Mike Sampson is the Editor-in-Chief of ScreenCrush. He studied to become a lawyer and worked as an architectural planner after graduating college but neither of these professions afforded him the opportunity to watch movies and TV for a living. He previously served as the Editor-in-Chief of JoBlo.com for 10 years. He lives in New Jersey and probably spends too much time playing video games and overthinking things.
Mike Sampson
Zach Galifianakis Says They Never Should’ve Made the ‘Hangover’ Sequels
The original The Hangover was a bonafide comedy sensation. The highest-grossing R-rated comedy of all-time made over $275 million. To put that in perspective, The Hangover in 2009 made more than Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The LEGO Movie and Star Trek...
J.J. Abrams Talks Luke Skywalker’s Absence From the ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Trailer
Disney and Lucasfilm are trying very hard to preserve the secrets of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. There are reports that the film won’t screen for critics until the day before it opens in theaters. And there are rumors that not only will there be no more trailers, but that the TV spots that run won’t use any new footage and everything you’ve seen so far, is all you’re going to get. But, even as they try to keep a carbonite fist on spoilers, J.J. Abrams has to leave his house. As much as Disney would like, they can’t keep him chained up in a Rancor pit until December 17. The dude has to go out in public. And that he did just the other day, and as people shouted at him “LUKE!!! WHERE’S LUKE!!!!” he was obliged to answer.
Netflix Negotiating With Disney For ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Streaming Rights
Back in 2012, Disney and Netflix struck a deal that would allow all of Disney’s films — including Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars properties — to stream exclusively on Netflix Instant, starting on January 1, 2016. As that date approaches, many have speculated openly about the Star Wars films finally coming to Netflix. There were even rumors recently that Netflix was prepping their database for the Star Wars movies, though Netflix denied those reports. While they have yet to comment specifically on the existing six films in the Star Wars library, Netflix did confirm that, as of now, they do not have the rights to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but are currently in negotiations to bring that title to their streaming library.
The Surprising Reason Christian Bale and Leonardo DiCaprio Turned Down ‘Steve Jobs’
Before Michael Fassbender was cast as Steve Jobs, the biopic went down a long and complicated road in pre-production. Directors (including David Fincher) were offered the job and passed. Actors (Leonardo DiCaprio, Christian Bale and Natalie Portman, among them) were offered the title role and passed. With an Aaron Sorkin script we now know is very, very good, it’s surprising that so many talented people declined to participate in the movie. But, we now have an idea why these people decided to pass on Steve Jobs and it has nothing to do with the quality of the film.
What’s Expiring On Netflix Instant: October 2015
Normally the lists of what is disappearing from Netflix in any given month isn’t that long. Last month it was 15 total titles. But, October is the Great Netflix Cleansing as a whopping 45 movies are expiring. And these aren’t just generic B-movies, these are legit classics like Annie Hall, This is Spinal Tap, The Big Lebowski, The Exorcist and Kangaroo Jack. Not you too, Kangaroo Jack!
Disney Developing New ‘Mary Poppins’ Movie, Not a Sequel or Reboot
As they have grown rather fond of doing, Disney is looking back at one of their past hits in order to create some future success. After modern day versions of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Alice in Wonderland (not to mention, upcoming versions of Beauty and the Beast and The Jungle Book), Disney has hired Rob Marshall (Chicago, Into the Woods) to direct a new Mary Poppins musical based on P.L. Travers’ original children’s books.
Listen to Tom Hiddleston Sing as Hank Williams in ‘I Saw the Light’
We all know Tom Hiddleston as Loki, but aside from the Avengers and Thor movies, but American audiences haven’t gotten to see much else from the actor. That’s about to change as Hiddleston has a showy role in the upcoming Hank Williams biopic I Saw the Light. Musical biopics have traditionally been the road to awards and Oscar glory, but can the same be said for Hiddleston’s performance? The film doesn’t open until late November, but today we’ve got our first look, and listen, to the British Hiddleston sing country western.
Ronda Rousey to Star in Remake of Patrick Swayze Classic ‘Road House’
Now that Ronda Rousey has officially dominated the UFC, she’s ready to put Hollywood in a submission hold next. The actress previously set up a biopic at Paramount that she also plans on starring in, and now comes word that she’s ready to take over a classic action movie. Rousey will reportedly star in a gender-swapped Road House remake where she’d take over for the late Patrick Swayze.
‘Batman vs. Superman’ Is a ‘Very Serious’ Movie, Says Jesse Eisenberg
Noted Comic-Con hater, actor and apparently now writer, Jesse Eisenberg, appeared on NBC’s Today to promote his upcoming book of short stories “Bream Gives Me Hiccups” and talk eventually turned to Batman vs. Superman. It was at this point that Eisenberg, who plays Lex Luthor in the upcoming superhero movie, assured us all that not only is Batman vs. Superman a “phenomenal” movie, but that’s it’s also a “very serious” movie. To which, the entire universe responded with a resounding, no freaking duh.
