Thursday, December 31, 2015
Star Wars: The Force Awakens Passes $600 Million International Box Office, Too
Hayden Christensen Explains Why He Quit Hollywood After Star Wars
Hayden Christensen Explains Why He Quit Hollywood After Star Wars Christensen had never set foot on a major film set prior to Episode II's in 2002. The assumption that the role of Anakin Skywalker in one of the world's largest movie franchises would change his life would be common, even George Lucas told him so. Nevertheless, Christensen wasn't ready for the big changes which came with fame. He believed that his acclaim wasn't earned in any meaningful way so much as it was given to him, so, after 2005's Episode III, he would buy some farmland and get out of Hollywood.
"I guess I felt like I had this great thing in 'Star Wars' that provided all these opportunities and gave me a career, but it all kind of felt a little too handed to me," Christensen said while out promoting his latest film (yes, he's back in the game), 90 Minutes in Heaven. "I didn't want to go through life feeling like I was just riding a wave."
"You can't take years off and not have it affect your career," he said. "But I don't know — in a weird, sort of destructive way, there was something appealing about that to me. There was something in the back of my head that was like, 'If this time away is gonna be damaging to my career, then so be it. If I can come back afterward and claw my way back in, then maybe I'll feel like I earned it.'"
Doctor Strange: Chiwetel Ejiofor Sheds Light On Baron Mordo's Role
As part of the alpha wave of Doctor Strange press coming out of this week’s issue ofEntertainment Weekly, Chiwetel Ejiofor spoke about his character, Karl Mordo, better known in the Marvel Comics universe as Baron Mordo.
Ejiofor says that Mordo has a long history with the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton), the mystic who trains both Mordo and Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch).
“In terms of his life with the Ancient One, it’s this long and intense relationship they have that’s just very deep and very connected,” says Ejiofor. “I think they both recognize in Strange this certain quality that they feel is going to be very useful in a situation they’re in — just by the nature of who he is, and the way that he operates, and the way his mind works, and the certain skill set and personality that he has. So, when they all meet, they realize that he’s somebody that can be plugged into this very surreal, interesting, sort of fascinating circumstance that they’re all in, and the dangers that they face. And so it becomes a process of assimilating him into their ways of life.”
With Mads Mikkelsen’s still unnamed character playing the main villain in Doctor Strange, what role will Mordo play? Will he be hero, or another villain?
“Oh, he’s a very complex character that, really, I don’t think can be nailed down either way, you know,” Ejiofor says. “I guess it’s something to experience, is what I’d say.”
Star Wars: The Force Awakens Sets Box Office Speed And IMAX Records In The UK
Star Wars: The Force Awakens continues to set box office records. The film is now the fastest ever to make £80 million in the UK, taking in £83.5 million ($123.8 million) in just 13 days. That beats Skyfall, which took 23 days to cross the £80 million mark.
The Force Awakens also took in £8.2 million ($12.16 million) in UK IMAX theaters, breaking the previous record held by Spectre.
Thor: Ragnarok Will Take Place Primarily In The Cosmos
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has been previewing Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the press recently, and he says fans should expect something different out of Thor: Ragnarok.
Feige tells Empire that Thor: Ragnarok will be a departure from the previous two Thor movies.
“I don't think people will read into that title alone [regarding] what the movie's going to be,” he said. “It's going to be, perhaps, as totally different from the two prior Thor movies as Winter Soldier was from the first Captain America. We want to take it to new places, we've got new characters that will show how big we're swinging on this. And we have a Hulk.”
When Feige says he wants to “take it to new places,” he’s speaking both figuratively and literally, as the film will spend much less time on Earth, and much more time in space.
“The film takes place within the cosmos primarily which is to say, frankly, very little Earth.”
Peter Mayhew, the man behind Chewbacca since 1977, spent part of his holidays with Ashley Fleetwood, the widow of Star Wars mega-fan Daniel Fleetwood, who passed away earlier this year after being one of the first people to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Mayhew and his wife invited Fleetwood, along with members of the 501st Legion charity group, to spend a day at their ranch over the holidays, ET reports. Fleetwood had expressed interest in coming to spend her father's sixtieth birthday with the Mayhews after they became acquainted during the "Force For Daniel" social media push to get her husband an early look at The Force Awakens.
