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Disney delays next two Marvel 'Avengers' movies
Walt Disney's movie studio has postponed the release of the next two installments in Marvel's blockbuster "Avengers" series, the company said on Thursday.
"Avengers: Doomsday" now will come out on December 18, 2026, about seven months later than its previous date of May 1. "Doomsday" will bring Robert Downey Jr. back to the franchise as the villain, Doctor Doom.
Disney also moved "Avengers: Secret Wars" to December 17, 2027 from May 2, 2027.
The new schedule was chosen to give the filmmakers more time to complete the superhero movies, which are among the biggest Disney has ever made, a source familiar with the matter said. "Doomsday" is already in production.
"Avengers: Endgame," released in 2019, is the second-highest grossing movie of all time with $2.8 billion in global ticket sales, behind "Avatar" with $2.9 billion. —REUTERS
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GMA Network
an hour ago
- GMA Network
Michael J. Fox appeals for help finding lost 'Back to the Future' guitar
LOS ANGELES, California - Michael J. Fox and other stars of classic film "Back to the Future" appealed for the public's help on Tuesday in locating the red Gibson guitar featured in a memorable scene. Marty McFly, the time-traveling teen portrayed by Fox in the 1985 film, stunned students at a 1950s high school dance with wild electric guitar riffs played on a Gibson ES-345 Cherry Red guitar in the movie. The guitar went missing after production wrapped. "It's somewhere lost in the space-time continuum, or it's in some Teamster's garage," Fox joked in a video released by Gibson. Co-stars Lea Thompson, Christopher Lloyd and Harry Waters Jr. also urged the public to join the search, as did singer Huey Lewis, whose song "The Power of Love" was featured in the movie. Gibson is filming a documentary called "Lost to the Future" about the search for the guitar. It also plans to re-issue the ES-345 Cherry Red in October. People can submit tips about the guitar's whereabout via or via a phone number provided on the site. — Reuters
GMA Network
2 days ago
- GMA Network
Fil-Am actor Yonas Asuncion Kibreab is the voice of the new Disney animation 'Elio'
Remember the name Yonas Asuncion Kibreab because pretty soon, he will become a household name. The charming and energetic 14-year-old Filipino American actor is the voice of Elio Solis in upcoming film "Elio," and he will be acting opposite Academy Award-winning actress Zoe Saldaña, who will be the voice of Aunt Olga in the original Pixar animation. Directed by Domee Shi, Madeline Sharafian and Adrian Molina, the movie follows an 11-year-old boy named Elio Solis (Kibreab) who accidentally becomes the intergalactic ambassador of planet Earth after being beamed up to the Communiverse by aliens for making contact. Kibreab, the son of Irene Gonzales Asuncion from Quezon City, Philippines and Bemnet Kibreab from Eritrea, was also a series regular on Disney's "Pretty Freekin Scary," Blumhouse's "Blood Moon," and Netflix's "Sweet Tooth." In animation, he has also voiced characters in Disney's series "Pupstruction" and as Pinocchio in the animated film "Pinocchio." He has also voiced Ninjai in the film "Ninjai." A passionate musician, Kibreab plays the piano, sings, and has released his first original song on Spotify in 2024. His maternal grandfather is from Tarlac and his maternal grandmother is from Ilocos Sur. We were able to interview Kibreab via email as well as talk to directors Sharafian and Shi, and producer Mary Alice Drumm on a recent visit to the Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, California. Yonas Asuncion Kibreab (Elio Solis) Contributed photo How were you discovered for Elio? How was your audition process? In early 2021, I received an audition request from my then-agent for a project called "Untitled Adrian Molina Project. "I recorded the audition sides at home and submitted it to my agent. As typically happens, I did not hear back for a couple of months. Around the middle of 2021, I received a request for a callback, and I did the callback via Zoom with Adrian Molina and others from Pixar's Elio team from my parents' closet. Callbacks are typically a quick 15 minutes, but this callback lasted for over an hour, and we focused a lot on the emotional scenes, and Adrian tested me on how well I could take directions. Around August 2021, I received the offer to do the scratch for Elio. Scratch is a temporary voice recording used in the early stages of production of an animated film. Before this offer, I had never heard of "Scratch." Because it was a Pixar movie with the co-director of Coco, I was very excited to book the role, even though, at that time I had expected the final "main" role to go to a well-known actor. I worked on the project as a scratch actor for over a year. The Elio team must have loved my scratch work because they offered me the role of Elio. What made you sign up for this movie? I was 11 when I booked the role for Elio and to be offered the main role for a Pixar movie is a dream come true for