‘The Martian’ Trailer: Bring Matt Damon Back Home
A crew of insanely smart scientists travel to a barren alien landscape. After an interstellar storm, one of the crew is left behind and presumed dead. He is, however, very much alive, and slowly begins plotting his return. No, it’s not the story of Doctor Doom in the new Fantastic Four reboot...OK, it is, but it’s also the plot for the upcoming Ridley Scott sci-fi drama The Martian, and today we’ve got a brand new trailer for you.
‘Goonies’ House Closed to Fans After Harassment, Vandalism From Visitors
The real-life Goonies house in Astoria, Oregon has becoming something of a mecca for fans of the 80s cult classic. They would stop by, take pictures, do the Truffle Shuffle and all was good. But all of that Pacific Northwest hospitality has disappeared as the owner of the house has gotten sick of the attention and blocked access to the property, including covering the outside of the house in tarps. Hey, you guyyyyyys…get off my lawn!
Watch the Best Moments From Jon Stewart’s Final ‘Daily Show’
Jon Stewart said goodbye to The Daily Show last night in equal parts star-studded and quiet, personal fashion as former correspondents like Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, John Oliver and Olivia Munn returned to pay their respects, while Bruce Springsteen closed out the slow with a performance — at Stewart’s request — of his 1999 song “The Land of Hopes and Dreams” and, for his fellow New Jerseyan, “Born to Run”.
‘Deadpool’ Trailer Trailer: Ryan Reynolds Does His Best ‘In a World’ Voiceover
We normally like to steer clear of the “trailer for a trailer” phenomena that results in photos of a 6-second Instagram video of a 15-second YouTube video teaser of an actual trailer. It’s a toxic fad in the world of movie promotion and one we hope goes away quickly, but we couldn’t resist sharing this trailer for a trailer for Deadpool. For one, it’s almost a minute long, and for another, it’s just funny.
Ronda Rousey to Star as Ronda Rousey in ‘Ronda Rousey: The Movie’
This past weekend Ronda Rousey continued to dominate the world of UFC fighting defeating challenger Bethe Correia with a devastating knockout in just 34 seconds. She may very well be the most dominate athlete in her sport. Hell, she might be the most dominate athlete in any sport. While she’s officially conquered the world of mixed martial arts, Rousey wants to next conquer Hollywood. After supporting roles in Furious 7 and Entourage, Rousey has signed on to star in a biopic about her own life for Paramount Pictures.
New ‘Batman vs. Superman’ Pics Revealed: Batman, Wonder Woman and Lex Luthor Has Hair!
As revealed yesterday, Batman vs. Superman will have a major presence at Comic-Con. The entire cast will be there to show off new footage from the film, and if rumors are to believed, we’ll also have the new Justice League assembled on stage. But, if you aren’t going to Comic-Con this year (or you simply can’t wait another week), we have some good news for you: Warner Bros. has released five new Batman vs. Superman photos for your viewing pleasure.
New ‘Steve Jobs’ Trailer: A Fascinating Look at the Late Apple CEO
The first trailer for the new Steve Jobs biopic (titled Steve Jobs) didn’t show much from the film, specifically Michael Fassbender’s performance as that late Apple head. Today, a new trailer has been released that gives us a much better look into the film (and the life of Steve Jobs) and that’s both a great thing, and a not-so-great thing.
Lexus Just Created a Working Version of the ‘Back to the Future’ Hoverboard
With 2015 being the year Back to the Future II envisioned as the future, everyone is looking to celebrate what the future of 1989 was supposed to look like. Earlier this year, Nike announced they’d be releasing a version of Marty McFly’s self-lacing Air Mags. And now, Lexus may have one-upped them, releasing a teaser video revealing a sneak peek at an actual working hoverboard.
Ben Affleck Will Reportedly Direct and Star in New Batman Film Set For 2018
When Warner Bros. announced their upcoming superhero schedule last year, one title notably missing was a solo Batman movie. Sure, Batman was going to be a big part of both Batman vs. Superman and the two Justice League movies, but would Batfleck be getting his own trilogy, a la The Dark Knight? It turns out, yes, yes he will. Latino Review is reporting that Ben Affleck will both star in and direct the spinoff, titled The Batman, which is set for November 2018.
Here’s How Marvel Congratulated ‘Jurassic World’ on Beating the ‘Avengers’ Record
Just a few days ago, box office analysts were predicting a $125 million opening weekend for Jurassic World. Defying all expectations, Jurassic World brought in a whopping $209 million making it the biggest opening weekend of all-time, beating the previous record holder, The Avengers. The team at Marvel took it all in stride, releasing this poster on Twitter congratulating the Jurassic World crew on their achievement.
Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy Confirms ‘Indiana Jones’ Reboot Is Coming
When the rumors began to spread that Lucasfilm wanted Chris Pratt to star in a new Indiana Jones reboot, many “insiders” tried to refute those claims by saying an Indiana Jones reboot would never happen. But now, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has confirmed that a new Indiana Jones movie is on the way, saying it “will one day be made” at Disney.