Emma Stefansky
Dwayne Johnson to Light Up ‘Skyscraper’ Thriller Summer 2018
There are three perfect combinations in the world: peanut butter and jelly, steak and red wine, and The Rock and a good old-fashioned blow-’em-up action movie. Good news for Dwayne Johnson fans: If you enjoyed watching him save his family from an enormous earthquake in 2015’s San Andreas, you’ll love watching him save his family from atop a burning building in Skyscraper, officially coming summer 2018.
One of the Planets in ‘Rogue One’ Got Its Name from a Coffee Cup Misspelling
Gareth Edwards pretty much had the dream moviemaking experience when he directed Last year’s Rogue One: He got to be a part of a franchise he’d loved since he was a kid, but he also got to contribute his own ideas to an almost entirely original story within that franchise instead of being bound by the confines of an already-established plotline. At SXSW on Monday, Edwards delivered a keynote speech about his work in Star Wars and becoming a filmmaker, and revealed that one of the planets in Rogue One got its name from a fortuitous misspelling at a coffee shop.
Check Out Three New Trailers for What Netflix Is Premiering at SXSW
The SXSW Film Festival starts tomorrow(!) and to kick it off early, Netflix has premiered three whole trailers for their offerings at the fest: Everybody’s out to get Melissa Leo, Jake Johnson goes on a desperate gambling spree, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau just can’t catch a break.
IMDb Adopts ‘F-Rating’ to Make It Easier to Find Films Directed by Women
It’s no secret that women have it a little tougher than men when it comes to directing movies. In 2015, women helmed 9% of the top 250 domestic grossing films – that’s 22 movies out of 250. A lot of movie fans have taken it upon themselves to seek out and watch more female-directed or otherwise female-led films, but that sometimes isn’t easy due to the extreme lack of women in charge of movies that Hollywood is still experiencing. IMDb has just adopted the “F-rating” to highlight movies directed by, written by, and starring women, and how we still have a long way to go before the split is 50/50.
‘Stranger Things’ Star David Harbour Might Play Cable in ‘Deadpool 2’
While there’s no official release date yet (although it’s rumored to hit in 2018), Deadpool 2 is gearing up to start filming pretty soon. We don’t know much about the plot or any new characters other than the fact that Cable is going to be in it, which is something we’ve known since the first Deadpool movie teased it after the credits. But as to who’s playing Cable, it’s anyone’s guess at this point as the movie is only just starting to round out their cast. A few days ago, Deadpool’s creator Rob Liefeld wanted Russell Crowe to play the part, which was probably just a bit of industry fancasting. But now we know that one of the names on the list of possibilities is none other than Stranger Things’ David Harbour.
J.J. Abrams Thinks Mark Hamill Will Win an Oscar for ‘The Last Jedi’
The Oscars haven’t even been over for a day, and already the predictions for next year are rolling in. The latest comes from J.J. Abrams, director of The Force Awakens, who doesn’t know for sure who’s winning at next year’s Academy Awards, but he thinks Mark Hamill should.
The New ‘Star Wars: Aftermath’ Novel Could Explain the Origins of the Knights of Ren
For every cool new character The Force Awakens introduced, and every familiar face it brought back, ten new questions popped up in their wake. It’s been more than thirty years since Darth Vader’s death and the destruction of the Empire, and the galaxy has changed quite a bit since then. Plenty of new players have entered the game, including a mysterious organization known as the Knights of Ren. Our buddy Kylo Ren is one of these Dark Side fanatics, but he seems to be the only one. So, what happened to the other Knights of Ren? And how are they, exactly?
Woody Allen’s New Film, Starring Justin Timberlake and Kate Winslet, Now Has a Title
Woody Allen is one of the most prolific directors working today: he just had a TV series on Amazon after premiering his most recent film, Cafe Society, at Cannes, and he’s been hard at work on his next movie, starring Justin Timberlake, Kate Winslet, and Juno Temple. That movie hasn’t officially had a title until now, but it was recently revealed that the new Allen film everyone will have on their radars all year will be called Wonder Wheel.
Watch Damien Chazelle and the ‘La La Land’ Cast Rehearse That Big Opening Number in a Parking Lot
It’s no secret by now that Damien Chazelle’s La La Land featured some unbelievably ridiculous camerawork. Now that the film has been nominated for Best Picture and Best Cinematography, as well as Best Director, Best Editing, and Best Production Design, the film’s campaign is making sure the Academy voters know exactly how much it deserves to win in the technical categories.
The Live-Action ‘Aladdin’ Will Have a Diverse Cast, Promises Producer
There’s been a lot of talk about whitewashing in the news lately, what with two big blockbusters, The Great Wall and the live-action Ghost in the Shell, poised to hit theaters soon. Disney has plans for both a live-action Mulan and Aladdin in the works, and the production of both will be scrutinized for how they handle casting. But not to worry, because the producer of Aladdin says the cast will be fittingly diverse for a movie set in the Middle East.
Josh Gad Is Going to Need a Lot More Than Judi Dench to Get ‘Star Wars’ Spoilers From Daisy Ridley
He’s doing it again. Josh Gad has been pestering Daisy Ridley with Star Wars questions for weeks, and this time he’s enlisted the help of their fellow Murder on the Orient Express passenger Judi Dench. But Ridley is one stone-cold secret-keeper, and she’s not backing down anytime soon.
’Sup Bat-fans, Watch LEGO Batman Give a Tour of Wayne Manor for ‘Gotham Cribs’
The self-aware superhero thing seems to be becoming a trend. Last year, Deadpool charmed audiences with his irreverent, R-rated take on the origin story, cursing up a storm and breaking the fourth wall every five minutes. LEGO Batman, possibly the best part of The LEGO Movie, was similar, throwing in jabs now and again to his dark, broody characterization in The Dark Knight Trilogy. The LEGO Batman Movie promises more of the same in this new “Gotham Cribs” clip, which shows LEGO Batman trying really hard not to let everyone know he and LEGO Bruce Wayne are the same person. If he were any more aware of himself, he’d ascend to nirvana.