Britt Hayes is a writer, movie lover, and sensible sweater enthusiast living in Austin, Texas. She watches too much TV and never eats her vegetables.
Britt Hayes
‘Avatar 2’ Delayed Again, Won’t Hit Theaters in 2017 as Planned
In news that will likely come as a surprise to absolutely no one, James Cameron’s Avatar 2 has been delayed yet again, and will no longer hit theaters in December 2017 as previously planned. This news comes on the heels of Disney’s decision to delay Star Wars: Episode VIII until December 2017, which would have pitted the two blockbusters against one another (unfortunately not in a fight to the death, Gladiator-style).
Rumor: ‘Star Wars: Episode 8’ Is Getting a Slight Rewrite in Response to ‘The Force Awakens’ Reactions
Rewrites are common in filmmaking, especially for big blockbuster films, where there are so many moving parts that filmmakers sometimes need to recalibrate to keep things focused — which makes this rumor about Star Wars: Episode VIII hardly surprising. Rumor has it that Rian Johnson’s screenplay may be undergoing a few minor rewrites as a response to the reactions to The Force Awakens, and while that sentence may trigger an eyebrow raise, you should know that this is totally a good thing — if true.
Leonardo DiCaprio Wants to Portray Vladimir Putin…Or Lenin…Or Maybe Rasputin
Leonardo DiCaprio is many things: a great actor, a philanthropist, a member of the famous P—y Posse, a quick draw with a water gun…and apparently an expert on Russian history. The actor has portrayed many very flawed characters based on very flawed real-life men, but there’s one man he hasn’t played yet: Russian President Vladimir Putin.
‘The Godfather Epic’ Seven-Hour Chronological Cut Is Streaming on HBO Now
HBO Now is good for many things: for catching up on those shows you’ve been missing, for watching films exclusively airing on the premium network (including pretty much all the Police Academy movies, if that’s your thing, sure), for using your parents’ password to take advantage of their disposable income… But there’s something else the streaming service has that you won’t find anywhere else: a seven-hour cut of the first two Godfather films, edited in chronological order. If you have the day off, now might be a good time to indulge in such a thing.
‘Harry Potter’ Author J.K. Rowling Reveals the Secret She Told Alan Rickman About Snape
In case you needed a bit of a cry today, J.K. Rowling has taken to Twitter to share the one little piece of secret information she shared with the late, great actor Alan Rickman to help him better portray Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films. As Rickman previously revealed a few years back, Rowling gave him a piece of advice to help him better understand the complexities of his character, who is far more than the shrewd, dodgy potions master he first appears to be.
Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett Smith Boycotting 2016 Oscars, Chris Rock Calls Out Academy for ‘White BET Awards’
For the second year in a row, every actor nominated in all four acting categories for the Academy Awards is a white person. All 20 nominees for Best Actor and Actress and Best Supporting Actor and Actress are white people, reigniting the Twitter hashtag #OscarsSoWhite. And while many of us are comfortable in our power to merely comment via social media, there are a couple of strong voices who are fed up and ready to do something about it: director Spike Lee and actor Jada Pinkett-Smith have announced plans to boycott the Oscars this year, while the host of the 2016 awards himself has called the Academy out for their persistent negligence to nominate people of color.
‘Wonder Woman’ Star Chris Pine Teases Lynda Carter Cameo, Confirms Setting
Not that we exactly needed someone to confirm the World War I setting of Wonder Woman, given the leaked set photos and the persistent rumors that the film divides its time between WWI-era and modern-day, but just in case you wanted something more official, Chris Pine has confirmed the movie's time period and — as a bonus — is teasing a possible cameo from iconic Wonder Woman TV star Lynda Carter.
‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ Vet Tim Curry to Do the Time Warp Again for FOX Musical
We haven’t reported much on FOX’s Rocky Horror Picture Show musical event, much less any other network’s wacky musical remakes, but when you have news as good as the brilliant casting of original Rocky Horror vet Tim Curry as the show’s narrator…well, that’s news that’s just too good to ignore.