any actor. And to have the opportunity to work on a Pixar movie at such a young age is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So, I am very grateful to the Disney Pixar team for trusting me to be the lead in Pixar Elio. How much do you relate to your character? Elio is such a great kid with an incredible spirit! He has a big imagination and dreams of great adventures across the universe. Another thing that makes Elio special is that he has a quirky, fun personality, and he is not afraid to be different. I would say that my biggest similarities with Elio are his adventurous spirit and boundless imagination. Elio has an incredible spirit despite some major tragedies in his life that he is going through at a very young age. He is experiencing the loss of loved ones and the sadness that comes with it. This is an experience that luckily, I am not familiar with, and where I am very different from Elio. What I like most about Elio are his big dreams, the courage to be different, and his quirky, fun personality. How Filipino are you? Talk about living in a biracial home? I grew up surrounded by my Filipino family—my Lola, aunties, uncles, and cousins have always been a big part of my life. I grew up eating Filipino food like Pancit and Lumpia, hearing Tagalog around the house, and celebrating traditions that connect me to my roots. I'm very proud to be Filipino—it's a big part of who I am. I also think being biracial is kind of like having a superpower. The chance of being born is already rare, scientists say it's about one in 400 trillion—but to be born to parents from completely different worlds and cultures is even more unlikely. So, for me to be here, I see it as an incredible event. Growing up in a biracial and immigrant household is a privilege. You get to experience two cultures at once, have family in different parts of the world, and inherit the resilience and drive that comes from immigrant parents. It's made me more open-minded, proud of my background, and excited to share it with others. How has your Filipina mom influenced you into the person that you are today? My Filipina mom has definitely influenced who I am today. I get my silly, quirky personality from her for sure—she's always laughing, being goofy, and just having fun. She's super artistic and really creative, and she still acts kind of like a kid sometimes in the best way. She's not afraid to be herself, and I think that's really cool. When I was a toddler, my mom would let me pretend to play drums by banging pots and pans on the kitchen floor while she was cooking. She always encouraged me to be creative, even if it was loud! We also sing karaoke together all the time. She's a big fan of '80s and '90s music, so we'd sing songs by The Cure, Tears for Fears, Lionel Richie, and Michael Jackson. My dad always says I got my artistic side and fun personality from my mom. She's also made sure I stay connected to my Filipino culture by taking us to visit family in Michigan, Vancouver, Florida, and Los Angeles. She always cooks Filipino food at home and makes the best pancit and lumpia. She's taught me to be proud of who I am, to be creative, and to always find something to smile about. Have you been to the Philippines? What do you look forward to when you go to the Philippines? I am super excited to visit the Philippines in December 2025 for the first time and spend Christmas there. I'm most excited about visiting our extended family, seeing the amazing beaches, and eating all the great Filipino food. I also really look forward to being surrounded by Filipino people and being fully immersed in the Filipino culture. I think it's going to feel like home in a way I've never experienced before. Among the Filipino talents, whom do you idolize the most? There are so many Filipino talents that I admire and look up to. And I hope that one day I can work with some of them. I think what defines Filipino talents is that they are usually multidisciplinary—they act, sing, dance, and create in so many ways. If I had to choose an actor I idolize, it would be Dave Bautista. He went from being a world champion wrestler to starring in major films like "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Dune," proving his incredible range and dedication. In music, one of my favorite artists is Bruno Mars. He's a Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, and performer known for his amazing voice and energetic stage presence. What is your favorite Filipino food? Can you speak or understand Tagalog? My favorite Filipino food is my mom's lumpia, pancit and adobo. I love halo halo, so my mom always gets it for me when we go to the Filipino grocery store. I understand some Tagalog. I grew up hearing my family talk in Tagalog, and my mom spoke some Tagalog to me growing up. I understand it more than I can actually speak it, though. Since I'm homeschooled, I am taking Tagalog as my language class, and now I'm doing an online Tagalog course to help me learn how to speak it better. What will be your next project? My next live action project is the upcoming musical film "Reimagined," where I play