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
Ben Affleck Will Reportedly Direct and Star in New Batman Film Set For 2018
When Warner Bros. announced their upcoming superhero schedule last year, one title notably missing was a solo Batman movie. Sure, Batman was going to be a big part of both Batman vs. Superman and the two Justice League movies, but would Batfleck be getting his own trilogy, a la The Dark Knight? It turns out, yes, yes he will. Latino Review is reporting that Ben Affleck will both star in and direct the spinoff, titled The Batman, which is set for November 2018.
‘Deadpool’ Movie Looking to Cast T.J. Miller, ‘Game of Thrones’ Star Ed Skrein
Because rumors of a ‘Deadpool’ movie have lingered for many years and years, we’ll always remain a little skeptical that this movie is actually happening for real this time. But, following the news that Ryan Reynolds has officially signed on to star, comes word that casting on the project is ramping up as T.J. Miller (‘Silicon Valley’, ‘Transformers: Age of Extinction’) and Ed Skrein (formerly of ‘Game of Thrones’) are in talks to join the upcoming project.
Someone Already Went and Got a ‘Star Wars: Episode 7’ Tattoo
You think you liked the ‘Star Wars: Episode 7’ trailer? That’s nothing. One ‘Star Wars’ fan liked what he saw from that 88-second glimpse of ‘The Force Awakens’ so much, we spent his Thanksgiving weekend getting it tattooed on his body. Now that’s dedication.
‘Star Wars: Episode 7′ Official Title Announced: ‘The Force Awakens’
We thought that the 'Star Wars: Episode 7' title might get officially announced this past summer at Comic-Con, but that event came and went with no official reveal. So, what better way to announce the new title than a random Thursday in November? Just this morning on Twitter, Lucasfilm and the official 'Star Wars' Twitter account revealed the 'Star Wars: Episode 7' title: 'A Force Awakens'.
‘Avengers 2′ and ‘Ant-Man’ Footage Previewed During Marvel TV Special
For the past two weeks, there has been a deluge of 'Avengers 2' footage - clips, trailers, extended trailers, future trailers! - and we were promised one last reveal last night. While 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' had the night off, ABC ran the Marvel TV special 'From Pulp to Pop,' which looked at the history of Marvel and Marvel Studios. It was mostly a rah-rah, pat-yourself-on-the-back kinda deal, but if you stuck around to the end, we not only got a look at 'Avengers 2' but also our first look at 'Ant-Man' footage.
Christian Bale Unexpectedly Drops Out of Steve Jobs Biopic
Christian Bale has abruptly pulled out of Danny Boyle's planned Steve Jobs biopic, just two weeks after entering discussions with Sony Pictures and Boyle over playing the iconic Apple CEO. Though Bale hadn't officially signed for the part (and hadn't even begun contract negotiations), his participation was considered a near certainly and his unexpected departure is another casting blow for the project, which already had Leonardo DiCaprio turn down the starring role.
Warner Bros. Announces ‘Wonder Woman’ and ‘Justice League’ Release Dates, Confirms Aquaman and Flash Casting
Not to be outdone by the big 'Captain America 3'/Civil War announcement from earlier this week, Warner Bros. dropped some superhero news of their own. They've confirmed their 2017, 2018 and 2019 superhero movies as well as announced some new casting for members of the new Justice League.
‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Star Dave Bautista Cast as ‘Bond 24′ Villain
We'd previously heard that the 'Bond 24' filmmakers wanted the villain for the upcoming sequel to be unlike the modern day villains and instead a throwback to the big hulking henchmen like Jaws or Oddjob. The casting call was looking for "an imposing, extremely physically fit actor" over 6'2" tall. Not a ton of guys like that around, but the director Sam Mendes didn't have to look further than the biggest movie of the year.
Who Should Star in an All-Female ‘Ghostbusters’ Reboot, According to Bill Murray
At this point, any new 'Ghostbusters' movie has been fancasted within an inch of its life. Any actor working today under the age of 40? They've been considered for the 'Ghostbusters' movie. Shoot, there's a chance you were considered to star in the 'Ghostbusters' movie. So, there's no point in going over yet another list of who should star in 'Ghostbusters 3' or whatever it is they're calling it these days. Unless, of course, the person who made that list is Bill Murray. In that case, *in rapt*.
Don’t Expect a Disney Animated Movie Set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Any Time Soon
When it was first announced that Disney was purchasing Marvel, the minds of many fans leapt immediately to the possibility of a Disney-Pixar animated Marvel movie. We're sorta getting that in November with 'Big Hero 6' but as that movie approaches, it's become very clear that it's not really much of Marvel movie at all, other than being loosely based on the obscure 90s comic. What fans really want to know is if we'll ever see a Disney or Pixar animated movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. John Lasseter, who runs both Disney Animation and Pixar, has your answer: no.