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
‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ VFX Reel Reveals the Magic Behind the Movie
Earlier this morning, Star Wars: The Force Awakens was nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Visual Effects. While much was made of the film’s return to practical effects, of which there were many, a new VFX highlight reel shows just how many digital shots were actually in the finished film and how those shots were used to augment the existing practical effects...
This ‘Deadpool’ Billboard Is the Best Billboard Since the Last ‘Deadpool’ Billboard
I’m on the fence about Deadpool as a movie. On the one hand, I like the irreverent tone and how it mostly seems to be sending up all the cliches we’ve become used to in modern superhero movies. On the other, I could see this potentially getting annoying and grating over the course of an entire movie. But, one thing I think we can universally agree on is that the marketing so far has been brilliant. Latest case in point? This Los Angeles billboard which uses emoji in the dumbest and most immature way. And it’s fantastic.
George Miller: ‘I Won’t Make More Mad Max Movies’
Ever since Mad Max: Fury Road opened in theaters this summer, fans have been clamoring for updates on potential sequels. Director George Miller has abided that talk saying that while he wants to shoot a smaller movie first he had planned two additional Mad Max films. That’s the good news. The bad news? Miller now says he has no plans to return to direct any of those films.
Lucasfilm Narrows Down Han Solo Shortlist; Miles Teller, Dave Franco Testing For Spinoff
Disney and Lucasfilm have looked at over a thousand young actors to try and find the right person to play a young Han Solo in the upcoming spinoff film directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller. They’ve narrowed that massive list down to 12 actors all of whom are expected to screentest in the coming weeks with an announcement coming soon...
Zack Snyder Defends ‘Batman vs. Superman’ Trailer: ‘There’s Plenty You Don’t Know’
The Batman vs. Superman trailer was released last month and, well, it’s fair to say that the internet wasn’t very happy. Not necessarily because it looked like a bad movie, but because it seemingly gave away everything. It felt like one giant spoiler dump; the entirety of the movie condensed down to two minutes and 30 seconds...
Sylvester Stallone Reveals the Plans For a ‘Creed’ Sequel
Creed has been something of a surprise success for Warner Bros. The rare film that is both audiences and critics love and makes money. And you know what that means: SEQUEL TIME!
‘Guardians of the Galaxy 2’ Looking to Cast Kurt Russell as Peter Quill’s Father
After Matthew McConaughey reportedly turned down a major role in Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Marvel and director James Gunn went back to the drawing board, looking to attract a big star for the upcoming sequel. It turns out they may have found their man...
Ansel Elgort, Dave Franco and Miles Teller Among the Many Auditioning For ‘Han Solo’ Movie
With Star Wars: The Force Awakens just about two weeks ago, it may seem strange to now look ahead to a Star Wars film that isn’t coming out until May, 2018, but when that film is Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s Han Solo spinoff, you’ll forgive us for jumping out ahead. Though filming on the Han Solo project isn’t expected to begin for over a year, Lord and Miller have already started auditioning a slew of young Hollywood actors for the project and some of the names may surprise you.
‘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.
Daniel Fleetwood, Terminally Ill ‘Star Wars’ Fan Behind #ForceForDaniel, Dies at Age 32
Back in October, Ashley Fleetwood, the wife of Daniel Fleetwood, a terminally ill Star Wars fan, started the #ForceForDaniel campaign to help her husband see Star Wars: The Force Awakens before he died. Daniel, a lifelong fan who camped out for tickets to see the prequel trilogy, was given only two months to live in July and both he and his wife knew he wasn’t going to be able to make it until opening day. On November 5, Disney, Lucasfilm and director J.J. Abrams made Daniel’s dying wish come true by bringing Star Wars: The Force Awakens to his home in Spring, Texas.
Daniel Fleetwood died last night, just five days after his Star Wars screening, at the age of 32.
First ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ TV Spot With Even More Footage!
Just when you thought it was safe to sleep in on a Sunday morning, comes the first full Star Wars: The Force Awakens TV spot and, like the surprise Japanese trailer, it’s a dooz
New Japanese ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Trailer With Tons of New Footage!
J.J. Abrams recently said that the third Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer that debuted back on October 19 would be the last trailer we would see for the upcoming Star Wars film. Turns out, even J.J. Abrams is wrong sometimes. Today, a new Japanese Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer appeared online with lots of new footage and BB-8 fans are going to love this.