‘Orange Is the New Black’ Gets Season 4 Premiere Date, New Netflix Teaser
As expected, there’s lots of big news coming from Netflix ahead of their panel at TCA ’16, and in addition to finally renewing Marvel’s Jessica Jones for Season 2, the streaming service has set a return date for Orange Is the New Black Season 4. We’re sure to learn more about the coming season once the panel commences, but expect our return to Litchfield to resolve a few of those lingering cliffhangers.
John Boyega Says ‘Star Wars: Episode 8’ Will Be ‘Much Darker’
There was plenty of the dark side in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, though overall, J.J. Abrams’ first film in the new trilogy skewed a bit more toward the light side of things, tonally-speaking. It was a solid, entertaining re-introduction to the world of Star Wars, giving us a bit of the familiar and plenty of new elements, setting the table for Episode 8 to really expand on the newer characters and their journeys. And while it’s still a bit early to speculate about Rian Johnson’s plans for the follow-up, John Boyega has offered a couple of clues.
Don’t Hold Your Breath for a ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Extended Cut
With a movie as epic as Star Wars: The Force Awakens, you know there has to be lots of footage that didn’t make the final cut. Reports have been out there for a while now about several scenes that were cut from the film, and while you will get to see some of those scenes when the film eventually hits DVD and Blu-ray, J.J. Abrams says you shouldn’t hold out hope for an extended version of The Force Awakens.
NBC Orders Sitcom Pilots From Tina Fey, DC Comics, ‘Parks and Rec’ Creator and More
With the loss of 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation, NBC has struggled in the sitcom department and fallen far short of their former glory, particularly in the face of FOX’s strong lineup and excellent original content from Netflix, Amazon and other streaming providers. There are potentially great things ahead, however, as the company has ordered pilots from Tina Fey, Mike Schur, Marlon Wayans and DC comics, offering a veritable variety platter of humor that could very well punch-up their sitcom lineup and put them back in the game.
‘The Jungle Book’ Poster Monkeys Around With King Louie and Kaa
The next in Disney’s long, long line of live-action adaptations of beloved animated properties is The Jungle Book, featuring a stellar voice cast and a lively blend of CGI and live-action elements in Jon Favreau’s reimagining of the classic story. We’ve seen glimpses of them in the trailer, but this new poster for the upcoming film gives us a closer look at two of the film’s main animal characters: King Louie and Kaa.
Johnny Depp Dethrones Adam Sandler as the Most Overpaid Actor in Hollywood
Last year, Forbes dubbed Adam Sandler the most overpaid actor in Hollywood with the help of some basic math skills — the publication looks at how much a studio makes for every dollar they paid their leading man. Johnny Depp came in second place in 2014, and although Sandler has had an impressively terrible year, Depp succeeded in overthrowing the former funny man and stealing his overpaid crown.
The ‘Star Wars: Episode 8’ Script Is So Good, J.J. Abrams Wishes He Were Directing It
J.J. Abrams revved up the engine on the ol’ Star Wars ship, launching the series on a new journey with The Force Awakens, but declining to return for the subsequent sequels. Instead, Rian Johnson (Looper) and Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World) will be steering the franchise from here on out, directing Episodes 8 and 9, respectively. Johnson is in production on Episode 8 right now, and according to The Force Awakens star Daisy Ridley, the script is “very good.” How good? Abrams regrets turning down the chance to direct it.
Weekend Box Office Report: ‘In the Heart of the Sea’ Flounders in the Wake of ‘Mockingjay’
While many suspected that In the Heart of the Sea would perform well in its opening weekend at the box office, Ron Howard's seafaring epic delivered incredibly underwhelming numbers, while The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 continued its reign for the fourth week in a row. That's all going to change next weekend when Star Wars: The Force Awakens arrives and completely demolishes the competition — if you can even call it "competition."