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
‘Finding Dory’ Trailer: Pixar Returns With an Unforgettable Adventure
You’d be forgiven for thinking that Finding Nemo didn’t really need a sequel. It was a completely charming, yet contained adventure, wrapped up pretty neatly. But, it was a very, very successful Pixar movie and, these days, that means sequel. Of the first seven Pixar movies, only Finding Nemo and A Bug’s Life (which has seemed to be almost ret-conned out of existence in the Pixar universe) hadn’t yet had sequels, but that’s about to change next summer as Finding Dory opens in theaters.
Daniel Fleetwood, Terminally Ill ‘Star Wars’ Fan Behind #ForceForDaniel, Dies at Age 32
Back in October, Ashley Fleetwood, the wife of Daniel Fleetwood, a terminally ill Star Wars fan, started the #ForceForDaniel campaign to help her husband see Star Wars: The Force Awakens before he died. Daniel, a lifelong fan who camped out for tickets to see the prequel trilogy, was given only two months to live in July and both he and his wife knew he wasn’t going to be able to make it until opening day. On November 5, Disney, Lucasfilm and director J.J. Abrams made Daniel’s dying wish come true by bringing Star Wars: The Force Awakens to his home in Spring, Texas.
Daniel Fleetwood died last night, just five days after his Star Wars screening, at the age of 32.
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.
Report: New ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Trailer on October 19, Plus Info on Ticket Pre-Sales!
Alright, Star Wars fans, what are you doing on Monday, October 19? Nope, sorry. Whatever you thought you were doing, you might want to readjust your plans, because you’re going to be sitting in front of your computer, watching the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer and pre-ordering your tickets for December 18. At least that’s according to multiple early reports, as well as some of our sources as well.
‘Ant-Man 2‘ Confirmed as Marvel Shifts Phase 3 Release Dates
When Marvel originally revealed their plans for Phase 3, conspicuously missing was a date for Ant-Man 2. There was some concern that Ant-Man may never get his sequel and would have to be content appearing in other Marvel things (like Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War), but those concerns have been allayed by Marvel who officially announced Ant-Man and the Wasp will open in theaters in 2018!
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.
‘Terminator’ Producers Say Franchise Will Continue After a “Re-Adjusting”
Just last week we brought you the news that the planned Terminator Genisys trilogy was being put on hold indefinitely following the disappointing performance of the film that was intended to kick off that new series of films. Makes perfect sense, we thought. Genisys was not a very good movie and didn’t leave many people, including us, very interested the future of this franchise. But, this is Hollywood and perfect sense doesn’t always apply. Now, Terminator Genisys producer Dana Goldberg has spoken publicly for the first time saying future Terminator movies haven’t been canceled, they’re just being “re-imagined.” Oh great, another reboot!
‘The Revenant’ Trailer: Get Your Oscars Ready
If you’re already looking ahead and wondering what movies will wind up with Oscar nominations in early 2016, you should start paying close attention to The Revenant. The new trailer for the Leonardo DiCaprio wilderness revenge thriller has arrived and, wow, is it beautiful.
Sigourney Weaver Confirmed For a Cameo in the ‘Ghostbusters’ Reboot
Sigourney Weaver was the only one of the core actors from the original film (minus Rick Moranis who retired from acting) who was not going to be appearing in the new Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig version. But, as it turns out, Weaver will be appearing in the new Ghostbusters movie, alongside Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Dan Aykroyd and Annie Potts.