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
‘Fantastic Four 2’ Officially Removed From Fox’s Release Schedule
Flame off? After Fantastic Four’s hugely disappointing opening earlier this year, Fox initially claimed they were still moving ahead with a sequel, keeping the planned June 9, 2017 release date. But, after a closer look at the situation and perhaps a good dose of common sense, Fox has removed Fantastic Four 2 from their release schedule.
Chris Hemsworth on His ‘Extreme’ Weight Loss for ‘In the Heart of the Sea’
Chris Hemsworth certainly looks the part of a man who’s been stranded at sea; at least 30 pounds lighter than his Thor physique. The shabby clothes hang off him like a kid playing dress up with his parents’ clothes. Don’t get me wrong: behind the beard, the dirt and the sackcloths, Chris Hemsworth is still a pretty handsome dude (it’s almost not fair). I was able to speak with Hemsworth for a few moments about what it was like to build up all that muscle, lose it again, and then have to build it all back up.
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.
‘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!
‘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!
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?
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.
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.
Watch the New ‘Star Wars: Episode 7’ Trailer!
The brand new Star Wars: Episode 7 trailer premiered this morning at Star Wars Celebration, as J.J. Abrams and the film’s cast showed off the footage to a packed audience of hardcore Star Wars fans. But, you don't have to be in Anaheim to get a new look at The Force Awakens: we've got the trailer for you right here, right now!
Ludacris Wants to Star in a ‘Fast and Furious’ Spinoff With Tyrese, But Needs Your Help
Increasingly the Fast and Furious franchise has felt like a superhero franchise. A group of heroes with seemingly infinite strength and abilities taking on the bad guys and becoming a family in the process. It's like Avengers meets the Fantastic Four, but with a lot of cars. With the movies already up to Part 7 and Paul Walker sadly gone, the series can't go on forever. So, how do they continue the brand? Just like the superheroes do: with spinoffs.
Director James Wan Still Has Trouble Watching the ‘Furious 7’ Ending
Fast and Furious 7 is an emotional movie; there's no getting around that. There were few dry eyes after the screening we attended. But, if it's this emotional for people who are watching the movie, can you imagine what it must be like for the people who made the movie, and knew Paul Walker? We spoke to director James Wan who told us that it's still so hard, he has to get up and leave the theater during the film's ending.
Watch Vin Diesel’s Emotional Introduction to a ‘Fast and Furious 7’ Screening
Earlier this week, we were among those in the audience for the first ever Fast and Furious 7 screening at SXSW. It was an emotional affair, to say the least. It's not often you watch a movie where The Rock walks down a street shooting a helicopter out of the sky with a massive gatling gun that ends with everyone in the audience crying, but there we were. An entire audience still processing the grief and sadness of the death of Paul Walker. A few days after that screening, Vin Diesel hosted a similar screening in Los Angeles and introduced the film to the crowd. It was about as sad as you can imagine.