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
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.
Disney Developing New ‘Mary Poppins’ Movie, Not a Sequel or Reboot
As they have grown rather fond of doing, Disney is looking back at one of their past hits in order to create some future success. After modern day versions of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Alice in Wonderland (not to mention, upcoming versions of Beauty and the Beast and The Jungle Book), Disney has hired Rob Marshall (Chicago, Into the Woods) to direct a new Mary Poppins musical based on P.L. Travers’ original children’s books.
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.
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.”
‘Spectre’ May Be Daniel Craig’s Last James Bond Movie
Daniel Craig was cast as James Bond back in October 2005 and almost immediately there was controversy. A London newspaper ran the headline the next morning “The Name’s Bland – James Bland” and fans started up the site danielcraigisnotbond.com urging moviegoers to boycott Casino Royale. Now, three films into Craig’s era as 007 (with the last being the most critically and commercially successful James Bond film of all-time), the actor is talking about leaving the franchise and, in a sign of how far public opinion has reversed, fans couldn’t be more upset.
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.
‘Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension’ Trailer: Found Footage Goes 3D
The first three Paranormal Activity movies, released in successive years from 2009-2011, made over $577 million worldwide. The fourth movie made half what the previous film did, and the fifth, a Latin-American themed spinoff subtitled The Marked Ones, made even less than that. The film built up a complicated mythology and then seemed to abandon it all. The next, and reportedly final, Paranormal Activity movie will arrive in theaters this fall (in 3D, no less) and promises to reveal all the film’s secrets. Now you can watch the trailer for the latest installment and see if you still care.
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!
‘The Daily Show’ Names Trevor Noah as Jon Stewart’s Replacement
The Daily Show and Comedy Central have announced that, after a long search with many rumored candidates, Trevor Noah will succeed the retiring Jon Stewart as the host of the late night program. Noah, a 31-year-old stand-up comedian, has served as a correspondent for the show but, so far, has only made three appearances.
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.
‘Toy Story 4’ Will Not Be a Direct Sequel to ‘Toy Story 3’
Toy Story 3 wrapped up the Toy Story trilogy so perfectly, many fans were left wondering how exactly the recently announced Toy Story 4 will continue that storyline. We have our first insight into Pixar's plans for Toy Story 4, and it turns out that they're not even going to try.