In recent years, Hollywood has been surrounded with casting controversies and Johansson has been no stranger to them. After the poorly received Ghost in the Shell, it was a surprise when the in demand actor revealed that she would take on the role of trans massage parlor manager in Rub and Tug. It was no surprise that the news would be received negatively, especially following the mulitple films in recent years which found themselves in hot water including Matt Damons Great wall, Tilda Swinton's Role in Doctor Strange, Netflix's adaptation of acclaimed horror manga Death Note, and even Johansson herself, being cast in Ghost in the Shell,  that even went so far as to test technology to make her appear "more asian." News spread of the controversial casting, with trans actresses Trace Lysette and Jamie Clayton, speaking out against the decision. It is important to note that the person attached to directing this film, Rupert Sanders, also worked with Johansson on Ghost in the Shell. When the controversy became a major talking point, Johansson's tone deaf response of, “Tell them that they can be directed to Jeffrey Tambor, Jared Leto, and Felicity Huffman’s reps for comment,” did not go over well, and was meant to allude to several actors who had played trans roles and received acclaim. While they did at the time, the political climate as well as the conversation around the trans community is continuing to change rapidly, and taking roles from an already small community is keeping them from having the opportunities cisgender actors, like Johansson, have always had. This is also a historic year for trans actors, with the first trans actor Daniela Vega, winning an award for her role in A Fantastic Woman. After several weeks of controversy, Johansson announced today that she will be withdrawing from the film, a rare move for any actor. The last high profile withdraw was Ed Serkin, known for his role as the villain in the first Deadpool film, leaving the new Hellboy reboot after finding out he was playing a role originally meant to be cast by a Japanese-American actor. We also saw a casting controversy with Natalie Portman's sci-fi film, Annihilation, as well as Cocaine Godmother with Catherine Zeta-Jones as recent as earlier this year. Scarlett Johansson is part of a long Hollywood trend of picking valuable actors to boost ticket sales, and while that isn't surprising, the power of social media and the backlash from these marginalized communities, most certainly had an effect on the  box office revenue of all the films listed above. Hopefully, not only Johansson, but other actors and actress will be careful choosing their roles in the future.

After months of speculation, it looks like the main cast for the live action Pikachu film is set and they have booked one major comic book star. Ryan Reynolds, star of Deadpool, will lead the Detective Pikachu alongside the long time Pokemon fav. With him will star Kathryn Newton from Paranormal Activity 4 and Supernatural, and Justice Smith is set to appear in next years Jurassic Park film. Rob Letterman who directed 2015's Goosebumps film is set to direct the movie which, as of now, does not have a release window but we should be getting one now that we have a good handful of the cast announced. Are you excited to see more Pokemon on the big screen?

Daniel Craig has not had the easiest tenure as James Bond but it finally looks like things are moving along for the franchise. The untitled 25th Bond film has now set a release date for November 8th, 2019, but there is currently no word on whether or not Daniel Craig will return to reprise the role. The 2019 film will mark Craig's 5th run as the role, which has been marred with drama in the past. Hopefully he is returning with the creative team behind the last four but at this time, all we know is that the official cast will be revealed at a later date. 

The 21st Pokemon film is due out at the end of this week but it's making one very large change to the series canon. Pokemon the movie: I choose you! is a retelling of the first season of the Pokemon anime, during which Ash and Pikachu meet for the first time and go on their first adventure together. If you have seen it, you can remember that an integral part of the first season of the anime, featured both Brock and Misty, who leave their respective gyms to travel alongside ASH and have been featured in a number of seasons and films thereafter but, with this new movie, Ash's history is changing. Kotaku has reported that the newest film will replace both of the characters for two brand new companions, Makoto and Souji, as well as a handful of other characters we've yet to see. The movie also appears to promote the latest legendary Pokemon, Marshadow, along the slides introducing Ash's new friends. While the movie appears to play out many of the original events, removing two of the series most memorable characters is an odd move. Pokemon the movie: I choose you! does not have a North American release date at this time but will be out in Japan July 15th.

It's been a long wait for some concrete Star Trek news and the current rumor is that the trailer will debut alongside J.J. Abrams latest film that will be released in just ten days. Star Trek will debut in the trailer reel for the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens, most likely along side Marvel's Captain America: Civil War trailer debut. Star Trek Beyond will be directed by Fast and Furious franchise regular, Justin Lin and is set to hit theaters 2016. While Abram's did leave the position to tackle Star Wars, he is the producer and Scotty, played by Sean of the Dead's Simon Pegg wrote the screen play for the third installment in the series alongside Doug Jung. Get excited for this awesome trailer in less than two weeks!