the lead role of Felix McCoy. The movie is directed by Mateo Messina and is based on his original symphony "The Pageant". "Reimagined" is about a young boy named Felix who's trying to cope with the loss of his mom, Mary (played by Paula Patton), who used to create and lead their town's annual holiday pageant. When an over-the-top, self-centered director named Hamilton Lydell (played by Joel McHale) takes over the pageant, Felix sets out to sabotage it. But eventually, he realizes that the best way to honor his mom's legacy is to save the show. I also have an upcoming animated series called "Bat Fam." "Bat Fam" series is a spinoff of the animated movie "Merry Little Batman." In both the movie and the spin-off series, I voice Damian Wayne and Little Batman. "Merry Little Batman" is available to stream on Amazon Prime, and the upcoming "Bat Fam" series will also stream on Amazon Prime when it comes out later this year. What is the most fun thing you did for this movie and why? Booking the role and being part of the film is a huge privilege, and it was super fun to work with the Pixar team. I learned so much working with the three incredible directors - Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, and Adrian Molina. It's an experience that I will never forget. I will be forever grateful to the Disney Pixar team that allowed me to be part of this incredible film. The most fun thing I did for the movie though, was that I got to attend twice D23 The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. D23 is this huge fan event where Disney presents and promotes all their upcoming slate, and I got to promote Pixar's "Elio" in front of tens of thousands of Disney fans. To get to experience D23 twice, to promote Elio on stage, and meet all the major Hollywood stars in the green room was such an amazing and fun experience. What do you hope audiences would get after watching this movie? Pixar's Elio is about Elio, a space fanatic with an active imagination and a huge alien obsession, who suddenly finds himself beamed up to the Communiverse, a galaxy-wide organization of aliens. Mistaken for Earth's leader, he has to navigate this strange new world, make unexpected friends, and figure out who he really is along the way. Elio, a film for all ages, is a coming-of-age adventure filled with humor, heart, and wonder. It's emotional (bring some tissues!), imaginative, visually stunning, and full of fun surprises. So, I hope that audiences come away from watching Elio feeling entertained, uplifted, and inspired. Madeline Sharafian (Director), Domee Shi (Director), Mary Alice Drumm (Producer) Photo courtesy of Disney/Pixar It was wonderful watching and listening to you last night during the presentation. And it reminded me how vastly different the animation is, because it used to be male-dominated. So, can you talk about that, especially your collaboration on this film? Madeline: Oh yeah. That's a great question. For me personally, I don't think I would be in this role at all if it wasn't for Domee. Watching her make "Turning Red," I was a story lead on that movie, and just watching her totally be herself, make exactly what she wanted to see. It gave me confidence that I can really just be the person that I am in a leadership role. I really wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Domee. Domee: It's such an honor to be on this film and to work with such an amazing crew of women, like Mary Alice, like Maddy, and I feel like I'm so grateful for Pixar for kind of giving us these opportunities to tell these stories and putting all this trust in us. And for me, kind of just, you know, as much as, like, I want to be like a support system for the next, you know, upcoming female filmmakers, I also want to, like, just pay back all of the amazing trust and support I've gotten from, like, a lot of the male leadership here too. Pete Docter, he's an EP in this movie. But he has been like my mentor and champion ever since I was his story artist on the first "Inside Out." It's really cool that we're at this stage in the film industry and in animation where you're seeing a lot more female voices in the industry. It's awesome. Mary Alice: I think we are lucky at Pixar. I often say as an audience member, I do look out in the world and want to see more women directors. But Domee was director of "Turning Red" with a fully women leadership show, and we have Claudia, who you just saw, our visual effects supervisor, so there's just a lot of great women and men leaders. And I think everyone loves working with Domee and Maddy because they're just such great directors. I just want the back story behind the parents of Elio - why he got orphaned, how he got orphaned and what was your inspiration? Domee: Yeah, that's a good question. That was kind of like a later in production kind of addition to the story. And we felt like, you know, watching the story about this boy who feels alone on earth, who feels like no one understands him, who feels like he has nothing for him on earth, and he wants to leave. And to have him choose earth at the end, it felt like we needed to kind of, like, put