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
Kurt Russell on ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ and the Secrets of His Mysterious Character
There are a lot of fascinating, interesting and just plain cool things involved when you’re visiting the set of Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2. For one, getting to hold Baby Groot. For another, getting to walk through the massive practical sets built for the film. And for another, getting to shoot the breeze with Kurt Russell.
‘Wolverine 3’ Begins Filming, Confirmed to be Rated R
While Hugh Jackman and Wolverine make only a very brief appearance in X-Men: Apocalypse, the Oscar-nominated actor and his popular mutant alter ego are returning for Wolverine 3, the upcoming sequel that will serve as Jackman’s last. From the Apocalypse press day in London, we have some new details on the film including that filming has now begun and that, as rumored, Wolverine 3 will be rated R..
Spider-Man Fights Winter Soldier in New ‘Captain America: Civil War’ Footage
Captain America: Civil War opens in theaters in just over a week and, to date, we’ve seen precious little footage of Spider-Man in action. Besides the “underoos” scene from the final trailer, Marvel has kept Spidey out of the spotlight, even erasing him from scenes that are in the commercials...
Because You Asked For It, Netflix Made Another Adam Sandler Movie
Last year Netflix released their first original Adam Sandler movie, The Ridiculous Six. Like all Adam Sandler movies, critics hated it (it’s currently 0% on Rotten Tomatoes), but according to Netflix it was their most-streamed movie in the first 30 days of all-time...
Rumor Buster: No, ‘Step Brothers 2’ Isn’t Filming This Year
If you’ve logged onto Facebook or trolled Reddit today, you surely saw the exciting news: Step Brothers 2 is officially happening and it begins filming this year! Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly are back and they’re taking care of a baby! Oh great, a sequel to one of the funniest comedies of the past 25 years! Except it’s not true.
‘Ghostbusters’ Trailer: These Women Ain’t Afraid of No Ghost
Ever since the Ghostbusters reboot has been announced (with an all-female cast) the film has been harshly judged, sight unseen. Today, director Paul Feig has officially revealed the Ghostbusters trailer, so now we can judge the film on its own merits...
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.
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.
The Surprising Reason Christian Bale and Leonardo DiCaprio Turned Down ‘Steve Jobs’
Before Michael Fassbender was cast as Steve Jobs, the biopic went down a long and complicated road in pre-production. Directors (including David Fincher) were offered the job and passed. Actors (Leonardo DiCaprio, Christian Bale and Natalie Portman, among them) were offered the title role and passed. With an Aaron Sorkin script we now know is very, very good, it’s surprising that so many talented people declined to participate in the movie. But, we now have an idea why these people decided to pass on Steve Jobs and it has nothing to do with the quality of the film.
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.”