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
‘Batman vs. Superman’ R-Rated Cut Will Be Over 3 Hours, Says Zack Snyder
Batman vs. Superman is opening in theaters next week, but an extended, R-rated cut of the film will be included with the DVD and Blu-ray release of the film. While many extended cuts just include a few additional minutes of footage and a couple random edits, Batman vs. Superman director Zack Snyder says his planned R-rated cut will include a whopping 30 minutes of new footage, pushing it past the three hour mark.
‘Justice League’ Casts J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon
Just last week Oscar winner J.K. Simmons commented on fans hoping he’d return as J. Jonah Jameson in Marvel’s new Spider-Man reboot. Simmons diplomatically said, “I’ll never close the door on anything.” Well, this may slam, lock and barricade that door. The Whiplash actor has just been cast as Commissioner Gordon in Warner Bros.’ two-part Justice League movie.
Is Luke Skywalker Gay? Mark Hamill Says ‘Of Course He Is’
Star Wars: The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams said recently that it “seems insanely narrow-minded to say that there wouldn’t be a homosexual character in [the Star Wars] world.” But, what if there was already a gay character in the Star Wars universe and we just didn’t know it? And what if it was the biggest Star Wars character in a galaxy far, far away?
‘Ghostbusters’ Trailer: These Women Ain’t Afraid of No Ghost
Ever since the Ghostbusters reboot has been announced (with an all-female cast) the film has been harshly judged, sight unseen. Today, director Paul Feig has officially revealed the Ghostbusters trailer, so now we can judge the film on its own merits...
Seth Rogen’s Animated ‘Sausage Party’ to Premiere at SXSW
Seth Rogen was already planning on attending SXSW to premiere to first episodes of his upcoming AMC series Preacher, starring Dominic Cooper. Now Rogen has decided if he’s going to be at SXSW anyway, he might as well bring one of his upcoming films with him. The actor-director will premiere a “work in progress” print of his first animated film, Sausage Party, with a cast that includes Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill, Paul Rudd and more.
Hugh Jackman’s Final Wolverine Movie May Also Get an R Rating
The Deadpool Effect is now officially a thing. As many predicted and suspected following Deadpool’s surprising success at the box office this past weekend, movie studios would try to capitalize on the success of that film by making their superhero movies R-rated (ignoring the fact that that was just a very small part of why Deadpool was successful). Just this morning we brought you the news that the X-Force movie could be rated R and now comes word that Hugh Jackman’s still untitled final Wolverine movie (Wolverine 3? The Wolverine 2?) is being planned as an R-rated film.
Disney to Face Criminal Charges Over Harrison Ford’s ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Injury
Back in June of last year, Harrison Ford was injured on the set of Star Wars: The Force Awakens when the door of the Millennium Falcon fell, dislocating his ankle and breaking his leg in two places. The production was put on hold for six months while Ford recuperated and director J.J. Abrams would later say of the incident, “Once we knew that Harrison was going to be okay, we all realized this was this greatest gift to the movie.” Abrams, and his bosses at Lucasfilm and Disney, may be disagreeing with that sentiment today as officials in London have brought four criminal charges against the Star Wars: The Force Awakens production company.
‘Star Wars: Episode 8’ Filming Has Officially Begun in London
The cast of Star Wars: The Force Awakens barely got a few weeks to catch their breath after the whirlwind that surrounded that film’s massive success at the box office before they were called back to London’s Pinewood Studios to start it all over again. Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed this morning that Lucasfilm and director Rian Johnson have officially commenced principal photography on Star Wars: Episode 8.
A Yoda Cameo Was Cut From ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’
Though Star Wars: The Force Awakens takes place over 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi, director J.J. Abrams still found a way to work on some classic characters who had long since passed on. Kylo Ren has a conversation with Darth Vader’s helmet. Obi-Wan speaks to Rey during her Force vision. And, there was one additional cameo that ultimately was cut from the film: Yoda.
New ‘Ghostbusters’ Photos Show Off the New Cast, First Look at Chris Hemsworth
Early this morning, Sony Pictures relaunched the official site for Ghostbusters, the home of the original two movies, the cartoons and the upcoming reboot. Along with the relaunch, we got five new photos from the film, each highlighting one of the main characters from the movie, including our first look at Chris Hemsworth as the new Ghostbusters secretary. Eat your heart out, Janine Melnitz!
‘Fast and Furious’ 9 and 10 Get Official Release Dates
Though Fast and Furious 7 seemed like an obvious, but tragic way to bring the franchise to a close, there was no way Universal Pictures was going to walk away from a franchise that was still bringing in over $350 million. So, Vin Diesel did what he does: he announced a new Fast and Furious trilogy last year that would end the franchise for good (and by “for good” we mean for a few years until they reboot it with a new cast). Fast and Furious 8 had already been scheduled for a April 14, 2017 release, but now Universal Pictures has given those last two Fast and Furious movies release dates as well.
Director Colin Trevorrow Wants to Shoot ‘Star Wars: Episode 9’ in Outer Space
Just recently, Star Wars: Episode 9 director Colin Trevorrow attracted some attention when he said that he wanted to shoot the finale of the current Star Wars trilogy on film rather than digital. But, what’s more interesting perhaps, isn’t what he wants to shoot it with, but where he wants to shoot it. Namely, in outer space.