Jude Law Confirmed As Dumbledore In Next Fantastic Beast Movie

Two-time Academy Award nominee Jude Law has been casted as Albus Dumbledore in the sequel to Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them.

Law will be portraying the famed wizard decades before he took on the mantle as Headmaster of Hogwarts.

The series of films is said to explore the relationship and rivalry between Dumbledore and Grindelwald, played by Johnny Depp.

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling will be reprising her role as screenwriter for the film, with David Yates returning as director.

While many Potterheads have lived with Dumbledore’s father-figure-like role in Harry’s life, Rowling has said that the upcoming film will explore a Dumbledore in a very different time in his life.

The sequel to Fantastic Beasts is set to be release in November 2018.

These Are The Top 10 Most Torrented Movies of 2016 – Some Will Surprise You

With the advent of Netflix and Amazon Prime, it seemed like torrenting movies may soon be a thing of the past. Unfortunately, with limited libraries and a focus on original content, these services lack newly-released films and blockbusters that the fans want to experience one more time.

Millions of Internet users around the world flock to their favourite torrent sites with the likes of Pirate Bay and Kickass Torrent as some of the world’s top visited sites.

According to Torrent Freak, topping the list of most torrented movies in 2016 was the R-rated superhero hit Deadpool, which wowed audiences in cinemas and at home.

In fact, a large chunk of the top 10 are made up of comic book movies including Batman v. SupermanCaptain America: Civil War, Suicide Squad and X-Men Apocalypse. 

While film studios may cry foul over the degree of piracy, there was a high correlation between box office sales and the number of illegal downloads.

An exception to this was Independence Day: Resurgence which flopped at the box office but came in seventh in the top 10 list.

Additionally, Disney’s hit Zootopia, which was the third-highest grossing film of the year, failed to make the list.

Here’s the top 10 most torrented movies in 2016, according to Torrent Freak.

1. Deadpool
2. Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice
3. Captain America: Civil War
4. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
5. X-Men Apocalypse
6. Warcraft
7. Independence Day: Resurgence
8. Suicide Squad
9. Finding Dory
10. The Revenant

Forbes: Scarlett Johansson is the World’s Highest-Grossing Actor of 2016

While 2016 may have been a drag on most fronts, it was also a pretty decent year for movies. We had the comic book spectacle that was Captain America: Civil War, a grittier version of Star Wars in Rogue One and amazing animated numbers including The Jungle Book.

One actor who happened to appear in two of these three stand-out films was Scarlett Johansson.

According to 

These Movies That Are Coming Out Next Year Will Make You Glad It’s Nearly 2017

Out with the old, in with the new. It’s nearly the New Year, which means we not only get a new Star Wars film, it’s the first time three Marvel Studios movies will be released in a year and we might even get our first decent DC movie between Wonder Woman and Justice League.

Here are some noteworthy films to look forward in 2017, ordered chronologically:

1) The LEGO Batman Movie (February)

Starting off the year is The LEGO Batman Movie, a spin-off from the very successful The LEGO Movie. Will Arnett reprises his role as the titular character with a more comical over-the-top portrayal of the Dark Knight. Michael Cera lends his voice to the character of Robin while Zach Galifianakis plays arch-villain The Joker.

Release: February 10, 2017

2) Logan (March)

Following the success of the R-rated Deadpool, fans will finally get to see a Wolverine film in similar fashion – more violence and less humour, of course. Logan is inspired by the Old Man Logan, a short series in the comics which features an older Wolverine whose healing factor is beginning to fail. Watching the trailer alone will show the departure in tone from previous X-Men and Wolverine movies. It’s also said to be Hugh Jackman’s final movie as our favourite claw-wielding mutant.

Release: March 2, 2017

3) Kong: Skull Island (March)

If you didn’t already know, Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros. are building a Godzilla-Kong film universe, with a Godzilla vs. Kong movie slated for 2020. In line with that shared universe is a King Kong reboot to introduce the famed ape into the series, with an updated take on the classic tale. Kong: Skull Island stars Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson and Brie Larson.

Release: March 10, 2017

4) Power Rangers (March)

While the verdict is still out there on this, one thing’s for sure: it’s got my nostalgia senses tingling. Almost every 90s kid remembers watching Power Rangers to some degree as a child, and while this looks vastly different stylistically, it’s going on the list. It’s also expected to be the first film in a series of many, with Lionsgate CEO saying that “…we [the studio] could see doing five or six or seven.”

