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
The Lonely Island Debut Two New Songs From ‘Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping’
One of the most exciting things about a new movie from The Lonely Island (Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schafer) is that we also get a new Lonely Island album. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping opens in theaters on June 3, but you don’t have to wait until next month to get a listen to some of the new songs from the mockumentary...
‘Fast and Furious’ Director Justin Lin Heads to ‘Space Jam 2’
The original Space Jam was a movie that didn’t even make $100 million and was far from a slam dunk success (listen, if you think you were making it through this post without an abundance of basketball related puns, you were sorely mistaken), but the film became something of a cult classic...
‘Sausage Party’ Review: Just Get Stoned and Watch ‘Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs’ Instead
Sausage Party is the first ever R-rated CG-animated film. Based on a concept Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill and Evan Goldberg first came up with 8 years ago, the film, by definition, is something you have never seen before. It’s raunchy, rowdy and completely insane. Unfortunately, it’s just not very funny.
Ben Affleck Reportedly Rewrote ‘Batman vs. Superman’ Script Every Day…in Costume
One of the stipulations when Ben Affleck signed on to star in Batman vs. Superman was that his Argo writer, Chris Terrio, would come aboard to help fix the script. Though Terrio was indeed brought in to rewrite the script (originally written by David Goyer), it seems Affleck still was not happy with it. According to a recent report, Affleck spent each day rewriting that day’s scenes until they were up to snuff. Oh, and he did it dressed as Batman.
Ryan Reynolds Hopes Deadpool Has a Boyfriend in ‘Deadpool 2’
In the comic books, Deadpool is known for being pansexual, in that he’s attracted to all gender identities, or attracted to people regardless of gender. In Deadpool the movie, Wade Wilson is in a monogamous relationship with a woman, Vanessa, played by Morena Baccarin. But, if star Ryan Reynolds gets his way, Deadpool 2 would explore the character’s sexuality even further, making the Merc With a Mouth the first major movie superhero to be in a relationship with another man. Yes, Reynolds wants Deadpool to have a boyfriend.
Apple Expected to Launch Original Programming With iPhone 7
Every year Apple announces a new iPhone at a big keynote event. Sometimes it’s an incremental update, like the iPhone 6S announced last September. Other times, like this year when Apple will announce the iPhone 7, it’s a big leap forward in technology. While there have been many rumors around the upcoming iPhone 7 (including no more headphone jack and wireless charging), none will be as exciting to movie and TV fans as this news: Apple is expected to make their official foray into original programming when the iPhone 7 launches, competing with both Netflix and Amazon.
‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Passes ‘Avatar’ to Become Biggest Movie of All-Time
As was widely expected, Star Wars: The Force Awakens passed Avatar as the highest grossing movie of all-time on Wednesday morning. It was a record many, including George Lucas, thought would never be broken; The Force Awakens did it in just 20 da
‘Guardians of the Galaxy 2’ Looking to Cast Kurt Russell as Peter Quill’s Father
After Matthew McConaughey reportedly turned down a major role in Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Marvel and director James Gunn went back to the drawing board, looking to attract a big star for the upcoming sequel. It turns out they may have found their man...
Daniel Fleetwood, Terminally Ill ‘Star Wars’ Fan Behind #ForceForDaniel, Dies at Age 32
Daniel Fleetwood died last night, just five days after his Star Wars screening, at the age of 32.
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.
Rick Moranis Turned Down a Role in New ‘Ghostbusters’ Movie, Says Reboot “Just Makes No Sense”
So far, all of the surviving original Ghostbusters cast members — Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver and Annie Potts — have returned to make cameo appearances in the upcoming reboot. Everyone, that is, expect Rick Moranis. The actor who played Louis Tully in Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II mostly retired from the public eye and hasn’t acted in a live-action feature since 1997, but revealed that he was approached to return for the Ghostbusters reboot and he swiftly turned them down.
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!
Wait, Is Vin Diesel Going to Direct ‘Fast and Furious 8’?
The Fast and Furious franchise wouldn’t be where it is now without Vin Diesel. The films didn’t even kick into high gear until Diesel returned for 2009’s Fast and Furious, and the box-office numbers have been climbing astronomically since then. To say Universal owes Vin Diesel a gigantic debt of gratitude is an understatement, but exactly how much do they owe him? Would they actually let Diesel, who has little experience directing a movie let alone directing a movie on the scale of a Fast and Furious film, behind the camera of Fast and Furious 8? According to a new report, this may be what Vin Diesel wants and Universal is terrified.
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.
Win a Sphero BB-8, One of the Coolest ‘Star Wars’ Toys Ever Made!
There were a lot of exciting toys announced yesterday during the epic 18-hour Star Wars Force Friday reveals, but none as exciting as the BB-8 toy from Sphero. We’ve been gushing about BB-8 since Star Wars Celebration and counting down the days until we could own one. And now that the day is here, it is perhaps even more fun than we imagined.
2016 Oscars to Hire a ‘Well-Known’ Duo as Next Year’s Hosts
Last years Oscars host Neil Patrick Harris said almost immediately after the broadcast that he “doubted” he would ever do it again, explaining, “I don’t know that my family nor my soul could take it.” Which, of course, meant that the search for a replacement was on almost immediately. But, if you’re looking for just one person, you may be barking up the wrong tree. This year’s Oscars producers say “there will be multiple hosts for sure.”
Vin Diesel Confirms ‘xXx 3′ Begins Filming This December
Fast and Furious 7 just made Universal over $1.5 billion and when you make people that much money, you can pretty much do whatever you want for your next project. Vin Diesel, the star of and producer of the Fast franchise, has that kind of clout now and has decided to use that clout to make…xXx 3?
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”.
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.
Leaked ‘Suicide Squad’ Comic-Con Trailer Now Available in HD
This past weekend at Comic-Con, fans attending the Batman vs. Superman panel were treated to an additional surprise: the entire cast of Suicide Squad appeared on stage (minus Jared Leto) and introduced our first ever look at footage from the upcoming supervillain film. Despite their pleas to not record any of the footage, someone of course did, and it leaked online shortly thereafter in a really crappy quality. Well, director David Ayer and Warner Bros. feel your pain and have decided to do the right thing and just release the whole trailer online.