"The Mayhews were so kind and gracious," Fleetwood said. "When Daniel was sick, they actually Skyped him. It was so sweet and amazing. They invited us to visit, but he was unable to travel. After he passed, they extended the invitation again. So I asked if, for my dads 60th birthday, if we could maybe visit. They said 'yes' and were so welcoming."
James Gunn: Tom Holland Is "Awesome" As Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War
During a Facebook Live Q&A with fans, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 director James Gunn praised Captain America: Civil War, its directors Joe and Anthony Russo, and Spider-Man actor Tom Holland.
"I saw Civil War, and I think it's incredible," Gunn said in the video you can see below. "It's one of the best Marvel movies ever, and I can't believe what a wonderful job the Russo Brothers did, and the cast."
A few questions later, he was asked about Spider-Man, and while he said that he couldn't say much, he did enthuse about the actor.
"Tom Holland is off the charts awesome," Gunn said. "Off the charts. Truly. Hand to my heart, he's amazing."
Someone Built A Fully Functioning Star Destroyer Shaped Computer
In the first big “random, everyday object made to look like something Star Wars” story of the day, we bring you a computer shaped like a Star Destroyer.
This is the work of intrepid modder Sander van der Velden, who integrated the PC’s hardware and architecture into features of the ship, including the engines.
The frame is made of aluminum, while the rest was created with a 3D printer.
You can see some pictures of the finished project in the gallery below. If you want to see the entire process, check out van der Velden’s photo blog.
Mike Mignola To End Hellboy In Hell
After 25 years, creator Mike Mignola is bringing Hellboy's story to a close.
Mignola revealed to Vulture that Hellboy in Hell - one of ComicBook.com's favorite comics of 2015 - will conclude with issue #10 in early 2016
“I was looking at what I had done, and coming off one of the stories I realized, 'Oh, we're further along in some way than I thought we were going to be. We got where we were going a lot faster,’” says Mignola. “I had some fun stuff lined up that I was going to do, but if I did it, it was just going to soften the impact, it was just going to ramble more than it needed to ramble. I thought, If we're going there, let's just go there now. So, yes, we're wrapping up Hellboy in Hell.”
Mignola already killed Hellboy, but that didn’t stop him from continuing to tell stories with the character, launching Hellboy in Hell in late 2012. Don’t expect a similar follow up series anytime soon though.
“It's been at least 25 years since I finished something and I didn't know what I was doing next — I've always had a project lined up,” says Mignola. “I've painted in the past, but I only average about one painting a year, and the last painting I did, I actually really liked. So I thought, Gee, if I do a bunch of paintings, maybe I'll actually figure out what I'm doing instead of relearning every year. So I asked my wife, could I do this? Could I just take a year off and just paint? Of course, I can't really take a year off — I am co-plotting B.P.R.D. and these various other books, but I'd like to take a year off from drawing any kind of comics, and just spend the bulk of a year doing color work. I've never taken a significant chunk of time to just do work essentially for myself. I have no idea where it's gonna go, but it's exciting. It's what keeps me going.“
As Mignola mentions, the end of Hellboy in Hell isn’t the end of Hellboy’s universe. Mignola will continue co-writing B.P.R.D., and he’ll even continue writing about Hellboy in the prequel Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. series, but, at least for now, Hellboy’s tale is coming to an end.
Black Panther Will Link To Avengers: Infinity War
Marvel's Black Panther is still well-over two years away from its release and at this point very little is known about the film.
We know that its titular hero will make his debut in Captain America: Civil War, with Chadwick Boseman playing T'Challa andBlack Panther will be the final film of Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe before the grand Infinity War finale begins. Other than that, it's either a secret or it's undecided.
Marvel Studios head, Kevin Feige, recently shared some new details about the film. "This one is important," Feige tells Empire ofBlack Panther. "Not only do you get an unbelievable lead character, but you also get all of Wakanda which is a whole new setting and culture to explore.”
Despite the cast being unannounced and/or undecided, Feige assures it will be "primarily African-American." That will be another step in the diversity direction for Marvel films, which have become known for having white male actors front and center (often times named 'Chris'). Earlier this year, the announcement of Ant-Man and The Wasp marked Evangeline Lilly's Hope Van Dyne as the first heroine to be named in a Marvel Studios film's title.
Of course, we're also wondering how Black Panther will effect the grand scheme of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's story leading into Infinity War. "It's a big geo-political action adventure that focuses on the family and royal struggle of T'Challa in Wakanda, and what is means to be a king," says Fiege. "T'Challa's story is very important to us as it links to the next Avengers films, which is why we brought it forward.”