Release: March 24, 2017

5) The Fate of the Furious (April)

Looking past the obviously jarring movie title – we’re assuming ‘Fate’ was used to make #F8 make more sense, the highly successful franchise of street racers-turned-professional criminals is at its eight installment. As seen in the trailers, the antagonist comes in the form of Dom who turns his back on family. This leads the crew to team up with The Rock and a former nemesis played by Jason Statham to bring Dom down.

Release: April 14, 2017

6) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (May)

Need we say more? The sequel to the highly successful Guardians of the Galaxy is hotly anticipated, especially after fans have come to love this band of obscure lesser known Marvel characters. The film will take us to new planets and introduce new characters including the father of Peter “Star-Lord” Quill. Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana and Dave Bautista return as Star-Lord, Gamora and Drax, while Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel reprise their voice acting roles as Rocket Raccoon and Groot.

Release: May 5, 2017

7) Wonder Woman (June)

While Batman v. Superman and Suicide Squad didn’t exactly win critics over, DC fans are hopeful that Wonder Woman will finally set the DC Extended Universe on course to rival Marvel Cinematic Universe. Gal Gadot’s updated take on the Amazonian warrior was a refreshing addition to the testosterone-filled BvS, and from what we can see from the trailer, this movie looks like a it’s going to be hit. Fingers crossed!

Release: June 2, 2017

8) Spider-Man: Homecoming (July)

While DC and Warner Bros. are still finding their footing, Marvel has been making hit after hit and has become a reliable bet in the box office in recent years. That’s the reason Sony, who owns the film rights to Spider-Man, finally relented and decided to share everyone’s favourite wall-crawler with his creator. This meant Marvel Studios got to make creative decisions on the upcoming Spider-Man film, while including appearances from other Marvel Cinematic Universe characters such as Tony Stark. Homecoming takes place over Peter Parker’s high school years, with director Jon Watts describing it as a John Hughes-y film within the MCU.

Release: July 7, 2017

9) War for the Planet of the Apes (July)

The Planet of the Apes movies are known for its really long titles – even the original series in the early 70s had them, but this time war is looming at it doesn’t look good for mankind. The upcoming War for the Planet of the Apes is the third installment of the franchise after Rise and Dawn, and as the title alludes, the apes and humans engage in a battle for to determine their fate on Earth.

Release: July 14, 2017

10) Thor: Ragnarok (November)

Given that the film only releases in November, there’s still trailer or poster we could use besides this video shot during the production of the film. Thor: Ragnarok will be the third Marvel Studios movie after GotG 2 and Spider-Man: Homecoming, and is primarily set in Asgard. The movie is said to be a bridge towards Infinity War, the third Avengers movie, and also introduce the final infinity stone – the soul gem. Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston return as Thor and Loki while Mark Ruffalo makes an appearance as Hulk in the film.

Release: November 3, 2017

11) Star Wars Episode VIII

The best news to come from Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm was that we’ll be getting a new Star Wars film every year from 2015 to 2021. While the main ‘episodes’ will be released every two years, standalone stories will fill the gaps, starting off with the very well-received Rogue One. In 2017, we’ll be getting Episode VIII, which continues the adventures of Rey, Finn, Poe and BB-8 continuing right from the end of The Force Awakens. 

Release: December 16, 2017

Apple Wants To Bring Movies To iTunes While They’re Still In Theatres

Apple is reportedly looking at the prospect of bringing freshly released movies onto its iTunes platform during their theatrical run.

According to Bloomberg, the company has been in talks with film studios 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros., and Universal Pictures to bring movies to home audiences as early as two weeks after releasing in theatres.

Should a deal come to fruition, it’ll mark a huge shift in the industry which has long given theatres and cinema operators a 90-day window of exclusive rights to new films.

Early rentals of the films are expected to come at a premium, with suggestions of somewhere between US$25 to US$50.

The move also signals the growing dominance of digital platforms as an essential part of a film’s life and the falling significance in theatres.

Apple are not the only ones in the space, with Sean Parker’s Screening Room entering the fray as well. The platform aims to stream newly-released films on TVs for US$50 a movie.

Film creators are also becoming for receptive to the idea of home streaming, with top directors James Cameron and J.J. Abrams publicly backing Screening Room.

Along with Netflix’s move into producing its own films, theatres may soon have to fear the worst.

There’s no doubt that experiencing a film on the silver screen is like no other, but with televisions advancing in terms of resolution and size, it might not be too long until the demise of the cinema. Only time will tell.