him in this situation in this space where, as an audience member, I would also be like yeah, like, I don't think there's anything for you on earth at the beginning of the story. And having him kind of slowly realize that he is loved that there is connection around him, it felt like it would be a stronger story if he didn't have kind of that immediate familial, like, parental relationship in the beginning of the story. Madeline: Yeah, like nothing that was a guarantee for him, because knowing that we're leading towards a big choice at the end of the film, every decision that we make is story-based is around that. And because it's such a tricky needle to thread, Olga, being his aunt, and having to believe with Elio that he shouldn't be on earth at the beginning of the film. Zoe Saldana really helped us a lot with that character and that role, because you have to be on Elio's side, but also root for him and Olga to come together at the end of the film, so she had to bring this warmth to the character, while at the same time, you know, kind of bring down the hammer on him in these scenes where she's just trying to figure out why he wants to be abducted by aliens. So, it was a difficult balance, but I'm really happy with where we ended up with that. Since I can remember the concept of animated films is they've been great learning curves or learning lessons about life's complexities. And it's really fascinating that you talked about its loneliness. But it's where he finds his tribe, they're aliens. Now, in today's political climate, the alien looks a little different. But how important was it that the people who can help move you to the next level or who are there for you don't necessarily look like you or think like you, but if you have a conversation with them, they can be your closest friend. Can you talk a little bit about navigating through that? Madeline: From the very beginning, one of the most important character dynamics is between Elio and Glordon, who when Elio first meets him, he's terrifying. His mouth is full of crazy teeth, and he doesn't sound like Elio expects. But once Elio takes the time to learn how to connect with him instead of pushing him away the way that he always pushes away the kids that he met on earth, then there's this beautiful connection there. And that was sort of the nugget that we wanted Elio to learn throughout the film is that at the beginning, you know, he meets kids who aren't like him, and he immediately assumes, you're not like me, you could never possibly understand me. Olga isn't like me, and she could never understand me, and he just creates a barrier without even giving anyone a chance, without even attempting to reach out. And it's thanks to Glordon and thanks to all of these aliens who are so different and who understand him immediately that he sort of starts to come around to the idea that the connections that he's looking for could be right in front of him. So, that was always something inherent to the concept of a human, aliens and loneliness. Domee: And what I love so much about this movie is, like you said, the positive depiction of alien species and this aspirational quality of searching for life out there, of finding connection out there with beings that don't look like you. A lot of sci-fi movies show aliens in this very negative light. Like, they don't look like us. They want to hurt us. They want to abduct us and experiment on us, but I love how this movie shows the wonderful world of the communiverse how there's this, like, aspirational utopia where species of all different backgrounds and cultures and shapes and sizes can all kinds of live and work together. It's such a beautiful image of the future, and I strive for that. I'm also kind of an alien at this, in some ways. You know, I'm Canadian. I was born in China. And I think it's just such a cool message to spread this idea of connecting to others who don't necessarily look like yourself. So, obviously the question are we alone in the universe has intrigued mankind for ages. Can you talk about what kind of research you did on this topic, what you learned, and if the science related to this impacted the story in any way? Mary Alice: Early on, we worked a lot with SETI, and Jill Tarter and Simon Steel, people who do look for intelligence in the universe. We got to go to some planetariums and some military bases. It's really amazing when you start to understand the vastness of the universe and how many exoplanets there are and the likelihood. Jill likes to say, as you look out at the vast universe, you can feel so small and so insignificant. But you can also realize what a big part of this huge, amazing thing you are, and that we're all earthlings. We know a lot of people who are searching for that, and I think it's really interesting. From my experience on this film, it seems more and more likely with just the number of planets out there. The realities, I don't know what it'll be like, but it was certainly interesting to spend time thinking about that possibility. Madeline: We are huge fans of the movie "Contact," which was also inspired very