its early development. We’d certainly imagine Carol Danvers and Monica Rambeau reuniting will be a major element of this, especially following Maria Rambeau passing away from cancer in the years between the Snap and Blip, when Monica was dusted. Mark your calendars for The Marvels for November 11, 2022 and check out what movies are coming our way this year here on CinemaBlend, including Candyman.