Studio Ghibli's Only Yesterday Trailer, With Star Wars' Daisy Ridley
GKids has released the English trailer for Only Yesterday, the 1991 Studio Ghibli film coming to North American theaters for the first time in January.
Only Yesterday is written and directed by Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata, and produced by Hayao Miyazaki.
The English dub features Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) in the lead role.
USPS Releasing 50th Anniversary Star Trek Stamps
The United States Postal Service is kicking off 2016 in style by releasing a new set of Star Trek forever stamps.
In time for the 50th anniversary, these stamps are designed by The Heads of State and pay homage to the most recognizable aspects of Star Trek: The Original Series. This isn’t the first time Star Trek has been immortalized by the USPS however. Back in 1999 (when stamps were 33 cents), the USPS was running a promotion called “Celebrate the Century” in which Star Trek was a part of.
The four stamps include:
The U.S.S. Enterprise inside the outline of a Starfleet insignia against a gold background, the silhouette of a crewman in a transporter against a red background,the silhouette of the Enterprise from above against a green background, and the Enterprise inside the outline of the Vulcan salute against a blue background. On the panel beneath the stamps, you’ll find “Space…the final frontier,” printed underneath.
The U.S.S. Enterprise inside the outline of a Starfleet insignia against a gold background, the silhouette of a crewman in a transporter against a red background,the silhouette of the Enterprise from above against a green background, and the Enterprise inside the outline of the Vulcan salute against a blue background. On the panel beneath the stamps, you’ll find “Space…the final frontier,” printed underneath.
CW's Dawn Of The Justice League Special To Debut Suicide Squad
CW has just announced that it will be debuting the new trailer for Suicide Squad on January 19th during two new specials.
First up is DC's Legends Of Tomorrow: Their Time Is Now, beginning at 9PM ET, which will feature an in depth look at the origin stories of the heroes and villains behind the highly anticipated show Legends of Tomorrow. The special will include interviews, clips and more from executive producers Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, Phil Klemmer & Wendy Mericle. For fans looking to get a better understanding of who the villainous Vandal Savage is, is surely going to want to tune in.
Then, at 9:30 PM ET, keep your televisions locked on CW as they'll premiere DC Films Presents: Dawn Of The Justice League which will give fans the inside look into WB's upcoming films that everyone has been waiting for. Hosted by Kevin Smith, the special will feature a look at Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, the all-new trailer for Suicide Squad, and a sneak peek at the Wonder Woman film. WB & CW promise never-before-seen footage, interviews with stars like Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, and so much more.
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Star Wars: The Force Awakens Marches On with Strong Second Monday
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is now the proud owner of the two biggest Mondays at the domestic box office in history. After setting the record last week, the film's second Monday is at an estimated $31.5 million, again beating the old record of Spider-Man 2's, and taking the second spot all time.
The Angry Birds Movie Adds Blake Shelton To Voice Cast As A Singing Pig
Angry Bird’s all star voice talent just made itself a bit more country by adding Blake Shelton to it’s cast. That’s right, joining the ranks of Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad & Danny McBride is one of the current judges of the Voice and self identified Angry Birds fanatic.
Game Of Thrones Season 6 To Have Flashbacks And Flash-Forwards To Key Events
After taking the season off in 2015, Isaac Hempstead-Wright returns as Bran Stark in Game of Thrones Season 6. Hempstead-Wright reveals to EW that Bran is about to have his biggest season yet.
Bran spent Season 5 training with the Three-Eyed Raven (Max Von Sydow). Now that he’s honed his special psychic gifts, Bran is going to be seeing into the past, present, and future of Westeros, allowing viewers to see key events through Bran’s eyes. “Previously Bran’s seen tiny glimpses of future or past but never has he been very much in control in the situation,” Hempstead-Wright says. “Now we’re given looks into very important events in the past, present and future of this world and Bran is beginning to piece them together like a detective, almost as if he’s watching the show. Equally, he’s now discovering how crucial he could be in the Great War. It’s quite Inception-y.”
That Bran’s powers would allow Game of Thrones to integrate flashbacks into the series has been a popular theory among fans since the Season 4 finale. In particular, fans have been looking forward to seeing events that transpired at the Tower of Joy, which I won’t get into any further here for fear of spoilers. The idea of flashing forward is an interesting twist as well, raising some new questions about other rumors involving at least one large battle that came out of the Season 6 sets while filming was under way.
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