much by Jill Tarter. Seeing space as not just this empty, scary void, but as this, like, potential space for hope and connection and answers all of our questions. I just think it's really beautiful just this idea that no matter where you are on earth, at nighttime when you look up, you're all gonna be seeing the same kind of thing, which is the stars and space. Having one thing that we can all bond and relate to, and experience together, is really beautiful. Domee, you touched already on your alien-ness being from China and then growing up in Canada. You are also the first female Asian director for Pixar. So, talk about how you learned to take your alien kind of thing as something as an advantage? How did you learn that? Even when you're growing up or even in this company. So, can you talk a little bit about that? Domee: Maddy and I have really bonded over this movie in that both of us have always felt like Elio at some point in our lives. Like, we were the weird kids in school. I was the vice president of the anime club in high school. My best friend was the president. There were only two members. Us. And every day I dreamed and hoped of going to a place where everyone understood me and the things that I was obsessed with and liked. When we were directing this movie, the moment when Elio gets beamed up and he arrives in the communiverse, for us, felt a lot like going to animation school or coming to Pixar. Like, going through the gates and looking around us and realizing, oh my gosh, everyone's weird like me! And finally finding that acceptance and that belonging. That was our north star as we were developing Elio as a character, as this boy who's just obsessed, hell bent on just getting to this one place. But maybe inadvertently ignoring and pushing away all of the potential connections around him. That very much felt like us, right? Madeline: And I feel like the best part of making this movie together was having moments of just shared understanding of there are just common things that we both love. Like, we both love a certain kind of humor. A lot of the interactions between Glordon and Elio feel very much like our interactions. So, there are specific moments in the movie where Glordon does something and I laugh, and I look at Domee because I feel like in that moment that I'm seeing us on screen. So, I feel very grateful that as this movie goes out into the world, I get to watch it and just think about the friendship that we have. Domee: And, like, the communiverse does also feel like Pixar in some way, too. Like, we also have an international cast and crew. And they all came together from all walks of life and were all kinds of weirdos and nerds in their way. And we made this one thing together. Zoe Saldana and Yonas Asuncion Kibreab. Contributed photo Talking about diversity, I think Elio's family is of Latin origin. I'd like to know what country the heritage is and how the process of choosing diversity and heritage to balance in your films? And how do you use AI and preserve human art, the human art touch? Mary Alice: To answer your first question, this movie is very much from Adrian Molina's back story, from his heart. So, Elio is based on Adrian's past. Adrian is Mexican, and in the story, Elio is Mexican Dominican, and Olga is Dominican. And Elio's father is Dominican, and we felt that that was an important thing to preserve. You'll see touches in their house of little details of folk art, and we just thought that it was a beautiful thing to hang on to. Then for your second question, Pixar is a place that puts a lot of care into handcrafting everything that we do. We like the personal touch. It's the reason why we all like to work together in one building. So, everything that you see on Elio was done very carefully by a human being and was checked carefully through many human beings' eyes. Which means sometimes there are mistakes, but I think those mistakes and that little piece of humanity are what make watching movies fun. Madeline: And to add to the first question. Zoe Saldana, the voice actress for Olga, is Dominican American and she really helped inform the character and kind of, like, just her performance and her energy. And we leaned a lot on Zoe to bring herself into the character. And she did an incredible job. Pixar had tremendous success last year with a sequel. But this is the original IP. I know there's been some personnel changes at the start of this, but could you talk a bit about creating new IP and if there was any input on the studio level, like what is a Pixar movie? What are the key ingredients to make it a Pixar movie? Domee: At Pixar, we always pride ourselves on making original films. What makes an original Pixar film, I think we're always asking ourselves that trying to let the films, evolve and be different, but a film that's for everyone that's what we often say is we're making films for ourselves or films we want to go see in the theater. There is a balance of sequels and originals. We're really excited. People are very excited to see an original in the theater. It does feel like people are going back to the theater more