Let's face it, the Thor solo films might be the worst films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Despite the awesome cast of regulars Natalie Portman, Kat Dennings, Stellan Skarsgard and even Sir Anthony Hopkins, Thor has had some pretty lack luster villains stacked up against him. While the world of Asgard is amazing to see on the big screen, we haven't had as much time there as we would like to be fully immersed in the realm of the Son of Odin. Not to mention that fan favorite villain, Loki, may or may not return for the next Thor film, the final solo film might be in a tough spot but actor Chris Hemsworth believes he knows what the franchise needs. During his press rounds for the upcoming film, In the Heart of the Sea, Hemsworth stated that the franchise, "needs to be injected with that sort of smart wit and unexpected kind of humor, kind of what James Gunn came in and did with Guardians ," and I honestly couldn't agree more. Guardians of the Galaxy was a massive success for Marvel especially when you considering it was the least known property of everything Marvel has done up to date. Even Ant-Man took it's humor to another level creating an action packer and hilarious super hero film. Thor: Ragnarok is still a little ways away with it's 2017 release date but hopefully it'll learn from the mistakes of the previous two films and give us one incredible send off for this epic Marvel hero!

This weekend marks the release of the highly anticipated 24th bond film, Spectre, that's already off to a spectacular start oversees, but can it top the billion dollar grossing Skyfall that came before it? (MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD) To start off, the opening sequence has gained a lot of praise from fans and critics alike and I can confirm, it's nothing short of fantastic. While most of the action sequences in the film are over the top and action packed, the "bond" formula is heavy in a story that, well, isn't terribly interesting. Christoph Waltz, who plays villain Ernst Blofeld, hardly gets the screen time necessary to actually be taken as a serious threat. For someone so ominous, his demise is dealt actually quite quickly. Instead, the story jumps between the aforementioned head of the Specter organization and a pawn in his plan, Max Denbigh played by Sherlock's Andrew Scott, a security obsessed man aimed at phasing out the 00 program and linking all major companies under one surveillance system. The biggest problem with his character is it's almost a little too obvious that he has an ulterior motive. Even from his first moment meeting Bond, he has that near "bond-cliché" villain that makes him a little too obviously set up. Dave Bautista take the role of the silent hitman, Mr. Hinx, who shares an amazing fight scene with bond midway through the film but is quickly disposed of as well. Even Léa Sedoux's character, Dr. Madeline Swan, was a bit rushed in her falling for Bond, which is too be expected, but slightly disappointing seeing as Spectre billed itself as hiring the older bond girl to date in Monica Belluci, who we expected to see more from but sadly, her screen time is extremely short. While this movie doesn't surpass Skyfall, it's still a great action title despite the filming in Mexico controversy, multiple interviews given by Daniel Craig over the past few weeks, and the lack luster reaction for the new theme sung by Grammy award winning British crooner, Sam Smith, making the press tour less than fun. Will we see more of Daniel Craig as James Bond in the future is the real question but until then, make sure you go see Spectre for the awesome action sequences and that Bond charm.

It's the talk of the town and it's hard to not be excited for this new film starring X Men star James Macavoy and Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe. The trailer for Viktor Frankenstein, shows a bit of a spin on the traditional story telling of the Frankenstein monster's origins as well as the role igor will play. Get ready for some humor and monstrous action when this film debuts November 25th, 2015!

November's latest James Bond release has given us a new and exciting trailer and we've learned a lot more about this spy thriller this time around. It looks like aside from Bond, played again by Daniel Craig, he'll also be protecting a very important mans daughter. We see some familiar faces as well as some new ones including our villain, played by Christoph Waltz, who's devilish demeanor might make him one of the best we've seen on screen. Take a look at the brand new trailer below and get a look at that new bond mobile!

Pixar's new animated film, Inside Out, has been released and the reviews have been incredible. So incredible, in fact, that the movie currently sits at a 99% on rotten tomatoes, a well deserved score for an incredibly witty and fun film. Inside Out follows the story of a young girl Riley and how her five emotions, Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger and Disgust, all interact with one another. The movie offers some extremely interesting views on emotions and how they intertwine, where your memories end up and how your subconscious acts like a sort of jail for bad thoughts and fears. The movies most defining aspect is it's commentary on how we process sadness. Inside out is all about understand and not giving in, showing that a bit of everything is necessary at times to understand our selves and what we're go through. A strong emotional message for kids and adults, Inside Out is easily one of the best animated films of 2015 and a must see summer blockbuster.