Emma Stefansky
No, ‘Episode IX’ Will Not Feature a CGI General Leia, Which Is a Relief
After Carrie Fisher’s untimely death, a lot of fans speculated about how her absence would affect the story of the final Star Wars movie. All of her scenes had been completed for Episode VIII, but production hadn’t yet started on Episode IX, and some wondered whether Lucasfilm would pull a Tarkin and resurrect General Organa using a combination of CGI and motion-capture...
‘Star Wars: Episode VIII’ Is Fandango’s Most Anticipated Movie of 2017
When it comes to online movie polls, which ones do you think the public is usually most excited for: little indie pictures or huge superhero/sci-fi/fantasy blockbusters? Spoiler alert— it’s the blockbusters. Shocking, I know. In Fandango’s year-end poll of the most anticipated movies of 2017, Star Wars: Episode VIII, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and the live-action Beauty and the Beast took the top spots.
Debbie Reynolds, Star of Stage and Screen and Mother of Carrie Fisher, Dies at 84
Unbeatable entertainer Debbie Reynolds, star of Singin’ in the Rain and mother to Carrie Fisher, has died at the age of 84 after suffering a stroke earlier on Wednesday.
You Can Watch Carrie Fisher’s ‘Star Wars’ Audition Tape Right Here
It’s undeniable that Carrie Fisher was a rare talent — and she’d have to be, to charm the notoriously picky George Lucas with her Star Wars audition. In a recently resurfaced video, originally posted on YouTube in 2006, Fisher sits down to read a scene opposite Harrison Ford (whom Lucas initially didn’t want to cast, but he was so good in the screen tests that Ford became his Han Solo).
Carrie Fisher Has ‘Absolutely Wrapped’ Production on ‘Episode VIII’
Carrie Fisher’s General-Princess Leia Organa was such an iconic character, J.J. Abrams knew he had to bring her back for the new trilogy. We knew that she had been cast in Episode VIII, and with her passing today, some wondered whether she had completed all of her production as Leia before her heart attack. But an official from Lucasfilm assured us today that all of her scenes were “absolutely wrapped.”
Watch the First Gorgeous, Creepy ‘Alien: Covenant’ Red Band Trailer
Had enough of those never-ending stills yet? Good news — the Alien: Covenant trailer is here, and it’s equal parts stunning and downright horrifying. Watch as a sinister particle drifts into an android’s ear, cringe as a man leans over a slowly hatching alien egg, marvel at the sweeping, beautiful landscapes of a planet we all know is full of creatures that want to kill us! Oh, and I am never, ever taking a shower again.
‘The Fate of the Furious’ Trailer Is the Latest to Break That 24-Hour Record
Tracking movie trailer views can’t be an easy task, as you have to somehow combine everything from TV views to YouTube views to all-kinds-of-other-places views and calculate some sort of number from all of that. Previously, the record has been held by The Force Awakens, which was dethroned by Fifty Shades Darker earlier this fall, which was then whipped by the live-action Beauty and the Beast trailer (probably the most anticipated live-action Disney movie ever). Now, The Fate of the Furious is king, with 139 million views in its first 24 hours, more than 10 million more than Beauty and the Beast.
Sundance Announces New Additions: 2017 Premieres, Midnight and Spotlight Sections
On the heels last week’s hotly anticipated program announcement for the 2017 Sundance Film Festival comes today’s new list of all the premieres, section updates, and special events festivalgoers can expect after their long pilgrimage to Utah this January. Sundance always hosts the first of the big premieres of each year, and carefully curates programs of films to screen at their Midnight and Spotlight sections.
The ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ Trailer Is Here, and Baby Groot Steals the Show, Obviously
We’ve done our waiting, and now it’s finally here — feast your eyes on the first official Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 trailer! All of our favorites are back, plus a few new faces and one very big tentacle monster. This trailer keeps the rock music vibe of the first movie alive with their choice of Sweet’s “Fox on the Run,” and it looks just as fun, if not even more fun, than its predecessor.
MPAA Keeps ‘Rogue One’ Teen-Friendly With a PG-13 Rating
Don’t worry #teens, you’ll all be able to see Rogue One: A Star Wars Story when it hits theaters next month, as the MPAA has officially decided all those explosions and laser gun battles aren’t too scary for the youths. Rogue One got its PG-13 rating today, for “extended sequences of sci-fi violence and action,” which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, since The Force Awakens was rated the same for similar reasons.
‘Star Wars: Episode VIII’ Rumors Surface About Benicio Del Toro’s Character
Star Wars Episode VIII, much like The Force Awakens, has been shrouded in the utmost secrecy throughout its production so far. We’ve had some teeny glimpses behind the scenes and rumors have fluttered around, but so far we don’t know a whole lot about the film in terms of plot. Earlier this year, Benicio del Toro, Laura Dern, and Kelly Marie Tran joined the cast in unspecified roles, and the studio has kept quiet about that so far. Now, a new rumor might give us some answers to one very important question: who, exactly, is Benicio del Toro playing? Be wary of SPOILERS for Episode VIII in the following paragraphs.
Luke Skywalker’s ‘Episode VIII’ Costume Sounds a Little Less Distinguished Than ‘The Force Awakens’
Luke Skywalker’s reveal at the end of The Force Awakens was one of the coolest parts of the movie, and it helped that Mark Hamill and Mark Hamill’s Bushy Goatee looked appropriately distinguished, for a Jedi who’s been living alone on an island for... however long he’s been there. But now, it sounds like his costume redesign for Episode 8 will be taking him in a considerably less-distinguished direction. (Be warned, minor spoilers may be ahead for those who want the new getup to be a surprise.)