and more, even though "Inside Out Two" was a sequel, it's exciting that people are back there. We have other originals coming, and that's exciting to us, is this balance. And I can be someone who's like oh my gosh, so many sequels, but then, Pixar announces, "Incredibles Three." I'm like what? I want to see that. So, I understand audiences want both, but I think we're excited about originals. Madeline: And sequels exist because there was an original before that. Pixar understands that, and they've always just been this champion of making the personal story universal for all. I feel like we were able to achieve that with "Elio." For all of you, which movie or what kind of project made you believe in the things that you are doing today, that made you believe in being a director, to be an artist? Or when you were little, what movie made an impact on you? Madeline: I remember it very clearly. I watched "Spirited Away" for the first time. I was around the age of Chihiro when I saw it, so I was also a very whiny, annoying little girl. Watching her change, I remember realizing that the way she was drawn, because it was in 2D, hadn't changed over the course of the film. But the way that I saw her change and the way that she held herself changed as she grew throughout the movie, and I'd never really experienced film in an artform way until that point. I remember being in the car home, staring out the window, having a brain-exploding moment, realizing that I had changed as well because I'd watched the film. That experience, just sitting in a dark room for an hour and a half, and what it can do to a person that I've never looked back from there. Domee: For me it was the very first VHS tape that my parents bought when we first immigrated to Canada, and we bought a VHS player. My parents bought "Aladdin" on VHS, and I popped it in. I was like mesmerized. I kept rewinding and watching it. It was "Friend Like Me." And just the music and all of it just hit me in a similar way as "Spirited Away" did. Then I kept rewinding and watching it closer and closer, because I also didn't realize a drawing could be so handsome. I totally had a crush on Aladdin, and I would pause it. I would open my sketchbook, and I would try to draw him over and over again. Mary Alice: We're such nerds because I can remember where I was when I saw both of those movies. But I'll say, "Star Wars." I'm older. My family got there. We were in line. My dad came from work, and we were in a dark room for two hours with people to see this thing that just took you so far away. Sci-fi. I also love any movie that asks what it is to be human, like pushing us. That's where the Pixar movies, when we do that well, that's what I think is the most exciting. —MGP, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
27-05-2025
- GMA Network
Jackie Chan, Ralph Macchio join martial arts forces in ‘Karate Kid: Legends'
LONDON — Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio blend fighting techniques to train a new karate kid in the latest instalment of the martial arts movie franchise. "Karate Kid: Legends," released in the Philippines on May 28, stars Ben Wang as Beijing kung fu whiz Li Fong who moves with his mother to New York, where he befriends pizza restaurant owner and retired boxer Victor and his daughter Mia. When that friendship irks a local karate champion, Li enters a karate tournament and begins training with his old kung fu teacher Mr. Han, played by Chan, and Macchio's Daniel LaRusso, the protagonist of the original 1984 film "The Karate Kid" who learned karate from mentor Mr Miyagi. 'They presented the concept to the Miyagi to the Han family and how that made sense...I was like 'That's kind of clever. Okay, so how do we maintain this connective tissue into Li Fong's story that is organic and truthful'," Macchio told Reuters in a joint interview with Chan and Wang. "That was the challenge at first and figuring that out. Working with Jackie was like, 'Woohoo sign me up—when, where?' And then who's the kid? If we don't love this kid, then you have no movie. So all those, like it happens with 'The Karate Kid' universe, is magic dust that comes down and somehow it continues to resonate. So I'm excited for the next generation version.' The movie is Macchio's fourth "Karate Kid" film playing LaRusso, a character he also portrayed in the "Cobra Kai" television series. Chan reprises the role of Mr. Han, a character he first played in the 2010 film "The Karate Kid" opposite Jaden Smith. "Now we've both become a Miyagi," Chan said, referring to both his and Macchio's characters becoming mentors. "I remember when I saw the first one. Why him [Macchio]? Why not me?...I want to be 'The Karate Kid.' [Now] we work together.' Wang, 25, said Chan's 2010 film introduced him to the franchise. 'Stepping into it, it's a terrifying thing in a certain way because it's a beloved franchise fans love it so much so I want to do right by them," he said. "But it's also a great honor because a lot of people auditioned for this part so I know how special and lucky it is that I get to do this with the two of them." — Reuters
